Fortune {Star Trek Enterprise Fan Fiction}

The Book

=/\=

"Lili is here, and real. I don't have to fall asleep in order to be able to touch her. Not anymore." – Doug Beckett

"... it's a marriage. And by definition there are only two pieces, and they only fit together in one way." – Malcolm Reed

"This is, it's going to come up again. We're not the first, and we won't be the last." – Doug Hayes

=/\=

"Fear of failure?" Q asked.

"Yes. Are you all together and clinging because you're afraid that everyone's going to venture out and just fall apart or something?"

"I don't know," he admitted, "At least, I know of myself that I am ready to go out and, and meet the challenges of, er, the challenges."

She smiled at him, "Did you have a childhood, parents, that sort of thing?"

"No."

"Has anyone in the Continuum?"

"There have been children born. And DNA has been introduced before."

"How long ago?"

He thought for a moment, "About a billion of your years ago."

"Holy cow," she said, perhaps a little too loudly. The baby woke up and began to cry a little. She picked him up and rocked him a little.

"What, uh, what is distressing him?" Q asked.

"I have no idea," she admitted, "Sometimes, it's just a mystery. He isn't wet and I don't think he's hungry. I think he's just tired, and he's being pulled around a bit too much."

"That pulling around is not going to end. We, uh, remaining here is not necessarily the safest thing to do."

"I see," Lili said, "But quickly, a question – how long have you and Joy been together?"

"Uh," he thought for a moment, "about four billion of your years."

"When you said you had history, you meant it."

"Indeed I did."

"So if the universe is, what, around fourteen billion years old, and you came into being within, let's say, a year or so of that, then you've been with Joy for a good third or so of your life, yes?"

"That's more or less accurate."

"It's a long time. It looks like Doug and I are together for a third of my lifetime, or close to it. And with Malcolm, we're together over forty years, right?"

"Forty-three."

"And I'm over ninety when I pass."

"Ninety-three," Q said.

"So that's almost half. And if you count the nights, well, it's even longer, I guess. You can count the nights, right?"

"I don't see any reason why not."

"These are, without a doubt, significant connections. And yours to Joy, it's a significant one as well," Lili said, "She matters to you, even if you don't say so."

He was again distant, "Matters," he said, "You mentioned failure."

"Yes," she said, "And I bet Joy's successes and failures mean something to you – possibly as much or even more than your own successes and failures."

"She's a Q. She doesn't fail."

"Oh, but you do. Or, at least – no disrespect meant – you can misjudge things. So I suspect she can as well. And you both, as you try new things, well, they might not always go the way you want them to, yes? But your saying this, it bodes well. I am not saying that you should look at her with rose-colored glasses, but seeing her mainly in a positive light, well, it means that you do care."

"You have imperfections," he pointed out.

"Countless ones, I'm sure. Yet they're more or less overlooked by the people who love me."

"Yes," he said, "You bare your midriff even though it's not as flat as it was when you were younger."

"That was in a dream with Malcolm. I know I have a bit of a belly. And I've had three children now, so things aren't going to just snap back, not without a boatload of work. But I'll go shopping for a bikini, when I've lost some of the baby weight. I'll go with Norri, and probably Melissa as well, and we'll pick something out. And I will wear it."

"Because Malcolm wants you to?"

"In part, yes. But also because, well, I think I want to. To hell with anyone who thinks I shouldn't be wearing one. So what?! Life's too short."

"That is an attitude that I cannot cultivate," he said, "For life isn't short."

"Too true. Do you think Yipran was right, that there will be another Big Bang, and that the one you came just after, that that one wasn't the first one?"

"I can't say," he said, "No more than I can tell you what is on the other side of the bridge."

He was distant again, "Come, we need to go to another main event. It's not safe here."

She picked up the baby again, "Another negative?"

"No," he said, "This one, I believe this one will be very positive."

"Good," she said, "My heart can't take another negative right now."