Disclaimer: Unfortunately I do not own the characters or Star Trek, but I do own the story. Live long and prosper. -Linwe
Q is for Q-Pid Part I
Kathryn Janeway lifted herself from the command chair. Finally. The duty shift had seemed to last forever, although Tuvok would be quick to remind her, it was as long as any other duty shift. She nodded to Chakotay to take the bridge and then turned and headed to her ready room. She would get some reports to look over in bed and maybe get a cup of tea to soothe her headache.
As she strode over to her desk to pick up the reports, she noticed a single red rose on the desk. She was confused. Hadn't she told Chakotay she only wanted to be friends? Why did he keep trying? She picked up the rose. Still…he was so sweet. But what was the occasion? Not her birthday, it was February, not May. Wait…. February!
"Happy Valentine's Day, Kathy."
She knew that voice. She didn't like it. Before she could whirl around, he came up behind her, slipped his arms around her, holding her firmly. "Do you like the rose, Kathy?" He whispered in her ear.
"Q!" She yelled angrily, wiggling free of his embrace. "What are you doing here?!" Just then the doors of her ready room opened and Chakotay and Tuvok burst in, phasers in hand. Q merely winked at her and snapped his fingers, vanishing before the two men saw him.
"Kathryn, what's the matter? We heard you yell so we came in." Chakotay said.
"Are you injured?" Tuvok asked.
"I'm…I'm fine." She said.
"What happened?" Chakotay asked, seeing the rose on the floor.
"Q paid me a visit." She saw Chakotay stiffen.
"What did he want?"
"I don't know. He didn't say, he vanished when you two burst in."
"Judging by his usual behavior, we can assume he will come back. He obviously wants something, Captain." Tuvok said.
"Agreed. Post security teams throughout the ship. If anyone sees him, have them report to you immediately."
"Aye, Captain." Tuvok said and then left. Chakotay lingered.
"Is there something else, Commander?" she asked. He hesitated.
"Uh… yes. Actually there is. Do you want to join me for dinner tomorrow night? Tom reactivated the old Sandrine's program for Valentine's Day. Everyone's going to be there. Seven's even going with Harry."
"I… I'm sorry, Chakotay, I can't." He looked crushed. It tore her up inside.
"Very well… but Kathryn, tomorrow's Valentine's Day. Couldn't you take some time off from work?" He knew her so well. He knew she'd say she had too much work to do.
"Chakotay, it's not that, it's not work."
"Then what is it?" He wouldn't back off.
"It… it's…you." She hated herself for what she'd just said. She wanted him so bad, but she couldn't.
He looked at her as though she had just stabbed him in the heart. He kind of cringed and she saw tears in his beautiful brown eyes that made her melt. He did some sort of weird nod and walked out quickly. Kathryn could tell she had hurt him deeply, but she also knew he had had a romantic dinner in mind. He was not one to give up easily, but she'd never been so blunt in trying to push him away. Her heart didn't want him to back off, but the captain inside said simply, "no."
She scoped up a few padds with reports on them and headed to her quarters, blind with tears.
"How interesting," thought Q to himself. He had observed the whole conversation as a speck of dust of Kathryn's desk. "Kathy loves him, definitely. I don't have a chance. But maybe I can show her a good Valentine's Day anyway…
Kathryn couldn't fall asleep. No matter how tired she was. No matter how hard she tried… sleep would not come. She tossed and turned, thinking about what had happened earlier that evening. He'd probably never speak to her again. "He probably hates me." She thought miserably. "Why did I say that?" She buried her face into her tear-soaked pillow and couldn't stop a fresh flow of tears from coming. She suddenly felt a hand on her shaking shoulders.
"There, there, Kathy." Said Q's voice softly in her ear. "There's no need to cry."
She looked up and jumped out of her bed and backed against the wall, using a sheet to cover her even though she wore a thin silk nightgown. "Get out now!" she yelled. He rose from her bed and came toward her.
"But don't you even want to know why I'm here?" She didn't move. "Well, Kathy, I'm here because tomorrow's Valentine's Day and… I want to have a little fun."
"What do you mean?" She didn't like the sound of "a little fun," especially coming from him.
"What I mean is, since I like you and your crew so much, I'm going to give you all a fresh start tomorrow in the love department."
"Excuse me?" She was confused.
"To put it within your comprehension, Kathy, tomorrow when you and your crew wake up you won't remember a thing about yourselves. Not only that, but since it's Valentine's Day, I'll make it so you all fall in love with the first member of the opposite sex you see."
She just looked at him in a very strange way and was finally able to rasp, "Are you serious?"
"Of course! But don't worry, when Valentine's Day is over you'll all regain your memories."
She couldn't take this. Not this late at night. Not after the whole Chakotay thing. She let out a single sob and sunk to the floor, back against the wall, head in her hands. "M…maybe it's better this w… way." She sobbed as Q crouched next to her. He had never known her to show any sign of weakness… until now. He was thoroughly puzzled. Was this a trick? "I'd rather forget Chakotay and that I c-can't be with him even though I…I l-love h-him."
Q was shocked. Genuinely shocked. He put a comforting arm around her shoulders as she sobbed and was again shocked that she didn't wriggle away from him. You must also know that this was a very awkward moment for our Q, not being the righteous type, and didn't know what to do. Should he act on her weakness and take advantage of her? That was his usual way, but not now.
"I think you should sleep now, Kathy." He said.
She looked up at him. He'd never seen her piercing blue eyes so filled with sorrow and tears. He found it unnerving. He snapped his fingers and she fell, unconscious against his chest.
As he lifted her into her bed, he thought of the day to come. "Don't you worry, Kathy. When you wake tomorrow, the first person you'll see… will be me." He tucked her in and then snapped his fingers and disappeared, planning and plotting.
She was running down a corridor after someone. Chakotay. He was just ahead, she could reach him this time, she knew it. Just then, she slammed into a wall, a transparent wall that was saying "no, Kathryn. You can't have him, even though you love him. Protocol won't allow it, Starfleet won't tolerate it."
"No!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face. "Chakotay! Don't listen to the wall! I love you, Chakotay, I'm sorry, Chakotay!" He wouldn't turn around to loom at her. "Is the wall blocking my voice? Doesn't he hear me?" she thought. Then she started banging on the wall with her fists. It was icy on her skin and hurt her fists. Meanwhile, the wall droned on. "It's your own fault, Kathryn, it was your own icy wall that kept him away and finally kept him out. For good. But don't worry, you did the right thing. You two can NEVER BE TOGETHER!"
"NO! NO! NO! NO!" she yelled, "Chakotay!" Everything turned to slow motion, she heard a clock chime 12, and Chakotay was finally turning around…slowly…slower. He was facing her and she could see tears in his eyes.
"K…a…th…ry…n." he said in slow motion as the scene before her started melting away….
He woke to the sound of a computerized voice saying, "0400 hours, 0400 hours." He shut it off automatically. Wait… where was he?
"My head hurts," he thought. "Wh…who am I? What's going on?" He opened his eyes. He was in a bed with a gray bedspread, and the room was pretty plain except for a few ritualistic looking decorations. He got up and walked automatically toward a closet and pulled it open. He put on some brown slacks and a white tunic. He then walked to a mirror and found that he had a tattoo above his left eye, noting that it too looked ritualistic. He heard the hum of engines as well. He must be on a starship. He also saw uniforms in his closet that probably suggested some command structure. "I'll just have to go exploring. " he resolved to himself and exited his quarters.
Q checked the time. 0400 hours. He sat in the mess hall plotting still what to do when Kathryn awoke and fell in love with him. He considered not restoring their memories, but then decided against it. The Kathryn he knew and loved was of no real use without her memories. A one-day-fling would be fun, but he found her more entertaining with her memories intact.
She probably wouldn't wake for four more hours at least… he supposed he had enough time to knock a few planets out of orbit and be back before breakfast. He snapped his fingers and appeared in Kathryn's quarters. He noticed she was sleeping peacefully now and even had a slight smile playing across her lips. He knew her memory was gone and she was probably rid of all troubling dreams he knew she'd been having when he tucked her in. He leaned in close and ran a finger down her cheek. "I'll be back, Kathy." He whispered and then snapped himself away.
"Computer, access personal logs."
"Unable to comply, command code required."
"Computer… access this ship's crew roster."
"Information accessed."
He walked over to the console he'd been fiddling with and saw names of people that must be this ship's crew. No other information was given about the crew. He had explored his way down to main Engineering and had tried to access all the information he could about the ship he was on. Strangely, most of it had been blocked and other things required command codes. So obviously, he was in some kind of command structured-ship.
He had been exploring about an hour after waking up, only to find the ship's corridors deserted. He assumed the other people must still be asleep.
He scrolled down a list of male officers in alphabetical order, and he found a picture of himself. It was labeled "Commander Chakotay." So he was a commander? Not too shabby. He kept scrolling down until he came across the female officers. He accessed the list with pictures beside each name. The first woman listed was "Captain Kathryn Janeway." He looked at the other women, but he found that he kept scrolling back up again to look at this Kathryn Janeway. He just couldn't take his eyes off her auburn hair, her piercing gray-blue eyes, and her slender features.
There was also something about her… something familiar. Something tugged on his heart ever time he looked at her picture. He knew he had to find this Kathryn Janeway… but where????
She rolled over in bed and suddenly became aware of a computerized alarm droning on and on.
"0600 hours 0600 hours." It repeated. She instinctively turned it off. Why did her head ache? Why did her eyes sting? Had she been crying? Wait…
She bolted up and started panicking. "Where am I? What's going on? Who am I?" she said aloud. She calmed herself by taking a few deep breaths, and when she was calm, she suddenly noticed the hum of engines. "I must be on a starship." She thought. "Maybe it has a voice-activated computer. I think I'll test that theory." Though she.
"Computer?"
"Beep, beep." It replied.
"What is the name of this vessel?" she asked it.
"U.S.S. Voyager, NCC-746565, Class Intrepid."
"Crew compliment?"
"150 personnel."
"Who is in command of Voyager?"
"Captain Kathryn Janeway."
Why did that name ring a bell? She put on a robe and walked into the living area of what she supposed were her quarters, digesting this information. She spotted a small viewer on a desk and walked over to it. She tapped the console and successfully accessed the crew roster. First she looked at the female officers. She came to Captain Kathryn Janeway. Now she knew why it sounded vaguely familiar! She was the captain. Then she accessed the male officers' names and pictures. The first one listed was a darkly handsome man with a tattoo over his left eye. His name was "Commander Chakotay." She couldn't take her eyes off him, no matter how hard she tried. There was something about him… something familiar. His dark brown eyes that she could get lost in, his dark skin, and tattoo.
Suddenly tears pricked her eyes and she didn't know why. She felt a great emotion, too. Loss? Sadness? Love? She didn't know. What she did know, was that she needed to find Commander Chakotay. Where could he be?
It was 0700. She should be awake now, unless she planned on sleeping in, which he doubted. "Oh, Kathy?" he called as he appeared in her quarters. They were deserted. "Kathy?" He searched her whole quarters, but she was no where to be found. "Odd." He thought. "She must've risen early. I certainly didn't expect that." Thought he, until realization hit him. "Kathy!" he called aloud. He had to find her before that snot-nosed, tattooed chuckles did.
"This ship is so big!" he thought. Captain Janeway could be anywhere. Maybe the computer could help. "Computer?"
"Beep, beep."
"Locate Captain Janeway."
"Deck 2."
"Specify?"
"Mess Hall."
"You'd better be there, Kathryn." He thought. He felt butterflies in his stomach as he turned toward a turbolift.
"It's all going according to plan." Thought Q. "Chuckles is going to deck 2, even though Kathy's headed to deck 4. While he's there, I'll get to Kathy before they have a chance to lay eyes on each other." He thought gleefully. He'd thought he'd made a terrible mistake before, letting Kathy get up without him knowing. He knew he should've been checking on her every hour, but he'd never expected her to rise early. "She hasn't seen him though. Although he must've somehow seen her." He thought. "And she won't! Not until it's too late and she's head over heels in love… with me!" he thought wickedly as he snapped his fingers.
"Deck 4?" she thought, flummoxed. "Hadn't I said deck 2? There must be something wrong with this turbolift." She had just asked the computer to locate Commander Chakotay, and it had said he was heading toward deck 2.
She had seen and talked to various crewmembers, all women she had noticed, and they didn't have any memories either. She, being the captain, told them to look at the crew roster for themselves and not to worry. She was trying to keep everyone's hopes up (some instinct told her to do so), even though she felt lost and scared herself. She'd also wondered why she'd only been seeing women crew members. She hadn't run into one man, even though she was only trying to find one--- Chakotay. She still didn't know why she was driven to find him, but some natural instinct told her she needed to find him, no matter what stood in her way (the powers of true love are an extremely powerful force, you know)
"She's not in here!" Chakotay thought, frustrated. "There must be something wrong with this damned computer!" He sank into one of the chairs at a table. He was in the mess hall, and she wasn't.
"Looking for someone?" asked a voice behind him. He sprung up. Wasn't the mess hall empty when he entered? He turned and saw a tall, dark haired man with a slightly receding hairline who was wearing on of the uniforms Chakotay had seen in his closet. He had a sly look about him, something Chakotay didn't like.
"Who are you?" Chakotay asked. "How's you get in here? I didn't see you come in."
"I am Q. Known to my friends as… Q." Chakotay thought that was a rather odd name.
"Q?"
"Yes, I'm part of an omnipotent race of beings called Q."
"What do you mean by omnipotent?"
"This." He snapped his fingers, and two scantily clad blondes appeared on each side of him smiling and giggling. Chakotay was amazed.
"How did you do that?" Chakotay asked.
"I told you. Oh, but you humans are so simple-minded. I did it with my omnipotent powers. I can do anything I want, go wherever I want, get whatever I want… anything."
"Fascinating." Said Chakotay, uncertainly. The thought of this being, being able to do whatever he wanted with those powers was unsettling. He briefly imagined what he would look like if he was snapped into space by this Q while he was taking a shower, or going to the bathroom, but then shook the thought away. He had a very bad feeling about this Q. "What do you want?"
"The same thing you do." Q said as he snapped his fingers and the girls disappeared. Chakotay felt panic rise in his chest.
"Kathryn!" he said almost whispering.
"Yep. I've become quite taken with Kathy, I must confess. She really is a great captain, but today, like you, she has no memory." An evil grin spread across Q's face. "Also, like you and everyone on this ship, she'll fall in love with the first member of the opposite sex she sees."
Chakotay stood, frozen. He'd seen her picture first on the crew roster. Was that why he couldn't get her out of his thoughts? Was that why he needed to find her? Was that why he couldn't let Q near her, because he loved her? But did he really love her, or was it just Q's spell? No. He knew it was deeper than that. But how deep? Suddenly, Q's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Now, I don't know how, Chakotay, but you caught a glimpse of her, but I'm going to make sure she doesn't see you. At least not until she sees me. I've done a good job of making sure she's trapped on deck 4 and that she only sees other women. The only person she'll fall in love with is me" With that he snapped his fingers and was gone
Kathryn Janeway banged her fist on the wall of the turbolift.
"Why the hell am I still on deck 4?" she pondered, frustrated. She'd been trying to take the turbolift to deck 2 for at least 15 minutes. She'd get in, order deck 2, and wind up on deck 4.
"Going somewhere, Madam Captain?" asked a clever voice from behind. She spun around to see a man dressed in one of the uniforms in her closet. He was tall, had dark hair, and was looking at her with a lecherous grin on his face. She didn't like it.
"Who the hell are you? And how did you get in here? I didn't hear you walk up from behind, and you certainly didn't walk off that turbolift." He raised an eyebrow. He didn't know why she wasn't falling head over heels in love for him. He would soon find out.