Hiya!! Two chapters at once!! Aren't you lucky?
I've uploaded these two chapters together for a reason. I've decided not to write about the first year of Celeste's life, because it would be very difficult to write, and probably very boring for you to read.
Instead, the cavalry has arrived! At this time, on the planet, Malcolm and Hoshi are raising Celeste. She is just over one year old.
Slight spoilers for season two's Minefield and season three's Zero hour. They're nothing major, but if you haven't seen them, what's written here could take some of the fun out of it.
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Enterprise
"Trip, we will reach the planet in ten minutes" Jon spoke into the comm. link to launch bay two as he paced his ready room. T'Pol watched him with one raised brow, but said nothing about his agitation. "Is the shuttle ready?"
"Yes sir. Jolan and I are just finishing the pre-flight check-list now." Trip's voice rang out over the comm.
"Excellent. Notify Ensign Mayweather. Tell him to meet me there in five minutes. Archer out."
"Archer to Sickbay"
"Phlox here Captain."
"We're launching in ten minutes. Meet us in launch bay two.
"Understood Captain."
"Archer out."
Jon switched off the comm. unit and turned to T'Pol.
"Because of the time difference we will only be gone a few minutes. It we are not back in fifteen minutes, I want you to leave. Do not attempt a rescue. The landing will be treacherous enough. I won't endanger more of my crew."
"Acknowledged Captain."
Jon turned to go, but T'Pol's hand on his arm stayed him.
"Jon, be careful." She told him. "It would... distress me greatly if something was to happen to you."
"Don't worry. I'll be fine." Jon kissed lips her lightly. "See you soon" he told her, and left the ready room.
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When he reached the launch bay, he was greeted by Trip and Jolan. Travis was in the cockpit already, re-checking systems. Phlox was strapping himself into a seat behind him.
"We're all set Cap'n" Trip informed him as Jon surveyed the shuttle craft. They had re-enforced the structure according to Jolan's suggestions, and uploaded new programs into the navi-computer. "We're ready for lift off."
"Alright. Trip, I'm going to have to ask you to stay here."
"What?" Trip practically shouted. "Malcolm and Hoshi are two of my best friends. You can't expect me to stay here."
"Trip" Jon pulled him to one side "The landing will be dangerous. We've already lost one shuttle in this atmosphere. If we loose another shuttle, the remainder of the command crew cannot be on it. I need you here in case the worst happens."
Trip could see the logic in Jon's argument. That didn't mean he had to like it.
"You've been spending too much time with T'Pol if you can come up with a logical argument like that" he grumbled. Jon laughed softly at his friend's pretended petulance, and clapped him on the shoulder.
"God willing, we'll only be gone a few minutes." He said and turned to climb into the shuttle pod. Travis greeted him as he strapped himself into his seat. Once the door was closed, Travis started the engine.
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They approached the planet carefully. Travis' eyes were fixed on the controls. Jon sat beside him, trying to scan past the atmosphere. It was no use. They would have to fly blindly into the atmosphere, relying only on Travis' reflexes and abilities and the limited data that Jolan had been able to provide.
The shuttle began to shake violently and veer widely off course as they began their descent. Travis gripped the controls as if trying to stabilize the ship through sheer force of will. Miraculously, it seemed to work. The shaking subsided and they returned to their original vector.
It took a long time for the shuttle to break through the atmosphere, and by the end of that time, both Phlox and Jolan were clutching the arm-rests of their chairs. Jon was trying not to show his fear, and hid his shaking hands. Travis breathed a sigh of relief when they finally entered the planet's lower stratosphere.
Jon immediately began scanning for life-signs and traces of the shuttle. For several disheartening minutes, there was no trace of either. A soft bleep caught Jon's attention, and he refocused the scanners to one small land mass. Yes; there was the shuttle craft. He ordered Travis to land near the shuttle.
It was night on the part of the planet they had landed on. Travis set down about fifty feet from the shuttle, and bounded out after Jon, who had jumped out as soon as they had landed. Phlox and Jolan disembarked at a more subdued pace. Truthfully, Jolan was dreading it. If Captain Archer's crewmen were dead, then he was worried that they would take it out on him. He had no knowledge of this species, and had no clue how they react to grief.
He approached the shuttle with trepidation. The Captain and Ensign Mayweather were standing pointing at the shuttle. 'Well, no bodies yet' Jolan thought. 'That's a plus' He came to stand beside the Captain. There was writing on the hull, but Jolan could not read it.
"What does it say?" he asked.
"It says 'Gone East" Travis replied. "Which means..."
"There is at least one survivor" Jon finished for him. Jolan breathed a little easier after hearing that.
"Sir" Travis said as he scanned the area, "I'm detecting no life signs in the immediate vicinity. But... wait..." He stopped talking, and started jogging towards the trees. Phlox, Jon and Jolan followed him, and almost ran into him when Travis stopped abruptly and knelt down in the ground.
He was staring at a mound of earth. Above it was placed a small wooden plaque
"Ensign Jack Keith Martins.
Born on the Planet Earth in 2132.
Died on September 25, 2155.
He saved us."
The Starfleet insignia was carved above these. It was a beautiful peace, and obviously took someone a lot of time and effort.
A single tear ran down Travis' cheek. Jack was a good friend of his. Jon rested his hand on the younger mans shoulder in commiseration. Blinking back further tears, Travis stood, and said
"I can grieve later. It looks like Hoshi and the Lieutenant survived. We have to find them."
Jolan spoke then. "There is a shelter about seventy miles to the east. They may have found that. We should head there."
Jon nodded his agreement and they all returned to the shuttle pod. Travis was unusually, but understandably silent as he piloted the shuttle east. Jolan was tapping co-ordinates into the computer.
"There is a small clearing about two miles form the shelter" he told them. "We can land there and make our way on foot."
Jon had been silent for some time, but finally voiced his thoughts.
"You said that there is a breed of predator on one small continent. Is this it?"
Jolan sighed. It was probably best to answer truthfully.
"Yes Captain. Unfortunately it is. But if we arm ourselves, we should be alright, even though they are nocturnal."
"Travis, any life signs?" Jon asked, trying to keep his temper in check.
"No sir. But we are entering into an area of intense storm activity. That could be disrupting our sensors." Silence. 'Sir, coming up on the clearing."
"Acknowledged Ensign."
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Malcolm came up behind Hoshi who was staring out the window at the storm raging outside. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. She rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes.
"Is Celeste asleep?" she asked him.
"Yes, finally." Malcolm answered. "That kid has so much energy; I don't know where she gets it."
Hoshi laughed and looked out at the storm. Wait... were those lights? No, they couldn't be. It was probably just lightning.
"Were those lights?" Malcolm asked, surprising her. Before she could answer, a rapid beeping filled the room. Hoshi and Malcolm looked at each other in surprise, until realization dawned.
The early warning system! Something was coming their way!
Malcolm checked the scanner. Because of the storm, it couldn't tell how many beings were moving towards them, but something was out there. He got two plasma rifles out of the chest, and handed one to Hoshi.
"I'm going to check it out" he told her. "Take this just in case."
"Wait! Why are you the one going out there? What about your leg?"
"Hoshi, I'm an armoury officer. I've been trained at this all my life. This is what I do. As much as your aim has improved, mine is still better. Besides, I'm not risking either of you." He kissed her lightly, and then kissed her stomach. Hoshi was pregnant again, and though her stomach was still flat, Malcolm insisted on kissing it whenever he left her side.
They had been happy here. They both doted on their daughter, and spoiled her rotten whenever they could. They often thought of Enterprise and her crew, but consoled themselves with the fact that they had each other. That was why Hoshi didn't want Malcolm going out. She couldn't loose him!! Before Hoshi could protest, he ran out into the storm.
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Jolan led the small group as they trudged through the trees. They were clothed in wet weather gear, but it did little to keep them dry in the storm. They were just under half a mile from the shelter, when suddenly a voice rang out
"Stop right there."
It came from behind them, and they turned around slowly. Jon was surprised to see Malcolm standing there, a plasma rifle in his hands. It was trained on them. But, it was not the same man that had left Enterprise on that supply mission two days previously. His hair was longer, and he had several days growth of a beard on his chin. Also, two deep scars ran down one cheek, and he seemed to be favouring his right leg.
"Who are you?" Malcolm asked, his grip on the rifle never wavering.
"Malcolm..." Jon said, stepping forward and pulling his hood from his head. "It Captain Archer."
Malcolm went a little pale, but didn't lower the rifle.
"Impossible" he retorted. "Enterprise was destroyed. If it wasn't they would have come for us by now."
"Malcolm, it is me" Jon insisted. "Listen, I can prove it. On the Xindi weapon, you kept trying to get me to leave, but I wouldn't." Seeing Malcolm wasn't convinced, he tried again. "When you were trapped by the Romulan mine, you tried to kill yourself to save the ship by pulling out your oxygen tube, but I connected you to mine." He saw Malcolm's grip waver slightly. "Before that, I had invited you to breakfast in the Captains Mess. You told me that you didn't approve of familiarity between officers. Trust me. It's a long story Lieutenant, but we've come to take you home."
That finally got through to him. He lowered his rifle and Jon stepped forward. "It's good to see you sir" Malcolm said as Jon hugged him briefly. Travis pulled back his hood, and the two friends embraced also. Malcolm greeted Phlox with a huge smile. Jolan stepped forward.
"Malcolm" Jon began. "Let me introduce Jolan. He led us here. Without him, we wouldn't have found you for a lot longer."
"It is a pleasure to meet you Lieutenant Reed. I have heard much about you."
"Hello. And thank you. If you led the Captain here, then we owe you. Hoshi and I.... Hoshi." He stopped, and realization dawned. They were truely getting off Terra. "Come on" he told the others and set off at a run through the trees. Jon noticed that he wasn't as fast as he used to be, and Phlox noticed that a limp became apparent after a few minutes running. They reached the tree line and they started up the hill towards the house.
Malcolm got ahead of them as he was more used to running up the steep hill. When he reached the top, he yelled "Hoshi!!"
Jon came over the top of the hill to see Hoshi standing at the door. Malcolm was telling her something and she looked at him, then at the away team. She flung her arms around Malcolm's neck and yelled for joy. They she ran to Jon and proceeded to squeeze him in a tight hug. She did the same to Travis, Phlox, even Jolan (who looked very surprised at this)
She dragged them all inside and they took off their wet weather gear. Jon looked around. The house was small, but comfortable and inviting. A bright fire flamed in the grate, giving off much needed heat. Malcolm was sitting on a couch, rubbing his hair dry with a towel. Hoshi sat next to him after handing them towels of their own.
"So" she began "How did you find us? What took so long? I have so many questions."
Jon took a deep breath, and began the explanation. Hoshi and Malcolm were silent the whole way through, and when he was finished, they didn't move or speak for a full minute.
"You mean, we've only been here nine hours?" Hoshi whispered. "Tell me this is a joke" she begged.
"I'm afraid not Hosh" Travis said.
Suddenly, she burst out into laughter. Everyone, including Malcolm, looked at her askance. Eventually, she regained enough control to sing the line
"What a difference a day makes..."
Malcolm laughed and joined in
"Twenty four little hours". (A/N Hence the name of the fiction.) He then collapsed into hysterical laughter.
Once they calmed down, Hoshi turned to Malcolm and asked him
"Do they know about us?" Except, she was speaking in Japanese, which Malcolm was now fluent in, along with twelve other languages. She knew that neither Jon, Travis nor Phlox spoke it.
They all looked very surprised indeed when Malcolm answered her in Japanese
"No. I didn't have the chance. I just turned and ran to tell you that they were here."
"So they don't know about Celeste either?"
"No. I'll go get her."
"No. I'll go. You stay and rest you leg." She stood up. "I know it's hurting you after running like a madman. Get Phlox to have a look at it."
With that, she turned and went into another room.
"Since when do you speak Japanese?" Jon asked Malcolm.
"Sir, we've been here over two years. We had to do something to pass the time. Hoshi can now arm and disarm torpedos and stuff, at least in theory. It was a trade."
Jon and Travis exchanged amused glances.
"Two years and all you've done is talk about work Malcolm?" Jon asked amused. "I thought you liked her."
"Even the Captain knew you liked me?" Hoshi called from the next room, laughing. Jon and Travis looked shocked.
"She really does have excellent hearing Captain." Malcolm explained. "How do you think I got these scars?" He gestured to his face. "Besides, we've done a bit more than that sir."
Hoshi appeared in the door, carrying a sleepy Celeste. She was rubbing her eyes and making little whimpering noises. Jon and Travis were absolutely dumbstruck. All they could do was stare at the dark headed beauty in fromt of them. she had her mothers complexion and her fathers eyes. Phlox was highly amused. Jolan looked confused, but said nothing.
Hoshi sat down beside Malcolm. Automatically, Celeste reached out her arms for her daddy. Malcolm took her and settled her on his lap.
"Sir" he said to the Captain, whose eyes were bulging out of his head in shock. "This is Celeste Anna Reed. Our daughter." Travis' expression mirrored the Captains. Phlox beamed at them
"Congratulations." He said to them. "If I may?" he asked inquiringly, holding up a scanner. They nodded their consent and Phlox came over to them. Celeste, who had only ever seen Malcolm and Hoshi, only saw an unfamiliar face, and began crying... loudly. Phlox complete his scan quickly and Malcolm stood up and began to pace, trying to sooth his child. His leg buckled slightly underneath him, and he had to grab the back of a chair for support.
Hoshi quickly stood and took Celeste from him. The loud crying seemed to shake Jon and Travis from their stupor. Travis looked around the room again, and noticed small things that he hadn't noticed before; a pile of children's building blocks in one corner, a cloth doll under the table, tiny, baby size clothes on the back of a chair. They all pointed to a child living there, only they hadn't seen it. He noticed Malcolm limping painfully towards the couch again, as did the Captain.
"What happened to your leg Lieutenant?" Jon asked, concerned.
"We were attacked by several creatures." he told the Captain. "I got bitten and then slashed by its claws. I'm fine now though."
"That is so not what happened Malcolm" Hoshi retorted, rocking a now-whimpering child. "I was angry after out fight, and I ran out into the woods" she explained to Jon. "I got attacked, but Malcolm saved me. He pushed me out of the way and took the full brunt of the attack himself. He almost died. I did the best I could with his injuries, but his leg was a mess."
Phlox quickly scanned Malcolm's leg before he could complain, eliciting a smile from Hoshi. He studied his readings for a minute. "There is nothing here I can't mend Lieutenant. I have the equipment in sickbay. We'll have you fixed up in no time when we get back to Enterprise."
Hoshi sat down beside Malcolm. "Enterprise. I can't believe it."
"I know. We're getting off Terra" Malcolm put an arm around his family. Celeste had decided that their visitors weren't compelling enough to hold her interest, and had gone back to sleep. A long-ago conversation came back to Malcolm.
"You know, we're getting off here tomorrow. What was it you said all those months ago? We'll head to the..."
"Nearest Church and become one under the eyes of God and the law. I remember. You planning to make an honest woman out of me Lieutenant?" Hoshi teased.
"Hell yeah!" Hoshi grinned at his enthusiastic response, and kissed him. They suddenly remembered that they had company, and both broke apart, blushing under the grins of the rest of the room.
"I take it you're engaged" Jon grinned.
"Well, yes sir" Malcolm replied. "And we don't care about the difference of ranks. We don't care if that's a problem..."
"I doubt it will be Lieutenant" Jon's grin became even wider.
Hoshi suddenly said something in Japanese again. Malcolm nodded and she turned to Jon.
"Sir. I just had a thought. Would you officiate our wedding ceremony?" she asked him. Jon was truly touched. He had known Hoshi for years, and looked on her as a little sister.
"I'd be honoured Hoshi." he told her. "When we get back to Enterprise, we'll work on it. There's no sense leaving now. Tonight, we'll sleep here.
Tomorrow, we'll bring you home."
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(A/N I don't own the song mentioned in this fanfic and I gain no profit from mentioning it here.)
So, what do you think?
Did I tell you I can see the future?
I can see you pressing the purple button....
Push it....
Go on...
LL
