Technically still posting on a Sunday. I could give a tonne of excuses but... Anyway basic disclaimer still applies, as do rules re: reviewing. (Please check first chapter :D)

Most days, Deanna Troi loved her job, helping people was what she was made for, quite literally in fact, considering her empathic skills.

Then there were days like this one, where she wished she could put up permanent mental blocks and figuratively take down the shingle on her door.

"You realise glaring at me is actually somewhat unprofessional right?" Kathryn Janeway asked, smiling innocently from where she was sat on the seat in front of her.

Deanna resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Apparently part of the deal that Dr Howard had made with both the younger woman and the woman's adoptive mother was that Kathryn would see the ship's counsellor if she came aboard.

Unfortunately the intelligent young woman had quickly picked apart the deal and realised that although Beverly had made sure she had to attend, she had never never specified that she had to talk and thanks to doctor-patient, or in this case, counsellor-patient confidentiality, Deanna couldn't even tell Beverly about Kathryn's defiance. It was all extremely frustrating.

"You're right of course, I apologise, however most other counsellors don't have such a delightful patient as you to contend with." Deanna commented.

"Oh now that can't possibly be true. I've been polite and even tried to be funny. Plus I've only come to see you twice, how could I have possibly earned such derision already?" Kathryn asked, her tone full of feigned hurt.

"Well for one thing, most patients who come to see counsellors actually want to talk and even those who have been referred are usually more willing to at least fake an attempt at listening to me." Deanna countered, figuring that any talking was better than nothing, if only because it was far less boring this way. "You on the other hand informed me of the deal made by your mothers during the first appointment, how you had then found a way around the spirit of it and how that meant that you had absolutely no intention of speaking with me. Did I miss anything out?"

"No I think you got it all and yeah, I guess when you say it like that, it sounds kinda bad." Kathryn admitted reluctantly.

"It sounds all bad, but lucky for you this session is over and I've got another patient." Having heard this Kathryn leapt to her feet but paused as Deanna spoke again. "In all fairness though, you've been through some tough times recently and even if you won't talk to me, please find someone that you can talk to."

"I'll think about it." Kathryn promised quietly as she stepped out of the counsellor's office.

Why on earth had she promised that, Kathryn wondered to herself as she wandered aimlessly down the Enterprise's long corridors. She neither wanted nor needed to talk to anyone. She was fine. She was sleeping normal hours again and if her eating habits weren't perfect they were still better than they had been, so what was the problem?

There was no problem, this desire to make her talk was just another way to make her act like Phoebe, all sharing and smiles. Well she would never be like that and now she knew why. Guess genetics really did outweigh nurture. She had never been as outgoing as her bubbly sister and now having met her father, she was starting to recognise where some of her introverted traits had come from. He never seemed to share or do anything outside of running the ship, so it was hardly her fault, clearly genetics had just beaten out years of exposure to Phoebe and her dad.

So lost in her thoughts, Kathryn didn't notice the other person turning into the corridor until she ran straight into them.

"Miss Janeway, I believe it is helpful to watch where one is going when they approach a corner." Data suggested, as he offered a hand to help her back onto her feet.

"I'm sorry Mr Data, I was lost in my own thoughts. It won't happen again."

"Apology accepted, as I am neither hurt nor upset by your actions there is not cause for concern."

"Thank you Mr Data."

"May I ask what was so consuming of your thoughts?"

"Oh just considering how powerful genetic influences are and how they can still seem to overwhelm nurtured traits and experiences."

"I see. Were you considering the impact of Dr Howard's genetic makeup or Captain Picard's?"

"Captain Picard?" Kathryn asked in shocked astonishment.

"Why yes, for is he not your sire along with Dr Howard?"

"But how did you…?"

"Simple really. Soon after you came aboard, I noticed that you not only several shared traits with Dr Howard but also with Captain Picard."

"Oh." Kathryn replied, slightly stunned. "You never said anything though."

"Of course not. Had either yourself or Dr Howard wished for it to be known then I believe you would have informed the Captain. Although I must admit to feeling slightly perplexed as to why the truth has been concealed, it is neither my choice nor my place to say anything." Data explained calmly.

"Thank you Mr Data." Kathryn responded appreciatively, "I mean Lieutenant Data."

Data simply nodded in return before turning and strolling away, once again leaving Kathryn alone with her thoughts.

A few minutes later, Kathryn walked into Ten Forward, still feeling slightly stunned by the conversation that she had had with Data. So many thoughts were now floating around her head that she felt even more overwhelmed than she had during her counselling session.

Heading towards the windows, Kathryn sighed contentedly as she gazed at the stars, a familiar calm sweeping through her.

Ever since she was a child, she always looked to the stars during times of pain and hardship. Staring at her old friends once more, she remembered how she had frequently seen Captain Picard perform similar action and wondered if he too sought their calming influence.

Shaking her head at the direction that her thoughts had once again taken, Kathryn almost growled in frustration. No matter how hard she tried, she simply couldn't prevent her thoughts from turning to her father.

"Growling at the stars. Considering how much you gaze at them, it seems odd that they would annoy you so much that you would feel the need to growl at them." A voice stated gently from beside her and startled, Kathryn turned to see Guinan standing next to her.

"It's not the stars that are bothering me. Just the path that my thoughts keep treading, but you already knew that of course." Kathryn smirked sardonically at the woman. "You and Deanna should form a team, between the two of you, I'm sure no one would be able to keep a secret."

"You assume I wish to hear your secrets, I was simply stating my surprise at hearing you growl at the stars." Guinan replied simply. "Now might I get you a drink?"

"A black coffee would be perfect." Kathryn replied after gazing at the woman slightly suspiciously for a moment. Guinan nodded and moved away leaving Kathryn to return her gaze back to the stars.

"Beautiful aren't they?" A strong voice commented not long after, and Kathryn almost leapt away in surprise. Taking a deep breath, she turned and nodded shakily at the man now stood to her left. "I've often found myself captivated by them, wondering at the stories and knowledge that might be learnt from them." Picard continued, his eyes still on the sparkling gems outside, however noting the lack of response from the young woman beside him, he turned to look at her, suppressing the jolt of pain that shot through him at seeing the face that looked so like the woman he loved-had loved, he corrected himself absentmindedly. "I'm sorry, I'm interrupting your solitude. If you will excuse me." He turned to leave, however breaking from her stupor, Kathryn quickly called out,

"No wait. I'm sorry, I didn't mean…I apologise I was being rude, I was just a little star-struck I suppose." Kathryn explained, lying slightly, but smiling in relief as Picard remained, although she noted his ear tips seemed to have reddened a little. Was the great Captain embarrassed?

"Yes, well." Picard stammered. "How are you liking the Enterprise?" He asked, smiling softly as Kathryn's eyes lit up at the question.

"It's amazing, Captain. There's so much to learn about, so much to see. Some of the experiments that they're running in the labs, they're incredible," Kathryn replied enthusiastically, pausing to smile at him, "Thank you so much for allowing me to come on board."

"You are very welcome, Miss Janeway, it's been my pleasure to have you aboard." He hesitated. "I take it your mother is settling in as well?"

"Oh yes. She's absolutely in love with her new sickbay. Every night it's a new wonder that she's discovered." Kathryn chuckled, remembering her mother's enthusiasm over some gadget the night before. "She's loves it here, but I'm sure she's mentioned that at Staff briefings. I know Counsellor Troi mentioned how happy Mama seems." Kathryn smiled at Picard, however her comments did not seem to have pleased him as his face which had opened up at Kathryn's enthusiasm over his ship, had now closed off at the descriptions of her mother.

"Well no she has not, but I'm glad to hear that she has settled in. Now if you will excuse me Miss Janeway, I need to return to the Bridge," and with that Picard abruptly spun on his heel and left.

"Oh, of course, Captain." Kathryn replied in shock, still staring at the spot where her father had been standing.

Seeking sanctuary in his ready room, Picard tried to drag his traitorous thoughts away from Beverly Howard and her daughter. The daughter that had been fathered by someone else. Someone that wasn't him.

Dropping his head into his hands, he sighed heavily as he thought about the last time that he had seen Beverly before she had arrived on the Enterprise.

Almost 21 years earlier…

"I've got to go, Beverly, this is the opportunity I have been waiting for ever since I joined Starfleet." Picard explained, a hint of begging in his tone, as he looked at the angry red-head standing across from him.

"And what about me, Jean-Luc? Am I just supposed to wait here for you whilst you go gallivanting across the Universe for the next two years?" Beverly demanded.

"My career is important, Beverly."

"More important than me, you mean?"

"No that's not what I meant. You know I would ask you to come with me, but I would also never ask you to give up Medical School."

"What if I wanted to though? What if I said that I wanted to come with you. What would you do then?" Beverly asked cooly, and Picard hesitated. "Exactly. I love you more than anything Jean-Luc, but you're career will always come first and at this moment all you see me as is an impediment."

"That's not true. I love you and I want to be with you."

"Maybe you do, but you want this position more." Beverly said sadly. "Goodbye Jean-Luc."

Two days later he had shipped out, his heart heavy with the knowledge that he had made a grave mistake, whilst his head was still convinced that there would be plenty of opportunities to fix their relationship later.

There hadn't been though, Picard remembered sadly. He had tried to contact Beverly whenever he had been within com-range, especially once he believed that she would have had ample opportunity to calm down. She never responded and when he returned to Earth over two years later, he had learned that having gained her medical licence, Beverly had left Earth and headed to a planet to help treat a plague that had been ravaging its population.

Looking back, he now presumed that it had been after she had given birth and subsequently given Kathryn up for adoption that she had fled Earth. However, at the time he had believed she had simply wished to ensure that there was no chance of the pair meeting. He had tried a few more times to make contact but after they too were summarily rejected, he had given up, the reality that he had lost the woman he loved due to his desire to become a Captain now hitting him.

He had regretted giving up so easily in the years that followed, but knew that it had been his own arrogance that had caused the break. He had assumed she would wait even when he hadn't given her any assurances that she meant more to him than his career and had even demonstrated by his actions that she wasn't.

Now he was reminded daily of his mistake as he saw her child walking the corridors of the ship.

The child she had given up.

Something niggled at him whenever he thought about that, his unconscious mind trying to make a connection that his conscious mind couldn't see.

"Things are not always what they seem, Mon Capitaine."

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Next week I'm having visitors and heading away for a few days so I can't guarantee an update this week but I will do my best. A xxxxxx