Tom woke with a start, he glanced at the clock on the bedside table to see that it was five in the morning. He should turn around and go back to sleep. He glanced at his wife sleeping next to him. Her hair was white not like his which was grey. Tom let out a sigh and remembered that today was his birthday. He was seventy-five today. He never thought that he would make it this far.
Tom should have died when he was an ensign or when he was in Marquis. There were a million times that he could have died in the Delta Quadrant. Here he was seventy-five, a father of three, a grandfather of seven, and a wonderful husband to the woman laying next to him. Life was good for him.
"Will you stop thinking and go back to sleep?" Tom heard B'Elanna mumble from the other side of the bed.
Tom smiled and leaned over to his wife. "Today is my birthday."
"I know," She kicked him under the blanket. "I've known you for forever and you will never let me forget. Now go back to sleep."
Tom placed a hand on her hip. "You can help me get back to sleep," He kissed the back of her neck.
"Not on your life," B'Elanna said. She said that when she wasn't in the mood. It started when B'Elanna was pregnant with Miral.
Tom sighed and settled in bed. He wrapped his arm around B'Elanna. He heard a sigh, and they went back to sleep.
"Mom," Miral said. She was helping her mom make dinner for the family. When there were a lot of them, B'Elanna liked to cook for some reason. She never liked cooking until she found out it helped her relax. "How did you get all of us here for this? You even got Selena to come."
B'Elanna gave her oldest daughter a look, but she was just as surprised that Selena could make it. When she started to plan this, she told Selena about it and only hoped for the best. A week later, she got a call from Selena that she and her son would be there, but Stephen would not be able to make it. B'Elanna's heart smiled. She didn't have this problem with the other two. Miral lived on Q'onoS with her family, but they were always up for a visit. Xavier lived in the Bay Area with his wife and kids. Miral and Xavier left Starfleet while Selena was the only one to stay. B'Elanna knew that her daughter had just been promoted to Chief Medical Officer on a ship. She couldn't wait to see her youngest daughter.
"Please tell me that you didn't tell her that you or dad was dying," Miral was trying to find a reason for her sister to come.
"No, I would never do that, your father maybe," Miral gave her mother a look like she didn't believe her one bit. B'Elanna sighed. "We both thought that it was time for a visit. She misses us and we miss her and Sam."
Miral didn't know if she believed her mother or not but went back to what she was doing. B'Elanna shook her head, she went back to what she was doing, keeping an ear out for the door. She knew that Selena would be here soon. It has been over a year since she saw her. Any time Selena was off, she would go to see her husband, who was a commander of a different ship than hers.
"Grandma," B'Elanna missed the door, but felt little arms wrap around her. She looked down and saw Sam, her youngest grandchild. He smiled up at her with his father's smile. His hair was dark like his father's, but he had his mother's blue eyes that she got from Tom.
"Sam is that you. You have grown since the last time I saw you." B'Elanna reached down and hugged him.
"Yes, Grandma," He turned around and hugged his aunt. "Where's Grandpa?" He looked around the room and didn't see his grandfather.
"He's outside with your cousins," B'Elanna pointed towards the backdoor. Sam didn't say two words, but he ran out of the house.
"That boy has too much energy," B'Elanna turned to see Selena in the doorway. She was still in her uniform and there was a glow about her. B'Elanna wanted to run and hug her daughter, but instead Selena made her way over and hugged. "Hi, Mom," B'Elanna didn't want to let her go.
B'Elanna finally let her go so she could hug her sister. "My boys were the same way," Miral said. She leaned back in thought. "Wait I don't think they ever grew out of it." Selena laughed.
The sisters let go of each other. "I have a feeling that Mom could say the same about us," Both girls looked at her.
"You two were fine, it was your brother I wanted to kill," B'Elanna smiled.
"Are we talking about my husband?" Peata said. B'Elanna nodded. "Thank God, I was ready to kill him earlier at work." Xavier and Peata own their own starship building company. "Here I brought the birthday cake," She handed the cake to B'Elanna.
"Thank you," She put the cake on the counter. "What did my son do now?" As Peata told them about what Xavier did, Miral went and grabbed a bottle of wine for them. Selena grabbed four glasses.
"Hey, last time I checked it was birthday and my favorite four woman are in the kitchen," Tom said from the door.
"Sorry, Dad," Selena went and hugged her father. "We'll be out in a second." Tom gave them a look and left them. The women couldn't help but laugh after he left. They soon followed him outside.
Tom looked out at the table and saw his family. His grandkids were spread out between the adults. He saw Miral, who was making a mom face at one of her sons. Xavier was talking with Selena, while keeping an eye on his youngest, Brice. Selena was cutting some meat for Sam to eat. He looked across the table and saw his wife, talking with their D'stil and Peata. B'Elanna looked up and caught his eye. It seemed that all the noise stopped, and it was only the two of them again.
He would never be here without her.
"Grandpa," Riley said. He turned to Riley, who was his son's oldest child. "How does it feel to be old?"
"Riley," Xavier frowned. "You don't ask your grandfather that question."
Tom gave his son a look because he was asking the same question just before dinner. "Well, Riley, I don't feel any different from yesterday. I'll ask you the same question when it's your birthday." Tom winked at Riley.
Riley laughed and smiled. "Okay." She went back to the food on her plate.
Tom looked at his two oldest grandsons, Dremahk and D'jono. They were twelve and looking trouble. Tom didn't know how Miral and D'stil put up with them. Tom didn't think that he was that bad when he was their age or their mother for a fact. Tom thought that they must have gotten from their father, but Tom respected D'stil. He was good for his daughter.
"Dremahk, D'jono, how is school?" Tom asked.
"Good Grandpa," D'jono said. "We are learning about physics," D'jono went into what he was learning in school. Tom had a feeling that the boy was too smart for his own good.
Tom turned to Beviyr and Lilov, Miral's daughters. "What are you doing in school?"
"We are learning about leadership," Lilov smiled at her grandfather. Tom had a feeling that she might be a little spoil. She was her parents' youngest, who came as a surprise to them. Beviyr only nodded, agreeing with her sister. Tom always noticed that she was the quiet one out of her siblings. Beviyr was someone to watch out for.
"So, anything new from school?" Tom asked. He got to see Riley and Brice more because they lived in the area.
Riley looked at her parents before shaking her head. "Riley why don't you share with your grandparents about what happened yesterday," Xavier had a look in his eyes when he was up to something. Tom wondered why Peata married him.
"Dad, I don't think the whole family needs to know." Riley blushed.
"I'm sure that Grandma would love to hear this story," Xavier smiled. B'Elanna raised one eyebrow, trying to figure out what was going on. Riley blushed harder. It was the human side of her. Xavier ignored the look from his wife. "Riley decided to punch a boy in the nose at recess," Xavier looked proud of his daughter.
Riley moaned and bowed her head. "Xavier," Peata hit him on the arm. "You know that Riley feels guilty about it."
"She shouldn't. That boy called her a galaxy mutt. I would have hit the boy, too." Xavier frowned at his wife.
"Riley," Tom said in soft voice. He looked around the table to see Dremahk and D'jono smiling. They just might say that she is their cousin. The other children tried to figure out what was wrong with those words. Xavier's sisters frowned at their brother. B'Elanna was going to punish her thirty-eight-year-old son. Riley looked up at Tom. "Your grandmother punched a boy in the nose too because he didn't know what to do about engines."
Riley looked from Tom to her grandmother. B'Elanna nodded and smiled. "I couldn't hit him anymore when I became his boss, and he became a very good friend."
"He did," Riley's eyes widen. B'Elanna nodded. "I don't think Ben wants to be my friend."
"Why that?" Tom asked.
"He always teasing me about how I'm human, Klingon and Bajoran," Tears came to Riley's eyes. She pushed away from the table. "Excuse me," She ran from the room and outside.
B'Elanna stood and hit Xavier on the back of the head. "How did I raise you?"
Xavier smiled at his mother. "I figured you might help her the same way that you helped me. Do you remember how many fights I got in before we talked?"
"Too many," B'Elanna mumbled.
"I don't want my daughter to go through the same things I went through when I was her age," Xavier looked at his mother with concern for his daughter.
"Alright, I'll talk to her," B'Elanna headed after Riley.
Tom woke to a noise in the house, he glanced at the window to see that it was still dark outside. He glanced at his wife to see that she was sleeping. Tom wonders how she could sleep through anything. Tom threw the blanket off of him and got out of bed. He went out of the room and headed down the hall. He hoped it was just one of his grandkids making their way around the house.
At the bottom of the stairs, Tom ran into a fully grown man. "Hi. Tom." Tom knew that as the voice of his son-in-law, Stephen Parker.
"Hello, Stephen. I thought that you couldn't get any shore leave," Tom backed away from Stephen.
Stephen smiled. "I wanted to surprise my family, and you of course," Stephen slapped Tom on the arm. He tried to walk pass Tom. "Happy birthday, old man."
Tom gave the man a look before moving out of way. "You know what room she is in," Stephen smiled and headed upstairs.
Tom waited until he heard Selena's door close before going back to his room. He crawled back in bed. "Stephen's here," He said.
"Selena misses him," B'Elanna mumbled in her pillow.
"Well, their four-year-old grandson is in that room," Tom smiled as he settle in the bed. Tom heard a door open and close.
"It looks like we are watching our grandson," Tom could hear the laughter in B'Elanna's voice. "Don't worry she already pregnant with her second child." Tom moaned, was ready to go back to sleep when his eyes widened and looked at his wife.
"How do you know?" Tom asked.
"She got a glow about her," B'Elanna mumbled in her pillow.
"That could mean nothing," Tom mumbled.
"We'll just wait and see," B'Elanna smiled before going to sleep.
The next morning at breakfast, Selena told them that she and Stephen were having another baby. Tom glanced at his wife and saw a knowing smile on her face. He hated that she was right.