Kathryn sank back into the warm water, opting for her jasmine-scented bath oil. She'd gone a little overboard with the bubbles, but she would be damned if she left this tub before they had all dissolved.

The only thing that would make it better would be if Chakotay would join her, but she knew he would want to stay alert on the bridge in case any more visitors showed up. Bless him for taking care of things so that she could relax. Normally she would have stayed beside him, if for no other reason than to be near him, but she was so damned tired. She was very much enjoying being pregnant, but she would be glad when it was over and she had her body to herself once again, as well as her stamina back.

"Computer, play Chopin Nocturne number one in B Flat Minor, set to continuous repeat." She let out a sigh as the computer complied, her bathroom filling with the soft classical piano music. She thought again briefly about comming Chakotay but knew that at this late hour, he wouldn't be too long before retiring from the bridge, allowing Gamma shift to take over. She closed her eyes, quickly drifting into the haze of half sleep as the music lulled her into much needed relaxation.

The babies had thankfully settled down after the adrenaline she had exposed them both to earlier, and she was glad that they were both calm now. She had commed the Doctor on her way back to her quarters, but he had assured her that a visit to sickbay was not necessary unless she insisted. She decided to leave it for now, opting to stop in tomorrow at some point, since she was due for her weekly prenatal visit anyways.

She hummed lightly along with the music, drifting in the warm water as she floated on a cloud of relaxation.

Finally…

A flash of light and a splash jolted her awake and she couldn't help but gasp when she opened her eyes to see...who else...the elder Q sitting in the water across from her, thankfully, still in his Starfleet uniform. He wore an expression of indignation.

"I take it back, you're not a genius." He scoffed at her, "I should have known better than to take advice from a human." He shook his head as if berating a small child. Kathryn pressed her lips together, positively seething again. Could she not find one moment's peace?

"Q! You can't just barge in here at the merest whim." She raised her hands out of the water to press them to her face, a muffled moan sounding behind her fingers.

"Your plan didn't work. I smothered my son with affection, spent every waking minute with him, followed him around constantly." Kathryn shook her head at his words, wishing this was all some sort of perverse dream and she'd wake up with no sign of either Q having ever been on board.

That was not to be her luck.

"I tried to do like you said, but things have only gotten worse."

"You've been gone less than ten minutes." She felt the scowl on her face but knew it would certainly have no effect on the being before her.

Q scoffed at her, "Pfff, in your time, perhaps, but for a Q it's been years." Kathryn knew that to be an exaggeration but didn't correct him. She was too angry. "Kathy, now he's embarrassed to be seen with me," he genuinely looked sad about it, and Kathryn felt the whiplash of his emotions as they flashed before her, dragging her on this wild ride. "It's all your fault, you know."

"My fault?!"

Q leaned back against the opposite side of the tub as Kathryn, resting his arms against the sides, flicking his hand to fling the bubbles off. "Yes, your fault." Q sighed, "How do you plan to fix it?"

Kathryn closed her eyes, an assortment of responses sliding through her mind. Finally, she settled on her least favorite, but it might be the best one to get Q to leave. "What happened after you left Voyager?"

"Well, Q got away from me and rearranged the tectonic plates of Bozel Prime."

Kathryn shook her head, "Did you punish him?"

Q huffed, crossing his arms in defiance, "Well I tried to get him to apologize to the Bozelians, but he got mad and stopped talking to me." His lip curved up in a smirk, "Some advice you gave me. Good luck raising your own biped with that kind of thinking."

"So you gave into him?" Q's demeanor turned to one of guilt. "Q, you have to set ground rules and stick to them, no matter what. Of course, he's not going to want to listen. He's a child. Children never make the right decision when the wrong one is more entertaining. It's your job as his father to teach him right from wrong, and to make him realize that there are consequences to each and every one of his actions."

Kathryn opened her mouth to say more, but at that moment, Chakotay entered the bathroom, his eyes focused on the PADD in his hand, "Kathryn, how are you-" his words choked off when he spotted Q sitting in the tub with her. In an act of pure animal masculinity, Chakotay tossed the PADD to the floor and grabbed the shoulders of Q's uniform, jerking him up and out of the water. Kathryn's mouth dropped open in surprise, but it would be a lie to say that she wasn't glad he was there. "Q, you need to stop this."

"Listen, Chuckles, Kathy and I were just-"

"No, Q. You listen. We need to have a talk." Though Q was securely on his feet Chakotay did not let go of his jacket. He glanced quickly at Kathryn, "Are you alright?"

Her countenance softened at the genuine concern on his face, "Yes, I'm fine." Chakotay nodded and then pulled Q out of the bathroom.

Once they were back out in the living area Chakotay finally let go. "Q, you have to stop bothering Kathryn with these trivial matters. It's not good for her and it's not good for the babies."

Q pursed his lips, snapping his fingers to change into a dry uniform. Chakotay was amazed the man didn't just snap himself out of the room and away. That was a good sign at least. "I'm not bothering her. She was helping me with Q."

Chakotay steepled his fingers and pressed them to his lips, contemplating the man before him, "I understand that Q, and I know what you are trying to do. I'd be glad to help you. I know Kathryn would be too. Hell, the whole crew will help you with him, but you have to stop showing up unannounced." Chakotay moved to the replicator and asked for two mugs of tea. He handed one to Q and was shocked when the omnipotent being took it from him. "Q, stress is nothing but trouble for expectant human mothers, and Kathryn is already under enough stress without you showing up with your own problems." Q's face scrunched up, "Now I know Kathryn, and how much she cares for every soul aboard this ship, and that includes you and Q." Chakotay took a sip of his tea.

"How about I make you a deal; if you leave Kathryn alone for the remainder of the night, I'll talk to her and we'll figure out a plan to help you with your son." Chakotay gave a soft chuckle, "I wouldn't mind spending some time with him myself. I'll take all the practice I can get before my little one comes along."

Q contemplated Chakotay's words for a moment, his forehead furrowed in concentration, "Well, I suppose there are worse things than leaving him with an oaf like you." Q studied Chakotay's face looking for any sign of deceit but saw only honesty. "You really love Kathy, don't you?"

"Yes, I do," Chakotay stated it plainly, "And I want what's best for her, and right now, that's you...gone." Q opened his mouth, but Chakotay held up his hand, "No, until at least 0900 tomorrow, she is off limits to you and your son. And if you want to show up any time after that, just use the door chime. That's what it's there for." He leaned forward and lowered his voice, "It will go a lot farther in getting Kathryn to help you than showing up in her bathtub."

Q pondered that for a moment as well, "Look at you Chuckles; you're not as annoying as I thought. I suppose I have been putting Kathy out a bit, and I certainly wouldn't want to do anything to hurt her child, since she did help me in getting mine." His lips turned up in a grin and he set down his untouched mug of tea. "Alright, I'll see you both in the morning." And with a snap of his fingers, he vanished.

Chakotay let out a sigh, picking up the mug and taking both of them back into the bathroom. Kathryn still sat in the tub but looked no where as relaxed as Chakotay wished she did. She cringed, "Is he gone?"

Chakotay sat on the edge of the tub and handed her the mug of tea, "Yes, he's gone, and he won't be back until 0900 tomorrow."

She took a sip of the tea, groaning softly as she leaned back against the wall of the tub, "How did you manage that?"

Chakotay smiled down at Kathryn, glad to finally have her alone and without the possibility of a red alert situation...at least as far as Q was concerned, "I told him that we would help him with his son...that the whole crew would help him, but only on the condition that he stop showing up out of nowhere, and give you and the babies time to relax." She let out a sigh.

"My hero," she pinched her nose between thumb and finger, "He is so exhausting, not to mention annoying." She glanced up at Chakotay, nodding her head towards the tub. "Care to join me, Commander?"

Chakotay grinned, pulling the zipper down on his jacket, "You seem to invite a lot of men into the bath with you these days, Kathryn." She barked out a laugh, watching eagerly as he divested himself of his clothing.

"Oh no, you're the only man I will ever invite into the bath with me. Some of them just show up uninvited." She sighed and leaned forward so Chakotay could climb in the water behind her. He pulled her gently to lean against him, one arm around her shoulders and the other hand resting on the swell of her pregnancy. "I have been waiting for this all day."

"I'm just glad you can finally relax. We will deal with the Qs tomorrow. Tonight is just for you."

Kathryn hummed her approval, tilting her head to beg a kiss, which Chakotay gladly bestowed. He grinned as he felt his daughter give his hand a soft thump even as Kathryn slowly drifted off to sleep. Chakotay would wake her in a while and help her get ready for bed, but for now, he sighed in contentment as she slept peacefully in his arms.