This little ficlet was written for VAMB's Winter Picture Prose 2017 and takes place shortly after fifth season's episode 'Once upon a time'.

Thanks, PiOneOneZero for the quick read-through!

No copyright infringement intended.

"I am captain's assistant, Mom, I am captain's assistant!" Naomi shouted joyfully as she rushed into their quarters.

Samantha walked to the replicator to program their dinner while Naomi danced around the room. "I'm sure we can talk to Captain Janeway about this captain's assistant idea sometime…," she said without realizing what Naomi had just said.

"No, Mom." Naomi stopped dancing and looked at her mother. "I am captain's assistant! Captain Janeway told me this afternoon."

Sam turned to her daughter, frowning slightly. "Captain Janeway made you her assistant?" she asked, making sure that she heard right and that it wasn't some childlike fantasy.

Naomi nodded, her cheeks flushed from exhilaration. "She came to the commander's office at the end of my paleontology lesson. She said that I have earned a position on the ship because I'm working so hard. She made me a crewman! I am a crewman, Mom!"

Sam put a hand over her mouth, looking down at her daughter with proud tears in her eyes.

"I am the Captain's Assistant," Naomi told her just as proud. "And I am told to come to Captain Janeway's ready room tomorrow to talk about my duties."

Kneeling down, Sam took Naomi into a hug. "I'm proud of you, Sweetheart, very proud."

"Thank you, Mom," Naomi hugged her mother tight. "That wasn't all," she said when Sam let her go. "To celebrate my promotion we went to the holodeck. I was on the holodeck with the captain! We played a Flotter story! I played a Flotter story with the captain, Mom!" Naomi bounced up and down. "She told me she played Flotter when she was a child! Can you imagine the captain as a child? I can't."

Sam shook her head, speechless.

"We played 'Flotter and the Icy Grip'," Naomi went on. "The forest was lying under a thick snow blanket and Flotter's pond was frozen over. He couldn't get out! The captain suggested to wait until it gets warmer and the ice would melt on its own but I didn't want to wait that long."

"What did you do?"

"I suggested calling the Ogre of Fire."

"The Ogre of Fire? Wasn't that a bit dangerous? He set the forest on fire the last time."

"I know and Trevis was scared too but the captain thought it was a great idea. I told Trevis that I would make sure the Ogre would stay away from him and his trees. He agreed and I called the Ogre and you know what? He's a very nice guy and he carefully melted the water so Flotter could come out. He was shivering so hard…," Naomi giggled. "The Ogre had to warm him up and then we all became friends."

"You and the captain became friends with the Ogre of Fire?"

Naomi nodded. "He's really nice… as long as he keeps a safe distance," she shrugged.

Sam chuckled quietly and caressed Naomi's hair. "Captain Janeway is right, you do deserve to be a member of this crew."

Naomi smiled from ear to ear and Sam rose from the ground to place the plates for dinner on the table.

"Do I have some time before dinner?" Naomi asked.

"Sure. Why?"

"I want to enter everything that happened today into my log."

Sam gave her a nod. "I'll call you."

"Thank you, Mom," the new captain's assistant said, and ran into her room.

The End