Okay, I know where I'm going with this fic.
But I have no earthly idea how to get there. We may have a few bad chapters…I'm also resorting to flashbacks.
Be kind, yes?
*********
Chase was eating by himself, finally having some peace and quiet. It was midnight and he was only now getting a chance to have supper. All day he'd been mobbed by people asking him what the future was like, what it was like to be Trip Tucker's son, his life's story, what happened to them twenty years from now…the list went on. All of it was agonizing. How could he tell them that his life wasn't all happy and wonderful? How could he tell crewman Cutler that, in his timeline, Orion Razor Karks had killed her while she was trying to liberate a group of slaves?
He couldn't. Instead he had to tell them that thirty years from now, the future was ten times better than it was now, that it was wonderful being Trip Tucker's son and his life was something out of a fairy tale. Cutler even had three kids, a grandchild and a happy marriage. It was almost pleasant to think everything was fine and dandy, rather than what it had been for him…
*
Chase had come home from school, carrying with him a huge contraption, it looked almost like it would be straight out of an old science fiction novel with knobs and buttons and levers all over it. A blazing blue ribbon was pinned to the item, and the boy was grinning like an idiot. He'd run straight from the bus to the door of their two-story home, tripping three times and dropping his invention even more.
He'd torn into the house and straight into the living room, where his parents normally were at this time of day. But they weren't there. Chase's mad dash was only slowed slightly as he looked into his garage to look for his father, before dashing into the kitchen. The sight of his mother stopped him dead in his tracks.
It looked like she almost hadn't gotten out of bed. She was normally very well groomed, always keeping those Vulcan beliefs with her. But today…it just wasn't so. She was sitting at the breakfast nook, a cup of ice-cold green tea in her hands, still in her robe. The boy could tell, even though she didn't look up at him, that her eyes were red and bloodshot.
"Momma? Where's Dad? I got first place for my project!" Worry clouded his mind as he spoke, still somehow retaining his excitement. Maybe she just didn't get enough sleep last night. Yeah, that could cause that ashen look to her normally bright face…
She glanced at her son only for the briefest moment, repressed tears glimmering in her eyes. "He's not here, sweetie. He's not here."
"But…I won! Blue ribbon, see, Momma?" He trotted up a little closer, his grip loosening on his now prized possession. "Dad helped me build it. He helped with the design, and got all the parts I needed. He said that he wanted to see it when I won first prize, 'cause he knew it was gonna win! He's s'posed to be here…"
"Sweetie, he's not here."
The ten-year-old didn't understand. His father was always home when he got out of school, unless there was a meeting or he was stuck at work, and he always told his son if that was going to happen. "But, I got first place. He wanted to see the ribbon he knew I'd get! He's gotta be here."
An angry look blazed in his mother's eyes for the briefest instant, before returning to a dull and grief-stricken haze. She looked away, her voice hushed and almost inaudible as she whispered, "He's gone. Your daddy's never coming back, either."
His invention crashed to the ground.
*
"Can I sit here?" A feminine voice snapped Chase from his daze. He didn't really know how long he'd been staring at those stars whirring by, you could never really tell time in space… He glanced up at the woman talking to him, taking in the sight. Black hair, Asian heritage…
"Hoshi Sato." He stated with finality the moment he remembered who it was -- which didn't take long. Hoshi always had been his favorite out of all his father's friends. Hell, he even had a crush on her all through his teen years. It was his dream to see her when she was his age, perfect for dating. That wasn't going to happen now, though. He had more important business. "Yeah, you can sit here."
She sat across from him, padd and a cheesecake in her hands. "Thanks. I won't bother you too much. Every time I saw you today you had at least one person battering you with questions."
Chase was grateful. But, as he could recall, Hoshi always had been like that around him. Around everyone really. Sensitive, almost attuned to everyone's feelings. At least, she was like that ten and twenty years from now. "Thanks. One more question about how the future turns out and I think I'll kill someone."
"So, how does the future turn out for me?" A mocking look appeared in her soft eyes as she spoke. He'd never seen a humorous side to Ca--Ensign Sato.
"Oh, you go off and marry and alien. You were killed in some ritual after you had your first son. The entire tribe actually ate you, everything but your heart and fingernails. Those they gave to the fertility god. I hear there were twelve babies born in the tribe that year. You're a legend on that planet." He jested back, feeling glad to finally be able to relax. Take his mind off his father; take his mind off what he'd come to Enterprise to do.
Hoshi forked a piece of cheesecake into her mouth before chuckling. God, she looks gorgeous, a stray thought ran across his mind. Her words managed to chase it away. "I always wanted to go down in history." She said, before her voice took a sudden and serious turn, "You know, I haven't seen you with Trip at all. I bet he has questions of his own, probably more than just if he's rich and famous in thirty years."
Probably not. Reality rushed back to him. "I just haven't gotten time to even look at engineering, let alone visit with people. I have to spend a lot of my time hiding out."
She didn't look convinced, but didn't say another word. For several long minutes, she sat there, reading through the padd. Chase tried desperately to think of something else that could make it sound like he really was busy, and that he just couldn't poke his head out into the questioning mobs to see his father. But he couldn't think of a good argument. Finally, she got up to leave.
"Thanks for letting me sit here, Chase. I'll see you later."
"Wait." He had to get one last question in. "Is…Is my father a good friend?"
Hoshi paused, glancing curiously at the man before she nodded. "He's one of the best. He sticks up for me, is Archer's best friend. He even managed to get Malcolm to come out of his shell a little bit." She smiled, "So yes, he's a good friend. 'Night Chase."
And she left him. He sat alone in the dimmed mess hall, staring out into the stars as he, for the first time, doubted why he had come to see his father. He ignored the feeling of uncertainty rising up in him, returning to his food. Hoshi was lying, he believed, she just wanted to make Trip out to be a good guy in front of his son. Yeah, that was it…