*27

February 6, 2161

Rick fired back one last bit of dark matter. This time, straight to the dishes and through, as his passengers were transported and then split off, some of them, to other locations.

=/\=

Back in her bed again, Marie Patrice dreamt of thousands of silver and copper and brassy butterflies, all on her arms. She smiled and raised her arms, and they flew up and away.

Joss was in the bathroom, getting a drink of water and still wondering a bit about what was going on with Mom and Dad and why they had been so somber.

DR was back where he had been.

And then there was Tommy.

He had had quite a day. He had been carried out of a big, slightly chilly, place, and then brought to another place, which was warmer and more tannish and golden than the first one. Mommy was there – she was the one with the milk – and Mama, too. She was the one who did other things, including taking him outside and dressing him. He met new people. One of them was very light but was like another Mama, her name was Lili. And there was a tall one who wasn't a Mommy at all, and they said he was Daddy. He had changed him and had carried him way up high for a while. And there had been another one, kind of like Daddy, who they said was Rick.

Gentle hands had changed him and bathed him, and dressed him for bed. And he had enjoyed not just milk – the best thing, ever! – But also cereal, which he was beginning to really like, too. And this time, it was different, for it was mixed with something that was called vanilla, and something darkly purple – almost indigo – which was soft and sweet and tasted like – he didn't know the word yet, but he would, soon – pears. They said that that was olowa. And it was also mixed with something else, which he also had never tasted before. It wasn't bananas, which he already knew and really liked, and it wasn't strawberries or melon. It was orange marmalade. Just a touch. It was kind of sweet, kind of not, and he liked it. He had no way of knowing, but these would become some of his favorite tastes for his entire life. They even gave him a little bit of perrazin meat, but it was only a little. It was cut into tiny, tiny pieces, for he didn't really have teeth yet.

He had sat with Rick, and Mama, and two others, who were smaller, who were called Empy and Joss, and they had made a big tower of square and rectangular and half-circle bits of well-sanded wood with soft, safe corners. He had little coordination, so when he tried to put something on top, he'd end up knocking it over. And they would laugh and do it again, only in a slightly different configuration, and he would try again and it would fall again and they would smile at him and he really, really liked it when Mama smiled and all he wanted to do was make her smile, so later, when he made a noise with his mouth which made her and Mommy smile, he silently vowed to make more mouth noises to see if he could get that to happen again.

And then he'd been bathed by the really light one, and she had sung to him some song about – he would learn later – rice and milk. But it was in Spanish –

Arroz con leche.

Arroz con leche me quiero casar
con una señorita de la capital,
que sepa coser,
que sepa contar,

que sepa abrir la puerta
para ir a jugar.
Yo soy la viudita, del barrio del rey,
Me quiero casar y no encuentro con quien:
con este, si, con este, no;
contigo, mi vida, me casare yo.

And then Mama, and Mommy, and Daddy, they had all put him down to bed. And he had dreamt, of milk and orange and cereal and warmth and sunshine and Spanish and he could smell Mommy close to him, and taste olowa, and hear the singing, and there was nothing more wonderful.

=/\=

Lili and Doug materialized inside Rick's ship.

"Right on time," Rick said, coming over.

"Oh, thank Gawd!" Lili exclaimed. Emotional, she hugged him, "I gotta go see the kids!"

"Wait," Rick said.

"What?" Doug asked, "Don't stand between her and the kids."

"Just, trust me on this one. Talk for a little while. It can be as little as five minutes. But, really, you both need to process this. I have done this many times, but the first time I was a wreck afterwards, when I thought about what had happened. It wasn't anything bad, but it just – our brains aren't really wired for this. Just, just sit down, change back to your regular clothes, and talk. You won't regret this. Really, I must insist."

"Actually, Lili, this might not be such a bad idea," Doug said.

"Okay," she said, "But not long. I've really missed them," And Malcolm. He was alive again, she figured. It was a huge relief but she wanted to be sure.

=/\=

"Did it work, Masterson?"

"I have to admit, Empress, I'm not sure," he said, looking over the readings at the Defiant'sTactical station.

"Not sure?"

"Well, it's like this. I know we got off the shot. And I know it was composed of pulsed light vibrating in a twenty-one centimeter radiation band. And I know it went straight into the thickest concentration of dishes on Lafa II, on a rise the natives call Point Abic," he replied.

"And?" she prompted, a little peeved, shifting in the command chair. She was getting huge again, and was less than comfortable.

"And then the shot just disappears. So I figure we've got two possible choices. One is that we've just broken the laws of physics. You know, matter and energy are interchangeable, they can be neither created nor destroyed, only transformed, and now that shot's just gone completely," he explained.

"Wait a second," Lucy said, "Looks like it was just deflected back."

Travis sat at the pilot's station, and laughed a little.

The five kids sat around, on the floor near the command chair. Jun, the five-year-old, was pounding the floor with his hands. Kirin, the two and a half-year old, was chewing on a fingernail. The almost two-year-old Arashi was mesmerized by the flashing lights at the helm. The half-year-old twins were beginning to cry. Izo, of course, was still in utero, and kicked a little.

"I don't have time for this," The Empress complained. She punched up communications from the command chair, "Hodgkins, get over here."

He arrived quickly, with Curtis, "Yes?"

"Take Masterson and Stone to the booth. They're gonna be busted a grade as well," he hesitated for a second, "Go. Now."

"C'mon," Hodgkins said, grabbing Masterson roughly.

"Empress!" Chip complained.

"You had your chance," she sneered.

Aidan stood in the back and watched, and tried not to let anyone see him flinch.

Once they were gone, she punched up a link to the surface. This was not good. The Calafans – they were so annoying, even after being enslaved by the mighty Terran Empire. She'd wanted compliant little copper sheep and instead – this! They were laying waste to the countryside, rather than give it up. There was burning – pretty soon there would be nothing good left to conquer on that pitiful rock, "Travis!" she barked, "Get down there and quell that!"

"But, I've gotta pilot," he complained. He didn't want to go down into that.

"You'll go if you ever want any of this again," she said, thrusting her chest out, "Take Torres," Even though she was getting to be rather hugely pregnant, he still didn't want that to be stopped. He obeyed.

"Jun, c'mere," Hoshi said, "Stand up and watch. You need to learn this," she punched up communications again, "Pike! Get in here and pilot."

=/\=

Norri and Melissa were standing outside, still looking up at the stars. They hadn't seen anything. So far as they were concerned, they were still waiting for Rick to take off.

"Hmm, it seems to be taking a while, Mellie," Norri said.

"I dunno. How long is this supposed to take?"

"Eh, I'm sure I don't know. Do you think it took? Neil, I mean."

"I can't say for sure," Melissa said, "I feel PMS-y. That could be the very beginning, or it could just be PMS."

"Hmmm. Thank you for making me a mother. I can't imagine life any other way."

"C'mere a sec," Melissa said, and they kissed.

=/\=

Once the Security crewmen had left with Stone and Masterson, Aidan approached the Empress, "Not to interrupt," he said, "but I believe the twins need to be changed."

"Hmm," Hoshi sniffed the air, "You're probably right. Use the Ready Room."

"I, uh, need to get diapers," he said. He picked up the two kids and left, before she could say anything more.

Quickly, he hustled himself down the hallway. As per usual, men gave him a hard time, even pretending to give him catcalls and calling him a woman, the greatest insult known to a man on the twenty side of the pond.

He took a shortcut to the booth, in time to see Hodgkins and Curtis bringing Stone and Masterson over. Miller and Rosen, as always, were guarding the booth.

Gently, Aidan set the twins down next to the wall. He had the element of surprise, and clonked Hodgkins from the back. Curtis was quickly subdued by Miller, via a heavy phaser stun.

The five of them – him, Miller, Rosen, Stone and Masterson – propped the two Security crewmen into the booth and closed the door.

"Should we turn it on?" asked Rosen.

"Naahh," Masterson said, "It's scary enough to just be in there. They'll probably wet themselves anyway."

"We have to knock you out, right?" Stone asked.

"Yeah, we gotta make this look good. Hit me, Aidan," Miller said. Aidan did so, creating a nearly-symmetrical black eye.

Masterson did the same to Rosen, "Sorry, bro."

"It's for a good cause," Rosen said, "Now the phasers."

"Here, it's a better landing," Lucy said, pointing, and then shooting. The two Security crewmen were out cold.

"You couldn't get Kirin, eh?" Chip asked, as they grabbed the twins and ran to escape pods.

"No, I couldn't swing it. I'll stay here with him, of course," Aidan said, "Hit me but good, just before you get into the pod."

"You bet," Lucy said, "Thank you for doing this."

"Just feed them enough. Takara likes grapes. Takeo eats too fast – he needs to be burped a lot," Aidan said.

"No one knows them like you do," Chip said, "But I guess we will, now. G'bye."

"Keep alive," Aidan said, "This situation can't last forever. Now hit me, and make it look good."

Chip did so, and then stunned Aidan, who went down like a log.

Chip and Lucy took the twins and the four of them crowded into one escape pod, which gently floated to the surface of Lafa II.

=/\=

"So talk to me," Lili said, changing in Rick's bedroom, "Ha, this room still looks like it should be rented by the hour."

"I think I should be around Melissa more," Doug said, "Not around you less. Just around her more."

"She lives on Ceres. That's quite a distance away."

"She won't for much longer. She told me, they bought an apartment in one of the high-rises that's going up in Fep City. They're moving here."

"Oh," Lili said, "That's great. The kids can grow up together."

"Exactly what I was thinking. And, also, more company for her. She needs it, I think."

"Doug, she's got mental health issues. Your being around her more, they're not gonna just magically fix them."

"I know," he said.

"Understand," she said, "if she is bound and determined to kill herself, you can do your best and try to prevent it. You can take away all of the phase bows and knives and I dunno what else, rope, and take away her car and anything else. You can keep her away from tall buildings. But what she needs is treatment. From a professional."

"I know," he repeated, "I know that my love isn't going to be enough. But she got desperate because we weren't around. And now we can be around more. So if she gets desperate, maybe it'll be later. And Norri – she said she missed the signals. With help, Norri could be free to see, and interpret, the signals. And I could, too."

"And if you miss those signals?"

"I might," he admitted, "But she had damned good reason to feel the way she did, at least to start. I know how awful you felt about, about him and what happened. I'm sure you felt the same way I did," he took her hand, his thumb caressing her forefinger, "You and I, we don't turn it to self-destruction. But we now know that she might. So we're being given a second chance. Or maybe it's a first chance. A smart chance. We can do this right, or at least right-er."

"You can't hover over her. She's a grown woman. She's allowed to make her choices – even bad ones, Doug."

"Of course. I just think we're being given an opportunity to make a difference here. And there's another thing."

"Oh?"

"I want us all to be more integrated in each other's lives. And that doesn't just mean spending more time with her. It also, I figure, means that I take you on the transport to Andoria or wherever the Enterpriseis sometimes, and you, you get to visit him more. It's only fair. And it's not just for the sake of fairness. I don't, I'm not keeping an accounts book or anything, Lili. I just, well, I saw him, just as you did. And he was hurting and it was nutty, but he came and he did whatever he could to make it so that I – we – could meet Neil, even for one time. And I know he wanted to see you, but it wasn't just that. He also, he took care of them as much as he could. I had asked him to, and he did it. Neil was no relation to him whatsoever, and neither was Norri. He coulda just walked away. And he didn't. He cared for them as much as, as much as I do."

She kissed him.

"You're an extraordinary man, Douglas Jay Hayes Beckett," she said, watching him fold the uniform, name patch up, "You did Jay Hayes proud, and you do me proud. I never really understood what the other side of the pond was like, and now I know. It's easy to fall down, and to go the wrong way. It must have been an amazing act of will for you to have any moral code whatsoever. I saw what it was doing to our children. We need to care for them well. It's so easy for them to go wrong."

"Tommy in particular," Doug said, "He probably will end up as a soldier. It's not a bad life."

"But there's a difference between being an honorable soldier and being, well, being William Calley."

"My Lai, right?" she nodded, "I studied that at West Point. It was, huh, it was held up as exemplary behavior on the other side of the pond. In the past few years, I've learned, it's anything but that."

"He will need all of us – all five – to show him that," she said, "And Marie Patrice, oh, I do hope we didn't take her away from her only love."

"I think she'll find someone more suited to her," Doug said, "And Joss, Mister Baseball! But I bet he goes to vet school instead. They're gonna be okay. We're gonna be there for them."

"Definitely."

"Oh, and our anniversary is coming up," he said.

"Three years on the fourteenth. Let's stay in. I'd rather have some excitement at home," she said, kissing him.

=/\=

Things were not going so well on the surface.

Travis was a horrible commander, and his men barely followed him in any direction, let alone attacking the angry Calafans, who were using sticks and rocks and knives to get their way. Torres did not have any better luck, and his men were about ready to turn their phase rifles on him when the Empress had seen enough.

"Pike, get us out of here."

"To where, Empress?"

"Andoria. Warp Seven."

"But Empress, there are people on the surface. Torres and Mayweather are down there," Shelby pointed out. Not that she cared about either of them, but at least that would cover her in case that turned out to be an issue later.

"Leave them," Hoshi said. Shelby looked back at her, "I said, leave them. Warp Seven. Now. I hate this damned system."

Aidan came in, holding his head. He had quite a shiner going himself, "Empress, I apologize," he said.

"Oh?"

A communications chime rang. It was Miller, "Empress, we were overpowered by Stone and Masterson. I think Curtis and Hodgkins were working with them."

"That's not good," Hoshi said, "Aidan, check over by Tactical."

He did so, "Looks like an escape pod went to the surface," he knew this, but made as if to check, in order to make it look good.

"And the twins?"

"They are gone, too. I, I am sorry. I was near there, with the twins, just coming back from changing them, and they shot me with a phaser and took the children. I tried, but I can't fight a phaser, Empress."

Communications chimed again. It was Rosen, "We have them in the booth, Hodgkins has confessed," he lied, "Looks like it was just the two of them in with Masterson and Stone."

"Execute Curtis and Hodgkins," The Empress said.

"Empress, I leave myself in your hands," Aidan said.

Jun looked up, "Aidan?" he asked, "Can I have a cookie?"

"Not until after supper," Aidan said, "We, uh, don't have too many left."

"You've been raising them," Hoshi said.

"Yes, I have. It has been an honor for me."

"And you do a good job with that. But I need someone to run Tactical now. Consider it payment of what I owe you," she said.

"I, Empress, I appreciate the kind and generous offer. Benson, though, she could run Tactical. I would, I would rather take care of the children," Aidan said.

"And the Science station?"

"Perhaps Miller could. I think he may have a Biology background. You know that, that Science isn't used much."

"Hmm, Miller might be useful for other things," she said. She punched up Communications, "Benson! Miller! Get in here!"

"I should still relieve this debt," she said, "I am in a generous mood. The twins were getting to be annoying; I'm a bit glad to see them go."

"All right," he said, a little incredulous. Go with it, MacKenzie, he said to himself, "I, uh, two things."

"Two?"

Miller came in, "Wanted to see me, Empress?"

"Just a moment," she said, "I want to hear about the two things that Mac here wants."

"Uh, well, one is, the, the crew should be allowed to have relationships. Even the men. Marriages, too, if they want them. I know you don't believe in that, but I think you'd have fewer problems with them. I think that was the real issue with Stone and Masterson. If they could have married, or at least been open with seeing each other, they could have been more, more loyal to you. And maybe it would have fizzled out, but by making it secret, I think that made it more exciting to, to them, so it was perpetuated."

"Go on," she said, "What's the other bit?"

"Jun needs a teacher. He is going to be seven in a few years, and he'll definitely need one then, but he's very smart and could use one now. I have taught him to read and write but it would be better if there was a, a professional."

"This request have any relation to the other one you just made?" she asked.

"Y-yes," Aidan replied, "I would like for the teacher to be a woman. And for her to be, well, if she was so inclined, to be my woman."

"Nobody too expensive," Hoshi said, "Now take the kids back to quarters before I stop being so generous."

He began scooping up Arashi and Kirin.

Hoshi came over to Miller, "Do you know what goes on in my Ready Room?"

"Uh, you get ready for things?" Andrew asked.

"There's a cot in there," she said, finger moving slowly down the front of his uniform.

"Oh," he said. He'd never done it with a pregnant woman before.

Aidan left, Jun trailing slightly behind as he carried Kirin and Arashi to quarters. Once inside, he settled them down for a nap and turned on his PADD.

Teachers, teachers. There were two good candidates. One was a redhead on Ceres. She'd gone to Antarctica University for undergraduate, and Rhea College for her Master's degree.

Leonora Digiorno. Hmm. Oh, but there was one fatal flaw. That one was listed as being gay. Huh. Back to the drawing board.

There was the other candidate. She'd gone to Miranda University for both undergraduate and graduate study. And the picture! She had skin the color of mahogany, dark, dark hair in the tightest, kinkiest curls and a slight gap between her two front teeth. Just enough imperfection to be perfect. Susan Cheshire. He sent a note, describing the job opening.

=/\=

March 29, 3109

Kevin had been dozing off this time. It had been the Umbriel vacation. Josie had looked really great; it had been before she'd gotten really sick. Her smile could light up a room.

His shoulder was shoved, "Huh? Officer, I swear I was only doin' ninety," he joked.

"Look," Carmen said.

"Well, I'll be damned. Looks like we're done."

=/\=

They'd been in there for a while, so Rick finally looked in on Doug and Lili, and found them kissing.

"Ahem!" Rick said, "I thought you were anxious to see the family again.

"Just," Doug said, coming up for air, "agreeing to something."

"Yeah," Lili said, "We don't shake hands."

"I guess not," Rick said.

"Richard, were you named for someone important in your family?" Lili asked, standing up.

"An ancestor, I think," he said.

"Good. All names are meaningful and important. Wear yours proudly."

"I do. And my sister, Eleanor, I think she does as well."

"Excellent," Lili said.

"Can you, if I may ask," Doug said, "why did you grab us when you did? The transport seemed really long. I mean, I know from long transports. Leaving took a long, long time."

"Well, it's that I had to get her betwee – I mean, after – her pregnancies," Rick said.

"Ha!" Lili said, "You said between!" She grabbed her belly, "I'm pregnant now, aren't I? And you held us in the pattern buffer until I could have the baby. You must've seen it and waited, 'cause you got the day wrong!"

"Damn, I've botched it," Rick said, "I can't say."

"Richard, you are such a tease!" she said, "C'mon!" she whined.

"You have testers, right? Just, you should find that out for yourself. We're not supposed to give away too much," he said, "It's better that way. You'll see."

"I guess you'll both be pregnant at the same time," Doug said, "I better start ordering pancake flour now, eh?"

"Oh, yeah," she said, "So this is good-bye," she said to Rick.

"Yes," he said, kissing her on the cheek, "Thank you for dinner."

"And thank you for the look ahead," she said, "Even though the crystal ball was a bit cloudy. Will we ever see you again?"

"Only if someone does something really stupid," he said.

"Richard, I can guaranteeyou that someone will do something really stupid," she said.

Doug and Lili walked out of Rick's ship and interrupted Norri and Melissa kissing.

"Forget something?" Norri asked.

"Nope, we're done," Doug said.

*28

"Ha, it's like you never left," said Melissa, accepting hugs and kisses.

"It must feel strange to you," Lili said, "But for us it's been a few days. Doug, about the cooler, you should know this."

"Bad empanadas?" he asked, "Arashi and Izo?"

"Probably," she said.

"I never wanted you to do that. But it did help, when all was said and done," he replied.

"You made something bad?" Norri asked, "How is that even possible?"

"Oh, I burn plenty of things," Lili said, "But this wasn't burning, it was olowa leaves. They're poisonous to humans."

"Aha," Norri said.

"But whatever happened, it's undone, right?" Melissa asked.

"I guess it is," Lili said, "But there's probably some other universe where we didn't succeed, and they're still dead. And another where it was only 2178 that was fixed, and whatever happened in 2166 didn't get undone."

"Maybe so," Doug said, "Plus there's Haddon. She's gone either way. I gotta, I gotta live with that."

"You didn't mean for that one to happen," Lili said.

"I know. But that hardly matters to her. I didn't think there would be a Number Fifteen. I was truly hoping and praying that."

"What's Number Fifteen?" Norri asked.

"I've committed homicide fifteen times on the other side of the pond," Doug confessed, "And Deborah Haddon's counterpart was the last one, the fifteenth one."

"Oh. But it was unintentional?" she asked.

"That one, yes. I struggle with that. I'm not a perfect person by any means. I have flaws – that's a huge one, of course. All I can hope for is to not pass that along to the kids."

"I got my own imperfections that I don't want to pass along to the kids," Melissa said.

"We all do," Norri said, "I think all we can do is make them the best home that we can, and rise above our baser natures. The five of us are partners, right? If we work together, with what's good from each of us, then I think we'll be really all right."

"And that starts with having good, happy pregnancies," Melissa said.

"Speaking of that," Lili said, taking her by the hand, "come with me."

=/\=

Rick was up and away, and set his coordinates for March 29, 3109.

It was going to be a long trip, so he figured he'd dictate his report.

But first, one thing had to be done. He sat at the HG Wells's controls. The ship was on auto; he could get up or even sleep if he wished. Instead, he talked to himself a little – a bad habit he'd picked up during so many solo missions. It could be a lonely life.

"So, it really is a bit of doggerel, you know," he said, fingering a chain around his neck, "You definitely wrote better in your life. But you had a space limit, and you just wanted to be, I dunno, you wanted to be comforting. And I bet it was comforting to her. Thanks, great-great-grand – however many greats you are."

He pulled out the chain, and there were two things on it. One was a circular medallion with his initials: RMD, a Xindi initiation medal. The other was a skeleton key, but with a solid handle. It was old – not too terribly far from a millennium. It had been passed down to him through countless hands, and the edges were slightly worn. But the clasp was intact. He put his pinkie nail under it and it came open easily. He read the inscription aloud to himself, although he'd done that before, a thousand times, but this time, he knew what it meant.

Whene'er you feel you
you are in need

Remember the Lili-Flower
is supported by the Reed

He put the chain back and began to dictate.

"To: Admiral Carmen Calavicci, in care of the Temporal Integrity Commission
From: Richard M. Daniels, Senior Temporal Agent

It is not often that I have the opportunity to not only correct the timeline, but also to work with, and meet, my ancestors. I appreciate being able to break bread with them, although I wish I could have seen them together. Still, I saw the way they looked at each other over the viewer, and their feelings were clear, even to this jaded traveler.

The timeline has been fully restored. According to my instruments, there was no second pulse shot, and the Empress Hoshi Sato rarely returned to the Lafa System and, instead, concentrated her efforts on suppressing Andorian uprisings and attempting to recruit Klingons to her side. After her death, four of her children did return to Lafa II, and picked up Takara and Takeo. Takara was a married grandmother by then, so, along with others, her son and her son's family were also made a part of the Defiant's contingent, as was her half-brother, Kenneth Masterson, who was the child of Chandler Masterson and Lucy Stone. Takeo, being gay, did not marry, although he had a long-term Calafan lover who accompanied them. Unfortunately, that name is lost. I recommend a historical observational visit, using proper protocols as agreed to under the Temporal Accords, if this information is desired.

Kirin and Izo also married, but neither had children. Their wives' names are also unknown. One observational visit, if timed correctly, could potentially unearth this information as well. Arashi and Jun never married.

Because Takara had the only child, the succession was clearly established, but it was not her son, Charles Tucker V, who became the next Emperor. As any schoolchild knows, the next Emperor was his son, Charles Tucker VI, who we know as the Emperor Charles I.

It is unclear as to why the Empress Hoshi allowed the twins to stay on Lafa II, or why she permitted babysitter Aidan MacKenzie to remain, as it appears that the twins getting to the surface could only be accomplished with his assistance. At that time in history, the Terran Empire's subjects overly concerned themselves with debts, duties and obligations. It is possible that she felt certain obligations or at least wanted someone experienced to care for the children she still had control over. It's possible that that same expedition could reveal this information as well. The Empress's decisions are not always comprehensible on the surface. It is known that she had plans to have her children fight over the succession after her death, and their differing fathers were a calculated maneuver to assure that they would have few ties to each other. But that plan was foiled, and the fault – if you can call it that – lies squarely at the feet of Aidan MacKenzie and the firstborn, Jun. They kept the family together so that, when the Empress finally did pass, cooperation was the only choice.

Jun's father remains a mystery and probably always will be."

He stopped dictating for a moment. No, it's not, he said to himself. It'll remain classified. My boy, he smiled to himself. Thanks for everything you did for him, Aidan.

He started dictating again.

"My instruments show that Ironblaze passed to the Empress's descendants, including the Emperors Charles I, II and III, and it was eventually acquired by the Temporal Museum on Lafa II, where it again is, in a case in the Terran Empire exhibit. The cuff of Lo, a major cultural and religious artifact of the Calafan people is, so far as I can tell, back where it belongs, on the left wrist of my sister, Eleanor Daniels.

Thank you again for allowing me to be a part of this. If observers want to return to this time period, they might want to get my great-great however many greats grandmother's recipe for empanadas.

Very Truly Yours,

Richard Malcolm Daniels"

The ship was almost at 2400. He'd have some time to rest. He leaned back in his chair and folded his hands behind the back of his neck. His left sleeve came up slightly, revealing a copper band and a silver band, both natural parts of his body. He hoped he wouldn't get into trouble for that drop of stem cell growth accelerator he'd dropped into her garden's soil. Eh, it was only a drop. Plus, he had been the one to land on the daylilies. It was the least he could do, even though that little finger stick had hurt like hell, but that was okay. He whispered to himself, "Be with who you desire."

=/\=

"Wait, wait, what?" Melissa asked.

"We're going to the bathroom," Lili said.

"I'm almost twenty-seven. I think I can do this myself."

"Nuh-uh. You and me, we're gonna take tests."

"Oh?" Melissa asked.

"Very likely," Lili said, "Hey, Ducks, what are you doing up?" she asked as soon as she saw Joss.

"Mom, are you and Dad going away?" he asked, sniffing a little.

"No, no, sweetheart."

"Then what were you doing on Rick's ship?"

"We had something very important that we had to do, love. But it's done. We will tell you what it is when you're older, okay? But right now, all you need to know is that we're – all five of us – gonna be here – for you, and Marie Patrice and Tommy and for others," she hugged him.

"Right now your Mom and I have to do something," Melissa said, "Can you wait outside a sec?"

"Okay. Is Dad home, too?"

"Yep. Try not to be too loud. Your sister and Tommy are still sleeping."

The two women went in, "One for me, one for you," Lili said, taking two tester sticks out, "Wanna go first?"

"People don't normally watch me do this," Melissa said.

"I won't peek, I swear."

They both tested, hugged, and opened the bathroom door as Leonora and Doug walked into the house.

=/\=

Susan heard her PADD chime and was about to grab another pull when she thought better of it and instead opened the message. A job! And the guy who'd sent the message – he was incredibly hot.

She put on makeup and adjusted her hair, then made sure to put the bottle away, and opened up a visual communications link to the Defiant.

The man on the other end of the communication was very good-looking although he did have quite a shiner going. But that was all right. Such things, she figured, were temporary. They agreed on terms, and she would join theDefiant's crew as a teacher when that ship could next come near Titania, her home.

=/\=

They each held up a blue stick, "I guess it took," Melissa said, hugging Norri, "Neil is on his way."

"And so is someone else, I see," Doug said, whirling Lili around in his arms, "Not exactly like we planned. I had thought you were gonna get your tubes tied after Marie Patrice."

"I just never seemed to get around to it," Lili said, "I'm glad, though. A happy accident."

"What would you name this one?" Norri asked.

"If it's a boy – and we all know that that is highly likely – Declan," she said.

"Declan?" Melissa asked.

"Yes, I, uh, my counterpart on the other side of the pond – well, things diverged in 2118. On both sides, there was a fire at the house. On this side, I was visiting my mother's parents in New France, so I was spared. On the other side, well, Charlotte – I guess it makes sense to call her Charlotte and not Lili – she was at home. And she and her little brother died."

"There's no brother on this side, right?" asked Norri.

"No. He only existed there. And, as you might guess, he was named Declan."

"That was also her grandfather's name, on her father's side," Doug said.

"Yanno, I wonder if this is DR," Lili said, "I mean, he had eyes that were kinda like mine. Plus, why would he be hanging around with the kids and sledding with them otherwise?"

"Maybe," Doug allowed, "But what would you use for the R middle name?"

"Hmm. My other grandfather was Richard," she said, using the French pronunciation.

"Maybe he's Rick's great-grand whatever," Melissa said.

"Richard isn't exactly a rare name," Norri pointed out, "Declan Richard."

Lili made a face, "It doesn't sound right."

"Not even if it's the English pronunciation?" Melissa asked, but Lili still made a face.

Marie Patrice came out, "I heard voices."

"How's my pretty girl?" Doug asked, lifting her up high.

"Maybe it's some other middle name," Melissa said, "Like Robert or Rex or Randall."

"No. It would have meaning. I don't give names without some sort of, well, something behind them," Lili said.

The baby started crying. Melissa went in and got him, "You wanted to be a part of the big party, eh, Tommy?"

"Yanno," Norri said, "maybe the R isn't his middle name at all. Maybe it stands for his last name."

There was quiet for a second.

"Reed!" Doug exclaimed, "Miva should be able to confirm that. Is it, uh, possible?"

"Hell, yeah," Lili said, "And it actually – it makes sense now. He said he was a full twenty-one. So he had to have a father from this side of the pond."

"What's a pond?" asked Marie Patrice.

"Hmm. We'll tell you that, uh, tomorrow," Lili said, the color hitting her face and warming it considerably, "He's, uh, you'll have to raise his kid, you know, Doug. He can't be around too much," she patted her still-mostly flat belly.

"He did the same for me. I guess I owe him that much," Doug said, "But I will take one form of payment."

"Oh?" Lili asked.

"Let me be there when you tell him. I gotta see the look on his face. Just, do that for me."

"Ha, I would love to be a fly on the wall for that as well," Melissa said, "And I bet you would, too, Tommy."

In response, he let out another "Ba!"

Lili wrung her hands a little, "I can't wait until morning. Poor Malcolm, I'm gonna wake him up and stun him. You, uh, I guess everyone's up. So everyone can watch. Please, be kind. You know what this feels like, Doug."

"Mommy, what are we doing?" Joss asked.

"We're gonna call Malcolm," Lili said. She fiddled with the communications console and it came up on visual.

"Enterprise, this is Chandler Masterson," Chip said, looking up, "You're up late," he said when he saw them.

"Chip, congratulations on your engagement," Lili said.

"Oh, you heard. I think we'll have a June wedding. We'll be the first two Enterprise crew members marrying each other so it's gonna be a big deal. You got some sort of major news? Nobody calls at this hour unless it's an emergency, and no one there looks grim."

"No way, Chip," Lili said, "You don't get this news first, sorry. Please put me through to Malcolm Reed."

"Sure thing," he flicked a switch, "Masterson out."

=/\=

He was dreaming.

Malcolm had never told anyone about these dreams. His friends would have found them unmanly, perhaps. But he enjoyed them just the same.

It was not a Calafan-style dream, which was odd in and of itself, as he had always had those types of nocturnal visions, ever since she'd given him the cuff. But he couldn't smell anything, so he knew it was a regular human dream.

But this was all right. He knew this dream really, really well, and it was a most excellent one, so he smiled a little in his sleep and let it settle over him like a warm blanket.

It always started out the same way, and then, eventually, went further and further. Sometimes he made it all the way to the steamy parts. Sometimes he cut to the chase and it was pretty much onlythe steamy stuff. Either way, it was good, but for different reasons.

And so he dreamt.

=/\=

It was a beautiful day, and the sky overheard was a most gorgeous blue with a few little white, puffy clouds for contrast but no threat of rain.

He was wearing a dark royal blue suit, almost an indigo. It was tailored to him perfectly and he stood, with a blue and white daylily in his lapel, bound with a small stick and three tiny ribbons holding it all together. One was the same blue as his suit. Another was turquoise. And the third one was a snowy white.

Mark Latrell was standing next to him, giving him a look of – are you sure you want to do this? But he was certain. And there was Tripp Tucker as well. Jennifer Crossman Ramirez was also standing there, as were Melissa and Leonora, the three women in cream-colored dresses, each holding small bunches of flowers.

The children were seated in front, and Doug was with them. And that made no sense for, if this was really happening, there could not be a Doug anymore. But it was a dream, and he'd learned not to question them too closely, so he went with it.

And there were other people, too. It was everyone he'd known. There were his parents and his sister, Madeline, wearing a blue suit of her own and with a wrist corsage. Travis Mayweather, Jonathan Archer, T'Pol and Phlox and the rest of the NX-01's crew were there. There were some Calafans, too, and everyone was smiling, basking in the perfection of the day.

And then the strains of a familiar march came up, and he looked up, and down a narrow white carpeted passageway, where he saw her.

She was wearing a turquoise dress that came down to her calves, with matching ballet slippers. In her arms there were countless daylilies, bound up with tofflin reeds, and bound together with ribbons that matched the tiny ones in his lapel. The dark blue one – he knew that meant him. The turquoise one – it meant her. He didn't know what the white one meant. She had his key, in a chain, around her neck, and his dark blue ribbon in her hair. And the smallest of hair combs, with a little white netting that lay on the back of her head – a veil.

She looked up and smiled at him, and began to walk down the aisle toward him.

And that was when he heard the communications chime, and woke.

=/\=

"Wha – oh, hello," he said, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes when he saw who was calling, "Did you forget something, Lili-Fl –, uh, Lili?"

"No, we've gone and come back," she said, and he could see Doug standing next to her, holding Joss while Melissa held Tommy and, on the other side of Lili, Norri held Marie Patrice.

"Hello, everyone," he said, smiling and yawning a bit, "Is everything all right?"

"Yes, it's great, it's all fixed," Doug said.

"I want you to know, I read the inscription," Lili said.

"Oh. Just a bit of doggerel, that."

"No, not at all!" she said, "It meant the world to me. It comforted me when I was, when I was really scared that I would never come home."

"Oh," he smiled at her gently, "I'm glad I could do that for you. Did I, did I see you there?" Malcolm asked.

"Yes, we saw you. Sixty-something years old," Lili said, "Your hair's going to go steely."

"Ah," he ran his fingers through his own, still-brown, locks, "Did I, uh, misbehave in any manner?"

"Absolutely not," Lili said, "You were perfect."

"Now I know that must be an untruth," he said, "There's no such thing."

"You were fine, really," Doug said, and then started cracking up.

"What? Do I have, is my hair all messed up or something?" Malcolm asked, "Because, Mister Beckett, if you were just woken out of a sound sleep, you'd probably look this way as well, you know."

"Your hair is fine," Melissa said, and then she started laughing along with Doug.

"Mommy, why is it funny?" Joss asked.

"Uh, it isn't. They're just being silly," Lili said, "I, um."

"Leonora, you're the sober one. What is she trying to tell me?" Malcolm asked.

"That's not my job," Norri said, and then she started to laugh as well.

"Shhh!" Lili said. They finally quieted down, so she tried a different tack, "Uh, Malcolm, do you think Doug is a good father?"

He thought for a moment, "Yes, yes I do," he said, "And not just because he's standing right next to you. He is a wonderful father. I believe that very few men would be able to do better."

Doug nodded his appreciation.

"How'd you like to try?" Lili asked.

"I, I beg your pardon, Lili-Flower?"

She took the key out from inside her shirt, and touched it, then let it drop. She then traced her finger down, between her breasts, and he couldn't look away from that. She stopped at her belly, and patted it once. He looked up and into her impossibly light blue eyes.

"In November, I think," she said, "Malcolm, you're gonna become a father. Malcolm! Malcolm!"