The reunion

Issa walked over to Charlene, his hands in his pockets, casual but hopeful.

"Is this seat taken?"

ReNew, already lounging beside Charlene, patted the cushion next to her. "Nope. Have a seat!" She slid over, clearly trying to give them space.

But Charlene wasn’t letting her escape that easily.

"ReNew, where are you going?" she hissed, grabbing her by the arm.

"I’m moving so your crush can sit down," ReNew said through a grin, whispering through her teeth. Her eyes practically screamed play it cool. Charlene narrowed hers in response but let her go.

Issa chuckled softly and sat down, flashing his usual sunny smile. Charlene turned red.

He seemed so relaxed, so cheerful. Could he have really forgiven her already?

"A little birdie told me someone’s got a birthday coming up in a couple of weeks," Issa said.

Charlene blinked. "That’s right..." She’d completely forgotten with everything going on. Her seventeenth birthday. Back on Earth, they never made a big deal out of it—no parties, no friends over. It was always a quiet thing, almost like a secret. But now she understood why. Her family had been hiding. Celebrations drew attention, and attention was dangerous.

"I was thinking," Issa continued, "if you're not too busy… maybe we could finish that race?"

Charlene’s face clouded for a second.

He noticed. "What’s wrong?" he asked gently, placing his hand over hers and tapping it lightly.

"I just thought after last time, you’d want to steer clear of me."

Issa laughed. "No way! None of that was your fault. And before everything went sideways, weren’t you having fun? I know I was."

Charlene looked up at him. “Yeah… I guess I was.”

He grinned. “Then it’s settled. You can make it up to me by finishing what we started.”

Meanwhile, down the other end of the table, the adults were huddled in hushed conversation.

"Why are you whispering?" Beth asked, smiling suspiciously.

"Issa’s asking Charlene out again," Destiny said with a gleam in her eye.

"And we," she continued, "are planning a surprise birthday party."

Beth’s eyes lit up. "I want to help!"

Odo watched her, surprised by her sudden excitement. He hadn’t seen her this happy in ages. Maybe this would be good for all of them.

“If that’s okay with you, Seth?” Odo asked, turning to his son.

Seth nodded, clearly touched. "Yes. We’d love the help. Honestly, we’ve never thrown her a real party before. Not with everything going on…"

"Then let’s make it something grand," Destiny whispered.

“Over the top,” Idris added.

“The party of the century!” Tabitha chimed in.

“Something no one could forget,” Heth agreed.

Beth leaned in. “She loves old movies. I heard her mention Gone with the Wind once. She adores the gowns.”

"I’ve seen it!" Tabitha exclaimed. "They wore big, beautiful gowns. You’re right!"

“We should throw her a ball,” Destiny said, practically bouncing in her seat.

“A ball?” Seth smiled. “I think that’s perfect.”

Odo stroked his chin. “We could use the event to bridge the gap—invite both sides of the Fate lines, old and new.”

Destiny nodded in agreement and looked at Seth. "Do you think it’ll work?"

"It’s a brilliant idea. But we only have two weeks,” Seth warned.

“We’ll have it here,” Odo said. “No reason to hide this place anymore.”

“It’s settled then,” Destiny declared. “We’ll throw a ball in two weeks.”

"Invitations. Music. Decorations. Food—"

"How are we going to keep it a surprise?" Beth asked.

“We could send her on a journey?” someone suggested.

Argun shook his head. “No set timeline for that. She might miss it.”

“Leave the music to Beth and me,” Odo said proudly. “We’ve got a century’s worth of music stockpiled.”

Beth nodded. “We’ll make it magical.”

Destiny smiled. “I’ll take care of invitations and dress code. Quietly, of course. No slipping up around the little princess.”

Seth chuckled. “You know I love a good plan.”

Laughter bubbled around the table.

Just then, Charlene, ReNew, Issa, and the twins peeked around the corner. “Hey, what’s going on in here?” Charlene asked, raising an eyebrow.

Beth sprang into distraction mode. “We were just wondering... what kind of ice cream do you like?”

“Ice cream?” Issa asked, puzzled. “What’s ice cream?”

Odo lit up. “It’s a mixture of milk, cream, sugar, and sometimes other goodies, frozen into a creamy delight.”

“Creamy delight!” the twins shrieked. “We want some! Please!”

Odo laughed, heart warm. “Alright, follow me.”

He grabbed the twins’ hands and led the gang into the kitchen. ReNew, Issa, and Charlene weren’t about to be left out—they followed close behind.

Odo lifted the twins onto the counter and bent down to open his deep freezer. He had a whole stash—this man didn’t just make ice cream, he crafted it. He even made his own cones from scratch.

Out came massive tubs of ice cream: Vanilla, Chocolate, Mint Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Butter Pecan, Birthday Cake, Strawberry Shortcake, and his personal favorite—Moose Tracks.

The twins squealed and spun in circles. “I want that one! No, wait! That one!”

Odo laughed and scooped a mountain of flavors onto their cones. “You big kids help yourselves!” he called to the others.

Charlene carefully balanced the mountain of melting ice cream, wide-eyed.

Everyone joined in, filling the kitchen with laughter, sweetness, and the sound of memories in the making.

Odo noticed Argun eyeing the treats, licking his lips. With a smirk, Odo grabbed a banana and sliced it in half. Into a big bowl went three scoops—vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry—then a splash of pineapple, a drizzle of chocolate syrup, a handful of strawberries, a cloud of whipped cream, crunchy nuts, and finally, two bright red cherries on top.

He slid the creation across the counter like a pro.

Destiny waved her hand, conjuring a napkin bib around Argun’s neck. Everyone burst into laughter.

Argun grinned. “Thank you! Spoon, please!”