Kathryn and Chakotay headed towards the holodeck to see how Q was handling the diplomatic negotiations, and as they approached, she heard Chakotay chuckle under his breath. "What is it?"

Chakotay grinned as they stopped near the outer control panel, pointing at the small indicator light that was softly flashing green. "I modified the program, on the off chance that Q would try to simply change the behavioral subroutines of the characters. If he tried to make them more agreeable, it would have the opposite effect. Apparently he tried just that," Chakotay motioned at the blinking light, "I also added an indicator here so I'd know what I was walking back in on." Kathryn's jaw dropped even as her lips turned up.

"You wicked man. I love it." She pressed her own lips together to keep her laughter from bubbling out. "Let's go rescue him before they murder him." Chakotay nodded, his hand at her lower back as they entered the holodeck.

"Computer, freeze program," Chakotay spoke when they were inside. Kathryn had to bite the inside of her lip to keep her face impassive. The sight before her was hugely amusing.

Q looked utterly terrified, held aloft by the Cardassian character. Several chairs were overturned. It appeared as though the Ferengi and the Bolean were engaged in a fist fight, and the Nausicaan had a dagger drawn, bearing down on Q. It took Q a moment to realize that the program was frozen, but when he did, his eyes went wide when he spotted Kathryn and Chakotay. "Aunt Kathy, help me!"

Kathryn smirked, looking up at Chakotay. He grinned and nodded. "Computer, end program." Q instantly dropped to the floor, stumbled, and caught himself against the bulkhead.

"I tried that, but it didn't work." He brushed his pants off and straightened his jacket, revolted.

"I made a few modifications to the program before hand," Chakotay looked on, his face serene. Kathryn was thoroughly enjoying this interaction, wishing she had thought of it herself. Q looked disgusted. "Now, would you like to try it again, or would you like to come with us to meet your father for lunch?"

"Anything but this," Q huffed, leaving the holodeck ahead of them.

After that hiccup, and a few other little...bumps in the road, Q began to slowly make progress. It was a 'one step forward, two steps back' kind of progress, but he was trying. After Kathryn had discovered that Icheb had written Q's essay that Kathryn had assigned him, and that he was shirking some of his duties, his father had a long talk with him that Kathryn and Chakotay were not privy to, but one that must have had a big impact on the boy, because for the rest of the week, Q was mostly a model crew member.

Kathryn had found him jogging the lower decks with Tuvok on more than one occasion, helping B'Elanna in engineering, and taking flying lessons with Tom and Icheb.

It was the fifth day when Kathryn arrived back to her quarters after having a long talk with Q senior; the two of them developed a plan to see if Q's character had improved enough to return to the Continuum.

Icheb had told Kathryn earlier that day that the younger Q had spoken several times about wanting to take the Delta Flyer out on his own, without Tom's supervision. Icheb had of course warned that he was not allowed to do so, but that only seemed to make the young omnipotent being even more eager. Kathryn was afraid that, despite his progress, he might try something foolish, so Kathryn, along with Q and Icheb's help, had formed a plan in case he did just that.

Kathryn dropped down on the sofa, resting her head on the back and shutting her eyes. Though it had been an interesting week having both Q's aboard, it had been long and tiring, and Kathryn could feel that her nerves were a little rough around the edges. She would be glad when this whole incident was over. Though there were many aspects of the Qs that she enjoyed, they were a handful, and having two of them aboard was extremely tiring.

"What took you so long?" Chakotay spoke in front of her. Her lips drew up into a smile, though she left her eyes shut.

"Mmm, hatching a plan with Q to see if his son is ready to take his place in the Continuum." She pressed her fingers into her stomach where her daughter was currently practicing her somersaults. "One final test for our young companion." She finally opened her eyes to see Chakotay before her, already in his pajama pants and freshly showered. He sat down beside her and pressed a kiss to her lips before drawing her into his side.

"Do you think he will pass?"

Kathryn sighed as she leaned into him as he ran his fingers lightly through her hair.

"I hope so. I think when it comes down to the wire, he will do the right thing." She sighed, "I think we will find out tomorrow."

And find out they did.

After Q did in fact take the Delta Flyer without permission and create a flexture in space, he returned nearly as quickly with an injured Icheb. No one else but Chakotay knew that it was a ruse, and tensions were high, especially when Kathryn traveled back through the rift with the young man to try to gleen help for Icheb from the race of aliens that had injured him in the first place.

It had come down to the wire, but when the Chokuzon had agreed to help Icheb on the condition that Kathryn would be punished for Q's behavior instead of Q, the young man had put himself between Kathryn and the alien. He'd agreed to the punishment, if it would spare Icheb and Kathryn.

That was it...the reaction they had all been hoping for. Kathryn had let out a sigh as Q appeared where the Chokuzon had been. It was revealed that this had been the young man's final test, and in Q's eyes and Kathryn's, he'd passed with flying colors.

Though the Continuum didn't agree at first, Q easily persuaded them that his son would join the Continuum, or it would lose them both. Apparently that wasn't an option, because not long after, both Qs had their powers back, and the younger of the two was welcomed back home.

And now Kathryn stood in her quarters in front of her mirror in her dress uniform, adjusting her hair before the banquet. She had Neelix fix an absolute feast, and everyone was invited to celebrate Q's victory. "Ready, Kathryn? It's time to go." Chakotay spoke from the living room. Smoothing down her maternity jacket, she exited the bathroom.

Kathryn grinned at the sight of Chakotay in his dress uniform. Humming in appreciation she turned her lips up to his begging a kiss. "I forgot how handsome you are in that thing. I was never able to tell you before." Chakotay's eyebrows went up as he grinned down at her.

"If I had known you appreciated it so much, I'd have found occasion to wear it more often," she chuckled, taking his hand and pulling him towards the door.

The mess hall was packed with crewmen; nearly everyone had turned up to celebrate. Though Q senior knew of Kathryn's plan, his son thought they were meeting for one last meal before they left Voyager. Kathryn and Chakotay arrived with five minutes to spare. Everyone was anxiously waiting, and when the doors finally opened when Q arrived, the room exploded in applause and cheers.

To say that Q was surprised was an understatement, but his genuine smile as he realized the celebration was for him warmed her heart. She stood against the wall with Chakotay, allowing Q a moment to receive congratulations and well wishes from the crew. His father entered the mess hall after him, coming to stand beside Kathryn. "This is pretty over the top, Kathy. I don't want Junior getting a big head over all this."

Kathryn grinned, "He's earned it. You both put in a lot of work this week, and it shows. You should be proud of him." They both watched for a moment as Q shook hands with Icheb and then Tom, receiving a hug from B'Elanna.

"I never thought I'd say it, but I am proud of him." Q cringed, "Don't tell him I said so." Kathryn shook her head with a chuckle.

"I won't, but you should. He needs to know that he has your support, and not because he's a Q, but because he is your son." Q sighed.

"You're right, as always." Kathryn watched as he smiled at his son, moving to stand beside him. Kathryn decided that it was time. She moved to the center of the room, raising her hands slightly to get everyone's attention. The room slowly fell silent and all eyes landed on Kathryn.

"Thank you for coming, everyone. As you all know, it's been an interesting week as far as weeks go on Voyager, but we are here to celebrate the hard work and strong character of our new friend, Q." She motioned at the young man, and the room broke out into applause. The youngest Q was shocked, but a genuine smile broke out on his face as he received several more handshakes and pats on the back. "He has proven over the last week that great things are possible if you put your mind to it, and he has made some lifelong friends here. He has shown incredible dedication to the task, bravery, and strength of character." She reached into her uniform pocket and pulled out a metal star. Turning to face the young man, she held up the decoration. "Q, it is my privilege to award you with the Starfleet Medal of Honor." She pinned it on his uniform, leaning in to whisper in his ear, "I'm so proud of you."

Pulling back, Kathryn herself clapped as Q looked down at the star on his uniform jacket, his cheeks flushing. She moved back to stand beside Chakotay, giving him a nod.

Chakotay moved forward, standing before Q. The young man looked up from his decoration, his features morphing from pride to trepidation. "I told you, on your first day here, that you had to earn and show respect. Do you remember that?" Q nodded, leaning away from Chakotay slightly, not knowing where the conversation was going. Chakotay smiled as he reached into his own pocket, pulling out the four pips he'd taken away from Q a week ago. "I've been holding onto these, and I want you to know...that I am extremely proud of your progress this week, and in my estimation, you have more than earned these back." Chakotay began to put the pips back on Q's uniform collar. When there was only one left, he stopped, holding up the last pip. "I want you to hold onto this one," he placed the small piece of metal in the boy's hand, "as a reminder that there is always more we can do to better ourselves," Chakotay leaned in, "And there's only room for one Captain on Voyager," both men chuckled as Chakotay shook his hand. "I'm very proud of you, Q."

The room erupted in applause once again, and both Qs were rendered speechless. Kathryn moved towards the elder of the two and grinned up at him as he applauded his son, "I'm proud of you as well, Q. You've grown a lot over these last few days. He's lucky to have you as a father."

"I couldn't have done it without you, Kathy," he dropped his arm over Kathryn's shoulder and gave her a dramatic squeeze.

=/\=

It was a celebration, the likes of which the crew of Voyager hadn't seen in a long time, and though it was a celebration for Q, everyone enjoyed themselves immensely. Food and beverage was never ending and Kathryn waited for the crowd to slowly dwindle, but it did not.

She and Chakotay sat at a table in the corner, watching Q and his father enjoy themselves. Chakotay leaned over to whisper in her ear, "Did you ever think in a million years that you would be throwing a celebration onboard for a Q?" She guffawed loudly, shaking her head.

"No, definitely not. But I'm glad it worked out this way. I remember hearing of Jean Luc's interactions with Q, and always dreading running into the man, but now that I've gotten to know him, I would have to say...he isn't as bad as I thought." Chakotay nodded silently, "I'm not saying I'd want him to be a permanent installment on this ship, but a visit every once in a while is nice."

"I would have to say I agree. For as much hassle as he's been sometimes, when it comes right down to it, he means well...in his own eccentric way, he means well."

Kathryn nodded, watching the festivities. It had been a stressful week for her and for Chakotay, but it had been a stressful week for the entire crew. She was glad to watch them all unwind and enjoy the evening. After another twenty or so minutes, however, she decided that she had had enough for the day. She was exhausted, and wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed with Chakotay and sleep. She had a later duty shift tomorrow and was looking forward to a lazy morning. She whispered as much in Chakotay's ear before moving to get up.

Several of the crew and the elder Q noticed her heading for the door and much of the chatter died down. Kathryn realized many eyes were on her as she prepared to leave, "I'm afraid our youngest two crew members have decided to call it an evening," she pressed a palm to her belly for emphasis, eliciting chuckles from many crew nearby, "Stay as long as you like, everyone, and enjoy yourselves. We will be at full stop until tomorrow at 1300." Everyone cheered and conversations began again. Kathryn watched as both Qs approached. It was the elder, however, who spoke first.

"I hate to see you leave the party, Kathy." Q dropped his arm over her shoulder again, and she didn't pull away, "I wanted to thank you again for all of your help this week with Junior here." He dropped his other arm over the shoulders of his son. "We couldn't have done it without you." Kathryn grinned at the pair.

"You both put in a lot of hard work this week. I'm proud of you." The younger Q pulled away from his father and snapped his fingers. With a flash of light a large bouquet of red roses appeared in his arms.

"For you, Aunt Kathy. Just a small thank you for all of your help this week, and for believing in me when no one else did." Kathryn took the roses, holding them to her nose for a moment to breathe in their fragrance.

"Thank you," she leaned in and pressed a kiss to the young man's cheek, "Now go enjoy your party." Q grinned before moving away from his father and back to where Icheb was waiting for him. The elder Q turned to face Kathryn once again.

"I have something for you. I've done a little homework," he snapped his fingers and a PADD appeared. He handed it to Kathryn. She read over the device, Chakotay reading over her shoulder. Her mouth dropped open.

"Q, this will take years off of our journey home."

Q smiled, "I could just send you all the way, I know, but what kind of example would that be setting for my son?"

Kathryn chuckled, handing the PADD to Chakotay before leaning in to give Q a hug as well, "Fair point. I appreciate this very much."

Q nodded, turning to rejoin the festivities, "Oh, Kathy. Once your little rugrat is born, just give us a shout if you need any help raising her." He winked before turning away.

Kathryn and Chakotay looked at each other, speechless for a moment before dissolving into laughter as the mess hall doors shut behind them as they left.