Rumors

By Sadie

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Paramount, but it was my idea and only I own that in your face Paramount.

"Shoot!"

"What?"

"I forgot that I had an appointment with the doctor ten minutes ago."

"What for, Captain?"

"Just a physical."

B'Elanna was sure that the captain had had a physical last week at the same time that she had hers for the last away mission. Oh well, she thought, no point in arguing with the captain.

"Let me walk with you," B'Elanna said as she got up from the mess hall table.

"Okay."

As they left B'Elanna asked, "So how was last night?"

"What about last night?"

"You.Chakotay.ring a bell?"

Kathryn stopped dead in her tracks, "How did you know about that?"

"Things spread around this ship pretty fast."

"I wonder how fast?" she mumbled so low that it was barely audible.

B'Elanna left her captain at the doors to sickbay as she went on to engineering.

* * *

The next morning Captain Janeway called her senior staff together.

"Captain?"

"Yes Tom?"

"Why are we meeting when nothing is going on? I mean, we're floating around the Delta Quadrant with not a life form in sight."

"That is precisely why I called you down here. Everything is so dull now. Nothings happening. So I thought this would be the perfect time to conduct an experiment."

"What type of an experiment would we perform?" Tuvok questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"I've always wondered how long it would take for a rumor to get around this entire ship. So, I thought that Harry, Tom, and B'Elanna could go tell three people each in the next five minutes this rumor."

"I'm up to it."

"Okay."

"What the heck."

"Then off you go."

"Captain?"

"Yes Harry?"

"Don't we need a rumor first."

"You might. How about you tell them that. um.I'm pregnant."

"What!?" B'Elanna squealed.

"Only a good rumor will work and this was the first one that I could think of, so go."

"Aye Captain."

B'Elanna, Tom, and Harry left the room in a bit of shock, but none the less, they followed their orders.

* * *

It took less than twenty minutes for the entire 152 members of the crew to be buzzing around with this new piece of gossip. Nobody looked at their captain the same way in the corridors after they knew.

Captain Janeway decided to make an announcement to the crew. "I'm sure you have all heard the rumor by now. I want to thank all of you for participating in this experiment. Janeway out."

As she finished she turned to Chakotay who was sitting in her ready- room chair.

"Why did you come up with the rumor that you were pregnant. Seriously, why didn't you come up with something a little less. risqué?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know."

Once the ready-room doors were open she turned and said, "Who said it was a rumor anyway?" so that the entire bridge could hear her.