Starbase 6

[Beno Velaul]

Not really thinking about it Beno replied back the same way. "I couldn't let her be alone in the Lions den, she was my first roommate." Then she clued in. "Wait you are here and we are using our minds." Beno snapped her fingers. "That explains everything.*

The scene changed again to the float that Beno was on. By now they discovered she was the wrong person but it didn't matter because the actual person was at some pub drinking. They needed something that could draw attention to the float, the first idea didn't work. People were drawn in other directions. 

It took a few seconds when younger Beno suggested using the song twist and shout, she gave the band instructions to play this the loudest they could. This was a brass marching band, the singer was not really ready for this. Beno got the girls to circle around the singer, they had the steps needed for the dance. Considering there were four moves it wasn't hard to remember. The attention grabbed their attention fast, as some flocked to the booth. Geno was given a few strands of beeds to give to give out, it was quite the show for her. 

Beno closed her eyes. "Shortly after this I passed out because I over did it,, dance no dance I would have. I tend to throw myself into things too far at times. Burn out they called it." Some things in the memories were brought back to the surface, also remembered things long forgotten. 

The last thing was younger Beno back in the Cadets uniform going back into the milky white water, giving one last wink before vanishing under water. The restaurant could be seen again, Reyna was still in the bathroom. "I have never experienced anything like that with anyone. It has got to do with.... Expanding my mind bringing forgotten facts to light..I have also heard of non telepaths communicating with telepaths. It usually just works between the two people. Did this happen with us?" She wasn't sure about much in the shared version, but would explain why it happened. 

==Tag==

[Alexander Talion]

Alex looked around a moment as he refocused his mind again, "Well, that was certainly interesting. I've had lots of different kinds of empathic and telepathic experiences, but that was a very vivid kind of memory recall. It does indeed explain a few things. The part of you that is the symbiont is almost like a conjoined twin, in some ways. You each have your own aspects of self, yet you share parts of each of yourselves in a permanent way. I think that after your recent introduction to telepathic and empathic experiences, Velaul decided to join in on the conversation, so to speak. I don't completely understand the relationship, but I've read that one of the primary motivations was based in the collection of individual experiences and retaining them to share with their collective community. Quite a unique perspective."

Focusing his attention on Beno, he grinned, "So, you two ladies were quite the pair! I didn't figure you for the daring trouble maker, but now that I have some context, I can certainly see it. I think daring and bold are likely to be highlighted in your personnel file, but you seem to have found ways to channel that energy in ways that Star Fleet appreciates. I certainly can't wag a finger about crazy antics of your past when I have my own share of shenanigans. Yours were likely more adventurous and interesting than mine were. You apparently kept company with better looking friends than I had. I had one friend from the Academy who I miss very much. We were on the same ship together and he even had a relationship with Cindy for a little while. Sadly, he was killed by the Borg. I miss Val."

He leaned back and thought for a moment, "I don't know much about the kind of neurological biochemistry that is involved in the process of your joining and all that goes along with it, but I'm betting that between that and my own family variances as Betazoids, it explains why you have so easily and quickly formed such strong bonds with Reyna and I. My..." He caught himself thinking, but not saying First Wife, but simply paused and smiled before continuing. "...wife was human, but because of an accident, she might not have been 100% human. Either way, it took her a while to begin forming the bond with me. I had never had one like that other than with my sister and wasn't even sure if I could form one like that. You, on the other hand, formed one very quickly. I know we've been working together for a while, and I can be a bit thick when it comes to picking up on social signals, but until this last mission, thoughts of you and I...well...I guess the cover of our mission gave me an excuse to think of you as something other than an officer in Star Fleet. Seeing you out of uniform made me...um...think about you as a person, and in the outfit you were in, I realized I had never really looked at you before then. It was a little wake-up call about myself first, but an even nicer one about you." He gave a sigh and chuckled, "Then you kissed me on the cheek, we danced and here we are."

He leaned in close again and said suggestively, "You know, even though Reyna is along, this technically counts as our second date. I'm definitely getting some cheesecake to take home with us."

Just then, Reyna reappeared. She looked much more relaxed, "I miss anything?"

Alex asked, "Everything good, kiddo?"

Reyna nodded and gave a glance to Beno, "Apparently I like strawberries much more than I thought. Maybe I'm hitting a growth spurt or something. I know I have a couple of teeth loose, that's sure to feel embarrassing for a while soon."

Alex smiled, "Really? Well, you are about due to start that sort of thing, if I recall the material I read on it."

He took another sip of his drink and then said, "Cindy, can you run a scan and give me a timeline on that?"

From somewhere over Beno's shoulder came a very soft beep and a couple of seconds later Cindy's voice could be heard, [Alex, we should have a talk when you get back.]

He became concerned at first, "Is something wrong?"

There was a pause, "That's a matter of perspective. Something is different."

"Different how?"

Cindy began quoting key acronyms and numbers that Beno caught a few of that were related to the hormones and the endocrine system. A few things she listed had to do specifically with brain chemistry. Alex looked like he was frozen, but his mind was taking in all the information with no expression on his face. Beno was a bit confused by the rapid feed of information. The surprise was from Reyna.

After a long moment of this information, Reyna began shaking her head slowly, "No...no-no...no-no-no! This isn't fair. I'm only six..."

Cindy went silent then said, [Almost seven...]

"I still have at least half of my childhood ahead of me. I have barely begun to use the long list of childish excuses I'm entitled to and I'm not going quietly."

Cindy's voice said, [What's your current reading level?]

Without thinking about it, Reyna answered, "I just finished second year university level, you know that. What's that got to do with the price of self-sealing stem-bolts?"

[Reyna, remember the talk about the parts of you that were very old-school Betazoid and were technically an unknown? Well, congratulations, you're a girl.]

Reyna gave an exasperated look at the sky and then rested her forehead on the table with a small thunk, "I just got a mom and the universe has to do THIS to me? The Fates are cruel and I hate them."

[Actually, the two events might not be unconnected. Alex, I did suggest we have this conversation in a less public location. My apologies.]

Alex seemed unphased as he finally spoke up, "Cindy, please formulate a projected timeline with standard accountable variables for my review when we get back."

[As you wish...] Then there was another soft beep.

Alex gave a long sigh as he leaned back and picked up his drink. Beno knew the look on his face though. He was still thinking. A second later he spoke and gave Beno a wink, "The bond. That's what I think was the trigger. It's the most logical answer."

Reyna mumbled into the table, "I'm doomed."

Alex began to explain in more hushed tones, "The majority of Betazoids are born male. My family is a bit different in that our sex is more likely to be determined at birth and we also have twins more often. For many, the final sexual determination is triggered at or about the onset of puberty. Reyna was mostly female, but some aspects were still undetermined, but she's part human, so we weren't worried about it. You might say she was considered about 75% determined, so this is no real surprise. The surprise is that she never had a mom before and it appears that you may have caused her to finally have something kick in that her brain had not decided until now. That's the part that is known."

Reyna, face still down, mumbled, "I hate my brain."

Alex gave the top of his daughter's head a sympathetic look and continued, "All we know for certain is that the bond likely triggered that biological decision in her brain. Likely, it should have happened right after she was born, but she didn't have anyone to make that bond with and it seems that her bond with me wasn't quite the same as the bond with you. What I don't know is if it will end there or not. It could be simple, or it could turn complicated."

Reyna finally raised her head and said to Beno, "You may have noticed that in this family, we almost never do things the easy way. My latinum is on this getting complicated. Don't worry, I still love you and don't regret a thing. You're an awesome mom. This is just Murphy's Law and I really hate Murphy."

Just then the waitress brought by the extra slices of cheesecake in containers for them to take with them. Reyna's eyes went wide as she perked up and blushed, "Am I smelling more strawberries? This is going to be a long night."

== Tag Beno ==

[Beno Velaul]

From the very beginning Beno had been putting it together why she could have such an adult level conversation with someone so young, she had conversations with children that were smart before just not at that level. There were a number of good reasons one of them was always talking to a child like a real person, never talking that baby jibberish to them. As their brain starts to develop they absorb more information, reading to them at night helps them become smarter too. 

Using their communication devices its much like the sponge effect, she had been absorbing information at a rate that wouldn't be harmful. Beno would never fully be able to explain this, possibly understand but she knew her role was more important than originally thought. Between all of them Reyna was getting the balance she needed, knowledge, wisdom and a guided tour of a women's world. Beno grinned after hearing about never doing things the easy way, for her it was her family motto or just Velaul. "Easy if I wanted easy I would be a Geologist, or at very least a Vulcanologist. At least their subjects get heated." 

Beno smiled at Reyna and the thought of strawberries, it was going to be an interesting night. This was an interestingly new experience for Velaul, those were very scarce at this age. There was logic in why they bonded so quickly, that combined with what both of them really wanted. "Yes we got strawberries, we will enjoy them in a while." She wasn't exactly sure what was going to happen, just one more happy memory. 

==Tag==

[Alexander Talion]

Reyna met Beno's eyes and she got a hint of a sly grin, but the feelings that came with it were both loving and a little sad. after a moment, she spoke, "I'm sorry our family is a bit...well...different. I mean, there are often times when I embrace the wierd. because it is often iffernt and can be exciting, but there are also times when I just want to fade into the crowd and have people think I'm normal. I had a crush on a boy once. He was really cute and he really seemed to like me. That lasted right up until I talked to him. He didn't understand a thing I was saying, like we were from different species. Then, on top of that, he was dumber than a box of rocks. I've been avoiding the obvious for as long as possible, but it's just my reality. I'm not going to fit in with regular people."

Alex held up a finger, "Hang on now, you're jumping to some pretty big conclusions on very speculative data. We don't know that's the case yet. After a few more days..."

Reyna cut in, "Dad, the growth hormones alone are spiking at levels that indicate a major shift in my metobolic patterns. Even if this calms down, it would take months, because those numbers indicate increasing, not decreasing for at least a couple more weeks. If it goes as long as a month, then my pituitary gland will have engaged the promary..."

Alex held up a hand, "Hang on. Yes, you could be right. I'm just saying that we hope for the best while planning for the worst and see what we get as it goes. No matter what, we've got quite the brain power sitting at this table and I'm sure we'll figure something out. Meanwhile, let's make the best of things."

Reyna was thinking hard, "Dad, you had issues when you were young. Your sister helped you through most of it, but then she died. I don't have a sibling, but when you didn't have a sibling, you made Cindy."

Alex countered, "No, I started on Cindy...though I see where you're headed with this. I can have Cindy do a full review of your classes and eveluate where things might go from here. We'll sit down and discuss some options once we know a little more. I'm not going to promise anything, but we'll see what we can do."

Alex looked at Beno, "She basically wants a Cindy, but she doesn't understand the down side to such things."

Reyna became a bit sarcastic and said, "Well, isn't that kind of what we do in this family, we MAKE new friends."

Alex rolled his eyes, but then countered with a nod toward Beno, "Yes, but see what happens when I actually make a new friend that I didn't build from scratch?"

That worked. Reyna broke up laughing, which made Alex laugh in return. She then conceded, "Okay, you win. I can't deny the awesomeness that comes with an actual relationship. I just know I'm going to go crazy if I'm going to have to live in this kind of isolation for the next decade or two before I can actually do something about it. We really need to find me some kind of outlet or my brain is going to melt down."

Alex actually nodded slowly and agreed, "That's fair. We do need to find answers to your problems. I'll make you a deal. You give us the time to be sure we know what's going on and work with us, not against us. In return, we will figure out what we can do for you that meets your needs in ways that you actually find not only adequate, but truely help you in the long run."

Reyna looked skeptical at first, glancing to Beno for a moment to see if she thought he was serious or not. Finally, she hesitantly nodded and said, "Deal. You're sounding more reasonable than usual, so what's going on?"

Alex shrugged, "Hey, this is something unexpected, but we expect the unexpected in this family. You're very smart. In fact, you're probably smarter than I was at your age, and that is saying something. Part of you is still a kid, but for me to treat you like a typical child your physical age would be insulting to you and I don't want to do that. I love and respect you, and Beno is part of the US thing now so I feel it best if we try to move forward and face whatever this is together as a family...unless there are any objections..."

Alex looked back and forth between his daughter and his new partner and waited to see if they had anything to say. Reyna seemed to relax once more, trying hard to grin, but the corner of her eye began to swell up with a tear that was threatening to break free and her feeling turned from dispair to love again. Beno was beginning to recall how turbulent such wide mood swings could be and Reyna's world was admittedly pretty crazy for a kid her age.

Reyna then changed the topic slightly and asked Beno, "So, did that kid count as a puppy or not? I'm not sure I'm clear on what constitutes a puppy...well...other than an actual puppy."

Alex looked totally confused and asked, "What?"

That only made Reyna look at Beno and start laughing, not at him, just at the joy of having a small inside thing between her and her mom. That was when the tear managed to escape down her cheek and vanish.

==Tag Beno ==

[Beno Velaul]

This was the Family time that Beno was missing all this time, Reyna had a way of bringing these things out in Beno. Between the three of them there was a lot that came out of her, one of those thing that was closed off was now completely open. Beno had a slight chuckle at the question. "Yes its a puppy thing." Alex had no clue about what was said, Beno was going to keep him in the dark for now.

Beno believed that it was the things people would consider to be weird is what makes it perfect, what works perfectly in one relationship had the potential to destroy another. "One day." Beno said while putting a hand on her tummy. "We might have a child together, hopefully a beautiful girl like you." If Beno did have a child in the next few years, it would get her mother off her case. "One thing for certain Mom would love it, she has wanted a grandchild from me. When mom gets my message about you, it wouldn't shock me if she contacts you directly on the subject." She was a Commander and First Officer of a ship still worried about Mom, now it was possible to give her the one thing Beno couldn't.

"When you look passed the problem seeing the person the solution is easier to find, when you focus solely on the problem that's exactly what you would see. One more thing Mom and dad are coming out next time we make port for a visit, she is going to want to meet you two. I can't guarantee she wont do the traditional cheek pinch or two, but she is going to love you." Getting up from the table, Beno felt a little light headed. "I think its time for quarters, I am feel pretty drained." The new experience took a lot out of her, she would do it again when the opportunity came up. 

==Tag==

[Alexander Talion]

Alex was indeed confused, but gave a grin at realizing the girls had something between the two of them. This new dynamic was something he could definitely get used to. Part of him was in shock at how quickly they had turned into a family.

Beno then mentioned her parents. Alex gave a mock face of shock, "Meeting the parents? Wow, this sounds serious." He did give a soft smile though, "Are you really open to the idea of a kid of our own? No pressure, I'm just genuinely interested. We haven't really talked about these kinds of things."

Reyna lit up, "Wow, a baby? That would be amazing!" Then her expression suddenly changed to deep worry, "It could also reach a new level of weird." For a second, she was thinking how that might translate through the link she had formed with Beno, but then shook it off and tried to focus again. "Well, weird is what we do, so I'm in. I also know that life is unpredictable so you never know when the timing might be right for such a thing, but I love the idea. Oh, and when your mom shows up, I promise not to get mad about the cheek thing. I'll also try hard not to freak her out. I know I can be a bit much for most people to handle, so maybe we ease her into it over the next twenty years or so."

Reyna grabbed the bag with the cheesecake in it, "I've got these." When Reyna got up, as they went to leave, she gave an unhappy face for a moment, "Wow, I feel a bit drained as well. I also feel like I've been exercising all day or something. Everything feels stiff and aches. That's strange, because I almost never get sick or anything." She stretched a bit while the adults stood up and prepared to leave.

Beno deliberately thought about the link and tried to pick up on what Reyna was talking about. To her surprise, she felt mild sensations of what Reyna had tried to describe. Some of it was simple growing pains beginning in joints and bones, but they had already determined she was hitting at least a small growth spurt. Then Beno picked up on some things that were unique to girls hitting puberty. Small dull aches that started out very faint, but in key areas. Beno still felt them once in a while, but only for a day or two. She leaned down and whispered, "We'll talk later about some of those pains."

Reyna made a face like she caught a smell she didn't quite like, then whispered back, "Great, another talk. This one's for you." Reyna gladly took Beno's hand though and they headed back to their quarters.

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