Two days later, Janeway found herself back in the gardens of Starfleet Headquarters. She was at the opposite end of the park this time, taking advantage of the break she had between meetings to catch a bite to eat, and review the PADD she'd received this morning about the progress of Voyager's repairs. It was a warm, sunny day, the kind San Francisco liked to deliver this time of year, and Janeway felt herself in a good mood as she sat on a bench overlooking some ducks on a pond. Her ship would be ready ahead of schedule according to her report, and she only had a few more review boards to face before she could enjoy her own free time. And Mark and his probing questions were nowhere in sight. Though, she had to admit, the issue he had raised had not been far from her thoughts since he raised them.
She was just signing off on the report when she heard, "Captain?"
Janeway looked up to see B'Elanna Torres strolling toward her.
"Lieutenant!" she greeted warmly. She hadn't seen her chief engineer in about a week. "How are you? How are you feeling? Please, have a seat."
B'Elanna smiled and sat down next to her captain.
"Fine, thank you. Tired though."
Janeway nodded and glanced around.
"Where's Miral?" she asked, referring to the source of B'Elanna's lack of sleep.
B'Elanna's smile got broader at the mention of her daughter's name.
"She's with Tom. They're spending a little time with his parents. We've visited them a few times together, but I thought it might do them good to spend a little time alone. Tom's really trying to make an effort with his father."
Kathryn nodded, though slightly disappointed at not being able to see the youngest member of Voyager's crew.
"That's good," she replied, "I know that's hard for him. But Admiral Paris has every reason to be proud of his son."
"I think so," B'Elanna agreed.
Janeway tapped the PADD against her knee.
"I just got the latest update on Voyager. Repairs are going well."
B'Elanna nodded. "I got the Engineering report this morning. The upgrades they've made…." She shook her head in disbelief, "If we'd had some of that technology a few years ago, we might have gotten home sooner."
Janeway cocked her head, her smile evident in her teasing tone,
"Oh, I don't know, Lieutenant, I think we did okay for ourselves."
B'Elanna ducked her head and grinned, acknowledging Janeway's words.
"Yeah, we did," she said. B'Elanna then glanced at the clock standing at the end of the garden's path, an old-fashioned one with hands serenely ticking off the seconds. "I'm sorry to cut this short, Captain, but I have to get back to our quarters and pack. We're taking a transport this evening to Kronos to visit with my family for a few days."
"Of course," Janeway replied, waving off her apology. "I'm glad you're getting the chance."
B'Elanna shook her head.
"Well, it should be interesting, at least," she said. "Particularly when I introduce Tom."
Janeway chuckled.
"Good luck," she said as B'Elanna stood up.
As her chief engineer was about to turn away, a sudden thought popped into Janeway's head and she stopped her.
"B'Elanna, can I ask you a question?"
Already on her heal, B'Elanna turned back to fully face her.
"Of course, Captain."
Janeway hesitated. The question was not even fully formed, and she was now not sure she should ask it.
"It's of a somewhat…personal nature."
Now B'Elanna looked curious, but not opposed to the idea.
"It's alright, Captain."
But upon getting permission, Janeway thought better of it.
"You know what, never mind. It's not important." She made a dismissive gesture, hoping B'Elanna didn't think her captain addled.
Looking at her quizzically, B'Elanna reclaimed her seat next to Janeway.
"Captain, after all these years, and everything we've been through, I hope you consider me not only your Chief Engineer, but your friend as well. If you need to ask me something…?"
"Thank you, B'Elanna, I do consider you my friend. All right," she took a deep breath. "When you and Tom were dancing around each other all those months, and pretending not to see what was so painfully obvious to the rest of us," she said, earning a grin from B'Elanna, "What made you decide to stop ignoring it?"
If she thought it was a strange question, B'Elanna didn't let on. In fact, she laughed.
"I don't know if it had anything to do with making a decision. Tom was fairly persistent, of course, which is one of his best or worse qualities depending on how he's using it. But I think I began to realize that we were on that ship, and there was a real possibility that we might spend our lives traveling home. And there was Tom, this really wonderful guy under that defensive shield he used to push people away. I knew a little something about that myself, so I knew to ignore it, and it turned out it was something we had in common. But we both had to do a lot of work to overcome that. I don't know," B'Elanna shrugged. "I took a chance, and thank God I did. I have an amazing husband and a beautiful daughter."
B'Elanna stopped talking and looked at Janeway, who smiled.
"Yes, you do," she agreed. B'Elanna now looked at Janeway with a curious expression.
"If you don't mind, Captain, why do you ask?"
Janeway raised her eyebrows and made a show of waving her hand vaguely.
"Oh, I don't know. I've been thinking recently about missed opportunities. And when you mentioned introducing Tom to your family on Kronos, it just got me wondering how two very different people managed to work things out."
B'Elanna seemed to take that at face value.
"Well, if you think simply working out our Human/Klingon differences was a challenge, wait until you see us in action as parents. You should hear the things Tom already has planned to teach Miral! I hope you don't mind an infant steering the ship, Captain."
At that Janeway laughed.
"If she's half as good as her father, she's welcome on my bridge anytime."
B'Elanna laughed as well.
"I'll let Tom know. And I'm sorry, Captain, but I've really got to run. Tom's going to be home soon with Miral, and we have a lot to do before we leave."
"Oh, no, I'm sorry, B'Elanna. I'm sorry to have kept you. Please give Miral a kiss for me."
"I will," the engineer replied, standing up for the second time. Just as she was about to walk off, and Janeway was already returning her attention back to her PADD, B'Elanna spoke again.
"It's not too late, Captain."
Janeway looked up at her, surprised she was still standing there, and furrowed her eyebrow.
"What?"
"I hope this isn't out of line, and I apologize if it is, but you should know you still have time."
As her words sank in, Janeway had two choices. She could acknowledge what she was pretty sure her chief engineer was saying to her, or she could pretend to have no idea. Not wanting to give voice to what B'Elanna was hinting at, she chose the latter.
"B'Elanna, I'm afraid I don't know what you mean," she said, hoping her tone might bring the conversation to an end. But B'Elanna, not known for being easily dissuaded, continued.
"All I'm saying, Captain, is he's a patient man. But his patience won't last forever. There is still time, but not a lot."
What? Inwardly, the words sent Janeway reeling. What did B'Elanna just say? Did she just suggest what Janeway thought she just did?
Outwardly, however, she remained calm, her Starfleet training once again serving her well.
"Lieutenant, you're not making much sense."
The younger woman searched Janeway's eyes for a moment with a penetrating look, one that felt to Janeway like it was uncovering her deepest secrets. Whatever she found there, B'Elanna didn't say, but she recovered smoothly, probably hearing the subtle warning in Janeway's tone.
"My mistake, Captain. I was thinking out loud. Tom says I do it sometimes without realizing what I'm saying. I'll see you in a few weeks at the staff meeting?"
Janeway nodded.
"Yes, I'll see you then. Safe trip."
"Thank you," B'Elanna replied and turned, leaving Janeway watching the second person in as many days walk away from her, leaving her wondering what had just happened.
At that moment, she only knew one thing for sure – she had to stay the hell out of this garden.