Stardate 2311.04 14:00

There were loud slams on the door to the apartment. "Ms. Watson! Open the door; this is Star Fleet Security. We have a court order for you to hand your son Josh to his court-appointed advocates."

There was no answer.

Again, the officer pounded on the door, "Open it, or we will be forced to break it down!"

A moment later, the door was unlocked, and Julie poked her head out. "You can't have my son. He isn't here anyway."

Counselor Sava was behind the officer, "Take her into custody while we look for Josh."

Julie squawked when the officers took her arm and drugged her out of the doorway and into restraints. "That bastard has no right to my son."

Ignoring Julie, Sava and several other officers entered the apartment. There were signs that Josh had lived there, but several essential items appeared to be missing.

"No sign of the child, sir." Another officer noted from the other part of the house.

"Then where is he?" Sava raised an eyebrow. The woman was becoming more than just a thorn in her side.

"Sir, "An officer popped their head inside the door. "One of the neighbors heard Josh say he was going to his grandma's. As he isn't with the Holtz or the Skyler's, the child may be with Ms. Watson's mother."

"Send a team there and report back," Sava ordered, then turned back to Julie. "Ms. Watson, if you have injured the child in any way, the consequences will be dire."

"I love my son. I would never hurt him. How dare you!" Julie spat at her.

"Then where is Josh," Sava asked her again, with an edge in her voice. Julie only responded with an anatomically impossible statement. "Take her away and search this place. There were allegations of neglect and abuse as part of this case. Please ascertain if that is the case."

Julie fought the officers the whole way to the transport and called the parentage of all those involved into question.

Stardate 2311.04 18:43 hours- A small farmhouse a mile off highway FF, Douglas Country, Missouri

Knock… Knock…

"Can I help you?" An older lady answered the small cottage's door.

"I was told this is the home of Elizabeth Watson."

"It is. What can I do for you, officer?" She gently closed the door behind her, so both were standing on the porch.

"You are the mother of Julie Elizabeth Watson, correct?"

"Yes, is something wrong with Julie? Did he finally kill her?"

"Pardon Ma'am, what do you mean 'Did he finally kill her'?"

"Josh's father, if you can call him that." She indicated inside the house. "Julie told me that he has been after her. All those threats against her life. She showed up a couple of days ago with Josh and said that he was now threatening Josh's life. I prefer to live rusticly, and it is doubtful that his father could find Josh here. That is why she left him here, for safety. What is going on?"

"Madam, were you aware of the court case ruling two days ago against your daughter?" The officer asked curiously.

"What court case?" she looked confused. "Julie said she has been fighting with what's his name about getting to see Josh, but I don't know of a court case."

The officer handed Elizabeth a pad listing the court's ruling. "I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but your daughter lost custody of Josh two days ago at a custody hearing."

"That's impossible." She took a seat on a chair on the porch. "My daughter has been fighting to keep that abusive, disruptive man out of Josh's life since he was two years old. Why would any judge give a child to a man like that?"

"Court evidence shows that your daughter has been failing to care for the child properly for the past three years. Were you aware of those charges against her?" The officer took a seat next to her.

"Julie has had difficulty following her career since Josh has gotten older. The two lived with me early on, and I could watch him for her. However, my health has not been the best the past few years, and I moved to this cottage to escape the stress of the world." She looked down at the pad in her hands, "Off and on, Josh and Julie would show up for a couple of weeks to visit, and then they would be gone again. With her career, it seemed normal to me."

"Could we check on Josh, and then we can confirm that he is here safe?" The officer requested.

"Sure, that is no problem." Elizabeth got up and escorted the officer into the house. The two of them found Josh sitting on a rug in the middle of the living room floor, happily playing with toys. He looked up, waved hello to them, and then went back to playing.

The officer tapped his com, "Dispatch, the child has been located and is in good health and spirits. However, be advised that his current caretaker was not aware of the custody issue."

"Thank you. Expect support to be dispatched momentarily." The dispatcher responded.

"I hope Julie isn't in too much trouble over this." Elizabeth went to sit with her grandson.

"I am sorry about all this." Elizabeth apologized for the hundredth time. "I had no idea that Julie was doing all this."

"We appreciate your transparency on this matter." Counselor Sava responded to Elizabeth.

"I never thought my daughter would stoop to this level." Elizabeth shook her head.

"Mrs. Watson, your daughter is facing significant criminal charges due to her actions not only pertaining to her failure to comply with a court order but several more substantial charges."

"I am aware, but I hope you would allow me to have some contact with my grandson." Elizabeth nodded.

Sava cocked her head to the side, "If you wish to contact him, please send all communications to my office. It will ensure that there is no outside interference from your daughter. While your communications are harmless, the courts' trust in your family is damaged greatly."

"I understand," it was then that Josh came running up and hugged his grandmother, "Ready to go stay with your dad, Joshie boy?"

"Yeah, but is my mom going to be, ok?" Josh asked sadly.

"Your mom made bad choices, and it would be best for you to be with your dad until everything is sorted out." Elizabeth hugged and kissed the boy's cheek.

"Can I still see you?" He asked, pleading.

Elizabeth looked over to Sava, then back to Josh. "Since you will be so far out in space, messages might take a bit to get to you, so be patient, but you will see me again." She tweaked his nose playfully. He giggled.

"Josh, our ship is signaling they are ready to transport," Sava commented and took his hand. Reluctantly Josh walked outside and into the cottage's front yard. Then, with a wave to his grandmother, Josh and Sava disappeared.

The two of them appeared aboard an orbiting ship's transporter room. Josh sighed. He was sad that he was leaving his grandma and mother behind but was excited to see where his dad lived. He followed Sava out the transporter room door, only to break into a run when he saw the couple on the other side.

"Welcome to the Haida, Josh."