When morning came, Danaë was feeling so much better and her mood only improved further when she noticed Archer putting on gray slacks with a leather belt and a white t-shirt. If he was putting on civilian clothes then it could only mean he wasn't going into work. It seemed he had convinced Admiral Gardner to give him the day off so he could spend time with Danaë and her family. Whether it was this, or having her family visit, or both, Dani looked as though she could almost burst with joy. For a moment he started to broach the subject of an upcoming diplomatic social event, but couldn't do it. He couldn't bring himself to ruin her mood.
As it was, his day off had added an extra spring to her step and as soon as she was done caring for the baby, she became a flurry of energy running back and forth from the kitchen to the dining room. She laid out a variety of fruit, fresh croissants from a local bakery, and an absolute array of culinary delights to ensure that no one left her home hungry or thirsty. Naturally she was also giving him orders about where to put things and then adjust them to make it as aesthetically pleasing as possible. He might be the captain of the Enterprise, but like every smart married man, he knew who was the captain of the house and followed orders without question.
The lieutenant commander eagerly welcomed Picard and Riker into her home and showed them to the table. She had tried hard to make it look like the breakfasts of her childhood, but she had gone overboard. There was something else different about this meal too from her childhood. Where as a child she had sat silently watching the adults talk, she was now swapping Enterprise stories with Picard, Riker and Archer. Archer told the infamous tale of his chief engineer Charles 'Trip' Tucker accidentally getting impregnated by a Xyrillian when he was supposed to be assisting them with repairs to their ship. Riker told the story of meeting Zefram Cochran. Mostly how the ship's counselor (and his future wife) couldn't get the man to so much as speak to her until she agreed to have a drink with him and then he didn't admit who he was until she had had three shots of tequila. By the time he had beamed down to the surface to see how much progress was being made, she was almost blind drunk and Zefram was just getting warmed up for the evening.
Picard could have told a million different stories and probably had more than anyone else at the table. Rather than a misadventure through outer space he decided to tell one much closer to home. He spoke of Danaë's first day of school on board the Enterprise-D. At the time he had been concerned, not for her academic ability, he knew she was more than capable, but she was smaller than most of the other children and he didn't want her to be picked on. The old man reached over and took his daughter's twenty-fourth century PADD and brought up a picture of Dani taken that day. She looked like a proper princess dressed in a crisp white sailor dress that was edged in dark navy blue. Every golden curl on her head was in place with a few strands pulled back into a bow. She looked like a child from a bygone era long forgotten about.
"Two hours after walking her to class I was called to come back and get her because there had been an altercation between her and a boy. I naturally assumed she was upset and crying because another child had teased her or bullied her. You can imagine my surprise when I arrived at the school room and found my daughter, hair all messed up, her dress torn, glaring daggers at a boy twice her size huddled in the corner crying with a bloodied nose and a black eye. I realized then that her getting bullied was not what I should be worrying about."
"It was my pencil." Danaë added before taking a sip of juice. "He shouldn't have taken it from me."
"You beat him bloody over a pencil." Picard leaned slightly forward, still dumbfounded over such a small thing.
"But it was mine," she asserted. Archer gave a wry smile as he brought his coffee cup to his lips.
"Remind me never to take her pencil," he said, then took a drink of his hot beverage. Somehow none of this story surprised him. He knew very well she was a scrappy fighter and would be the first to recommend not taking her on.
"When you handed me my little bookbag that morning I remember you saying that there was nothing I couldn't learn so long as I had a pencil, a notebook and this." She pointed to her head indicating the gray matter within that had served her well. "He took my pencil and in my five-year-old logic he had potentially left me unprepared."
"I wasn't referring to the pencil or the notebook. I handed you your bag then your notebook because I wanted you to put it in the knapsack. I then tapped your forehead with the pencil because I knew your mind was quick and lively and with it you could learn anything. I wasn't expecting my daughter to become the reincarnation of John L Sullivan."
The group laughed at this childish logic that was a touch too literal, not entirely accurate and absolutely adorable. There were plenty of others Picard could tell Danaë and the lieutenant commander didn't mind the embarrassing stories at her expense. It was only fair. When she was finally introduced to Jonathan's mother, Sally, she wasted no time showing off naked baby pictures and imparting less than flattering stories of the great leader and diplomat growing up. She also knew that if Q were truly behind this then there was no telling when her father might be taken back to his own time and Jonathan would never get to hear such tales again.
It seemed Archer wasn't fated to hear this story anyway since the sound of chimes interrupted the tale forcing him to get up and answer the communication that was coming through. He assumed it would be something as simple as updates on vessel refits and reminders of meetings. Instead it was Admiral Gardner wanting to share the news that an ambassador from Rigel would be attending the dinner tomorrow night. It seemed he had heard many stories about Archer and was eager to meet him as well as his wife. As soon as the admiral mentioned the ambassador and dinner, the cat was out of the bag. Like a child that had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, he glanced over his shoulder to see Dani sitting there still as death, the light happy air that had filled her all day was gone. He thanked Gardner for the mention then switched off the comm system.
Danaë began to silently clear the dishes while still trying to appear cordial and happy. It was not a mask she wore well and no one in the dining room was fooled except for the baby lying in his swing. There was fear and anxiety in her hazel eyes and it bothered the old man terribly. Carrying a plate of leftover food, she went into the kitchen leaving a wake of tension behind her. Archer excused himself then followed her, bracing himself for the storm. Seeing that something was amiss, Picard rose from his seat and took a step toward the kitchen. He could see that something was wrong with his daughter and the father in him wanted to know what it was and to help her. As a child and young woman nothing ever seemed to phase her and public life had been just another one of those duties required of her as his daughter.
