Tom came up from the basement to silence. He looked at the clock to see that it was late. He saw the children things laying around the house. Xavier bat'leth was on leaning against the counter side. Tom shook his head, that boy should have put it away when he got home from his lessons. School PADDs were on the counter. He made way out of the kitchen to see the light in B'Elanna's office was still on. He glanced upstairs to see that it was dark. The kids were asleep.
"Computer play our song," Tom said. The music started and he watched B'Elanna office door.
Miral woke to music. She glanced at the clock to see that it was late. She wondered what her parents were still doing up. She knew that her dad was trying to make his deadline for his next holonovel. Miral thought that her mother was either grading papers or working on her own project. Miral got out of bed and slowly made her way to the stairs. She slowly made her way down to see her mom come out of her office.
"What are you planning, Tom?" B'Elanna crossed her arms with a smile.
Miral saw her dad was already dancing. "When was the last time we danced?"
B'Elanna laughed before taking the hand that Tom held out. Tom pulled her close and started to dance. Miral watched her parents and smiled.
"What are you doing?" Miral looked up to see her brother. She could see that he was a half awake. He must have been going to bathroom when he saw her or heard the music.
"Watching our parents dance," Miral pointed out their parents.
"Oh," Xavier looked down to see parents. He saw how free his mom looked in his dad's arms. He could hear his mom laughing as his dad spun her around. He took a seat next to Miral. "Why are you watching them?" Xavier asked.
"Because watching them I see how free they look while dancing. You can see how much they love each other. It something that I want when I get married," Miral said.
Xavier nodded. He knew that his sister was hopeless romantic. Miral wanted a husband and kids. Xavier didn't think that it was a such big deal. He didn't think about kids or a wife. Xavier turned to his sister. "I hope you find it."
"Why are you both on the stairs?" Miral and Xavier turned around to see Selena standing there. She tried to walk around them.
"We are watching Mom and Dad dance," Miral said.
"So," Selena tried again to walk around them, but this time Xavier stopped her.
"Mom and Dad need a moment to remember that they are not just parents," He said. "Look," He pointed to their parents.
Selena looked down to see her parents. They looked ten years younger. It was like they had no responsibility at that moment. She knew that her dad had a deadline to keep, and it was the end of the school year for her mother, so she had a lot of grading to do. Not to mention they had three children to think about. Selena smiled and sat down with her brother and sister, watching their parents dance without a care in the world.
Xavier woke to music playing. He wondered why there was music playing. His grandpa Owen died the past week. His dad wasn't taking the death very well. It felt that the rest of the family was walking on eggshells. The only one who got out of walking on eggshells was Mail because she was at the Academy. She was doing well. He hoped to hear that he would be in soon. He had worked hard to get in. He knew that he could do it.
Xavier took a breath. He needed to stop thinking about the Academy, he would either get in or not. He got out of bed and made his way to the stairs. He took a seat when he saw his dad come out of the basement. Xavier wondered what he was doing down there, he didn't think that his dad had much work to do.
Xavier couldn't see what his dad's eyes were saying when he looked up at his wife. B'Elanna held out her hand for her husband.
"I heard music," Selena came and took a seat next to him. "What are they doing Grandpa died just last week."
"I don't know," Xavier took a quick glance at his sister before turning back to his parents.
"B'Elanna what are you, doing?" Tom asked. He still didn't take his wife's hand.
B'Elanna raised an eyebrow towards her husband. "You need this," She whispered.
Tom still didn't understand what his wife doing, but he took her hand. B'Elanna pulled her husband close. She wrapped her arms around him. B'Elanna started to whisper in his ear. "He was proud of you. He loved you." She just kept repeating those words to him.
Tom finally broke. He started to cry in his wife's arms. "I'm going to miss him so much," He looked in B'Elanna's eyes. "I know our relationship had its ups and downs, but I loved the man. He was my father and now he is gone."
B'Elanna had her own tears threating to come out. "I know, Tom. He got to see the man you became. You are a wonderful husband, father, brother, and son. He got to know that. You stood for you are. He loved you for who you are. You shine in the Delta Quadrant, and he lived long enough to see that."
Tom gave a watery smile. "I know. I just don't know what to say at his funeral this Saturday."
"I know you will think of something. You always do," B'Elanna pulled him close. Tom placed his head on her shoulder and started to cry again.
Xavier watched his parents to see that they were swaying to music. He didn't know what they were saying to each other. He watched as his dad found comfort in his wife's arms. If he ever got married, he hoped that he could comfort the way his dad found it in his mom's arms. She knew what he needed. It must be something to do with being together over twenty years. He had seen his dad do the same for Mom when she needed.
"This dance is different," Xavier turned to his sister. "It's like a dance of healing."
Xavier smiled because he knew that his fifteen-year-old sister was right. His dad was healing from the death of his father. There was only person that could do that, and it was his wife. "I think you are right." He looked back at his parents. "I don't know what they are going to do when one of them dies."
Selena looked at her parents. "One isn't going to survive without the other," Xavier nodded. He knew that his sister was right. He gave his sister a side hug before watching his parents dance some more.
Selena woke to music playing. She glanced at her husband to see that he was still sleeping. She got out of bed and made her way to the stairs. She saw her mom standing in the center of the living room. Selena was ready to make her way down because her dad wasn't going to take her hand and start dancing with. Her father died two weeks ago, and they had buried him today. Xavier had given a great speech about their dad. Selena held on to one of her mom's hands while Miral held on to the other. Selena didn't know how long it was going to be until their mom went. Selena didn't think her parents could live without the other.
Selena watched her mother start dancing by herself, like she was in her dad's arms. Selena leaned against the railing to watch her mother. Selena remembered sitting on the stairs with her siblings, watching her parents dance. She didn't know if her parents knew that they were watching them. It was during a dance that Miral realized she wanted to marry for love and nothing else. Selena smiled because her sister is happily married to the man of her dreams. For her brother it was finding comfort in another's arms. Selena knew that he found that with his wife. She knew that her brother needed a lot of comfort because he was closest to their father. For her it just finding the time to connect. Her parents always dance at night when she and her siblings should be in bed. She always found time to connect with her own husband.
"What are you doing?" Selena turned around to her sleepy husband. She wrapped an arm around him.
"Watching my parents dance for the last time," She said. Stephen gave her a confused look. "It's something my siblings and I did as we grew up. We would hear music and come out of our rooms watch our parents dancing." Selena looked away from her husband to her mother. Selena knew there were tears coming down her mother's face. She didn't know how long her mother would be here without her dad.
Selena pulled Stephen close to her and he kissed her on the top of her head. "One day, she'll dance with your father again."