Finding the time to actually sit down and enjoy her morning cup of coffee was becoming an exercise of will. Kathryn Janeway was always up for a challenge, but this particular week had been hell. The warp core decided now that it would need unroutine, routine, work done. Luckily Neelix had been able to locate a nearby extinct star that served as a trading post. It was there they had been able to find a decent amount of deuterium to keep the ship functioning while B'elanna could work out the warp core's fit.

Of course that meant Lieutenant Paris and Officer Kim had to take a "look around" while on the star. It just so happened Tom found out pretty quickly the merchant persons inhabiting the dead star were very forthcoming with the death penalty.

The whole event had been a nightmare and Kathryn took to just skipping her morning coffee all together. why bother trying to wake herself up when she hadn't even slept to begin with? But now, for the first time that week she was actually able to end her shift on time.

it was late and she knew it would probably keep her up much later tonight, but she'd be hard pressed to say no to some coffee flavored ice cream right about now. After all, she should celebrate the little triumphs where she could. They had enough deuterium to keep the ship running and Tom hadn't ended up losing his hand or his life after accidentally flirting with a married woman.

She was so content in her cold luxury she almost hadn't noticed him in her room. but for some odd reason her mind had become almost attuned to him. It was almost a sixth sense, like walking into a cold room and knowing there was a ghost, and he certainly was her phantom menace.

"Q" she growled out

"Oh, Kathy, I thought you'd never come up. You Know you really do work so hard!"

The infamous omnipotent being had thrown himself onto her bed. He lay there on his stomach, his face resting in his palms, as his feet kicked cheerfully. Kathryn looked from him to the bowl of frozen dessert and back again. It really had been a long week.

"Q, I'm tired. irritated even, and i will not banter with you while my ice cream melts. i had to forgo dinner to use my replicator rations on this."

Q feigned shock

"Oh, by all means, enjoy your coffee, i just came to check in. reminisce, no banter here my lovely Captain"

He rolled over to one side of her bed and patted the empty space next to him. She had to fight to not roll her eyes.

Kathryn walked to her table and pulled herself out a chair. she sat in front of him and ate her ice cream trying to decide what on earth she could do to make him leave before her caffeine crash.

He vanished from off the bed and in a light, appeared in the chair next to her.

"Ah ah ah, Kathy"

he tsked in his sing song voice.

"If you keep thinking so hard you'll make me think you don't actually want me here!"

She put a spoonful in her mouth and mumbled out, "I don't believe that's ever stopped you from visiting before Q"

He put a hand to his chest and gasped before smiling and saying, "True. true. But don't pretend like i don't always leave you smiling after my visits!"

she swallowed her ice cream as well as her internal comment of wanting to say of course she smiled when he left, who wouldn't? It was a smile of relief and hope that he wouldn't be back for a long time.

"What are you doing here, Q?"

"Actually, this time I only came because I wanted to check up on you."

That caught her interest.

"Oh?"

"Of course! Junior has been begging to come and see you but I've told him how busy you are."

"Oh."

She couldn't help her disappointment. Junior had wanted to see her? He could've just come himself. She missed him, too. Her sweet godson who had only just begun to grow and flourish when he'd been forced to go back home to the continuum.

"How is he?"

Q pulled his seat a little closer and grabbed one of her hands. He began to rub his thumb into the back of her thumb when he answered, "He's fine. More than fine, actually. He's become an amazing asset to the continuum since his time here with you. They even gave him a job"

She should probably take her hand away but Goodness did it feel good. He knew what he was doing too, finding all the right pressure points to relieve her stress. Curse him.

"A job? He's so young though. What kind of a job would they give to him?"

Q smiled fondly, "He's a teacher. He studies literature from Earth and uses you and Jean Luc as his examples. He's teaching the Q the benefits of Human existence" Kathryn was shocked. The Q hated to take the advice from spieces they deemed, "lower".. So, all of them. But to think Junior, a horrible little Q brat himself, had changed from his time aboard Voyager. Changed so much that the Q noticed and wanted to know how. Kathryn took her hand back but only to take a bite of her ice cream and then to switch hands. Q continued his massage.

"I've been to most of his lessons. You should hear the passion in his voice. When he speaks of the need, well, emotions. It's very powerful, you taught him well Kathy."

"No." Kathryn couldn't take any of this credit.

"He had been the one to change, then he himself opened his eyes to the lessons all around him."

"Perhaps." Q conceded, "But that certainly doesn't stop his infatuation for you."

This time Kathryn didn't hide nor stop her eye roll.

"I'm serious, Kathy, that boy of mine adores you. But, then again, like father like son." Q waggled his eyebrows and Kathryn couldn't help her quite smile.

"And how is your Lady Q?"

She finally took her hand back, setting the foundation of her statement. Q shifted uncomfortably under her gaze.

"Ah-" He started, trying to figure out how to explain.

"Ah." Kathryn agreed. He was a married man as far as she was concerned and she would not endulge him in his games. Q chuckled lightly and said, "She's gone, funny enough."

"What?"

"She said my obsession with the minor bipedal spieces of earth have driven her mad for the last time. And then she left."

Kathryn wasnt sure what to say.

"She just left? Well, where did she go?"

Q shrugged, "I don't know and, to be honest Kathy, I don't really care. She only ever stayed for Junior anyways, and He can practically take care of himself now."

She finished a bite of her ice cream and patted his hand. She felt bad for implying his deviousness, even though he didn't exactly have a clean record. She didn't stop him when he took hold of the hand she had offered as a comfort. He began rubbing it again and she took another bite of ice cream. She felt uncomfortable now, what could she say after this? She'd put quite the foot in her mouth.

"Q?" she wanted to at least apologize.

"You know, Kathy, you have quite a headache right now."

"What?"

He turned her hand upwards, palm facing both of them. He used his thumb to push into the heel of her palm and immediately her brain exploded in relief. She sighed and bent her head down to not let him see how amazing that felt. He did though, of course. He used his other hand to gently lift her face up. She met his eyes and blurted out, "How did you do that?" her headaches were becoming unbearable as of late, she had been contemplating visiting the Doctor just to try and find since kind of medicine that would let her keep working. Q smiled kindly at her, why did he seem so human today?

He motioned to her palm and she followed his eyes. His thumb was still messaging into her heel. "I learned this from your earth culture. If you press into the heel of the palm and rub the underside of the thumb at the same time, it relieves a great deal of stress."

She laughed and said, "Well whatever you're doing, don't stop."

Q smiled softly and mumbled out, "Whatever you ask m'lady."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Kathryn was focusing on how he was doing it so she could replicate it once he vanished. When she finally looked up to him she was surprised to see Q was completely lost in his own mind. His eyes were blank and unstaring, only focusing on her hand. He was never this quite and always prided himself on never being lost. "Q?" she whispered.

He blinked once then twice before his eyes finally focused. He looked up to her and couldn't stop his surprise from showing. He laughed slightly and said, "It seems that perhaps I should be the only with the coffee." She chuckled as well and then spooned up a ball of the coffee ice cream, she pointed the spoon at his mouth and waited. He wrinkled his nose and asked, "is it actually good?" Kathryn nodded enthusiastically, "The best."

He sighed and then took the bite. He held it in his mouth a moment or two, testing the waters before finally swallowing. He nodded slightly and the said, "I don't think I like the taste of Coffee very much." She laughed openly now, "It may take a few more trys, but I'm sure you'll come to rely on it as heavily as most do. Or perhaps not, the Q probably don't need caffeine fixes." Q shook his head slowly but then stopped and began nodding, "We may not need caffeine or have the same reaction to it as humans do, but the Q certainly have our own addictions" That surprised her. "And what, exactly, could a Q be addicted to?" Q kept silent for a moment and then lifted their entertained hands, "Humans."

She laughed, "I'm sure you're the only Q who has that particular addiction"

"Perhaps" he lamented. They rested there for a few more moments, talking and sharing what was left of the ice cream. Once it was gone Q let go of her hand and bid her goodnight

"I'm sure I've over stayed my welcome. And you probably have some new pathetic life form to save tomorrow morning."

Kathryn nodded in agreement, standing up to see him out. He took her hand in a sweeping motion, kissing the top and with a, "Goodnight my sweet Kathy." And then he was gone in a flash.

She lowered herself into her bed and as she drifted off she whispered, "Goodnight, Q."