Summary – An unexpected gift leads to a long overdue confession
Rating – J/C General
Tell Him
© Momac 2003
Prologue
Captain's Ready Room
Stardate 54714.3
'Repeat that last section for me again, Commander. For a moment I
thought you said that all systems were running at optimum efficiency.'
Chakotay grinned at the wary expression his commanding officer directed
his way.
'…And our supply situation?'
'The Frey were very generous. Neelix was forced to offload a substantial
proportion of Leola Root to make room for the various foodstuffs we were
able to acquire.'
Voyager's first officer watched as his Captain absorbed the significance
of this latest development. His patience was finally rewarded as the
corners of her mouth tugged upwards in a weak imitation of a smile. It
wasn't much but it was an improvement on the black cloud that seemed to
have been following her around for the past week.
'The Council?'
'Have offered us free passage through their sector.'
The smile grew, chasing away the lines of worry that had taken up
residence around her eyes.
'Now all we need is for Neelix to report that he's found a limitless
supply
of coffee and my day will be complete.'
'Funny you should say that.'
Chakotay's grin blossomed into a full-blown smirk as he slowly revealed
the cup Neelix had pressed into his hands prior to his meeting that
morning. Kathryn's smile vanished, her gaze flying up to meet that of
her first officer as he placed the precious cup in front of her.
'This had better not be another of Mr. Paris's little jokes. You, of all
people, should know that I never joke about coffee!'
Reaching forward Chakotay slipped the lid from the cup and waited with
baited breath for the unmistakable aroma of roasted coffee beans to fill
the air.
'It looks like coffee…'
Kathryn reached over, cradling the cup in her hands.
'It certainly smells like coffee...'
Unable to resist any longer, she raised the steaming cup to her mouth
and
sipped tentatively at the liquid contained within.
'Oh god!'
A look of rapture lit up Kathryn's face as she swallowed a second
mouthful, followed at a more leisurely rate by a third and a fourth.
'Would it be safe to inform Neelix that it tastes like coffee as well?'
The amused tone of Chakotay's voice earned him a half-hearted glare.
'Quiet, Commander...I'm having an epiphany!'
Chakotay watched as she drained the cup, filing the moment away with all
the other images of her that had, over the years, found their way into
his heart. But even in the midst of her rapture he was aware of a
lingering
tension in the lines around her eyes. Concern coloured his voice as he
revealed the final ace up his sleeve.
'The best part is that the Frey consider the plant that produced the
beans
to be a weed and would be delighted if we were to rid them of their
infestation. Naturally I said we'd be happy to oblige.'
The fourth smile in as many minutes greeted his words but its effects
were
short lived, as worry lines once again reasserted themselves. Forcing
herself to relax Kathryn savoured her drink, the effects of which were
even
now racing through her system with the familiarity of an old friend. But
try as she might, no amount of coffee could silence the little voice
that
had been whispering in her ear for the past week warning of trouble
lurking in the shadows, waiting to pounce on her the moment she let her
guard down.
Little did she know that at that exact moment, in an alternate reality
far,
far away an old adversary was about to set in motion a chain of events
that would force her to re-evaluate the parameters she'd come to rely
on.
Chapter One
The classroom was shrouded in darkness, silent save for the scrape of
chalk dancing across the blackboard, its path mapped out by the
invisible hand that held it firmly within in its grasp.
There
was a young wizard named Billy,
Who developed a wart on his…
'Peeves!'
The chalk hit the floor with a crack, shattering into a cloud of white
dust
on impact. Startled, Peeves whirled around, a stream of colourful
expletives pouring from his lips as he expressed his displeasure at the
unwelcome intrusion.
Professor Minerva McGonagal glowered briefly at the translucent figure
hovering before her, before dismissing it with a wave of her hand, her
attention returning to the unfortunate student squirming by her side.
'Mr. Longbottom...I believe an explanation is in order!'
Intrigued by the scene unfolding before him Peeves drifted closer, his
face
alight with glee as he watched the unfortunate boy stumble over his
words.
'Oh, ikle first year been a naughty boy!'
With hindsight he should have remained silent.
'You...Out!'
The words flew at him; displacing the air around him and causing him to
bob up and down like a duck on water. With a last smirk at the hapless
Longbottom, Peeves, Hogwart's resident poltergeist, turned on his tail
and
sailed through the wall, his thoughts already focused on creating
further
mischief.
However, not even he could have expected an opportunity to present
itself quite so quickly, for there, lying forgotten on the floor of the
corridor
outside was a small crystal globe.
Longbottom's remembral!
A devious smile crossed the face of the being that answered to many
names depending upon the dimension or reality he was infesting at the
time. Holding out his hand he watched impassively as the sphere rose
from its hiding place and floated towards him, the light from nearby
candles illuminating the delicate patterns carved into its surface.
'Well, well, well…what do we have here?'
Q regarded the orb with interest, watching amused as the globe remained
crystal clear…an infallible memory just one of the countless benefits
of being a superior being. Quickly tiring of the trinket he was about to
toss it aside when a stray thought blew through his mind, tickling his
warped sense of humour. He had no use for a memory aid, but a certain
extremely stubborn bipedal female who, due to the limits placed on her
by her inferior intelligence, was at this very moment blundering around
in the Delta Quadrant might find a use for it.
Amused by the possibilities presented by his find, Q clicked his fingers
and
waited impatiently for the walls of Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and
Wizardry to be replaced by the dreary grey beloved of Starfleet
designers…
Chapter Two
Ready Room
Stardate 54714.4
Kathryn Janeway, Commanding Officer of the U.S.S Voyager strode across
her ready room, her recently reinstated morning coffee momentarily
forgotten as she glared at the parcel lying in the centre of her desk.
Wrapped in gold paper and tied with a delicate silver ribbon, it sat
there…the picture of innocence…waiting for trembling fingers to pull
back the layers of tissue to reveal the treasure lurking within.
Kathryn wasn't fooled.
A piece of parchment peeped out from under the bow, her name boldly
displayed in a handwriting she was becoming distressingly familiar with.
Moving with caution she picked the note up quickly scanning the message,
her eyes darting back to the parcel as if expecting it to attack her the
moment her attention was diverted.
'Dearest Cathy, consider this remembral a little thank you for
your work with Q jnr. I won't confuse your feeble mind with details…
suffice it to say that if the orb changes colour when you hold it then
you'll know that your inferior memory has let you down again.'
Q
Muttering quietly to herself Kathryn relieved the parcel of its delicate
layers of wrapping paper, her eyes widening as she pushed the last piece
of tissue paper aside to reveal the globe nestled inside. Clear as
glass, it
appeared to glow in the artificial lighting of the ready room. Initially
cool to the touch, the orb quickly absorbed the warmth from her palm,
stunning her into silence as the mists released from deep within it
turned a
deep shade of crimson...
Chapter Three
The Bridge
U.S.S. Voyager
Stardate 54716.6
'Remember to take shore leave when the opportunity arises…
Remember to … damn it…there's nothing left to remember!'
Kathryn shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she glared at the orb in
her
hand, her eyes following the progress of the blood red clouds blossoming
within it. It had been two days since Q's mysterious gift had
materialised
on the desk in her ready room. Two days since she'd been able to relax,
her every waking thought bent towards eliminating that tell-tale splash
of
colour that appeared every time she held the orb. Their continuing run
of
good fortune had ensured that she'd had ample opportunity to indulge her
obsession. Unfortunately she appeared no closer to solving the puzzle
than she had been when she first picked the damned thing up.
'Perhaps it's broken?'
Tom Paris shot her a hopeful grin as he effortlessly guided Voyager
through yet another of the minor asteroid fields that littered their
path through this region of space.
'Unlikely as it may seem there is some logic to Mr. Paris's suggestion,
Captain.' Tuvok looked up from the console he'd been manning to stare at
the offending object. 'Perhaps I could be of assistance.'
Strangely reluctant to part company with her tormentor, Kathryn
hesitated a moment before handing it over. Her worst fears were
confirmed as within seconds of coming into contact with Tuvok's hand the
mist dissolved.
'Then again…' Tuvok's voice was impassive as he handed the orb back,
'...perhaps not.'
