Quandary

Author's Note: I've had this idea for years, and actually started writing it at one point. Fortunately for you readers, I didn't finish it and totally scrapped it when I started over. Not surprisingly, this particular story was written for my writing class. Kudos must be given to my wonderful teacher, who had not watched either of the series.

Thanks to Paver83 for betaing, and major thanks to my teacher for encouraging, correcting, and putting up with me.

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Disclaimer: I do not own Tenchi Muyo! or Star Trek: The Next Generation.

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Flanked by his top officers, Captain Picard strode down the corridors towards the transporter room. In a short while, the Enterprise would be playing host to arguably the greatest scientific genius in the galaxy, the Lady Hakubi Washu. According to legend, the lady herself apparently agreed with that statement, only dissenting with "arguably" and changing the last word to "universe." The ship had been volunteered to escort Lady Washu from Rigel to the Shedir system, where a large gathering of top minds had gathered. Although unable to visit the actual event, the composedly excited captain, a well-known follower of sciences, would still be able to meet an idol of his. At the very least, he would finally be able to learn her appearance; the woman utterly refused to allow any pictures of herself to circulate through the galactic community. An amazing feat all on its own, the captain mused as the posse neared the door. After being known to the general public for three centuries, the only peoples who know her true appearance are the Juraians, and she has lived among them for most of the last twenty millennia. Turning into the transporter room, Picard nodded to the technician. "Ensign, you may energize when Lady Washu is ready."

The technician nodded in return. "Yes, sir. In that case, energizing now." Immediately, he confidently moved his hands over the controls, and the low whine of the transporter grated everyone's ears. A shining light filled the pad, and everyone in the room held their metaphorical breath as the form solidified.

Blinking, Captain Picard regarded the lone form in disbelief. Instead of an ageless, sedate-looking woman who reeked of maturity that he had been imagining, a young woman, possibly twelve years old, stood sprightly on the platform, grinning pleasantly. Her vivid magenta hair spiked at least a foot above her head and cascaded down her back, nearly touching the floor, while her bangs reminded viewers of Terran crabs. Carefully sweeping back her long, elaborate robes, the girl smiled at the most superior officer. "Captain Picard, I presume?"

Jolted from his stupor, Jean-Luc pasted on a diplomatic mask. "Yes, Lady Washu. Welcome aboard the Enterprise."

Face momentarily curled into a grimace, Washu nevertheless responded in a nasally voice, "The pleasure is all mine! I have heard nothing but good things about the Enterprise and her crew; or at least, nothing but interesting things." An unidentifiable expression flashed across her face before the grimace returned. "However, would you please call me Washu-chan? I don't like being called 'Lady.'"

Surprised into blinking again, Captain Picard gamely assured, "Yes…, Washu-chan. That is not a problem."

"Why thank you! And that goes for the rest of you as well," she added, swinging to face all of the others in the room as she stepped fully off of the platform.

Remembering protocol, the captain stepped back and introduced each officer. "La- Washu-chan, this is my first officer, William Riker; my second officer, Mr. Data; our Chief Medical Officer, Beverly Crusher; and ship's councilor Deanna Troi." As he mentioned their names, he gestured to each person, who nodded.

Bowing primly, Washu included everyone in the room in her, "It's nice to meet you!" before narrowing her focus. "Ah, Deanna! I've been hoping to see you."

Not expecting to be in center stage, Deanna let her emotions show freely. "Me, Washu-chan? I am not being insulting, but I hardly knew of you until a few days ago."

Washu laughed and waved away her concerns carelessly. "I met your mother some years ago, and we hit it off. Wonderful woman, and such an excellent sense of humour! She spoke of you several times, and now I'm finally able to meet you!"

Slight dread filled Jean-Luc's frame. She gets along well with Lwaxana? Using his hard-earned discipline, he resolutely pushed away the feeling and extended a hand towards the door. "Washu-chan, would you like to visit your quarters and rest first, or would you prefer a tour of the ship?"

"Oh, definitely the tour, please. But could you please show me, perhaps on a viewscreen, where my quarters are located?"

"Certainly." Though confused, the captain charged Data with calling up a schematic of the ship on the wall-screen and pointing out her quarters. Immediately understanding what the android conveyed, she then stepped back and tapped her fingers over a black, transparent keyboard that appeared in mid-air from absolutely nowhere. After a few seconds, a vertical 'hole' appeared next to her, and her bags levitated up and disappeared through it. Once finished, both floating impossibilities vanished, and the red-haired scientist smiled angelically at her hosts. "Lead on!"

The dread returned as Captain Picard pulled himself back together. "Right this way then." Passing through the doors, he offered a prayer of supplication up to any deity that might be listening. His crew had weathered everything from time loops to Q to horrible space combat. With any luck, a petite, renowned scientist would not prove to be their downfall.

OoOoO

Much to the captain's hidden relief, while Washu's mannerisms and ways of speech differed from the norm, she seemed stable, sane, and unlikely to attempt to seduce anyone in any way, shape, or form. In fact, she was engaging, friendly, and utilized a diverse sense of humour that everyone appreciated, from Worf to the captain himself. Needless to say, the tour had gone swimmingly. The lady had already understood most everything, and at the end, had offered to show various department heads several new techniques and devices to improve performance. Since the tour had finished, Captain Picard had respectfully taken his leave at that point and left for his office to do some work.

Now, an hour later, he was enjoying the relative peace of the Enterprise operating smoothly and his being in-between reports. Standing up, he started towards the food replicator when he heard one of the most horrible sounds in all of creation. Adrenalin coursing through his veins, the captain spun around, dreading what he might find.

Lo and behold, sitting casually in his chair, a dark-haired man wearing a Starfleet admiral's uniform smirked up at the rapidly reddening human. "Jean-Luc!" he cried out, standing and flinging his arms open dramatically. "So good to see you again!"

Eyes narrowing in distaste and fury, Picard barked out, "Q! What are you doing here?"

Dropping his arms, Q pouted. "You are always so unhappy to see me. One would almost think you didn't like me. Fortunately, I know better than that." Blithely continuing over the captain's indignant intake of breath, he smiled and added, "If you really must know, I was feeling a tad bored, and, realizing that I hadn't come to see you all for a while, thought I would drop in."

"That was entirely unnecessary. We are perfectly fine and perfectly happy without you causing some sort of uproar," Picard answered tightly.

Before Q could respond, the sliding door slammed open with an ominous crackle. Startled, both men turned to stare. There, filling the doorway, stood Washu, her hair bristling with rage and eyes snapping green fire. Narrowing her view to the powerful trespasser, she hissed out, "You…," in a tone of utter loathing, her unique voice causing it to sound even more threatening. "What are you doing here on this ship, you muck-sucking piece of scum?"

Utterly panicked, Q whirled on the other man. "Jean-Luc, you didn't mention she was here! How could you do this to me?!" With that, he disappeared in a pale version of his trademark exit.

"Oh, no you don't!" Washu screamed in rage. Thrusting her hands out in front of her, Picard watched in amazement as her body swiftly grew, developed, and changed. Within seconds, in her place stood a fully-grow amazon at least seven feet tall without counting her hair, and wearing… Is that a Juraian battle outfit? he wondered idly as he cautiously crept to the side of the room.

Snarling in concentration, Washu apparently succeeded at her task, because Q popped back into being right in front of her, landing heavily on the carpet. Instantly, a bolt of light leapt from her hand into Q, and he simply collapsed, totally unconscious. She reached down, grabbed him, and uncaringly slung him over one shoulder before turning to her host. "My apologies, Captain. I will be dealing with him in my quarters. Please let me know if any of his cohorts show up." Thus finished speaking, she about-faced and marched out of the room.

Upon entering the bridge, she stopped short for a moment when faced with everyone present staring avidly at her. As soon as her bundle was identified, however, she left. To a standing ovation and thunderous applause, and at least one crewmember sending the joyous news of "The visiting scientist just kicked Q's sorry butt," hurtling throughout the ship.

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Standing in the entrance to his office, Captain Picard simply stared after his deposed nemesis. Amidst the mild celebration, Commander Riker noticed him and ambled over. "So, what exactly went down in there?" he asked curiously. "And why – not to mention how – does Washu-chan look like that?"

Slowly, the captain turned to face his first officer. "Apparently, Washu-chan and Q have a history. She somehow sensed him, and when she arrived, he was terrified at her appearance. She managed to bring him back after he vanished, promptly knocked him out, and left. As for why she looks like that, I truly have no idea. She morphed when she became extremely upset." Thinking over the events, the captain sighed. "Will, I believe I have to follow Washu-chan and find out what she is up to."

Startled, Riker turned an almost pleading look on his captain. "Must we, sir? She's a respected scientist, very honourable, and besides, Q shouldn't be hurt by anything she does."

"Be that as it may, number one, while I frankly don't care what happens to Q, we must find out how Washu-chan changed and whether or not she is a threat to us. I believe she is not; however, we must make sure."

"Yes, sir. Ah, do we have any clue where is she?"

At the question, the captain actually smiled. "Fortunately, she mentioned that she would be in her quarters. I will go in there myself and talk to her. Alone."

Head jerking up, Riker immediately attempted to persuade his superior otherwise. "Sir, I do not recommend you going in there alone, just in case. At least bring a security detachment with you!"

"No, number one. We are onboard our ship, and I truly do not believe that she holds any ill intentions toward us." Rather wryly, he added, "Besides, I would not wish to inflict Q on anyone, least of all a member of my crew."

Unhappily, his first officer agreed, and the captain headed off towards his destination.

OoOoO

At Washu-chan's door, Captain Picard politely signaled his presence. After the third attempt, he calmly entered the override and walked in. Surprisingly, nothing seemed out of place: no unusual noises, no random objects frozen, discoloured, or transmogrified, nothing. Except for the bright orange door standing off to the side of the berthroom. Examining the door more closely, Jean-Luc found himself slightly baffled. Paper-thin, the door simply stood, defying all laws of physics, as he circled around it. However, one other clue did present itself; a sign had been taped to the door, stating:

Experimentation in progress.

Knock and be answered before entering, or be turned into either kind of guinea pig.

Warily, Picard tapped several times on the door. Moments later, it opened. Idly noticing that the door's thickness had increased to over an inch as it left its nonexistent frame, he entered.

There before him lay an enormous, incredible lab. From where he stood, he could see exotic flora, an array of what looked like aquariums, huge vents, and so much more that he couldn't even begin to identify.

"Hello, captain." The familiar nasally voice jerked him out of his awe. "Come to check up on us?"

Turning, Picard did manage to nod politely. "Yes. While everyone on board appreciates your taking care of Q, we are understandably apprehensive about your new abilities."

Washu nodded and began leading him farther into the labyrinth. "I can see that. Well, you can rest easy. I am not planning sedition, I have excellent control over my abilities, and I have no intentions of harming your ship, her crew, or her passengers," she concluded, and the captain noticed that she did not mention anything specific about uninvited "guests."

Gazing at her thoughtfully, Picard decided to cut straight to the chase. "Exactly how powerful are you?"

A snort answered his query. "What do you think, Jean-Luc? She was able to subdue me with little to no effort, and I'm still here instead of far away like any sensible person."

Rounding the corner, Picard simply had to stop and stare yet again. Q hung suspended from several cables, spread-eagled. Assumedly, he was wearing something, but the thick metal band encircling his waist both obscured confirmation and covered everything necessary.

As the human fought the uncharacteristic urge to laugh hysterically, Washu sauntered up to her prisoner. "So, I assume you surrender?"

Dully, Q met her eyes. "Yes. Just give me a moment, and I'll do it. Besides," he added, not-quite-bitterly, "was there ever any doubt that you'd win?"

"No," she answered bluntly. "It just depended on how long it would take you to crack."

Sighing, Q turned his gaze inwards for a moment. He raised his head back up. "Incoming in three, two, one…"

As the countdown finished, a light similar to Q's main method flashed, and a blond man stood in its place. With a frown on his good-natured face, he started lecturing. "Now, Q, what was so important that you had to drag me from-" At that moment, his expression melted into sheer horror as he beheld a frozen Washu. Panicking, he obviously tried to exit and just as obviously failed.

"Don't bother," Washu informed him in a monotone. "You cannot leave here until I wish it."

Deprived of escape, he whirled on the captive. "Q! How could you do this to me?!"

Sarcastically, Q answered, "Well, Q, for one thing, she is much more threatening than you. Also, she isn't the one who arranged for me to be turned human and nearly die in the process! Normally, I'd let bygones be bygones, but I'm afraid that she's rather insistent."

During Q's speech, Washu had moved to directly in front of the newcomer. Now, unable to leave, he smiled sickly at her. "Hello, Washu. I've missed you."

"Missed me?"

The absolute void expressed in those words had the watching captain quickly skittering backwards. In his experience, nothing pretty ever followed that particular tone.

"You MISSED ME!?" Snarling, she launched a punch at him. "You stole our baby, you abandoned me, and after I force you to come back almost 21,000 standard years later, you tell me that you missed me?!" Lurching backwards, the man managed to dodge the first throw and most of the subsequent ones, attempting to maneuver away from the furious Valkyrie.

Suddenly losing steam, she stopped attacking him and just regarded him with glistening eyes. "I know that it's too late for us, for our son, but why? Why did you leave me?"

The blond slumped before squaring his shoulders. "Because of the continuum," he answered softly. "They found out about us, and they wanted to get rid of you. Even though you couldn't remember and even though it took me years to realize it, you're more powerful than any of our members. They didn't want any Q interacting with you or your sisters, not in that situation and not ever, and felt that you shouldn't have known me; we shouldn't have happened. I had to go back to them to draw attention away from you, so that they would not focus on you. If I'd left the baby with you, you both would have been targeted. They felt that you yourself would be less of a threat without him, and besides, he was Q. They said that he deserved the chance to come into his powers without his non-Q mother 'getting in the way.' They threatened to destroy him if I did not take him. I couldn't live with that" he concluded, shaking all over. "I couldn't live knowing that I'd ruined one of the most important things to me in the universe. That's why, even though it killed both of us, I left."

Staring helplessly at the distraught man, Washu's legs trembled, and she sank to her knees. "Mikamo," she started softly, "what happened to our baby? What happened to Tsubame?"

Mikamo smiled a bittersweet smile. "He never did come into his powers, not fast enough and certainly not as a Q. Once the continuum figured that out, I was told to get rid of him, so as not to taint the whole. Fortunately, with Q's help, I was able to find a powerful, well-to-do family on Jurai who were delighted to take him in, virtually no questions asked. Also, I managed to get in contact with Tsunami. She has actually been watching over both Mikumo and his very large family for millennia now."

"Wait, hold on a minute," Washu interrupted, distracted. "My sister, who I've been back in contact with for centuries now, knows about my baby, and she hasn't told me?!" Pausing, she quickly added, "And did you just call him 'Mikumo'?"

The blond Q hopped back a few paces. "Ah, yes, his name was changed when he was adopted. As for Tsunami…" His brow furrowed in confusion, and he shrugged. "I have no idea why she didn't tell you. I certainly gave up all rights to him when I failed to protect him from my own comrades."

"Really," she answered flatly, before her face brightened artificially and she bounced to her feet. "Well, Mikamo, have you ever met Tokimi?"

Once again, panic flashed across his features, but he managed to reply calmly enough. "No, I can't say I have. In fact, I've deliberately tried to avoi-"

"Great!" she chirped cheerfully. "I think now is an excellent time for our generation to have a family reunion." With that, she casually reached over and pinned her (ex-?)husband in a stranglehold before turning to Jean-Luc.

"Captain, I will be leaving and taking Mikamo with me. We'll be back eventually, certainly by the time the Enterprise arrives at Shedir. Please leave Q here; I guarantee that he will cause no trouble where he's at. If you need to talk to him, that's fine; just come by yourself and try not to touch anything unless you have to. Any questions?"

"Yes," Picard answered emphatically. "For starters, what are you, and where, not to mention what, is this place?"

Washu blinked at him, then had the nerve to actually giggle. "This? It's my portable lab. It's not much, but it's home. As for the rest, ask Q. He'd be delighted to answer." As soon as she finished speaking, both she and her unwilling companion vanished.

Picard stared at the spot for a moment before turning to Q and raising an eyebrow. "Well?"

From his rather awkward position, Q sighed. "Really, it's quite simple. A mere 20,000 years ago, two students attended the Royal Space Academy in the Juraian Empire. The two met, fell in love, got married, and had an adorable little boy. However, although no one knew it, not even each other, both students were higher beings masquerading among the lesser species. One, the man, was a Q. He was curious about the lesser beings and simply observed, rarely participating much. The woman, on the other hand, had erased her memories of her previous life, allowing herself to make her new life as a lesser being with a clean slate. She dove into everything, be it studying, inventing, or loving, with all of the passion that she could summon. But she was not a Q. She was one of the thee elder goddesses of legend, only lesser to a nonexistent being that the three could not will into existence, and to the Creator of everything Himself. For a time, they were happy. And then the continuum discovered her true origins, and that debacle that you heard them talking about happened. Washu was devastated, and the continuum is very, very lucky that we were not destroyed back then by her vengeful sister." His tone changed to dripping irony. "Apparently, although her memories were restored centuries ago, Washu hadn't even known that the two of us were Q until today."

Pausing a moment to digest what he had just learned, Picard nodded. "I believe I understand, and I have just one more question for now. Exactly how do you figure into this?"

"Me?" Q laughed. "I was the best man. Despite evidence to the contrary, Q and I are best friends. When it counts, we do help each other out. I was actually the one who managed to get Tsunami's attention in the first place. According to her, I am one of five beings that can frustrate her beyond belief, and two of the others are her sisters. And I can do it the fastest too!" he bragged.

"I do not doubt that in the slightest." Feeling a headache coming on, Picard rolled his eyes and turned to leave. "I might come back in the next couple of days but don't bet on it."

"Wait, Jean-Luc! You can't just leave me here!" Q sounded horrified at the concept.

Casually, Picard commented, "Washu-chan said to leave you here. Personally, I do not feel like disobeying her wishes. Wouldn't you agree?"

Trying (and failing) to paste a pleading look on his face, Q earnestly kept trying. "Normally yes. But do you have any idea what she does to people in her lab? Even I am not so cruel!"

Before the captain could respond, something tapped his shoulder and a high-pitched voice sang out. "Captain Jean-Luc, please exit the lab."

Staring at the metal hand-construct in bemusement, he nevertheless answered, "Of course." As he left, he heard Q's voice growing louder in protest. "No. No, no, no, no! Stop that this instant! I said st-" A choked noise cut off the dialogue for a moment. Just before Picard exited through the door, an extremely loud "Curse you, Washu!" blasted through the lab. With a slight shudder, Jean-Luc decided to leave the scientist's quarters alone unless absolutely necessary. He did not wish to know what happened to her "guinea pigs."

OoOoO

Several days later, Captain Picard rested in the command chair on the bridge. Since Washu had left, her quarters had been placed off-limits to everyone, including the captain, who was not ashamed to admit that he avoided it like the plague. However, the lady herself still had not returned, and the Enterprise was fast approaching Shedir. "What is our ETA?"

Promptly, the helmsman answered, "ETA is four hours, thirty-two minutes, sir."

"Really?" a familiar nasally voice interjected. "I thought it was four hours, fifty-four minutes, at least once you factor in appropriate diplomatic relations and any necessary supplying." A flash of light gleamed into being, and then a couple stood on the bridge. Both Washu and Mikamo appeared calmer, happier, and, Picard noted, much clingier, with their hands clasped and sides pressed firmly together.

Rising to his feet, the Enterprise's captain stood to greet them. "Washu-chan and… Mikamo?" At the questioning tone, the man in question smiled and nodded. "Welcome back aboard. I take it that your trip was satisfactory?"

Washu, now almost six feet tall, obviously adult, and wearing her traveling attire again, smiled back. "Most satisfactory. Best vacation I've had in years." Letting go of Mikamo's hand, she strode towards the captain and stopped. "Captain Picard, I wish for you convey a message for me. I, Hakubi Washu, the greatest scientific genius in the universe, do hereby declare that I am going on an indefinite hiatus." Shedding the ultra-formal stance, she added in explanation, "I want to spend time with all of my family, and to learn my husband again."

Picard inclined his head. "We will certainly pass along the message. Will you be attending the gathering or not?"

She sighed, showing irritation. "No, I will not. While it would be fun, I would be unable to concentrate to the degree that those worthy people deserve, which would be completely unacceptable."

"I understand. If I may ask, where will you go to instead?"

To the captain's surprise, Mikamo answered him. "We're not sure yet. We'll probably run into her sisters, undoubtedly end up on Jurai, and definitely go see Ryoko and Mikumo's families." He grinned in excitement. "I haven't met Ryoko; I'm rather looking forward to it."

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Riker broke in, startled, "but do you mean Empress Ryoko of Jurai? The former space pirate with the cabbit for a ship?"

Washu let rip a cackle. "Why, yes! Ryoko is my daughter, although she's all grown up now, of course, and Ryo-Ohki is her ship! I'm delighted and surprised that you've heard of them!"

Shrugging politely, Will good-naturedly explained, "Pirates were a favorite hobby when I was a kid. Ryoko, and especially her ship, was one of my favorites."

Still chuckling, Washu accepted the explanation graciously. "Anyway," she started, regaining her sidetracked focus, "Mikamo and I have decided, since our first time was so horribly uprooted, to give ourselves another chance." She spared him a soft look and a smile before facing Picard fully again. "We truly love each other, and we dearly wish to forge a new life together. Not our old one, but a new one." Excitement flashed in her eyes, and a traditional fan with unknown characters on it appeared in each hand. "Besides, I want to meet all of my grandkids!"

Picard coughed. "I am sure they will be delighted to meet you. Might I ask when you plan to leave?"

Separating from her husband, she stood in the center of the bridge. "Shortly. We came to make my goodbyes and explanations, grab my things, and collect Q."

"We appreciate it, especially the last fact," Picard answered dryly.

Washu giggled. "Yes, I expect you would. He is a pain in the arse, isn't he?" Still smiling, she snapped her fingers. Immediately, her luggage appeared neatly in front of her, and some bizarre, horrific caricature of Q tumbled gracelessly to the floor. Observing his bright blue skin, spiked hair, and glazed expression, Picard almost felt guilty about leaving his nemesis to the not-exactly-tender mercies of Washu's lab.

"Washu, dear, I thought you had decided to be kind to your unwilling guinea pigs?" Mikamo asked her in amusement, wrapping his right arm around her waist.

Leaning into his frame, she cheerfully answered, "I was being kind. Right up until Tsunami found out that I had him. Then I started using him to practice new pranking equipment." Thoughtfully, she regarded the beaten figure and waved an arm. "I must admit, I'm impressed, Q. She truly does not like you at all."

As his frame cleared of all gunk and deformations, Q staggered to his feet and managed to sketch a bow. "What can I say? I am exceptional."

Raising a delicate brow disbelievingly, her only response to that consisted of, "Uh-huh. We'll go with that." Turning to face Jean-Luc for the last time, she smiled. "Well, Captain, it's been fun. Any last questions before we leave?"

Considering, he nodded. "Yes, actually. First, where is your portable lab?"

Surprised, she merely pointed towards a modest suitcase nowhere near long enough to hold the door. "I put it away. Next?"

"Actually, I have one," Deanna interjected. "Can those suitcases fit much more than would appear on the outside?"

The blinding smile she received set off yellow alert klaxons in Picard's head. "Why, yes. Yes they do."

Delicately, Deanna followed up her original question with, "Did you, by any chance, share those designs with my mother?"

Laughing delightedly, Washu nodded furiously and bowed slightly in Deanna's direction. "Bingo! She wanted to be able to bring most of her clothes and several other possessions with her, and I was happy to oblige. However, hers have a modification. Her bags have two settings, one that allows any five-year-old human child to carry, or at least drag, it. The other makes the bag so heavy that most full-grown human men in excellent shape would have problems toting it." Snickering, she happily added, "As I said before, she has an excellent sense of humour."

Deanna sighed and her shoulders slumped. "Thank you, Washu-chan. That explains a lot to me."

"Not a problem, dear!" With one last chortle, she narrowed her attention back to the original questioner. "And your next question, Captain?"

Feeling his back ache in remembered pain from that blasted bag of Lwaxana's, Picard's diplomatic smile felt painfully forced. "My last, actually." Forgetting his discomfort in the face of frank curiosity, he inquired, "If you can change your appearance so easily, why do you hide it from so many?"

"Why?" She pondered the question for a moment, worrying her lip, before squarely catching his gaze. "It's really quite simple. Not only do I not like strangers taking pictures of me, but most importantly, to show that I could, of course!"

Picard sighed. "Of course." Bolstering his faltering serenity, he bowed lightly in the couple's direction. "May you have a safe and enjoyable trip, and I hope, Washu-chan, that you enjoyed your stay aboard the Enterprise."

Bowing in return, Washu smiled disarmingly. "I absolutely did. And perhaps I will see you all again." Stepping back to her husband's side, she immediately inquired, "Ready to go, koi?"

"Always, so long as I'm with you," he answered cheekily. As his wife giggled at the cheesy line, he snagged Q with his left hand and snapped his right fingers. In a remarkably large flash, they all disappeared.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Captain Picard carefully sat in his seat, and everyone else followed suit. "Helmsman, continue on our course to Shedir. We will break the news to both the gathering and Federation officials once there.

"Aye, sir."

Picard leaned back in his chair and considered the powerhouse couple. Hopefully, they would find a happy ending with each other, and in his head, he wished them luck. However, they should be fine. After all, they had already shared the most important events, changes, and other information during the days they were gone previously, right?

OoOoO

Mini-Epilogue

At that moment, somewhere close to Jurai, which is still pretty dang far, far away…

A feminine wail of shock, horror, and slight despair reverberated throughout the lonely area. "What do you mean that I'm Mihoshi's great-great-grandmother?!"

An exasperated masculine voice answered her. "My dear and darling genius, how else did you think she's been able to get into your labs at all without your permission, let alone almost constantly for one and a half standard centuries?! You're the matriarch of the Kuramitsu family!"

OoOoO

Author's Note 2: I totally put that last part in for kicks, grins, and my dad.

Okay, a couple of concluding things. One, I know no astronomy. I just randomly chose the names of the stars and planets mentioned. According to Wikipedia, Shedir is a double star in the Cassiopeia constellation. Next, the few times I mention it, I put Washu's often ignored family(or whatever you would call it) name first, as is proper. Also in the names department, I stole the names 'Mikamo' and 'Mikumo' from the Tenchi Wikia, but I would like to point out that this is definitely AU to whatever storyline that those particular names are from. 'Tsubame,' which I like rather more, was randomly chosen from the Urusei Yatsura section at [furinkan dot com], and apparently means 'swallow,' as in the bird. (If you like Rumiko Takahashi, check that site out! It's awesome!) And yes, just to clarify, Tsunami is the sister that despises Q. As Mistress of Chaos, which I believe is one of her titles, Tokimi probably appreciates the irritant most of the time.

Finally, this story will not be continued. Sorry if that disappoints anyone.