Janeway coughed and glanced toward Seven. She really hadn't expected Miranda to ask that particular question. She'd been sure she'd deflected the issue earlier, but evidently, Miranda was not that easily put off.
"I'm sure the answer does not require that much thought, Kathryn," Miranda nudged her.
"No, it doesn't," Kathryn admitted. "But a polite way to say I can't discuss it does. The answer is somewhat on a need to know basis," Janeway attempted to deflect once again.
"Need to know. An interesting choice of phrasing," Miranda mused, tapping a finger against her lips. "Perhaps you would be more willing to discuss the matter with more…shall we say, official inquisitors? Let's drop the pretense, shall we? You have involved me and my staff. I would say that gives me a definite 'need to know.'"
Janeway sighed and rubbed her eyes against a lingering feeling of fatigue. It was clear Miranda wasn't about to let this go. From the corner of her eye she noticed Seven flex her fully human hand and look at it with the tiniest of frowns. Janeway supposed she could activate an emergency beam out and leave Miranda with her questions unanswered, but somehow she didn't think the situation was entirely resolved. She felt more like herself since encouraging Miranda to talk with Andy, and the woman having done so successfully, if one could judge by the fact that she had yet to release Andy's hand, had alleviated all symptoms save the lingering feeling of fatigue that had been ever present since the first episode.
"Mommy!" A child's voice split the silence that had descended following Miranda's last comment, followed by a small, fiery haired girl running up to the editor. "You were taking a long time," she chided her mother.
Janeway stared at the little girl, struck by her startling similarity to Janeway's sister Phoebe at that same age. An overpowering wave of nostalgia and homesickness swept over her. Her mother had always said Phoebes had their great-grandmother Cooper's coloring, the flaming red hair and translucent porcelain skin. Janeway suspected she now knew where Meredith Cooper had come by those traits in order to pass them on. Was this little girl her ancestor? And, if so, was she somehow the source of the fluctuations? Janeway tapped Seven on the hand to get her attention and gestured for her to follow. A nod toward B'Elanna had her following them, and the three moved away to give Miranda and Andy some privacy to speak to the child, and afford Janeway a few moments to consult with her crewmembers.
"I'm sorry, Bobbsey. I took a bit longer than I expected. There was a great deal to address," Miranda explained.
"Did you at least talk to Andy?" Cassidy persisted with a frown.
Miranda smiled and traced her fingertips over her daughter's cheek. "Yes, I spoke with Andréa."
Cassidy looked at their clasped hands, and a wide grin spread across her face as she raised her eyes to her mother, amazement apparent in her sparkling eyes. "You're holding hands," she gasped. "Does this mean Andy wants to be our friend again?"
Andy dropped to her knees in front of Cassidy and grasped her by the shoulders gently. "I never stopped being your friend, Cass. Things just got mixed up for a while," she sighed and glanced up at Miranda who laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Andy looked back at Cassidy again."I misunderstood some things about your mom."
Cassidy nodded knowingly. "Yeah, lots of people do that. Cause they think she's Miranda Priestly, but she's just Mom."
Andy's lips twisted in a rueful smile. "I'm not sure she's 'just' anything, Cass. Except amazing. She explained a lot of things to me that I didn't know before."
"Mom explained?" Cassidy's eyes widened. "She never explains anything. Well, except to me and Caro."
A gentle laugh from Miranda met her daughter's incredulity. "And now Andréa," Miranda added. "Just to the people I care about most."
Cassidy paused as if considering her mother's words before nodding. "But if you were upset with Mom, why couldn't you be our friend anymore?" she asked, tears forming in her eyes.
"You remind me so much of your mother, Cassidy," Andy began by way of explanation. "You have the same beautiful blue eyes, the same quick mind, all her good, wonderful qualities you have, too. She doesn't show those things at work very often."
"Because she's the boss," Cassidy said seriously. "And the boss has to keep her distance so people will listen and do what she wants. That's why I don't ever want to be the boss. It's too lonely."
"Yes, it can be," Andy agreed. "But only if you let it be that way. There are always people around who want to be your friend. It's just sometimes hard to tell who likes you for you and who just likes what you can do for them. You have to learn to tell the difference. Otherwise, you could end up missing some really good friends and hurting people who just want you to give them a chance."
"So Mom hurt you," Cassidy guessed, shooting a stern look at her mother.
Feeling the hand on her shoulder tighten, Andy turned the small face back to her own with a finger under Cassidy's chin. "I hurt her, too, Cass, by not talking to her and telling her what I was thinking and feeling. You and Caroline remind me so much of her that it hurt to talk to you guys when I thought I couldn't talk to your mom. I know that probably doesn't make much sense to you, and I'm really sorry if I hurt you."
"It's like when Caroline stopped being best friends with Susan Clark, and then Susan didn't want to be my friend anymore, either. She said it just made her miss Caro more," Cassidy said sagely. "So you're going to be Mom's best friend now?"
Andy looked up at Miranda helplessly, unsure how to explain the changes in their relationship. Were they going to be friends…with benefits, or was there more to it? She really didn't know what Miranda envisioned for them. There hadn't been time to discuss the intricacies beyond their love for each other, and how did you explain that to an eleven-year-old?
With one hand automatically smoothing the back of her skirt to her thighs, Miranda squatted to look her daughter in the eye. "Darling, I very much hope that Andréa will be my best friend and much more than that. I love her very much, Cassidy."
"More than a best friend," Cassidy said frowning as if she wasn't clear what that meant and was trying to reason it out. Suddenly, her expression cleared, and she looked at her mother in wonder. "You want to date Andy!" She looked from one to the other, seeking confirmation.
"Yes, I do, and I hope one day she'll choose to make her home with us," Miranda admitted with a gentle smile.
"Miranda!" Andy gasped. She didn't know why she was shocked exactly. Miranda was never one to do things by halves. It only made sense that if Miranda was in love with her, she'd want them to live together. Andy just hadn't expected her to admit as much to her children and so quickly.
"You don't want to live with us?" Cassidy asked, her expression revealing her hurt at the perceived rejection. "We'd be nicer to you than we were to Stephen and wouldn't play any more tricks on you. And I bet Mom would even come home for dinner more so we could be like a real family."
Andy laid a gentle finger on Cassidy's lips to stop her. "Your mom just surprised me, Cass, that's all. She only just told me she loved me. We haven't had a chance to talk about dating, or what we were going to do about it."
"So do you love her?" Cassidy asked as if that were the only thing that mattered, and Andy supposed she was right.
"Very much," Andy said with a glowing smile at Miranda.
Cassidy gave a single nod, looking so much like her mother with the gesture that Andy had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. "Then you'll come home with us tonight, and after dinner, you and Mom can talk and decide when you're moving in," Cassidy said as if everything were settled.
Andy felt her face heating up as Miranda smirked at her. "Moving in," as Cassidy put it, was a breathtaking proposition when Miranda was involved.
"By all means, Andréa, come to dinner. It will be my pleasure to show you where you'll be sleeping once you've moved in," Miranda said in an even tone but with a glowing fire in her eyes as they rested on Andy's face.
Andy swallowed to suppress the moan she could feel rising in response to the look Miranda was giving her. It was all she could do not to lean over and taste those soft lips again, but she knew doing so wouldn't be appropriate in front of Cassidy. Besides, she felt that once she started kissing Miranda again, she wasn't going to be inclined to stop until she'd tasted every inch of her body. When Miranda raised an eyebrow in inquiry, Andy realized she was expected to answer.
"Oh, ummm, yeah, okay, I'd love to." She gave Cassidy a warm smile and then turned the temperature up on it when she turned to Miranda.
"Very well," Miranda said rising to her feet and holding out a hand to assist Andy. "I believe Kathryn and Seven will be joining us for dinner as well. There is still the issue of a few answers I'd like to have."
Janeway led her crewmembers toward the dais. "It's not over, is it?" she asked by way of beginning the conversation.
"No, I do not believe so. I am still experiencing a marginal feeling of numbness in my extremities," Seven said while flexing her hand.
"B'Elanna?" Kathryn asked.
"The anger's still there, Captain. Just not as prevalent at the moment," B'Elanna admitted, crossing her arms over her chest as if to hold the feeling in.
"Any ideas as to why you suddenly go full scale Klingon when this happens?" Janeway asked.
B'Elanna looked away, blushing faintly. "You've been something of a role model for me since we've been in the Delta Quadrant, helping me to diffuse a lot of the anger I've held for years. I think that when my personality was split by the Vidiians and later re-integrated without me having that influence the Klingon half of my personality became dominant. At least that's the doctor's theory, and it makes pretty good sense to me as well."
Janeway nodded. It did make sense and was just another example of the impact she had on various lives that she wasn't even aware of. Who would her newfound relationship with Seven impact and how? Was she doing the right thing?
"Kathryn, withdrawal is unacceptable. I will not allow you to end what has only just begun," Seven stated sternly.
"You know me too well, Seven," Janeway said with a lopsided grin.
"Permission to speak freely, Captain?" B'Elanna requested.
"Go ahead, B'Elanna." Janeway nodded.
"You have an effect on every person on Voyager. Up to now, it's been one of self-denial in many ways, but who knows how long we're gonna be out there. Wouldn't a better example be to continue to live life in the best way possible while still trying to get home? I know of at least four potential couples onboard who are denying their feelings for each other because they don't think you'd accept it. They're giving up a chance at happiness because of your example. Is that really the message you want to send?"
Was that the message she wanted to send? No, it wasn't. Janeway didn't need to think about it. She wanted her crew happy, or as happy as they could be given their situation. Telling them so wouldn't work if she showed them something entirely different. "Thank you, B'Elanna," she murmured, twining her fingers with Seven's. She turned her mind back to the problem at hand. "Evidently getting Miranda and Andy together wasn't enough as we're all still having some symptoms. So either the issue goes deeper or there's an outside influence we're not aware of, yet. Seven, are you eavesdropping again?"
"That is correct, Captain," Seven admitted with a tiny smile. "Miranda Priestly has more than one child, though I was already aware of this, and it appears Six will be 'moving in.'"
Janeway couldn't hide her astonishment. "Already? Miranda isn't wasting any time."
"Miranda Priestly is known to be decisive," Seven affirmed. "She is also extremely protective of her children."
"Then you're thinking what I am? That one of her children is the problem?" Janeway asked.
"Yes, Captain. I also believe that she will not take well to any attempt to question them without knowing the details of our mission," said Seven. "There is still the possibility of the alteration coming from a different source entirely."
"None of which explains how this got so far off track in the first place," Janeway said, rubbing the back of her neck. "Someone had to have taken an action that caused the deviation. The question remains, who?"
"There is a possibility, Captain. One we have not yet explored. This is not the first time an attempt was made to erase your existence," Seven reminded her.
"It isn't?" B'Elanna spoke up.
"Temporal Prime Directive," Janeway said by way of explanation.
"Then I'll leave you two alone. Let me know if you need me for anything else," B'Elanna said before walking over to fiddle with some of the camera equipment.
"Braxton is supposed to have been re-integrated and confined for treatment, Seven. Surely, Ducane would have let us know if he'd gotten lose again," Janeway said.
"It is possible they are not aware of his activities. They did not realize it was Braxton who attempted to destroy Voyager the first time. It was even Braxton who sent me to apprehend the perpetrator."
Janeway rubbed both hands over her face in frustration. "I hate time travel," she snarled.
"I am aware, Kathryn," Seven said with the infinitesimal smirk she often assumed when Janeway had done something that she considered typical behavior.
Shaking her head at her love's expression, Janeway chuckled. "I'm sure you are, Seven. I guess we need to talk to Miranda. It seems the best way to get this settled. And it looks like this is the time," Janeway said nodding subtly to let Seven know Miranda was approaching.
"Kathryn, you and Seven will be accompanying us to my home for dinner this evening," Miranda said as she walked up.
"What a lovely idea, Miranda. We'd be glad to," Janeway smiled. This might turn out to be easier than she'd first thought.