Title: Reconciliation Author: GoddessofBirth Series: Dross-verse (4/5) Rating: PG Spoilers: Series Disclaimer: I'm too poor to have ever owned it

A/N: Follows Remorse

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The doctor stared sightlessly at the paper clutched in his hands. The edges were ragged and worn, and it was criss crossed with deep creases from being constantly folded and unfolded. He didn't need to read it; the words were permanently etched in his brain.

Ge Ge, The girl is grateful and loves you, but you are killing her heart and she cannot live without him. Please do not worry – her heart will protect her and she will guard him. If the parents reconcile, she may see you again.

Under her signature, she had added a postscript.

Remember to tend the strawberries. Don't be a boob.

It was all he had left.

As always, he had not understood all she had said, but he attempted to wave their parents every day in hopes of mending the rift between them and their children and bringing his sister home. Three hundred and seventy nine waves and three hundred and seventy nine declines. He was not surprised.

The nurse peeked her head in the room and he hastily stuffed the paper into his pocket, it's permanent residence.

'Your patient in room two is ready. Just a warning, she seems a little...' The nurse trailed off, smirking and made a circular motion at her temple.

The doctor scowled darkly at her as he slipped on his coat. He hoped wherever the girl was that someone was not treating her with such disdain. Although he supposed if they did, her lover would simply shoot them. He found the thought comforting.

He walked down the short, dingy hall. Perhaps his former acquaintances would have been surprised that, warrants lifted, the doctor had not taken the mechanic and returned to his previous life, but he had been too long in the Black to be satisfied giving aid to those who did not really need him.

So he and the mechanic had come here, to this dusty rim moon, where he saved lives and she mended his. And if she no longer smiled quite as often and his heart was not quite as naive, neither of them spoke of it. They understood the nature of sacrifice.

He entered the room and froze. 'Mei mei?'

She smiled up at him from the exam table, swinging her feet. 'Hello, ge ge.'

His clipboard dropped to the floor as her rushed to her, throwing his arms around her waist. Her arms came up around his neck as the force of his grip lifted her off the table.

His face was buried in her neck and she laughed gleefully. 'Daddy and mother have come for you.'

He comprehended then the distinction between heredity and choice and knew the woman had returned for the captain.

'The ship is here?'

She nodded, 'Come to scoop up her family.'

He set her back on the table and ran his eyes over her, stopping short at the band on her finger. He looked at her.

'You are sure, mei mei?'

'She has always been sure.' Her eyes hardened.

'Now ge ge must be sure.' And he understood he would not be going home unless he was.

'I just wanted you to be happy.' He was pleading.

Her stare did not waver. 'The he will no longer disrupt the familial unit.'

He shook his head. 'No, he won't.'

Her face melted back into smiles. She grabbed his hand and leaped off the table.

'Then we must go pick the strawberries!'

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The man stood sentry at the top of the ship's ramp as the mechanic and the doctor approached, the medic's hand tightly grasping his mei mei's. When the mechanic caught sight of the man, she dropped her bag with a squeal and flew up the ramp.

She flung her arms around him, squeezing tightly. He stiffened briefly and then gingerly placed his arms around her, awkwardly patting her back. The girl watched as they stood there for a long moment, hearing whispered sorries and sobs.

Finally the man gently removed her arms and spoke gruffly. ''Nuff of that, then. Don't need no more girl tears stainin' my fine shirt.'

The mechanic smiled and patted his cheek. He smirked back.

She stood there for another moment before walking to the side of the cargo bay. She laid her cheek against the wall and ran her hand against the warm metal in a longing caress. 'That's my girl.'

The girl and the doctor walked slowly up the walkway. When they reached the man, he and the doctor stared at each other for a long moment. Then the doctor released the girl's hand and gently placed it in the grasp of the man. He laid his hand on top of their entwined ones and squeezed briefly before letting go and moving around them. He headed toward his infirmary, hoping vainly that the captain had not destroyed it.

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The captain stood on the catwalk, watching the rebirth of his family. The woman's arm was around his waist, her head resting on his shoulder, offering strength. There was only one place left to go.