Karissa anxiously waited with William by her side at the space port where her parents were due to arrive any moment. Her excitement was evident in her eyes and face; she could barely stand still and the twins picked up on it, squirming in the hands that were holding them.
Suddenly, a shuttle landed. It was attached to a larger ship in orbit. As the hatch opened, several people got out. The last three were Dr. Ryan Bentara, his wife Amalie and their son Joshan.
"There they are!" Karissa replied immediately waving.
Her parents saw her and quickly headed toward them. In fact, Joshan let go of his mother's hand and ran as fast as he could toward his sister.
"Karissa! Karissa!" he yelled with a huge smile on his face.
For a moment, she stepped away from Will and let go of Maya's hand as Josh ran into her arms. She picked him up easily and swung him around.
"Joshan!!" she smiled "It's so good to see you! I haven't seen you in person since you were just a baby!"
"I've missed you!" he said.
"Can you tell?" her father asked with a smile.
"Daddy!" she said as she embraced him warmly.
"And no hug for your mother?"
Immediately, she let go of her father and embraced her mom.
"Oh it's so good to see you!" Karissa smiled. As she finally let go, she lead her family to Will and the kids. "Mom, Dad... This is Dr. William Hancock," she said. "The man I love."
"Good to finally meet you," her father said as he extended his hand.
William took it. "It's good to finally meet you as well, sir. Karissa has told me so much about you all."
"About me too?" Joshan asked his eyes big with surprise.
"Of course!" he smiled. "How could she not tell me about her little brother whom she adores?"
He laughed softly, as Amalie and Ryan went to the twins. The twins immediately let go of their dad's hands and went to them.
"Grandma! Grandpa!" they smiled.
"This must be Maya Amber-Marie," Amalie smiled as the little girl kissed her cheek.
"And this must be Luc Ryan!" her father said scooping up the little boy into his arms. Luc laughed.
"I wanna see them!" Joshan replied.
Both his parents knelt down to show their son his niece and nephew as William snaked an arm around Karissa's waist. She leaned her head against his shoulders. This was perfect, she thought. Finally her parents and brother were meeting her family...
"Want to play with Josh!" Luc piped up immediately.
"Later, little man," William smiled. "We're going to have dinner first."
"Dinner?" Amalie replied.
"Well, I figured by the time you arrived you might be hungry," Karissa replied. "And there are all kinds of restaurants. In fact, I made a reservation for us at King of the East. I hear they have some of the best Chinese food around."
"Well, it sounds good to me. What about you, Amalie?" her father asked.
"You know I love Chinese food," she smiled.
"Also someone's going to meet us there," Karissa said. "Someone else I know you might want to meet."
"Who?" her mother asked.
"Shara," Karissa replied with a smile. "My sister... It's time you met her."
Both her parents smiled. "We look forward to it," Ryan Bentara replied.
They had been hearing about this girl for the last two, almost three years. All they knew for sure was that she looked a lot like their Karissa. Tonight they would find out for certain. But it was enough for them that she thought of the other woman as her sister. It was a link to her past and they recognized it.
"We hungry!" the twins said as they looked at their parents.
"Then I suppose we'd better head to the restaurant. It's not far," Will replied. "We've already arranged for your luggage to be taken to our home."
"Well, it will only be for the night," Amalie said as she walked, holding Joshan and Maya's hand.
"Why, mom?" Karissa asked, curiously. Her dark eyes filled with concern.
"Oh because we rented a house for the month, darling," she replied. "We want to enjoy the time with you all without us being under foot." She smiled. "I'm sure you and Will need your privacy."
Karissa blushed slightly as she grinned and looked at William, a twinkle in her eyes. William also blushed.
"Oh, no need to be embarrassed. Her father and I have been married quite awhile and understand how relationships work," she replied. "We won't become a bother."
"Well, I can't see how you could be a bother! We haven't even seen each other for more than four years!" Karissa replied.
"Well, trust your mother, dear," Amalie replied. "It's better for everyone and we won't be that far away. I'll tell you, I'm looking forward to seeing all of Serenity City. So far it looks very modern."
They continued chatting all the way to the restaurant. Once they were seated, they all enjoyed tea as they looked over the menu. Suddenly, a woman in a Starfleet Security uniform entered.
"Sorry, I'm late," she said as she found a seat next to Karissa. "But you know how duty shifts go. I didn't even have time to change!"
Ryan, Amalie and Joshan did a double-take at the young woman. She looked exactly like Karissa. It was uncanny... even closer than twins looked. She was a perfect match for their daughter.
"This must be Shara," her father said extending his hand. "It's nice to finally meet you."
"Thanks," she replied with a smile that was identical to their daughter's. "It's good to meet you too. Karissa's talked so much about you, sometimes I think of you as my family too!" She laughed.
They ordered dinner as the waiter arrived. The talk was non-stop through the meal. By the end, everyone was stuffed and chatting like they had all known each other for years.
"I'd love to tour the hospital when you have a chance to show me," Ryan said to William.
"I'll make time," he smiled. "After all, how often do I get a chance to see Karissa's parents?"
"And I should get going," Shara said, standing up from the table. "I hope I have a chance to see you again. It's really been great finally meeting you."
Before she could go, Amalie stood up and went to the woman embracing her tenderly. "You will. You're part of our family now. Another daughter for us." There was a genuine warmth in the woman's dark eyes.
For a moment Shara's eyes misted as she embraced the woman back. "Thank you," she said. Before she left she embraced Karissa. "They're wonderful," she said softly. "You're so lucky..."
"And now so are you," Karissa replied.
With that the girls exchanged smiled.
"Goodnight," Shara said as she headed out the door.
"She seems like a very sweet girl," Amalie replied. "I'm amazed how much you two look alike!"
Karissa shrugged. "Well, the people that made us did a good job. But we did a better job becoming sisters," she smiled. "Something I doubt they ever expected."
Her parents smiled.
"I think it's about time we get Josh into a tub," her father replied as he saw his son's face was covered with sauce, even after he'd wiped it.
"And we can put the twins in with him," William laughed as Maya and Luc were covered with spots of food and sauce. They had definitely enjoyed their dinner.
Karissa and Amalie laughed.
"All right," Karissa replied as she grabbed Luc into her arms. "Time to get you home!"
With that Will grabbed Maya as they all headed for the door.
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