The song in this story is "Angel", by Sarah McLaughlin. All sections taken from the song are italicized and in quotation marks.
Disclaimer: I do not own the show, the characters, or the song, and am in no way affiliated with any of them.
Minor spoilers for the book Star Trek: Voyager Full Circle, and Star Trek: Voyager Unworthy, as well as spoilers for the Voyager episode, Q2
Sequel to: Decode
Angel
"Spend
all your time waiting
For that second chance
For the break
that will make it Ok
There's always some reason
To
feel not good enough
And it's hard at the end of the day"
Q had just returned from the continuum. Somehow, San Francisco had never been so depressing. It was December. It was also a Monday morning, so Icheb would be in class all day. How lonely, he thought. The wind beat against his human skin, and the cold filled his human lungs. He could make the terrible sensations go away, but it made him feel alive. Q sat on a park bench, deciding that it would be nice to sit outside for a while. He saw a few decaying leaves in the pathway, heavily trodden over, and soaked with slush.
He will age, and then he will die. His father's words echoed in his head. He could spend the rest of his life with you, but you could not spend your life with him. The leaves were not the only thing that reminded him of this. All around him, bipeds were dying. They die a little more every minute they exist. Icheb was one of them, and yet, he denied himself immortality.
Suddenly the cold seemed a little much. Q decided to return to Icheb's quarters. He walked slowly at first, allowing his stiff muscles time to warm up, and then he hastened. By the time he got to the cadet lodging, he was running. Q snapped his numb fingers to change into a cadet's uniform in order to get by the desk clerk without question. He walked straight through the small lobby to the turbolift, only stopping to press the control panel. Soon enough, he was in the hallway that leads to Icheb's quarters. When he reached the doors, he looked about, and then snapped his fingers to allow himself entrance. He once again changed clothes, and sat down for his long wait.
Icheb returned to his quarters straight away after his final class was finished. He knew that Q would be waiting for him. What he didn't know was that Q was in such a terrible mood. He pressed the button on the control panel beside his door and entered.
"Q?" He called as he set his belongings haphazardly on the desk to the right. He noticed that the lighting was dim, so he manually raised it by the console on the wall. Q walked out from the bedroom and over to Icheb. He pulled him tightly to his chest, and began to sway slightly.
"What is wrong, Q?" He asked.
"It's complicated."
"I may not be as intelligent as a Q, but you could still try to explain it to me." Q loosened his hug and led Icheb to sit on the bed.
"Why is it that you will not join me as a Q?" he whispered. Icheb was shocked by how sad his lover looked.
"I cannot be Q" He replied.
"As you have already said before. But why not?" Now he looked desperate. Icheb looked deep into his eyes. They were red and puffy, as if he had been crying.
"Right now, I need to be here. Seven needs me, and Starfleet needs me. Even if I wanted to be a Q, right now it is impossible." Q now looked as if he were going to panic. He began to shake violently, and fell to the floor.