Disclaimer: Paramount owns them. I do not.

Binary Stars

"How was school, Miral?" asked Tom. The best thing about his test-piloting job was that he could work just the hours Miral was in school. Of course, before she went to school, his mother had been more than happy to babysit.

"Fine," she answered, biting into her cheese-and-cracker sandwich. She sounded about as far from fine as an eight-year-old could get.

"You don't sound fine."

She took a long drink of milk before answering. "Tina's daddy left. She woke up this morning and he was gone and her mommy was crying."

"That must be very hard for her." Even now, it was difficult for B'Elanna to talk about her own father's betrayal. That was something that ran deep, he knew.

"Yeah. I let her have my brownie at lunch."

"You're a very good friend, Miral." He remembered Tina, who had come over to visit two weeks before. She was a lively, spirited girl- much like his Miral. "Are you sad for her?" Something was wrong, and he didn't think she'd told him the whole story.

Quite suddenly, his daughter burst into tears and flung herself into his lap. "Promise me you'll never, ever, ever leave!"

Well, there was the root of the problem. "I'm not going anywhere, squirt."

"Promise?"

"Cross my heart." This pacified Miral somewhat. "Why'd you think I might leave?"

"Tina said her mommy and daddy fought, and he had to sleep on the couch sometimes." Oh. Just the night before last B'Elanna had sent him to sleep on the couch, although they'd made up the next morning. "I don't want you to leave, Daddy. Even if you and Mommy fight, don't leave." This reminded him of the conversation he and B'Elanna had in Sickbay on Voyager, when she was afraid he'd leave like her father had.

"Now, squirt, I already promised I'm not going anywhere. Your mom and I do fight sometimes, but we love each other very much. She's one of the two best things that's ever happened to me."

"What's the other one?"

"You." She smiled, and he could see the hole where her loose tooth had come out (with a little help from B'Elanna) that morning.

"So you're not leaving?"

"Nope. You and Mommy are stuck with me."

"Even if you fight?"

"Yep."

"Does Mommy know this?"

"Yes she does, squirt. The two of us are kind of like binary stars." She gave him a blank look. "Have they taught you about binary stars yet?"

"Of course they have, Daddy."

"Alright, then. Sometimes binary stars get in each other's way, and then- fireworks. But overall, they're more beautiful together than they are apart."

"You're not making any sense."

So much for analogies. "What I'm saying is that sometimes Mommy and I fight, but that's okay, because we love each other. And we love you. Nobody's going anywhere, squirt." She smiled again. "Unless, of course, we go together. Mommy and I thought that we could go to the Boston Aquarium this weekend." They were going to wait and tell her after dinner, but now seemed an appropriate time.

"Really? Can we stop at Freddie's and get watermelon ice cream?"

"I don't see why not, but I don't think Mommy will get watermelon." B'Elanna liked watermelon ice cream about as much as she liked Romulans.

"No, Mommy never gets watermelon. She always gets something boring like strawberry or vanilla. But that's okay, because I like it enough for both of us."

"That's my girl. Are you ready to start your homework now?"

"Yes, but I don't see why I need to know how to solve all these math problems. Can't I just tell the computer and have it solve them for me?"

"You could, but what would you do if the computer was broken?"

She frowned. "Mommy would fix it."

"Nice try, squirt. Go practice your math. I'm going to read over some information for work." As she scurried off, he smiled.

"More beautiful together than we are apart, huh, flyboy?" B'Elanna must have gotten out of work early.

"Much more beautiful." He tossed the padd aside, kissed her, and added, "and more fun."

"I'm glad you think so."

"While we're on the topic of solar systems, don't you think binary stars need more than one planet?"

"Do you want to try again?"

"Nope."

"What?" Now he was confused. They'd given up trying for another child last year, but now she was talking about it again. Cryptically.

"No need to try. In September, our son will be born. I just got back from seeing the Doctor." She smiled at his amazement and joy.

"I love you," he said simply, before kissing her. Then, after the kiss, he looked at her stomach. "And you too."

Miral, having heard her mother's voice, came back in time to see that. "Daddy, why are you talking to Mommy's stomach?"

B'Elanna's laughter rang throughout the house.