It Never Happened
-x-
But there was something wrong with that moment, wasn't there? That isn't how the story went. That wasn't as fate had decreed it. Well, fate, you see, is not the constant it's often made out to be. Fate is merely which route you take on a criss-crossing network of possible paths, and if you look back far enough, you will see the crossroads at which the path you already know splits away from that which we're walking along now.
So, back we go. Back to a point that is not the beginning, but at least is where The End, quite mundanely, simply fails to happen.
-x-
Divergence
-x-
Tasha poked her head through the Sickbay door. 'Knock knock?'
Dr Crusher looked up with a smile. 'It's OK, you can come in.'
Tasha did so, a small clutch of tulips in her hand. 'Thought our little invalid could do with something to cheer her up… oh.' She broke off with a small sigh as she saw the huge spray of roses on the table next to the dozing patient, which dwarfed her posy by comparison. 'Will's been in to see her, I take it.'
Beverly grinned, offering Tasha a small vase for her bouquet. 'Never does anything by halves. The tulips are lovely. I'm sure she'll be delighted.'
Tasha shrugged, trying to find a spot on the table where her own offering wouldn't be completely overshadowed by the roses. 'How's she doing?'
Beverly leaned against a computer bank. 'Her fever still hasn't broken yet.'
'She still delirious?'
'Heeeere puss puss puss puss…' sang a quiet, cracked voice from the bed, as if in answer to Tasha's question.
Yar looked over at the invalid with a little smile that she hoped looked more sympathetic than amused. Poor Deanna looked simply dreadful – her eyes were sunken and rolled back, her lips pale and chapped, her dark hair plastered to her forehead with sweat. Tasha picked a cold compress up from the table next to the stricken Betazoid and placed it on her worried brow.
'Still feeling crummy, huh?'
Deanna's face crumpled in sudden distress. 'But I don't want any pancakes,' she wailed.
Tasha shot the Doctor an impish glance. 'Sounds lucid enough to me.'
'You tell them,' rambled Deanna, earnestly. 'You have to tell those men I'll be with them as soon as I can. Just let me finish cooking breakfast, and then I have to recalibrate…' She tried to push herself up on the bed. 'Have to recalibrate the wurdles… the wurly wurdles…'
Tasha gently pushed her friend back down onto her back and turned to the Doctor. 'She'll miss her conference at this rate.'
Beverly shook her head. 'She's already missed it. She'll never be on her feet in time. The other delegates are going to rendezvous directly with the Telemachus now.'
'No!' Tasha turned round to see Troi sitting bolt upright, trying to put her shoes on the wrong feet. 'Susan's right. I have to go. They'll paint it all the wrong colour if I'm not there to show them.'
Crusher rushed over to her patient, pushing her back by the shoulders. 'Deanna Troi, the only place you're going is back to bed.'
'Don't you come round here with your eleven faces,' Deanna railed weakly as she was pushed back down again. 'I told you before, I'll do it on Tuesday.'
'Deanna?' Beverly warned. 'Get some rest.'
The feverish Counsellor's expression flicked suddenly from bewildered distress to a beatific smile. 'Zuzu's petals!'
Tasha gave Deanna's hand a quick squeeze. 'I'd better go. I have work to do.'
'Here comes the night train, crossing the border,' murmured Deanna peacefully, closing her eyes, 'bringing the cheque and the postal order. Clickety clack, switch the track…'
'But I'll leave you in Beverly's capable hands, OK?'
'Ding ding, all change,' Deanna whispered.
Tasha paused briefly at the door. 'Get well soon, Deanna. And don't worry – there'll be other conferences. Your health comes first.'
'Everything's going to be fine,' slurred Troi as she slipped happily back into sleep. 'It's all going to be just fine.'
-x-
And so that path split away from the one you know. A shuttle still crashed, a ship still attempted to retrieve it, lives were still lost – but not hers. The only effect it had on her was that it made her sigh and shake her head when she heard about the tragedy that had befallen those people that she didn't know, and thank her lucky stars that her friend had been too sick to take that ill fated journey. It gave her an uneasy feeling that she had escaped a brush with destiny, but she never knew to what extent that was true.
