Legacies 1
Author: Jamelia and Juli17
Epilogue
After a quick walk through main Engineering, and a few casual greetings to those on duty there, Janeway headed back to the bridge. Her mind was still on her chief engineer as she approached the turbolift. Obviously B'Elanna was feeling some unease about her pregnancy, though she'd seemed to accept it calmly enough last night. The full reality was probably sinking in now, and B'Elanna was having first pregnancy jitters. Janeway could understand that it might take a few days for her to completely adjust to the unexpected change, even if that change was a positive one.
Tom, however, seemed to have no hesitancy at all accepting the change. Janeway smiled as she entered the turbolift, remembering how animated he'd been all day. She was glad he had so few reservations about his new role. She'd seen Tom cajole B'Elanna out of worry or doubt more than once with his optimism and good-humor; she was sure he would again.
Janeway leaned against the turbolift railing as the door closed. She'd been serious when she'd told B'Elanna that she was a little envious. Though she hadn't earnestly contemplated having a child at any previous point in her life, she'd always considered it an option open to her in the future. Although being a captain was a demanding and very full- time job, other Starfleet captains had found a way to have both a family and a career. She hadn't directly discussed the subject of children with Mark, but if they'd remained together, they likely would have at some point.
But that had been the case back in the Alpha quadrant, when her life had been proceeding along a more normal course. In the Delta quadrant, faced with decades of isolation and responsibility for the well-being of her crew, the possibility of ever having her own child had been all but taken away from her. Hell, she hadn't even been able to consider the possibility of a serious ongoing relationship.
The kiss she and Chakotay had shared in her office over a month ago flashed into her mind. They hadn't talked about it directly, because she'd been careful to divert the conversation to another subject whenever it might have surfaced. But she had thought about it, and hadn't come to any conclusion about why at that particular moment she'd allowed herself to indulge in something she'd so successfully convinced herself she didn't want anymore. And that she'd long ago convinced herself she couldn't have anyway.
Maybe it was because she'd deleted the Fair Haven program a few months ago. It had run its course of popularity with the crew and even Tom had abandoned it, likely at B'Elanna's urging, since she'd never liked the program. Tom turning over the deletion code to her had pushed Janeway to a decision. The casual companionship of a hologram had been a poor substitute for a real companion, the doctor and his more sophisticated self-awareness notwithstanding. Certainly Michael O'Sullivan, programmed charm or not, hadn't banished the persistent loneliness she increasingly felt in her life. Not the way a flesh and blood man who had his own mind, who listened to her but also argued with her, and who didn't indulge her opinions and whims simply because he was programmed to do so, could banish her sense of isolation.
Janeway shook herself out of her reverie and realized that she was still standing in a motionless turbolift. She chastised herself; she had things to do, more important things than contemplating something she shouldn't be contemplating. She straightened and addressed the computer.
"Bridge."
Legacies 2
Author: Jamelia and Juli17
Prologue
"Enter."
Chakotay stepped into the captain's ready room. "Are we still on for dinner tonight?"
"With personnel reports for dessert, of course."
"Of course." He couldn't stifle a grin as he took his accustomed seat in front of her desk. "Unless you would prefer working on baby shower plans instead. I understand Neelix has been polling everyone coming into the mess hall to come up with the best way to surprise B'Elanna."
Janeway took a sip of her coffee. "I've heard that surprising pregnant Klingons is one of the best ways to live dangerously."
"According to the Doctor, we have a window of opportunity between the third and sixth months when pregnant Klingons are uncharacteristically placid."
"Tell Neelix he'd better have the party soon, then, just in case."
"I'll consider that an official order," Chakotay replied, chuckling at her mock glare.
Janeway smiled back at him and confided, "You know, if this starts a baby boomlet, we might need to redistribute crew quarters in the very near future."
"I'm open to getting a roommate, Kathryn."
"I'll just bet you are," she drawled. Then she changed the subject, right on cue. "More important matters first."
As they discussed Voyager's latest supply requisition list, Chakotay managed to keep his mind on his work and a smile on his lips. It was only after he left her that he admitted to himself just how nice a roommate on a starship could be, especially if it were the right roommate. The right life mate, if he eventually had his way. But that second thought he'd keep to himself for now. As for the first pleasant thought, it was a small starship, but a very long trip.