I feel like sometimes Jaylah would still get sad once she’s in the academy and after when she finally gets to join the crew on the enterprise.
She misses her family, she thinks about them every day. It hurts to think about them sometimes, it’s a whole that she can’t seem to fill. it makes her quiet and more withdrawn then she usually is.
On those days the crew takes care of her.
Spock will come and sit with her, sitting so that their shoulders touch and they can sit together and bond over a shared mutual pain of loss. He speaks softly as he tells her about his mother. Sharing stories of his childhood and the warmth and love that she brought into it. Jaylah loves these stories and Spock usually allows her to rest her cheek against his shoulder as she listens.
Uhura is always the most affectionate with her when she sees that slump in her shoulder. She’s always the first to wrap Jaylah up in an embrace and press a kiss to forehead and then her cheeks. The gentle touches are comforting and Jaylah always leans into them. Eventually she starts to seek them out even when she isn’t missing her family. Her skin always tingles with warmth after Uhura has touched it.
Sulu likes to put her in good spirits by teaching her about the ships controls. He’ll move out of his chair so she can sit. He’s taught her everything mechanical about how to fly and he promises her that someday he’ll take her out so she can experience it for herself. She also makes a habit of asking about his daughter. Jaylah loves the way his face lights up when she does.
Bones is someone who comforts her just by existing. She likes to sit with him while he works, she’ll eat dinner with him, she comes to stand by him when they are all on the bridge together. He’s pessimistic and grumpy half of the time, but he’s got a heart of gold and he’s kind and courageous and the southern drawl in her voice always puts her at ease. She also feels a surge of happiness every time he cares enough to drag her in for her med bay check ups every once in awhile.
Scotty was easy to connect with from the beginning and she still feels bond with him. He had cared about her in the beginning, he had asked for her help and he does the same now. She’s good at engineering, she’s good at fixing things and sometimes if she notices she’s a little down and missing her family he’ll find extra things for her to help her with. Sometimes he lets her put on music that blasts through the entire enterprise for a bit. Everyone seems to enjoy it and it makes her laugh.
Chekov is someone she’s gotten pretty close with as well. He’s young and funny and he likes to twirl her around and share his food with her that he thinks she’ll like. Chekov makes the heaviness she feels lift with his laughter and and he’s always full of energy and life. He’s a little beacon of sunshine that everyone can’t help but gravitate towards.
Kirk is always there for her in a variety of ways. He’s great for a hug, he’s a good listener and he’ll try and be whatever it is that she needs. Sometimes all she needs is a drink and to hear one of his wild stories, sometimes she just needs someone to sit with her and be there with her while she processes everything she’s lost and she does the same for him.
The enterprise doesn’t fill the whole that her family left, but they fit into their own space in her heart. She loves them in a fierce way, she’s protects them and cares about them and they are all her family.
