Together {Star Trek Enterprise Fan Fiction}

Chip and Chocolate Chips

"Do you have all that?" Lili asked.

"I don't know. You're right; I'll need a PADD next time," Yimar admitted.

"'Ommy, o'meal."

"We managed to use a spoon all by ourselves yesterday," Yimar explained.

"You did?!" Lili broadly smiled, addressing her son, "You're such a big boy now!" She paused for a second, "I'm missing that."

"Just keep working on what you've been doing. I'm sure you'll be able to get back here soon. And, uh, Lili, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"It's totally off-topic. And I mean totally," said the teenager.

"Uh, all right."

"Do you know why Brian doesn't like me?"

"What?"

"He, like, totally blows me off sometimes. And he's not always nice to Chip, either!"

"Actually, Yimar, I think he likes you. A lot."

"Huh. Really?"

"Yes," Lili chuckled a little, "He's just shy. And he doesn't have a lot of experience around girls of, of any species. And I think he thinks you're too young."

"I'm not!"

"For humans, you are. You're supposed to be eighteen. I mean, you could kiss, but you shouldn't be, um, Yimar, you should be having this conversation with your mother."

"I can't talk to my mother like I can talk to you. She can barely string three words together."

"Yimar, your mother's been through a lot. She's been very ill."

"I know. But I need to talk to a Mom."

"If – uh, when – I get back, we can have a long talk, okay?"

"Okay. I bet you didn't have these problems when you were sixteen."

"No, I had other problems. I played baseball so the boys all thought of me as one of the guys. But that was a long time ago," Lili smiled, and then felt the tug of morning.

Yimar felt it, too, "Gonna wake up soon. I'll tell T'Pol everything I remember."

"Don't forget the PADD tomorrow," Lili said, then addressed Joss, "Be a good boy for Yimar. I love you."

She awoke.

=/\= 

Malcolm knew she was talking in her sleep, and not saying those three little words to him, but it was still a rush to hear them, in her soft voice.

=/\= 

Exercise, that day, was less eventful. Jennifer walked around with the others, compliant, bowed, a little broken, perhaps.

On the men's side, Doug walked behind a Vulcan, "Do you have any idea what's gonna happen to my kid?" he asked.

"We do not have that information."

"But, I mean, are they, Gawd, are they served up as filets or something?" he asked anxiously.

"Quiet!" yelled an Imvari guard.

"That's hardly logical," said the Vulcan, "There is an enormous amount of effort and care being taken to assure that they are being born alive and healthy."