Saturn Rise (Star Trek Enterprise Fanfiction}

I Believe Pamela Sharon Hudson

"Play nicely, kids," Lili Beckett said, adjusting baby Declan Reed in her arms on a lovely May afternoon. Her two others, Joss and Marie Patrice Beckett, played with Geming Sulu's daughter, Jia, and Cyril Morgan's granddaughter, Cindy. But Joss was really just paying attention to Fenway, Cindy's Boston terrier puppy.

"Jo-oss," called Jia, "come over and play tag with us." The only boy mumbled his response as the adults had coffee and Lili's blueberry cobbler.

"Joss," Lili put a hand out and touched her elder son on his arm, "go play with the girls."

"But –" he whistled to the puppy to follow him.

Jia and Cindy came closer to him, both giggling. "You're it!" laughed Jia, running away.

Lili turned to Geming and Cyril. "A flirt at age five, eh?"

"Yes," Geming sighed, "at age five, God help me."

"And then they get older and they're even more of a handful at times, eh?" Cyril smiled.

"Oh?" asked Geming.

"My niece, Pamela Hudson. Have you met her?"

"I don't think so."

"Pamela is here on Lafa II a lot," Lili explained, "but I don't think she's moved here. Is she planning to?"

"She doesn't confide such things to me," Cyril replied. "I think they could use her talents at the Med Center. But I suspect it all depends on how things go with a certain young man."

Geming's eyebrow went up so Lili filled him in. "Pamela is dating Treve, my business partner. She has been for most of 2162."

"A Calafan?" Geming asked.

"Yes. And she told me she's going to take him to Charon and have him meet her sister, Lisa," Cyril confided.

"So it's serious," Lili smiled, "I'm glad; she always struck me as someone who hadn't quite found her happiness yet."

"So, what is new in your life?" Cyril inquired to change the subject as the children jumped and laughed and the dog barked on occasion and Declan slept a bit.

"Well, this one's daddy – I've never met his parents. Er, Malcolm's parents. We had talked about them coming here, but there's just no room at either house, and I can't see putting the Reeds into a Calafan hotel."

"The Fep City Hotel is rather nice," Geming stated. "Jia, don't wander too far!"

"I've been there," Lili clarified. "And I like it. But it's kinda Spartan. I think they'd find it lacking in certain human amenities."

"How fussy could they be?" Geming inquired.

"Very," she sighed. "I'm just a little, okay, more than a little, concerned. I want it to go well when I finally meet them."

"It'll be fine," Cyril assured her. "They will fall in love with your son, and then with you. I guarantee it."

"Thanks, but they're also saying they don't want to travel so far. I kinda don't blame them. When you're not on a starship, it does take a while to get here."

"The Lafa System is certainly far from everything else," Geming agreed. "This is why I moved here when Mai did. I meant to tell you; I suppose being nearby did us both some good. We've decided to reconcile, and to remarry."

"That's wonderful!" Lili enthused. "Are you sure you're not just doing this for Jia?" She paused for a moment. "We don't know each other that well; I probably shouldn't pry like that."

"No, it's a fair question," Geming allowed. "But it's, really, that we decided to forgive each other. I suppose that was what we needed to do."

"Then here's to forgiveness," Cyril declared, raising his coffee cup as four suns shone over Lafa II and the children played happily and the dog occasionally barked as the lazy afternoon became a lovely, golden evening.