Katie was so nervous that she was sure she was going to throw up. She couldn't believe both Brian and Ashlyn were alive. When her away mission had been attacked, a group of aliens had taken them in, saying the Federation was in a war and had lost. They said everyone had died and they were to stay on their planet for protection.
They were protected, but the aliens would sometimes lose their tempers, especially when one of them wouldn't answer their questions about how Starfleet had been ran. Katie had always thought something was going on but was never brave enough to ask.
Then one night everything changed.
In the middle of the night, the USS Carolina showed up. It turned out the Federation and Starfleet were still standing and they had thought the away team was dead.
Once they were secured, all of them had been taken to a starbase, where they were put into isolation and made to stay there until Starfleet could make sure they weren't a danger. However, since Brian was a Captain, Katie was being allowed to see and leave with him.
She was about to see her husband and daughter and she wasn't sure if they'd want her anymore.
When Brian walked in, Katie stared at him for a long moment. Ashlyn was so big and looked so different.
"H-Hi," she said as tears came to her eyes. She then moved forward and wrapped her arms around him.
Brian stood just inside the door, his eyes fixed on Katie. She was there. Oh, God. She was really there.
"Hi," he found himself replying when she finally spoke.
A moment later, she was in his arms, and he held her close against him, closing his eyes as he nuzzled her hair. She still felt the way he remembered. A little thinner maybe, but still his Katie. Drawing in a shuddering breath, he pulled her even closer.
"I missed you so much," he whispered. "When I heard you were still alive..."
He couldn't even describe everything he had felt. All he wanted to do was kiss her. But before he could, he suddenly felt a small hand tugging at his sleeve, so he pulled back slightly to look down at their daughter.
"Wanna hug Mommy," she told him.
Nodding, he stepped back as Ashlyn moved forward and raised her arms to her.
Katie clung to Brian, trying to make sure he was real. She had dreamt of this moment so many times and it was finally coming true. He felt the same to her, and she didn't think she would ever let him go. "I've missed you so much," she said, her voice breaking as tears came to her eyes.
She startled a bit when she heard her little girl speak. Pulling back, Katie looked down at her and tried her best to smile. Her little baby girl wasn't so little anymore but when she held her arms out to her, she didn't hesitate to pick her up.
"Hello, sweetheart," she whispered as she hugged her close. "Mummy has missed you so much."
"Missed you too Mommy. So did Daddy," Ashlyn said as she laid her head on Katie's shoulder and started to softly hum.
As Katie rubbed the little girl's back, she looked over at Brian. "Can we leave now?" she asked as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I don't want to be here anymore."
Brian watched as Katie and their daughter interacted for the first time in two years, feeling tears in his eyes. So many nights, he had sat with Ashlyn in her bedroom, and instead of reading her a story, he would tell her about her mother. About how beautiful and wonderful she was, about how they had met and fallen in love. Ashlyn had loved to look at the pictures he had, most especially of their wedding.
And now, seeing them together was the most wonderful thing in the world, especially since he had once thought this would never happen, that all Ashlyn would know of her mother would be those stories and pictures.
When Katie looked over at him and asked if they could leave, he nodded. "Let's get out of here."
Reaching out, he took her hand and went over to the door. The doctor opened it for them, and together, the three of them walked through Sickbay and out the door. He knew this wasn't the end the end, though. He knew they had a long road ahead of them as they learned to be a family of three, but he was grateful for the chance.
Once they were outside, he reached up to cup her face. "I was thinking maybe we could go have lunch together somewhere off base, just the three of us. Get away from Starfleet for the afternoon."
Katie gave Brian a grateful look when he took her hand and they left the room. She knew things weren't going to be easy for them but she also knew they would be able to get through it together. She just considered herself lucky that her captors hadn't been cruel and she had lived a normal life while there.
As they left the Sickbay, Katie found herself looking back at the others. She felt bad that they were all still waiting to see their families. However, she was still glad Brian and Ashlyn were there. Katie knew they would help her heal and move on.
"Picky-nic?" Ashlyn said as she looked at her parents.
"Do you like picnics, sweetheart?" Katie asked as she looked down at her.
Ashlyn eagerly nodded before she snuggled against her mother again.
Katie looked over at Brian and smiled. "Maybe we should have a picnic, then," she said.
When Ashlyn asked about going on a picnic, Brian smiled, not surprised that she had asked for that. "We often go on them in the arboretum on the ship," he told Katie as he then ran his hand over . "Of course, it's not the same as the ones we used to go on together on shore leave."
At Katie's suggestion that they go ahead and have a picnic, he nodded. "Then let's go get some food from the mess hall," he told them. "What do you want to eat?"
"Chicken strips!" Ashlyn said.
"They're her favorite. Drives the mess hall people crazy," Brian said with a soft laugh. "All right. Let's see if we can get chicken strips."
He then rested his hand to Katie's back as they headed over to the starbase's main mess hall.
Part of Katie felt like an outsider because she had no idea what her little girl liked and didn't like. She knew Brian was doing his best to explain everything to her, but it wasn't the same. Plus, she couldn't expect him to keep doing it.
"Chicken strips, huh? Well, I happen to like those, too so maybe we can both get them," she said as she kissed Ashlyn's temple.
"'Kay, Mommy!" Ashlyn happily said.
When they got to the mess hall, Katie stood back and allowed Brian to get the food. As she waited, she sat down on a bench and looked at her little girl. She was the perfect mix of both Brian and her and so beautiful.
As they waited, Katie laughed when Ashlyn reached up and started to brush her hand over her hair. When Brian returned, Katie smiled and stood before setting Ashlyn down. "We ready to go?" she asked.
Brian smiled when Katie told Ashlyn that chicken strips were her favorite too. Every time she had asked for them, he'd always found himself thinking of his wife. Ashlyn was so much like her, right down to the way she giggled, and he had always been grateful at having her in his life even if he had been scared about being a father at first, wanting to do right by her and Katie.
Now, they could be a family again, and he was going to do everything he could to make sure they were.
Once they reached the mess hall, Brian went in and got the food, happy to see that chicken strips were available. Once he got the strips and some other food for their picnic, including some water and juice, he headed back outside. For a moment, he stopped and watched Katie and Ashlyn, smiling at how wonderful it was to see the two of them together.
Walking back over and smiling, he held up the plastic carrier they had given him with a nod. "We're ready."
"Yay, picnic!" Ashlyn cheered while she bounced.
With his arm around his two favorite girls, they headed out to the park around outside the starbase compound and found a place to sit under a tree. Ashlyn started dancing around, obviously very happy, and pointed to the sea off in the distance.
"Surfing!" she announced.
"Hey, maybe Mommy can teach you now when we go," he told her.
Katie took Ashlyn's hand and leaned against her husband. As they walked to the park, their little girl talked about her toys and other things she had on the ship. When Katie had thought they were dead, she always wondered what her little girl would be like. And she wasn't disappointed at all. Brian had done a wonderful job with her and she couldn't wait until she got to know her more.
When they got to the park, Katie sat down and laughed as Ashlyn danced around. As the little girl mentioned surfing and Brian mentioned her teaching her, Katie grinned.
"I think our little dancer here needs to grow a bit more," she said as Ashlyn stopped dancing and looked at her.
"I'm big now!" she said as she held up her arms.
"You're very big but you need to grow a little bit more, and the best way to do that is to eat chicken strips and drink apple juice," Katie said with a nod.
Ashlyn seemed to think about that for a moment before she sat down and started to eat. As she did, Katie found herself moving closer to Brian and snuggling against him. They had been apart for two years but she still loved him and he was still her heart and soul.
Brian laughed softly and nodded, knowing that Katie was right. "I know, but I promised her we would go someday," he told her before watching with a smile as Ashlyn sat down to eat at her mother's urging. He was so glad that the two of them were getting along.
When Katie then snuggled closer, he smiled and kissed the top of her head after wrapping his arm around her. God, it felt so good to have her in his arms again.
"Thank you for coming back to me," he murmured back before resting his head to hers.
There was so much he wanted to ask, but he didn't know where to start, and he knew that discussing it in front of Ashlyn wasn't a good idea. They'd have plenty of opportunity later, though, he knew. There was no way he was letting her go again.
"How are the chicken strips?" he asked as he took a bite of potato salad.
Katie had no plans to ever let her husband go again. Even though she knew she couldn't cling to him for the rest of her life, she knew it would take a lot for her to willingly go anywhere without him nearby. Hopefully, Starfleet would understand that and not force her to do things she wasn't ready for.
"I would have came back sooner if I'd known. They had us all fooled, Brian. Their entire scheme was elaborate and even falsified records to make it look like they were being truthful," she quietly told him.
There was more she wanted to say but she didn't think it would be right to do so in front of Ashlyn.
"They good, Daddy!" Ashlyn said before she held up a cup of white dipping sauce. "Try, Mommy!"
Smiling, Katie picked up one of her strips and dipped it into the sauce. She took a bite and grinned at her little girl. "I see you like ranch dressing like your aunt Emma does," she said.
"I do!" Ashlyn said as she bounced in place. "Nana and Gramps coming!"
Katie furrowed her brow and looked up at Brian. "My parents are coming?" she asked with a hopeful look. She really wanted to see them.
"I know you would have," Brian told her, reaching up to gently card his fingers through her hair. "They told us you had been killed too. Obviously, whatever they wanted, they were willing to go to great lengths to get."
He kissed her temple, knowing they would talk more about this later and then looked over at Ashlyn, grinning when she offered the ranch dressing to Katie.
"Emma was the first one to introduce her to it," he said. "She got her hooked, and for a while, she wanted it everything."
He then nodded when Ashlyn told her that Amanda and Jonathan were coming. "Yes, they are. I called them after I found out you were still alive and made arrangements for them to them come on the ship that's bringing the relatives of the others who were with you. They should be here tomorrow." He gave her a soft smile. "They can't wait to see you."
They were protected, but the aliens would sometimes lose their tempers, especially when one of them wouldn't answer their questions about how Starfleet had been ran. Katie had always thought something was going on but was never brave enough to ask.
Then one night everything changed.
In the middle of the night, the USS Carolina showed up. It turned out the Federation and Starfleet were still standing and they had thought the away team was dead.
Once they were secured, all of them had been taken to a starbase, where they were put into isolation and made to stay there until Starfleet could make sure they weren't a danger. However, since Brian was a Captain, Katie was being allowed to see and leave with him.
She was about to see her husband and daughter and she wasn't sure if they'd want her anymore.
When Brian walked in, Katie stared at him for a long moment. Ashlyn was so big and looked so different.
"H-Hi," she said as tears came to her eyes. She then moved forward and wrapped her arms around him.
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"Hi," he found himself replying when she finally spoke.
A moment later, she was in his arms, and he held her close against him, closing his eyes as he nuzzled her hair. She still felt the way he remembered. A little thinner maybe, but still his Katie. Drawing in a shuddering breath, he pulled her even closer.
"I missed you so much," he whispered. "When I heard you were still alive..."
He couldn't even describe everything he had felt. All he wanted to do was kiss her. But before he could, he suddenly felt a small hand tugging at his sleeve, so he pulled back slightly to look down at their daughter.
"Wanna hug Mommy," she told him.
Nodding, he stepped back as Ashlyn moved forward and raised her arms to her.
"Hi, Mommy."
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She startled a bit when she heard her little girl speak. Pulling back, Katie looked down at her and tried her best to smile. Her little baby girl wasn't so little anymore but when she held her arms out to her, she didn't hesitate to pick her up.
"Hello, sweetheart," she whispered as she hugged her close. "Mummy has missed you so much."
"Missed you too Mommy. So did Daddy," Ashlyn said as she laid her head on Katie's shoulder and started to softly hum.
As Katie rubbed the little girl's back, she looked over at Brian. "Can we leave now?" she asked as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I don't want to be here anymore."
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And now, seeing them together was the most wonderful thing in the world, especially since he had once thought this would never happen, that all Ashlyn would know of her mother would be those stories and pictures.
When Katie looked over at him and asked if they could leave, he nodded. "Let's get out of here."
Reaching out, he took her hand and went over to the door. The doctor opened it for them, and together, the three of them walked through Sickbay and out the door. He knew this wasn't the end the end, though. He knew they had a long road ahead of them as they learned to be a family of three, but he was grateful for the chance.
Once they were outside, he reached up to cup her face. "I was thinking maybe we could go have lunch together somewhere off base, just the three of us. Get away from Starfleet for the afternoon."
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As they left the Sickbay, Katie found herself looking back at the others. She felt bad that they were all still waiting to see their families. However, she was still glad Brian and Ashlyn were there. Katie knew they would help her heal and move on.
"Picky-nic?" Ashlyn said as she looked at her parents.
"Do you like picnics, sweetheart?" Katie asked as she looked down at her.
Ashlyn eagerly nodded before she snuggled against her mother again.
Katie looked over at Brian and smiled. "Maybe we should have a picnic, then," she said.
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At Katie's suggestion that they go ahead and have a picnic, he nodded. "Then let's go get some food from the mess hall," he told them. "What do you want to eat?"
"Chicken strips!" Ashlyn said.
"They're her favorite. Drives the mess hall people crazy," Brian said with a soft laugh. "All right. Let's see if we can get chicken strips."
He then rested his hand to Katie's back as they headed over to the starbase's main mess hall.
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"Chicken strips, huh? Well, I happen to like those, too so maybe we can both get them," she said as she kissed Ashlyn's temple.
"'Kay, Mommy!" Ashlyn happily said.
When they got to the mess hall, Katie stood back and allowed Brian to get the food. As she waited, she sat down on a bench and looked at her little girl. She was the perfect mix of both Brian and her and so beautiful.
As they waited, Katie laughed when Ashlyn reached up and started to brush her hand over her hair. When Brian returned, Katie smiled and stood before setting Ashlyn down. "We ready to go?" she asked.
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Now, they could be a family again, and he was going to do everything he could to make sure they were.
Once they reached the mess hall, Brian went in and got the food, happy to see that chicken strips were available. Once he got the strips and some other food for their picnic, including some water and juice, he headed back outside. For a moment, he stopped and watched Katie and Ashlyn, smiling at how wonderful it was to see the two of them together.
Walking back over and smiling, he held up the plastic carrier they had given him with a nod. "We're ready."
"Yay, picnic!" Ashlyn cheered while she bounced.
With his arm around his two favorite girls, they headed out to the park around outside the starbase compound and found a place to sit under a tree. Ashlyn started dancing around, obviously very happy, and pointed to the sea off in the distance.
"Surfing!" she announced.
"Hey, maybe Mommy can teach you now when we go," he told her.
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When they got to the park, Katie sat down and laughed as Ashlyn danced around. As the little girl mentioned surfing and Brian mentioned her teaching her, Katie grinned.
"I think our little dancer here needs to grow a bit more," she said as Ashlyn stopped dancing and looked at her.
"I'm big now!" she said as she held up her arms.
"You're very big but you need to grow a little bit more, and the best way to do that is to eat chicken strips and drink apple juice," Katie said with a nod.
Ashlyn seemed to think about that for a moment before she sat down and started to eat. As she did, Katie found herself moving closer to Brian and snuggling against him. They had been apart for two years but she still loved him and he was still her heart and soul.
"Thank you for this," she whispered to him.
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When Katie then snuggled closer, he smiled and kissed the top of her head after wrapping his arm around her. God, it felt so good to have her in his arms again.
"Thank you for coming back to me," he murmured back before resting his head to hers.
There was so much he wanted to ask, but he didn't know where to start, and he knew that discussing it in front of Ashlyn wasn't a good idea. They'd have plenty of opportunity later, though, he knew. There was no way he was letting her go again.
"How are the chicken strips?" he asked as he took a bite of potato salad.
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"I would have came back sooner if I'd known. They had us all fooled, Brian. Their entire scheme was elaborate and even falsified records to make it look like they were being truthful," she quietly told him.
There was more she wanted to say but she didn't think it would be right to do so in front of Ashlyn.
"They good, Daddy!" Ashlyn said before she held up a cup of white dipping sauce. "Try, Mommy!"
Smiling, Katie picked up one of her strips and dipped it into the sauce. She took a bite and grinned at her little girl. "I see you like ranch dressing like your aunt Emma does," she said.
"I do!" Ashlyn said as she bounced in place. "Nana and Gramps coming!"
Katie furrowed her brow and looked up at Brian. "My parents are coming?" she asked with a hopeful look. She really wanted to see them.
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He kissed her temple, knowing they would talk more about this later and then looked over at Ashlyn, grinning when she offered the ranch dressing to Katie.
"Emma was the first one to introduce her to it," he said. "She got her hooked, and for a while, she wanted it everything."
He then nodded when Ashlyn told her that Amanda and Jonathan were coming. "Yes, they are. I called them after I found out you were still alive and made arrangements for them to them come on the ship that's bringing the relatives of the others who were with you. They should be here tomorrow." He gave her a soft smile. "They can't wait to see you."
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