Fate

Prologue

The day couldn’t have been better for this. Rather than the multi-tone green blanket that laid across the valley some months of the year, it looked like the trees were holding bright and intensely colored fruit in their spindly fingers. The one closest to her was gripping tomatoes. Of course, they were just leaves dressing up for the season, but they were vibrant and bold with color nonetheless, and it made her think of Earth cuisine. There were yellows too, favoring the reds and the oranges were the final dot of color in the view of tall trees surrounding the whole event. The sky too wasn’t clear and blank. Just like home, Bajor had white cotton clouds torn apart and spread across the blue canvas. It reminded her of a project she did as a child involving old fashioned paper, glue and cotton balls. It looked just like her finished masterpiece with the cotton balls shredded, glued and surrendering to her, the paper, and the crayon bayou splattered across the bottom of it.

Fallon had waited for this day her whole life. She’d waited before that too, but that chapter was closed, sealed, and she wouldn’t reopen it just for reflection. Broken apart and with one very important dependant to lose, there weren’t too many choices. The first idea had been unacceptable as she couldn’t give up the promise that would be there in eight or so months. So it left the second: survive. And, that was what she did. Now, her life started over with few remainders from the past. One of those remainders, though, the only one that mattered, was nearly three years old and thoroughly entertained on a white blanket.

With a big smile, Fallon approached her little daughter and knelt down beside her.

“Hello Angel,”

The child in question looked up, her black hair braided like a crown around her head. Sprigs of white flowers were intertwined in it. They went well with her flowery white dress and the cute white sandals that Ujan had picked out while they planned the wedding. Picking the little girl up, she straightened again and supported the child with one arm.

“Mama look pretty. I looks pretty too.” The second part of her simple statement made Fallon smile and nod. “Angel looks very pretty,” She kissed the beige, sandy cheek of her daughter. Angel was, perhaps, an odd, corny name for a child. Who named their off spring after the messenger of a god who was forgotten by so many? But, she named her little girl that, despite the oddity of it and despite the very un-angelic parents she had.

Ujan’s mother approached her soon-to-be daughter in law and gently took Angel from her arms. Like Ujan, his mother accepted Angel immediately when Fallon told her how the baby, an outcast of two worlds, came about. There were a lot of children like Angel floating around, though they were, for the most part, several years old now. They were children of Bajoran women, victimized by their captors. According to the whole of the quadrant that knew, so was Angel, only she was part human.

In the next several minutes everything came together beautifully, clicking into place like a puzzle, until finally Fallon stood next to Ujan. Another light breeze danced through the valley and ruffled his hair as the two of them said their words to one another. A flawless blend of his culture and hers, Ujan said his vows to Fallon before sipping from the ceremonial bowl they held between them. Fallon mirrored his actions, her heart beating in her chest in anticipation.

It wasn’t just Fallon LaFluer now, it was Tahlandi Fallon, and LaFluer was her human surname. While not discarded, it was set aside and this new marriage marked another milestone in her and Angel’s lives. After what felt like an hour, Fallon opened her eyes and looked up into Ujan’s. She wanted to cry from the warm feelings smothering her inside. Her whole life would be better now. Angel’s life would be beautiful. Staring into his face, Fallon’s face split into a smile and she leaned up, tenderly kissing her husband. “Oh, how I love you.” It was just a breath against his lips, but she felt his lips stretch into a smile beneath her own sensitive tissue and, Fallon couldn’t help but smile back.

The exchange of their rings, a human custom, was followed by several hours of celebration. As the sun turned in from the festivities, the darkness was combated with artificial lights that had been suspended around the ceremony in anticipation of the energetic crowd. Fallon didn’t mind; she didn’t want to stop celebrating. Angel had given out a few hours before and her new grandmother insisted on being the one to take the little girl home for some quality time together.

“You aren’t tired yet?” Looking to Ujan, she smiled and shook her head before breathing in deeply. “I…have a long time to be tired.” The bronze haired woman admitted before she reclined back on Ujan. The two sat comfortably, stretched out and angled on a white bench. With his arm draped across her, Fallon rested her own fair skinned ones over him and paused when she caught sight of their rings. The view made her smile and the woman moved their arms until she could rest her hand over his and look at their bands. His was thick and silver, plain against his own ivory skin. It was a nice accent on his larger hand, though, and she moved her eyes to her own. Her hands were smaller and a lighter shade. While Ujan’s fingers were bigger, naturally given that he was a man, hers tapered off and flattered the ring on her left ring finger.

It was beautiful. Of course, it was plain, but she liked it like that. The band was thin and, when the sun hit it, it shinned very nicely. Though, the diamond wouldn’t be so easily sated as the silver band. It reflected the lights, glittering back at them and back at her blue eyes.

“I love you Ujan.” Fallon shifted and kissed his bicep, her eyes closed as she savored the feeling of his lean muscle. The rest of their life had started tonight.

“I love you too,”