Authors Note: I don't own the ship, the crew or anything at all. However, I do own the story, and Elizabeth.
Chapter 14 – The PastElizabeth was sat in the holodeck watching one of Tom's holomovies, and contemplating her life so far. Elizabeth sighed, how many times had she sat in the back row of one of Tom's movie creations. Somehow though tonight was different, she wasn't at home. No, she was stuck in the delta quadrant.
She reminisced about her childhood, how proud she had been then. How proud to be a member of the historic Paris family. She laughed, not any more, not for many years. She thought back to the day it all changed, when she was ten, she had been routing around through photos for a baby picture to take to school. When she hadn't found any she had asked her dad where they were. Then her world had crashed around her, everything she prided, everything she believed and knew to be true, fell about her. She was no Paris, she was adopted. Elizabeth was crying now, the movie long forgotten as background noise to her memories.
According to her father, her biological mother was dead. Her mother died in a shuttle accident when she was two, and he had taken her in then, as was her mothers wish. He told her that her mother loved her very much, but to him she would always be his daughter. That statement had comforted her many times in the last five years.
Sighing, she asked herself the question she had asked her father, "What happened to my biological father?", her father had always evaded that question. Was he still alive, did he know about her, did he care, so many questions, so many unanswered questions. She believed in her heart that her father knew something about her biological father; he didn't want her to know. She remembered looking him in the eye and asking him, and she thought she saw pity mingled with fear. Maybe it was best she not know, but without knowing she could not make that presumption. She was curious by nature, but she left it, deciding that Admiral Paris was her father and always would be, just as he had said.
The Admiral had said he had no pictures of either of her parents. She had dropped the subject entirely after several months, seeing that it upset him. Privately however she carried on, she knew at one time both her parents had been in Starfleet. She searched through many databases, different records but never found anything.
Smiling she thought, how naive I was. She often looked back on that period of her life now, and thought, what did it matter, she had everything she wanted, everything she needed, they were dead they couldn't do anything for her.
She jumped, as the doors suddenly opened revealing the Captain. Elizabeth stood up to show respect. The captain merely smiled, "At ease, such formality is reserved for on duty."
Elizabeth nodded, Janeway had changed she was not as strict as she had used to be. Or maybe she was, she had only ever seen her off duty before. Now she was going to be her captain.
Janeway sat down next to her and patted her hand, "Couldn't sleep?" she asked.
"No. I thought the doctor told you to get some bed rest" she said concerned.
The captain looked like she hadn't really slept, she was paler than earlier if that was possible.
"He did, but it's not as though I'm working", she looked at Elizabeth.
"Is it good?"
Elizabeth stared at her, and then caught on to her meaning, "Oh, I haven't really been watching it."
"Then what have you been doing?" she questioned.
Elizabeth noted the anxiety in her voice, "Reminiscing", she replied quietly.
The captain nodded, "I see."
"Captain", she said quietly.
"Hmm." The captain was studying Elizabeth intently.
"Is there something wrong?"
"Oh, no. I'm sorry", she smiled, squeezing Elizabeth's hand.
"Why don't we go for a coffee", she said standing up, holding her arm out for Elizabeth to follow.
Elizabeth stood up and followed the captain down the row of seats. Elizabeth tried to stifle a yawn, but the captain heard and turned around in the doorway.
"Come on", she whispered, gently slipping her arm around Elizabeth.
The captain led Elizabeth to her quarters. Elizabeth sat on the sofa, whilst the captain went to get some drinks. She turned around to find Elizabeth lying on the sofa asleep. Smiling, she pulled a rug over Elizabeth's sleeping form. She watched her sleep for a while before falling asleep herself.
Elizabeth awoke to find the captain sat on the floor next to the sofa, with her head on Elizabeth's hand, and her own hand resting next to Elizabeth's cheek. Elizabeth stayed still, unsure what to do, she couldn't move without waking the captain up, and right now she knew the captain needed to rest. She decided she had no choice but to stay put, managing to drift back into a peaceful sleep. The captain's presence seemed to ward of her nightmares, having her near made Elizabeth feel safe.
Elizabeth awoke again, this time she found that the captain was awake and sat on the edge of the sofa watching her. There was more colour in the captains face now, but she was still very pale.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, as though it was Elizabeth who had been ill.
"Me. I'm fine. What about you?" she asked, smiling.
"Hungry. What do you want for breakfast, or should I say lunch?" she laughed.
"I'm okay. I told B'Elanna I would help out in engineering, this afternoon. I should get going", Elizabeth said, not really wanting to go.
"I see. Well, eat something, won't you?"
Elizabeth nodded and smiled, getting up from the sofa she sighed, "I better go and change. See you later and thank you."
The captain smiled, "It was a pleasure to have you." She got up from the sofa and led Elizabeth to the door.
-Fin-
Please review. I know you think I'm dragging it out, but I'm not. Tell me what your theories behind this whole thing are, based on the new information, what do you think to all the connections in this story.
