DISCLAIMER: Everything of any worth belongs to Paramount. AUTHOR: Riverhawk NOTES: Episode Add on For Q2
Part 3 - TWO Q'S DON'T MAKE IT ALL RIGHT
Stardate 54704.5
" I've made a full sensor sweep, " Tom announced, "There's no sign of any more Borg vessels. "
"The boy? " Janeway asked, rubbing the bridge of her nosed.
" He's gone," Chakotay replied
If Kathryn heard him, she didn't acknowledge it.
" I am going to my quarters," she announced sharply, sighing heavily and raising her palms up as a barrier to the whole world. She looked at Chakotay, but she barely acknowledged him as she added, " You have the bridge."
Chakotay didn't bother to answer her. She wasn't in the mood to listen anyway. He sighed. Things were starting to become difficult now. He was, after all these years out here with her, quite used to her moods and the way they came and went and he had learnt to roll with the punches on her down days. But she and Chakotay seemed to be fighting over just about everything lately. Running his hand tiredly through his hair, he sat sullenly in his chair and tried to concentrate on Tuvok's security upgrade report.
Slumping onto the sofa in her quarters, Janeway sighed aloud. This was all she needed, the damn Q Continuum using her ship as their playground. She had enough problems right now. She was pretty sure that the crew had sensed a change in her relationship with Chakotay. It was just the way they were all a little different when the two of them, her and Chakotay, ended up in one room together. She knew for certain that every time she turned around, Tuvok was watching her. She doubted that after all this time it had anything to with those orders Chakotay had given him after Quarra. She had to be nicer to Chakotay, if only to get Tuvok off her back.
Janeway opened her tired eyes and looked out of the view port. There was a time when she didn't have to think about forcing herself to be nice to Chakotay. It had happened naturally. He had been her closest friend aboard ship, the closest friend she had ever had. She found it easier to be herself around him than around anyone else. He never judged her. Truth was, as much as she still yearned for aspects of her life on Quarra, and as much as she lay the blame irrationally at Chakotay's feet for the loss of it, she missed him.
" There's only one thing to do in a crisis like this," she announced to the empty thin air as she stood and started to unzip her jacket. Heading through her quarters and into her bathroom she reveled in turning the faucets of her bath tub on and pouring in some scented soap mixture guaranteed to produce extremely frothy bubbles. There was nothing better to clear her mind than a long soak in the tub. With eager anticipation she began to peel of her clothes. she chuckled as she squirmed out of her shirt. For all the lousy days when when she and Chakotay fought and the whole universe seemed out to annoy her, there were days like these, when the bath tub was full and it was good to be captain.
But good feelings never lasted indefinitely, and as Kathryn was rudely being interrupted by a Q in her bath, Chakotay yawned a little as Neelix poured him some coffee. His brain was still trying to get over being called ' that lumbering oaf chuckles ' by the replicator.
" Fuelling up, Commander," Neelix asked, " I thought only the Captain did that."
Chakotay grinned. If there relationship had done nothing else, he thought, Kathryn had succeeded in teaching him bad habits with coffee.
" I have a feeling its going to be a long day," he chuckled
Bowing his head graciously, Neelix moved off to serve his next patron, Chell, who he had just spied being called an overweight overbearing dolt as the main serving for his breakfast.
" It seems this Q is quite an annoying individual," Seven noted from behind the commander.
Chakotay turned to look at her and smiled broadly. There was always something serene about Seven that was ironically calming.
" That's one way of putting it," he chuckled," personally I think he's a pain in the ass just like his father."
Seven inclined her head in her usual curiously intrigued manner.
" You have not had previous good relations with Q then ?" She asked as Chakotay motioned to a vacant table. The first officer laughed out loud as he considered his previous encounters with the continuum.
" Lets just say Q and I have different opinions of how the captain should be treated," he smiled, but his smile disappeared as he realized what he had said. He hadn't even realised that Kathryn was on his mind. When Seven didn't seem to notice his faux pas, Chakotay quickly moved the conversation onwards." So do the Borg have much contact with the continuum ?"
" No," Seven replied," although the collective have been aware of them for a long time. Their omnipotence intrigued the collective, but the elusiveness of the Q themselves made it difficult for them to be assimilated. It is directive no 2 on the Borg special subjects list."
" Behind the omega particle ?" Chakotay asked.
" Correct," Seven noted.
She has been in two minds, if that were possible for a Borg, as to whether or not to approach the Commander as she had walked into the mess hall. Although she had derived much satisfaction from Neelix's tenderloin demonstration the other week, despite the notable inefficiency of his methodology, she had been uncertain as to the general opinion of her presence there, in particular from the Commander. She had been pleasantly surprised when the Commander had responded favorably to her a minute ago, more so when she considered how easily the conversation between them flowed.
" So what did you think of them," Chakotay asked.
" They possess a puerile nature," Seven replied.
Chakotay did a double take as he sipped his coffee.
" Puerile ?"
" Indeed."
Chakotay began to twiddle with his ear as he looked at Seven, an amused frown crossing his brow.
" Why ?"
" When he had the chance to do, learn or see anything, Q's son was interested only in seeing me naked," Seven replied matter of factly.
She feigned interest in her padd as she watched Chakotay's jaw drop. The faintest hint of smile tickled the corner of her lips, but she succeeded in pushing it away before Chakotay saw it.
" Well I guess he's going to be a chip off the ole block," Chakotay growled between clenched teeth.
" You are angry ?" Seven noted.
" Damn straight," he muttered as he finished off his coffee." Why Kathryn thinks that she make another reclamation project out of this one I'll never know."
He stood to refill his coffee mug, making an effort to smile down at Seven.
" You are leaving ?" she asked. She wondered momentarily whether she had said anything that would have offended Chakotay, but he smiled pleasantly at her and Seven found herself becoming more relieved than she would have thought.
" I'm due to review Q's progress with the Naussican trade simulation," he replied apologetically as he turned to leave. But he stopped mid-step after a few paces and turned back to face Seven, " See you around ?"
Seven smiled openly this time.
" Of course," she nodded graciously and Chakotay began to grin even wider.
Janeway watched Chakotay step out from a turbolift ahead of her, his coffee cup in hand, a padd in the other and one of his stupid grins spread all over his face. Now was as good a time as any to build some bridges,she thought, but it made her angrier than she thought to see him smiling when she felt so lousy and out of sorts.
" Aren't you supposed to be supervising our young guest? " She asked him as she caught up with his long stride.
" He says he doesn't need supervision," Chakotay responded succinctly.
He tried his best to keep his tone neutral, his demeanor non threatening, anything to ensure that Kathryn wouldn't have cause to start another fight again.
" And you accepted that? " she rounded on him, eyeing him sideways.
" Of course not. I'm just giving him a chance to fail. Then he'll have to ask for some help."
Chakotay sighed inwardly. All these years together and there was still a part of Kathryn that didn't trust him. He fleetingly wondered inwardly when Kathryn was ever going to realize that he wasn't an idiot. That there were things that he was actually quite good at doing. After all he was an ex-teacher of advanced tactical studies at the Academy. If he survived that, he was pretty sure he could analyse the tactical implications of a training simulation with a humanoid Q. Part of him considered telling her so, as he might once have done, but his need for a quiet life outweighed his anger.
Kathryn looked over at him and could some how see the silent thoughts racing through his mind. He had never been very good at hiding his emotions from her.
Part of her wanted to reach out and lay her hand on his chest again, to reassure him that he wasn't taken for a fool. But she didn't want to provoke him, start another row, the two of them yelling insults at each other across the corridor at each other in front of the crew.
" Sounds like a good strategy," she observed in as chipper a manner as she could muster," Let me know how it goes".
And with that she was gone again. Chakotay thought about shouting a yes ma'am down the corridor after her, but decided against it. He knew when to recognise a small victory, and he knew how to take it for what it was. Yelling after her might just provoke her to try to get the last word again. A smile brigtening his face, Chakotay swallowed the last of his coffee and entered the holodeck.
Janeway watched tiredly as Junior disappeared his a burst of momentary brilliance. She felt some of the tension in her ebb away, lulled by thoughts of taking another dip in her tub. She was however drawn from her thoughts by the one remaining thorn in her side. Scowling, she turned to face the elder Q.
"Oh, before I leave," he grinned widely, giving her a padd," I did a little homework for you. Consider it a thank you for everything you did for Junior".
Janeway took the padd. The calculations were complex, but not un-known to her. She felt her stomach leap and a rush of excitement through that she hadn't felt in long time. She subconciously made a mental note to track down Chakotay first thing and show him. In an effort to temper her responses to Q, Janeway swallowed hard and pursed her lips.
" Not that I don't appreciate it, but this will only take a few years off our journey. Why not send us all the way?" she asked.
Q couldn't help but chuckle at her question. Humanity…so predictable.
" What sort of an example would I be setting for my son if I did all the work for you?"
And with that Kathryn disappeared from before him and Q once again stood on the dusty, baking roadway.
" Ahhh," he sighed ironically, " Home sweet home."
Junior looked up from the rock he sat on, his head resting in his palm, a bored look on his face.
" What was that you gave Aunt Kathy ?" he asked in a lazy drawl.
" Just a little gift," Q yawned, " to thank your Aunt Kathy for straigtening you out."
Junior pulled a lethargic, half-hearted scowling face at his father.
" So why not all the way home ?"
" Because your Aunt Kathy has one last thing to learn before she gets home," Q noted as he started the long trek down the roadway.
" And what's that ?" Junior asked, but his father just carried on walking, " Dad ?"
Q kept walking, a broad grin spreading over his features. Oh he'd given Kathryn a gift alright. Just not the kind that she was expecting. It was the gift of time, and the chance to learn from her mistakes.
Junior pulled himself to his feet, thankful for the billionth time today that he wasn't a grown up. Trotting slowly after his father he called after him.
" So are you going to tell me, dad…….Dad !"