Chapter 22
Serva me, servabo te.
Save me and I will save you.
(Petronius Arbiter)
The lake was beautiful, just as Vicki Ann and David had said. The clear water sparkled
bright blue in the sunlight and the surrounding foliage was reflected on the surface. Vicki
Ann laid out the blanket down on the ground and David set the picnic basket down next to
it.
Vicki Ann knelt down and opened the basket. "Let's see what we have here." She pulled
out a thermos and unscrewed the lid, smelling the contents. "Tarkalean tea." She
continued, taking containers out and inspecting the contents. "Fruit salad, with both
terran and non-terran fruit. Turkey sandwiches. Mmm, my favorite. Caesar salad.
Another favorite. Delvin fluff pastries, Julian's favorite. Nectarian juice, Ezri's favorite." She
looked up. "Well, David, my mother has voiced her displeasure with our relationship again.
She included everyone's favorite dishes, most likely plucked out of their minds while we
were talking. Everyone except you."
David sat down beside her. "Whatever is here is fine with me."
Vicki Ann smiled at him and then began to take out the dishes, silverware and cups. "Wait,
there's something else." She opened the container. "How could I miss this? Chocolate cake
for dessert." She grabbed a fork. "I think I'll have dessert first." She was ready to devour
the cake when David grabbed her arm.
"Hey, we'd like some of that too," Julian added.
Vicki Ann pouted, but relented. "Alright. My thighs thank you, Julian. And so does the rest
of me, otherwise I might have been running ten kilometers tomorrow morning to burn it
off!" She got more forks and passed them out. "I'm putting the cake in the center and
everyone else pile around it."
As they ate, Ezri said, "You know, I heard that you should actually eat your dessert first.
Something about the way your body metabolizes food."
"Don't say that!" Julian exclaimed. "That's just an excuse for Vicki Ann to eat more
chocolate."
When they finished the cake, they started on the rest of the food. Between Vicki Ann and
Julian, they drank all the Tarkalean tea.
After she was finished, Vicki Ann yawned and stretched out on the blanket. "I think I'm
going to take a nap."
David laid down beside her. "Sounds good." Within minutes they were both asleep.
Shortly, Julian and Ezri fell asleep as well.
An hour or so later, Vicki Ann woke up. She nudged David. "Come on, let's go swimming."
Their conversation woke up Julian and Ezri and the four of them ran to the water. "Last
one in gets to carry everything back!" Vicki Ann yelled.
"Hey!" Ezri replied. "You and Julian have an unfair advantage!
Not to mention that all three of you are taller than me."
"You're just jealous!" Julian laughed.
"Am not!" Ezri shouted back.
"Then quit complaining and run," Vicki Ann said.
Ezri sighed. It was just her luck to be racing three tall people, two of them genetically
engineered. "Looks like I lose."
"Looks like it," Vicki Ann said, splashing her.
"Hey!" Ezri exclaimed.
A wave of water doused Vicki Ann from behind. She turned around and Julian was standing
there, grinning from ear to ear. Vicki Ann tackled him, knocking him into the water.
Julian glanced at Ezri. "Aren't you going to help me?" he pleaded, as Vicki Ann tried to dunk
him again.
Ezri shook her head and watched, laughing. If it had been anyone else, she might have
seen it as flirting and been jealous. But, Julian and Vicki Ann were friends. Best friends, as
a matter of fact. They had grown even closer since the mess with Section 31 and Julian
Jr.
They thought of each other as family.
David, however, saw things differently. He did not like Julian. He saw Julian's joking manner
toward Vicki Ann as flirting. He thought that Julian was trying to steal Vicki Ann. He
decided to stop the wrestling match by splashing Vicki Ann and Julian.
Vicki Ann dunked Julian and then turned to David. She tried to push him down, but he
picked her up and threw her in the water.
After they swam for awhile, the heat and physical exertion got them. "Let's go back," Ezri
suggested.
"Good idea," Vicki Ann agreed.
The four of them gathered up the remnants of the picnic and headed back to the house.
As they walked in the door, Mr. Homm took their things.
Lwaxana entered. "You have a message coming in from DS9. It's from Deanna."
Vicki Ann nodded. "You get to shower first, Ezri." She turned to David and Ezri. "As for you
two, you're going to have to draw straws. Unless of course, you want to share."
Julian backed up. "You can go first, David."
Lwaxana had overheard. "You don't have to do that. Julian, you can use my bathroom."
"Thanks, Mrs.- Lwaxana."
Vicki Ann left the room, laughing to herself. She went into her mother's study and turned
on the viewer. "Hello, Deanna."
Deanna smiled. "I was just checking up on you. Judging by the smile on your face, I'd say
you're doing better."
Vicki Ann's smile widened. "We had a picnic at the lake."
"You and David?"
"And Ezri and Julian. We went swimming, too. I haven't had this much fun in months. Since
before the war."
"I'd say you're following your therapy regimen pretty well."
"Ezri agrees."
Deanna took a deep breath. "You do know that you're going to have to talk about this
sometime."
Vicki Ann sighed. "I know. I do have that Duranya Nerys gave me. You're supposed to light
it and chant a prayer that will help the mourning process."
"Ritual is often good in these circumstances."
"The problem is, I've never performed this Bajoran ritual, so technically it can't be called a
ritual."
"It is your belief in the action that counts, not how often you do it."
"Deanna, do you really believe that any of these Bajoran rituals will actually matter? I
mean to the Prophets?"
"Since I'm not a believer in the Prophets, I'm not a good person to ask. You should be
asking yourself that question."
"Maybe that's something I ought to figure out on this trip."
Deanna nodded. Riker came up behind her and leaned toward the viewer.
"Has your mother driven you crazy, yet?" he asked.
Vicki Ann glanced around and saw that her mother was nowhere to be found. She rolled
her eyes in reply. "She hates David and she's taking every opportunity to show it. On the
picnic, she had Mr. Homm pack everyone's favorites but his. Oh, and of course she treats
Julian like her long lost son-in-law."
Deanna laughed. "She was pretty upset when you two broke up. Even more so than you or
Julian."
"If it's any consolation, she hated me at first," Riker replied.
"WHAT? You're kidding! She loves you even more that she loves Julian! You're the son she
never had."
"She loathed me. She thought that I would make Deanna leave her obligations on
Betazed."
"And she was right," Deanna added. "Only he just made me admit what I'd been hiding for
years; that her life wasn't for me. Starfleet must be in our genes, I guess. Don't worry,
she'll come around eventually."
"I hope. How is Beverly holding down the infirmary?" Vicki Ann asked.
"She's having a blast. She said this morning that she was beginning to see why Julian
chose frontier medicine. My guess is that by the time you're back, she'll be wishing for her
own sickbay back."
"Probably. Julian is having fun now, but by the time the vacation is over, he'll be stir crazy.
Well, my muscles are begging me for a hot shower. Tell everyone hello and I'll talk to you
later. Everyone else sends their regards as well."
Deanna and Riker said goodbye and Vicki Ann turned off the viewer.
Julian Bashir walked across the hall to Vicki Ann and Ezri's room and knocked on the door.
Ezri opened the door, smiling. "Come in. Vicki Ann will be out in a few minutes." Ezri and
Julian sat down on the bed. Ezri could tell that Julian was dreading this therapy session as
much as Vicki Ann.
She sld her arm around his waist. "Julian, it'll be fine. The sooner the two of you begin to
deal with this, the sooner you'll feel better. And I think this will help. The purpose of the
Duranya is to mourn. To help deal with the death of a loved one."
"I know. I've just never been good at dealing with stuff like this."
"You seemed to deal with Jadzia's death pretty well."
Julian smiled. "Well, you helped with that. And so did Vicki Ann."
Ezri nodded. "And we're going to help you this time. And just like last time, you're going to
have to help Vicki Ann in return. You have to understand that you're not alone in this."
"I know that."
"Then act like it. Don't hold everything inside, Julian. Talk about it. If you're upset, tell
someone. If you're sad, tell someone.
If you want to cry, go ahead. They're plenty of shoulders around here.
You have to let your feelings out or they'll eat you alive. Promise me you'll try, Julian."
"I promise."
The door of the bathroom opened and Vicki Ann emerged. "Ready?"
she asked, Julian.
Julian nodded and then got up to help her with the large candle.
Once it was set up, they took out the prayer Kira had given them. They recited it as they
lit the candle:
"Rakah jarhout
Shallah morallah
Ehma boruh kanah
Uhranak ranah nohm Julian Bashir Jr.
Propay vah narah eh suuk
Shallah cohm voana."
They followed the directions and recited it the appropriate number of times. When they
finished, they both realized they crying.
Ezri walked over and hugged them both. A few moments later, there was a knock at the
door. "Come in," Ezri called.
The door opened. It was David. "Am I interrupting something?
Vicki Ann looked up. "No, it's fine, David."
Julian became uncomfortable and wiggled out of the three way hug. "I'm tired. I think I'll
go to bed."
David stepped forward. "No, Julian, don't leave. I'd like to apologize for the way I've been
treating you. I understand that you and Vicki Ann are just friends. I'd like to thank you for
helping her get through the rough times lately. For being there when I couldn't."
Julian smiled. "You're very welcome, David."
Ezri was practically beaming. "Okay, everyone. Group hug. The other occupants of the
room gave her a strange look. "I'm serious. Hugs are wonderful therapy."
Vicki Ann raised an eyebrow.
"Group hug," Ezri repeated. "Or else."
The four of them obeyed and wound up falling on the floor laughing. The healing process
had begun.
The end. . .for now.
--
May the real muses guide you and sprinkle you with magic writing dust:-)
Meghan Elizabeth
Visit my site:
http://www.crosswinds.net/~meghanelizabeth/crosswinds.html
Need a beta reader? Visit the Muses Sector at:
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Dreamworld/1481/
Serva me, servabo te.
Save me and I will save you.
(Petronius Arbiter)
The lake was beautiful, just as Vicki Ann and David had said. The clear water sparkled
bright blue in the sunlight and the surrounding foliage was reflected on the surface. Vicki
Ann laid out the blanket down on the ground and David set the picnic basket down next to
it.
Vicki Ann knelt down and opened the basket. "Let's see what we have here." She pulled
out a thermos and unscrewed the lid, smelling the contents. "Tarkalean tea." She
continued, taking containers out and inspecting the contents. "Fruit salad, with both
terran and non-terran fruit. Turkey sandwiches. Mmm, my favorite. Caesar salad.
Another favorite. Delvin fluff pastries, Julian's favorite. Nectarian juice, Ezri's favorite." She
looked up. "Well, David, my mother has voiced her displeasure with our relationship again.
She included everyone's favorite dishes, most likely plucked out of their minds while we
were talking. Everyone except you."
David sat down beside her. "Whatever is here is fine with me."
Vicki Ann smiled at him and then began to take out the dishes, silverware and cups. "Wait,
there's something else." She opened the container. "How could I miss this? Chocolate cake
for dessert." She grabbed a fork. "I think I'll have dessert first." She was ready to devour
the cake when David grabbed her arm.
"Hey, we'd like some of that too," Julian added.
Vicki Ann pouted, but relented. "Alright. My thighs thank you, Julian. And so does the rest
of me, otherwise I might have been running ten kilometers tomorrow morning to burn it
off!" She got more forks and passed them out. "I'm putting the cake in the center and
everyone else pile around it."
As they ate, Ezri said, "You know, I heard that you should actually eat your dessert first.
Something about the way your body metabolizes food."
"Don't say that!" Julian exclaimed. "That's just an excuse for Vicki Ann to eat more
chocolate."
When they finished the cake, they started on the rest of the food. Between Vicki Ann and
Julian, they drank all the Tarkalean tea.
After she was finished, Vicki Ann yawned and stretched out on the blanket. "I think I'm
going to take a nap."
David laid down beside her. "Sounds good." Within minutes they were both asleep.
Shortly, Julian and Ezri fell asleep as well.
An hour or so later, Vicki Ann woke up. She nudged David. "Come on, let's go swimming."
Their conversation woke up Julian and Ezri and the four of them ran to the water. "Last
one in gets to carry everything back!" Vicki Ann yelled.
"Hey!" Ezri replied. "You and Julian have an unfair advantage!
Not to mention that all three of you are taller than me."
"You're just jealous!" Julian laughed.
"Am not!" Ezri shouted back.
"Then quit complaining and run," Vicki Ann said.
Ezri sighed. It was just her luck to be racing three tall people, two of them genetically
engineered. "Looks like I lose."
"Looks like it," Vicki Ann said, splashing her.
"Hey!" Ezri exclaimed.
A wave of water doused Vicki Ann from behind. She turned around and Julian was standing
there, grinning from ear to ear. Vicki Ann tackled him, knocking him into the water.
Julian glanced at Ezri. "Aren't you going to help me?" he pleaded, as Vicki Ann tried to dunk
him again.
Ezri shook her head and watched, laughing. If it had been anyone else, she might have
seen it as flirting and been jealous. But, Julian and Vicki Ann were friends. Best friends, as
a matter of fact. They had grown even closer since the mess with Section 31 and Julian
Jr.
They thought of each other as family.
David, however, saw things differently. He did not like Julian. He saw Julian's joking manner
toward Vicki Ann as flirting. He thought that Julian was trying to steal Vicki Ann. He
decided to stop the wrestling match by splashing Vicki Ann and Julian.
Vicki Ann dunked Julian and then turned to David. She tried to push him down, but he
picked her up and threw her in the water.
After they swam for awhile, the heat and physical exertion got them. "Let's go back," Ezri
suggested.
"Good idea," Vicki Ann agreed.
The four of them gathered up the remnants of the picnic and headed back to the house.
As they walked in the door, Mr. Homm took their things.
Lwaxana entered. "You have a message coming in from DS9. It's from Deanna."
Vicki Ann nodded. "You get to shower first, Ezri." She turned to David and Ezri. "As for you
two, you're going to have to draw straws. Unless of course, you want to share."
Julian backed up. "You can go first, David."
Lwaxana had overheard. "You don't have to do that. Julian, you can use my bathroom."
"Thanks, Mrs.- Lwaxana."
Vicki Ann left the room, laughing to herself. She went into her mother's study and turned
on the viewer. "Hello, Deanna."
Deanna smiled. "I was just checking up on you. Judging by the smile on your face, I'd say
you're doing better."
Vicki Ann's smile widened. "We had a picnic at the lake."
"You and David?"
"And Ezri and Julian. We went swimming, too. I haven't had this much fun in months. Since
before the war."
"I'd say you're following your therapy regimen pretty well."
"Ezri agrees."
Deanna took a deep breath. "You do know that you're going to have to talk about this
sometime."
Vicki Ann sighed. "I know. I do have that Duranya Nerys gave me. You're supposed to light
it and chant a prayer that will help the mourning process."
"Ritual is often good in these circumstances."
"The problem is, I've never performed this Bajoran ritual, so technically it can't be called a
ritual."
"It is your belief in the action that counts, not how often you do it."
"Deanna, do you really believe that any of these Bajoran rituals will actually matter? I
mean to the Prophets?"
"Since I'm not a believer in the Prophets, I'm not a good person to ask. You should be
asking yourself that question."
"Maybe that's something I ought to figure out on this trip."
Deanna nodded. Riker came up behind her and leaned toward the viewer.
"Has your mother driven you crazy, yet?" he asked.
Vicki Ann glanced around and saw that her mother was nowhere to be found. She rolled
her eyes in reply. "She hates David and she's taking every opportunity to show it. On the
picnic, she had Mr. Homm pack everyone's favorites but his. Oh, and of course she treats
Julian like her long lost son-in-law."
Deanna laughed. "She was pretty upset when you two broke up. Even more so than you or
Julian."
"If it's any consolation, she hated me at first," Riker replied.
"WHAT? You're kidding! She loves you even more that she loves Julian! You're the son she
never had."
"She loathed me. She thought that I would make Deanna leave her obligations on
Betazed."
"And she was right," Deanna added. "Only he just made me admit what I'd been hiding for
years; that her life wasn't for me. Starfleet must be in our genes, I guess. Don't worry,
she'll come around eventually."
"I hope. How is Beverly holding down the infirmary?" Vicki Ann asked.
"She's having a blast. She said this morning that she was beginning to see why Julian
chose frontier medicine. My guess is that by the time you're back, she'll be wishing for her
own sickbay back."
"Probably. Julian is having fun now, but by the time the vacation is over, he'll be stir crazy.
Well, my muscles are begging me for a hot shower. Tell everyone hello and I'll talk to you
later. Everyone else sends their regards as well."
Deanna and Riker said goodbye and Vicki Ann turned off the viewer.
Julian Bashir walked across the hall to Vicki Ann and Ezri's room and knocked on the door.
Ezri opened the door, smiling. "Come in. Vicki Ann will be out in a few minutes." Ezri and
Julian sat down on the bed. Ezri could tell that Julian was dreading this therapy session as
much as Vicki Ann.
She sld her arm around his waist. "Julian, it'll be fine. The sooner the two of you begin to
deal with this, the sooner you'll feel better. And I think this will help. The purpose of the
Duranya is to mourn. To help deal with the death of a loved one."
"I know. I've just never been good at dealing with stuff like this."
"You seemed to deal with Jadzia's death pretty well."
Julian smiled. "Well, you helped with that. And so did Vicki Ann."
Ezri nodded. "And we're going to help you this time. And just like last time, you're going to
have to help Vicki Ann in return. You have to understand that you're not alone in this."
"I know that."
"Then act like it. Don't hold everything inside, Julian. Talk about it. If you're upset, tell
someone. If you're sad, tell someone.
If you want to cry, go ahead. They're plenty of shoulders around here.
You have to let your feelings out or they'll eat you alive. Promise me you'll try, Julian."
"I promise."
The door of the bathroom opened and Vicki Ann emerged. "Ready?"
she asked, Julian.
Julian nodded and then got up to help her with the large candle.
Once it was set up, they took out the prayer Kira had given them. They recited it as they
lit the candle:
"Rakah jarhout
Shallah morallah
Ehma boruh kanah
Uhranak ranah nohm Julian Bashir Jr.
Propay vah narah eh suuk
Shallah cohm voana."
They followed the directions and recited it the appropriate number of times. When they
finished, they both realized they crying.
Ezri walked over and hugged them both. A few moments later, there was a knock at the
door. "Come in," Ezri called.
The door opened. It was David. "Am I interrupting something?
Vicki Ann looked up. "No, it's fine, David."
Julian became uncomfortable and wiggled out of the three way hug. "I'm tired. I think I'll
go to bed."
David stepped forward. "No, Julian, don't leave. I'd like to apologize for the way I've been
treating you. I understand that you and Vicki Ann are just friends. I'd like to thank you for
helping her get through the rough times lately. For being there when I couldn't."
Julian smiled. "You're very welcome, David."
Ezri was practically beaming. "Okay, everyone. Group hug. The other occupants of the
room gave her a strange look. "I'm serious. Hugs are wonderful therapy."
Vicki Ann raised an eyebrow.
"Group hug," Ezri repeated. "Or else."
The four of them obeyed and wound up falling on the floor laughing. The healing process
had begun.
The end. . .for now.
--
May the real muses guide you and sprinkle you with magic writing dust:-)
Meghan Elizabeth
Visit my site:
http://www.crosswinds.net/~meghanelizabeth/crosswinds.html
Need a beta reader? Visit the Muses Sector at:
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Dreamworld/1481/