A/N: So I might not know how to get them together together yet, but I'll probably make it happen after Jaylah graduates from Starfleet Academy. Which leaves years of little scenes to write as they come to mind. So write them I shall. Even though I still should be writing something else. This'll stay marked as complete (its earlier status of in-progress was an error on my part that turned out to be somewhat prophetic) because, since I'll be updating only when my muse strikes (and suggestions are welcome, by the way), this could, for all I know, be the last chapter (this is unlikely).

Summary: After years and a day of excitement, Jaylah finds herself alone, with time to truly reflect for the first time in years.

Jaylah sat on a roof somewhere near the edge of Yorktown, leaning back against the cube that housed the stairs and door back inside. Pawel had given her a portable music player – something called an iPhone 130s – and she had put the earbuds in her ears, but she had never gotten around to actually turning on her beats and shouting. Instead, she found herself staring at the stars, the sounds of a city a quiet backdrop to her unexpected mood.

Daddy would have loved it here.

The stars glimmered, a vast galaxy of exploration. They had meant escape and freedom, back on Altamid. On the nights when the loneliness, the echoing screams, the desperation became too much, all she had to do was look up and whisper her father's stories to herself. Then, if only for a moment, she wouldn't be stranded in a fight for survival.

Now, the stars just twinkled like stabs of agony, ever-present reminders of what Manos had taken from her.

Jaylah, hardly more than eight Earth years old, crawled onto her dad's lap. He hugged her close, his blue-and-black eyes shimmering happily. He settled on the red-sheeted bed, leaned back against the gray metal wall, and gestured out the window. Jaylah thought for a moment, then pointed at a pale blue star in the middle of the view the window provided.

"A race of blue aliens lives there," he began in his grandiose story-telling tone. "They like the surging, throbbing waves of the sea as much as we like the ice and snow. They use its creatures to survive, and ride on its waves in little wooden ships in even the stormiest weather. But one day, it suddenly stood still."

Jaylah gasped. "What did they do?"

"Two early-rising kids were the first to notice. They ran back to their village to tell the elders, who then decreed-"

The door slid open. "It's a little late for story time, you two," she scolded affectionately.

"But Mom-" Jaylah complained.

"Nope," she cut her daughter off, tossing Jaylah's pajamas at her. "You'll have something to look forward to tomorrow."

"Your mother has a point, sweetheart. Come on, let's get you to bed."

Disappointed, Jaylah crawled off the bed and slunk off to change.

"Psst," her mother whispered. Jaylah glanced over; her mother held out a handful of her favorite crackers.

Brightening instantly, Jaylah grabbed the midnight snack and pranced off to bed.

She hadn't realized how much she missed those moments. She had never had time to realize, or to analyze or even experience her emotions.

"Ze stars are beautiful, aren't zey?"

Jaylah jumped, startled out of her memories. "What are you doing here?"

Pawel shrugged. "One zing you will learn wiz zis crew, is zat you are newer really alone. And zat we know wery well what it means when someone is alone at night staring at ze stars."

"And what does it mean, Pawel?"

He sighed a little before answering, but not in true annoyance. "It means zat you don't really want to be alone, because you are up here looking at reminders of how full ze uniwerse really is."

"I do not even know where my homeworld is," she murmured.

Pawel sat down beside her, edging over as close as he dared. "We can help you find it. But maybe you will learn zat you don't really need a homeworld, if you find ze right people to be wiz. Meester Spock's homeworld was destroyed, but he is happy onboard ze Enterprise." Pawel paused, then corrected himself. "Well, he pretends he isn't because he's Wulcan, and ze Enterprise was destroyed, but you get ze idea."

Jaylah met his gaze, youthful and earnest. She had looked like that once, she knew, but Manos had stolen that from her, too.

Pawel picked up the PADD he had brought with him, powering it up and opening up his pictures. In the one he tapped on, he stood between a tall, dark-haired man and a kindly blonde woman. A landscape of snow surrounded them, mountains rising in the background.

"Snow," Jaylah whispered longingly.

"You like snow?" Pawel asked in surprise.

Jaylah found herself giving a faint, wistful smile. "I spent most of my life on a ship, so I do not remember much of my homeworld, but I do know I loved playing in the snow with my father. That place looks like home."

"Zat is Russia, ze country I was born and raised in," Pawel explained proudly. "If you like snow, you will lowe Russia. It's known for its winters. Maybe you could wisit it one day."

"And those are your parents?" Jaylah checked.

He nodded. "I zink you would like zem, too. Zey would lowe to hear your stories of your time in space."

Tears suddenly burned her eyes. "My father would make up a story every night about a star I chose. The last time he told me one was-" …the day he was killed. But her voice broke, refusing to say the words.

Pawel wrapped his arm around her shoulders, his body simultaneously cool and reassuringly warm to her. Jaylah dropped her forehead on his shoulder. She was tired of being strong.

"I am more of an artist zan a storyteller," he murmured, "but pick a star."

Jaylah lifted her head and inspected the sky. She pointed up, at the brightest star she could find.

He thought for a moment. "Zat is a planet where eweryone is an optimist…"

She nestled against him, focusing on the star and letting his accent lull her into a sense of security she hadn't felt for a long time.

Maybe, in taking everything from her, Manos had given her something, too.