Baby's First Words
Disclaimer: Paramount rules all, and owns most of the characters (a.k.a. not the children).
"Tay!" Emma screamed enthusiastically.
"Sh…" Kathryn whispered, trying in vain to silence her energetic daughter. The movie was almost over, but Emma had started to grow restless. The baby continued to babble incessantly, and Kathryn decided that their movie-going trip was probably about over. Standing, she called, "Computer, freeze program." She sighed. Suddenly, she felt an arm wrap itself around her waist.
Turning, she smiled. "Hey," she mumbled. "How's my ship?"
"Fine," her husband informed her before dipping his head for a gentle kiss. Emma started spouting gibberish again until he kissed the baby's forehead; "Hi, Angel."
Emma let out a squeal of delight and reached for him. Scooping his daughter out of her mother's arms, he muttered, "I guess she missed me."
Kathryn smiled. "Yes. She was calling for you."
Chakotay raised his eyebrow. "Really?" he questioned, snuggling Emma against his shoulder. "What did she say?"
Emma decided to answer that question herself. "Tay!" she screamed happily, patting his cheek. Chakotay blinked, and Kathryn smiled at him. Emma decided her mother might be feeling left out, so she cried, "Kat!"
Kathryn was quite surprised. The baby had never said her name before. Chakotay, deciding he'd had enough of the Holodeck, commanded, "Computer, end program." Then, turning to his wife, he informed her, "Tom and B'Elanna invited us over to dinner tonight. Do you feel like going?"
"Sure. Emma can play with Shannon, and-"
At the sound of her friend's name, Emma squealed again. Chakotay chuckled. "She certainly has a lot to say, doesn't she?"
"That she does. Now, come on. You should change before dinner."
"Aye, Captain." Chakotay mockingly saluted her with his free hand before wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
Imitating him, the baby muttered, "Ai-y."
"Tom, get the door; that'll be Kathryn and Chakotay!" B'Elanna yelled from the bedroom.
Mumbling to himself, Tom set Shannon on the rug. His dark-haired daughter proceeded to wiggle around as Tom opened the door to allow his friends entrance. Kathryn appeared in the living room, carrying a steaming dish toward the table. Behind her came Chakotay, who promptly put Emma next to Shannon on the rug and grinned at his daughter.
"Hello, Chakotay," Tom greeted the commander. "Did Kathryn have a good day off?"
"I think so. She and Emma were on the Holodeck."
"Um… I'm sort of afraid to ask, but did you make that food or did she?"
"I heard that, Mister Paris!" Kathryn admonished, coming up behind the pilot and whipping him with a dishtowel. B'Elanna could be heard laughing as she set the table, trying in vain not to break anything.
So that the captain wouldn't hit him again, Tom grabbed both of the little girls off the rug. Shannon, delighted with her father for some reason or another, cried, "Dada!" directly into his ear. Tom winced.
B'Elanna came over to the little group, asking, "Has Emma started talking yet?"
"Yes, she-"
Chakotay was cut off as Emma called "Ba!" in B'Elanna's general direction. Torres smiled to herself, then asked the baby,
"Can you say Tom's name, Emma? Call him Helmboy."
Emma turned in her godfather's arms and started tapping him on the nose. "'Uten," she said happily, a big smile on her face. Her parents laughed.
"Would you look at that?" Tom complained. "She's only nine months old and she's already calling me Lieutenant!"
Kathryn recovered her baby from Tom, lifting Emma up against her shoulder. "Come on. Let's eat before it gets cold."
All through the meal, joyous cries could be heard as Emma and Shannon explored their new vocabulary.
As the turbolift opened on the Bridge, Tuvok turned to greet his commanding officers and was surprised to discover that they had brought their daughter with them.
"Captain-" he began, but Janeway cut him off.
"I know Tuvok, but Ensign Wildman couldn't babysit today. Here, Harry," She said, dropping Emma into his arms. "Chakotay, I need to speak with you. Emma, be good and quiet now, okay?"
The baby smiled at her, immediately beginning to ruffle Harry's beautifully combed hair. The ensign sighed.
As the doors to the Ready Room closed, a call came from Engineering.
"Torres to Kim. I need your help down here."
"On my way," Harry answered, handing Emma to Tuvok before scurrying into the turbolift. Tuvok raised his eyebrow at the young creature in his arms. This was a most unfortunate turn of events.
After several minutes, he decided to call the captain to the bridge. He never liked her and the second-in-command to get too much time to themselves. Tapping his badge, he started to say, "Bridge to Captain Janeway," but was cut off as Emma grabbed his combadge and threw it across the room toward Lieutenant Paris. Tuvok scowled at the little girl, and she immediately started to howl. Deciding he'd had enough of this illogical child, Tuvok deposited her in Tom's lap before claiming the command chair. Emma quickly stopped crying and smiled brightly at Tom, grasping his finger in her tiny hand. Tuvok shook his head disapprovingly at the pair seated at the helm. His children had never been this unruly.
Fifteen minutes later, Janeway entered the Bridge to find Tom bouncing Emma on his knee and Tuvok trying to avoid eye contact with anyone on the Bridge. Recovering her daughter from the gleeful helmsman, she was about to sit down in her chair when a call came through from B'Elanna.
"Torres to Bridge. Could you please send the captain and commander down here? I need their assistance."
"We're coming, B'Elanna," Kathryn replied, marching into the turbolift with Chakotay right behind her.
Engineering was a mess. The staff was running helter-skelter from console to console, seemingly without purpose. When Lieutenant Torres spotted them, she motioned for them to follow her to a console beside the warp core.
"Captain," she called over the din. "I'm having problems with the warp core. The matter-antimatter reaction chamber just went off line. I can't figure out what the problem is. It's like someone shut off control to that system. I-"
Suddenly, the computer's emotionless voice stated, "Warning: intruder alert in the Mess hall."
Kathryn and Chakotay glanced at each other, then rushed from the room. Stumbling into Sickbay, they handed Emma to the Doctor and left with only the briefest explanation about intruders.
Arriving in the Mess hall, Kathryn grabbed the phaser from her belt and pointed it straight in front of her. The lights were out, and though she tried to convince the computer to give them light, there was no response.
Without warning, a figure shot from one of the tables and hit Kathryn in the face. Stumbling backwards, she tripped over a chair and landed hard on the floor. Diving for her phaser, Chakotay managed to stun the attacker. He was just about to transport Kathryn to Sickbay when another shadowy figure bolted for the Jeffries tube. As the intruder disappeared, Chakotay called, "Chakotay to security. Get a team into Jeffries tubes 41 alpha now!" With that, he lifted Kathryn up and headed off to Sickbay.
He was in the turbolift when he got a response. "Tuvok to Chakotay. We have discovered the intruder."
"Where is he?"
"In Sickbay."
Chakotay's eyes widened. "I'll be right there. Chakotay out."
Half an hour later, the Doctor was explaining what had happened to the captain and commander. "After you dropped off Emma, I was trying to get some work done, when she snatched the hypospray I was holding and refused to return it. Moments later, the intruder bumbled into Sickbay. Upon seeing us, he pulled out a weapon, threatening to shoot if we made any move to contact security. Emma just cried, 'Ai-y!' and threw the hypospray at him. I think it rather surprised the fellow. I must say, your daughter has good aim. The hypospray hit the man squarely on the head, and he dropped to the floor. Emma should be commended."
Kathryn smiled. "Oh, don't worry Doctor; she will be." With that, she and Chakotay exited Sickbay. Emma sat on her father's shoulder, cooing randomly selected syllables into his ear.
The End