This is a non-profit work of fan-fiction based upon the Star Trek: Voyager television series created by Gene Roddenberry. Star Trek, and all related characters, places, and events, belongs to Paramount Pictures, and is used without permission. This story, along with any original characters, belongs to the author, © 1997, 2004.

Just a Glimpse
By Orianna-2000

Although this story takes place six years after the pilot episode of Voyager, it was written long before the seventh season aired.

—

Stardate 54220.1

At first, it seemed as if a standard day unfolded in the Delta Quadrant. The starship Voyager sped through space at a thousand times the speed of light, heading as always toward the Alpha Quadrant. Although a certain tension always filled the stranded ship, the mood on the bridge was light: Janeway sat in the captain's chair and talked mildly with Chakotay about ship's business; Ensign Kim played a version of tic tac toe, via the computer, with the pretty girl who sat at the science station; Tuvok contentedly monitored the ship's internal status; Lt. Paris watched the hypnotic swirling of an interspatial rift opening up on his sensor display.

Sure is pretty, Paris thought admiringly. The colors smoothly blending together, like paint swirling down a drain, or maybe like the way the texture of the space time continuum folds in on itself when a wormhole's being formed...

"A wormhole!" he exclaimed, suddenly aware of the event he had just been casually observing.

Captain Janeway's head shot up from the engineering report she'd been sharing with her first officer. "Where?" she inquired, unable to see the helm's sensor readings.

"Dead ahead." It was right in front of them, and he hadn't even realized it until they were almost upon it. To make amends, Paris put it through to the main viewer without being asked. "On screen, now."

The wormhole appeared in front of them, a wide vortex of swirling light that demanded everyone's attention. For a long moment, the bridge filled with a hope that no one dared vocalize. It would not be a standard day.

Janeway's voice pulled everyone out of their shared reverie. "Full stop. Report!"

Harry Kim couldn't keep the excitement out of his voice as he proclaimed, "Looks like it's stabilized, Captain."

"Launch a probe," ordered Chakotay, needing facts to confirm – or shatter – their expectations. "We'd love to know where it leads."

"Aye, sir," replied Tuvok from the tactical station. He danced his fingers across the console, entering the commands. "Launching one Class B probe – now." As he spoke, a small cylinder bristling with sensor nodules shot out from Voyager's belly and entered the wormhole.

As tension mounted, Paris swiveled his chair to exchange a reassuring glance with Harry. The ensign looked positively sick with expectation, a feeling Paris knew to be shared by all. They'd been stuck in the Delta Quadrant for six years, thrown so far from their home that it would take a lifetime to reach Earth by normal means. Everyone had family and friends they missed dearly; everyone wanted to find a quick way home.

"Receiving data." Tuvok analyzed the information quickly.

Janeway tried to wait patiently, but failed. She stood and turned to the Tactical station. "Well, Mr. Tuvok?"

Under the helm console, Paris crossed his fingers in a long forgotten gesture of luck.

"According to visible star patterns and notable stellar landmarks, the probe is currently transmitting from the Alpha Quadrant. Specifically –" Tuvok paused to re check the data, his voice remaining steady and emotionless. "– Sector 357, near the Orion border."

Captain Janeway exhaled, the only sound on the still silent bridge. Then Paris let out a whoop of pure delight, a catalyst for the rest of the bridge crew. Finding her voice, and lifting it to be heard above the cheering, Janeway requested, "Chakotay, Tuvok: in my ready room, now!"

The two men followed her, one with an insatiable grin on his face, the other logically solemn. Chakotay spoke first, with a trace of uncertainty. "Why the conference?"

Janeway shrugged lightly, and turned to look out the viewport, where the massive wormhole spun slowly in a tangle of pale colors. She shook her head in gentle disbelief. "I've dreamed about this moment for the past six years."

"I think we all have, Captain." He glanced at Tuvok, expecting a denial, but the Vulcan was silent. "So, what are we waiting for?"

Janeway opened her mouth to explain, but a frantic voice from the bridge interrupted her.

"Captain, I think you'd better get out here," urged Ensign Kim. "The wormhole is becoming unstable!"

"What's happening?" she demanded, striding onto the bridge with Chakotay and Tuvok right at her heels.

"It appears the wormhole is not as stable as it originally seemed. It is collapsing," Tuvok informed her once he reached the tactical station. "We have less than four minutes before the entrance is too small to safely navigate Voyager through. If we are going, I would suggest that we do so with all expediency."

"What do you mean, 'if'?" Lt. Paris swiveled in his chair to face the captain, a hint of panic in his voice. "We are going, aren't we? I mean, isn't this what we've been looking for? A way home?"

The entire bridge crew looked at her expectantly, some more urgently than others. Shaking her head, Janeway closed her eyes and covered her forehead with one hand. They had the chance of a lifetime, to explore the Delta Quadrant. Already they'd seen things no human had ever even dreamed of. The possibilities for discovery were endless, and the scientist in her longed for the chance to stay and explore. But the captain in her knew that the entire crew missed their families and wanted to go home. If she made the wrong choice, there might be a mutiny. "All right," she said softly, and pressed the com panel that would allow her to address the entire ship.

"All hands, listen carefully. We've found a wormhole leading to the Alpha Quadrant, but it's about to collapse. There's no time for a vote, so this ship will be going home. However, I will make accommodation for those who do not want to return to Earth. Anyone who wishes to remain here in the Delta Quadrant must report to the main shuttlebay immediately. Voyager will enter the wormhole in –" she glanced at the chronometer, "– three minutes." Smiling dryly, she added, "Speak now, or forever hold your peace."

Once the channel closed, she contemplated for a moment, then stood. "I'm going to talk to Seven. Chakotay, you have the bridge."

"Yes, ma'am."

Two minutes, thirty seconds later, the turbolift doors opened and Janeway emerged with a pleased expression. She walked up to the top of the bridge to see the tactical display. "How many to disembark, Mr. Tuvok?"

"None," the Vulcan replied, checking the internal sensor readings. "The shuttle bay is empty."

Janeway nodded with satisfaction. "Good."

"No last minute cold feet from Seven of Nine?" Chakotay gracefully moved from the captain's chair to the one beside it. Although he wouldn't admit it, he had been concerned that the lovely ex-Borg would decide to remain behind, rather than join the rest of them on Earth.

"She's as anxious to see Earth as we are, or so she said." Janeway took her seat, then gave the command, "Let's go home."

With skillful, but trembling fingers, Paris guided Voyager into the yawning mouth of the wormhole.

The passage took moments that stretched out into an eternity as the ship bucked and rode through the eddies of the space time continuum. Finally, with one last shudder, all movement ceased and the viewscreen showed a peaceful panorama of stars.

"I know those stars!" Paris' jaw dropped open with amazement as he pointed. "That's Deneb, and there's 40 Eridani, and Alpha Centauri..."

Janeway smiled faintly. "And unless I'm mistaken, that little yellow star right there is Sol. Well, Tuvok?"

The dark Vulcan finished his scans and looked up. "You are not mistaken, Captain. We have arrived precisely where the probe indicated."

She stood and turned to look at him, a barrage of emotion flooding her. "Then for heaven's sake, Tuvok, hail somebody!"

"We are not within hailing range of any Federation ships. In fact, I can detect no vessels of any kind within a radius of ten light years." Tuvok looked perturbed, a rare thing for him. "There is no activity on subspace channels, not even the emergency frequencies."

A frown creased Janeway's brow, and a strange sinking feeling settled in her stomach. Why did everything always have to get complicated? Hadn't they been through enough already? Out loud, she merely said, "That's odd."

"Odd?" Paris repeated the word under his breath, and exchanged a worried glance with Ensign Kim. "We passed odd quite a while back, I'd say. Like, right around the time the Caretaker kidnapped us."

"That's enough, Lieutenant," Janeway reproved sternly. The crew had to stay disciplined, especially since things weren't going as planned. She sat back down and tapped her fingers against the arm of the chair. "Commander?" she finally asked Chakotay for his opinion.

"The fleet could be under some sort of communications blackout," he suggested. "Maybe we came home in the middle of a battle or some kind of strategic maneuvers."

She thought for a moment, then decided they gained nothing by staying put. "Let's find some answers. Mister Paris, set a course for Earth, warp eight."

"Yes, ma'am," he replied with a relieved grin. "Coordinates set, warp eight."

"Engage," Janeway ordered, gesturing with her hand.

—

"Coffee, hot." The captain requested her favorite luxury drink from the replicator in her ready room. The door chime sounded and she turned, coffee mug in hand, to face the man who entered. She greeted the commander with a smile.

"Captain." He smiled back, then, sniffing the air, he commented, "That smells good."

"Have a cup?" She offered the precious commodity politely, but Chakotay declined.

"We're approaching the Solar system," he said. "There's still no sign of any activity and we're picking up no communications signals."

Janeway absorbed the information. "Have you tried to hail anyone? Utopia Planetia, or the Jupiter Outpost?"

Chakotay shook his head regretfully. "We've tried every facility in the system. Either no one's home, or they don't want to talk to us."

"When we get close enough, drop to impulse. I want detailed sensor readings."

"Aye, Captain."

—

Janeway glanced up from her book with an overwhelming urge to look out the viewport. Not usually one to give in to personal desires, she decided to make an exception, and marked her place in the ancient poetry volume.

After six long years of seeing unfamiliar and constantly changing stars, the recognizable constellations looked almost foreign. But not entirely. Without any concentration required, she found Sol. Then, of their own volition, her eyes focused on a different star, one that grew closer as she stared. Gradually, she realized it was not a star, but a planet. Tears filled her eyes, blurring the vision, but she knew the oceans and coastal outlines of this world like she knew the layout of her own quarters.

Home.

One hand reached out automatically to touch the world, but the cool transparent aluminum under her fingers reminded Janeway of the distance that still stood between them and home.

"Captain, please report to the bridge."

With a long sigh, Janeway stared at Earth for another few seconds. Then, she blinked the tears away and slid her captain's personae back into place. The crew needed her to be strong.

The ready room doors slid shut behind her, and she moved to take her place in the command chair. "Report, Tuvok."

"We're approaching Earth, Captain." Tuvok nearly frowned at the readings that the tactical display fed him. "Sensors are picking up no activity, and there are no vessels in orbit, with the exception of two unknown class starships in dry dock."

She glanced at him. "Starbase One is still in orbit?"

Tuvok raised an eyebrow. "Obviously, or the ships I mentioned could not have been there."

Janeway ignored that. "Any signs of life?"

"Negative. I'm reading no humanoid lifeforms on either the station or the planet. The moon also is devoid of life," he added quietly.

"What about plant or animal life?" Janeway asked. "Microorganisms?"

After narrowing the scanning perimeters, Tuvok reported, "Plant life appears generally unaffected, however I am picking up no animal life signs larger than single celled organisms."

After a moment's heavy silence, Chakotay posed a question that no one had been willing to ask. "Are there any signs of radiation, or biological contamination?"

A pause, then Tuvok replied in the negative. "Both Earth's atmosphere and Starbase One's read clean of all biotoxins and dangerous radiation types. There is no sign of any dangerous substance."

Then where is everyone?

Janeway tried not to bite her lip in frustration. She turned to Paris. "Go to standard orbit, Lieutenant."

Paris had prepared that particular course several hours ago in anticipation. Now he only had to press a single key to execute the order. "Yes, ma'am. Standard orbit."

The captain glanced around the bridge. "Tuvok, Harry, you're with me. Chakotay, you have the bridge."

"And may I ask what you intend to do?" Chakotay crossed his arms.

"I intend to beam over to that starbase and see what's what, Commander." She held up a hand to block his objections. "You have your orders, Chakotay."

"Understood, Captain." He sat himself in her chair without arguing, assuming command of the bridge. Then he stood again and called out, "Wait!"

Janeway stopped, halfway into the turbolift, and looked back at her first officer impatiently. "What is it?"

Chakotay paused, forcing her to meet his gaze, then said slowly. "Be careful."

A smile lifted her mouth, and she nodded.

—

"Chakotay to Janeway."

The captain looked up from the starbase's main computer display and tapped her communications badge. "Go ahead, Commander."

"You know we're all dying of curiosity over here. What have you found?"

Janeway groaned. "Absolutely nothing. The power's still going and the computer is active. There's no dust to indicate a long absence, nor is there any sign of a struggle or battle. As far as I can tell, nothing's missing... except the people. It's as if everyone just stepped out for a second."

There was a brief silence while Chakotay mulled that over. "What about the ships Tuvok mentioned? Of an 'unknown class', I believe he called them."

"Tuvok and Ensign Kim are already heading that direction. I'm staying here at Ops, to see if I can access any of the crew's logs. That might give us some sort of clue what happened," she replied, already scanning the computer for the logs.

"Good idea." The first officer's voice held a smile. "I guess I'll leave you to your digging then. Chakotay out."

After tapping her badge to close the channel, Janeway tried calling up the logs.

Access Denied!

She had expected that, as part of the normal security routines. To access the files she needed, a code or password would be required at the very least. "Trying never hurts," she mumbled. "Computer, open Command Logs, authorization Janeway Kappa 6 Alpha."

To her surprise, the computer obeyed with a friendly chirp, and a list of both official and personal logs appeared on the screen.

"Well, thank you!" Finally, something was going right. Leaning forward in her seat, she began reading.

A half hour later, she sat back with a frown. "Janeway to Tuvok."

"Go ahead, captain."

"Have you found the dock yet?"

"Ensign Kim and I arrived several minutes ago. May I ask if you've had any success with the logs?"

Janeway repressed an aggravated sigh. "I was able to access them with little trouble, but I don't know if what I found would qualify as successful. There is nothing especially strange about any of them, except for the fact that they all stop abruptly on the same date. Now, I like mysteries as well as the next person, but this..." She shook her head. "What have you found about those ships?"

"They are obviously Starfleet design, though the specifications are unfamiliar to me. According to the computer, they are of the 'Defiant' class, a newly developed ship meant to be used against the Borg."

"The Borg obviously had nothing to do with this, though–their usual destructive signature is missing. What else?"

"Captain," Harry Kim's voice came over the channel with a hint of amusement. "The ships, they're named the USS Prowler, and the USS Janeway."

Before Janeway could remark on that, Tuvok addressed her again. "It would appear that Starfleet was not counting on us returning anytime soon."

"They did think we were dead for a long while," she reminded him. "But I don't think this has any bearing on the matter at hand. Report back to the ship; I think we should check out Earth."

—

Captain's Log, Stardate 54240.9

After six long years, we found a way back to the Alpha Quadrant. Now we orbit Earth, but instead of the happy homecoming we all expected, we have found nothing but disappointment and mystery.

There are no starships to escort us to our homeport, no welcoming hails from Starfleet. Starbase One hangs empty in orbit, Luna Base is deserted. Earth, once home to ten billion people, now has a population of zero.

We've thoroughly searched the computer records and personal logs. All end abruptly on the same date, but yield no indication as to what happened. All hails to other systems stay unanswered: Vulcan remains silent, the Jentari homeworld sends nothing but static.

Was it some sort of disease? Tuvok reminds me that every plague leaves survivors, no matter how few. A hostile force? Chakotay points out that nothing has been damaged or stolen. Of course, the entire Fleet is missing, vessels and officers, but two brand new starships, the USS Janeway and the USS Prowler, sit in dry dock, untouched.

I've found that none of the crew is willing to spend much time exploring. It seems the emptiness is psychologically disturbing. From the reports I've gotten, everyone feels as if someone might be watching.

The silence is eerie.

Janeway sat back in her chair, closing her eyes against the tears that threatened to expose her frustration. They had all held such high expectations of her, believing that she could and would lead them back to their loved ones in the Alpha Quadrant. Bringing them home, she'd managed, but the loved ones were conspicuously absent. And she had no answers.

Closing her log, she leaned against her desk and stared out at the blue and green orb of Earth. Not for the first time, she wondered if this were a nightmare, or a psychotic delusion. "Maybe we're all crazy," she thought with a wry smile. "Maybe we never left the Delta Quadrant. Maybe we never even left the Solar system, and this is all some insane dream."

The door chimed, then opened to reveal a grinning Tom Paris.

"Captain." He nodded as he entered, then began pacing. "I know this might sound crazy, but I think I figured it out."

She looked at him with a mixture of speculation and amazement. "Well, don't keep me in suspense, Lieutenant!"

"Okay, well, this doesn't exactly explain what happened, but it might be a clue." He paused and waited for the captain's nod to continue. "We found the wormhole on stardate 54220.1, almost a quarter past 1000 hours, right? And all the logs and records and everything stop on 54220.1, at exactly 1013 hours. So –"

Janeway's jaw nearly dropped. "The wormhole."

—

"It is possible that the wormhole propelled us through time," Tuvok offered from his seat at the briefing table. "However, that would not explain the absence of life."

"I agree. It has to be something else." Captain Janeway rubbed her forehead. "What about a mirror universe?"

"That would not be unprecedented," Seven of Nine answered. "But in all recorded instances, the mirror universe was populated with this universe's doubles."

Tom Paris raised his hand. "Didn't the mirror universe have a different Federation? One that was the complete opposite; evil, even? Everything we've seen here indicates that it's our Earth, our Federation."

Several heads around the conference table nodded in agreement.

"So if it truly is our Earth, where is everyone?" Janeway glanced once again out the window at the lovely but empty planet.

"Maybe our trip through the wormhole triggered something," suggested B'Elanna. "Some sort of chain reaction that made everyone vanish."

Everyone looked extremely uncomfortable with that thought, and Janeway quickly shook her head. "Let's not speculate down that road just yet. Right now, we just have no way of knowing."

"Au contraire! You were so close!" With a blinding flash of light, a man in Starfleet uniform appeared.

"Q," Janeway said accusingly, rising. Beside her, Chakotay also stood up. The rest of the senior crew remained seated, but stared at the omnipotent being with suspicion.

"It's so nice to see you too, my dearest Kathy!" Q stepped close to her, ignoring her tone. He lifted her left hand up to his lips. "You're looking ravishingly beautiful, as always."

"Cut the crap, Q. You know what's going on here?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

Q raised an eyebrow. "I know everything! Why shouldn't I be aware of this little 'mess' you've gotten yourself into?"

"You said we were close," Chakotay hedged, not wanting to play games.

Q nodded. "Close, but, unfortunately, no cigar."

"Well?" Janeway crossed her arms. "Are you going to tell us what happened to everyone? Or are you going to make us play guessing games for the rest of eternity?"

"Why, nothing happened to everyone. Every man, woman, and child is perfectly intact and right where they're supposed to be."

"But no one's here!" Neelix protested, more than a little confused.

Frowning, Q pointed a finger at him. "I wasn't talking to you, little man. Be gone!"

"Excuse me," the Emergency Medical Hologram stood angrily. "You can't–"

"I can. And who are you to be ordering me around, 'doctor'?" Q sniffed at the idea of conversing with a computer program. Both Neelix and the holographic doctor disappeared in a flash of light. Then, as an afterthought, everyone except the captain also vanished. Q smiled. "Now, where were we, Kathy?"

She stared angrily at him. "What have you done with my crew? Have they joined the other missing people?"

Q clucked his tongue. "They're fine, my lovely captain. I just thought we needed some privacy to discuss matters."

"All right, fine. You said everyone is right where they're supposed to be? Explain."

Q sat in the captain's chair at the head of the table. "How to put this in laymen's terms..." He propped his feet up nonchalantly. "If nothing happened to them, then obviously, something happened to you."

Ever to the point, Janeway pressed, "What happened?"

"Now, my dear, I wouldn't want to deprive you of the joy of figuring that out for yourself." He grinned.

"I'll skip the joy. Tell me."

"Mmm. Such determination. I like that in a woman." Q smiled, then informed her, "You've passed into a dimension that isn't quite whole."

Janeway pulled up Chakotay's empty chair and leaned forward, intrigued. "What do you mean?"

"When you went through the wormhole, instead of exiting in your normal space time continuum, you entered this one, where things are slightly shifted. It is your Earth, your star systems, your galaxies, but this dimension is somewhat out of phase with the one you came from. Only you and your crew exist. The legitimate citizens of this earth, for the moment, are not here."

"So where are they?" She shook her head and tried to understand what he meant.

"I already told you. They are exactly where they should be. You're the ones who are out of place."

Janeway felt a strong headache approaching. "Make sense, Q! I'm in no mood for riddles."

"I am making sense, Kathy. It's not my fault your pathetic human brain is so inadequate you can't comprehend such a simple concept."

Closing her eyes briefly, Janeway wished she could strangle the omnipotent one. "All right, Q. So I can't understand it. At least explain why it happened. Is this one of your little experiments in human behavior?"

Q rose up, indignant. "How dare you accuse me? You are the so called 'civilized' humans who so often brought yourselves to the brink of total extermination. Tthe truth is, you did this, my dear. You and your impatient quest to get home. Voyager's shortcut through that Q class wormhole..."

The feeling of dread that Janeway had begun to feel at Q's words quickly turned into skepticism. "There is no such thing as a Q class wormhole, you arrogant son of a "

He smirked at her."Temper, temper, my dearest love. You think you know it all? You think you've seen every astronomical phenomenon in all 84 quadrants of the universe?"

She rolled her eyes. "There can only be four quadrants, Q!"

"Exactly my point." Q smiled as if everything had been clarified. "Now, the wormhole you so blindly plunged into was not just a portal to the Alpha Quadrant. Didn't you notice the abundance of whositron energy? No, of course you didn't. Your species won't discover the WS molecule for another 300 years."

He thought for a second, then tried to put it into easily understandable words. "You traveled into another, well, dimension of sorts. One that lacks time, and therefore human life. The concept is really so simple..."

With an unmasked sigh, Janeway pushed away from the table. "Enough, Q. What do we do now? Can you –"

"Can I rescue my damsel in distress? Of course. It would be a relatively easy matter to bring the dimensions back into alignment."

She blinked at his apparent cooperation. "It would?"

Q laughed. "For a being of my intelligence and abilities? Mere child's play."

Janeway felt a wave of relief. "Then do it!"

"Say you'll join me in the Continuum, and the answer is yes," Q said, brushing off the fact that she had commanded him.

A dead silence. Then: "I beg your pardon?"

Q's expression revealed the seriousness of his request. He knelt in front of her and took one of her hands in his. "Be my bride, Kathy."

"You've got to be kidding." Janeway wanted to laugh, but something inside warned her not to. She pulled her hand gently away. "I can't marry you."

"Why not?" Q gazed at her earnestly and extended his arms out wide. "You could be a goddess among the gods! I would grant your every whim, starting with this one and continuing for all eternity."

Janeway took just a moment to consider his proposal. She didn't particularly want to be a goddess, or anything remotely resembling Q. Her heart told her to refuse flatly and run, but shouldn't she think about her crew? Did she have the right to condemn them to this vacant universe, simply because she didn't want to marry Q? She'd led them here, she'd made the decision to chance the wormhole. If she truly was a good captain, she'd put her crew's feelings before her own and agree to this crazy plan. But that logic didn't quite work. It wasn't her fault they were in this empty dimension. Part of her still suspected Q had something to do with it. In fact, she wouldn't put it past him to have set this whole thing up, just for the chance to play havok with human emotions.

And of course, there was the fact that her heart simply wouldn't allow her to run away with Q. But she had to handle the situation cautiously. Janeway bit the tip of her tongue, trying to choose her words with care. "Q, I don't love you. And honestly, I could never make that sort of commitment toward someone whom I didn't truly love."

"You'll learn to love me," he countered solemnly.

Janeway shook her head. "Not in a million years!"

"I can wait," Q pointed out, his face turning to a frown.

"Q, I'm really very flattered, but–"

"Shall I up the ante?" He snapped his fingers and an antique chest appeared on the table, overflowing with sparkling gemstones. "Terran diamonds, Vulcan rubies, Orion star sapphires, Spican flame gems, Romulan black opals. All of them yours, to do with as you please. What else? Ah! I know."

He raised an eyebrow and with a flash, a huge canvas sack appeared in one corner of the room. Small, brown beans began spilling out from the top, exuding a pungent scent.

"Coffee?" Janeway inhaled deeply, and closed her eyes. This was too much. Another flash of light, and suddenly she felt a draft against her skin. Her eyes flew open and she looked down at herself. A gown of infinite softness hung from her shoulders, clinging to her body. The deep red fabric shimmered as she moved, changing color in the light.

"Vulcan silk, of the rarest kind. Quite lovely on you, my dear." He took her hand. "You will sleep on moonbeams, drink from cosmic pools, and bathe in pure light. Nothing shall be denied you. The universe shall be your dowry."

"Enough," Janeway pleaded with him.

He looked piqued. "You don't like the gown?"

"It isn't the gown, Q. It's all of this." She waved her arms to indicate the gifts which were still appearing around the conference room. "You can't change my mind with bribes."

Q glowered at her, his mood changing from generosity to jealousy in the blink of an eye. "It's that tattooed first officer of yours, isn't it? I knew I should have turned him into a rabid wolf when I first had the chance."

"This has nothing to do with Chakotay," Janeway protested.

"Of course it does." He smiled enigmatically, content once again, and sat on the edge of the conference table. "You know, I could make you love me."

Janeway stood, bracing her hands on the table with fury. "Absolutely not!"

Q decided to change tactics. He leaned close, cupping her chin in his hands. "Think of your crew, Kathy. Do you really want to be responsible for them staying here – in an empty galaxy?"

Her throat constricted, but she tried not to let him see her doubts. "You wouldn't do that, Q," she stated firmly. He might enjoy playing with humans, but she didn't think he would do something so wretched to her crew. Not permanently, anyway. Beneath his malicious practical joking exterior, he had to have a compassionate heart. She looked into his eyes. "You wouldn't make so many people suffer. I know you're not that cruel. Even someone like you has a few morals."

"My morals are completely different from yours, my beautiful fool." He chuckled and pulled her to him. "But cruel? I suppose I'm not."

He snapped his fingers.

Janeway felt a tingle that swept over her whole body, and everything seemed to stretch. Then, visible through the window, life came back to Earth: the docking lights of Starbase One began twinkling as a guide for the Ambassador class starship that had just appeared; a number of small cadet piloted shuttles buzzed past in perfect formation, headed back for the Academy after a day of training; the cities of Luna lit up, faint movement beginning as residents resumed tasks that, in their eyes, they had never stopped performing.

"Q..." Janeway couldn't tear her eyes away from the sight of living, thriving, activity. This was Earth, as it was meant to be. Now they were finally home. Her voice dropped to a hoarse whisper. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet," he cautioned with a smirk. Not giving her time to protest, he bent his head and pressed his lips to hers. He kissed her gently, but with infinite passion. When he finally pulled back, he kept his hands against her waist to steady her. A smug grin graced his expression. "Did that change your mind?"

Janeway looked up at him, her cheeks flushed from the intensity of the kiss. She'd never experienced anything like it, and yet she felt disturbed. A tiny flicker of fear warned her to tread carefully. He had already restored things to normal; she doubted he'd undo it. As he said, he wasn't cruel. And yet he still obviously expected her to change her mind. She stared at him for a moment with apprehension, then slowly shook her head. "I'm sorry, Q. I don't love you. And I won't join you in the continuum."

Q tilted his head, looking into her eyes. He didn't seem angry, more like perplexed. "Are you certain? This is your final answer?"

She exhaled with resolve. "I'm sure, Q. It doesn't matter what you do, I won't change my mind."

His expression changed as he stepped back, and he fixed Janeway with a cold stare. "As you wish."

Outside the viewport, Earth, and Starbase One vanished, replaced by a vista of blackness and unfamiliar stars. Janeway gasped, and a horrible feeling of panic erupted in her stomach. "Q?"

"I believe you know the way from here, my dearest." With a snap of his fingers, he disappeared.

Immediately, Janeway turned and strode onto the bridge. Everyone stood at his or her post, with the exception of Chakotay, who looked anxiously over Lt. Paris' shoulder at the helm readings.

"Report!"

The first officer looked up, and a frown creased his face. "We're no longer in Earth's orbit, Captain. According to sensors..." he paused, and Janeway knew the news would not be good. "...we're back in the Delta Quadrant. Exactly where we were before we found the wormhole. Which, by the way, is gone."

Janeway allowed herself a curse word which she rarely used in front of her fellow officers. It just wasn't fair. She didn't think Q would be so vengeful as to throw them clear back to the Delta Quadrant. Her hand smashed itself against the bulkhead of its own volition, and she winced. Chakotay went to her side instantly, guiding her back into the conference room.

Behind closed doors, he waited while she explained all that had happened after Q had banished the crew from the conference room. When she finished, Chakotay leaned forward and wiped the tears from her cheeks. He considered his response thoughtfully. The crew would be upset that they'd come so close to being home, and were now right back where they started. But how many of them would blame Janeway for it?

Finally, he nodded. "You did the right thing, Captain. As much as we'd all like to be home right now, I doubt there's a single one of us that would be satisfied knowing that you'd given yourself to Q for our sakes. It wouldn't have been right."

"He threw us back here just to spite me," she repeated, still in shock that Q had done such a thing.

Chakotay smiled. His captain had always amazed him, but her actions raised her another notch in his esteem. Imagine having the courage to turn down an offer of such magnitude! He admired her greatly for having the moral strength to do so. However, he could well imagine Q's feelings on the matter. "A childish gesture, to be sure. Though, I can't say that I blame him. Rejection from you must have been heartbreaking."

"Oh, Chakotay." Janeway looked up at him, a faint smile teasing her lips. "How is it you always know the right thing to say?"

"Part of my job," he replied solemnly, though Janeway suspected she saw a twinkle in his eye. "Crew morale plummets when the captain is an ill mood."

"Does it really?"

Chakotay nodded. "And I'd have to say that seeing the captain make an attempt to put her fist through the bulkhead would be very bad for morale."

"I suppose I should apologize." She frowned, glancing toward the closed door that led to the bridge.

He shrugged. "It couldn't hurt. Just be sure you don't apologize for the things that weren't your fault."

Janeway understood what he meant. "I'll be sure to put the blame for this right where it belongs – on Q. But, first things first."

Taking a deep breath, she re entered the bridge, Chakotay on her heels. She addressed the helm with a brisk, no nonsense voice. "Mr. Paris."

"Yes, ma'am?" Tom looked up at her, the urge to salute challenged by the sight of the captain in such an intriguing gown. It was far from regulation, and he envied Chakotay for having spent several minutes alone with Janeway while she wore it. He supposed Q must have had something to do with it, though he wondered if the captain even knew she was out of uniform it. A conspiratory wink from Chakotay convinced him not to say a word about it.

Janeway patted Paris on the shoulder. "Set a course for the Alpha Quadrant, Lieutenant. Take us home."