It Must Just Be Your Southern Charm

Chapter 1

Hannah's POV

Today has been rather exciting. I don't think I've ever been so stoked in my life. We're actually gonna go. Yeah sure, I wish it was under a bit better circumstances, but still. We're actually going.

We boarded the small ship about five minutes ago. Dad has disappeared. He doesn't like space... at all. I watched another guy get on and sit two seats down from me. He looks to be about 20 something. He looks like he's had the snot beat out of him. When he sits down, he looks over at me.

"Hey," he greets me.

"Hi," I say back.

"Who are you?" he asks me.

"I'm Hannah," I state. "Who are you?"

"Jim Kirk," he tells me. "Not to bother you exactly, but how old are you?"

"I'm 14," I say.

"Umm," he looks confused. "How exactly..."

"Oh," I almost laugh. "I'm here because..."

I'm stopped by commotion coming from a corner of the ship. I hear a familiar voice yelling, and I start to snicker.

Poor dad...

"You need a doctor," I hear one of the crew members say.

"I told you people," I hear a familiar voice snap. "I don't need a doctor. Darn it, I am a doctor."

I turn my head to see the crew member is trying to get my dad back to his seat.

"You need to get back to your seat," she states.

"I had a seat," he says. "In the bathroom with no windows."

"You need to get back to your seat now," she continues to tell him.

"I suffer from aviophobia," he yells. "That means fear of dying in anything that flies!"

"Sir, for your own safety sit down!" She orders. "Or else I'll make you sit down!"

At this point, I am both cringing and laughing. When dad sits down, he glares at me. I continue to snicker.

"Hannah," he says. "Shut it."

Jim looks over at dad with an inquisitive look.

"I may throw up on ya," dad tells him.

"I think these things are pretty safe," he responds.

"Don't tell that to me kid," dad starts. "One tiny crack in the hull, and our blood boils in 13 seconds. A solar flare might crop up, cook us in our seats. And wait till you're sitting pretty with a case of Andorian shingles. See if you're we relaxed when your eyeballs are bleeding. Space is disease and danger wrapped in darkness and silence."

"That's nice, dad," I say.

"Well," Jim tells him. "I hate to break it to you, but Star Fleet operates in space."

"Yeah, well, I got nowhere else to go," he explains. "Ex-wife took that whole darn planet in the divorce. All I got left is my bones."

"Hey!" I interject.

"Oh yeah," he states. "And her. I've had to fight what felt like half a million custody battles to get this one."

"Love you too, dad."

He just sighs and pulls out a flask of whiskey. He takes a swig and passes it to Jim.

"Jim Kirk," Jim introduces himself.

"McCoy," dad tells him. "Leonard McCoy."