Disclaimer – Sorry folks I'm sure we all know this bit off by heart. I own nothing; Paramount owns everything except the words on this page. I am making absolutely no money from this and still I spend hours slaving over it … hmmm now why does that equation not add up!

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.'