For the first time in almost three years, Kitty had gone for over a week without a single drink and she was happy. She sat on her couch just enjoying a cup of warm, sweetened tea. It was too late for coffee, she thought, as she had to get to sleep soon. With a final sip she took the cup to the replicator and then wandered to Arianna's room. She watched as her baby slept soundly. Kitty still looked in on her children several times a night, still hardly believing they were there... But sometimes she was concerned by what she saw. She would find them in restless sleep. She had a suspicion they were having nightmares, but they wouldn't speak of them or they just didn't remember them by the time they woke up. Dreams were always funny like that... But tonight, as she looked in on Zac, she could tell he was experiencing more than just a restless dream. He was having a nightmare as he thrashed around the bed.
As she allowed her mind to seek his out, she could sense helplessness and fear. She saw images of what must have been the Nausicaan ship and the hold he and his sister were thrown into. There was also a sense of betrayal by his father and a sense of hate, but a sense of guilt over the hate... There were so many emotions and images. And fear... In the nightmare Zac had grabbed his sister's hand and had run with her. But the ship was a maze. Just as he had reached a dead end and the Nausicaans had been closing in, lead by his father, he woke up almost in tears.
"Mom..." was all he said as he saw her.
"It's all right," she soothed as she sat down on the bed beside him and gently caressed his face. "It was just a bad dream."
"But the ship, and Dad and the Naussicaans... and I was running, but..."
"Shhhhh..." she said, "I know... But it was just a dream. They can't hurt you anymore."
"But Dad can," he replied simply, and she still felt the fear in him.
So that was it, she thought. She sighed and caressed his face, looking into his green-brown eyes. "Zac, he will never hurt you again. I'm going to make sure of that... Because I don't ever want to lose you or your sister again."
With that, he sat up and embraced her with force. "I love you, Mom."
"I love you, too, Zac. Probably more than you'll ever know..."
Kitty had thought about this since the night before, turning over different possibilities in her head. But she knew what she wanted to do and she was sure that it would give her son the feeling of safety he needed as well. She had called Lt. K'Tag to meet her and was now only waiting for him. He arrived in a matter of moments.
"Yes, Captain?"
"I have a job for you," she stated as she looked at him with an appraising glance. "It's out of the ordinary, and... It's personal."
At that he looked at her curiously.
"As you know I have a son, and as you also know, his father has escaped custody. My son has started having nightmares about his father. He's afraid his father will come to take him again," she explained. "I would like him to be able to defend himself..."
"And you thought I might be a good choice to teach the boy?" he asked.
"If you'd be willing... This isn't an order, K'Tag... It's merely a request. If that bastard shows up to steal my children from me again, I want them to be able to fight back... Or at least my son... And who better to teach fighting than a Klingon?" Kitty smiled.
K'Tag looked at her and thought for a moment before giving an answer. "It would be my honor, Captain," he said, with sincerity.
She smiled. "Thank you," she replied with a happy twinkle in her eye.