Ace and Gemini were half-slumped in chairs in an empty Ten Forward, both staring out at the slow movement of the stars outside the great windows. All of the lights were off, and the two were bathed in the pale blue light of a distant galaxy’s glow from the lounge’s windows.

Gemini had her back against one of the chairs and had her feet propped on the seat, and her arms were wrapped together in between.

Ace was more sprawled, with his legs unevenly bent while his arms hung limply at his sides.

“How long do you think the others will be?” Gemini’s green eyes were focused far beyond the window.

“Dunno,” Ace grunted as he managed to sit up straighter. “Maybe Counselor Troi wanted to talk to Elliot and Hudson a little longer since they were more near-death than we were.”

“True.”

A clink of a glass behind them brought them both pause.

“Guinan?” Gemini called over her shoulder.

“Heavens, no.”

Her breath caught short. She nearly leapt from her chair and spun around to find a man in a red starfleet uniform in the middle of the room–holding an Andorian martini in hand.

“Cheers,” Q raised his glass toward her, “to your successful attempt at changing your reality.”

Ace butted against Gemini in a defensive stance. “Gemini, who is this guy?”

“Oh, come on!” Q rolled his head along with his eyes. “You could have at least told Joker about me! After all,” he eyed her, “he’s most of the reason you succeeded.”

“Huh?” Ace’s brows lowered.

“Ace, this is Q,” Gemini crossed her arms. “He’s the ‘all-powerful being’ who showed me an alternate version of today’s events.”

“So you’re not an officer?” Ace was still eyeing the man’s uniform.

“No.” Both Gemini and Q groaned.

“Although, I suppose,” Gemini took a step forward, “I should start by thanking you.”

Q’s snide grin softened. “Well, you’re welcome.”

“And you’re not wrong,” Gemini also continued more gently, “I couldn’t seem to do anything to stop the same events from happening throughout the day. It was Ace–when he won the tournament and brought Mickey D with him–that ended up making the difference.”

“That was your doing, even if it was rather indirect,” Q grinned. “‘Do something rash and unexpected,’ eh?”

The two Aravasti glanced at each other.

“That one line caused Ace to take a very risky chance–and win.”

“Huh,” Ace fingered his chin. 

“But even then,” Gemini stepped forward, “Mickey D is the one who locked us in the shuttle and ran up here to take the blow,” Gemini mused. “He had nothing to do with this–and we sure didn’t make him do it–but he’s the one who paid the price.”

“Not that this justifies anything,” Ace tried, “but he had admitted to me that he had been given a terminal diagnosis. He used this tournament to split up his estate before he passed as a way to give back.” The gambler eyed the floor as he shook his head. “Maybe he thought sacrificing himself could be one final act of heroism.”

“Or he was trying to get out of being imprisoned by the Federation,” Q added under his breath.

“I don’t think so at all,” Ace looked at Q in confidence. “Mr. D’Angelo never once seemed like the dangerous criminal everybody warned me about. He just seemed like a normal guy with a lot of regret and mental baggage.”

“Looking death in the face can make you rethink your life choices a bit,” Gemini frowned. “Still, getting him to trust you enough to come with you couldn’t have been easy.”

“All I did was be nice to him, and he opened right up, ” he shrugged. “It almost makes me more sad than anything–especially since I think I could have been friends with him under different circumstances.”

“That doesn't surprise me since you’ve always been good at making friends,” she nudged Ace’s shoulder. “One of your better qualities, I will admit.”

“Do I get to be your friend?” Q leaned across the table still between them.

“Stop calling me ‘Joker’ and I’ll think about it,” Ace seamlessly matched Q’s smirk.

“But doesn’t that illustrate a beautiful point!” 

The three turned around to find the source of the fourth voice: Guinan walking toward them from the bar.

“The only way to truly affect the world around you is to inspire others,” she smiled wide. “You will never know how far the ripples of a single drop of water will travel. Sometimes all it takes is one phrase, one action, one moment of kindness… and you can take even the darkest of beings and show them the light.”

The gambler smoothed his hair behind his ear and glanced at Gemini. She smiled back, almost proudly.

“For all we know, because of your kindness, Mr. D’Angelo found it in himself to risk saving a life–or two–even if it meant risking his own.”

Ace found a small smile. “Maybe so.”

Q appeared somewhat uncomfortable when the shorter woman stopped at his side. “...Guinan,” he acknowledged as their eyes met.

“Q,” she said simply before turning back to the two Aravasti–the smile still wide upon her lips. “Get out of my bar.” She ordered.

“Yes, ma’am,” he quipped. He shot Gemini and Ace a conniving smirk before holding up his hand and snapping. He disappeared in a gleam of light.

Gemini released a relieved sigh, garnering a chuckle from Ace.

“I hope he didn’t terrorize you too badly,” Guinan stepped around the table and reached for Gemini’s shoulder. 

“Considering it was all an attempt at freeing me from a pretty terrible situation… I suppose I should be grateful.”

“Interesting,” Guinan narrowed her eyes, as if studying Q’s actions from Gemini’s expression. “He’s never been one for doing favors; something about you must really have him curious.”

“I just hope that’s the last time I see him for a while.”

“Not me,” Ace glanced at the two women. “I’ve been given a challenge to befriend him–and I intend to succeed.”

Gemini rolled her eyes. “Good luck with that one.”

The wooden doors into the lounge opened to reveal a tall, bulky man in a yellow uniform and a lankier man in a green houndstooth jumpsuit.

Both Aravasti broke into grins.

Gemini ran to meet Hudson, catching him halfway across the room. He took her into his broad arms and cradled her head against his shoulder.

Elliot and Ace also met each other in the middle of their respective paths, though when they caught sight of Gemini and Hudson sharing a kiss, they both took a step apart.

“I’m not doing that.” Elliot said blankly

“Please, don’t.” Ace replied similarly.

“But, considering what almost happened…”

The two pulled into a friendly embrace that ended with a hearty pat on the back.

“I’m glad you’re not dead,” Ace nodded as they returned to their places.

“Me too,” Elliot smirked, though it softened when he glanced at Hudson and Gemini, “and I’m glad he’s not either.”

The four found themselves in relative silence, looking from one to the other. Two had made their way through Starfleet Academy and were well on their way as officers aboard the Enterprise, while two had found civilian jobs to join the crew. Gemini had joined after being rescued, and  Hudson after falling in love with her. Ace had joined after being unable to return to his home planet, and Elliot after filling a job opening at Ten Forward.

“It’s interesting to me how similar your stories are,” she slowly stepped into the group. “All four of you have had to leave your homes behind, whether due to famine, destruction, or by force. All four of you have lost members of your family and friends. But it is this adversity that has aided in your coming together.”

“Q told me every life holds something terrible that must be endured,” Gemini glanced among the group, “but what he didn’t say was having a network of support can help you endure it.”

“Those are very wise words,” the El-Aurien smiled, just as the doors to Ten Forward again opened wide. “And speaking of support…”

The four friends watched as Data, Geordi, Worf, Deanna, Beverly, Will, and Jean-Luc entered the room. Smiles were shared, and a few hugs and handshakes were given as the group was reunited and caught up on just how much had happened that day.

“This is exactly it,” Ace said after a moment. “This is why this is my home now.”

“Was there ever doubt?” Geordi smiled.

Ace looked around the room, matching each face as he turned. “When I felt lost and confused, you all took me in. You all accepted me. You all are my home.”

“What he said,” Gemini grinned.

Hudson squinted his eyes shut and wrangled an arm around both Ace and Gemini.

“And together, we can celebrate each others’ accomplishments, like Gemini’s promotion,” Hudson offered.

“If she passes Commander Riker’s test,” Ace attempted a jab.

Deanna shot Will a look, the latter shrugging with innocence.

“Which, I might add,” Ace quickly added when he saw an eyeroll grace the Aravasti’s face, “I have no doubt you will complete on your first attempt. You’re caring and considerate, and you’re willing to take big risks for the best outcome. I can’t imagine a better leader.”

Beverly and Deanna awed while Worf looked to his mentee with pride. Data also appeared pleased, and Geordi gave Hudson a playful nudge.

“And then, we can celebrate whenever you finally become a commanding officer,” Gemini, too, began her words with heavy sarcasm before softening her tone. “And, after seeing you take control when I was too lost in my own emotions… I think you’ll be there before we know it.”

Will nodded emphatically and made sure Jean-Luc could see it. The Captain merely smiled and shook his head.

“And I just get to sit back behind the bar and not have to worry about any of that,” Elliot grinned, breaking the somewhat sheepish expressions of both Aravasti–and the decorum of the rest of the room–into laughter.

“If I may,” Captain Picard stepped up to them, “I wanted to commend you–all of you,” he extended his hands to encircle the four of them, “for the work you have done, and the companionship you have brought. I can say with absolute certainty that I am pleased to have all of you as a part of my crew.” He gave a small nod to the two Aravasti, smiling wide. “I would not have it any other way.”

Gemini smiled and looked down, leaving Ace to speak for them both. “Thank you, sir.”

As the conversation lulled into silence, they each found their eyes straying to the windows of Ten Forward. Whether they were seasoned officers that had been aboard the Enterprise since its launch, or if they were the newest ensign to graduate from the Academy, they had each faced challenges in their lives that had brought them to where they stood. And, now, they all stood together, watching the stars zip by the windows as their ship journeyed ever-on.

Gemini glanced at the friends around her and smiled.

“This is home,” she said, “and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

---
Scene Notes

• Gotta end with the warm fuzzies!
• I may do a some story talk with alternate ending(s) that I was actually working toward until Ace and Gem had that conversation in the shuttle - and I felt it was best to end with everyone together in Ten Forward.
• Thank you so much for reading!! I appreciate you from the bottom of my geeky heart ❤️

Shuttlebay 1 was silent when Worf entered. The Galileo was parked on one of two landing pads and appeared to be powered down. He scanned the area for signs of trouble, and his narrow eyes perked up when he saw the phaser on the floor across the room.

“So a phaser has been discharged here,” he spoke aloud as he bent down to pick it up. “It is set to stun.”

He glanced up and saw the panel beside the Galileo’s door had been shot. “And this must be–”

With one great explosion, the door burst from the shuttle–trailing with fire and water as it struck and subsequently clattered across the floor of the shuttlebay.

Worf had lunged behind the control panel but had been clear of the line of fire. Wide-eyed, he raised himself over the panel to take a cautious look.

Gemini Rowlett and Ace Gallagher stood in the doorway of the shuttle; Gemini in a casual Aravasti tunic and Ace in a tuxedo. Their hands were outstretched and the blue-white glow of their power was fading from the veins of their arms and neck. 

“Sweet!” Ace turned to Gemini. “That worked perfectly–the fire suppression system didn’t even have a chance to activate!”

“That was pretty awesome, I will admit,” Gemini smirked.

“Right–and now we run!”

“Right!”

The two Aravasti sprinted out of the shuttle and rushed into the hallway toward Ten Forward.

Worf, blinking, scratched his head and ran after them.

–

When the two officers entered Ten Forward, they saw overturned tables and a random scattering of people. Data was near the bar, standing over an unconscious Ensign Maddox with a phaser in his hand. Elliot had a bloody nose and was propped on his hands and knees next to him, glaring at the floor. Selena was curled at his side, clutching his shoulder. Guinan was tucked behind them, gazing despondently at Beverly, who was kneeling beside them. Beverly had a tricorder in hand, her face devoid of expression. Behind her, Geordi’s face had sunken behind his visor with his lips pursed in a tight pout.

A fallen man was between them, with only his dark slacks and dress shoes visible from where Ace and Gemini stood.

“We have a casualty,” Beverly spoke lightly, her eyes falling to the floor.

Gemini’s heart was in her throat as she followed her gaze. She slowly approached the fallen man, stepping around the tipped chair that had been blocking his identity. She gasped when Ace pushed past her and immediately came to a halt.

It was Mickey D. 

A deep burn had seared through his pinstripe suit in the center of his chest.

“I’m not sure who this man is,” Beverly closed her tricorder and set it down, “but he saved two lives today.”

Gemini released a breath, half as a sob, and half as a sigh of relief, when she found Hudson peeking out from behind an overturned table. She dropped to the ground beside him, grasping him in a tight hug.

Ace frowned, still looking at the fallen man. “This is Mickey D.”

The collective gasp of the room was followed by heads and eyes turning to one another in surprise. Even Worf, who had snuck in behind the two Aravasti, appeared stunned.

“He took the shot for me,” Elliot’s voice wavered as he curled around his knees. “Hudson tried, but he… he pushed us both and took the shot.”

Commander Riker rushed into the room with Captain Picard in tow. They stopped beside Worf, looking for answers, but when Will recognized the man on the ground, his face fell in dumbfounded shock.

“Mickey D??”

“It’s a long story, sir,” Ace looked at him, “but I am more than willing to tell it.”

---
Scene Notes

• I am kinda sad we didn't get to see more Aravasti power in this story, but there just wasn't a lot of opportunity.

When the shuttle door opened, Gemini’s hand was still on the door lever and her face was twisted in concern. “Ace, they told me to come back here; is everything…” Her voice trailed off as her face instead gaped in surprise.

Behind Ace was a short, rotund man in a pinstripe suit.

“Gemini, this is Mickey D,” Ace gestured to him. “Mickey, this is Gemini.”

“Hello–oh,” Gemini blinked as the man kissed her knuckles instead of shaking her hand. 

“Ciao, caru miu,” he smiled at her. “Meeting both living Aravasti in one day… perhaps luck truly is on my side.”

The two Aravasti glanced at each other and shrugged. Ace then gestured to the padded benches in the back of the shuttle and coaxed Mickey D over.

“I would recommend leaving very quickly, Ms. Gemini,” Mickey said once he took his seat.

Ace glanced up in expectation.

“Got it,” the pilot slid back into the chair and powered up the flight engines.

Ace joined her in the cabin in the copilot seat a moment later, tugging on his tie to remove it.

Pulling back on the steering console, Gemini lifted the shuttle from the pad and began circling to gain altitude. They had scarcely reached the edge of the atmosphere when a brilliant light broke from the mansion below.

An explosion had burst from the inside of the house.

“Woah–what–”

“That time–that home–is now gone.” Mickey said almost cryptically.

Ace swiveled in the chair to look at him. “But, everyone inside–”

“They are safe. They have gone. Bernard would have made sure.”

Gemini evened out the shuttle’s steering as they left the planet’s atmosphere. “I’m not gonna lie–I’m very confused as to what’s happening right now.”

“Well, I won the tournament,” Ace offered casually.

“Really??” Gemini pulled her eyes off of the window.

“You sound surprised,” he sneered lightly.

“And Mickey D coming along–and his house detonating–is tied to that?”

“In a way,” Ace looked back at the man in the pinstripe suit.

“Your friend has convinced me to plead my case to the Federation and make amends for my past actions,” Mickey said, his hands crossed over his middle as he sat back on the bench. “I could not refuse such a compassionate gentleman.”

Gemini pointed at the man to her right. “Are you talking about this guy?”

Mickey D bounced from a bout of laughter while Ace jabbed Gemini in the arm and turned back to the front window.

Gemini removed her phaser from her belt to more easily fish his communication badge out of her pocket. “So, how’d you manage that?” She asked under her breath.

He caught the badge in one hand when she tossed it to him, and he fastened it to the lapel of his coat. “Honestly, other than just being nice, I’m still not sure,” he matched her lower tone. “Either way,  getting him back to the Enterprise is a good first step.”

“Back to the–oh no,” she fumbled around the scarf wrapped around her chest and patted her communication badge. “Hudson? It’s Gemini!”

“Hey, there’y’are! I was wondering how things were goin’ down there.”

Gemini breathed out in relief when she heard him answer. “Yeah–some changes came up, but we’re on our way back. Where are you?”

“In Ten Forward.”

“What??” Gemini nearly fell from her chair. “What are you doing there??”

“Gem, it’s eight–er–twenty hundred hours,” he corrected, “I came down to meet up with Geordi and Data like we usually do.”

Gemini was trembling. “But–you’re supposed to be planning the date!”

“I’ve already planned it, and everything is ready!” He laughed a bit. “You’re really lookin’ forward to it, huh?”

“Well, yes,” she said through clenched teeth. “What do you think about meeting me in Shuttlebay 1? I’m almost there.”

“Oh, yea! Lemme finish up here and I’ll be right there!”

“Okay–I love you,” she winced as she spoke the words.

“Love you.”

Gemini huffed a long breath and leaned forward until her head was against the steering console.

“All right–what’s going on?” Ace asked point blank.

Her eyes were slits when she turned her head to look at him.

“It is beyond obvious something is wrong,” Ace commanded, “and you need to tell me what’s happening.”

Gemini sighed painfully and flopped backward until she was slumped against her chair. “Fine–this is going to sound really weird, though,” she eyed the inked Q on her wrist. “I’ve… I’ve seen what happens after we get back from this mission.”

The man in the tuxedo frowned. “Huh?”

“I’ve already lived through this entire day,” Gemini thrust her hands into the air. “And the first time, after we landed in the shuttlebay, I got a call from Beverly to go to Ten Forward because…” she swallowed the lump in her throat, “Hudson gets shot and dies.”

“What??” This time, Ace nearly fell out of his chair.

“He was protecting Elliot; an ensign goes rogue and shoots him–but Hudson gets in the way.” She scowled at the floor as tears stung her eyes. “I was given a chance to change whatever I could to stop it from happening–but every single thing I do doesn’t seem to be making a difference!” She gnashed her teeth, “After everything I’ve tried, he’s still in Ten Forward, and if he doesn’t leave, it’s going to happen again!”

Ace’s eyes were distant as he processed her words. “Okay,” he straightened up after a moment and squared himself to Gemini in the chair. “How long after we land do you get the call?”

“Well, we argued–we sat in the shuttle a while before we got out and I got the call...” she looked at the time on the shuttle console's readout. “Since we're getting back a little later... I'd say we've got six, seven minutes, maybe?”

He nodded. “Okay. The second we land, we jump out of here and run to Ten Forward. Not hard to do from Shuttlebay 1–just get to the closest turbolift and go down to deck ten. The faster we can get there, the faster we can stop what happens.”

“Unless Hudson is waiting for me in the shuttlebay,” she pointed at him.

“Yeah,” Ace nodded, only for his expression to twist. “But then… wouldn’t that mean Elliot would get shot?”

Gemini stiffly sat back. “Oh. Right.”

Ace waved his hand. “We can still run to Ten Forward. We can explain to Hudson later.”

“But what about Mickey D?” She pointed to the back of the shuttle.

The man glanced between the two Aravasti, remaining silent.

“Okay–if Hudson is in the shuttlebay, I’ll run to Ten Forward and you take Mickey to the brig for holding. If Hudson is not in the shuttlebay, you run to Ten Forward and I’ll take Mickey.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

A beeping sound from the shuttle’s control panel alerted them they were approaching the Enterprise. Sure enough, the great ship was rapidly coming into view.

“I’m curious,” Ace was still watching the window, “has anything else changed from the first time you lived through all this?”

“Well, you didn’t win the first time.”

“I didn’t?” He shot her a glance. “No wonder you doubted me!”

“And, obviously, Mickey D wasn’t with you.”

The man in question blinked a few times and looked down.

“Interesting,” Ace scratched his chin. “I wonder how that managed to happen?”

“Beats me,” Gemini’s heart was racing as the tractor beam pulled the Galileo into Shuttlebay 1. She winced when she found the room was empty of all officers.

“All right, Gem,” he nudged her shoulder. “You got this.”

She frowned, bumped his fist, and stood up. She took a few steps backward to be in line with the door as her eyes watched the landing from the front window. She took her eyes away only once to glance at the Q on her wrist.

The shuttle hissed and came to a stop on the floor.

Ace hit the trigger to open the door.

The phaser was pulled from Gemini’s waistband.

She instinctively slapped her hands on her lower back and turned around to find Mickey D pointing the phaser at her.

“Mickey!” Ace shot to his feet, only to shrink back when the man pointed the weapon at him.

“I’m sorry,” he said simply as he stepped backward out of the shuttle’s open door. “Your plan was valiant, Mr. Gallagher, but we both know there is nothing for me here. My time is up.”

“Sir, please–I need to go,” Gemini tried to reach toward him.

“You will both stay here,” Mickey narrowed his eyes. “And I will go.”

“What?” Gemini blinked.

“No–Mickey–what are you–”

“Michael.”

Ace blinked back surprise.

“Michael D’Angelo,” he said sadly.

Ace took a step forward, “Mickey D,” he muttered in realization.

“We are more similar than you know,” he smiled, squeezing a tear from the corner of his eye.

In one swift movement, he shot the shuttle’s panel and triggered the door to close. Despite Ace and Gemini’s shouts from within, he fired another shot at the exterior panel to seal the door from the outside, threw the phaser away, and hobbled as fast as he could into the starship’s hallway.

“No!!” Gemini rushed to the door and tried desperately to force it open.

Ace gnashed his teeth and ran to her aid, only to pound his fists against it in frustration.

Trapped in the shuttle, two could only turn to each other in anguish and fear.

Commercial Break

---
Scene Notes

• I know what you're thinking... Could Gemini have just told Hudson he's going to get shot and to leave Ten Forward? Maybe; but then where would the epic plot stuff happen??