A/N: My first ever Star Trek fic! I've been toying with this idea for a while and have read some really good fics recently dealing with the consequences of Threshold and thought I'd give my own take on it. The ending of that episode never sat well with me. After all, did the writers really expect us to just gloss over the idea that two of the ship's crew evolved into amphibians and had super-evolved offspring?

My timeline for this story may be a little off from canon, but it's roughly around Season 4. It's set in 2374, two years after the events of Threshold, and not long after Voyager's encounter with the Borg and after Kes has left the ship. Tuvok has been promoted and this is before Voyager managed to contact the Alpha Quadrant. Tom and B'Elanna are at the very beginning of their relationship.

Bolt from the Blue

It was an ordinary shift. It had been an ordinary few weeks. Kathryn hated to admit that she was beginning to feel a little restless. After all, after almost being destroyed by the Borg, she should be welcoming a few weeks of peace and quiet. The ship and her crew certainly needed it. B'Elanna was using the calm to make some upgrades to engineering while the ship travelled at impulse, and Tuvok was running several new security simulations. He'd never admit it, but she knew he'd been put on edge by their recent encounters with the Borg and was determined to keep the crew at full readiness, even though Kes had successfully propelled them beyond Borg space. She couldn't blame him. She too had been unnerved at how close they'd come to destruction.

Kathryn stretched her neck and uncrossed and re-crossed her legs at her seat on the bridge, sighing. Chakotay glanced at her, a knowing smile playing on his lips.

"Bored, Captain?"

"Terribly selfish of me, isn't it?" She turned her head and smiled. "The crew are finally able to relax and here I am looking for a little excitement."

"You're not the only one, Captain." Tom had turned around his chair, arms folded across his chest and his shoulders slumped. "I hate to admit it, but a Borg cube right about now would be a welcome distraction."

"Speak for yourself, Tom," Harry said darkly from his own station. "I'm still having nightmares."

"Oh, only a little one," Tom dismissed with a wave of his hand. "Coupla drones, a few evasive manoeuvres … just enough to get the heart racing."

"You cannot be serious, Lieutenant." Seven stared curiously at Tom from her station behind Kathryn. "An encounter with the Borg would in most likelihood result in death or assimilation. Not 'get your heart racing'."

"That's what makes it exciting!" Tom objected. "Come on, Seven. Don't drones like the thrill of the chase? The adrenaline?"

"No. Such things are irrelevant and only impede the efficiency of a mission."

"Borg," Tom muttered, shaking his head and turning back around. "You'd think in all their assimilations over the years they'd have learned of the concept of fun."

"Fun, as you call it," said Tuvok, with typical Vulcan stoicism, "does not, to my mind, mean wishing to place oneself in danger. I doubt there are many on this ship who would agree with you, Lieutenant."

"Okay, okay!" Tom held up his hands from the conn. "I know when I'm defeated. All I'm saying is that I wish there was something out there in this dead region of space. And the captain agrees with me too, right?"

Kathryn couldn't help but smile at the mischievous smile he shot her over his shoulder. She'd long since become used to the degree of informal interactions which took place on Voyager's bridge. She'd never have dreamed of being part of something like this on any other ship and doubted many other Starfleet captains would allow their crew such freedoms. Yet Voyager was not a normal ship. The crew had been almost entirely unchanged for over four years and had received little in the way of shore leave, meaning that they worked at all times under extreme conditions in very close quarters. Traditional barriers were being broken down all the time as new relationships and ideas of normalcy emerged.

Well, she thought, turning her head to look at her first officer who was examining a PADD. Most barriers have broken down.

As though knowing that she was thinking of him, Chakotay lifted his head and smiled at her again before returning to his PADD. She looked away with a sinking feeling. No, she could never allow herself that luxury, no matter how much it ached sometimes to be so close to him yet so far. Their time on New Earth seemed a million years away, and she could admit to herself, readjusting to life back on board and their professional roles had not been easy.

Chakotay finally put down his PADD and Kathryn noted a small frown cross his face.

"Problem, Commander?" she asked, lowering her voice a little.

"Nothing a few dull hours with the duty rosters won't fix," Chakotay said with a sigh, running his hand over his face. "B'Elanna's modifications to engineering means that her crew are working longer hours than usual. They're exhausted. I'm going to need to speak with her and arrange a more sustainable timetable. I think she's just in a rush to get everything completed before something dangerous shows up."

"I can't blame her," Kathryn said. "It's the first chance we've had in a while to really overhaul those systems. I'm just glad someone's making good use of the lull in activity."

"Almost too good use," Chakotay said, shaking his head. "B'Elanna's become a bit of a tyrant down there, or so I've heard. She's been itching to get dug into those manifolds for months. Woe betide anyone who comes between her and her warp plasma."

"I'll try and avoid engineering then," Kathryn laughed. As Chakotay also began to laugh, the doors to the turbolift opened, and none other than B'Elanna herself entered the bridge. She paused in confusion at the amused looks Kathryn and Chakotay were exchanging.

She came around to Chakotay's side and handed him a PADD. "I've got that formal request for more help in Engineering you asked for."

Chakotay raised his eyebrows. "I've only just finished reading the last one you gave me."

"Forget that," B'Elanna shook her head impatiently. Her face was clenched. "It's just not working out down there with who I've got. Half of them can hardly hold a hyperspanner up the right way."

"I'll consider it," Chakotay said, half glancing at Kathryn. "In the meantime, why don't you take a break down there?"

"No chance," B'Elanna said, looking offended at the thought. "Do you realise what-"

"Carey to Torres."

B'Elanna was cut off by the sound of the comm and slapped her badge. "Torres here, go ahead."

"There's been a problem down here, Chief. I can't seem to get the secondary systems back online. Our monitors can't-"

"Understood. I'll do it from here." B'Elanna's jaw tensed and she huffed in frustration as she stomped over to the engineering station and began to stab at various panels with a sour look on her face. Kathryn could have laughed at the barely restrained Klingon fury reflected in her expression. As long as that fury was directed at the warp core and not at her, she'd just let her get on with it. While at times B'Elanna could be spiky and confrontational, Kathryn had never once regretted her decision to appoint her as her chief engineer. Her passion showed through in her work, and Kathryn admired that.

As B'Elanna worked, Kathryn turned her attention away and idly watched the back of Tom's head as he made some course adjustments. An alert sounded from ops, drawing her attention immediately.

"Captain, I'm detecting a ship approaching our position," Harry said, eyes on his monitor. "I don't recognise the configuration."

"Bring us around, Mr. Paris. On screen," she said, and the viewscreen immediately lit up to reveal the alien vessel. It was large and seemed to be slowing as it approached.

"They have taken up a position five hundred metres off our bow," Tuvok informed her.

"They appear to be scanning us."

"Hail them," Kathryn ordered. She had to wait a few moments before her hail was accepted. The ship on the viewscreen changed into the image of a humanoid alien male. She did not recognise the species. He appeared tall, with grey skin mottled with black. He was entirely hairless and wore a crisp green uniform which looked exceptionally formal, a small insignia on the left breast. Kathryn prided herself on being a good judge of character and could immediately tell that this man was not to be trifled with. His expression was cold, and there was a barely concealed anger in his dark eyes. He sat rigidly in his seat as he took in their appearance and seemed to be frowning slightly.

"This is Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation starship Voyager," she said, holding herself upright in her chair. "Why are you scanning us?"

"This is Administrator Vedal of the Selozian science vessel Rebenok." His voice was not much warmer than his eyes. "We believe that your ship is harbouring criminals and are scanning to confirm."

"I assure you, Administrator," Kathryn said, not liking his tone, "that I harbour no criminals on my ship. We are new to this region of space and unfamiliar with your species."

"We have been pursuing you for some time," the alien said, unmoved. "We have heard of this Voyager and suspected the criminals we pursue to be members of its crew. Our scans have confirmed it."

"I do not appreciate being accosted like this," Kathryn said firmly. "If you have a grievance, let me hear it, but I take great offence at your insinuations against my crew. Of what crime do you accuse us?"

"The most contemptible of crimes," the Administrator spat, "one which my species takes incredibly seriously. Child abandonment."

Of all crimes, this was the one Kathryn had expected the least. She exchanged a quick glance with Chakotay before looking back at Vedal.

"I believe you are mistaken, Administrator. We have only one child on board, and she has most certainly not been abandoned."

"I refer to infants, Captain," the alien continued. "Abandoned on a planet several thousand light years away from here. My ship discovered them two years ago and we made it our mission to seek out the parents. Our culture condemns such abandonment, and our laws make it compulsory for us to pursue every case we come across."

"Our culture also condemns such actions," Kathryn said, seeing the alien scoff in disbelief. "Our children are precious to us, and any abuse against them is punished severely."

The Administrator was shaking his head, the look of loathing on his face plain. Kathryn had no idea what to make of this. While she respected the alien's passion, she was at a loss to explain it's cause. Mentally, she began trying to recall details of their missions of two years previous. Had one of her crew had an undisclosed liaison with an alien on one the worlds they'd visited? Could it be possible someone on board was a parent and unaware of it? She knew without even thinking about it that no one on board would have willingly abandoned a child. The idea was preposterous.

"Did you say you have been pursuing us for two years?" Chakotay asked, a thoughtful expression on his face. "We've come a long way in that time. How did you keep up?"

Kathryn knew immediately what he meant. Kes had thrown them 9,500 light years closer to the Alpha Quadrant when she left. Was it possible these aliens had the ability to travel such great distances on their own? Was there a potential here for a way home?

"Our technology is vastly superior to yours," Vedal said with the merest hint of a sneer on his grey lips. "It did not take us long to track you, and we have followed behind relatively closely for some time. Your long period travelling at impulse allowed us to finally catch up."

"We'd be very interested in technology such as-"

"We will not do any trade with criminals," Vedal declared, loudly cutting off Chakotay with a look of absolute disgust. "We have come to right the wrong that your ship did. Once that has been taken care of, we will have no further business with you."

Disappointed, Kathryn tried not to let it show on her face. Perhaps there was still an opportunity here. There must be a reasonable explanation for this, a misunderstanding. If she could perhaps explain what had happened …

Behind her, Kathryn noticed the hiss of the turbolift doors as someone entered the bridge, probably Neelix, possibly hoping to offer his assistance, even though everyone knew his Delta Quadrant knowledge to now be largely exhausted.

"I realise you feel very strongly about this," Kathryn said, drawing the alien's attention back to her and adopted her best conciliatory tone. "I would too if there was a child's welfare at stake. But you have to give us some more information here. As far as I am aware, no member of my crew has deliberately abandoned a child."

"Your lies are beginning to irritate me, Captain," Vedal said. "You cannot hide this. My crew has scanned your ship and matched the genetic signatures. The DNA is a match for a female on your bridge."

Kathryn stared at him, and then turned to look at B'Elanna and Seven, the only other females on the bridge. They looked as bewildered as she was. It couldn't be Seven, Kathryn realised, thinking quickly; Seven was still a drone two years ago. And it wasn't her … which left-

"It isn't me, Captain," B'Elanna immediately objected, seeming to realise her deduction. Her face was the picture of astonishment. "I swear! I'd remember if I'd had a child."

"I believe you," Kathryn said, immediately making the other woman relax. "Well, it certainly isn't me either, and it can't be Seven …" She turned back to the alien on the viewscreen. "You must be mistaken somehow, Administrator. Perhaps if you share your scans with us we can help clear-"

"I am not mistaken!" The alien had slammed his fist down on his console. His grey skin had darkened as the mottling grew more extensive, obviously a mark of his species' anger. "The scans are very clear. The infant's mother is on that bridge, and so is the father."

This has to be some sort of a joke, Kathryn thought. She looked to Chakotay, then to Tuvok and Harry, all of whom were staring back at her cluelessly. No, they weren't capable of child abandonment. There had to be something hideously wrong with the alien's scans. But how to negotiate her way out of this situation without angering him further? If the ship was advanced enough to have tracked them, she wondered unpleasantly what its weapons systems would be like.

Vedal was losing patience with their ignorance. He leaned in towards the viewscreen, eyes glinting unpleasantly.

"I must inform you that I think very little of a species who cares so little for its offspring that they cannot even remember them." He seemed to breathe heavily for a moment before leaning back, anger fading to a dull simmer. "It seems I must remind you of their existence. We were surveying an uninhabited star system when our sensors picked up faint life signs in a jungle near the equator on one of the planets. Upon approach, we discovered three infants, all of whom were close to death thanks to a deterioration in the planet's atmosphere. We rescued the infants, and but were only able to save one. I must admit, they looked remarkably different to your people, but the DNA does not lie."

Something inside Kathryn seemed to clench tightly, and her body went rigid. It couldn't be …

"We at first believed them to be simple creatures," Vedal continued, oblivious to Kathryn's growing horror, "but preliminary brain scans showed them to be capable of complex sentience. You can imagine our disgust. What sort of society abandons three of its young on an uninhabited planet, leaving two of them to die? We identified a faint warp signature around the planet and have been tracking it ever since. Lie as you might, Captain, we know your ship was in orbit of that planet, and we know that two people on your bridge are the parents of those creatures. Do you still deny it?"

Time seemed to stand still for Kathryn. Breathing suddenly seemed difficult. This … this was impossible. It just couldn't be happening. Her entire body was numb as a growing realisation swept over her. She did not think she could move, let alone answer the alien's question.

As she sat there, struck dumb by the revelation, she saw Tom turn around in his seat to look at her, his face reflecting the same profound shock she knew her own must be showing. Their eyes met and she froze, utterly speechless for the first time in her life. He had paled dramatically, and she knew she could not look any better.

Well, Tom,she thought wryly, looks like we're getting that excitement after all.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think! Story is completed so updates should be every few days :)