Nellie first woke up too early due to the time difference and the fact that she had passed out far too early not to. She crept into the kitchen, ate a slice of bread, and left two on the floor near the not-dog who was sleeping on the couch. She crawled back into bed after that, and woke much too late the next time.

Nathalie was gone and left a note on the counter with presumably some breakfast. Nellie found a broken plate alone with the soggy, illegible paper. She sighed at the creature ripping stuffing from the couch.

“It makes much more sense to skip school today and get you sorted out, doesn’t it,” she asked him. “I’m late as is, so it makes perfect sense to just take a full absence, right?” She and the animal regarded each other before the latter began to resume his destruction. “Good. Glad it makes sense to the both of us.”

She scrounged up something to eat, threw the broken plate away, and dressed for the day. She got the not-dog to follow her out to one of the out buildings using the rest of the bread, shutting him inside.

“I’ll find you something better to eat for later.” She tapped the door softly. “Be a good boy. Take a nap.”

Nellie set out after pulling up her destination on her phone. The reception was spotty at best and she did not want to risk attempting to remember if she needed to stay south or west or what have you.

The Moore County Library was a much smaller building than she anticipated. It was a single story off-white brick building with tiny, slant windows around the roofline. It was scarcely larger than a warehouse. The open floor plan inside was bright and welcoming, but did not leave much room for books. The books Nellie saw at a glance were all for toddlers and elementary aged children.

She approached the desk. “Um, excuse me?” She smiled as the library peered up at her. “Do you have any non-fiction books on cryptids?”

“Cryptids? Like bigfoot?”

“I suppose so, but… not bigfoot,” Nellie said. “I was hoping for ones that looked like wolves or dogs.” She recoiled under the librarian’s perplexed stare. “Or, what about local folktales and stuff?”

“I can search the database, but my guess would be that we don’t carry anything like that,” the librarian said. “We focus more on storytime and book club. Have you tried the internet?”

There was a great urge to point out how someone her age would go to the internet first, but Nellie held her tongue. She took a breath.

“I think the internet guy is coming today,” she said.

“Oh, so, you’re new here,” the librarian said. “Figured you were born somewhere else with that accent.”

“Florida,” Nellie said. Her smile dipped. “I moved here from Florida. I might’ve been born somewhere else….” She recovered her smile with force. “Do you have computers?”

“You would need a library card,” the librarian explained. “I can get you the forms. I just need one of your parents to show their ID.”

Her face was beginning to ache from the amount of force it was taking to maintain her friendly disposition. She thanked the librarian stiffly and wandered outside.

Lynchburg was starkly different from Sunrise, Florida. Sunrise was busy with traffic, crowded with stores of all kinds, and there was food from everywhere (Middle Eastern, South American, Indian, just off the top of her head from those near her old condo). Lynchburg, Tennessee was–apparently–known for Jack Daniel’s whiskey. Many of the small buildings–most one story–had old ads featuring the whiskey painted on their bricks. There was a walking trail of sorts related somehow nearby. The town was not without a certain charm with the style reminiscent of the Old West, and the stores all being local and unique to themselves.

Nellie felt her hollow stomach and headed for the coffee shop.

The inside was cramped with exposed brick walls and wooden beams overhead. There were two separate counters, one for coffees and hot foods and another for ice cream. Most of the seating at the long, glossy tables was taken up by retirees nursing dark coffees and eating biscuits smothering in chunky, white sausage gravy.

“Hi, welcome in!”

Nellie smiled at the older woman behind the counter, approaching with her eyes up on the menu. As hungry as she was, subs, paninis, and calzones all seem unappetizing. The ten dollar minimum price was not doing much to sway her either.

The cinnamon rolls were just under half the price, though the sight of the inch thick caked on frosting that was melting at the edges in a watery ooze had her questioning if she would be able to make the hike back home without vomiting. Her hunger won out, and she carried her cinnamon roll–complete with a plastic fork stuck in the top–away from the counter. She surveyed the tables for a spot to sit.

“This seat is open,” called an elderly woman with her hair dyed into a bleached blonde. “We’re finishing up.”

Nellie dropped into the offered seat beside–presumably–the woman’s husband. She gave them a big smile. “Thanks.” She poked at her cinnamon roll at a loss on how to start it. “It’s cold today, isn’t it?”

“Sure is! February will be terrible with us getting snow now.”

Nellie tried to be discreet as she started scraping off the chunk of frosting. “February is worse?”

“Usually,” the woman said. She took a sip to finish off  her coffee. “January and February are clear cut winter. March can be bitter, but we don’t usually get the snow.”

The old man tilted his head at her. “Where are you from?”

“Florida.”

The pair exchanged an ‘ah’ with the smallest hint of envy.

“Beautiful place,” the old man said. “We try visiting every winter just to get a break from the cold. Didn’t get the chance this year. Price of everything is too high.”

“I was thinking ‘this girl can’t be from California, too nice’ and now it makes sense,” the old woman added. “Such nice people down in Florida.”

Nellie forced out a polite smile, and took a nibble of her cinnamon roll to avoid needing to comment. She never thought of people from one area or another as being nicer or more unpleasant. It was too simple. There were people in Florida that had been nasty to her, and those that had been kind. She never met anyone from California that she knew of, but also did not have a habit of asking people where they came from. She only asked if it was a foreign exchange student, or if they had an accent like her mom’s.

Her demeanor turned glum at the thought of Nathalie. She would not be able to avoid asking her if they were related forever. She would need to confront her about her entire life being a lie.

“Are you all right, miss?”

Nellie smiled for the couple again. “Yes, just tired. …I heard odd noises last night. Growls, and such, but not like any I’ve heard before.”

“Could be a bigfoot,” the old man mused, rubbing his wrinkled chin.

“Oh you!” His wife reached across the table and playfully whacked his arm. “Don’t pay him any mind.”

“I have noticed a lot of bigfoot silhouettes and statues decorating the area,” Nellie said, largely focusing on the man. “Does this area have bigfoot stories? In Florida, we had skunk-bear, which is like a stinker bigfoot.” She leaned forward with a grimace, and whispered in a whisper elderly people in an eatery could hear, “I swear I smelt it before.”

The old man lit up. It was the exact reaction Nellie had hoped for.

“You a believer in bigfoot, young lady?”

“I’m not sure,” Nellie said, poking her ever hardening cinnamon roll. “Like I said, I think I smelled a skunk-bear, but what if it wasn’t that? But then, when I was hiking in the Everglades once, I saw odd tracks, like a panther but the feet didn’t line up like it had four legs. It looked more like six. Wampus cats look like panthers and have six legs… but surely….”

She trailed away to allow the old man’s excitement to grow. She picked a bit of cinnamon roll off the mass, giving a small shrug of indifference and unsureness to better sell her apprehension on believing in cryptids. It took a lot of willpower not to smile at the sparkle in the old man’s eye.

“Young lady, do not be so quick to ignore imagination. Kids these days, no imagination!”

The old woman reluctantly nodded. “That is true.” She set her mouth in a firm line. “But you shouldn’t encourage–.”

“Wampus cat!” The old man clapped his hands–startling Nellie and the others at the sudden loudness of it. “No one talks about those, and there were so many stories! They’re widespread in this country, just as sure as those mountain lions they get mistaken for are. Just as sure as bigfoot!”

“I had a bigfoot print in my backyard,” called another retiree who was ordering at the counter. “No doubt about it. We got one that crosses through the yard once or twice a year.”

“I remember stories of them six-legged cats as a girl,” an elderly woman said as she picked up her coffee.

A wide, excited smile spread across Nellie’s face and wrinkled her freckled nose. This was better than she hoped. She nestled on her hard seat in a vain attempt to make it more comfortable.

“I’d love to hear some of these local stories,” she said eagerly, genuinely.

---

The winter sun was so low by the time that Nellie got back to her house that it did not penetrate the trees. The clearing where the house stood was as dark as if night had settled, and no lights shone from the windows. That was a positive–Nathalie was not home yet–and a negative–it was harder to navigate the stoney area to the front door. The not-dog howling and carrying on from where he was locked up did not help the overall vibe of the area, but Nellie ignored him and burst into the house, slapping at the wall for the lightswitch.

She frantically dug through a moving box in the kitchen, rummaging until she found the loose pens and half-used notepads at the bottom that had been on the fridge in Florida to keep track of grocery lists. She jotted down a list; Cumberland dragon, raven mocker, smoke wolf, wampus cat, white screamer, werewolf (Woodbury/Dickson). She left off bigfoot and the Bell Witch, not only because she was confident her not-dog was not one–she was certain he was a smoke wolf now–but because they were well known enough she could easily look into them at her leisure. She ended her list with griffin/gryphon(?). 

That one definitely needed looking into. She knew enough to know those were not native to Tennessee, and old Mrs. Throneberry sounded both uncertain that was what she saw–having done her own research after the sighting–and confident she had seen something of the sort last Wednesday.

Nellie dug the communal laptop out of a box in the living room. After waiting for the ancient thing to turn on with a dreadful hum, she hovered over the internet icon, frowning.

The bar at the bottom showed no internet connection, so Nathalie had not set the new Wi-Fi up on the laptop yet. She clicked it to see if she could connect it herself–the password would be the same as always if Nathalie at least had the chance to change it from the preset one.

There was no available network.

“Did the internet guy not show up,” Nellie mused out loud.

She set the laptop on a stack of boxes, and gave into the howls. There were boneless pork chops in the crisper that were likely meant to be tonight’s dinner, but Nellie was not in the mood for one of Nathalie’s hard, overcooked bricks. No amount of applesauce helped. She tore off the plastic, scrunching her freckled nose as she touched the slimy meat.

The smoke wolf quieted with his howls replaced by loud sniffing at the door.

“Sorry for the wait, boy,” Nellie called through the door. “Hopefully, three pork chops will be enough for the night.”

She carefully edged the door open. The sniffing grew louder as the smoke wolf jammed his nose through the crack, prying the door to get his muzzle through, and then his head. Nellie handed him a pork chop, quickly pulling her hand away to avoid her fingers being snapped off.

“You’ll need to learn to take it gentle,” she said in mild scolding. “Back up, please. I can’t let you out in this cold, and Mom would have a fit if I brought you back in.”

She tossed the second chop over the smoke wolf’s head, and was able to slip inside the out building. She instantly regretted shutting the door, cutting off any meager light seeping from the house windows. She could not see the styrofoam tray in her hands, nor the smoke wolf. All she could hear was his snapping jaws, small growls, and the tearing of meat. Then, it was silent.

“I–,” she cleared the squeak in her throat, “--I’ve only got one left….”

There was a faint, red glow from the smoke wolf’s eyes among the blackness. He was watching her, and was inching nearer, completely silent. The absurd image of a pair of red eyes floating among a wisp of black smoke crossed her mind, causing her to snicker softly. She startled as the tray in her hands was bumped, the eyes blinking out and blinking back some feet away with a low growl.

“You startled me first,” Nellie said. She cringed at the raw pork texture as she grabbed the last piece, throwing it towards the glowing eyes. She paused with her hand on the door. “Wish I could let you back out, really, but with the cold and all, I don’t think it wise.” She gave a shiver as she cracked open the door. “Think I’ll find you some blankets. I want to be certain you don’t get too chilly out here.”

There was more than just the winter that made her hesitate to let the smoke wolf go. Mr. Knott told her that when he had seen smoke wolves some odd forty years ago, they had been in a pack out in the Appalachians of West Virginia. They likely had a territory range like any animal would, but no pack for a pack animal was trouble.

Nellie smiled as she pulled spare bedsheets from a box in Nathalie’s room. The smoke wolf did not hurt her when they were in the dark, where it had the clear advantage unlike in the house or during the day in the woods. He had followed her of his own accord. Being a social animal–assuming smoke wolves shared behavior with normal wolves–he was probably looking for a friend.

“I need to learn more about wolves,” Nellie murmured. She fought the sheets into a large wad. “I swore the internet was coming today. How annoying! Oh! He’s probably thirsty after all that pork.” She considered the fullness of her arms. “Another trip then.”

She returned to the outbuilding with more confidence, wedging her way through the door and closing it with her foot. She spoke to the smoke wolf calmly as she attempted to lay out the blankets in a neat pile in the darkness; telling him of the old folks she spoke with and the awfulness of the slab of icing on the cinnamon roll. For his part, he stayed quiet and kept a good foot away judging on where his eyes were. He was either crouching or lying down. Nellie chose to believe he was lying down.

Finding a suitable water bowl was more of a challenge. The only bowls unpacked thus far were for cereal, and they did not seem near large enough. Nellie started digging though one of the opened boxes in the kitchen when she heard the gravel crunching outside. She glanced up to catch the familiar headlights of Nathalie’s Crown Victoria before returning to her digging, her shoulders now stiffened.

Nathalie came barging in through the front door with a cold gust of wind at her back. Her pale skin was red, and the shining anger in her blue eyes indicating her complexion was not just from the cold.

She threw her keys at the couch with no key hook yet unpacked.“Perenelle!”

Nellie kept her focus on searching the box despite now seeing it was full of random cookery utensils and no bowls. Hot tears prickled in the corners of her eyes.

“Are you not going to say anything to me,” Nathalie asked. “You well know I’m only this cross with you because I know you’ve skipped school.” Nathalie jumped at the long, horrible howl that sounded from the outbuilding. She put her hand over her heart, taking a breath. “And that thing–!”

“Smoke wolf,” Nellie muttered.

The correction caused Nathalie to go crimson. She hissed out a long breath. “Do you know what I've been doing while you were skipping school to play with that creature? I’ve just been down to your school, for hours, trying to convince them you are not hiding a pregnancy from me!” She threw her hands in the air. “Of course they think I’m being daft. They want to call the State. The State, Perenelle Herle! We’ve not been here a week and they want to step in!”

The tears broke, hot and angry. Nellie stormed from the kitchen, ignoring Nathalie’s shout to stop. She threw herself into her room but was stopped from slamming the door by Nathalie wedging herself in the way with a sharp yelp.

“Oh no, you will not lock yourself in and hide like last night,” Nathalie said. “I let that go, trying to be understanding of this all being new, but causing such scandal to your teachers is much too far.”

Nathalie was shifting from fury to bedraggled. Her pale hair was already a mess from being tied up in a bun all day, but had loosened during her show of anger. The flush had left her face and left her sallow; her eyes now straining to keep her own tears in.

“Nellie… if you were so upset over the move, I wish you’d just have told me rather than all this. If the State gets involved….”

Nellie dragged her wrists under her eyes to cut the angry tears. There was a tremor in Nathalie’s tone that was foreign and uncharacteristic. She guiltily rubbed her arm and looked at the floor.

“I didn’t mean for that dumb teacher to think I was pregnant…. Sorry.” She bit her lip to stop the smirk forming. “Bit of a reach, isn’t it? Idiot.”

“Perenelle, this is serious,” Nathalie said. She rubbed her forehead. “Why on earth ask all those questions if not to give her that impression?”

“I…,” Nellie trailed off. Her chest hurt. Her eyes began to well again. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Nathalie’s face clouded. Her forehead wrinkled with worry, and she took hold of Nellie’s shoulders, squeezing them hard and bending to eye-level. “Did something happen? Did you hear of something happening?”

“No!” She broke away and pushed around Nathalie back into the rest of the house. “I just… just need to get water out to that poor smoke wolf. I’m thinking of calling him Ash….”

“You are not keeping–Do not switch the topic,” Nathalie said, following Nellie as she went back to find a mixing bowl.

Nellie refused to answer as Nathalie pelted her with the same question said different ways. She finally extracted a large Pyrex and began filling it.

“You are not giving him my good mixing bowl!”

“He needs something,” Nellie protested. “Just for tonight. I’ll go out–.”

“You will go to school and explain how you lied,” Nathalie said firmly. “I’ll call animal control–.”

“Ash isn’t just some animal, Mom!” She glared. “Or….”

“He can’t stay here, Nellie,” Nathalie said, exasperated. “Have you noticed we still have no internet service? The poor man called my phone terrified. Heard that thing–.”

“His name is Ash!”

“--carrying on and refused to wait for me.” Nathalie scoffed. “All the good that would do, honestly.”

“He’s still scared,” Nellie protested. “He’ll settle down. He’s young, probably, and lost, maybe.”

She carried the Pyrex towards the door, trying hard not to slosh it. A bucket would be better as a long term solution, and filling it with the hose would be more efficient. Except that it was currently winter and they did not have a hose. 

She spilt water down her pants as Nathalie threw herself in front of the door.

“I told you that you are not using my good mixing bowl,” she said. “Go put it away and sit. We aren’t finished.”

Nellie narrowed her eyes. “I would rather not talk about how you aren’t my mother, but if you insist.”

All the color drained from Nathalie’s face.

Nellie gave a cry–that shock the final confirmation–and pushed outside. She was grabbed, yanked away, and in the process the Pyrex shattered on the front steps. She did not turn to see Nathalie’s expression, or the broken bowl, and ran straight for the howling outbuilding.

---

It was the loud but trying to be quiet murmuring from the living room that caused Nellie to wake up. It was still dark and cold, suggesting it was much too early and not simply winter hours. Her phone read 1:21 AM. She sat up and watched a fluffy blanket fall to the floor.

She had stayed out with Ash until all the lights had gone off, then snuck back inside and collapsed on her bed. Nathalie must have covered her. That blanket had still been in a box.

Nellie wrapped it around her shoulders and snuck to her door. She pressed her ear to the edge, easing it open a crack. The warmth of a light out in the living room seeped in along with Nathalie’s tired, strained voice.

“--can’t hear well, sorry, Winny. Reception is dreadful out here. Internet was supposed to come–no matter.” There was a pause. “No, no, I can text you a summary after. I just… just really needed to hear your voice. As much as I can hear it.” She sighed heavily. “Honestly, Win, I don’t understand how there is no cell service. But, I’m calling about–. Hello? Winston? Winston. Can you hear me?” Nathalie stifled a sob. “Winston, please, be able to hear me. Nellie found out. I-I don’t know what to do.”

Nellie jumped, wincing at the creak in the floor, but whatever had Nathalie shoot to her feet so suddenly covered the sound.

“Winny? Oh, good, is this better? Did you hear what I said about Nellie? You did!” Nathalie’s floorboards creaked as she swayed. “What do I do? Rhys didn’t–. Winny? Hello? Winston, can you hear–? Sod it!”

The couch groaned as Nathalie threw herself onto it, resolved to text the conversation instead.

Nellie carefully crept backwards to her bed, slithering down into it. She felt oddly hollow. Nathalie had confirmed again, with words this time, that she had been lying to her. It was how Nathalie waited until she was asleep to make that phone call that churned her stomach.

Uncle Winston was a jovial man with a dark sense of humor. He was several years older than Nathalie, and her confidant before any big decision. Nellie had been on most of the Zoom calls between him and Nathalie as she decided to move them out of Florida. Nellie liked talking to Uncle Winston, liked the few visits even more–despite his grown kids being complete snobs. There was a whole new betrayal to know he hid this from her, and helped Nathalie lie.

-------------------

I have no idea what I'm calling this, so first chapter was That Thing w/Perenelle, and this is P.Track.2 which is how it's labeled in my docs, lol. The coffee shop is real. I didn't get a chance to visit, so I don't know if the clientle is elderly or hipster, but like all the small towns around here, they tend to be elderly so I went with that. It made for a better way for Nellie to get some info. The old people really do complain often about Californians (or anyone not originally from TN/the south, honestly) but they aren't always mean about it, so I figured with Nellie being polite and curious, they'd be more willing to talk. (Often times here, "natives" don't talk to anyone minus casual small talk pleasentries. They never give up info on the area, it was a big pain the first time we lived here trying to navigate where things were and stuff--IN was the same way, weirdly enough.)

Slowly filling out Nathalie's side. I couldn't think of anything more British than Winston, so had to call him that. Their parents also have much more traditional names, and some woman connected to Winston is Margret (Margo). I don't know if it's his wife or daughter, leaning more towards wife since he'd probably just have named his daughter Margo straight up. I'm thinking him and Nathalie are roughly 5-7 years apart. I wanted to have Nathalie on Zoom with him so there was more conversation, but then remember there was no internet and most of the middle of this state is dead zone.

Gemini’s leg was bouncing as she sat in the pilot’s seat of the Galileo. Her face showed more than a fair share of the mental duress she was under, as her green eyes were unfocused and staring blankly into the distance.

An idea, at last, appeared.

She tapped her communication badge. “Gemini to Geordi.”

“Hey Gemini!”

“Hey; is Ensign Maddox in Engineering right now?”

“He was–but he left early today.”

Gemini gnashed her teeth. “Oh, all right.”

“Did you need something?”

“Um,” she swallowed, “no; just curious–Hudson was on that shift and I’m trying to learn his coworkers’ names.”

Geordi laughed. “I can run down all of them if you want.”

“Maybe another time.” She paused. “Do you know if all of the phasers are accounted for?”

“The phasers?”

“Well–Hudson had mentioned you’d be working on some tests for the new phaser technology.”

“Yes, but we haven’t made enough progress to actually make new phasers. In fact, today’s tests were incredibly lackluster; I’m not sure we have the kind of breakthrough I was hoping for.”

She frowned. “All right–no problem–thanks, Geordi.” Once the comm link was closed, she huffed a long sigh and folded in half in the chair. Her hands dangled against her ankles as she mumbled to herself. “If only he were under Security–I could totally assign Maddox to another shift and stop him from going to Ten Forward…”

“Everything all right in here?”

Gemini pushed back upright to find Ace returning to the front of the shuttlecraft. He had just changed from his uniform in the restroom to prepare for the tournament. “Yep.”

Ace held out his hands. “Well, what do you think?”

She smirked. “You look entirely too fancy for your own good.”

His lips skewed as he twisted within his tailored black tuxedo. “You don’t think it’s too much? I feel like I’m overdressed.”

“I bet you’ll be fine.”

Ace shrugged and slipped into the chair beside her. He watched Gemini puff air through her nose and stare at the controls for an almost uncomfortable amount of time.

“Are you sure you’re all right?” He asked, trying to lean into her line of sight.

“Yes,” she glanced at him.

“‘Cause you’ve been really moody since we took off,” he continued.

“Have I?” She replied dully.

“You’re not, like, pregnant, are you?”

“What?? No!” Gemini recoiled, startled by his statement.

“Well, I don’t know!” Ace replied in a similarly exasperated tone. “You’re married–that happens sometimes!”

Gemini sighed as she chewed her lip. “Not this time. We’re pretty sure the same infertility that was affecting Hudson’s home planet affected him, too. I don’t think we’ll be able to have any children.”

“Shoot; Gemini, I’m sorry,” Ace was immediately filled with regret. “I didn’t mean to bring that up.”

“No,” she waved him off. “You wouldn’t have known otherwise. I don’t tell too many people anyway.” Her eyes wandered, however, as visions of Lyra emerged in her mind. “I wonder… if that’s why he showed that to me,” she muttered.

“Hm?” Ace blinked, his eyes focusing on a mark on Gemini’s wrist. “Hey, what’s that?”

Gemini clutched her hand to her chest, covering the Q-shaped mark. “I got some ink on my hand this morning.”

Ace watched his friend as she sat back against the chair with her arms bound at her chest. “Well, if it’s any consolation, I was married almost five years back on Tal E, and we never had kids either.”

Gemini eyed him. “You were married almost five years?”

“Yep.”

She narrowed her eyes as he adjusted the fingerless gloves on his hands. “And you got taken away from her.”

He swallowed. “Yeah.”

She frowned and looked down, a lump threatening to form in her throat. “I can’t imagine how hard that’s been.”

Ace shrugged. “Counselor Troi helped me process it like a death.”

Gemini’s attention perked up. “Death?”

“Well, you know; when someone dies, you’re separated from someone physically, and you feel like a hole has been ripped where they used to be. Since I can’t go back to Tal E, I’m separated from them, and I feel the holes,” his lips tugged as he snuck a glance at her. “I guess we’re not really that different as far as that’s concerned.”

Gemini found herself tearing up, and she did her best to casually wipe her eyes clear beneath her glasses. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“It’s taken a while to move past the pain so I can cherish the memories I had with them; understanding that chapter is in the past. It’s not easy, but I’m getting there.”

“If it’s any consolation,” she repeated his words as she met his eyes, “I think you’re doing an incredible job considering.”

“I have my moments,” he gave her a sad smile. “But, thanks.”

The proximity alarm concluded their conversation, and Gemini took over the controls to bend the shuttle’s trajectory toward the approaching planet.

The Galileo’s hull burned hot as the shuttlecraft entered the atmosphere. Ace instinctively gripped the arms of his chair as the small craft bounced and drifted upon entry. Gemini, however, showed no sign of worry as she maneuvered the small craft toward the planet’s rust-colored surface.

“This is Ground Control; please identify yourself.” A static-filled voice called out from the console.

Gemini flipped a switch on the console. “This is the Galileo; we are delivering entrant Ace Gallagher to compete in the competition.”

“Roger that, Galileo; I see Mr. Gallagher on our list. Proceed to landing pad seven.”

“Seven,” Ace smirked as Gemini turned off their communication link.

“Did you want to go over the mission one more time?” She asked.

“I know the mission,” Ace watched the orange glow across the windows fade. “I go in, play the best I can to stay as close to Mickey D as I can, then leave gracefully when I lose.”

“And you’re not from Starfleet on this mission.”

“Right; that’s why we wiped the Starfleet insignias from the shuttle before we left.”

“I’ll need your comms badge, too,” she held out a hand.

“Oops!” He popped off the magnetic badge and handed it to her.

Another layer of clouds peeled away, and in an instant, a great stone mansion was revealed in the evening light, seated in a vast circle of green with high walls separating it from the dull, desert-like landscape around it. A massive arched gate separated the mansion from the long driveway lined with warm lights, and the drive led down to a large circle of landing pads.

“Woah,” Ace awed.

Gemini turned the shuttle down toward the launchpads, easily finding the one marked with a seven on its surface. “There’s our stop.”

“This is insane,” Ace was nearly pressed against the glass. “Is this his house?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised, if he really has all the money they say he has,” Gemini focused on the landing pad until she had the shuttle steadily landed on its surface. As the ship’s engines whirred to a stop, she turned in her chair to face the gambler. “You certainly aren’t overdressed, now,” she said with a smirk.

“Well,” Ace took a deep breath, “I guess this is it.” He stood up from his chair, shooting Gemini a glance as the woman idly gazed out the front window. “What? No well-wishes or advice to send me on my way?”

“Oh,” Gemini spun around on her chair. “I dunno–do something rash and unexpected,” she flashed an odd smile, “and maybe you’ll win all the games.”

“Rash and unexpected, huh?” Ace repeated with a grin as he bumped her fist. “I’ll do my best.”

With that, Gemini turned back to the console and opened the shuttle door behind him.

The gambler stepped out of the shuttle, his black dress shoe crunching on the sandy platform. He brought his fingerless gloves up to his neck to adjust his tie, then slicked a strand of white hair back behind his ear. He cocked an eyebrow over his green eyes and grinned the whole way down the road to Mickey D’s mansion.

---
Scene Notes

• Ace & Gem's conversation became way deeper than I expected it to be and actually ended up changing how I ended the entire story. These characters and their ideas...
• Ace's comment about them being similar in what they went through is referencing Aravast's destruction - little does he know Gemini is also trying to avoid losinig her spouse like he did. So much depth, I tell ya.
• This is when you can start looking for any differences in the 'realities' :D

Jean-Luc frowned and shook his head. “And he proceeded to show you alternate realities to show you what could have been?”

Gemini nodded, eyes still focused on the floor. She had finally reached a point where she could no longer cry–quite possibly because she had used up all of her tears. 

Guinan was sitting on the bench beside her, devoid of her usual headwear and wearing a dull purple robe. She had a hand firmly on Gemini’s leg for support.

The captain sighed and again began pacing across the floor of his ready room. “I regret not informing you–or warning you–about Q. He seems to delight in tormenting me, and very often members of the crew by proxy.”

“I know Q; this one seems too targeted to be by proxy,” Guinan added.

Jean-Luc stopped walking when he reached his window. “That’s what worries me.” He turned around. “There had to be some purpose–some reason he targeted Gemini alone.”

Guinan gently smoothed Gemini’s white hair in a mothering gesture. “He could be interested in Gemini as the last of a very powerful race of humanoids.”

“He did say something like that,” the Aravasti muttered.

“That still seems to be an odd way to show his curiosity.”

“It reminds me of a child playing with dolls,” Guinan glanced up. “Perhaps he was just curious to see her in different situations.”

“A child playing with dolls is a fair assessment of Q’s behavior,” Jean-Luc growled before sighing and returning to the bench she and Guinan were sitting on. “Whatever the case, Ms. Gemini,” he knelt down and coaxed her eyes upward. “I sincerely apologize for what he put you through. I regret you had to bear it alone,” he paused and shook his head, “and then, return to this.”

Guinan squeezed Gemini’s leg as her form slumped further forward.

“Please know you do not have to bear this alone, now.”

She shuddered through a sob, but managed to nod her head. “Thank you, Captain.”

“We’re all here for you,” Guinan added, tipping her head near her. A few of her long braids slipped over her shoulder in the process.

“I would request you continue to lean heavily on Counselor Troi,” Jean-Luc urged her. “And I want you to take as much time as you need to grieve. Your role aboard the Enterprise is here when you’re ready.”

“Thank you,” she said simply, offering a more pleasant expression in lieu of a smile.

Jean-Luc nodded and stood up, tugging down on his uniform as he stepped backward.

Guinan followed Gemini’s lead and helped her stand, walking her to the door of the captain’s ready room. They walked through the bridge, and Gemini caught the gazes of Data, Ace, and Geordi before being whisked behind the sliding doors of the turbolift.

“Deck nine,” Guinan said.

“You don’t have to walk me down to my room,” Gemini turned to the woman as the turbolift began its trek.

“I don’t have to, but I don’t mind.” Guinan smiled.

The smallest of smiles tugged at her lips. “I’ll be all right. I may just need to rest so I’ll have strength for the funeral tomorrow.” She swallowed the lump that immediately began forming in her throat.

The El-Aurien laid her hand on the Aravasti’s back. She said nothing, but her empathetic expression was more than effective.

Gemini pursed her lips together and ducked her head to give Guinan a hug. The woman simply held her as tightly as she could. When the door hissed open behind them, they slowly separated.

“You call if you need anything.”

“I will.”

With that, Gemini left the turbolift alone.

She walked through the halls, purposely avoiding eye contact with others passing through. She continued until she reached her door and stepped inside.

After the door hissed closed, the room grew silent, save for the ever-present dull humming of the ship’s engines. The windows were dark, and only indirect lighting from various points across the room offered glimpses of light. She took in a slow, deep breath, and she shut her eyes as she released it through her lips. 

She opened her eyes a moment later to find a man in a red Starfleet uniform standing beside her table.

She hissed a sigh and started to walk past him.

“Gemini.”

“Go away.”

“I wanted to offer my condolences,” Q tried.

Gemini could hear the lack of sarcasm and cynicism in his tone. When she turned around, the immortal being’s expression was almost remorseful.

“I’m sorry, Gemini.”

The words, the tone, the expression–it was identical to when he had spoken it before.

“You knew,” she took a step toward him. “You knew this would happen.”

Q’s brows raised as she walked up to him, remaining silent.

“You knew, so you tried to show me other lives you think I’d like better so I wouldn’t have to endure this.”

“Every life holds something terrible that must be endured,” he replied simply, “but… I will not deny your claim.”

“Then, why didn’t you say something?” She choked, “Why didn’t you warn me?”

Q opened his arms. “Would you have believed me?”

Gemini shut her eyes and turned away. She slipped off her glasses to wipe her eyes and sat down on the edge of her sofa. A vase of wilting sunflowers was on the table beside it. Her lips puckered.

“I didn’t just come here to say I’m sorry,” Q continued, looking down at the silent Aravasti. “I came to give you a chance.”

“I don’t want any.”

“A chance to stop this reality from happening.”

Her eyes slowly rose to meet him.

“I will give you one–and only one–chance to change something and prevent Hudson’s death. If you can do it, that will become your new reality.”

She put on her glasses. “You’re going to let me change what happens?”

“Yes,” he said. “If you can find a way to save your husband, I will allow him to be saved.”

“And if I don’t?”

Q shrugged. “You don’t. This reality stands.”

Gemini bit her lip. She looked again at the flowers on the table, the last gift Hudson would ever give to her–in this reality.

She took in a deep breath and stood up. “All right. But how do I know I can trust you?” 

Q grabbed her wrist.

“You have one chance. Do something rash and unexpected–I don’t care–but if you succeed, that will be your reality.”

She nodded, the flame of determination in her eyes.

When Q released her wrist, a small inked ‘Q’ remained.

“Ugh, really? A ‘Q’?”

“What’d’you say?”

Gemini looked up upon hearing the voice.

She flew from the sitting room and into the bedroom to find Hudson standing in front of the wardrobe’s mirror, inspecting his yellow-gold uniform and adjusting the single hollow pip on his collar.

“Hey–woah!” He almost toppled over when Gemini nearly threw herself into his arms. “Good mornin’,” he grinned, giving her a squeeze. “Gosh, you’re huggin’ like you haven’t seen me in a week!”

She tried to hide her tears as she pulled away. “I just… It’s always good to see you every morning.”

He grinned. “I couldn’t agree more.”

“Hey, I was thinking,” she laid her hands on his shoulders, “what if we both called off work today and took a day together? In fact–we should just… never leave our quarters today. At all.”

Hudson laughed and walked around her to step into the bathroom. “That sounds mighty temptin’, but you know we’ve both got big stuff to be doin’ today.”

“Like what?” She grit her teeth and followed after him.

“Well,” he took a comb out of the drawer, “for one, you gotta bring Ace to the tournament this afternoon.”

“Well, yeah,” she glanced aside. “But you?”

“We’re gonna start runnin’ tests on the new phaser technology!” Hudson ran the comb through his hair, then lightly brushed his sideburns. “Geordi said it’s a real big deal; it’s pretty excitin’ I get to be a part of it.”

She bit her lip. “Yeah, that’s pretty cool. But,” she leapt out of her place and met him as he turned around from the counter, “after your shift, you should come back here and plan us a date.”

“Oh?” He ginned. “Well, if you don’t think you’ll be out too late–you know you turn into a pumpkin past ten o’clock,” he ribbed her, only to pause. “That’s twenty-two hundred, right? Gosh, I don’t think I’ll ever remember twenty-four hour time.”

Her smirk broke into a laugh, though her warm feeling was slowly tainted from the knowledge of the future in the back of her mind. “All right–here’s what we can do,” she smiled and leaned against him. “The second I have comms again, I’ll let you know I’m on my way back to the Enterprise. Then, you can make sure you’ve got everything in place.”

“You won’t have comms there on the planet?”

“Data thinks it’s safest not to contact the Enterprise while I’m waiting for Ace, just in case they’re monitoring the signals. I don’t want to risk getting him in trouble if they link him back to Starfleet.”

“Oh, of course; that makes sense.” Hudson nodded. “It’s a date, then,” he kissed her cheek.

She took his head into her hands and redirected him to her lips. They shared a passionate kiss, and for one brief moment, Gemini forgot the weight of everything else around her.

“Gosh, you’re in a real good mood,” Hudson whispered through a smirk, “I may be thinkin’ about our date all day.”

“I know I will be,” she grinned, leaving a kiss behind on his cheek. 

“I’ll talk to you soon, love,” he grinned wide and stepped out into the sitting room. 

She heard the door slide open, then hiss back closed.

Her body slumped as breath and strength left her.

“I sure hope so.”

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Scene Notes

• You mean Q may have had good intentions despite seeming kinda like a jerk? Hmm...
• Gemini and Hudson are still my favorite in any universe ❤️