How the Time Flies

Chapter 20

"Rise and shine!" Julian says coming into our bedroom. "Hm?" I mumble. "I got breakfast ready come on." Julian says smiling. "Oh." I say getting up and yawning. "We just arrived at starbase 57, Nog didn't want to wake you so he did the docking procedures. I also have our bags ready." Julian states. "Ok woah to fast for me. Raktijino." I say half asleep. Julian hands me a cup. "Just replicated it." He says. "I see." I say nodding and taking a sip. I sit down on the couch sipping my coffee and eating. After 3 cups of coffee I'm awake enough to get dressed and grab my stuff. Julian and I head to the transporter room where Nog was waiting for us. "Have a good trip Captain. We will be here for the whole week getting repairs done but if anything changes I'll send you a message over subspace." He says smiling. "Thank you Commander. Keep my ship safe." I say jokingly. Then I hop on the transporter with Julian and we beam down to Karala where we'd take a transport ship to earth.

A few hours later we had docked at Earth station 1 and beamed down to the planet. "Ah. Smell that Tay? That's not artificial air! That's good old Earth air. It's the little things you miss. Really." Julian says beaming. "Alright nature boy. Calm down." I say jokingly. We walk the short distance to Julian's parents house. It wasn't in the country side but it want in the city either. It was in a part of England that hadn't been really transformed by modern Star Fleet tech or buildings. Julian knocks on the door of an old Victorian style two story house that had a fence around the outside and I could hear to dogs barking in the backyard. "Jules!" Amsha Bashir says hugging Julian tightly. "And Max! What a surprise! Richard get in here! There are some people you'll want to see!" She says excitedly. "Oh don't tell me it's those Star Fleet personnel here again. I told them I would be there next week for the meeting-" Richard says walking to the door. "Jules. My gosh it's really you." He says hugging his son. Julian smiles a bit. "Max." He says going for a hug as I outstretch my hand expecting a hand shake. I say to Julian in my mind, 'I'm going to get you just for this.' Julian smirks and Amsha looks confused. "Oh nothing. Max was just saying something to me telepathically." Julian reassures.

She gives him a oh look and then invited us inside. "I see you've redecorated." Julian says walking in and putting down both of our bags. "I'll show you upstairs. Richard why don't you get dinner ready." Amsha says. "Really we're fine mom. We ate at the Starbase." Julian says. "No please! I'd love to have dinner with you both. Besides its Christmas Eve. You can't pass down a Christmas Eve dinner can you?" She says. "I suppose not." I say as we put our stuff in our room that we were going to be staying in. "So how has your life been on the Enterprise? Im sure there are a lot of exciting moments." Richard says as we sit down to eat. "Being a Captain has its challenges but your right. There is never a dull moment." I say eating my dinner. Julian's dad had replicated curry chicken with white rice. It was very good, and it didn't taste like anything I'd normally have on the Enterprise. "Jules, how have your studies on...I believe the word you said in your last transmission was...well I forgot but how has that been?" Amsha asks. "The studies have been doing great actually. It's been a big step forward in accelerating the growth rate of certain viruses to see what the affects would be and it has helped me make a number of new vaccines." Julian says smiling slightly.

We finish dinner and I head off to Julian and I's room with him right behind me. Over dinner we had discussed everything from the Doric to the new warp core we had installed. "I'm so tired." I mutter flopping down on the really comfy bed we were going to sleep on. "Get some rest. I just want to finish reading this book." Julian says kissing me. I nod and get into pjs, then I get back in bed and fall happily asleep. I was hoping that the night would be filled with no nightmares but that never seems to be the case these days. The first nightmare started off with me running away from my father. Then the nightmare melded into me watching my mother die in front of me again. After I'm trapped in a cage and forced to do be tested and experimented on again. Just the the doctor was about to give me a shot with something in it I snap awake panting and sweating. I hold back a scream. Julian wakes up next to me and is holding me in his arms within a second. "I wish we brought Porthos." I mutter shaking a bit. That made Julian laugh a bit. "Me too Tay me too." He says holding me and kissing my forehead. "I'm just glad you didn't try to punch me in the face this time." He says chuckling. "You got lucky my mind almost thought of it." I say looking up at him. "Do you want to try and fall back asleep?" He asks me. "Nah. I can't. Not this time." I say. He nods and gets up. "That doesn't mean you can't sleep." I say confused. "I don't really want to. It's fine. Really. Come on, I'll take you downstairs and get you something to drink." He says.

We get downstairs and he replicates a tarkalian tea for me. "This will calm you down a bit." He says. He made one for himself as well. "Cheers." He says tapping his mug with mine. We sit there on the couch, the time was 0300. "Merry Christmas Taylor." Julian says to me as we looked at the Christmas tree in front of us. "Merry Christmas Julian." I state leaning my head against his shoulder.