Title: One Word
Author: Chele
Rating: G
Category: Angst
Code: Tu/S
Summary: What word would you use to describe your feeling right now?
Author's Notes: This plot bunny was hopping around for a couple of months now, and it wasn't until now that I decided to write it down. Many thanks to my betas: Josephine, Court, and Ozchick.
Disclaimer: If I did own Paramount or Enterprise, I'd first have more Hoshi and Travis screen-time.
* * *
Bright.
That was the sky, the way it looked at this moment.
The stars shone like glitter, shimmering and twinkling in the neverending black pit.
The cool breeze of night sent slight shivers through her nerves, giving her goosebumps. She adjusted her shawl to cover her shoulders.
Peace.
That was the night, the way it felt at this moment.
It seemed ironic, that she was once afraid of the dark, that she had feared not knowing what was beyond her sight. Now, the dark had become her friend. She realized that it brought tranquility, that what she couldn't see was left to her imagination.
Sitting on the doorstep of her little cottage, she relaxed her body, resting her head on the frame, hugging her knees to herself, keeping the bodily warmth that threatened to escape.
Content.
That was her feeling at this moment.
It was her feeling of contentment that made her smile as she felt him walk up behind her, ease down next to her, and wrap his arms around her, pulling her closer to his body, sharing his warmth.
"What are you thinkin' about, darlin'?" he whispered in her ear, his breath tickling that sensitive part of her body.
"I was thinking...I was remembering what it was like up there. You remember, don't you, Trip?"
"Uhmm?" he answered.
"I was scared and you lifted me up. I was alone and you became my friend. I was homesick and you made me laugh. And...I loved, because you loved me."
"Of course I remember," he said, a smile gracing his words.
"Then there's the crew and our adventures. I miss those days," she said wistfully.
"Yes."
"It just makes me wish..." She paused.
"What do you wish for, Hoshi?" he asked.
Fear.
The emotion was beyond her understanding. She knew somehow that if she answered that question, everything would change.
Yet, she did.
"I wish," she said in barely a whisper, "that we were all together again, exploring new wonders, cultures, languages, like it was before."
She turned to face him, saw his gentle smile, and continued, "But mostly...I wish for you."
Her shawl slipped and fell to the ground. Immediately she leaned forward to pick it up, but when she looked up, she found what she most feared.
He was gone.
The fact that he was gone brought back her worst memory--learning that he did not survive on their last away mission--10 years ago.
She had been keeping him alive, using her memories to find solace. This time, she had to accept it--his fate, his death.
Accept that she was alone.
This little cottage would have been their home, settling on earth after their marriage, where they would have raised their children and taught them all about the stars, and how it was among the stars that they met.
Slowly, she stood up and wrapped the shawl around her again but, this time, it had little effect.
Only one word could describe the heartache that burned her right now.
Cold.
*****