La'an was warm, she felt peaceful, and there was a comfortable weight on top of her. She was in that blissful stage between awake and asleep, and it wasn't often she got to experience it. Feeling the warm tickle of breath against her neck, La'an's eyes snapped open and she remembered where she was and who she was with.
She was in the quarters she shared with Christine, on the Cannon, and Christine was fast asleep, half on top of her. There was an arm loosely around her waist, a head on her shoulder, and a leg over hers. The blankets had been forgotten and kicked to the end of the bed at some point during the night.
Never having been in this situation before, La'an had no idea what she should do. Should she wake Christine? Should she try and get out of bed without waking her? Or, should she just go back to sleep and hope Christine woke first?
Feeling her bladder make itself known, La'an gently moved her legs up, smiling to herself when Christine's leg slid off hers, the soft silk of her pyjama pants making it easy. Carefully moving the arm from around her waist, La'an took a deep breath in and exhaled before she slightly shifted away from Christine, trying to get her off her.
Hearing a soft whine come from Christine, it only took a second before she was being hugged like a koala bear. Exhaling loudly, La'an didn't know what to do. She did not want to wake Christine up, she didn't know how to, nor did she want to deal with an uncomfortable situation if it arose. It was way too early for any of that.
Thinking back to her security training, La'an tried to come up with an idea that wouldn't hurt herself or Christine. Seeing how far she could rock backward; an idea struck her. Slowly rocking back and forth to build up some momentum, La'an felt Christine snuggle closer to her as she gently held her head close to her shoulder as she rolled them over so she was now lying on top of Christine. Freezing for a moment, she looked down to check if Christine had woken up. Thankfully she had not.
Gently placing Christine's head on the pillow, the grip holding her close loosened a little. Hearing Christine softly snore, La'an looked down at her face and softly smiled. Christine was kind of cute when she was asleep.
Quickly pushing that thought from her mind, La'an managed to get up without waking her. If this was going to be how she would be waking up each day, she needed better ways to extract herself from under a sleeping Christine.
Making it to the bathroom, La'an sighed and began the day. Needing a shower, La'an went to turn the sonic waves on when she stopped for a moment and realised it was a shower with water, not sonic waves. This was something she hadn't seen in a while.
Searching the vanity, La'an pulled out a bottle of honeysuckle-scented body wash and placed it inside the shower. Undressing she tossed her pyjamas over the side of the laundry hamper, got a towel ready, and turned the water on, making sure it was warm before stepping under the spray of water.
Not realising how much she missed feeling the hot water beating down on her skin, La'an let it rain down on her lower back, gently massaging the tension she felt there. Knowing she should be quick, La'an washed herself and got out of the shower and dried off.
Realising that she had left her clothing in the other room, La'an felt herself slightly panic. She could hear that Christine was awake, and she didn't know what to do. Taking a few deep breaths, she made sure the towel was secure and entered their shared room.
"Good morning. Are you done in the bathroom?" Christine asked, not batting an eyelid.
"Morning, and um, yeah, I am," La'an replied, watching as Christine headed into the bathroom, the door closing behind her.
Looking at the clothing she had packed, La'an considered putting her uniform on for a moment before deciding on a pair of black yoga pants and a deep green t-shirt. Heading into the shared living area, La'an looked around and realised that Oriana hadn't made an appearance yet either. Everything was exactly where she had left it the night before.
Going to the bridge, La'an checked over the readings from when they were all asleep. They were twenty-two hours in, and still on course to try and find Oriana's family. Slightly adjusting their course to avoid some small space rocks, La'an checked the path ahead of them. There was nothing, no ships, no planets, just nothing. It would take at least another fifty hours at warp three before they hit the next solar system.
"How'd you sleep?" Christine asked, joining her.
"Not bad," La'an replied, not wanting to admit just yet that she slept better than she usually did. "You?"
"Like a baby," Christine replied, stretching. "Have you had breakfast?"
"Not yet. Is Oriana up?"
"Not that I've seen. Come, let's eat," Christine said, not giving her an option.
Heading back into the living area, La'an looked at the small menu the synthesiser could produce while Christine went and checked on Oriana.
"Oriana, breakfast time! Get up!" Christine called through the doors.
Watching as Christine waited by the door, it only took a moment before Oriana opened it up. She stood there and stared at Christine with a look that could kill a grown man.
"The breakfast list isn't very long, but food is food," La'an said, replicating herself a bowl of porridge.
"I am not eating that," Oriana commented, looking as if La'an had personally insulted her.
"There are five other options," La'an replied, sitting down at the table, unamused.
"Okay, we have porridge, pancakes, cereal, toast, bacon and eggs, and fruit salad. What do you want, Oriana?" Christine asked, looking at the girl.
"Pancakes, I guess," Oriana replied, taking the plate of food she was handed moments later.
Getting herself a fruit salad, Christine joined La'an and Oriana at the small table.
"We will hit the next solar system in fifty hours, our course is clear so far," La'an said, informing Christine and Oriana of their current status.
"What am I meant to do for that long?!" Oriana loudly exclaimed, shovelling a forkful of pancake into her mouth.
"There are workbooks uploaded to the PADDs in the cupboard. They're for your schooling," La'an replied, gesturing over to the cupboard. "You need an education."
"You are no fun at all," Oriana mumbled under her breath, making sure it was just loud enough to be heard.
"I am plenty fun," La'an shot back, trying not to glare at her. She didn't realise how much of a handful a ten-year-old would be, especially one with attitude.
"Christine, is she fun or a fun killer?" Oriana asked, turning her head to look at Christine, an eyebrow raised.
"Um," Christine replied, shoving a piece of rockmelon into her mouth so she didn't have to answer the question.
"I'm going to take that as a no. What was the last thing you did for fun?" Oriana asked.
"I watched a movie," La'an replied, not adding that it was at least three months ago.
"That's nothing. I'm finished, I'm going to see what there is to do around here," Oriana said, going over to the cupboard and sitting down in front of it.
"Have you got any plans for the day?" Christine asked.
"I was going to stay at the helm and continue to chart our course," La'an replied, finishing her porridge.
"I'll join you; the stars might help me figure out the problem I'm having with the human genome and getting it to change colour," Christine said, smiling to herself at the look of contained horror on La'an's face. "Don't worry, I won't use you as a test subject. Not yet, anyway," she added, winking at La'an.
"You're mad, Chapel," La'an commented, getting up.
Offering to clean up from breakfast, La'an made quick work of the plates and bowls. Casting a glance over to Oriana to check what she was up to, La'an sighed when she saw all the puzzles pulled out and sitting on the floor around her.
Going into her quarters, La'an pulled her hair back into a ponytail – there was no use for the braids and they did take quite a while to do. Going over to the bed, she pulled the covers up and looked around. They really needed to unpack. Heading to the bridge and settling into her seat, La'an was quickly realising she had bitten off more than she could chew, and she had absolutely no idea on how to deal with children. She was suddenly very grateful Christine decided to join them. If she hadn't, La'an felt like she wouldn't have lasted more than a week before snapping.
The course they were on was still clear of everything. There was barely any space dust around them, not a nebula, or asteroid in their path. Pulling up the scrap of information she had on a possible location for Oriana's family, La'an began to read up on the two solar systems they would pass through.
Hearing the door hiss open, La'an turned to see Christine joining her, medical PADD in hand.
"I've set Oriana up with a drink, a snack, and a PADD with her school work on it. I told her if she needed help to come and ask. She has also cleaned up the puzzles and picked one to do later," Christine said, leaning back in her chair and watching the stars race past.
"That's good. Now to see if she actually does any of her school work."
"If we persist together, she should get the message and do it. What are you up to?"
"I'm pulling up any information we have on the two solar systems we will pass through before we make it to Vilaria. The first system we pass through is the Orcaynian and the second is the Thoss. We have a fair amount on the Thoss solar system. Two suns, five planets, three inhabited, and they are warp capable – Vilaria is the last planet in that system. They're not too fond of outsiders but if we mostly stay out of their way, we should be fine. We don't know much about the Orcaynian solar system or their people so I'm not sure what to expect from them," La'an said, informing Christine of her findings.
"Here's a fun fact, the Orcaynian people are mainly led by women. I learned that while on the colony. When I got my hands on a snippet of their DNA, I was able to tell they are, on average, above six feet tall, have purple as an eye colour, and are telepathic to a degree. Or, at least the women are," Christine replied, shrugging.
"I don't know if I should be fascinated or horrified by some of the things you know, Chapel," La'an responded, turning as the door hissed open.
"I'm stuck, and why do you call her Chapel and not Christine?" Oriana asked, looking between the two women.
"Um, formality, I guess. What are you stuck on?" La'an replied, training her eyes on the PADD in Oriana's hand.
"Math," Oriana responded, handing La'an the PADD.
"Math was never my best subject, but let's see," La'an said, studying the equations on the device. She had seen them before but they did not make a lick of sense to her anymore. "Do you know how to do this?" she added, handing Christine the PADD.
"I do. Come on, Oriana, I'll show you how to do it," Christine said, setting her PADD down and getting up.
Watching as they left the bridge, La'an sighed and looked at the console in front of her. There was nothing for her to do, and if she didn't keep her mind occupied, she knew her thoughts would go back to the Gorn and the attacks she had lived through.
Oriana's question of why she didn't use Christine's first name rang through her head. She had always seen it as a formality, a way to divide up her work and personal life. Here she was though, on a small ship with them for the foreseeable future and Christine was the only other adult around she could rely on. She felt a weird feeling in the pit of her stomach at the thought of using Christine's first name and it wasn't entirely unpleasant. She liked Christine as a person, and they had had quite a few meals together back on the Enterprise but not much more.
Calling people by their first names was usually something La'an refrained from doing. She could count the number of people she did it for on one hand. It meant getting to know them on a deeper level, and that was something La'an had held back from doing her entire life. People came and went, and in the end, she was always alone.
Hearing the door hiss open, La'an kept her eyes trained on the console in front of her. She didn't want to have any kind of talk, and her thoughts were beginning to run rampant in her mind.
"Any changes?" Christine asked, taking a seat.
"Not one," La'an replied, hoping for even a piece of space dust.
"Hey, you know you can call me Christine if you want. No pressure or anything," Christine said, giving La'an's knee a soft squeeze in reassurance.
"Okay, thank you, Christine," La'an replied, liking how it sounded coming out of her mouth.
"That wasn't hard, now was it, La'an," Christine said, a smile on her face as she gently poked La'an in the side, seeing a smile spread across her face.
"I guess," La'an responded, trying to keep her usual demeanour. She didn't want to indulge Christine too much – that meant opening up and she wasn't ready to do that just yet.
"While helping Oriana out, we found a projector with a nice long list of movies. When she finishes, I told her we can all watch something together, is that okay with you?" Christine said, reaching for her PADD.
"That's fine." Knowing that it meant spending time together in a social setting, La'an pursed her lips together. She wanted to help Oriana find her family, she wanted to help her through her trauma, but it was becoming very apparent that Christine was correct. She didn't know how to speak to Oriana, she didn't know how to help her, and the only thing keeping them from going at each other was Christine, who was like a ray of sunshine in their ongoing storm.
Watching Christine as she went back to her PADD, La'an excused herself for a moment and went into her quarters. She needed something to do and sitting at the helm with nothing happening wasn't helping. Unpacking her two suitcases, she opted for the left side of the dresser, the same side of the bed she slept on.
Looking at Christine's suitcase that was open and pouring its contents onto the floor, La'an wondered how much she actually fit into them given their size. Heading into the bathroom, La'an looked at her reflection and splashed some cool water on her face. Gathering herself, she straightened her shirt and went out into the living area.
Seeing Oriana curled up on the couch with her PADD in her hands, La'an walked a little closer to her.
"How're you going?" she asked, Oriana looking up at her.
"Good. Christine showed me how to do the stupid math and it's kinda easy now. I'm almost done. I have eight questions left," Oriana replied, offering her a small smile, her attitude changing almost instantly after being fed.
"That's really good, maybe you can show me how to do them one day," La'an responded, trying to make conversation with her.
"I can, it's not that hard. I think even you'll get it."
"Let us know when you finish and we'll watch that movie. I'm going to join Christine on the bridge," La'an said, not knowing how else to talk to Oriana.
"Can do," Oriana responded, going back to her PADD.
Heading back to the bridge, La'an sat down and felt Christine's eyes on her.
"Are you holding up alright?" Christine asked, a look on her face La'an couldn't place.
"I believe I am," La'an replied, not knowing why she was asking. Surely Christine didn't pick up on her mind racing so quickly.
"If you ever need to talk, no matter the time, let me know. Feel free to wake me up at any time if you can't sleep or want company," Christine said, reaching across and giving her hand a soft squeeze.
"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you." Christine's hand was warm against hers, and La'an felt like her body was tingling.
Turning her attention back to the controls in front of her, La'an charted more of their course and checked the sensor readings. There was a slight gathering of space dust a few light years away but nothing of great importance.
Checking the auto-pilot and making sure the sensors were still running sweeps of the area, La'an gave control over to the ship and sat back, pulling out the PADD she had been using to find any links to Oriana's family.
Seeing a notification on her PADD, La'an furrowed her eyebrows and checked it out. It was a little more information on the Orcaynian system. Nothing new that Christine hadn't already told her. Reading further down, La'an scrolled to the last paragraph and raised her eyebrows.
"Starfleet sent me what they have on the Orcaynian system, and apart from what you've already shared, it's very frowned upon to set foot on any planet without getting permission from the Chancellor," La'an said, showing the PADD to Christine.
"We'll just have to be careful as we pass through their space," Christine replied, turning her head as the door opened.
"I have finished my math. It took like forever and it was so boring," Oriana said, going over to them and standing between the two seats.
"Good job, Oriana," Christine replied, smiling at her. "Do you want to watch that movie now?"
"I do. Anything is better than doing more school work."
"Go pick one and we'll be in in a minute."
Watching as Oriana exited the bridge, La'an let out the breath she was holding. Next to her, Christine got up and put a gentle hand on her shoulder, softly squeezing.
"Come on," Christine said, waiting a moment until she was up before leading them into the living area.
Looking around the living area, La'an noticed that the lights had already been dimmed and a Disney movie was pulled up on the screen. Softly smiling to herself as Oriana pulled out the largest blanket there was and got comfortable under it, she went over to the synthesiser and got them the largest bucket of popcorn there was.
"I'll grab drinks," Christine offered, getting them a bottle of coke each. It was movie time; a little treat certainly wouldn't go astray.
Watching as Christine placed the drinks on the table and sat down next to Oriana, pulling on some of the blanket, La'an sat down on Christine's other side and placed the popcorn next to the drinks.
Feeling surprised when Christine pulled the blanket over a little more and placed it over her lap, La'an got comfortable and watched the screen as the movie began to play, the opening scene of Mulan playing out.
Reaching for the popcorn, La'an took a small handful and passed it along, the bucket ultimately landing on Christine's lap so everyone could reach it. Allowing herself to relax, La'an took a sip of coke and leaned against the back of the couch. It was soft and supportive underneath her, allowing her to slightly sink into the back cushion.
La'an had never seen many Disney movies, but she found herself enjoying Mulan. The storyline and the music captivated her, and as she looked over to Oriana, she noticed she was enthralled in the movie, her eyes not once leaving the screen. Christine was leaning back like she was, their upper arms softly pressed together. If this was any other situation she would have moved away, but she somehow felt comfort in the small touch.
Allowing herself to get lost in the movie, La'an leaned a little closer into Christine and swiped up another handful of popcorn. The movie was almost over, the popcorn was getting low, most of their drinks were gone, and Oriana was resting her head on Christine's arm.
Closing her eyes, La'an realised she hadn't felt this relaxed since she was a young girl. She was always on alert, ready for something to jump out at her, but here, under a warm blanket, Christine pressed against her, Oriana close, she realised she felt safe.
Jumping as the red alert alarm blared through the ship, La'an quickly got to her feet and made her way to the bridge, Christine hot on her heels.
"We're being caught in a level four ion storm," Christine said, her fingers dancing over the controls in front of her. "I've raised shields. So far the damage is only minimal."
"How did we not detect this before getting caught in it?" La'an asked, trying to navigate their way out as the ship began to rock, being trapped in the waves.
"I have no idea, it's like it appeared out of nowhere."
"Are we going to crash or explode?" Oriana asked, her voice panicked as she watched the storm drag them further in.
"We are not. Hold onto something, I'm going to try and get us out of here," La'an said as the ship sharply rocked side to side. La'an could hear Oriana panicking behind her but she needed to get them out, get them to safety.
The turbulence kept on knocking them back and forth as they slowly made their way to the edge of the storm. Hitting a dense spot, La'an heard Oriana scream as the ship rolled twice, the inertial dampeners keeping them from hitting the roof.
Holding tightly onto her console, La'an spared a glance and checked on Oriana. She was pressed up against the back wall, a look of fear on her face, breathing heavily. Christine was still next to her, helping her find their way out. They were so close to the edge and she could see clear space ahead.
Feeling a strong wave push them backward, the console in front of La'an sparked viciously as another wave washed over them, sending her flying backward, out of her seat. Hearing something crack, La'an felt her head shoot sharp pain as her left hand and wrist felt like they were on fire. La'an could hear Christine saying something but everything around her was quickly going dark.