"Papa?" Five year old Nakita Chekov was solemn, thoughtful. "We need to talk."

"Oh?" Chekov asked, laying aside the papers he had been grading. She climbed up into his now empty lap. "What about, pet?"

"About school." Nakita informed him seriously. "I don't think you should make me go anymore."

"And why not?" Chekov asked, trying to hide a smile. He was unsuccessful, and the little girl gave him a reproving look.

"Because I already know it." She told him. "I can already read, I can already count. I know my colors, my shapes, and my alphabet in English and Russian. Music class is just singing, and we do that at home. Art class is just drawing, and I do that at home too. Gym is just running around and throwing balls at each other and that kind of stuff, and we get plenty of exercise here, too. So there's just no reason for me to go to school, you see."

Chekov frowned thoughtfully. "You need to learn to get along with people, Nakita. School is also about learning to socialize with others."

She considered this. "I get along with Demora, and Uncle Hikaru, and Nyota. Besides, they're all kids at school. All they want to do is play princess or wedding."

"The law says that you have to go to school." Chekov informed her.

"I know." She groaned. "But I was thinking, and I figured out what to do. You could teach me!" Her eyes lit up. "You already do anyway."

Chekov sighed. "I also work, sweetheart. I teach at the Academy while you're at school, remember?"

Nakita sighed. "Oh yeah." She said sheepishly. "I forgot. I could come to work with you." She suggested hopefully.

"You need to be around other children your age." Chekov insisted. "You need to learn to interact with all different types of people, because in life you have to live and work and deal with different types of people."

Nakita sighed again. "Okay, okay, I'll go to school. One condition." She held up her finger to demonstrate.

"What?" He asked nervously.

"I wanna meet Spock."

Chekov just looked at her for a minute. "I can't make any promises, pet, but I'll try. If you go to school and do your work and try to stay out of trouble."

"Deal." The girl agreed enthusiastically. A grin spread across her face. "I'm gonna meet Spock." She announced.

"Going to." Chekov corrected fondly as his little girl squealed and hugged him tightly. He smiled at her enthusiasm, but inwardly wondered if he really wanted to explain to Spock, or anyone from the Enterprise, about Nakita.

Not that he was ashamed, far from it. He loved his daughter more than anything. But he knew that if he tried to explain there was no way he would be able to hide the truth from them.

The truth that it had been four years since she had left and he still racked his brains for something he could have done differently to get her to stay.

The truth that he still, on occasion, cried himself to sleep, pillow to his face muffling the sounds he never wanted his daughter to hear.

The truth that he still felt lost without her, adrift.

The truth that he would never get over her.

He didn't want to explain because he didn't want them to know. He didn't want them to know because he didn't want them to feel sorry for him or say that it was a common occurrence in Starfleet these days. He didn't want them to worry about him when they read the loss in his eyes.

But he would take Nakita to meet Spock. It was something she wanted, if her bouncing in his lap and shrieking like a banshee was any indication.

And maybe some part of him really did want them to know after all.

Disclaimer: Star Trek does not belong to me.