. . . 2328 . .

. .   . USS Tiger .  . .

Richard Green and his newly wedded wife T'fara 'Tara' Pocirld received an outpour of gifts shortly after their honeymoon. It was their wedding gifts. She was willing to take their relationship slowly rather than jump at the chance to have a child. She was still reeling over the loss of her first child. In fact it would have been her only child if Green hadn't come into her life.

"So Tara, what did you get?" Green asked, sitting on the couch beside T'fara.

T'fara shook the box listening to it.

"Mostly machinery that teenagers these days use on your home planet to have fun," T'fara said. "I do not ride hover boards nor am I a teenager."

T'fara looked quite young for her age.

"I thought you did like the new tech savvy recreational activities." Green said.

"Hun, you are confusing me for your sister." T'fara said, jokingly.

"In your short dreams would I do that to my Tara." Green said,in a dramatically exaggeratedly but playful way.

T'fara elbowed Green using her sharp elbow.

"Ow." Green winched.

She was sixty-three years old and she looked not a day over thirty-two. She ripped open the box getting rid of the wrapping. She noticed there was tape along the edges. She picked up a piece of the fabric to see a name 'John-Luc Picard'. She had a short laugh dropping the half ripped paper to the counter.

"It is from my father and mother." T'fara said.

She yanked the lid open.

There inside the box lay a gray banjo that had a golden plate on it reading, "For my only daughter, a princess, Tara. Made by Quarty."

"Wow," Green said. "That is hand made. I can tell just by the cut!"

T'fara pressed the banjo against her chest hugging it letting some good tears come down.

"My mother made it."

"Your mom must be good at what she does."

"He is good at what he does."

"What?"

"My second father is my mother."

"Are you meaning to tell me your other father bended his gender?"

"I call him 'mom' rather than 'dad'. I call my sire just . . father."

"Come on, what is your mother?"

T'fara strummed the banjo.

"I'll sing it to you, hun." T'fara said.

Green grabbed a pink pillow putting it in front of his lap.

"Sing it." Green said.

"Once upon a time there was a immortal and omnipotent guy, he got stuck as a mortal,and left to hopelessly live out his miserable life in the past," T'fara said. "There was a Vulcan who lived on the day to day weight of death for his crew, a war raging against the Klingons, Klinngons." She nodded her head. "One day they were stuck together further in the past. Further in the past. Fuurrthhher!"

Green tapped his fingers on the pillow.

"One day, one day, one day," T'fara sang. "When they were separated. The once immortal man came across a pocket of incredible power." She stood up raising her voice. "Power of your wildest dreams! His races kind of power. Kind of power, pow-er!" She had a clear clean whistle. "He learned the Vulcan was undergoing hormones thing!"

Green's face is replaced by a pucker one.

"The kind of thing that gets Vulcans killed if they do not mate with their beloved!" T'fara sang. "Stuck together in the past. Stuck together like glue. Stuck together. The former immortal man, Q, decided then to change his gender along with the Vulcan's beloved taking over when they mated!" She was on the table now kicking off stuff with a unique skip. "It could have taken them home but no,no,no. His mate wasn't in Q's future. He had no mate. Not until Q walked into his life and thought about the Vulllcaaan first!"

She was waving the banjo in the air.

"I like this song!" Green said.

"And that's where they had a child!" T'fara said. "Sing it with me, baby!"

"And they had a child!" Green's singing voice was high pitched.

Thank god no one could hear their singing outside through this well kept and designed walls.

"Separation can't always be dividing them," T'fara sang. "As they learn they had a thing for each other. Their masquerades faded--" She was now on the other couch softening and lowering her voice to something that could be compared to a country singer. "To reveal their deceptions." She started to raise her voice again. "There was a omnipotent guy, omnipotent guy, omnipoteennt guuuy!" She used the banjo in the lyrics, "He got stuck as a mortal,and left to hopelessly live out his miserable life in the past."

Green clapped his hands to the song.

"There was a Vulcan who lived on the day to day weight of death for his crew," Green continued to sing. "A war raging against the Klingons. He felt like he was missing someone from his life."

Green honestly was enjoying the song.

"Until the day the Vulcan came across a kindred spirit!"

"Their masquerades faded to reveal their deceptions."

"And there in the deception they realized their truths."

"Is that they honestly care about each other."

"One Vulcan, and one human."

"Divided by their differences."

"But not anymore."