Fun Sized Friends: The Reunion

Posted on 27 Feb 2026 @ 1:29am by Lieutenant JG Kelly Khan & Lieutenant JG Daniella Blake

3,444 words; about a 17 minute read

Mission: Epitaph
Location: Personal Quarters
Timeline: August 14, 2390 || 1800 Hours

Kelly was back on the USS Black Hawk-B. A part of her wanted to scream and run, but another part of her was ecstatic. It wasn't about the ship. It was about the people on it and there was one person that she missed more than anyone and that person was who she was racing to see. She had dumped her bags in her quarters and barely took the time to take a sonic shower before she was out the door and heading down the hall.

When she reached her destination, she skidded to a half and gave a nervous tug at the bottom of her uniform, then reached out to tap the chime and held her breath.

Dani’s eyes lifted from the page she was reading, the soft chime cutting through the quiet comfort of her quarters. She blinked once, then twice, letting the words on the screen settle before lowering the padd to her lap.

Who could that be? She wasn’t expecting anyone, and Terry was currently handling some duty related things. She’d made no plans for the present moment beyond her book and the half‑finished glass of wine warming her hand.

Curiosity tugged at her, a faint flutter of anticipation stirring in her chest. There was only one way to find out. She set the glass down, straightened slightly in her chair, and called out, “Come in.”

Kelly took a deep breath as the doors hissed open, then leapt through in all of her five foot three inch glory. "Tada!" she exclaimed as if she were the greatest magic trick the universe had every pulled.

For a heartbeat, Dani could only stare. She blinked once… then again… certain the wine had somehow become hallucinogenic because there was no way Kelly was actually standing in her doorway like some starship‑delivered miracle.

But then her brain caught up.

“Kelly—?!”

The book hit the couch. Dani shot to her feet so fast the chair wobbled behind her, and in the next instant she was across the room, practically materializing in front of her best friend. She threw her arms around Kelly without a shred of hesitation, squeezing tight enough to make up for every day they’d been apart.

“When? Where? How? What?” The questions tumbled out in a rapid‑fire blur against Kelly’s shoulder, Dani pulling back just enough to look at her face, eyes wide and shining. “You can’t just appear like this without explaining everything!”

Kelly braced herself for impact and still stumbled back a half step before she wrapped her arms around her bestie and gave a happy squeak. "Dani!" She exclaimed happily. "A bit ago! Here! A ship! Me! I'm back!" She planned to say more, but the excitement and her friend squeezing the air out of her limited her options and she had no objections.

Dani finally forced herself to loosen her grip, though it was clearly against her better judgment. She eased back a step, hands still on Kelly’s arms as if afraid she might vanish if she let go completely. Her eyes swept over her—uniform, hair, the familiar spark in her expression—taking in every detail like she needed proof this wasn’t some stress‑induced hallucination. “I can’t believe you’re actually here,” she breathed, a grin breaking across her face so wide it almost hurt. “Kelly, I—holy shit, I’m so happy to see you. You have no idea.”

Kelly didn't let go of Dani, either. "I swear that I was going to go nuts if I didn't see you again in person," she said. "It's been one class after another, test after test, simulation after simulation. I forgot what an orange was again." She gave a laugh before she pulled her friend in for another hug.

Dani let out a breathless laugh as she hugged her back, the sound half‑relief and half‑disbelief. “I can’t even imagine you forgetting an orange,” she said, pulling back just enough to search Kelly’s face again, as if trying to catch up on months of missed details in a single glance.

There were a thousand questions buzzing in her head—where she’d been, what she’d learned, how she’d managed to show up on the Black Hawk without warning—but she forced herself to pick just one thread to tug on. “Well… clearly you’ve been busy,” she said, eyes bright with curiosity. “What have you been up to this whole time? And—wait—did Quinn come back with you?”

Kellly smiled. "Yes, Quinn is back, too," she said. "It's been a mental trip and a half. I got transferred with him and thought we were going to be separated, but I was sent to Command School for training and he was assigned at the station we were at. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you, but I wanted to surprise you."

Dani’s smile softened into something bright and full, the kind that reached her eyes and stayed there. “Well… you definitely surprised me,” she said with a small laugh, shaking her head in disbelief. “And it’s an amazing surprise. One of the best I’ve had in a long time.”

She reached out, giving Kelly’s arm a gentle squeeze, pride practically radiating off her. “Command School? Kelly, that’s incredible. I’m so proud of you. Really.”

Her expression warmed even further, relief and happiness mingling together. “And I’m even happier that you’re back. Both of you. I didn’t realize how much I missed having you here until you walked through that door.”

"I've missed you, too and subspace comms just don't cut it," the petite brunette said before she let her go with one hand and raised it up to point at her uniform collar where a second, hollow pip now joined the slightly tarnished but well cared for solid pip that Captain Geisler had given to her when she had received her field promotion. "There's something else, too." She grinned.

Dani’s brows lifted, curiosity sparking instantly as her gaze followed Kelly’s gesture to the collar. The second pip caught the light, and her eyes widened before she snapped them back up to Kelly’s face. “Is that...?” she asked, leaning in a little to look at the second pip on her collar. "Oh, Kelly! Congratulations!"

Kelly gave a big grin. "I'm a big girl now!" she squeaked happily when she saw the look on Dani's face.

Dani’s face lit up even more, if that were possible. “Oh, Kel…” she breathed, shaking her head with a grin that was equal parts joy and pride. “I am so proud of you. You’ve worked so hard for this, and seeing you standing here with that pip, it makes me ridiculously happy.” She reached out to squeeze Kelly’s hands, her voice softening but still bubbling with excitement. “I’m so, so happy for you. You deserve every bit of this.”

"Thank you!" Kelly said and squeezed her friends hands in return. "Quinn got promoted, too!"

"That's amazing, Kelly! This is such great news! We definitely need to celebrate," the petite blonde suggested.

"There's no reason to celebrate that, but tomorrow is my birthday," the short brunette said casually.

Dani’s grin widened, delight sparking instantly in her eyes. “Oh, your timing is beyond perfect,” she said, giving Kelly a gentle nudge with her shoulder. “You show up out of nowhere, you’ve got a shiny new pip, and your birthday is tomorrow?”

She shook her head, laughing. “Kel, that absolutely sounds like a reason to celebrate. In fact, it sounds like several reasons.” Her smile softened into something warm and full. “And I’m really glad I get to celebrate them with you in person.”

Kelly laughed. "Since you insist," she demurred to her best friend. "As long as there's chocolate. So, tell me what's going on while we get comfortable and where's the iced Raktajino with Betazoid chocolate at?"

Dani let out a bright laugh, shaking her head in fond exasperation as she swept an arm toward the replicator like she was presenting a grand prize. “You know where it is,” she said, grinning. “Help yourself before you start wasting away. I’m not having you faint in my quarters because you were deprived of chocolate. It's not happening on my watch.”

The petite brunette gasped. "You mean I have to...get it myself?" She brought up her right hand to her forehead as if she were going to faint. "Well, okay." With that, she breezed past her friend and to the replicator. "Your Mistress commands iced Raktajino with Betazoid chocolate, large!"

The replicator deduced the request minus acknowledging her being its mistress and hummed quietly as it produced the desired drink.

She swept it off the pad and turned, triumphant. "You want the best, you gotta do it yourself."

Dani couldn’t help it—another laugh bubbled out of her as she watched Kelly’s theatrics. She patted the cushion beside her and gestured for Kelly to join her on the couch. “Come sit down so we can catch up," she said before settling back comfortably, she gave her friend a knowing look. “You’ve missed quite a bit while you were off conquering Command School.”

Kelly sat down by her friend and smiled after taking a sip of her drink. "Like what?" she asked, eager to catch up in person.

The petite blonde drew in a slow breath, the kind that hinted she was about to drop something big. When she exhaled, her expression shifted—serious—as she turned slightly toward Kelly. "Okay… so, brace yourself,” she said, voice low but steady. “Because this one’s a lot.”

She paused just long enough for the weight of it to settle.

“Commodore Geisler and Commander Geisler were both replaced by clones.” Dani said, her brows lifted, as if even now she still couldn’t quite believe the words coming out of her own mouth.

"Clones...as in duplicates? Doppelgangers? Duplicates? Changelings?!" the petite brunette jumped to her feet and nearly knocked her drink over, her eyes wide.

Dani lifted both hands in a calming gesture, though her expression stayed serious. “Yes. Clones as in actual duplicates,” she confirmed, nodding slowly. “Not changelings. These were full biological copies with enough of their memories to not tip anyone off.”

She leaned forward a little, voice dropping. “Joey was replaced for three weeks. Three weeks, Kel.” The weight of it lingered in her tone. “And the Commodore… he was only gone a few days, but still. Long enough to cause serious chaos.”

Dani shook her head, the disbelief still fresh even after everything. “It was bad. Really bad.”

"Holy shit..." Kelly said as she sat down again. "How did that even happen? What happened?"

Dani let out a low breath, rubbing her palms briefly against her knees as if trying to gather the right words. “Yeah… that was pretty much everyone’s reaction,” she admitted, giving Kelly a sympathetic look.

She shifted on the couch to face her more fully. “How much time do you have? It’s a long story, and honestly?” She gave a small, wry smile. “Even I don’t know all the details. I will tell you what I do know, though.”

"I wouldn't dream of leaving before the end of this story," Kelly said. "It's like the never ending curse."

Dani let out a slow breath, settling deeper into the cushions as she gathered the threads of the story. “All right… here goes,” she said with a wry little smile before her expression shifted into something more serious.

“It started on Razmena. Commander Geisler’s clone switched places with her there, and no one realized it for weeks. The real Joey was gone that whole time—held on the remains of Unity where she was tortured and beaten. We didn’t know any of that until much later.”

She rubbed her palms together, the memory still unsettling. “And then, the Commodore was swapped out, too. Right here on the ship. No warning. No signs. Just… replaced when we encounter a craft that had unconscious individuals on board it. I'm still not sure of all of those details, but I understand a lot of thought went into that.”

The petite blonde shook her head. “If you want all of the details, you would need to read the official reports, but you know how this crew is. Everyone has theories.”

Her voice dropped as she continued. “Clone Joey caused absolute chaos. She used the holoemitters to make it look like the ship was under attack, causing the Commodore to order a mandatory evacuation for all nonessential personnel. Except some of it wasn’t fake. She caused real damage, too, enough to cover her tracks while she tried to escape.”

Dani swallowed. “With the twins and dogs.”

She let that hang for a moment before going on. “It all came to a head on the flight deck. Commander di Pasquale confronted her them. The evacuation was to cover their escape, mind you. But anyway, the Commodore's clone showed up with a phaser, and turned it on Joey's clone when she threw him under the bus. He turned the phaser on her, but by the end, Commander di Pasquale had stunned the dogs because they were very close to eating her face off, and both of the clones. They were all taken into custody shortly after."

Her expression softened, sadness flickering through her eyes. “When the real Joey finally made it back… Kel, she was in terrible shape. Weeks of torture. Weeks. She barely looked like herself. It was almost like they kept her alive just enough to get what was needed. It’s a miracle she survived at all.”

Dani exhaled slowly, the weight of it still heavy even now. “So yeah. ‘Never‑ending curse’ is one way to put it.”

Kelly took a long moment to process that. Her facial expressions ranged from shocked, to horrified to relief and concern. "I...what? How? Why?" She stopped and took a deep breath. "Welcome back to the USS Albatross, huh? It never stopped. I'm sorry, Dani. I was hoping to hear some good news."

Dani shook her head immediately. “Hey… no. You don’t get to apologize for any of this,” she said, offering a small, reassuring smile, the kind meant to ease the tension. “And honestly? There is good news, which is everyone is back where they’re supposed to be. People are healing. It’s slow, and it’s messy, but it’s happening.”

The petite brunette took a sip of her iced Klingon coffee. "Until it happens again," she said. "This ship has a track record."

Dani let out a soft huff of amusement, but her expression stayed thoughtful as she angled herself toward Kelly. “Yeah… it does,” she admitted. “But honestly? Any ship out here would have a track record if people actually talked about what they run into.”

She lifted a hand, gesturing vaguely toward the bulkhead as if the whole quadrant lay just beyond it. “We’re in a region of space barely charted. Half the things we encounter aren’t in any database yet. Running into danger isn’t some Black Hawk specialty—it’s just the reality of the Gamma Quadrant.”

Her tone softened, more reassuring than grim. “We just hear about our disasters because we’re living them. Every other ship out here is dealing with their own nightmares. So yeah, it might happen again. But that’s true for everyone out here. And, I have to say that we’ve handled everything thrown at us pretty well so far.”

"Me an Quinn never got cloned, sent into the future, alternate reality, or blown up once in the three months we've been gone," Kelly said. "It was rather boring, in fact. I kind of enjoyed it, really. Still, I get what you're saying, but you gotta admit, this ship has encountered some pretty weird shit."

Dani nodded, a wry smile tugging at her lips. “Oh, trust me, I’ll be the first to admit this ship is a magnet for the bizarre. If there’s something strange floating around in the void, the Black Hawk practically waves it over like it’s inviting it to dinner.”

Her expression softened as she looked at Kelly more fully. “But you came back,” she said, warmth threading through her voice. “And I really hope you’re planning on staying this time. Weird shit or not… it’s better with you here.”

Kelly smiled. "It's really good to see you and I'm here until I'm not. You know how that goes in Starfleet. So, tell me something good. Something happy."

The petite blonde's expression brightened immediately, the heaviness of the previous topic lifting like someone opened a window. “Okay, something good,” she said, a grin tugging at her lips. “Terry and I are still going strong.”

She leaned back against the couch, a warm, almost dreamy look settling over her features. “Really strong, actually. It’s been… steady. Solid. I get really excited to see him when we're both off duty and together. It feels right, you know? And after everything this ship throws at us, having that—having him—means a lot.”

Her smile widened. “So yeah. That’s my happy thing.”

Kelly smiled from ear to ear. "There's nothing like having that special someone to come home to after a long shift," she said. "It's like all the cares in the universe just vanish for a little bit." The young woman was clearly in love and it came through in her emotional voice.

Dani’s smile softened into something warm and full, and she leaned over without hesitation, wrapping Kelly in a tight, affectionate hug. “Yeah,” she murmured, agreeing easily. “There really isn’t anything like it.”

She held her friend for a moment longer before pulling back just enough to look at her, eyes bright. “And Kel… I’m so happy you’re here. Really. Seeing you walk through that door made everything feel a little lighter.”

The petite brunette smiled. "I've really missed hanging out with you, too, Dani," she said. "Everyone was so freaking tall when I was taking my test. I felt like I should have been bringing them coffee and donuts."

Dani burst out laughing, the sound warm and unrestrained. “Oh, trust me, I definitely know what you mean,” she said, shaking her head with a grin. “I swear, half my day is spent with this constant pinch in my neck from always looking up at people. It’s like Starfleet only recruits from the land of giants.”

"Yet, you chose to date a guy that's like, a foot taller than you," Kelly observed. "Do you even have to kneel?"

The petite blonde went scarlet so fast it was almost impressive. Her head snapped toward Kelly, eyes wide, and she practically squeaked, “Kelly!”

She covered her face with both hands for a second, laughing helplessly through her embarrassment. When she finally peeked out between her fingers, her cheeks were still blazing. “You cannot just say things like that with a straight face,” she managed, still half‑laughing, half‑mortified.

But the grin tugging at her lips made it clear she wasn’t actually upset—just thoroughly flustered by her fun‑sized menace of a best friend.

Kelly guffawed so loudly that it might have replaced the red alert and held her sides as she rolled over onto the couch. She looked at her friend and saw the mortified look on her face and giggled even harder. "So...is...it...true?" she gasped and snorted through another burst of giggles.

Dani’s blush deepened another shade, creeping all the way to the tips of her ears. She threw her hands up in helpless protest, half‑laughing, half‑dying inside. “Kelly!"

She tried to compose herself, but the mortified smile on her face betrayed her completely. “You can giggle all you want, but I am not giving you that satisfaction,” she insisted, pointing at her friend with a flustered little jab of her finger.

Kelly laughed again and finally relented and leaned back. "I love you, Dani," she said with a chuckle. "I missed the hell out of you."

"I love you, too, Kel, and words can't describe how much I've missed you," Dani said with a smile.

"Now's lets eat chocolate and you tell me everything!"

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