Wishing You a Merry Christmas

As Christmas approached Rahel was more than happy to get a day off. There was so much she wanted to do . . . the quarters she shared with Logan were decorated for the holidays, but she wanted to look around Lake Town for a few little things for under the tree.

Just as she pulled on her jacket and placed a purplish knit cap on her head, the comm. sounded. She smiled as sighed as she turned around and headed back, answering whoever was trying to make contact.

Looking at the monitor as she opened the channel, she was a very familiar and welcomed face.

“Hi, Rahel,” greeted the dark-haired man facing her with a bright smile. “So how’s my little sister?”

“Ash!!” she replied excitedly. “Oh my god! How are you doing?”

“Oh, well, I’m all right,” He replied. “I hadn’t heard from you since you and Logan arrived on Serenity and I was getting a little worried,” he admitted.

She grinned. “Well, as you can see, I’m okay . . . sorry I haven’t sent a message or anything, but you know, settling into a new schedule and new home . . .”

“Yeah . . . It all takes time,” he replied. “But you’re still my little sister and I still worry about you. Not like I can walk down a corridor and see you now . . .”

She sighed and nodded. “Nope . . . so where are you now?” she asked.

“Well, the USS Hawthorne is in the far side of the Alpha Quadrant,” he said. “Clearly very far away from you and Serenity.”

She nodded. She couldn’t say she didn’t miss him. After all, Rahel and Ash had been close since the moment she’d been taken in and adopted by his family. “So how are mom and dad? I haven’t had a chance to talk with them either, though I did send them a quick message when I first arrived here.”

“Oh, they’re good . . . You know, off on another dig,” Ash smiled, her dark eyes shining brightly. “They’re having a great time, of course, but did express and interest in all of us getting together . . . I mean, it’s been how long since we’ve actually been in each other’s presence?”

Rahel nodded and grew quiet. “Quite awhile,” she replied. “Ash . . . I do miss you. You do know that, right?”

“Of course, I know,” he replied. “It’s why I contacted you. I miss you too . . . If only I were closer, I’d try to be there for the holidays so at least some of our family would be together, but seeing as things are very spread out, the best I can do is this.”

“Well, that’s enough . . .” she smiled. “So anyone special you might be kissing under the mistletoe?” Rahel asked.

“Oh, there might be someone,” he replied. “Someone in my department. She’s cute too . . . blond hair, brown eyes . . . her name’s Samantha. And if things work out maybe you’ll meet her sometime.”

“How long have you been seeing her?” Rahel asked with genuine interest.

“Oh . . . a couple of months,” he replied. “And she’s interested in getting to know the sister I’m always talking about.”

She laughed. “You can’t possibly talk about me THAT much!”

“Well, you can ask her for yourself when you get the chance,” he replied with a playful glint in his warm brown eyes. “I miss you so much, Rahel . . . I really do.”

Her demeanour softened. “I miss you too, Ash . . .”

“Well, it looks like I caught you heading out the door and I need to close this anyway. Have a date with Sam . . . so I’ll let you go.”

“All right,” she said softly. “Take care of yourself out there . . .” she said.

“You know I will,” he winked. “Now go have fun shopping . . . Merry Christmas. I love you.”

“I love you too . . .” she replied. “Merry Christmas, Ash.”

As his image disappeared from the screen, she sat down for a moment. For the first time in several months, she felt the pang of his distance and especially at this time of year. But she held onto the fact that he had cared enough to contact her rather than focusing on their distance. With that, she got to her feet with a smile and headed for the door once again.