Santa Monica, California 2243
"I can't do this anymore, Chris! Everything is about Starfleet! Starfleet this, Starfleet that! I can't stand that goddam Academy and the fucking Federation!" Annabeth shouted, as she slammed pots and pans down on the kitchen counters.
"Anna, lower your voice! Andrea's in her room!" Christopher hissed, as his girlfriend slammed the pot of spaghetti into the sink.
She whirled around, "No, I want her to hear it. You've tainted that little girl with all your talk about stars and planets. You even named her after a goddamn galaxy!" she screeched. "All she ever wants to do is pretend that she's in a ship and talks about stars. You've turned my little girl into one of your goddamn Cadets!"
Christopher closed his eyes and sighed. This was an ongoing battle between the two of them, which started nearly six months after Andrea was born. During his time off, Christopher received many calls from Starfleet about returning to work. Each time he said no, because he wanted more time to be with his daughter. After she turned one, he eventually went back. He started with teaching and went every two weeks to recruit students. He managed to come home on Friday's and leave early Monday morning to make it to his afternoon lecture. He did everything he could, to be close to home, only go up into space when he was needed. But somehow, this wasn't enough for Annabeth.
"What do you want me to do?" he asked her, as she paced the kitchen.
"I wish you'd fucking quit! How many attacks do I need to read about, before I see your name in the news? That you're ship was attacked? You're risking your own daughter's future, Chris!"
He looked down at the table, pushing the mail around. It hurt him when she brought Andrea into the conversations about Starfleet. Yes, it was a risky job, but it was also giving them a decent lifestyle. A house to live in and food on the table. With this kind of job, Christopher could give his daughter the things he never had as a child. It even gave Andrea the chance to go to college when she was older, as Christopher set up a trust fund through the Academy for her future education. She was only two years old, but she was already proving to be a smart girl.
Annabeth leaned against the counter and sighed, "Chris, I'm at the end of my rope. It's either us or the goddamn Academy," she said.
Christopher looked up at her and didn't say a word. How could he choose between his career and his family? He loved both with all his heart, though he loved his daughter more than anything. It was a risky job, that could kill him, but he worked too hard to just give it up. He wanted his daughter to look back, years from now, and tell everyone about her father and everything he accomplished. It was selfish, yes, but leaving Starfleet could have a negative outlook on her future, and he couldn't risk that. He remembered the promise he made to his baby girl, the night she was born. "When you're old enough, I'll take you up there with me and we can look at the stars up close,"
"Well? What's it gonna be?" Annabeth asked.
"I'm not leaving Starfleet and I will take away any chance of a better life for Andrea," he said.
Annabeth let out a bitter laugh, "Go to hell, Chris," she spat, before storming out the back door.
Christopher flinched as the door slammed shut behind her, her feet pounding against the wooden steps. Getting up, he made his way out of the kitchen and down the hall to Andrea's room. Opening the door, he found her sitting on the floor with her toys. She looked up at him and smiled, before getting up.
"Daddy!" she squealed, running towards him.
He bent down and scooped her up into is arms, carrying her back over to her toys.
"Can I play too?" he asked, before setting her down on the floor.
Andrea nodded and Christopher got down on the floor next to her. They played for hours, before Christopher heated up some food for dinner. Annabeth was sitting on the back steps, and refused to come inside for diner. After dinner, came bath time and was then followed with some more playtime. Afterwards, Christopher read her a bedtime story and stayed with her until she fell asleep. Annabeth was still sitting outside, when Christopher checked on her.
"Are you coming in?" he asked.
She ignored him, facing the ocean, as the waves crashed against the shore. He sighed, before heading back inside. He left the light on in the back, and made his way down to their bedroom. Changing his clothes, he climbed into bed and didn't wait for her to join him. At that point, he didn't care if she slept outside. He figured that by the next morning, she would be fine and they'd get back to some type of normalcy.
The next morning, Christopher woke up alone in bed. He looked at the clock and saw that it was a little after ten. The bedroom door opened and Andrea came running into the room, climbing up on the bed.
"Daddy! Hungry!" she cried, crawling over to him.
Pulling her into his arms, he held her tightly, giving her a kiss on the cheek.
"Is that so?" he asked, as she giggled.
"Food! Mooney rocks!"
Christopher pulled himself out of bed and picked Andrea up, carrying her down the hallway. The house was eerily quiet, which was unusual.
"Where's your mother?" he asked, as they stood in the doorway of the kitchen.
Andre shrugged her little shoulders, then pointed to the box of Moon Rocks on the counter. Christopher laughed, before carrying her over to the counter. Grabbing the box, he walked over to the table and sat her down on the chair. Setting the box on the table, he went back to the cabinet and pulled a plastic bowel out and a spoon.
"I guess Mommy's at the beach," he said, pouring out the surgery cereal.
Andrea was too busy scooping the food onto the spoon and into her mouth to answer. Christopher chuckled, before setting the box down on the table. A folded up piece of paper caught with his name caught his eye. Picking it up, he carried it over to the backdoor. Looking out, he saw nothing but sand and ocean. Annabeth was no longer on the steps. Frowning, he looked down at that paper. He opened it and read the bubbly print that belonged to his girlfriend.
Christopher-
I can't do this anymore. I've come to realize that I will never mean enough to you, like Starfleet and Andrea. You've ruined her and any chance of a normal life for her. Part of me wanted to take her from you, but how can I raise a child who cares for nothing but stars and space? I hate you for what you've done to her. You're ruined my baby girl and I cannot raise a child like her. I left my keys in the drawer by the sink and took whatever I brought with me when we moved here. I wont contact you or Andrea and I don't want you to search for me. From this day forward, I no longer exist. You can tell Andrea whatever you wish about me, when she's old enough. But I don't think she'll even care. She loves you more than she'd ever love me. I'm sorry.
Annabeth.
Christopher started at the paper until the words blurred before his eyes. She left. She abandoned their little girl and their life in the tiny beach house. He felt anger and sadness towards the woman, with whom he created a new life. Looking over at the table, he watched as Andrea ate her breakfast, using both her spoon and her hands to eat each piece of cereal. How could he tell her that her mother wanted nothing to do with her? To utter such awful words to a child killed him. He hated her at that moment, and kicked himself mentally for not being awake when she packed her bags and left. Annabeth was a coward- leaving while they were both asleep.
Making his way over to the table, Christopher sat down across from her. Andrea looked up at him, and held her spoon out to him.
"Eat?" she asked, pointing to her mouth.
He smiled sadly at her, taking the spoon from her hand. He scooped up some of the surgery rice treat, and ate. Andrea giggled.
"Yum, yum, yum," she chanted, while picking the food out of her bowl.
He watched her for a while longer, until she finished the entire bowl.
"How about we go down to the beach today?" he asked, as she pulled at the tablecloth.
Andrea nodded, "Swim! Swim!" she cried, clapping her little hands.
Christopher smiled, "Yeah, Honey Bee. Let's go swimming," he said.
He didn't have to tell her today. Or tomorrow. Or the next. He had plenty of time to tell Andrea the truth. He wouldn't give Annabeth the satisfaction of causing his daughter any sadness, while she was too young to understand. No, today would be their day. As they got ready for the beach, Christopher only hoped that Annabeth made the right choice. Because he knew, that if she showed up at his doorstep, he would slam the door in her face. Just like she did to him the night before.