A brief moment to say goodbye

Then:  In a brief moment a thousand regrets flowed through her mind, regrets that built up and were shoved away as she watched the fireball that had been the plane that her parents as well as her brother and sister had been on crash hard into the tarmac, windows close to the crash breaking into pieces, a parked plane close to it losing a wing, people screaming.
She doesn't hear the people screaming, all she sees are the regrets and the loss of all those she loves.
One brief moment was all it took, a moment to last an eternity in her dreams.

Now:  As usual for a Q, he appears suddenly without any consideration that Reina Beaumont, at that exact moment, wouldn't exactly be in the best position for company.  Being naked after a shower wasn't a good way to greet guests, expected or unexpected.
"Cover your eyes or so help me I'll kick you through the bulkhead!"  Reina screams in anger as she hastily grabs a towel and wraps it around herself.  The Q, a friend she had made almost two decades ago and wasn't like any other Q who was annoying and arrogant, blinks and then realises his mistake.
"I'll wait outside"  He replies quickly before Reina can hit him, her eyes narrowed as she glared daggers at him.  He disappears and pops in her living space in her quarters, a few minutes later Reina leaves the bathroom in her nightwear which she had placed in the bathroom in case of a sudden call to duty while she was having a shower or getting dressed after the shower.
"One minute to tell me why you're here, if you came here to peek then you'll be experiencing what a torpedo feels like when it's fired"
"I didn't know!"
"You're a Q, you should know everything!  Now why are you here?"
"Got an gift for you"
"Better not be like the last gift, I hate re-growing body parts"
"No, nothing like that.  I mean it's a gift you'll like"
"Out with it then"  Sitting down on a slightly uncomfortable chair, Starfleet issue, Reina waits to hear what her friend has to say.
"Would you like to see your mum again?"
"Don't joke about that, you know full well that I would love to see her again, even if it's just to say I'm sorry"
"Then I can do that for you, I can take you back to your home and you can do just that"
"Okay now you're joking, I can't go back home and your powers don't work on me, you can't take me anywhere"
"I can send you back mentally, you'll appear in your younger self, your mortal self, and you can do what you've been longing to do that way"
"I don't believe you, and like I said, your powers don't work on me"
"I know they don't, but the mind of a Jqo immortal can be affected easily.  I promise I won't harm you, nor do anything to change your time line.  All I would have to do is touch your head and use my powers to tap into that universe, then go back in time.  But it will only last for eight minutes"
"Eight minutes?  You're practically a God, why not any longer?"
"It would be too dangerous and would run a risk of mentally damaging you"  Reina thinks about it for a moment, if he was right then this could be her only chance.
"Okay, how long will it take here?"
"A few seconds, I promise I'll be careful.  You helped me a few times, let me give you something which you've wanted for so long"  Reina gets up from the chair and approaches her friend, she has helped him a lot, but has never wanted much of anything from him.
"If you make one mistake then I'll haunt you for the rest of your long existence"
"Deal.  Close your eyes, this will tickle"  Reina takes a deep breath, not that she needed to breath, and closes her eyes.  She feels Q place his finger on her forehead then everything turns white.

Then:  "Reina, I asked you a question"  Opening her eyes Reina realises that she can't see, then feels something she hasn't felt in a long time, her sensor implant which had been implanted in her when she was 21.  With her forced long life the implant had been destroyed by her body, now though it was back and working all over again, which meant she was blind.
Thankfully the sensor implant was so well made that it allowed her to see, of sorts, while she didn't have her sight of  years to come and of her younger pre-implant days, she could still see the outline of her mother in a haze of colours.
"I heard you, mum, but I don't have an answer"  Reina tries to recall the question, then remembers that her mum had asked when she would find a man to marry.
"Even with your disability you should still find someone, me and your dad aren't going to be here forever"  At that Reina's heart sinks, in four weeks time her parents would be dead.
"I..."  Reina recalls her answer in her mortal days, when she had suddenly yelled at her mum to leave her alone and stop pestering her.  This time though her answer would be different, she has had centuries to think of an answer and she was running out of time.
"I will, mum, I promise.  I'm not ready to get married yet, there isn't anyone who interests me yet, but one day I promise you that I'm going to get married.  And I hope to have a lot of kids.  Please, don't worry about me, I'll be fine"  She feels her mum hug her, unlike the last time her mum had slapped her, called her ungrateful and left Reina's house in anger.
"I don't mean to push you, dear, really.  I'm just worried about you, you keep to yourself so much"  Reina wraps her arms around her mum, savouring the sweet scent of her mum's scent, something she hasn't smelled in a long time, and enjoying the warmth of her mum's hug.
"I know.  One day, mum, one day I will find someone I'll love and care for enough to marry them.  Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday it will happen.  Though what if it's a woman I marry?"
"Then if you're happy that will be fine with me, as long as you have someone in your life, someone who cares for you and loves you"
"I promise, mum, it will happen.  I'm sorry"
"No, I'm sorry for being so forceful about it.  I have to go, your dad is waiting to get to the airport"
"Be careful?  I don't want to lose any of you"
"We will be, dear.  Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, mum, I'm great even"  Her mum begins to leave and while Reina can't fully see her, she finds that her heart is heavy with the knowledge of what's going to happen.  As her mum leaves for the car, Reina quickly grabs her notebook, adapted for her to use, and leaves a quick message for her younger self, a message she hopes that Q will allow her to leave.
"I miss you, mum"  Reina whispers as the car leaves, she places the notebook with the finished message down and everything turns white again.

Now:  Reina opens her eyes and smiles at having her sight back in full, Q is looking at her.
"What was the message you left to yourself?"  He asks.
"Nothing much.  You should go, someone might come round at any moment"  Q vanishes and Reina curls up in her chair, thinking about those she has loved and lost.  "Thank you"  She whispers to Q, knowing he can hear her wherever he is.

Message to herself:  Reina, things are due to change for you very soon.  You will experience pain and sorrow, in all of that you must find love and hope.
Never give in to your darkness.  Never let regret prevent you from doing what you need to do.

Dream of the shore, dream of the lost, hold onto hope.  ~Reina~

*A moment of time can be lost forever.  To have that single moment back if that moment was one of regret can be a blessing that many long for.*