Disclaimer: I STILL do not own them. Nope. Not mine. Not by any stretch of the imagination. Zip. Zilch. Nada. You get the idea, right-Linwe

"Power to the forward shields!" Barked Janeway as her ship was violently shaken by the Ion storm. It had just come out of nowhere, and it was huge. Sensors hadn't even picked it up.

"We're losing power!" Kim yelled to her as sparks flew from the console above his head.

"Reroute auxiliary power! Give me everything we've got! Take life support off line, dammit! If we don't have shields the hull will breach!"

"Compensating," reported Kim as the ship stopped shaking. "Life support is off line, every deck."

"We have casualties on decks 3 through 5." Said Chakotay, pressing some more buttons. "There is a hull breach on deck 16."

"Send repair teams, Commander," Janeway said, sinking into her chair, brushing some loose hair away from her face.

"Aye, Captain." He said, punching more buttons on his console.

From the main viewer, Janeway could see the storm finally move away from them. It had been close, too close. Not only that, but this was the third violent anomaly they had run into; each one almost destroying the ship. It seemed something in this particular region of space kept their sensors from detecting such anomalies, and Janeway had a rather nasty feeling that they were far from leaving.

"Harry, how long until you can get life support back on?"

"Just a minute or two, we'll be fine."

"Good. I'll be in my Ready-Room. Commander, you have the bridge." With that, she left. As she entered her office, Chakotay stared at her back, feeling that something was not quite right. After about a minute of careful pondering, he stood.

"Tuvok, you have the bridge," he said, walking toward her Ready-Room. Behind his back, Tom Paris could be seen waggling his eyebrows suggestively at Harry, who tried to suppress a laugh. They did that whenever Chakotay followed the Captain into her office (when Tuvok wasn't looking), especially because the rumors had been spreading like wildfire since the Delany sisters had seen the commanding officers walk to the Captain's quarters.

He entered swiftly at her "come in," and moved immediately toward her desk, but to his surprise she was seated on her couch.

"Do you need something, Chakotay?" she asked, setting down a padd.

"Actually no… but I felt like you might." He said, carefully. She looked down, thinking about how he seems to amazingly anticipate her every need.

"You felt I might?" She asked, looking up into his eyes.

"Well, yes. How exactly are you holding up?"

"I'm… fine. I've been better, but I'm well enough." She picked up the padd again, and pretended to be very interested in it; examining it carefully. He sat down beside her, his eyes never leaving her.

For a whole minute he sat there, looking at her, waiting, with her stubbornly busying herself with some ensign's report in her hand. When she could no longer pretend he wasn't there, she looked up, and sighed.

"Actually… I'm a little concerned."

"What about?"

"What do you think, Chakotay?" Her hands came to rest on her swollen abdomen. "I'm eight months pregnant with Q's child! I'm beginning to think of all these strange complications that could happen. I mean, I'm carrying a partly… omnipotent child! And hell, I'm not exactly getting any younger."

"Women older than you have had babies without any difficulties at all. I'm sure you'll be fine." He said softly while reached out and taking her hand comfortingly. She smiled at him, and was again glad for his never-ending supply of comfort.

"I sure hope so…" she looked away, as if concentrating very hard on gathering many thoughts. Chakotay gave her a thoughtful look, wondering what she was about to tell him. By the expression on her face, he could tell it was serious.

"Is there something else, Kathryn?" He asked, as if to egg her on.

"Yes. I've been thinking. I really don't want to raise a child in the Delta Quadrant, but I know we're not going to arrive home any time soon-I haven't a choice. So, Chakotay…well, when the baby arrives, I don't think I'll be able to give him or her my undivided attention. I have a whole starship and crew to look after, and I don't know if I can handle the responsibilities…"

"What exactly are you trying to say, Kathryn?" He asked curiously, eager to know just what she was trying to tell him.

"Would you like to be his or her Godfather? Perhaps to act as a father figure since I'm almost certain they won't be seeing very much of him. And… do you think you could help me to raise him or her? I'm certainly no mother, and without a husband to help I don't think…" She paused, looking down. "You don't have to, though. I know how busy we all are, and-"

"Kathryn…" Chakotay said, genuinely touched by her offer. He'd always wanted a son or daughter, and Kathryn was (secretly of course) the only person he would like to raise a child with. "I'm honored! I'd love to." He said, beaming.

"Really?" She said, looking up, her bright blue eyes seeming to light up even more.

"Of course."

"Thank you… so much. You don't know how much this means to me." He saw tears welling up in her vibrant eyes as she reached out and hugged him.

"Your welcome. And like I said, Kathryn, I am truly honored." They pulled back, looking at each other, and smiling.

"Well, I'd better get back on the bridge." He said.

"And I'd better finish these reports." She agreed. He stood and moved toward the door.

"Remind me to program the Replicator System later, could you?" he asked.

"Why?" She was puzzled.

"I want Tom to be on a strict Leola-Root diet from now on."

"What did Mr. Paris do?"

"Let's just say, that his rumor mill is on fire and his betting pools are getting a bit out of hand." He smirked.

"Actually, Commander, I think I'll reprogram it myself. Right now." She said, evilly.

"Have fun." He said, leaving.

"Oh, I will." She smiled to herself as she made her way over to her desk to access the main computer. "No more rumors for you, Mr. Paris. Only Leola-Root Stews."