To say that it was dangerous in the Delta Quadrant would be a gross understatement and would earn you a solid beating from those that had to fight their way inch-by-inch through it. Almost every week was a life-threatening adventure and not everyone made it out alive but those that did gave thanks. Gave thanks for surviving by the skin of their teeth at times, just to live another week on their way home. It seemed no-one gave thanks as much as the Captain of Voyager, no-one else knew how much that thanks was worth.
She gave thanks when Voyager was able to avoid danger, and able to survive it when it couldn't avoid it. Too many times had there been near-misses; of alien missiles missing the ship at a minuscule distance, of fist fights that proved too dangerous yet were still won, of accidents that could and should have been far more disastrous than what they were. The numbers didn't add up, unless you knew the variable like Kathryn Janeway knew it.
Those missiles were altered, those accidents mitigated, and those fights far from fair because Janeway knew who was helping. It had finally dawned upon her during an altercation planet-side; she had been outnumbered and overpowered but fought with every ounce of determination left within her. As Janeway threw a punch at one of the aliens she couldn't see the partner behind her, ready with poisoned knife in hand to finish the job, never saw them coming until she felt herself pulled to one side as her assailer toppled forward when his attack was met with only air.
"Thank you." She whispered under her breath on a whim, no thought put into whether anyone would actually hear her gratitude.
"You're welcome." Came a soft and familiar voice in Janeway's ear, and she knew. She knew that no-one could defy the odds like her crew did without some help. Oh they handled themselves above and beyond any other crew Kathryn had ever had, but numbers were numbers, and theirs were skewed.
And so when a hard battle had been fought, or a crisis adverted Janeway always muttered a silent "thank you" to whomever might hear, and sometimes Q would answer with a simple "you're welcome".