Jennica's Story

1. Rough Beginnings

J/C

Rated MA

June 2009

By: AW

Length: 3,491 words

Summary: Episode addition to 'Night, and SURPRISE.

Disclaimer: blah blah blah, I DON'T OWN THEM

Jennica walked into the astrometrics lab having just finished talking with the Captain in her quarters about life, why she had left her and given her up all those years ago.

She saw Tuvok sitting in the Astrometrics lab meditating, something she didn't understand but she knew that for the Vulcan it produced solace and stability.

"Commander. Am I disturbing you."

"No."

Jennica stared at the command officer, "Is the Astrometrics lab designated for recreational use?"

"I come here to meditate. Needless to say, the view from my quarters has been less than stellar lately."

Seven realized that Tuvok was one of her mother's closest friends and perhaps he could give her some insight into the way her mother's mind works.

"Commander, may I ask you a question?"

The Vulcan nodded encouraging her to continue and ask her question. "Did my mother really give me up for the better? Or was it because she didn't want me?"

The Vulcan gathered his thoughts, "The Captain holds deep feelings for you, and from what she has told me over the years: She wanted nothing for you but the best upbringing possible and she felt she was unable to give that to you at that time in her life."

Jennica nodded, "Thank you Commander, I appreciate your candour."

[Same time - Janeway's quarters]

Chakotay walked into the turbolift and rode down into their quarters. The children were in the nursery with the Paris children and Naomi Wildman.

Tal Celes was due to deliver not long after Kathryn, and thanks to Bajoran genetics the crew had just discovered about two months ago that she and Billy Telfer were going to be parents.

The Voyager family was indeed growing at an astronomical rate.

Kathryn had been relieved of duty a month ago, and Chaktoay was glad that she had taken it in stride, or at least he had thought so until two weeks ago when they had entered the void, and she had fallen into a deep depression.

Without ship's business to occupy her mind, and with the impending birth of their child as the only thing to keep her mind distracted, he barely saw her.

They had finally gotten some news to share with her, Tuvok and Seven had discovered some 'theta radiation' and he thought it might be something that she would be interested in hearing about.

He hoped so anyway; he got to her quarters and rang the chime. He heard a disjointed 'Come' from inside and entered.

He handed a padd to her and stated, "It's probably nothing. Just background theta radiation. But it could mean there's someone nearby." He stared at her and really noticed her protruding belly, and the fact that it appeared that the baby had dropped low.

He had wanted the doctor to induce her because she was now a week late, and he had rejected saying the child would come when it came.

She blankly stared at her husband, "Distance?"

"Approximately twenty five light years."

Her hand went to her belly feeling the baby move, and then her mind went back to ship's business. "It's a long shot, but alter course."

"Yes, ma'am."

She glared at him, "I'm your wife too."

"Who has been ignoring me and her children for the last couple of weeks; I don't understand you Kathryn I've tried to do everything to make your life easier and the birth of this child easier on you but you ignore me."

She sighed, "If that's all, Commander."

He looked at her, trying to think of the best way to get to her. "Actually, I'd like to make a request. I've been saving up my holodeck rations and I've got three full hours coming. Any chance I can invite you to a moonlit stroll and possibly a boat ride in Saint George? It will help clear your mind and relax you."

"My mind is perfectly clear."

"And what if I told you I'm not leaving until you join me? I want to make sure you're okay Kathryn," He approached her and put his hands on her belly,

"You and my son."

She smiled at his attempt to force into a state of ease, but her mind wouldn't let her. "Then I'd say, have a seat, it'll be a while."

"Then I'll be blunt. You've picked a bad time to isolate yourself from the crew. This ship needs a Captain, especially now."

Kathryn stood up and lashed out at him, "The doctor has confined me to quarters, and I can't take care of the ship or crew at the moment anyway; I don't need you to try and dictate my duties to me."

"It started when we entered this, what does the crew call it?"

"The Void."

"Charming. Oh, what I wouldn't give for a few Borg cubes about now. Anything for a little distraction aside from this baby." She placed her hands on her abdomen. "No time to stop and think about how we got stranded in the Delta quadrant. How did we end up here, Chakotay? Answer me."

"Kathryn if we'd never gotten stuck here we wouldn't have found each other again, and we wouldn't have two daughters to complete our lives, or the one you're carrying." He paused unsure if he should delve into it, "And you wouldn't have found Jennica."

Kathryn got a frustrated look on her face at her husband ignoring her question. "You still haven't answered my question; how did we end up stranded in the Delta Quadrant?"

He sighed and answered her question as best he could. "We were faced with a difficult choice. We had the means to get home but using it would've put an innocent people at risk, so we decided to stay."

"No, no, no. I decided to stay. I made that choice for everyone." She walked up to him forcing him to look into her eyes, blank with hatred for herself and what she had put the crew through.

"Kathryn, you can't possibly still blame yourself for this."

"I messed everything up, I messed our lives up, I want that life in the Alpha Quadrant back."

Chakotay paused and stared at her, trying to get her to open up to him, to divulge her reasons and her secrets. "You know I love you Kathryn and so does this crew; they would back you up with anything. They'll live with and deal with all the decision you've made through the years: They always have and they always will."

"That may be so but their trust and their love is misplaced. I don't deserve any of it."

Chakotay stared at her once again and left their quarters to head for the Astrometrics Bay where he had a feeling that much of Kathryn's self-hate and self-blame were coming from.

[Astormetrics Lab – 2 hours later]

Jennica stared at the astrometrics scan of the space ahead: there was nothing. She was not sure if she could live out her life on this ship, with her parents who refused to give her the time of day and the rest of the crew who resented her for all the things that her people had done to them and their families over the years and decades.

She sighed as she heard the doors to the astrometrics lab open and spun around to see her Commander and her mother's would-be saviour come through the doors. "Commander."

He looked at his step-daughter, "Just Chakotay Jennica."

"Seven, I am Seven of Nine."

"I need to speak to Jennica, not a Borg Drone."

Seven glared at him, "What do you wish talk to me about," she hesitated, "Chakotay."

Chakotay smiled that Jennica had finally accepted him as more than his rank, he hoped so anyway. "Kathryn is really hurting over the situation that she gave you away all those years ago and I need you to assure her that it was not the wrong decision."

Seven walked up to him and just about spat, "If Captain Janeway had not given me to Owen Paris to be raised, I would not have been assimilated by the Borg and my life would have turned out better."

"You can't possibly blame Kathryn for that."

"She came onto this ship, found you and created a new life for herself. She didn't need me and she doesn't need me now. So if you'll not bring this up again I'd appreciate it Commander."

Chakotay walked out of the astrometrics lab and went to the bridge.

[Bridge]

Chakotay walked onto the empty bridge. Most of the officers had been given time off because of the empty void of space into which they'd been deposited.

He saw Kim sitting in the Command chair with his clarinet in hand. He spun around when Chakotay entered the bridge clearly not expecting the commander to make an appearance.

"Sir."

Chakotay smiled at the youthful optimism of being in charge of the bridge. "Relax, Harry; anything to report?"

"Not even a stray electron. But I did finish writing my concerto. I call it 'Echoes of the Void.' Got a minute?"

"Too many I'm having trouble getting Kathryn to talk to me about anything and Jennica just about spit fire at me."

"Jennica?"

"That's our new Borg Drone's name. She's Kathryn and Tom's daughter."

Harry looked up at Chakotay surprised, "I'm sorry I didn't realize that Sir, I thought that Tom was just on edge the last little while because he and B'Elanna were expecting their second daughter."

"Well I'm sure that had something to do with it, but I'm also sure that wasn't the only reason."

Kim got defensive, "Tom is my best friend why wouldn't he tell me something like this?"

"I'm sure it has nothing to do with that Harry, I just think that Jennica is a very private and very touchy subject right now."

Harry bowed his head in embarrassment, "I'm sure he'll tell me when he needs a shoulder to cry on or someone to listen to his woes."

Chakotay smiled, "I'm sure you're right Harry. Now let's hear this concerto that you've been working on."

He got ready to wow the Commander, "Tell me what you think."

[Holodeck - Proton's ship]

Tom looked at his firstborn, "Now, when we last saw our heroes they had just retaken their rocket ship. Dr. Chaotica had escaped, but he left behind his trusty robot to foil Captain Proton."

Jennica stared at the man who had helped her enter into her menial existence. "My designation?"

Tom looked at her there was something on her mind but he decided to play the holodeck fantasy out as it was supposed to be played, "Ah, right. You're Constance Goodheart. You're my secretary."

"Secretary."

'Yeah, you tag along on all the missions. Now, I want you to keep the robot occupied while I save Earth. Computer, run program."

Jennica grabbed Tom's arm. "I tag along as it appears I'm doing now. Tagging along with yours and mom's lives. Not really part of them but not separated from them either."

Tom stared at her, "I didn't know you felt that way."

"You abandoned me as a child and now you and the Captain expect me to just accept it and move on: I can't."

Tom drew himself up to his full height, "Now you listen. We did the best we could with what we had at the time. The blame for you being assimilated should be placed on 'my father', not on myself or Kathryn."

"If you had never given me away none of this would ever have happened."

"You can't hold on to this forever Seven, we're going to be stuck on this ship together for a long time."

"And I wish sometimes I was back on the Borg Cube and away from my torrid beginnings."

Jennica walked out and headed for her mother's quarters, maybe there she would get some answers.

[Outside Janeway Quarters]

Seven rang the chime and waited for her 'mother' to answer the door, when no answer was forthcoming she broke in using Borg Encryption Codes.

[Janeway Quarters]

Kathryn heard the chime and ignored it, she didn't want to talk to anyone. She didn't want to be bothered. She placed her hand on her belly and felt the slight tightening and loosening of the abdominal muscles. *I know what this means.*

The doors opened and in walked Jennica, the last person she expected to see. "Seven?"

"You mean Jennica don't you. I am your child."

"Fine, Jennica. What do you want, you've made it abundantly clear that you really don't want to have anything to do with me as a mother: your mother."

Jennica stared at the woman in front of her, "Why did you do it?"

Kathryn stared at her daughter confused. "Why did I do what?"

"Why did you give me up? Why did you leave me to be raised by that man who was my grandfather?"

Kathryn shook her head, "I couldn't raise a child Jennica: I was a child myself."

She glared at Kathryn, "And now what, you think you're going to get a second chance to be a mother to me?"

Kathryn shook her head, "I know there is a lot of pain and resentment in you about what happened, but I can't change the past: All I can do is hope for a chance to make your future better."

Jennica scoffed at her mother, "Better? How can you make anything better? You abandoned me and all to fulfill your own needs and wants."

"That's not true Jennica. I wanted to keep you and so did your father but it wasn't practical."

"Practical. Maybe you should have thought about that before you had sex and created me. I wish some days I'd never been born."

She looked at the hurt and pained woman, "Don't say that Jennica." Kathryn stared at the blond hair and blue eyes and begged for her to stare back but she refused.

The lights dimmed and the power on the whole ship went down as Kathryn - going into Captain's mode - hit her combadge and heard nothing but a low annoying whine.

She reached out for Jennica's hand and finally felt the cold metallic touch of the hand that still contained the tubules and nanoprobes of her assimilation ordeal.

Kathryn screamed out as her water broke and she felt the uterine contractions become more painful.

"Captain?"

"I'm okay, I just think that this child has finally decided to make his appearance."

Jennica sounded panicked, "Here? Now?"

She felt the air in the room become more tense, "I think so, but don't worry these things normally take hours."

Jennica slapped her combadge, "Seven of Nine to Commander Chakotay." When she heard no response and just the annoying noise that the combadge made when communications were down, she tapped it again, "Seven of Nine to anyone listening."

Kathryn screamed out again and panted through a contraction. "Seven, I don't think anyone can hear you."

"Mom, I can't help you. I need you to help me."

"I don't think we have much of a choice Jennica. I think there's a flashlight in the drawer by my bedside."

Jennica nodded and went to the bedside of her mother and step-father's room. "I think I found it."

Kathryn was panting through another contraction, when the pain subsided she summoned her, "Bring it here."

Jennica turned on the flashlight and walked slowly towards Kathryn careful not to step on any of her other children's toys that lay strewn about the room.

"Here Captain."

Kathryn shook her head, "I need you to pull off my pants and see if you can see anything down there: See how far I've progressed."

Jennica held the flashlight on her face showing Kathryn the fear in the woman's eyes, and all of a sudden she looked like a scared child. "Jennica, it's okay. I'm here to help you through this, but you need to help me."

Kathryn panted and bent over pushing. Jennica flashed the light down and saw the crown of a child's head. "Mom, I think I see the head of your child."

She nodded, "That's good Jennica: all I need you to do is support your brother's head when I get it out."

Jennica set the flashlight on the coffee table shining it down as she saw the baby's head make its appearance completely. The child was so small; so tiny. "I see the head Captain."

Kathryn nodded, "Can you just hold the head and on the next contraction I'll try and get the rest of the baby out."

Jennica nodded and listened as Kathryn screamed out and the tiny baby was deposited in her hands. "I believe that I have a sister Captain."

Kathryn looked at Jennica confused, "The doctor told us it was a boy."

Jennica gave a crooked smile that Kathryn recognized as a Janeway special, "I think the doctor was mistaken."

Kathryn felt another contraction and knew she had to deliver the placenta. "Here give her to me, this will help me deliver the placenta." She pulled her shirt open and put the child on her breast. Kathryn pushed, and Jennica looked down, "Captain I don't think that's a placenta."

Kathryn reached down and felt a foot poking out. "Maybe the doctor was only half wrong Jennica." She felt the umbilical cord fall out and Kathryn worried.

Jennica pulled on the cord, hoping to ease the child out. "Don't do that Jennica, if the cord is wrapped around the baby's neck you're going to strangle it."

Jennica pulled her hands away and looked at her mother with fear in her eyes.

Kathryn felt another contraction and pushed as she screamed out and a rush of blood flowed out from between Kathryn's legs.

The lights came on and Jennica looked at her mother who appeared to be deathly pale from the loss of blood. She raised her hand to her Communicator. "Jennica to Commander Chakotay."

There was static and then Chakotay's voice came over the comm. line. "Chakotay here."

"Commander, I think you'd better come to your quarters. Your wife is in labour."

[Bridge]

Chakotay stared around at the bridge crew and looked to Tom, "Tom can you join me please?"

Tom nodded and the two of them swiftly headed to deck two and the officers quarters'.

[Janeway Quarters]

Jennica looked at her brother poking out half way from her mother. "What do I do mom?"

Kathryn was deathly white and the blood continued to ooze out of body.

"Mom? Mom! What do I do?"

Jennica heard the doors to the quarters open and Chakotay rushed in seeing the child that was already there and Tom seeing the second baby half delivered.

"Seven move out of the way."

Tom walked up to Kathryn laying limply on the floor and stuck his fingers inside Kathryn's body feeling for the baby's head and feeling the cord wrapped around the child's neck. "Chakotay I need to deliver this baby now."

Chakotay nodded and rocked the squalling infant in his arms.

Jennica looked on shell-shocked as her father delivered her mother's other child. He held the baby who was blue and not making any noise.

Watching as her mother and her brother seemed to stop breathing in tandem.

Tom yelled to Chakotay, "Are the transporters working Chakotay? I need to get this baby and Kathryn to sickbay."

Chakotay nodded and called for a site to site transport for mother and child to sickbay.

[Sickbay 2 hours later]

Chakotay sat by Kathryn's bedside, her small hand in his. The doctor had told him that Kathryn would survive, unfortunately little Kole had not been so lucky. He had been deprived of oxygen for too long: the cord had been wrapped around the baby's neck too tightly.

Kathryn's eyes fluttered open and her hand went to her abdomen where just hours before their twins had lain. She turned her head towards Chakotay and realized she was in sickbay.

"How are the babies Chakotay?"

"Hannah is fine honey."

Kathryn knew without Chakotay even saying it that her baby boy, the child they had wanted so badly had not survived the birth.

Kathryn looked at him, "Well I guess we can always try again for that son you want so badly."

Chakotay let a tear fall down his cheek, "Kathryn, you were bleeding out, the doctor had to perform a hysterectomy to save you."

Kathryn's hand flew to her mouth and the tears fell freely. In the background their new baby girl began crying. Kathryn held out her hands for the child and Chakotay handed baby Hannah to her.

She clasped her to her breast and they both knew there would be a lot of healing to do in the coming weeks and months.

To be continued in 2. Unexpected Revelations