Disclaimer: I reserve my right to kick Paramount in the ass for ending the series, and my right to take up where they left off and do with it what I want. So there. Infringe this.



Chapter Six



"Congratulations, Captain, you've entered your second trimester."

All the Doctor got for his troubles was a disgruntled "bah!" as Kathryn turned away, intent on locating her housecoat. Not that she regretted anything, but she was really and truly getting sick of everyone's constant concern -their mawkish attentiveness. She was perfectly healthy, as were the two babies she was carrying, so what were they worried about?

What really galled her was that she had had to give up on coffee. It was a long-standing complaint of Chakotay's that she drank too much of it, and now he had the ultimate leverage to see that she never touched the stuff for the better part of a year. For his sake she stayed off of it. Well, not entirely. She had tried cheating once, and had discovered the hard way that the twins did not enjoy it as much as she did.

Seven was nearly as bad or worse than Chakotay. The blonde woman spent every spare moment worrying, and called what seemed like at least once every hour when she wasn't actually at the house. She was worse because her comments were all so infallibly logical, even though she didn't speak much anymore . . . which was almost never, since she'd never been talkative. Seven was self-conscious about her slurred speech now. Aphasia had set in, as the Doctor had predicted, but fortunately Seven was not losing any more of her articulation.

Everyone outside of the Voyager clan -except for Erin Lange, helpful soul that she was- had taken it upon themselves to be royally confused. The great and illustrious Captain Janeway was pregnant? By whom? The Commander? The Helmsman?

God help us, some strange alien from the Delta Quadrant?

She was sick of trying to explain it to everyone she met, and so didn't try anymore.

As it happened, Seven had procured her housecoat for her. The other mother of those greatly anticipated children made it her solemn duty to be present for every scan that Kathryn underwent. Though with her weak health she shouldn't have been out and about in the middle of September, even if the weather was still warm. Certainly not so often, but she got quite adamant when anyone tried to slip something by her.

Seven held it out to her with her left hand. It still bothered Kathryn to know that the ex-drone's right hand was useless, even if Seven adapted with discomfiting ease. She shrugged the garment on as the Doctor put his tricorder away.

"So that's it for now?" she demanded.

"For now," the Doctor agreed affably, eying her with amusement. "I hate to say it, Captain, but you need a bigger housecoat."

Seven visibly quelled a smile.

Kathryn was not impressed with either of them. "I noticed."

"Multiple births make for larger pregnancies all around."

"Well really! I never would have guessed."

At least someone around there was putting on weight. Seven seemed to get thinner with every passing week, even though her appetite was fine. She was going to have to introduce that woman to ice cream. At least now she wasn't so gaunt as before, when she had first been released from the hospital.

The Doctor took his leave with little ceremony, leaving the Captain and Seven to continue the lunch they had been eating when he had arrived. It was the weekend, and in favour of going through the frustration of scaling up her size requirements in the replicator once again, Kathryn just stayed in her pyjamas and housecoat.

"So where's Chakotay?" she asked, sitting down at her small kitchen table.

"He was asked to the history class at the Academy," Seven said as clearly as possible. She had problems with all those sibilant sounds, affecting a lisp, but Kathryn understood her quite clearly, unlike some.

Kathryn rolled her eyes incredulously. "Again? Haven't those kids had enough of Voyager already?"

"It's hardly a boring subject," Seven murmured, picking up her glass. "And if they are asking him, doesn't that mean that they are not asking you?"

Kathryn laughed. "Aha, see? You got me there. That's very true." Seven had certainly refined her grasp of small talk, even if the talking part was more difficult.

The eyebrow climbed smugly.

"So, Seven, come up with any names yet?"

The other woman paused. "One, for the male twin."

"And?" she prompted.

"Acoya."

Kathryn grinned happily. "That's lovely. I assume it was Chakotay's submission?"

Seven nodded. "He said it has been in his family a long time."

"Nothing for the girl?"

Seven shrugged ambivalently. "There is still time."

"That there is," she agreed with a sigh, looking down at herself. The Doctor hadn't been kidding when he'd said multiple births were big. Even at just over three months with twins, she looked like she was five months in at least. What was it going to be like later? Despite her musings, she was resolved not to give in to pre-partum paranoia, like so many expectant women did -raiding the databanks on everything remotely related to obstetrics or paediatrics. Let Seven do that, if she wanted to. She was the one who was going to be taking care of these babies, after all.

The phone beeped, and the both stood at once. Somehow Kathryn managed to get there first, and she hit the appropriate button.

"Oh, Spirits, how did I know?" Chakotay immediately demanded in exasperation, looking over her shoulder towards Seven. "I'm sorry you have to put up with her, Kathryn."

The woman addressed made a dubious noise. "You're no better. I'd probably have to make lunch for you too, if you weren't busy."

"Hold that thought. I'm not so busy anymore."

"God save me from you people! All of you! I'm not the baby here, honestly. I don't need constant supervision."

"I beg to differ. You've been known to get into a lot of trouble in a very short time."

"What do you take me for?"

"Captain Kathryn Janeway," he replied glibly.

She gave him a flat-eyed look. "Well if you're coming over, come over. The both of you may as well live here anyhow. I'll go somewhere else and you can have it to yourselves. Maybe I'll apply for a new commission . . . in the Beta Quadrant."

"Noted. Send us a postcard. See you in a bit."

The screen went blank and the Captain turned her sour look on Seven, who was affecting studious innocence for all she was worth. She could be surprisingly funny, when she put her mind to it. Seven's humour was all in expression. Kathryn laughed at her.

"What are you planning?" she inquired. "I know you're up to something. One or both of you."

"I am not 'up to' anything, however I believe the same cannot be said for other people."

"What is it?"

"I do not know."

She scoffed at that. "What do you mean you don't know? You know something's going on, don't you?"

"Yes, but not what. Chakotay can keep secrets, but he cannot keep the fact that he has a secret. It is a failing of his. He is planning something. I think his 'business' today was a ruse."

Kathryn's eyes narrowed. "The Doctor is in on it, isn't he?"

"What makes you think that?"

"Today was off-schedule. The check up was supposed to be two days from now, yet he pops in early and makes a great fuss over that fact that you're here for lunch. Isn't that the least bit suspicious?"

"The Doctor always makes a fuss."

"Not as big a one as that."

Seven considered that, then nodded slowly. "Yes. And he is rarely in such a good mood."

"You noticed, huh?"

"You are the one who tells me I notice everything."

They were both slightly startled when there was a knock at the door. Chakotay couldn't possibly have arrived yet, not unless they'd upgraded the transporter hubs over night. They glanced at each other, mutually suspicious now. Kathryn went to the door, and opened it.

She was immediately wrapped in an enthusiastic hug.

"Tom? Tom, what the hell are you doing here?" she demanded, trying to fend him off.

The pilot grinned down at her. "What's it look like? Hey, does this count as a group hug, or what?" She made a face at him and pushed him away, seeing B'Elanna following closely with K'Athra.

The Captain looked at them in consternation. "When did you get here? And I thought you were still living in fear of your father, Tom."

He snorted. "Forget him, party crasher. Hey, lunch."

"We got here about fifteen minutes ago," B'Elanna supplied, setting her daughter on her feet and shooting her exuberant husband a look. "We were in the neighbourhood, so we decided to drop by."

"Like hell. What is going on? Seven, you swear you know nothing?"

The other woman nodded vaguely, eyes fixated on K'Athra, who walked with great conviction across the hardwood floor, intent on some object on the other side of the room. Kathryn had noticed how Seven tended to watch any baby she saw now, unlike before when the sight had been a cause of pain.

"Hey, Captain," Tom called from the kitchen. "Mind if I make some tomato sandwiches?"

"Go ahead."

B'Elanna looked up. "Make a plateful, Tom, we'll need it."

"Da, comrade." He saluted his wife. "Committing I am now to greater productivity."

"He's been watching a lot of movies about the Cold War lately," her former Chief Engineer apologised.

"Communism is not amusing," Seven said staunchly, still watching the toddler.

"Sorry!" Tom apologized from the kitchen.

Kathryn was a little confused. Their arrival had been quite sudden, definitely unexpected. She was still in her housecoat. She blushed slightly.

"I'm going to go change," she muttered, retreating. She paused. "Wait a minute," she said, turning to face B'Elanna again. "Why are we going to need more sandwiches?"

The Lieutenant winced.

"She was thinking with her redundant stomach!" Tom called helpfully.

Kathryn held up her hands, her suspicion taking form. "All right, who and how many?"

B'Elanna shrugged. "I dunno. Harry, Tuvok, the Doctor, Naomi, maybe Sam, us, Chakotay, you and Seven? Not many, but enough to warrant about ten sandwiches."

When had they become so underhanded? It was Chakotay's idea, she knew. Some kind of impromptu party. He was going to get it when he showed up, the scheming man. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She chose in favour of laughing, and did so incredulously as she entered her bedroom. What a crew, in the general and literal sense. Where had she picked up these people? Family was right. They conspired like one, that was for sure.

There were about two more arrivals as she changed into her clothes, from the sound of Tom, the first was Harry and the second was most likely the Doctor, since she thought she could hear his voice. The last was likely going to be Chakotay, so he could come gloat at them. Even Seven had looked surprised, despite knowing that something was afoot.

She noticed with some frustration that a shirt she had replicated only a week ago was too small. Retrieving a larger one, she put it one, took a breath and emerged into the fray again.

"Captain, good to see you again," the Doctor said, grinning a grin fit to split his holographic face.

"Likewise, glad I can amuse you so easily."

"I think it was the housecoat."

She shot him a half-serious glare and turned to look at Harry, who smiled at her. He was a little more reserved than Tom when she hugged him im greeting, ever the gentleman.

"You're looking well, Captain," he said in that sincere tone of his.

She shrugged. "I guess. Personally I think I'm looking more like I've got a beach ball under my shirt every day."

He smiled a bit wider. "That too."

It wasn't long until Naomi Wildman arrived, though without her mother. There was the obligatory fuss over how big she had grown, but soon everyone left off of that in favour of other things and Naomi quietly glued herself to Seven's side. Tuvok showed up shortly thereafter, offering his quiet congratulations once again, but leaving the excited small talk to those better suited to it.

She had missed her friend. The last time she had seen him was three months ago when he had come to Starfleet Medical to offer his support there. He had soon returned to Vulcan and his family, and there had been sporadic correspondence. She knew he had not missed her in the conventional sense of the word, but she knew he had wanted to come. Usually, Tuvok had to be coerced into attending parties, even small ones, but to her great elation this was not one of those times.

She found she had missed his counsel as well, even though there was little advice Tuvok would have been able to give at this juncture. His very presence, unassuming as it was, was a comfort to her somewhat frayed nerves.

As usual, old stories began to resurface -tales of Tom's pranks, Harry's occasional gullibility and B'Elanna's strange association with the ship's warp core. All the subjects that arose were the lighthearted kind, even though their seven-year sojourn in the Delta Quadrant had been less than that at times. A few well-aimed jabs were directed at Tuvok and the Doctor, the latter replying in kind and the former taking it all in with classic Vulcan stoicism.

At last, there was another knock at the door and Tom rose to get it, since he was the closest. As expected, the door opened to admit Chakotay, but not in the way she had envisioned. She had assumed he would arrive with a smile for all and a smart-ass comment directed at herself and Seven.

Instead he came bearing a padd, saying quietly that Erin Lange had caught up to him and asked him to deliver it to her.

Gretchen Janeway had died at eleven a.m. that very morning.

To be continued.

***