Star Trek Voyager characters are the property of Paramount Pictures

CHRISTMAS ANGEL

CHAPTER 1

CHRISTMAS EVE, 2386

Beneath a window of falling snow, six year-old Angelica Janeway sat on her pink bed playing with her favorite doll, Angelina. The doll was as old as her and was a beautiful angel dressed in a gown of shimmering white. Upon the doll's back were glittering silver wings, and just like her young mistress, she had long black hair and chocolate brown eyes. As she played, clad in green pyjamas, Angelica sang to herself. She loved to sing and dance and had set her little heart on becoming a ballerina some day. Around the room, decorating purple walls, were Christmas decorations of red and gold tinsel, and every now and them Angelica admired them.

Suddenly, a light flashed before her, a bright white light, and Angelica gasped as she looked up. There, sitting on the edge of her bed, was Santa Claus.

"Ho, ho, ho," he smiled. "Hello, Angelica."

Angelica stared at him in astonishment. "S...Santa?"

"The one and only," he said.

But, as Angelica studied him, she saw a familiarity about him that made her laugh.

"Oh, you're not Santa," she cried. "You're Q!"

"Am I?"

"Yes," she laughed. "I can tell by your eyes. Oh, you look so funny!"

"How do you know Santa is not a Q?"

"Because he isn't. He's an old man, a very old man, and he lives in the North Pole."

"Maybe he's a very old Q."

"No. He's a man that used to be called Nicholas before he was called Santa. He's married and has a wife called Mary. Don't you know all this? I thought Q's knew everything!"

"Not everything. Just mostly everything."

Angelica closed the gap between them. "Why are you here? Is it to bring us presents?"

"Maybe. Or maybe I'm here on a mission."

"A mission?"

"To help your Mommy."

"To help Mommy? But she's fine. She's in the lounge with Daddy."

"Now she's fine, but..." He clicked his fingers and a huge crystal ball appeared before them, hovering in the air. "Look inside."

Angelica looked inside the ball and saw what looked like her mommy's quarters on Voyager. Then she saw her mommy. She was standing before a window, dressed in a blue nightie, and her long auburn hair was loose over her shoulders.

"Oh, it's Mommy," Angelica said, "when she was on Voyager. And doesn't she look pretty?"

But then she saw that her mother was crying.

"But so sad. Why is she crying, Q?"

"Because it's Christmas," he answered, "and Voyager is a long way from home. She's missing her family and is sad because she knows the crew are missing theirs too. She hopes she will get them home for Christmas next year, or the year after that, but is afraid she will never get them home."

"Poor Mommy. Can't you go to her and tell her everything will be ok? That she will get Voyager home?"

"Not me, but you can."

"Me?"

Q nodded. He then clicked his fingers and the crystal ball changed into three big Christmas tree baubles. They were floating in mid-air, spinning slowly, and were a shimmering green, blue, and red respectively. Adorning them were silver stars that twinkled in the light, and they each had a glittering gold hook.

"Oh!" Angelica exclaimed. "They're the baubles from our Christmas tree!"

"That's right. But they have quite a journey to make before they get there."

"How so?"

"Because they're not just ordinary baubles, they're very special baubles. And they're special because a Christmas Angel gave them to your mommy."

"A Christmas Angel? Really?"

"And that angel was you."

Angelica's eyes widened. "Me? I'm an angel? A real angel and not just an Angelica?"

"For a little while this Christmas...if you want to be."

"Oh, I do, I do!"

Q smiled. "Then listen carefully and we'll get to work!"

END OF CHAPTER 1