<USS Avalon> "The Avalon B"

 The Avalon B *James and Victoria McEntire* 

"Victoria!" James called as he swung into Sick Bay. "Oh Victoria! Vicky! 
Vix, Vixon, Vicky-Vic-Vic!" He peered around, frowning at the totally empty 
room. "Oi! Where are you?"

She was staring out of the viewport in her office, her eyes fixed on the 
brave little Intrepid. Pressing her fingers against the transparent 
aluminum, she leaned her head against it, willing herself through and onto 
the other ship.

Wandering through, James spied his sister and leaned against her wall. "Hey 
you, what you looking at?"

"The Avalon," she said quietly, not moving or averting her eyes.

"Huh?" James pushed himself off the wall and wandered over. He plopped his 
head on top of hers, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Oh wow, I wonder 
how old it is."

Victoria shrugged, still staring. "It's gotta be before we're born, it's the 
wrong class."

"Oh wow!" His eyes dancing, James leaned closer to the port. "That's the B, 
oh man, what I wouldn't give to see her Engine Room. You know what it might 
mean, though, don't you? I could see some of JD's Dad's 'improvements' first 
hand." James was practically drooling. "I'd *die* to see those."

"We don't even know if he's aboard, we could be way before that. They 
weren't on that long before Mum, you know that."

"Or..." James started to sound increasingly excited, "Or Mum and Dad could 
be on there. Aww, now I wanna know the date!"

"Jimmie," Victoria warned, "don't even think about it. Timeline, remember? 
And the preserving of?"

"But I wanna see those engines!" His eyes met hers in their reflections. 
"Come on, Vix, wouldn't you just *die* to see Mum hard at work? In her 
prime? The bud of youth still firmly clutched to her bosom."

"You know, you're entirely too obsessed with bosoms, James McEntire." 
Victoria smiled softly at her brother. "And it's completely inappropriate to 
be obsessing about our mother's bosoms."

"Hey! I used to suck on them just like you, didn't I?" James grinned 
roguishly. "Plus, Dad's always saying how much of a stunning beauty Mum was 
even then."

"Yeah and the instant either of them look at you, they'll know exactly who 
you are. Come off it, Jimmie, you and Josh just look too much like Dad." A 
wistful smile warmed her eyes as she gazed back at the tiny ship. "Now me? I 
could get away with it. What with the red hair and all. It wasn't til she 
was, what? thirty? thirty-one? that Mum put her hair back to its natural 
colour."

"Yeah you'd get away with it until she looked into your eyes. Those smokey 
greys, you're a Jameson through and through. Plus," he said, shrugging and 
hugging her tighter, "where my little sis goes, I go too."

"And when I finally get up the courage to ask our gorgeous Marine CO out, 
are you going to come on our dates?"

"Of course," he grinned. "Every young couple needs a chaperone."

"Young? Hardly," she said sourly. Turning in his arms, Victoria laid her 
head on James's chest. "Do you really think they'd recognise us?"

"I dunno, but I doubt Grace will give them the opportunity. She's smart, our 
Captain, she won't let us anywhere near that ship."

Sighing, Victoria nodded and drew away, slipping onto the sofa that took up 
the far wall of her office, still watching the Avalon. "But it was a nice 
idea."

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