San Francisco, California
2260.124

Anthea set the recorder down on the floor, hoping for a good angle. She'd been recording everything about Nolan lately, especially since moving to San Francisco. It was a shame she didn't have his birth on video, but then again, she didn't want to relive the pain of that. The mental pain, not the physical. For her son, she'd go through it again and worse. But she knew that she'd called for her husband, and she didn't want that reminder to live on.

Nolan stood by the sofa, where he'd dragged himself to his pudgy feet. He had one small fist shoved in his mouth, chewing furiously on it. Another tooth coming in, his mother mused. He watched her curiously as she sat down on the floor.

Anthea held out her hands. "Come to Mummy, Nolan."

Her son bounced in place, one hand clutching the sofa cushion in a death grip, and he squealed a little, gifting her with a huge, mostly-toothless grin. "Ahh!" he cooed.

"C'mon, you can do it, sweetheart," she coaxed, and made a "come here" gesture.

He frowned in intense concentration, his little brow furrowing. Nolan looked across the empty space between them, then at the sofa. He'd been edging his way around the apartment for the last two days, gripping the furniture he could reach, but he hadn't yet taken independent steps. Anthea was hoping that would change today.

Very gingerly, he let go of the cushion. He bounced again, almost fell, but quickly righted himself with a slobber-covered hand against the sofa.

"Smart boy," Anthea murmured. Louder, she said, "Come to Mummy!"

Nolan wobbled a little as he took his first step away from the sofa. Anthea beamed encouragement, waving him closer.

He took another step.

Then he lost his balance and sat down hard on his diaper-padded bum. One second, then two, and his little mouth opened in a wail, his blue eyes shocked and wide.

Instantly, Anthea was on her knees and across the few feet between them. She scooped him up and cuddled him close. "Oh, no, baby, don't cry! No, no, it's alright, sweetheart. Mummy's here."

She peppered the top of his dark head with kisses, recalling the way his father had moved during their combat training sessions. Her baby's clumsy movements were a far cry from the graceful, deadly ones of Khan Noonien Singh.

Anthea sighed. Nolan's hysterical sobs had quieted. She rocked him for a few minutes more, until the sobs had turned to hiccups.

Eventually, she sat him back down at the point where he'd stumbled. "Now," she asked, "shall we try again?"