A/N: Geordie and Bochra meet after the collapse of the Romulan Empire.

This part was a bit of a challenge. I'm more familiar with the dubbed version, which made it difficult to get their voices right. Hopefully, Geordie doesn't sound too OOC.

Constructive criticism is always appreciated. :)

Don't own.

Geordie sighed in content, enjoying the light breeze and the warmth of the evening sun. He was sprawled out on a big bath towel, eyes closed and wearing nothing but a loose T-shirt and swim shorts. It was his first shore leave in ages and he'd decided to spend it on Earth. Everyone always told him, he must be either crazy or really unimaginative that, after all the worlds he'd visited, he still insisted that his home planet had the best beaches.

His serenity was interrupted when a shadow was cast on him, resulting in an immediate drop in temperature.
"I always thought you had an aversion to sand.", a male voice said.
It sounded familiar, Geordie knew that he'd heard it before, but he couldn't quite place it. It'd been a long time ago, he was certain of that, and under circumstances that had been pretty miserable. Still, the feeling attached to it wasn't negative.

He opened his eyes and tilted his head in an effort to see who was standing there.
The man stepped fully into his field of vision, "Jolan tru, Lieutenant Commander Geordie La Forge."
Jolan tru… Suddenly, Geordie wasn't at the beach anymore, he wasn't wearing his swim shorts, no, he was in the transporter room of the Enterprise in his mud-caked uniform all those years ago when he'd first heard those words.

"Bochra.", he whispered.
There he stood, wearing simple, black civilian clothes, arms crossed in front of his chest and a small smile on his face.
"Bochra!", Geordie scrambled to his feet and grabbed the other man by the shoulders.
It wasn't a hallucination: He could feel Bochra's warmth seep through the thin cloth beneath his fingers and saw his heart beat in a steady rhythm, much slower than the last time.

Before even considering whether it was appropriate, he had pulled the Romulan in a tight embrace. The other man tensed at the close contact. Realising what he was doing, Geordie let go and stepped back.
"I'm sorry.", he said a bit embarrassed, "I didn't mean to… it's just… I'm glad that you're alive."
"It's okay.", Bochra relaxed a bit, "I am relieved that you still remember me."
"As if I could ever forget the great adventures of Galorndon Core.", Geordie said with a grin.

"Please, sit down.", he gestured towards his towel.
The Romulan followed his invitation, but he didn't seem comfortable. He sat straight, stiff even, legs drawn protectively up to his chest. Geordie could sense his tension and frowned. He didn't understand what caused the other man's unease. It wasn't as if they were stranded on hostile planet during a raging electromagnetic storm now. They were on Earth at his favourite beach, so there was no reason for Bochra to be so – oh. Right. They were on Earth. Probably the epitome of 'hostile planet' for a Romulan.

"Why are you here?", Geordie asked.
Bochra took a deep breath, "The time after the… supernova was difficult. I had lost my family. My parents, my sisters…"
"God, Bochra, I'm so sorry."
"Some of my people were seeking refuge on Earth.", he smiled weakly, "I had never forgotten about the Starfleet officer who had once saved my life. So, I started looking for you and eventually managed to track you down."
"That mustn't've been easy.", Geordie said quietly, "I'm glad you did it."

"You were right after all.", Bochra's absent-minded gaze was fixed on the ocean, "It won't be the humans who are going to be extinct."
His statement made Geordie look up.
Outwardly, the Romulan had barely changed. His hair was less meticulously cut and there were green shadows under his eyes, but other than that, he looked exactly like Geordie remembered him. He wondered why that was. The last two decades had certainly left their mark on him. Then it occurred to him that Romulans likely shared the longevity of their Vulcan relatives.

No, Bochra's physical appearance hadn't changed much. But something else had. Even though he still carried himself with the natural pride of a Romulan, when he'd said those words, he'd seemed… drained. His voice hadn't sounded angry or bitter, just tired. A far cry from the man Geordie had met on Galorndon Core. The clothes Bochra wore revealed his true frame and made him look smaller than the bulky uniform had.

"Bochra, I'm sorry what happened to Romulus. We wanted to help, we really did, Admiral Picard fought so hard but ultimately couldn't do anything to persuade Starfleet Command.", Geordie suddenly felt the urge to defend himself, to quench the guilt and shame he felt when he thought about the fact that the Federation had sentenced an entire planet to death. But deep down he knew that there was no excuse, nothing he said would – could – console the other man.
The only thing he could do was to squeeze Bochra's shoulder, "I'm sorry, man. I really am."
"I know you are."

Geordie let the soft, white sand run through his fingers.
"During all those years, every time I saw a Romulan ship being destroyed, I wondered whether you'd been on board. Then came the war and the supernova… so many people died. And I hoped you weren't among them. I hoped you were still out there, driving everyone up the wall with your stubbornness.", he smiled at the indignant look on Bochra's face.

"What I mean is that I hoped that you were still… you. That they hadn't done something to you after our little adventure."
This seemed to surprise the other man, "What made you think that?"
"A while after Galorndon Core, some Romulans tried to brainwash me by using the neural implants for my VISOR…"
"I never told anyone about it.", Bochra said warily.
"I didn't assume you did. Well, at least not voluntarily.", Geordie's fingers dug forcefully in the sand, "I thought that maybe the Tal Shiar had tortured you for information or something. Probably even executed you for cooperating with a Starfleet officer. I don't know. They did some pretty messed-up stuff."

"Oh, I can assure you that no such thing happened. Commander Tomalak made sure of that. He was a remarkable man, not unlike your Captain Picard."
"Really?"
Bochra ignored Geordie's sarcastic tone.
"It is true. He held our core values – loyalty and dedication to the Romulan people – in high regard. Sure, he would partake in deception to test the integrity of an individual, but he never approved of the more ruthless methods the Tal Shiar employed towards its own citizens.", he frowned,
"To him, their actions were misguided, since they caused distrust among our people and therefore undermined the very loyalty they were so desperately trying to enforce."

"When Commander Tomalak entered the Neutral Zone to rescue Patahk and me, he took a great risk. He did it not only to salvage the mission, but because our lives mattered to him. Me being saved by a Starfleet officer probably wasn't how he'd wished it would go, but in the end, he was pleased at my return. He knew that I was not a traitor, that I would have rather died than given up any information. So, sacrificing me out of paranoia or to possibly gain some miniscule shred of information about the Federation would have appalled him."

Geordie thought about what the other man had just said. He was surprised to find himself agreeing. Still…
"But someone else might have done it?", he asked.
Bochra shrugged, "Maybe. But Commander Tomalak was not the only one who thought like this."
"If that's true, why did I watch Romulan ships destroy vessels with their own people on board? How is that 'loyalty and dedication'?"
"I realise that from a human perspective such actions might seem cruel, but for us it's a sign of respect to spare fellow Romulans from disgrace. It is, however, a mistake to equate being ready to give one's life with senseless death-seeking."
Geordie shook his head in defeat, "I guess I'll never really get Romulans."
A small smile. "You don't have to."
Geordie sighed, "You know, in hindsight, I think we got really lucky."
"I cannot deny that."

"Even though I was spared any negative consequences, the incident on Galorndon Core did have some lasting effect on me.", Bochra said after a pause.
"What kind of effect?
"After I had returned, I continued to serve my people with pride. My loyalty and dedication never wavered. Still, after meeting you, I couldn't believe in our superiority with the same conviction anymore."
Geordie grinned, "Well, I'm pleased to hear that me having to roll around in mud wasn't in vain."

They sat in silence for a while.
"Do you no longer need your device?", Bochra asked curiously.
It took Geordie a moment to understand what he meant, "Ah, the VISOR. No, there is no need for it anymore after I got the cybernetic implants."
"I see, that is…", Bochra suddenly squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his hands against his temples.

"Hey, are you okay?", Geordie put a hand on the Romulan's back.
He nodded tightly, "I'm fine."
Geordie rolled his eyes, "Of course you are. What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing.", Bochra had become considerably paler, which made the green shadows under his eyes stand out even more.
As Geordie looked at the other man, he remembered another piece of information about Vulcan physiology.
"When was the last time you slept?", he asked suspiciously.
"What day is it?"
"Tuesday."
Bochra blinked, "Eleven days ago, I guess."
"Eleven day- How are you even alive?"
"I am no human.", the Romulan stated, seemingly confused by Geordie's exasperation.
"But eleven days must be excessive even for you guys!"

"Sleep is hard to come by on a foreign planet.", Bochra said quietly.
Geordie nodded.
"You are going with me to my hotel room. The sun is almost gone anyway. Come on.", he stood up.
"Oh, this isn't necessary…"
"It is. You came to Earth just to find me even though it's – well – Earth. The least I can do is make sure you're okay.
"Thank you, Lieutenant Commander La Forge."
"My friends call me Geordie."

Hope you liked it. :)

I'm not too happy about how canon handled the Romulan Empire. After establishing such intricate relationships between the different peoples, simply destroying their planet didn't do the Romulans justice in my opinion. There are some interesting emotional implications though.

I hope it didn't turn out too sappy. :'D