Title: Sunset
Author: Aeryn Tucker
Rating: G
Summary: A man thinks back on life.
Category: Angst, I suppose.
A/N: Yes, another one of these stories. I should be updating my other ones, but this one just popped into my head.
He felt like the sunset.
Its colours shone dimly in the evening sky, evidence of its former brilliance, but fading slowly into oblivion. The sky was empty around it, no stars to fill the night sky nor clouds to fill the day.
He sat silently in his chair, out on his porch. The Florida evening grew still around him; the sounds of civilization could be barely heard. A tall glass of water sat on the nearby table, and an unread book in his lap. He gazed out only at the sunset, feeling dim and alone himself.
He heard the jingles of dog tags approach, and looked over to see his dog, tail thumping on the ground, a stick in her mouth.
"Not tonight, Casey." he said softly, petting her once on the head.
She sat for a moment, then decided to lay down near his chair. She fell asleep almost instantly, her body instantly still.
He got up off his chair, and walked off the porch. He had much to think about, and only a short time to do so.
He thought about today, and the memories it brought back. He had seen many people at the reunion, some not since they had been small children. There had been smiles, a lot of hugs, and some tears.
He had met Malcolm's new grandchild, a little girl named Tanya; and Hoshi's son's new wife. All of his friends had families now, and the hall was filled with people.
He and Travis had discussed the new plans for the warp 8 engine, while Hoshi listened and added comments of her own. He had talked with T'Pol a little while, just chatting about Enterprise.
Then came Jon. It felt so good to see his friend again. They laughed about the good times and talked about Jon's family.
They talked for a while, until a silence crawled in between them. He knew what was coming next, and braced himself for it.
"Are you alright, Trip?"
He sighed. He had expected this. "Sure."
"Don't lie to me, Trip, I've known you too long."
"No, I'm not alright." Trip said, "I've got only a week left, at the most, but I think I might only have a couple hours."
"Oh, Trip." his friend sighed heavily, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
He looked down at the floor of the hall, contemplating his response. "What's the difference? I was going to die anyway, what did it matter. I thought it would be easier this way."
"You could have told me, Trip, I'm your best friend."
"I know. But it was my decision, and I chose to wait." He sighed again. "I should go." He stood up, and put his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Thanks for being there for me, Jon."
As the night grew dimmer around him, his thoughts turned back once again to the present. The alien disease raged through his blood, creating sharp pains and warning him that his time was almost up.
He headed back up onto the porch, and petted Casey one last time. He sat back down into his chair, and dialled in a single number in his vid-phone, turning it over so that he couldn't see the paramedic's face.
He closed his eyes peacefully, and thought about his friends. Malcolm, Hoshi, Travis, Jon, T'Pol, Phlox. Their faces floated through his head.
Finally, he saw Ali. Her bright and cheerful face smiled at him through his gloom. In his mind, he smiled back.
The sun dipped far below the horizon now, and he knew it was time. Like the sun, he would fall into oblivion, peacefully and contently.
La fin.
*Ugh. Sorry this was so bad, like I said, it just popped out. Feel free to write a commentary, if you liked it or hated it, please tell me. Lotz of luv,
~Aeryn