Chakotay walked into the bedroom and found Kathryn lying on the bed. Her eyes were red and her cheeks were tear stained. He gathered her in his arms and let her cry on his shoulder softly.

"Computer," he said.

Kathryn sniffed and sat up. "It won't answer you. They must have disabled it. We can't leave my quarters either."

"What?" Chakotay walked back out. He noticed Lady Q was gone and began the same series of attempts to free them that Kathryn had performed earlier. After a half hour, he leaned against the wall defeated.

Kathryn came out to watch and she smiled. "You're better than I am. I was a screaming tyrant by this point."

Chakotay grinned back. "It's nice to see you happy again. And you are going to stay that way. I won't allow them to take our child. Q or no Q."

Kathryn dropped her head and brushed a hand across her cheek. "There's literally nothing humanly possible we can do to stop them. You saw what they did."

"I talked to the female. Maybe what I said will have some effect."

"I doubt it. She seems to do Q's bidding. I highly doubt we could offer her anything to make her switch sides."

"There's always something. You know when I first saw Q at the cabin he laid out a whole spread of vegetables and fruit. I was crazy, out of mind, searching for you but I seriously thought about taking a moment for just one bite of it."

Kathryn stared at him. "You threw over me and your baby for food?"

Chakotay couldn't help but chuckle. "A man has his needs and food is a basic one. Besides, I didn't do it."

"Well, your other basic need also won't be met for some time if we ever get out of this." Her hands found her child again.

Chakotay shook his head. "I swear it, Kathryn. They won't take our child."

A stray tear slipped down her cheek and she wiped it away. "Chakotay, the replicator works. You can order that tomato now unless Q is holding a grudge."

Chakotay walked over and activated the replicator. He ordered their favorite meals and took them over to the small table. He placed the plates down and manually dimmed the lights. "Well, at least the cabin controls still work."

Kathryn let him lead her to the table where he held her seat as she settled in. He went to the other side and sat down before raising a glass. "You and I never got the chance to celebrate in style. To our new family."

Kathryn forced a smile and the worry that had been threatening to overwhelm her subsided. Still, her hand shook as she picked up her drink and toasted, "To our family."

Lady Q watched as the two made small talk over their first real dinner in months. "How quaint these beings are. They celebrate even though they know their fate is not what they desire. Curious."

Q flashed behind her and said, "Ridiculous, isn't it? You know, I could speed things up. With the Continuum tearing itself apart by the moment, that kid could be useful to us today. And who knows how long it will take him to get the hang of his Qness."

He raised a finger but Lady Q held it down. "Let them be. You've done enough to them for one day, Q."

Q glanced over and grinned. "Not getting sentimental are we, dear? You wouldn't be the first to get attached to these humans."

Lady Q sneered. "No, I wouldn't, would I? That's your department."

"Moi? I am not attached! Picard is just a distraction and this one…"

"This one?" Lady Q asked.

"This one is a means to an end. Besides, Picard would have never let me get away with using that red headed doctor of his."

"So you chose the next best redhead available?"

"Well, I did want our child to have your looks."

Lady Q smiled. "How thoughtful of you."

"I know. It was ingenious, wasn't it? A man and woman alone and light years from home. What else do they have to do but fall in love and mate? I mean have you ever read some of their literature? Really the vilest kind of story telling but it was an inspiration. Strand a man and woman alone on a desolate paradise and let nature take its course. Played out just like they said it would. And Picard isn't nearly as passionate. It would have taken him forever but this man? It took him barely a month to mate with this one and ensure a child for us."

"Our child."

"Yes! Just think of it, Q. Before long, you and I will be parents!"

After dinner, Chakotay carried Kathryn into her bedroom and tucked her into bed. As he placed the covers over her, he felt their child stir. Leaning in close, he whispered, "You are ours. No one will ever take you from your family."

The child thumped her approval and Kathryn stirred. With a loving rub, Chakotay settled them both and then returned to the living area. He took a few more tries at unsealing the door but to no avail. Finally, he gave up and cleared the table. As he emptied the dishes into the recycler, he heard a noise behind him.

Chakotay spun around and saw the Doctor standing there with a smile. "Good evening, Commander. I can't tell you how pleasant it is to have you, well, any of you back."

"Doctor!"

"Yes. And although I am slightly hurt that you did not communicate your immediate arrival to me when you came back on board, I have decided to overlook your manners and come in person. I know this may be a bit presumptuous of me but now that I have my mobile emitter I've decided that I am not going to wait until you and the rest of this crew deign to fill me in on important matters. I thought we had settled this…"

Chakotay grabbed him. "Doctor! Where are the others? Where is the crew?"

"The others? Why, they were captured and taken by the Kazon."

"Kazon? But we left their space weeks….almost a year ago."

"I saw them Commander with my own eyes. It was just as before. Exactly as it was before."

"Exactly?" Chakotay straightened as a realization dawned on him. "Q."

"Q? What does a letter of the alphabet have to do with this? Are you injured? Are you and the Captain hurt? I assume you were taken from the planet?"

"No, we weren't. There were no Kazon."

"But I saw them. Are you sure you're not ill?" The Doctor grabbed his med kit.

"No. They just weren't who you thought they were. Look, I'll explain later." He spied the medical kit and pulled the Doctor towards the room. "You need to examine Kathryn."

"Captain Janeway? Is she hurt?"

"No. She's…" Chakotay stopped and held his hand against the Doctor's chest. "Wait a minute. Prove to me you're the Doctor."

The Doctor waved the medical tricorder across Chakotay's face. "I'm not detecting any brain abnormalities that would indicate a distorted perception of reality."

"When you're in the shower what do you sing?"

"Shower? Commander, I am a holographic being. I do not require the physical maintenance that…"

Chakotay grabbed him by the shirt. "Singing. Song choice!"

The Doctor looked at him as if he had lost his mind. "Well, I've always been partial to 'You Are My Sunshine' in a pinch but there are also some wonderful operatic arias..."

Chakotay grinned and released him. Giving him a bear hug, he said, "It's good to have you back, Doctor."

"I never went anywhere." The Doctor waved the tricorder around again as Chakotay pulled him into the bedroom. "Remind me to do a full physical on you, Commander. Kes and I will…well, this is new." The Doctor waved the device over Kathryn's sleeping form. "Commander, the Captain is…"

Chakotay nodded. "I know."

The Doctor read his findings in detail and said, "Well, I suppose you do. Congratulations. When did this…"

"Look, Kathryn and I have been on the planet all this time. We didn't know what had happened to Voyager, you, the rest of the crew…"

"So you thought you were abandoned? Well, obviously you two found something to do with your spare time."

Chakotay grabbed the Doctor again. "Look, Kathryn and I were brought back here by the Q. A race of omnipotent beings who apparently orchestrated all of this. They want to take our child."

"Omnipotent? Q? Why would they want your child?"

"Listen, over my dead body are they going to take her but Kathryn and I can't get out of here and our computer access is restricted. Can you get into the database from sick bay?"

The Doctor nodded. "Yes. I've had to amuse myself for months with nothing but research. I've written thesis papers on medical topics that would make Starfleet Medical cry."

"Perfect. Go back and find everything you can on the Q. I know a little bit about a few encounters they had with a ship called Enterprise but I need to know any weakness, any thing or person or idea that makes them tick. Got it?"

"I think so."

"Good." He glanced down at Kathryn. "And Kathryn and the baby?"

"Perfectly fine. The child is developing well although all of you could do with a better variety in your diet. She should be on a prenatal regimen."

"Put her on one."

The Doctor slipped a vial into a hypospray and pressed it to Kathryn's neck. She stirred slightly before he pulled it away and said, "Done." He stood up and said, "I'll be back, Commander."

"That won't be necessary."

The two men looked back to the doorway to see Lady Q standing there. She smiled and said, "I'll tell you everything you need to know."