<USS Avalon> Family Reunions

Family  Reunions
Doctor  Felicity Roan
 
Felicity stepped off the transport  and saw her parents waiting at the 
station.  She was old enough that she  could have made it to her childhood home 
alone, but part of her was touched that  they'd go to the trouble to come and 
get 
her.
 
"Felicity Miranda!  You've  done well in space.  Hardly put on an ounce ... 
amazing that space doesn't  pack on the pounds!"  Her father, Kristopher, stood 
tall and thin.  He  was warm and outgoing, always with a joke.  His embrace 
reminded Felicity  about why home was so good.  "It's good to see you too Dad."
 
Liane Roan turned and also had a  warm embrace for her only daughter, 
"Freddie, you look so ... well, it's good to  see you darling.  Dylan will meet 
us 
for lunch at home.  He's arranged  a short furlough to join you on leave.  It's 
not much, but I appreciate his  efforts to at least try and be part of the 
family."
 
With the Roan family there were  two things that one could be certain about.  
One was that they loved each  other and two, which was that there is such a 
thing as too much of thing  one.  Sometimes the family loved each other too 
much.  Since Dylan and  Felicity's older brother, Sebastian, had gone missing.  
There was an  unspoken rule in the Roan household that prevented his name being 
said.   Dylan and Felicity only spoke of their brother privately.  Their 
parents  seem to have a cloud of shame over their heads about him.  
 
The ride to their house on the  outskirts of St. Catherine's was relatively 
short and standing in the driveway  was her womb-mate, Dylan.  He was 
everything that Felicity was not ...  overly handsome, overly personable, 
overly 
friendly, overly outgoing,  adventurous, wild, crazy.  Felicity was practical.  
At 
the Academy  there had been a girl, Nicole Thompson, that had made it her hobby 
to tease  Felicity to no end.  "The Librarian" seemed to be the name that had 
 stuck.  Shortly after her brother arrived at the Academy, Ms. Thompson  
ended up with purple hair that would mysteriously reappear every so-often.   
Dylan 
and Felicity were close ... and she was grateful to see him.
 
"Freddie!  You look,  well, great!  I'm glad to see that my other half hasn't 
let herself go  in space.  I know that you like those apple dumplings more 
than you like to  admit!  Let's get you settled and you can tell me all about 
life as a space  doctor.  I heard your Captain got whacked by the Commander who 
is sleeping  with the alien chief and the Counselor, right?"
 
"Dylan!  You have no clue  what you are talking about ... you know perfectly 
well that the staff of the  Avalon had nothing to do with the unfortunate 
death of Captain Flubb.  The  Yeoman in question was a plant by an outside 
organization!  I do not like  the implication that the Commander and Counselor 
are 
conducting themselves in  any manner other than that of a Starfleet Office.  I 
want you to apologize  right now!  They might be listening ... as is Karma ... 
and you know what  could happen!"
 
Her brother frowned and  apologized.  Felicity didn't get out of her office 
much, but she knew  enough of the crew to know that, at least outwardly, none 
of them were anything  but upstanding citizens of the Federation and she 
resented the  implication.  She got herself settled and the family sat down to 
enjoy 
 lunch together.  Felicity couldn't believe that she had missed this as much  
as she found herself doing so now.  All that was missing was Sebastian...  
The older brother with the distinguished career, the older brother that she had 
 
to work three times as hard to overcome his reputation, the older brother 
that  used to throw her and Dylan into the nearby pond in the summertime.  The  
older brother that escorted her to the spring formal when she couldn't find a  
date and Dylan had three.  The older brother that had taught her to ride  her 
hover scooter.  It was at this moment, she realized that she missed  him.
 
"So, has there been any news from  Starfleet on Sebastian?  It's been nearly 
a year and a half since they've  briefed us about him.  Aren't we due for some 
sort of update? Any  news?"
 
As soon as the words rolled off  her tongue, she realized that she'd brought 
up the taboo subject.  Liane  bristled, "Felicity Miranda Roan ... we've asked 
you a hundred times not to  bring up that subject.  Sebastian is dead... The 
Fleet has been unable to  find his remains, but they are certain he is dead."  
Her Mother fought back  the tears...
 
"I'm... I'm sorry Mom.  I  just miss him... I miss us having him around."
 
Her Father nodded slowly, "I know  kiddo, but we've got to move on.  With all 
three of our children in the  Fleet, we knew there would be some sacrifice 
... but not one of you never coming  home.  We didn't let that thought enter 
our 
mind.  Him not being here  was never what we bargained for ... never.  Please 
just drop it and let's  enjoy our family reunion as it is ... not as we want 
it to be."
 
She felt Dylan wandering towards  her mind and she gave him a look as if to 
say, "Not at the dinner table."   Suddenly, the wandering stopped and the Roan 
children changed subjects to  recount their recent travails.  Lunch ended up 
more pleasant than  expected.  Life at the Roan homestead had been normal as 
usual.  Their  parents were working, the family had visited, the neighbors were 
the  neighbors.  After lunch, Felicity and Dylan took a walk on the nearby  
trails.
 
"You know he's contacted me,  right?" Dylan looked at Felicity without a 
smile or grin to make Felicity  think he was joking.
 
"Who are you talking about?   Wait!  Please tell me you don't mean Sebastian 
... please, please tell me  you don't mean him."  
 
"I mean him.  You didn't  notice?  What's the point of having a link if you 
won't use it, why have it  at all ... honestly, I just don't understand you 
sometimes."
 
"Okay Dylan, enough of the  dramatics.  When did he contact you, what does he 
want ... and how do you  know it's really him and not some Starfleet attempt 
to test your mental strength  or something more covert?"
 
She could sense Dylan was getting  upset by her response and knew he was 
counting to ten before answering.   Part of her really enjoyed making him this 
upset.  He gave her a look and  then spoke, "He contacted me about a month ago 
and then again last week.   What he wants is to see us.  How do I know it's 
really him?  Besides  the appearance and voice, it's the things he knows.  
Little 
things that are  much too insignificant to be obvious.  He knows that we have 
birthmarks on  opposite ears.  He knows that I cheated on my last French exam. 
 He  didn't know you were on the Avalon.  Things that are common knowledge if 
 you look hard enough, but most people don't.  You know what I mean?   As for 
what he wants, well that's more complicated.  He wants to come home  to Mom 
and Dad.  He wants to see us as I said.  But we have to go to  him first."
 
"Oh no... I'm not going to any  remote moon to see him.  It's a trap waiting 
to happen.  I'm not the  most stellar member of the Avalon, but I have a good 
position and I like  studying illness all day.  It's a decent living.  I'm not 
giving that  all up and violating a thousand of Starfleet rules to go 
rendezvous with him and  be ambushed by the covert mental team studying you."
 
"Freddie, this isn't a mental test  ... it's him.  He's not on some remote 
moon.  He's on Earth.  You  know where he is if you think about it.  He's been 
there for the last three  months he said.  He needs our help.  There is a 
reason that he's not  in the Fleet anymore and needs our help to expose the 
truth.  
Please say  you'll go?  We'll leave tomorrow morning and be back before you 
go see that  Muckity-Muck Doctor."
 
"Dylan!  Get out of my  head.  I have asked you before not to do that.  I 
have to keep some  thoughts to myself.  Where it concerns my patients, I have 
to. 
 As for  going... I will go tomorrow, only because I know you will go without 
me and  someone will need to bail you out from Starfleet."
 
Dylan only nodded and  smiled.  They returned to their house and not another 
word was spoken about  the subject.  Felicity knew this was a bad idea, but 
she couldn't talk  Dylan out of it either.  He had faith that this person was 
Sebastian ...  and part of her wanted it to be true.  It really did.

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