Disclaimer: See chapter one.
A/N: Yes, I am aware that I misspelled 'traveler' in the first chapter, but in my defense, I think the British spell it that way!
Chapter Three: The Second Reunion
They spotted her before she spotted them. She was sitting at a table in the back of the café, wearing a sleeveless red dress that came down to a few inches below her knees. Her hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail, and the ends were curled. She was looking at something on the table, and at first glance, it appeared to be a small gold pin. She had, if it was possible, become more beautiful than she had been, than Wesley had remembered. But it was the same Lauren that he had grown up with, the same Lauren that he had gone to grade school with, and the same Lauren whose necklace he now carried in his pocket.
"It's her," he said, not believeing it at first. "I never would've believed it, but it really is her. How did she find you Mom?"
"She came to Starfleet Medical and requested to see me," his mother said in reply. "She asked about you Wesley, and I told her that you were in town for a bit. When I asked her if she wanted to see you, she told me yes. I figured it would give you two a chance to fix everything."
"Fix everything? I doubt she's going to want to talk to me."
"Wesley, it's been seven years. Do you think she would've asked about you if she didn't want to make up for things? And she still has the pin, doesn't that count for something?"
Wesley looked again at the seated young woman, and saw in her hands the gold pin he had given her when they were 14. He was beginning to think that Lauren was just going to give it back and leave, when he saw her look up from examining the pin.
For the first time in seven years, he was looking into the eyes of Lauren Scarlett, and she was looking back at him.
Lauren just happened to look up and to her right, and she saw them. She was in shock. The tall young man standing next to Dr. Crusher was indeed Wesley, but how different he looked from the boy she had grown up with! He was taller, to be sure, and definitely more muscular, probably from his days in the Academy. Lauren mentally shook herself out of the staring match and rose from her seat. She then did the only thing she could think of doing: she began walking towards them.
As she approached them, Wesley's palms began to get sweaty. He hadn't seen this girl since he was 14 years old. What was she going to do? Give him a warm welcome, or give him the same type of ass-kicking she had tried to give him the day after the school formal. With any luck, she'd hold off on the ass-kicking until his mother left. But he noticed as she came nearer, that she was smiling. Her smile grew broader as she grew closer, and when she finally reached Wesley and his mother, she threw her arms around Wesley, hugging him for the first time in seven years.
"It's so good to see you again," Lauren whispered in his ear. "I've missed you."
Wesley grinned as he hugged her, and said, "I missed you too. It's been a long time." He pulled away, and looked at her. Close up, she looked just as beautiful as she had from a distance, maybe even more so.
"Seven years," Lauren said. "A lot has happened in that time, to both of us. Would you like to join me? I was just going to get something to eat."
"I'd love to," Wesley replied, holding his arm out to her in a show of chivalry.
Lauren laughed. She was amazed that Wesley remembered their old joke. She took his arm and said, "So you remember this. I'm surprised that with all your adventures, you had any room left in there for me."
They walked to her table and sat down across from each other. Dr. Crusher looked at them and smiled before turning to leave. Lauren and Wesley looked back at her, and waved to her as she left the café. They were finally alone, and it was time to see if time had healed old wounds.