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Part 15

"I guess by the looks of things, Hoshi isn't going to be gracing us with her presence," Archer said as he glanced around his bridge twenty minutes into the shift.

"Perhaps it would be advisable to contact the ensign to confirm that," T'Pol said.

"I'll check on'em. I need ta go back ta engineerin' anyways," Trip volunteered.

He and Jon locked eyes for a moment and Trip noticed a mischievous glint in the Captain's eyes.

"Go on then," Archer prompted and Trip left.

The commander broke into Sato's quarters again for the second time in twenty four hours and waited a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dark. He had to work at not laughing when he heard the music that was playing but he succeeded in not making a sound. He crept around until he found the two, both still asleep and he let a crooked smile break loose on his face. He turned off the music and threw a blanket over them before leaving again.

"Tucker to Archer," Trip called up to the bridge as soon as he was out of Hoshi's quarters.

"Go ahead Trip," he said.

"I can tell you fer certain that Hoshi won't be comin' to the bridge any time soon, sir," he said with a bit of a smile.

"Everything alright down there?"

"Fine sir," Trip said, hoping for no more questions.

There was a pause as Archer thought about reasons why Hoshi wouldn't be coming and figured it out quickly.

"Thanks Trip," he said. "Bridge out."

Trip sighed as he headed back to engineering and realized that he was gonna have that stupid song that was playing stuck in his head all day.

"Hoshi? Hoshi!" Hallee called from the other room.

"What?" she asked as she rolled over in bed, enjoying the warmth.

"Why is it still night out side?" she asked, her face pressed to the glass.

"It's always night out here."

"Oh. Are we up in Alaska then?" Hallee asked.

She had read, well been read, that it was night all the time in the winter in Alaska.

"Alaska?" Hoshi asked as she sat up. "We're not in Alaska."

"Oh. Then where are we?"

"In space, on Enterprise," she said as she got up. Hallee took a moment to process this.

"I don't wanna be here any more!" she wailed as she ran and grabbed onto Hoshi. "We need to go back!"

"Hallee, I told you, we don't know how to get you back yet."

"No! We need to go to your home! I don't wanna be on a space ship! I don't wanna be blowed up!" she wailed.

"Hey, we're not going to blow up. Nothing's gonna happen," she tried to convince Hallee.

"It will! I saw it! I saw it on TV! I saw the Columbia get blowed up! We're gonna get blowed up too!" she said, starting to become hysterical.

Hoshi wrapped her arms around the poor kid as she tried to figure out what she was going on about.

"Don't forget to breathe," Ensign Sato said as she processed things over and she couldn't think of anything. "I think we better go see Captain Archer a little early," Hoshi said as she let go of Hallee and got up.

"You can't leave me!"

"Get dressed, you'll be fine, I'll be right back," she assured Hallee as she gave her the only clothes that fit her and pushed her back towards the bedroom.

While she was getting ready as well, Sato ran a search in the computer system for something that would help her out with this Columbia blowing up.

"Hallee, we're not going to blow up," she said after she had read about the space craft that had exploded on re-entry in the early 21st century.

"Yes we are!" she called.

"No we're not. Enterprise is a lot better than the Columbia was. Besides, we've got Trip, he'll make sure we don't blow up." Silence filled the quarters for a while.

"I don't believe you!"

"Well, let's go talk to Trip then," she said as she shut off the screen and stood up.

Hallee sighed and stomped over to Hoshi, still not believing a word she said. Hallee couldn't get the images of the Columbia blowing up out of her head and nothing Hoshi would tell her would change her mind about their safety.

T'Pol raised an eyebrow in surprise as she entered the captain's private dining room. She found Captain Archer patiently explaining something to Hallee as she sat on his lap. Ensign Sato was listening to the Captain as she scratched Porthos, who was sitting on her lap.

"Is Trip gonna tell me the same thing about not being blowed up?" Hallee asked.

"Maybe not the exact same thing, but it will be pretty close," Archer told her as he shut off the computer screen.

"Oh," she said as she thought about what he had told her.

Hallee slid off of Archer knee when she saw T'Pol and hasty ran over to Hoshi. Porthos jumped down in surprise and sat himself by Hallee, his new favorite person, right after Jon.

"You're early T'Pol," Archer commented as he stood.

"I can return at a more appropriate time if you wish," she said.

"No, no, now is fine," he said as he came over to the table. "Go ahead and stay with her," he told Porthos who stood, but hesitated to leave Hallee.

Porthos sat back down and wagged his tail after hearing Jon.

"And here I was worried 'bout bein' too early," Trip said as he slid into the room.

Commander Tucker ruffled Hallee's hair as he walked past her to his seat.

"Hey!" she said as she gave him a push on his way by before brushing her hair back out of her face with her hands.

Hallee sighed and found her seat and picked up the menu, hoping to see something she recognized as Porthos took his place at her feet, hoping that there would be under the table hand outs for him.

"I don't know what any of this is," Hallee whispered to Hoshi after she had stared at the menu for a while.

None of the words on the menu jumped out at her.

"What do you usually have for lunch?" she asked.

"I don't want a sandwich." Hoshi looked at her for a minute.

"Then what do you want?"

"I can have anything?"

"No candy, cake, cookies or other junk food," Trip called, having heard this trap.

"Or chocolate," Archer threw in.

Hallee sunk into her chair a little when Archer spoke. He was an okay guy, but she wasn't sure how to act around T'Pol yet. Hallee got up on her knees and whispered to Hoshi.

"Well, order that then," she said.

"Really?"

"Why not?" Hoshi asked.

Hallee thought about that for a minute.

"Yeah, why not?" she said as she sat back down.

"Yummy," Hallee gleefully replied when the food was delivered.

She wasn't sure about some of the things people had ordered, but she was happy with her?s.

"How can ya eat that?" Trip asked her with a smile.

"I was gonna ask you the same thing," Hallee replied after looking at his plate.

Everyone but T'Pol laughed. When lunch was over, the questions started. Hallee answered as best she could, but soon had enough.

"I . . .I don't know! I just don't know! I don't want to do this anymore! I wanna go home!" she wailed when had enough.

The questions were being asked too hasty and she didn't know the answers anymore. Archer and T'Pol stopped after Hallee's outburst. Porthos stood up and jumped on her chair with her.

"I wanna go," she told Hoshi as she looked at her.

"Hallee?"

"I WANNA GO NOW!" the young girl shrieked.

"Come on then," Trip said as he stood and walked over to Hallee, taking her hand. "We'll be back in a bit," he said as he led her out of the room.

When they had left, Trip asked her, "What was that all about?"

Hallee wiped her nose on her sleeve.

"There were too many questions! I didn't know the answers and they just kept askin'," she moaned.

She sniffled and looked up at him. "I'm not in trouble am I?" she asked.

"Well, maybe a bit fer the yellin'," he said.

"I didn't know how else to make 'em listen to me," she said as she stopped, Porthos by her side. Trip stopped too and bent down to her level.

"Well, we're gonna have to work on makin' you heard, aren't we?"

"Yellin' works fine at home. I'm the smallest, I have to be the loudest," she told him, Trip laughed. "It's not funny!" she told him, hands on her hips. Porthos barked in agreement with Hallee.

"Alright, alright," he said in defeat. "Well, do you wanna go back and say yer sorry for yellin' or go fer a walk?" She sighed.

"Go for a walk," the girl answered and took Trip's hand in her's.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the remaining dinners after Trip had led Hallee out of the room with Porthos on her heels. Archer cleared his throat a little and Hoshi shifted nervously in her seat, her face definitely a few shades darker than usual. T'Pol sat in her place looking as calm and collected as ever.

"There was no need for an out burst like that," T'Pol commented. "It was highly?

"Irrational and illogical?" Archer asked.

"Precisely," T'Pol responded as she quirked an eye brow.

"That's how children are, especially the little ones. Relax Hoshi," Archer told her as he looked over at her.

Sato looked at him and began to offer an apology. "Don't worry about it. The smaller kids are, the louder they tent to be out of necessity, particularly when they're the youngest," Archer finished.

Hoshi smiled a little, remembering a friend of hers who was always yelling to be heard over her brothers.

"Interesting," T'Pol remarked.

"Well, kids are never boring at least," he said.

Sato and Archer chuckled. Then the door opened and Porthos bounded in.

"Go on then," they heard Trip say.

"No, and you can't make me!" a little girl screamed.

"Wanna bet?" Trip asked.

A few moments later, Trip came in carrying the girl like a sack of potatoes. He looked serious.

"I can too," he informed her.

Hallee glared at him before shuffling her feet and getting out a mumbled apology. Sato tried not to laugh as she watched the show. Trip smiled, satisfied with the apology, before sitting and having a drink.

The young girl sighed and climbed into her chair, fully expecting the questions to start again.

"Well," Jon started before T'Pol could. "I think I've had enough questions for a while."

Hallee looked up at him, surprised to hear that.

"Well, maybe one more," he said with a smile. "Have you ever seen a game of water polo?"

"What?" Hallee asked.

"If you wouldn't mind me borrowing her for a bit?" Archer asked, a new plan already forming.

"Go ahead," Hoshi said. "As long as you want to go," she told Hallee.

"Yeah, let's go," she said as she slid out of her chair. "Come on Porthos," she called.

The little beagle stretched before heading over to her and stopping at her side. The two looked at Jon before he got up.

"I guess we'll see you all later," he said as he led Hallee to his quarters to use water polo as a distraction to get some answers.

"Thank you, so much," Hoshi told Trip after everyone had left. "I thought I was going to die."

"Why? Cause some kid had a temper tantrum?" Trip asked. She laughed as she thought about it.

"I guess not, but still, in front of the captain and T'Pol? I think I felt my heart stop!" He laughed. She was so melodramatic when she wanted to be.
"It's not funny," she said.

"Sure it is!" Tucker explained. "Yer all mortified 'cause some kid you barely know yelled at yer commandin' officer."

Sato looked at him, not getting the point.

"What Hallee does has nothin' to do with you Hoshi," he said. "She hasn't even been here for a day yet."

Hoshi sighed as she and Trip parted ways. She hated it when he was right.

"Are you bored?" an exasperated Arched asked Hallee when he noticed she was giggling and playing with Porthos more than she was listening to him.

"Ummm . . ."she said as she looked up at him. "Maybe a little."

He sighed. He hadn't gotten many answers out of her.

"Well, I think Porthos is bored, too." Porthos jumped up and barked, heading for the door. "How does a walk sound?" he asked the two of them.

"Yeah!" said Hallee as she jumped up. Porthos barked again and wagged his tail.

Jon sighed; not only did he have an ornery puppy to deal with, he now had a 4-year-old that was completely in sync with this ornery puppy.

"Well, go on then," he said as he opened the door. Porthos took off like a shot, Hallee took off after the dog with a shriek and a sighing Archer jogged after them

"Oof!" Hallee said as she tripped over Porthos when he came to a stop suddenly. She looked up and saw some one she hadn't met yet and he didn't look happy to see her. She swallowed hard as she stood up quickly and turned to go the other way, running into the captain as she did so. She stayed behind him once he came to a stop.

"Malcolm," Archer said as he looked at him.

"Sir," he said as he took one more glance at Hallee, who was keeping an eye on him from behind Archer's legs. "The reports you wanted," he said as he handed the PADDs to him. Archer thanked him and asked if there was anything else.
"Actually, I'd just like to remind you about the policy towards running in the hallways."

"Oops," Hallee said from her hiding spot, knowing it was hers and Porthos' fault for running.

"I'll keep that in mind," Archer said.

"Thank you, sir," Reed said as he turned on his heel and left, throwing one last backwards glance towards the little redhead who kept peaking out at him.

After the encounter with Reed, Archer quickly led Porthos and Hallee to an empty cargo bay. "Have fun," he told her as he handed her a ball he kept in here for Porthos.
"Come on Porthos!" she called as she started running to the far end of the bay.

Dinner went better for both Hallee and Hoshi that night. With Trip there to keep Hallee laughing, she actually ate most of her meal and Hoshi had time to regroup her patience and courage in preparation for bed time.

Feeling that she had been asked a question, she asked, "What?"

"When do we get to watch movies again?" Hallee asked.

"Next Tuesday," she said, wondering what they're supply of G rated movies looked like.

"Oh. Tuesday's the only movie night?" she asked as she finished off her hot dog.

"Yeah," Hoshi said, still distracted by her thoughts.

Hallee and Trip snickered a bit. She looked at the two.

"I'll be right back," she said as she got up and left the table.

Hallee watched her go before taking a look around the mess deck.

"It's him again," Hallee whispered when she saw Malcolm walk in.

"Who?" Trip asked.

"Him," she said as she pointed. "I don't think he likes me."

"Ah, who wouldn't like you darlin'?" Trip asked.

"Him!" she said a little more forcefully as she pointed one last time.

"Malcolm? He's not a bad guy," Tucker told her.

"He caught me an' Porthos runnin' in the hallway and I tripped over Porthos when he stopped real fast," Hallee said.

She lowered her voice for the end part. No one wanted to admit that they had tripped over a dog, especially when you were four. Trip laughed but regained his composure in when Hallee shot him a look.

"Wanna say hello?" he asked.

"No!" Hallee said quickly, horrified at the idea.

It was too late though, Tucker had already called him over. While the two men talked, Hallee looked around for Hoshi to take her home but she couldn't find her. Hallee spotted her talking to some officer she didn't know. The little girl decided that there were too many people between her and Hoshi and she wouldn't risk trying to get over there, so she just started to shrink down in her chair.

"Where are you goin'?" Trip asked her when he noticed she was starting to disappear.

"Nowhere," she sighed as she sat up again.

"Lieutenant Reed, meet Hallee. Hallee, meet Lieutenant Reed," Trip said.

Malcolm and Hallee just looked at each other.

"Hi," she finally said.

"Hello," he said.

The two looked intently at each other for a while.

"I'll try to remember not to run in the hall ways any more. Unless it's super important," she told him.

"That's a good plan," Reed told her. "If you two will excuse me," he said as he left to go get his own diner. Hallee watched him go.

"Bye!" she called.

"He still doesn't like me," she said to Trip as she sat down again. Trip just smiled and shook his head.

In a darkened room on a ship, an alien slammed his fist into a console. "Where is the child?" he demanded. "She should have arrived by now!"

The other in the room shrunk away from the commander. It would be his life if they did not find the child, a human girl, soon. He had calculated the location to a continent on an uninhabited planet and the time to with in a few days.

"I am unsure," he got out when he saw the eyes turn on him. "She should be here. I reviewed the calculations numerous times before I even presented the idea to you," he said, trying to stay alive.

The commander smashed around the room before he clamed down.

"We will wait a little longer. Even with the technology we have, time travel is imprecise," he said as he turned to leave the room. "Go over the calculations again and be certain of the location and time, Nionim. I am not a patient man," he said as he continued on his way out of the room.

Noinim let out a breath he had been holding. The two of them had been working on this for a long time and many lives had been lost to gain the information from the Humans about this child's arrival and the secrets her cells held. Many more had been lost trying to secure the technology to change the events of her disappearance to suit their needs.