Hi readers! I've been tinkering around with one-shots for the last couple of days. These are going to follow the storyline of Never Let Me Go. Basically they'll be a few different stories posted from Andrea's childhood and whatever else comes to mind! Enjoy!
Santa Monica, California. 2445
Christopher Pike sighed, as the taxi pulled up in front of the small house on the beach. Grabbing his things, he paid the driver and stepped out onto the pavement. As the taxi drove off, Christopher stood before the small gate, staring up at the house. It was a little after five, and the sun was starting to set behind the house. He could hear the chatter from the sidewalk, and it made him smile. It was so good to be home, after a six-week mission to the Andorian Galaxy.
Unlatching the gate, he stepped onto the neatly paved walkway, taking notice of the flowers that were recently planted along either side. Stepping up onto the porch, he spotted the towels and beach toys strewn about. It was a major difference from the sanitized and spotless corridors of a ship. Using his keys, he unlocked the door and pushed it open.
"Uh oh, who's at the door?" a woman said, as a little girl giggled.
"Daddy!" she cried.
Christopher smiled, as he shut the door. He heard the footsteps running from the kitchen and turned around to find his baby girl standing at the end of the hallway.
"Daddy! Daddy!" she shrieked, before taking off towards him.
Christopher knelt down and the little girl crashed into him, climbing up into his arms.
"Hi Andrea!" he said, holding her tightly.
"You're home! I told Aunt Kitty you'd be home today!" she said, as Christopher stood, carrying her in his arms.
"You did? You're a smart girl," he said, making her giggle.
Katherine Pike leaned out of the kitchen and smiled, "She told every single person we encounter today. The postman, the librarian, the butcher, the girl putting the ice berries out.. basically the whole food market knew that you were coming home today," she said, before disappearing back into the kitchen.
Christopher laughed at his sister's comment, and looked back down at Andrea. She smiled up at him and he continued to carry her down the hallway, stepping into the kitchen.
"You got so big! If you keep growing, you'll be taller than me!" he said, tickling her softly.
Andrea giggled, "No, no! I don't want to be big. Stay little forever," she demanded, pouting slightly.
"I wish you could stay little forever," he said, giving her a kiss.
"I'm just started on dinner. Andrea, how about you help me clean these potatoes and let Daddy put his things away? I'm sure he's gonna want to clean up before sitting down with us. He still smells like outer space," she said, wrinkling her nose.
Andrea did the same as her Aunt, which earned her a laugh and a quick kiss on the top of her head.
Christopher set her down on the floor, "I'll be back in a few minutes," he said, before leaving the kitchen.
After a quick shower and changing into comfortable "street wear", Christopher made his way back into the kitchen. Katherine was busy putting the pan of chicken into the oven, while Andrea sat at the table with a few potatoes before her.
Sitting down in the chair next to her, he picked up a potato and held it up.
"Should we cut these open, Andrea?" he asked, hinting at her favorite game.
The little girl nodded and Christopher pulled her onto his lap. He picked up a small knife and helped the girl cut a straight line into the potato. Her little fingers pulled the vegetable open and she looked at it.
"Well, Kiddo? How's our potato patient?" he asked.
"He's good, Daddy. We can use it for dinny!" she said.
They continued the little game, before all the potatoes were cut and "checked upon". Andrea hopped off her father's lap and handed each potato to Katherine, who placed them onto the rack in the oven. Setting Andrea back into her seat, Christopher got up and helped his sister clean up and finish preparing their meal. Andrea helped with the salad, by telling Christopher what she wanted in it.
"Jellybeans!
"We can have jellybeans with your ice cream," he said, as he cut a tomato up.
"What about eyeloves?" she asked.
Christopher smiled, "We can put eyeloves in them," he said, before moving to the pantry to find a can of black olives.
Once the chicken was done, Andrea was given the task to set the table. Christopher handed her one plate at a time, and watched carefully as she set each one onto the table.
"Easy, Honey Bee. They're glass," he said, as Andrea dropped a plate onto the table quickly.
"Sorry Daddy," she said, before taking the napkins from him.
Once the table was set, Christopher, Andrea and Katherine sat down and started filling their plates. Christopher made sure Andrea had a decent amount of food on her plate, before fixing his. He cut the chicken up into smaller pieces and made sure she had enough butter on her potato. Once everyone had enough food on their plates, they began to eat.
The conversation went from how the mission went to what his sister and daughter were up to during their time together on Earth.
"Daddy, can we get a meow?' Andrea asked, before licking her spoon.
Christopher frowned, "A meow?" he asked, before taking a sip of his water.
Andrea nodded, "meow, meow, meow…" she chirped, before digging her spoon into her potato.
Katherine laughed, "I think she wants a cat, Chris," she said.
It was the first time Andrea had ever mentioned pets, despite the fact that her neighbors and her grandparents had them. With Christopher's schedule at the Academy and missions, having a pet was always the last thing on his mind. Granted, he left home less than before Andrea was born, but eventually he would go back to working more shifts once Andrea was older.
"I don't know, that's a big responsibility.." he started off, as Andrea continued to "meow" .
Katherine shrugged, "It's not like she's alone all the time though. Either you're here or I come down to watch her when you're at the Academy or on the ship," she said.
Christopher sighed, and looked between his sister and his daughter. Andrea looked at him and "meowed" before falling into a fit of giggles.
He smiled softly at her, "We'll see. We have sometime to think about it, " he said.
After dinner was done, the table cleared off and leftovers placed in the fridge, Christopher took Andrea into the bathroom for bath time. After a quick bath, Christopher carried Andrea into her bedroom and got her dress for bed. He towel dried her hair, turning her curly red hair into a frizzy mess. When Andrea saw her reflection in the mirror, she laughed hysterically at herself. Picking her back up, Chris carried her out into the living room and they settled down to play with her toys. Katherine made coffee for herself and her brother, while putting a bowl of ice cream together for Andrea.
By 10:30, Andrea was sitting next to her father on the couch, while the evening news played. Katherine was checking her emails on her PADD, while Christopher half listened to the forecast on the weather for the next day. Looking down, he saw that Andrea had her head against his arm and her eyes were slowly dropping shut.
"I think it's somebody's bedtime," he announced, while putting the TV on mute.
"No bed. Watch Tebee," Andrea mumbled, before yawning.
Christopher chuckled, "Bedtime, Kiddo. You can watch TV tomorrow. It's supposed to rain anyways. That's perfect TV weather" he said.
Andrea only nodded and Christopher stood up from the couch, before scooping the little girl up.
"Say goodnight to your Aunt," he said.
Katherine set her PADD to the side and smiled, "Goodnight, Baby Girl, " she said.
Andrea yawned, "Bye bye, Aunt Kitty, " she said, before resting her face against her father's neck.
Carrying the four year old down the hall to her room, Christopher turned the lights on before walking over to her bed. Setting her down, Andrea curled up onto he side, barely able to keep her eyes open. She grabbed her stuffed bear and her fish, clutching them both to her chest. Christopher went to the windows and made sure they were locked, before closing the shades. Making his way back over to the bed, he pulled the blankets up making sure she was snuggled in.
By then, she had her bear on one side and the fish on the other, each sharing part of her pillow. Christopher set the night light for her, just in case she woke up in the middle of the night.
"Goodnight, Honey Bee," he said, kissing her on the forehead.
"Nigh nigh, Daddy," she mumbled, before scooping her bear up into a hug.
Christopher quietly walked towards the door, and stood there for a moment, watching his little girl sleep. Then, he pulled the door closed halfway, before making his way back into the living room. It was nights like this, that he missed the most when he went away. He dreaded leaving again in six weeks, but he wouldn't let that stop him from enjoying father-daughter time. Tomorrow was another day, and Christopher Pike could not wait for it.