Summary:
Movie night at Enterprise and little Elizabeth is participating
without anyone knowing.
Spoilers:
4.20 Demons and my fanfiction 'Demons Part 3' (this is a sequel
to that story)
Disclaimer:
If Enterprise would belong to me, there would definitely be a season
5, but since this isn't the case… Star Trek and ST: Enterprise
and all the show's characters belong to Paramount. The movie
'Signs' also doesn't belong to me.
A/N:
This is a sequel to my fanfiction 'Demons Part 3' (I will
complete that story soon). But this fanfic could stand on its own.
Elizabeth is alive and living aboard Enterprise with her
parents.
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A Child's Logic and Fears
It was late that evening and movie night was just beginning. Mess hall was good visited that night and even the captain had joined and was now sitting next to his First Officer watching the film. From time to time someone whispered a snippy comment about Commander Tucker's choice of movie, who had announced the movie 'Signs' to be a shocker. But until now no one got the creeps about the strange crop circles in the fields.
Since Elizabeth would go to bed without much complaining – of course with a little help of Vulcan Neuropressure – Trip and T'Pol had now more time attending events aboard Enterprise – just like this night.
The young Vulcan followed the actions on the screen – the main character Graham sneaked up into a house in which was told an alien scout would hide and in an unexpected movement he cut the creature's bare toe off. She raised one elegant brow about the reactions of the people surrounding her. The emotional humans were too wrapped up in their opinion the movie would be lame that many of them jerked on the unforeseen and sudden scene. When she felt a wave of fear through the bond she turned her head to face her bondmate, who also seemed to be a little uneasy. Once again her brow moved.
Travis sat one row behind the Tuckers and watched with great interest the looks they gave each other during the movie. He wondered about their comments that were only audible for the couple through their telepathic bond.
Some years ago the Commander had to unbosom his ability to communicate with the Vulcan officer through their thoughts in order to save her life and that of three other crewmen, including Travis himself. Though everyone guessed both were much more than friends caring for their common daughter that incident confirmed the crew's presumption.
He saw Captain Archer murmuring something and Trip started to chuckle, while T'Pol shot the Captain one of her death glares and took the bowl of popcorn from his hands. Her face was without emotions as every Vulcan's face – at last for everyone who didn't know her, but Travis could clearly say that she was pissed about her CO's comment.
The helmsman half watched the show one row before him and half the movie, in which the alien invasion had finally started and the four main characters barricaded themselves in the basement. You could see Graham's son going towards a wall in search for a flashlight, when suddenly a clawed hand gripped his throat.
Travis felt himself shiver about the unexpected turn, but literarily jumped when a high pitched scream filled the room. He saw everyone jerking about the cry and looking confused in all directions to determine the origin. The ensign rose from his stool and moved to the light switch, in the meantime a crewman stopped the movie, freezing the picture the moment the boy was fighting with death.
As soon as the mess hall was lit Enterprise's commandant and was on his feet. Both Tuckers followed his example as were some other crewmen.
T'Pol's sensitive ears caught a whining coming from the tables on the wall and she felt overwhelming fear through the bond, but a look to Trip told her, that it weren't his emotions and that he felt it too. Both approached the tables. Simultaneously the couple said a rather angry 'Elizabeth!' when they saw their little daughter lay on the floor her hands covering her tear streamed little face.
"What are ye doing 'ere, Elizabeth?"
She knew it wasn't a good sign when her Dad called her by her full name and had his accent become worse. Slowly she looked up with her puffy red eyes wiping tears away from her greenly flushed cheeks. She saw her father's annoyed face and her mother's unreadable one, but the bond told her both her parents were angry. Lizzie sat on the floor and sobbed. When her mother finally stepped closer and held her arms open to the girl, she immediately crawled out from under the table and rushed into her mother's save embrace.
The four-year-old grasped T'Pol's collar like the time she was an infant and soon the Vulcan stroke the back of her child in a comforting gesture. Her bondmate joined his family and tucked a gold-brown strain behind his daughter's pointed ear.
After a while when T'Pol sensed her child had calmed down she faced her. "You should be sleeping. What are you doing here?"
The girl's eyes wandered to her father in search for backup, but just found the same questions written on his face. She looked down and began to play with her light blue pyjama's buttons. "Everyone's talking 'bout movie night." Her little voice was still shaking. "I wanted to watch, too."
"You can watch Disney's 'Finding Nemo' on Daddy's monitor. But this is no movie you should watch." Trip saw his child's misery and fear and he felt so bad seeing his little girl cry. "This movie isn't real. You don't have to be afraid, 'k sunshine?"
Lizzie looked up to her father, new fear sparkled in her blue orbs. "But what if there really are bad aliens coming to attack us?"
"Then Uncle Malcolm will shoot them down." Trip explained, wanting nothing more than to drive those demons away his daughter is struggling with.
T'Pol had learned over the years that some times it was more effective to give into Elizabeth's reasonings than to use pure logic. "It is very unlikely that a single individual will harm this vessel."
"But there are more than just one." Again a sob escaped from her lips and she pointed with her finger to the screen.
"They don't have weapons."
Lizzie contemplated this information for a moment. "They don't have clothes either, so they can't carry any weapons." Explained Lizzie in a very Vulcan way.
Trip chuckled. "See, sweety. "
"They have spaceships, but no weapons and clothes. That's illogically." The girl made a grimace and seemed more annoyed about the movie than scared.
"Better now?" The child nodded and Trip continued. "Then let's get you back to your bed."
"No, I wanna see how it's ending!" The girl shook her head vigorously and pleaded with her eyes for the permission to watch the rest. "Do the aliens take Earth over? Are they gonna kill Graham and his kids?"
Trip sighed audibly and eyed his wife for a minute. 'I assume the movie has a happy end, Thy'la? Maybe this will comfort her.'
'I hope you are right, sweetheart. But on the other hand, she won't sleep when we take her to bed now. She will scream and cry all the way to our quarters.' Trip stopped his conversation with his wife and spoke up loudly. "Fine".
Lizzie wrapped her arms about her father's neck happily. When she let go off him a moment later, he grasped one of her small hands. "Were you mumbling your nails?" Her reply was the same sheepish gaze he knew all too well from her mother.
T'Pol sat back down on her stool and placed her daughter in her lap wrapping her arms about the child's abdomen protectively.
"You sure?" asked Jon who had watched the whole scene as had everybody else in the room.
"She is like her mom when she doesn't get what she wants." Jon raised both eyebrows and grinned, when he saw the death-glare on both Tucker women faces.
Some moments later the movie was playing again and everyone watched, except for the two Tuckers, who eyed their girl's face. It was only about fifteen minutes left in which the aliens were defeated and the boy's life saved.
When the credits rolled over the screen half of the audience yelled an unbelieving "Water?"
"They are allergic to water?" Travis was more than annoyed about this uninventive closure.
"That's lame!" Lizzie pouted and watched the light flicker back on and the people filing out of the room.
"You say it, little one. The authors could have thought about something else. … Tse, water!" Ensign Mason added and left the room shaking his head slightly.
"When it would have rained, all aliens would have been dead! That's stupid!" T'Pol was proud about her daughter's logical statement. She was bright for her young age.
Trip rose and lifted his child from her mother's lap into his arms. "See, princess, nothing to fear about." T'Pol stood up, ready to get back to their quarters. "Now let's go to bed."
Elizabeth faced her father and asked in her sweetest voice. "May I have a glass of water, Daddy."
"Of course, honey." He carried her into the kitchen and fetched a glass and filled it with water in the sink. "Here you go."
Elizabeth took the glass with both of her tiny hands and held it. Trip's confused gaze travelled to his wife's stoic face. After a moment watching her daughter just holding the glass, T'Pol raised a brow wondering about her child. "Please drink, Elizabeth, so we can go back to our quarters."
Lizzie just held the glass closer to her chest. "I will drink it later, Mommy." For nothing in the world the girl would admit that she wanted the water for defending herself against the bad aliens. She wouldn't give her parents the satisfaction that those movies were too scary for her. "We can go now." she said insteat and smiled.
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