The Marathon by KittyKat and Leigh Ashgan
	Part 1 Kathryn Janeway sat at the intricately designed mahogany table reading avidly from the musty smelling novel. The wind howled outside the window beside her and lighting could be seen whipping across the black sky. A shadow darkened the page and she looked up. "Lord Burleigh", she exclaimed, "is there something wrong with the children?" The holographic figure started towards the fireplace moodily and muttered, "No. The children are fine, it is you that I wish to speak to." "Oh" she said quietly and slowly closed her book placing it gently on the table. "What is it that you wish to speak to me about?" The man glanced up at her as she rose from her chair, shadows dancing over his face. "I feel that there is something that I must say to you that I have kept to myself for loo tong." Janeway looked down at her feet in embarrassment, then glanced up quickly. "Pardon?" she said in confusion. "I feel that there…." "No, the last piece", she interrupted quickly. "…That I have kept to myself for too long." He said in equal confusion. "Oh, carry on please." She was caught off guard as he strode towards her and she momentarily considered using a Kung Fu move on him if he came too close, but was unable to do so as he clasped her hands tightly between his. His palms felt sweaty, her mind registered but she forgot this as he gazed into her eyes intently. "My dear, I can think of nothing else but you. You have brought such light and laughter to this house and I simply must tell you that today is a good day to die like the son of a targ that you are!" His voice became violently angry. Kathryn looked at him in surprised shock. "WHAT?" Before the hologram could respond she heard a familiar voice. "Kathryn!" She spun round just in time to see a rain soaked, windswept figure silhouetted by the lightning stride purposefully into the room. "Chakotay!" she exclaimed. "What on earth is…" she was stopped in mid sentence as Chakotay grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him. "Computer end…" her words were cut off as he bent his head and covered her lips with his own. At first startled by his actions she began to feel a strange warmth come over her and she melted into his strong body. She was pulled out of the stupor when the other hologram grabbed her shoulder. "Darl…" He opened his mouth to speak but was suddenly stopped by Kathryn’s voice. "Computer, freeze program now!" Time was suspended. She strode over to the frozen figure of the wet Chakotay and as she looked at him tapped her comm badge. "Janeway to Torres." "Torres here." "B’Elanna, could you please get someone to take a look at holodeck 3 I think that it is malfunctioning." "Is there any specific problem, Captain?" "No. Just trust me. It is malfunctioning." "OK, I’ll get someone onto that as soon as possible. Torres out." "Computer, please end program." Janeway stood still as her surroundings dissolved into the black and yellow grids of the holodeck. She rubbed her hand across her forehead and said to herself, "I’ve got to get some coffee!" She glanced down at the maroon red Victorian period dress that she was wearing. "Straight after I change." Part 2 "Computer end…" her words were cut off as he bent his head and covered her lips with his own. At first startled by his actions she began to feel a strange warmth come over her and she melted into his strong body. Kathryn woke up with start in a cold sweat. The computer beeped. "This is your 06.00 wake up call." Kathryn pulled back the covers, sat up and said, "Lights!" Her quarters were immediately illuminated with light. She climbed out of her bed and headed for her sonic shower, thinking to herself what a treat it would be if she could have a bath. Without thinking about it a memory came back to her. It was when Chakotay had built her the bath after she had mentioned in passing how much she loved taking one. Her mind went back to the events that occurred on the holodeck and she flushed with embarrassment and something that she couldn’t quite define. She shook her head as she stepped into her sonic shower. Kathryn sped down the corridor, realising she was late for duty, not a good example for a captain to her crew, and drinking her coffee on the go. Her comm badge beeped and she tapped it. "Janeway here." Hearing his voice she stopped suddenly nearly spilling some of the precious liquid. "Captain, I have the duty rosters for you to approve and also I have the report on the completion of the adjustments of the plasma conduits on deck 7 section C." Regaining her composure she answered in a brisk tone, "Very well Commander, I’ll see you on the bridge." Suddenly Kathryn could have sworn that his voice was closer than it should have been, but was distracted by Chakotay saying, "Actually I’m heading back from engineering…" That was as far as he got because as he rounded the corner he collided into Kathryn as she turned the same corner only in the opposite direction. He gasped in shocked pain as the steaming coffee hit the front of his tunic. The air was momentarily knocked out of her as she fell to the ground. "Kathryn, are you all right?" His voice was laced with concern. She tried to gasp an answer but was unable to. Chakotay side-stepped the fallen padds and the now empty mug and gently slipped his arm around her back and eased her into a sitting position. She tried to wave his hands away and tell him that she was all right but she still couldn’t catch her breath, which wasn’t entirely due to her fall. Chakotay extended his right hand, which she grabbed and he pulled her to her feet. "Thank you", she muttered glancing at his tunic and grimacing slightly. "Sorry about that. It doesn’t hurt does it?" "No, it's OK. I think its only a third degree burn." Janeway smiled slightly, looking down at the fallen mug and the now stained carpet. "Damn" she grumbled. "That was my last ration of coffee, now I’m doomed to Neelix’s substitute for the rest of week." "Look." Chakotay said. "Since the accident was my fault let me get you a cup of coffee from the replicator." "Thanks all the same but I’ve got to get to engineering." She bent down to retrieve her mug and the fallen padds. Handing them back to Chakotay, his hand brushed hers as he accepted them, lingering for what felt was slightly longer than necessary. Janeway glanced down at the floor. "Yes, well that will be all commander I’ll see you on the bridge later." She said sharply. "Yes captain." Chakotay replied, falling back into the formal. Janeway continued her hurried journey while Chakotay, unnoticed, looked longingly after her.   Part 3 The doors opened with an efficient whoosh to allow Janeway access to the main engineering area. The warp core pulsed with its calming blue glow. If there was one thing that Kathryn could always rely on, it was physics, and that gave her comfort. Torres appeared from the upper level telling Ensign Vorik that the overhaul of the secondary command pathways needed supervision and she wanted him to do it. Janeway noted that for a Vulcan, Vorik looked extremely proud. Torres looked up and noticing Janeway walked towards her. "Lieutenant Torres, I have just come down to ask whether or not the repairs on Holodeck 3 had been completed and what the problem was in the first place." Torres steered her towards a quiet corner and said in a conspiratorial tone. "I ran the program to see what the problem was and I understand what you mean by malfunction." Kathryn raised her eyebrow at this but said nothing. Torres cleared her throat and uneasily continued. "Well, anyway. I checked the program and I found a minor glitch. It wasn’t a major problem, but what I don’t understand is how it could have malfunctioned like that. I would have expected the holographic characters to have some speech problems and maybe some mixing with some other programs but not an entirely new character based on a crew template." Janeway frowned for a moment, then her expression brightened and, clicking her fingers, she exclaimed, "What about Tuvok’s training program. That has the whole crew on it." "Yes of course. Why didn’t I think of that? The computer must have adapted the character. It is unusual for such a malfunction to happen, but not impossible." Torres turned to an adjacent console and called up the holodeck records. "Ensign Morgan", she called, "I want you to check the latest holodeck records and look for cross references to the Captain's program and the program that Mr. Tuvok helped run for the safety for the rest of the crew." The petite, dark ensign nodded and said in her distinctive north Irish accent, "Aye, sir." Janeway then looked back at her chief engineer and said, "Keep me posted." Then she walked out of the bay.   Part 4 Janeway entered the bridge, covering the distance from the turbolift to the conn and nodding at her pilot Tom Paris and the young ensign, Harry Kim. She purposely avoided eye contact with her first officer. "Anything to report?" she said as she eased herself into the now comfortable captain’s chair. Chakotay glanced at his console and replied, "Nothing so far." Suddenly the Ops console chirped, and Harry looked up, "Long range sensors have detected a Class 7 Nebula seven light years from here." Janeway looked up at the young ensign and replied, "That’s not usual for this region of space from what we have already seen. Transfer the co-ordinates to the helm and take us there at Warp 6. I’ll be in my ready room. Commander please notify me when we have kissed…. " She stuttered "…I mean reached the nebula." Kathryn suddenly became aware that Tom had turned in his seat and was staring at her curiously. She cleared her throat and said in what she hoped was a commanding voice, "As you were." But as she turned towards her ready room she could feel Chakotay’s eyes boring into her back, and she walked quickly away. But as the doors shut behind her she suddenly detected the heavy smell of freshly brewed coffee and sure enough there on her desk sat a steaming cup of Brazilian roasted coffee. She considered going back out onto the bridge to thank Chakotay, but instead she sat down behind her desk cradled her head in her hands and groaned. She took the cup of hot coffee in her hands and began to try and analyse her burgeoning feelings toward her first officer, which she hadn’t expected and didn’t understand. She didn’t deny that she didn’t feel an attraction, but lately it had become much more than that. Lost in her thoughts, she almost spilt her second cup of coffee when she heard the sudden voice behind her. "Hello Kathy!" And Kathryn groaned for the second time that morning.   Part 5 Q lowered himself down so that his face was level with Kathryn's. "To use a quaint human saying, penny for your thoughts." Q pulled a penny out from behind her ear. Kathryn rose from the chair a little quicker than she would have liked, but picked up her mug of coffee and took a sip. Feeling refreshed, she turned and faced Q, who was now sitting on one of her easy chairs below her window. "You know Kathy, this ship is awful drab at the moment. Maybe you should consider a little red or even blue. I know..." Kathryn raising her hand and in a weary voice cut him off. "What do you want, Q?" Q looked at her with a pained expression on his face before replying, "Kathy, is that any way to talk to a dear, personal friend such as myself?" Janeway raised her eyebrow at this statement with a cynical look on her face. "You’re hardly what I’d class a dear, personal friend, Q". "Significant other then". Q replied with a hopeful look on his face. "Pain in the … more like" Kathryn snorted shaking her head and took a large gulp of coffee. "Now Q, is there an actual point to this visit or did you get a sudden urge to make my life just a little more difficult?" Q looked deeply offended. "You humans lead such dull monotonous lives that I thought you might like to have it brightened up a little, but if this is your reaction then don’t be expecting any more favours from me in the future!" Kathryn breathed in deeply and took another sip of her coffee. She then walked over to where Q was sitting and eased herself down. "Q, I am in no mood to guess why you have appeared this time. So why not just save me time and tell me what you want." She fixed him with a steely gaze and for a brief nanosecond she thought she saw him flinch. Q then stood up and turned to her and said, "Very well, Kathy. I am here for a special reason. All I need is you and a little of your time." He then grinned and walked over to her desk and perched on the edge. "I am here to show you what will happen." Kathryn finished the rest of her coffee, stood up and walked back to her desk. But as she went to sit down, Q wrapped his fingers around her forearm. "Q, I don't have time for this!" she exclaimed in an exasperated tone. "Nonsense Kathy, you are stuck in the Delta Quadrant with about 30 years to go. You are hardly going to miss much. Besides it won’t take long. Ah the wonders of being a Q. Sometimes I really do feel sorry for you non-omnipotent types." Q clicked his fingers and they disappeared in a flash of light. Kathryn turned her head towards Q. "What on Earth…?" She suddenly realised that she was no longer in her ready-room but standing on Voyager’s bridge. Something was different. She was standing at the Ops console and glanced down. The panel resembled Starfleet design and configuration but not the type she was accustomed to. Looking more carefully she noticed that it bore a remarkable resemblance to the schematics that the Doctor had downloaded from his escapade aboard the Prometheus. She turned to Q confused. "Q! What have you done to my bridge!?" Q shrugged. "Nothing to do with moi my dear. Take a really good look around." Janeway looked up and noticed the crewmembers walking around the bridge; she didn’t recognise any of them. She turned round in bewilderment; the back panel of the Ops station read USS Voyager. It was the same ship, but not quite. She looked down towards her seat and there she was, sitting straight back, cross-legged staring at the large view screen. She saw that she had grown her hair again as it was tied up in the tight bun at the back of her head. Kathryn turned back to Q. "This is the future isn’t it?", she hissed. "Well it is a tad obvious, but it’s not the future you think it is. Watch." Q pointed towards the future Janeway. Kathryn’s eyes followed his movement. She glanced across quickly as the tactical officer requested the future Janeway’s attention. Turning back, Kathryn’s eyes widened as she realised that the woman in the Captain’s chair was not her. For a start, the hair was black and her skin was a darker colour. Kathryn began to walk down the gangway when Q’s voice piped up behind her. "I was in a Dickensian mood today, Kathy. They can’t see or hear you." She raised her hand in acknowledgement as she approached the young Captain. The Captain turned to face the viewscreen and Janeway saw with surprise that she had a familiar-looking tattoo over her left eye. Kathryn turned back to Q; she was about to speak when the young lieutenant at the conn called, "Captain Janeway." She automatically turned towards him about to answer the call when she realised with deep shock that he was talking to the young Captain. Her mouth dropped as Q came up behind her and said in a congratulatory tone, "Welcome to Parenthood, Kathy!" Kathryn continued to stare the woman in front of her in sheer amazement, oblivious to Q. Q frowned. "I forget that you humans are not terribly good with surprises", he muttered more to himself than Kathryn. "I guess that it couldn’t hurt to back up a little, I suppose, and start from the beginning. Rather predictable, but that is humans for you, no sense of adventure at all. I sometimes wonder why I bother. Like I said I go to all this trouble to make your drab lives have a little kick to them, but do you value my efforts? No. You stand there like a recently phasered gopher. Jean-Luc didn’t appreciate my efforts either. If I were a human, which thankfully I’m not, I would have a very bruised self-image, but I know I’m wonderful so there is obviously something wrong with you. Kathy, close your mouth, it really isn’t attractive." Q was still grumbling to himself as he grasped Janeway’s arm and again vanished.   Part 6 The plasma storm raged above, the purple light crashing across the sky. Kathryn found herself on the ground, panting due to the last lighting strike. As she tried to gauge her surroundings, she felt a throbbing pain across her forehead. Kathryn placed her fingers to the throbbing, and when she looked at her fingers, discovered a large patch of blood. Her whole body ached and her uniform was torn and filthy. A groan reached her ears and she looked down at the ground. "Chakotay!" she gasped in alarm and knelt down beside his injured body. Small patches of liquid stained his uniform, but Kathryn could not tell if it was blood. "Chakotay, can you hear me? Can you move? Where the Hell is Q!?" Chakotay weakly opened his eyes and nodded his head, muttered hoarsely, "Sh..utt..le." Kathryn lifted her head and scanned the horizon spotting the battered Delta Flyer a hundred meters away. She swung his arm around her neck and with a heave pulled him up, saying, "You really need to spend more time on the Hoverball court, Commander." While the storm raged over their heads she dragged herself and Chakotay towards the shuttle. Nearing the shuttle and noting its damage she thought to herself with a wry smile, "Tom is going to kill me or cry. Probably both." Finally she was able to drag Chakotay in through the side access door and accessed the controls to close it up. "Unable to comply", responded the computer. Kathryn resisted an urge to swear and then reached into an equipment locker underneath the engineer’s seat. She produced two suction cups and closed the door manually. Exhausted she gingerly lowered herself to the ground and heard Q say, "A little tired, are we?" She swung her head around and up to where Q was standing above her. "What’s happened?" Q shrugged and knelt beside her, "You were right when you deduced that the last location was in the future, and this is also the future." Kathryn looked around her and asked, "So why am I here?" Q grinned and replied, "Who better to portray your wit, beauty, charm, sophistication..." Kathryn shot him a glance. Q cleared his throat and continued, "...rather than yourself." Kathryn then looked at Chakotay, who was unconscious at the time, and remembered that he was injured. She began looking for the emergency first aid kit, while Q continued to prattle in her ear. "Kathy, why are you bothering with Chuckles when I’m here?" Kathryn passed a medical tricorder over Chakotay's head and didn't bother replying. The tricorder beeped at her and Kathryn repeated what the scans were telling her, "Only a minor concussion and a few scratches and bruises." "Oh damn! And here I was hoping that something interesting would have happened to him." Kathryn spun round in a rage, "Q you were the one who brought us here so you are responsible! I wish you would leave me and my crew alone!" Q placed a pained expression on his face. "If that is how you feel, then fine!" He snapped his fingers and disappeared in a flash of light. Kathryn gasped with exasperation as well as relief. She ran the tricorder over her own body and discovered nothing worse other than a stretched muscle, then gave Chakotay something to deal with his concussion and climbed into the pilot’s seat as the plasma storm rocked the Delta Flyer from outside. "Computer, access most recent logs, bring up the star charts of this system, send out an automated distress beacon for Voyager and direct sensor control to the conn." The computer bleeped its acknowledgement. "Oh, computer, what is the stardate?" The computer replied, "The stardate is 53021.3" Kathryn looked up in alarm, it was only four months in the future from when she was in her ready room. The computer accessed the logs in the Delta Flyer and saw an entry in her name a day earlier. "Computer, access ship log Janeway 17 Beta." Chakotay groaned in his sleep and Kathryn turned in her seat. "Log accessed." Confident that Chakotay was fine, she returned to the computer screen and opened the log. The computer screen flickered on and brought up an image of herself. The picture fluctuated and Kathryn could not hear herself speak. "Computer, clear up playback." The computer beeped and she found she could now hear. "...on a science mission to a new planet. Commander Chakotay and myself are present to conduct surveys and investigate a possible source of Dilithium that our sensors detected just below the planet surface. The last time Dilithium was detected it turned out to be a false hope, so we are proceeding cautiously. The sensors have also detected frequent plasma storms on the planet, which could cause a problem, however we are keeping our fingers crossed. So far the plasma storms have been concentrated at least a hundred kilometres south of our current position and initial scans of some nearby underground caverns have proved encouraging. As long the storms stay away, we should be back on Voyager in time for dinner. End Log." Punching the controls on the panel she found that the plasma storm currently battering the Flyer had started just after they had began take off from the planet, starting quickly and with very little warning. They had been forced back down to planet’s surface with a less than smooth landing. Accessing a more current written log, she found that the emergency rations hadn’t been replaced from the Flyer’s last ‘mishap’. It must have been during a quiet moment of the storm, which had shown no signs of abating, that they had went out to forage and had been caught when the storm had kicked up again with even more ferociousness than before. They were both lucky to be alive, thought Kathryn. Slumping back in the chair she rubbed her temples and grimaced as she pulled the cut skin on her forehead. She still couldn’t believe what Q had shown her before. It couldn’t be possible. Could it? She swivelled around to look at Chakotay on the floor. It was possible that he had shown her a parallel universe future, assuming that it was even real, but after the strange dreams she had been having and the feelings that she had been experienced recently she wasn’t so sure. Janeway shook herself, trying to dispel her thoughts; right now there were bigger problems to worry about, water and food for one thing. There were a couple of canisters of water at the back of the ship but they wouldn't last long and there was no way of telling how long they would be stuck on this planet. The Delta Flyer had sustained too much damage to be able to get off the planet of its own accord and Voyager wouldn’t be able to attempt a rescue until the plasma storm ended. "I must remember to thank Q for this little insight into the future when he decides to bestow me with his presence again." She thought wryly to herself. Her headache screamed the need for coffee at her, but she knew that it was nonessential, so she worked at putting the dull thud to the back of her mind. Chakotay then stirred, and she got up out of her seat and knelt beside him. "Chakotay", she said quietly, "are you awake?" Chakotay's eyelids flickered and then opened. "Captain? What happened?" He tried to get up and Kathryn aided him up into a sitting position. She paused and then replied, "You were injured when the plasma storm kicked up again." Chakotay struggled to get to his feet, but Kathryn tired to restrain him. "No, don't get up, you have suffered a mild concussion." Chakotay grinned and joked, "So much for being someone who can survive in the wild. My father would be proud, first tiny plasma storm and I’m out for the count." Kathryn looked at him and grinned as well. "That tiny plasma storm nearly registered off the sensors, so a concussion is lucky." The conn beeped at the both of them and Kathryn quickly got to her feet. She sat down and accessed the automated distress beacon. The computer responded, "Voyager is 15 light years from your current position." Inside Kathryn let out a little cheer, but instead turned to Chakotay, "Voyager is about two days at warp 8 from our position, so we are stuck here for a little while." Chakotay got to his feet and said, "Fine by me, maybe I will be able to redeem my survival skills to you in that short time." Kathryn said in a put on serious tone, "I don’t doubt that, Commander."   Part 7 Three days later in the darkened cabin of the Delta Flyer, Kathryn thought, "Things could not get worse." She couldn’t afford to tell Chakotay that Q had transported her into the future, as it would endanger the space time continuum. This had been drilled into her in her Academy days and was also against her own personal beliefs. She looked around her in despondency. There was no food left from the meagre amounts that they had collected and the water was running desperately low. The plasma storm showed no signs of abating and on top of that it was getting damned cold. The sheer size of the planet meant that the days and nights lasted for four days and so the temperature dropped dramatically. To support this she shivered violently and pulled the emergency blankets tighter around her. Chakotay, who was trying to set up a signal that would penetrate the plasma storm and reach Voyager, noticed her shuddering and approached her. He walked behind her and knelt behind her. His arms encircled her and just as she was about to protest his arms started to move up and down rubbing her forearms and creating a little warmth in her frozen body. "Better?" he asked quietly as his breath frosted as it hit the outside atmosphere. "We should really stop going on away missions together. We always seem to attract disaster. It may be a message." All Kathryn could do was nod her agreement, her teeth were chattering too much for her to smile. Chakotay moved himself into a more comfortable position, grabbed his emergency blankets and draped them over himself and Kathryn. He reached across their bodies and picked up the last canister of water. He tapped it and then turned his body to face Kathryn. "I don’t know how long we can keep this up for. The water is frozen." She turned her head slightly and rested it on his shoulder with a sigh of despair. She felt him rest his chin on top of her head and he tightened his arms around her. Unconsciously she snuggled closer to his warmth and felt his heart begin to race. She pulled back and looked at him, looking enquiringly into his eyes. He raised his right hand to cradle her face and she whispered, "Chakotay." He raised his other hand, brought her face towards his and gently touched her lips with his. Something clicked inside her and she raised her hand up behind his head pulling his head towards hers. The silence woke her and she blinked the sleep away. She stretched her feet, feeling comfortably warm. She sat up clutching the blanket around her and realised with a start that the storm had ceased. Lowering herself down again she whispered silkily in Chakotay’s ear, "Commander." Then she propped herself up onto her elbow as he stirred. He opened his eyes with a slight smile on his face. He then grew serious and looked studiously into her eyes, "Do you have any regrets, Kathryn?" She didn’t answer but smiled gently and kissed him softly on the forehead. She drew away, glanced out the main window and said, "No, but we will have. The storm has stopped and that means Voyager is on its way."   Kathryn had just begun to pull on her vest and Chakotay was still looking for his when Tuvok materialised in front of them. "Captain. Commander." Tuvok said in greeting. He knelt down to retrieve Chakotay’s vest and handed it to him, raising his eyebrow in what can only be described as Vulcan shock and embarrassment. "Thanks" he muttered looking rather shamed-faced. "We were um, just…" "Saving body heat!" Kathryn leapt in setting her jaw and trying to look solemn. She glanced over at Chakotay. "The Commander was just proving his survival skills." Chakotay looked up at her failing to stifle a smile. "Of course, captain", replied Tuvok facing her with his usual sober expression. Kathryn didn’t think he was convinced. "Your communications system is apparently malfunctioning. Voyager has been attempting to make contact for the past hour with no response." He walked over to the conn of the Delta Flyer while they finished dressing. After a few brief taps on the console he turned back to them. "It appears that the plasma storm has affected a number of systems aboard the ship irreparably, including communications. I also believe that it has damaged your combadges as well." He walked over to them and touched his combadge. "Three to beam up." They disappeared in a sparkle.   Part 8 Kathryn reappeared in her holodeck program in her maroon red dress, and for a moment she thought that she was actually back on Voyager. She heard a footstep behind her and she turned expecting to see the holographic image of Lord Burleigh. But instead there was Q with a 1930’s villain type moustache resting on his upper lip. "Q, your moustache is crooked." Kathryn snapped as Q approached her. Q leered at her and said, "Kathy, tell me, did Chuckles recover from his mild concussion? According to what I heard he was back on his feet in no time." Kathryn shot him a quelling look. "Q, is there any point to this little charade?" Q chortled as he approached the fireplace. "As I was saying Kathy, I was just trying to liven up your life a little. Besides, anything you did, you did by yourself." Kathryn rubbed her hand across her eyes while pacing in front of the fireplace. "Look, Q, I have a ship to run, I don’t have time for these silly games of yours!" Q looked affronted. "My games aren’t silly. You just don’t appreciate the thought that goes into them." He did a dramatic turn and stood with one arm resting on the mantelpiece, the other on his hip. Kathryn raised her eyes to the ceiling in despair and pleaded. "Q! Please just get me out of here!" Q sighed theatrically and twirled his moustache, leering in what he perceived to be an evil manner. "Anything for mon capitan." He grabbed her tightly and bent her backwards over his arm. "By the way, how do feel about weddings?" Kathryn found herself sitting in front of her desk in her quarters and looked around pensively. She was alone, but so far everything seemed normal. "Computer, what is the date?" she barked. "The current stardate is 54280.9" the computer replied efficiently. "One year from now, then, whenever" thought Janeway confusedly. She walked over to the replicator and ordered a steaming Brazilian roast coffee. She picked it up distractedly and brought up to her lips to take a generous slurp, but as the smell reached her, her stomach churned with nausea, and she put it down in disgust. She stopped in surprise and stared intently at the offending coffee, something was definitely not right. Q instantaneously appeared before her and Kathryn jumped. "Well, Kathy, you are back on your precious ship. I see that you still insist on those dull greys. Just think what a splash of colour could do round this place! Nice suit. You look like proper blushing bride." Kathryn glanced down at herself and saw that she was dressed in cream suit. She looked back up in shock. "What!?" She exclaimed. "Oh, did I forget to mention that it was your wedding day? Oops, how careless of me." Q said maliciously. Kathryn didn’t have a chance to reply as her door chirped and Q disappeared as quickly as he had appeared. Neelix bustled into the room. "How is the beautiful bride on this beautiful morning?" He carried quite a large box in his arms. He set it carefully on the table and took off the lid. "In honour of this day some of the crew have chipped in to give you and Commander Chakotay some traditional wedding gifts." Kathryn had sat down abruptly in her chair and was too overwhelmed to reply. Neelix pulled out his first gift. It was sheets of music. "Firstly, this is a clarinet concerto written by Jara Linx, a Trillian composer. It was written over a century ago and this is the original copy of the music, which Mr Kim shall be playing before the ceremony." He then pulled out two matching red mugs with a delicate black and blue and design. "These are from Tom and B’Elanna. They both know that you need your coffee and bad habits do rub off. This is your new gift, while Mr Kim’s gift is something old." Neelix once again reached into the box in front of Kathryn. He pulled out a small piece of jewellery. It was a beautiful intricately designed green opal brooch. "This is something borrowed from Lieutenant Commander Tuvok. It is a traditional Vulcan wedding pin. It is meant to signify the total co-existence of two beings working together in harmony, or I think that’s what Mr Tuvok said." Kathryn got carried away with the moment and started to lean over to see what the last gift would be. Neelix produced a sapphire pendant, and Kathryn gasped as the light caught the stone. "This is the something blue, as you may have guessed, and it is from the Doctor, or should I say, the Captain and Seven of Nine." After her previous future experiences Kathryn decided just to let things unfold, she couldn’t interfere with the time, assuming that what was happening was even real. When she rose from her seat she realised that she had tears in her eyes from the kindness of her crew. Neelix was saying, "I have prepared some traditional earth food for the reception." Kathryn was about to ask what he was serving when Neelix added, "Of course the food that I have prepared will be a surprise." Kathryn reached over and grasped Neelix’s hand and squeezed very gently to show her appreciation. Neelix smiled back and turned to leave the room. Kathryn was about to shout for Q and an explanation when her door chirped again. "Who is it?" she asked. "It’s Lieutenant Kim Ma’am." Kathryn smiled at the fact that Harry had finally been promoted, wondering whether he had taken the officer’s exam. "Enter, Harry." The doors whooshed open and Harry stepped through into her quarters. "Captain, Commander Chakotay asked me to deliver this to you before the ceremony." Harry produced a small velvet box from behind his back. "Thank you, Harry." Kathryn then opened the box and saw an old-fashioned pocket watch nestling in its cushion. "Oh Harry, it’s beautiful. Thank you." She paused as a wave of nausea hit her and she held her stomach. "Captain, are you okay?" Harry asked. Kathryn waved her hand in dismissal. "It’s probably just nerves." Harry ran his hand through his hair and replied, "I know what you mean. Ever since the Commander asked me to be the best man I have been worried about my speech." Kathryn smiled at the young man standing across from her and said, "I am sure you will do a fine job, Chakotay would not have asked you otherwise. Will you tell Chakotay that the gift is beautiful and give him my thanks." Harry nodded and then added, "I have to get back to the Commander and make sure that he gets to the holodeck on time." And with that, Harry turned and walked out of the door. Kathryn then turned her attention back to the box and lifted out Tuvok’s brooch. She studied it for a moment, then removing her combadge and pinned the brooch to her chest. She placed her combadge in her side pocket. She picked her pendant up from her desk and, pulling her hair out of the way, placed it around her neck under her suit jacket. To steady her nerves, she sat down behind her desk and reviewed the latest astrometrics data from Seven. She had passed the Koalian system and was ready to enter a Class 3 nebula, when her door chirped again. "Enter." She commanded without looking up from her padd and was startled by a voice saying, "Captain, are you ready to leave?" Kathryn looked up to see Tuvok in his dress uniform. She set down the padd and rose to her feet, but had to grab hold of her desk as the world started to go dark. Tuvok grabbed her arm to steady her and asked in his usual calm tones, "Captain, are you feeling well?" Kathryn readied herself and said, "I’m fine. It’s just all the excitement." Tuvok seemed satisfied but he added, "Captain, it may be advisable to visit the Doctor after today’s proceedings." Kathryn grinned and said, "Tuvok, if I didn’t know better I would say I heard concern in your voice." "Vulcans do not feel concern. The Captain of a ship needs to be healthy in order to command efficiently." He replied. "I believe that it is now time to leave." He offered her his arm and they walked out of the door.   Part 9 The doors slid open and revealed an open land that resembled the Great Plains of North America with the sun about to rise. The entire crew stood as Kathryn and Tuvok entered, and Harry stuck up on his clarinet. Kathryn smiled as she caught the eyes of Tom and B’Elanna, and turned to see Seven of Nine with Neelix, Ensign Wildman and her daughter Naomi. She then looked to the front and saw the image of the Doctor, dressed in full dress uniform with Captain’s pips in front of her. Chakotay was standing at the front in a royal blue suit and he turned to smile at her as she neared the front. When she stood beside him she felt him grasp her hand, and then the Doctor began. The party was in full swing in the mess hall. Kathryn had to admit that Neelix had finally got the food right. She was surprised because although she knew that this wasn’t happening in her time, she had this inexplicable feeling of joy and contentment. She picked up an hors d’oeuvre from one of the table and rejoined her new husband. He was with Tom and B’Elanna and when she joined them Tom and Chakotay were in a heated discussion. "Remember, Tom, that I trained as a pilot." "I know, but the Picard manoeuvre is the greatest tactical move." B’Elanna fixed Tom with a look and then turned to Kathryn and said, "Boys and their toys." Kathryn just smiled; she then spotted Harry talking to one of the Delaney sisters. She crossed the floor and touched him on the shoulder to draw his attention. "Harry, could I have a word?" Harry turned around and replied, "Of course, Captain." Kathryn smiled at the Delaney sister, she was never sure which one was which, as she moved off to talk to another Ensign. "Harry, I wanted to thank you for your music and the speech." "Anytime Captain," said Harry smiling, then his face fell. "Of course I am not saying this would be a regular occurrence for you. Not to say this is the only chance for you to get married……" He grinned in embarrassment and added, "what I mean is it was a pleasure." Kathryn laughed and patted him on the back. "I know what you mean Ensi… Lieutenant. Excuse me." Janeway wandered over to the Doctor. "Doctor, can I have control of my ship again, please." The Doctor smiled. "As much as I enjoyed the power, Captain, she is all yours." He tapped his mobile emitter and the pips disappeared. "Computer, pass over the voice control of the starship USS Voyager to Captain Janeway. Command code EMH Alpha 91179." The computer beeped and said, "Control of the starship USS Voyager has been handed from Emergency Medical Hologram to Captain Kathryn Janeway. Voice recognition complete." "Thank you Doctor." She smiled but noticed that the Doctor’s face had become concerned. "Captain, are you feeling okay? You are looking a little pale." "I was feeling a little unwell earlier and I had a dizzy spell but I don’t think it was anything serious." Kathryn replied, sipping her drink. "Well of course not, that’s to be expected. It will get better in another month or so." Kathryn looked at him but before she had a chance to ask what he meant Chakotay came over touching her arm. The Doctor beamed at him. "So how is the proud father feeling?" "WHAT!" Chakotay and Kathryn exclaimed in unison. Remembering her sudden aversion to coffee and her dizzy spell it made sense. Thinking quickly, she jumped in. "It was supposed to be a surprise, Doctor!" The Doctor apologised. "I think that maybe you need a little time to yourselves. I think I see Seven. Excuse me." The Doctor hurried off. Chakotay looked down at her, shock showing on his face. "I think he may right." He said unsteadily and steered outside the door into the corridor. He looked both ways to make sure they were alone. "Is it true? I mean are you sure?" He was still staring at her in disbelief. Kathryn couldn’t meet his eyes. "Yes." She said uncertainly. "Well I guess that explains why you’ve been late for duty lately." A smile was beginning to show on his face. He placed his hand gently on her stomach and looked into her eyes in wonder. Her eyes met his and her heart began to beat rapidly. "You don’t mind?" She asked uncertainly. "No! Of course not. I mean I know that this isn’t the best situation to be having a child in, but look at Naomi, she’s happy and healthy. I’m going to be father." He was beaming now and he pulled her close to him and lowered his lip to hers, Kathryn gripped him, closed her eyes and raised her face.   Part 10 She opened her eyes when she realised that Q had moved her. Again. She was in ready room alone sitting at her desk. She felt bloated and rather miserable. "I think Neelix has finally managed to poison me", she thought cattily. She was about to ask the computer for the current stardate when Harry’s voice came over the comm. "Captain! We need you on the bridge, we are almost ready to go." She began to stand and realised that she couldn’t. She looked down with a slight feeling of dread and saw that she wasn’t just feeling bloated. She levered herself out of her chair and winced as a sharp pain shot up her back. "I am really beginning to hate Q", she muttered to herself. Rubbing her swollen stomach she felt a responding kick and she froze, feeling a sudden urge to cry. Shaking her head, trying to dispel the emotions she was feeling, she walking towards the door leading to bridge, her movements slow and clumsy. It opened with a quiet whoosh and she stepped on the bridge. A pain rippled over her stomach and she gasped grabbing hold door frame. She quickly regained her posture and caught Chakotay looking at her with concern. She shot him a look that quickly told him that she was fine. She crossed the bridge to her seat and gently levered herself into it. Chakotay leaned over and whispered, "Are you sure you should be here?" Kathryn turned to him. "Yes I’m fine." She was interrupted from saying anything more by B’Elanna saying over the comm, "Captain, we are ready to engage the Transwarp coils." Kathryn raised her chin and then turned to Chakotay saying, "Commander, would you go down to Engineering to oversee things." Chakotay nodded and headed for the turbolift. Janeway then turned her attention to the main viewscreen. "Mr Paris, hold us ready to go." Tom turned round to look at her and joked, "Captain, if this goes right you’ll be giving birth on Earth." Harry and Tom started to laugh at this, and Kathryn raised her eyebrow, replying, "The way I feel at the moment I don’t really care." Tom ducked his head and turned back to his console very quickly. Kathryn sat mesmerised at the viewscreen as Tom said, "Transwarp online. Setting co-ordinates for the Alpha Quadrant." Kathryn watched as the swirling green tunnel opened up as Voyager hit speeds that Starfleet Scientists only dreamed of. Transwarp came off abruptly and everyone was jolted, the bridge thrown into darkness. Kathryn stood up and then doubled over and groaned in pain as a contraction ripped through her body. Harry’s voice broke through. "Captain, are you alright?" Kathryn’s voice echoed in the darkness, "Doctor, are you there" The Doctor’s voice floated over, "Of course I am; where else would I be?" Kathryn bit her lip as another contraction hit her and then said, "Get Chakotay up here now!" "I’m a Doctor, not an usher", sniffed the Doctor. Harry’s voice again piped up. "That could be a bit of a problem. We appear to be running on emergency power, only life support and communications are currently online." "Tell him it’s an order!" Harry tapped combadge. "Lieutenant Kim to Commander Chakotay." "B’Elanna’s working on it, Harry, any idea where we are?" Harry cleared his throat nervously. "Um… you’re needed on the bridge." "Why, what’s the matter?" he asked immediately. Kathryn, still gasping for breath after the last contraction, thumped her combadge and shouted, "Commander, that is a direct order!" The Doctor said calmly, "I think you better do as she says, Mr Chakotay. This is going to be quick." The entire bridge crew heard B’Elanna shout, "Use the Jefferies tubes! I’ll try and get some power to the transporters to move her to sick bay!" The bridge fell silent until Harry stuttered "I'll give her a hand from here." "You do that, Mr Kim, and make it fast", growled Janeway. The Doctor approached Kathryn down on the main floor of the Bridge. "Captain, do you want to move to your ready room?" asked the Doctor. Kathryn fixed him with a withering look and replied, "Doctor, if I could have I would have." The Doctor seemed to grow smaller and then he turned to Tom and Harry. "I need to get her into the ready room." They both rose from their stations and helped Janeway to her feet guiding her to her ready room. Another contraction hit her and she grabbed the nearest support, which happened to be Tom’s hand. "AAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHH!" cried Tom. The Doctor looked up. "Stop being such a baby Mr Paris." He then turned around and beckoned Seven, who was watching with avid interest. "Seven, we need you." She walked down the ramp and then turned to the Doctor, asking "How can I be of assistance, Doctor?" He lifted Tom’s hand and studied it. "Please take Mr Paris’s place, it appears that the Captain has quite a grip." He sighed and put Tom’s hand down. "Just a little bruising and a fractured bone." Kathryn finally was set down in her seat when B’Elanna’s voice came over the comm. "I got the transporters back online but it will only do one transport." Kathryn rolled her eyes and said, "This was a waste of effort." The Doctor sighed in irritation. "Site to site transport to the sickbay. Five to transport. Mr Chakotay will just have to make his own way." They then disappeared in the usual sparkle of cascading light.   Part 11 They all decided it was a very quick birth, but they had been there for two hours and still the Commander had not got there. Kathryn was doing her best with the pain but she had hissed several times, "If he ever turns up he is dead." She also kept throwing murderous looks at the Doctor every time he asked, "How are you feeling?" Harry looked green around the gills; in fact he looked like a first year cadet on his first experience of zero gravity. Seven was unable to move as Kathryn had her hand in a tight grip and wasn’t letting go. The Doctor kept telling her to breathe and Kathryn kept on replying, "I’m hardly going to stop, Doctor." To which the Doctor muttered under his breath, "Hormones." She had finally entered the last stages of labour when they heard a loud bang. Chakotay pushed the entrance to the Jefferies tube open, looking exhausted. The Doctor looked up and sarcastically said, "Glad you could join us, Commander. You look like you have just ran a marathon." Chakotay panted, holding his side, "It feels like it, Doctor." He walked over to the bio-bed and took Kathryn’s other hand. Seven looked straight at him and said, "That would not be advisable Commander." "She has already broken Mr Paris’s hand." The Doctor explained. Chakotay ignored them and wiped the stray hair away from Kathryn’s face. "How are you doing, Kathryn?" She turned her head and fixed him with a glare, "I’m doing fine," in a voice that implied the exact opposite. "This is all your fault, you know, and I’m having you demoted." He grinned and said gently, "I know." The Doctor then broke their discussion by saying, "Excuse me, I hate to interrupt this romantic interlude, but there is a child on the way." Forty minutes later Kes Phoebe Janeway was born. Harry had promptly fainted, and Seven, finally regaining use of her hand, knelt down to help him. Power came on a short time afterwards with Tuvok’s voice coming over the comm, "Captain I trust everything is well." Kathryn smiled and replied as she cradled her daughter, "Everything is perfect, Mr Tuvok. Did you discover where we are?" The tactical officer paused and then announced, "Sensors have picked up a Starfleet vessel approaching, it appears to be a Sovereign class. We appear to be 20 light years from Earth. The vessel is hailing us." There were loud whoops coming over the comm, and Kathryn could not help but smiling as she said, "Play it ship-wide, Tuvok." Everyone held his or her breath as a polite voice announced, "This is Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise. May we be of assistance?" Kathryn almost laughed, tears in her eyes, and said, "This Captain Kathryn Janeway of the USS Voyager. It’s good to be home." There was a deafening silence that was then broke with Captain Picard asking, "Voyager?" Kathryn nodded even though he couldn’t see her. "It has been a long journey. A lot has happened." Harry came round at that point just in time to hear Picard saying in a stunned tone, "Welcome home, Voyager."   Part 12 Kathryn felt as if she were floating free in space. She had gone to sleep easily through pure exhaustion after the events of the past few hours. She opened her eyes slowly to find that she was indeed floating free in space. Her heart stopped until she realised what was happening. "Q!" she shouted. "I know you’re there." Q appeared before her thousands of stars sparkling behind him. "You’re looking tired, Kathy. Tough day?" He asked in an opprobriously polite voice. Kathryn refused to rise to the bait. "I wish you would tell me why you are putting me through this, Q. I just don’t understand what the point is." Q looked steadily at her, crossing his arms across his chest. "I’m doing you a favour, Kathy. How many people can say that they know exactly what will happen when they make a particular decision? I’m giving you an edge. Besides, I thought your life was becoming a little tedious, I thought you might enjoy a little fun." "Fun!", exclaimed Kathryn, sweeping her hand angrily through the blackness of space. "Fun for you maybe. You aren’t the one who has spent four days in utter confusion, unable to tell anyone what was happening to you, not to mention what happened today. You can’t keep playing with people’s lives like this, Q! I’m not like you. This isn’t my idea of fun. I have my own life to lead and I’d like to get on with it. Making my own decisions!" Q sighed dramatically and shook his head. "Kathy, Kathy, Kathy", he lamented. "You are turning out to be as much of a stick in the mud as Jean-Luc and Sisko, and I though you were different. What is it with you humans that you would deny yourselves the excitement, the privilege, the sheer wonderment of being with a Q? It is quite beyond me, really it is. But, if humdrum is what you want, fine, see if I care, humdrum is what you will get, only not just yet." He clicked his fingers and they reappeared in Kathryn’s ready room. Kathryn looked round. Everything seemed the same, but something wasn’t quite right. She turned to look out the large windows behind her desk. In front of her was a familiar large green and blue planet. She twisted to look at Q, who was standing at the far side of the room. He walked over and stood behind her whispering in her ear, "Wait and see." He then vanished just as the door leading to the bridge slid open. Kathryn stood rooted to the spot as the future Janeway strode purposefully through the door. The tattoo on her forehead was distinct and Kathryn could see that it was identical to Chakotay’s. The future Janeway sat down at her desk, oblivious to Kathryn, as she requested that Ensign Hunter transfer her transmission. "Mom! Dad!" The future Janeway exclaimed as the two faces appeared before her. Kathryn gasped as she recognised the older but familiar couple. She had known this, but it still came as a surprise. "Kes, or should I say Captain Janeway? We just wanted to wish you bon voyage." The future Janeway beamed at her parents. "I’m sure it will be, it’s only a short trip, I’ll be back before you know it." Her parents exchanged a knowing look. "Where have I heard that before", her mother remarked dryly. The future Janeway grinned at her. "I’m the Captain and if say it will be a short trip it will be a short trip. Besides this is my first command and I don’t want anything to go wrong. Especially considering the history of this particular ship. I’d never admit this to anyone else but I’m as nervous as hell. I keep thinking, what if I’m not ready, and how can I safely Captain a crew if I’m not?" Kathryn sympathised with her, she herself had felt the same way when Starfleet had promoted her to Captain, until she had sat for the first time in the Captain’s chair and told the conn to engage. The future Janeway’s mother began to tell her exactly the same thing, as if she had read Kathryn’s mind. She wryly grinned to herself. The future Janeway’s mother didn’t need to read her mind. Her attention was drawn back to the screen as the future Kathryn began to speak again. "You should hear your father, his introductory talk to his first year Anthropology students begins with "My daughter is the youngest Captain in Starfleet history…." She was cut off by the embarrassed gasp of her daughter. "DAD! You didn’t, did you?" Chakotay laughed. Kathryn allowed herself a little smile; it was just how she would have expected Chakotay to act as father. "Your mother’s exaggerating, a little, besides I’m not the one who was telling the Ambassadors from about twenty different planets that her little girl was the youngest ever Captain in Starfleet." Kes glared at her mother. "Mother!" The future Kathryn put on a mock innocent look and replied, "Your father’s penchant for telling stories has spilled over from his traditional parables to actual events. I may have told some close family friends who are now Ambassadors but certainly not twenty." Kes just shook her head and chuckled, the way she did it reminded the present Kathryn so much of her Chakotay, so much that she was quite alarmed. "I heard that there were some familiar faces on your senior staff", replied the future Kathryn with a knowing smirk. Kes nodded her agreement and said, "Yes. I chose Alexia Delaney for my security chief, Tuvok’s grand-daughter Temeni is my first officer, Lieutenant Owen Torres-Paris as my chief engineer and the Doctor is my Chief Medical Officer naturally. Ian Riker is my conn officer because he came highly recommended by Captain La Forge. My Ops officer is Andrew Kim and my astrometrics officer is Lieutenant Molly O’Brien." The future Kathryn raised her eyebrow at these choices and said, "People may think that you are trying to recreate the old former crew." But before Kes could answer Chakotay jumped in, "But when did you or your mother worry about what other people thought of your decisions." The present Kathryn couldn’t help but laugh when mother and daughter both rose their eyebrow at the same time. "They were the best people for their positions, all of them were in the top 25% of their class." "We should go as we both know how many jobs a Captain has to see to before she can set off. Your mother also has to see to your sister as she prepares to go to the Academy. She is a little worried especially with her mother and elder sister’s reputations", grimaced Chakotay. Kes smiled and said, "I know how she feels, tell her good luck. Tell Kol I’ll see him when I get back. Mom, Dad I love you." Kes touched her fingers to her lips and then placed them on her screen. "Good luck, Captain Janeway", said the future Kathryn. Then the screen went blank and was replaced with the Starfleet Insignia. Kes sighed, picked up one of the many padds and started to study it. She reached for the mug of what smelt like Brazilian roast coffee, and Kathryn sniffed appreciatively as she realised that hadn’t had a cup of coffee in a long while. She rounded the desk to look at the young woman who was sat opposite her. She studied Kes’ face and was surprised to see how much her face bore a resemblance to Chakotay. Kes possessed the same dark, thoughtful and intense eyes and the same raven black hair that identified her as Chakotay’s daughter. But Kathryn could also see resemblance to her own features, the strong jaw and the snub nose. Kathryn grimaced at the thought that Kes had inherited her mother’s stubbornness and her father’s pride. She then felt an unexpected feeling of pride herself for this young woman, who resembled what she was like when she was young. Kathryn extended her arm to touch the young woman’s arm, but when her hand did not connect with anything she knew that she was no longer in the ready room. Kes looked up from her reports with the feeling that her mother had just been in her room. She couldn’t explain it, but her mother had a presence, and Kes could have sworn that she had just felt that sensation. Although the hairs on the back of her neck stood up, she knew that it was impossible. It went against all the realms of science, so she shook her head and returned to her padds.   Part 13 Outside the window, the sun dipped gently over San Francisco bay as Kathryn discovered that Q had transported her yet again. She was about to call Q’s name when she caught the image of herself in a large mirror on the opposite wall. She walked over cautiously, studying the reflection. From what looked back at her she guessed that she must be at least in her early sixties. The light from the sun was filling the room with soft oranges and pinks; she sat on the bed and looked around. Her eyes spotted a picture beside the bed, and she picked it up. The picture was of her, Chakotay and Kes taken at Starfleet headquarters. Judging from her daughter’s uniform, she assumed that this had been Kes’ graduation from the Academy. The smiling faces looked back at her, the pride showing so clearly on her and Chakotay’s faces, and Kes’ excitement. She replaced the framed picture and rose to her feet. Again her eyes caught a familiar object. It was a pendant with a blue stone, and Kathryn grinned when she recalled the last place she had seen it. This was the necklace that Neelix had presented her on her wedding day aboard Voyager. She was still looking at the pendant when Chakotay entered the room. "Reminiscing?" Kathryn looked over her shoulder and smiled gently. "It only seems like yesterday." Chakotay reached behind her and took the pendant from her hands. "I know what you mean." He placed the pendant around her neck and fastened it. Kathryn then turned to him. "Do you ever wish you were still there?" Chakotay chuckled and then kissed her on the forehead. "The reunion making you feel old? Believe me, once you have spent the next two hours in the company of the rest of the crew, you won’t feel so... ship sick!" Kathryn smiled, but then said, "The Reunion?" After everything that had happened she was becoming confused. Chakotay now steered her out of the bedroom into a bigger living space. "Yes, here’s the invitation. You aren’t suffering from memory lapses, are you, Captain?" Kathryn smiled at his joking, then glanced down at the invitation. The reunion was for the crew of Voyager who travelled through the Delta Quadrant, and the families of those who were lost on the journey home. It was to be held at Starfleet Headquarters apparently that evening. It was then Chakotay was saying something to her. "...ready to go?" Kathryn looked up and replied, "Pardon?" Chakotay approached her with her dress uniform jacket, "I asked are you ready to leave?" Kathryn slipped the jacket around her shoulders and smiled at him. "Yes I’m ready." Later, as they entered Starfleet Headquarters after having walked there, both were amazed at the sheer number of people that were present. Many of the leading officials in Starfleet were present and came to welcome her and Chakotay as they entered. "Admiral, it is a pleasure to see you again. Professor Chakotay; or is it Admiral Chakotay?" Chakotay smiled and said, "Chakotay will be fine." Kathryn smiled as she spotted members from her crew, though they were now much older. The two of them wove around the crowds stopping to talk to different people as they greeted them. Finally Kathryn spotted Tom in his dress uniform, and noted with approval that Tom was now a commander. "Tom! Tom!" Tom twisted to see who was calling his name and his face broke into a wide grin when he recognised Kathryn. "Admiral! It is a pleasure seeing you again." He then reached over and gave her a hug. Surprised, Kathryn returned it. When they separated Kathryn asked, "Tom, how are you?" Tom shrugged and grinned, "Well, the grandkids and B’Elanna are keeping me on my toes. But at least I get to spend some time with them while I’m teaching at the Academy." Kathryn was so surprised that she replied, "Teaching at the Academy?" Tom’s face lit up at her reaction and laughed, "Yeah, didn’t you hear? They got me to teach shuttlecraft flight 101 for the cadets." Kathryn was still joking with Tom when Chakotay came up behind them. "Has anyone seen Neelix? I heard he would be here today." Tom looked around while saying, "Yeah, I heard he just got back from meeting Ambassador Spock on Vulcan. There he is! NEELIX!" Kathryn stepped back and checked her hearing to make sure that Tom hadn’t burst her eardrums. She then caught a glimpse of a little tuft of orange hair moving towards their group. "Admiral, commanders, how are you all?" Kathryn smiled at her morale officer/Cook/Security Officer, who looked almost the same as he had when she had begun this adventure, and said, "I’m fine, Neelix. I hear you were just with Ambassador Spock." The little Talaxian’s head nearly fell off with his enthusiastic nodding. "Yes, Admiral, and such an interesting man he is, too. Of course my experiences with Mr Tuvok helped me communicate with Ambassador Spock much easier." Tom and Chakotay exchanged looks that almost made them burst out laughing. Kathryn also recalled how Neelix often tried to make Tuvok smile on their long journey, and how this often infuriated Tuvok, although he would never show it. Kathryn was about to question Neelix more about his meeting the legendary Starfleet Ambassador when a delicate tinkle brought the entire room to attention. Kathryn and the rest of her group turned their heads towards a large stage with a lone figure on it. Kathryn smiled as she recognised the confident man standing on the platform to be Harry Kim. "Ahem. Ladies and gentlemen, if I could have your attention." He cleared his throat in way that reminded Kathryn of his early shyness. "We are all here for a very special reason. This is a gathering of the Voyager crew that made the exciting and groundbreaking journey home from the Delta Quadrant. Many achievements were made by the crew that has shaped the Starfleet we take great pride in today. There were originally two very different crews, Maquis and Starfleet. These two crews had to come together to survive the dangerous job of travelling home. One person made this fusion of ideas and views possible. This person, although committed to getting her crew home, was able to keep the Starfleet protocols foremost in the minds of the crew. This person held the responsibility with her first officer of caring for this crew and getting us home safe. We picked up a few unusual characters on our journey that became our friends and colleagues, but I’m sure that everyone on that ship would agree that Kathryn Janeway was a major reason why we all got home. And I would like to invite her and Admiral Chakotay to say something to all here." Harry then began clapping and the entire room joined him. Kathryn found herself to have tears in her eyes and hurriedly wiped them away as she and Chakotay mounted the steps up to the platform. Harry shook Chakotay’s hand and kissed Kathryn on the cheek. Kathryn then turned to look down at the crowd who all looked back at her. She spotted familiar faces, though altered with time still recognisable. She saw Tuvok at the back with his wife T’Pel, B’Elanna had joined Tom in the crowd, Seven met her gaze with her intense blue eyes and other members of Voyager watched her. She had no idea what she should say, all Kathryn could think of is what she would like to say if Voyager ever reached the Alpha Quadrant. "Ahh.... I don’t know what to say. Thank you Mr Kim, though I don’t deserve all the credit of getting the crew home. Everyone on board contributed to get us home. For Chakotay and myself it brought many changes to our lives. Being flung across the galaxy shaped my life forever, but I wouldn’t change the fact that it happened. The reason would be that the crew of Voyager became more than a crew - it became a family. Whether we were from Starfleet, Maquis or the Delta Quadrant we grew together and suffered together. We lost many of our family on the way home for many reasons, and we all felt it and had to make up for the loss. But we remained together, and that is what brought us home - everyone worked together. With the help of B’Elanna’s engineering, Tom’s flying, Harry’s sharp eyes and mind, Seven’s unique abilities, Tuvok’s watchful eye, Neelix’s wonderful support and food, Chakotay’s leading ability and so much more. I simply led you home, but may I say that it was a pleasure and an honour to do so." When she finished she was shocked to discover tears running down her face, and she squeezed Chakotay’s hand. The entire room had erupted into applause with Tom doing a replica of a 20th Century American football chant. Chakotay turned her to face him; he spotted the tears and laughed. He then tilted her head up and kissed her on the forehead. Kathryn looked up at him and then kissed him gently on the lips. She sat down and he looked at her seriously "Any regrets?" He asked her quietly. She smiled at him gently and kissed him on the forehead in reply.   Part 14 Her head lolled to one side and this jolted her awake. Kathryn stretched her neck muscles and reached for a now cold mug of coffee. She drank it down thirstily and looked around her own ready room. Nothing was out of place, but just in case, she asked urgently, "Computer, what stardate is it?" "The stardate is 52604.7", replied the computer. Kathryn let out a massive sigh of relief as she recognised the stardate as the proper one. She slumped back in her seat and thought to herself how real the entire dream had been. She really needed to go and see the Doctor about these increasingly strange dreams. She was about to rise out of her seat when there was a flash of light and a voice said, "Kathy, did you miss me?" Kathryn groaned and turned to see Q sitting cross-legged on her coffee table. She didn’t say anything but just stood there with her arms at her side. "That’s right, Kathy, it wasn’t a dream. Well are you not going to say anything, not even in that angry tone of yours? I do love it when you get angry, you are so much more fun than Jean-Luc and much better looking." He leered. Kathryn walked calmly over to the easy chairs and sank into one of them, then cleared her throat. "So it was real?" Q giggled to himself and then pushed his face close to hers. "Yes, and admit it, Kathy. You liked it! A family, Earth and Chuckles, all your birthdays at once!" Kathryn paused as the truth hit her, she had accepted it without struggle, and she couldn’t justify it at all by needing to keep the timeline intact. She thought back over all the experiences and realised that this is what she had always fantasised about. Q jumped in and said, "But in good Dickensian style, that was only one path your life can take. You see, Kathy, you get to choose! As you say, it isn’t written in stone!" Kathryn turned to him and said in a dangerously quiet tone, "Are you sure that Qs cannot feel pain?" For a brief moment, Q looked disconcerted and then said, "Yes. I have to attend to another matter in a galaxy far, far away. I feel a disturbance in the…. No… it’s gone. But remember, Kathryn," his tone became unusually serious, "you non-omnipotent beings have a brief time, and as I said anything you did, you did yourself." He stood up and then tilted Kathryn’s face up towards his own. "Leave no regrets." He then bent down and landed a massive smacker on her forehead. "Until next time, mon Capitan." Then he disappeared in a flash of light.   Epilogue Kathryn sat in her ready room trying to understand what Q had meant, until Harry’s voice summoned her to the bridge. She walked on to the bridge and said, "Report." Chakotay was present at Harry’s station and replied, "We are approaching the nebula." Kathryn looked round and asked, "Where is Mr Paris?" Harry jumped in. "The Doctor called him down to Sickbay for his shift." Kathryn nodded and said, "Very well. Commander, take the helm and bring us in closer." She then sat down in her chair and studied the sensor data of the nebula. She tried to concentrate, but she was tired and her mind wandered to the events that Q had instigated. Her reverie was interrupted by Chakotay. "Any regrets?" Kathryn’s head snapped up and her face drained of all her colour. Images of the plasma storm, tender words and a soft kiss on her forehead flew through her mind. She stammered, "What did you say?" Worry creased Chakotay’s features as he replied, "I said, this is as close as it gets, Captain. Are you all right? You look a little pale." By this point Chakotay had crossed the bridge to her seat and Kathryn studied his face for a brief moment before replying, "I’m fine, Commander." She then looked at Harry and said, "Prepare a probe for launch, Mr Kim." Harry looked up and said, "Aye Captain, probe ready." Kathryn sank down back into her seat, but stole a glance at her first officer with a slight smile on her face before turning and saying, "Launch probe, Mr Kim." Chakotay, spotting the smile, looked at Kathryn with a quizzical smile of his own before turning back to his own console. Kathryn thought to herself, "Just another average day in the Delta Quadrant."