Disclaimer: If I owned them, I wouldn't be writing this............... Author's Note: Thanks again for the reviews (including the flames) I see what Angel meant about the characters not being in character, I'll try to correct that, but I might not be able to, sometimes even though I try to correct myself... I can never seem to do it, things happen unintentionally; does that happen to you guys? Thanks to Arcana... who gave me a little more confidence and Skeleton L. Crow and Chloe 1 and the rest of you guys cos I can't list you all here........

"Oh, great," Shannon sighed as she opened her eyes to find her mother starring at her with her Captain's glare.
She closed her eyes again, "Wake me up when the next Borg cube visits."
Kathryn watched her daughter a few more minutes before speaking, "I don't know what to say. What were you thinking?"
Shannon's eyes flew open again, "Are you saying this as my Captain or my mother?"
Kathryn's heart contracted, it hurt whenever Shannon asked that question because she knew sometimes, she scolded Kathryn using the Captain's Mask, even if it was for something that didn't involve the ship. In fact, she didn't think she'd ever scolded Shannon as her mother. She sighed and collapsed into a chair nearby.
"As your mother," said Kathryn, "Because I don't think that there's a Starfleet punishment for climbing on the ceiling to spy on your mother (who just happens to be a Captain) to set her up with a man (who just happens to be the first officer)."
"Does that mean you're not punishing me?"
"No, that means I'm making you clean the transporter pads with a toothbrush."
"Like Tom and B'Elanna are?"
Kathryn nodded, "Like Tom and B'Elanna are."
"Ouch," Shannon looked at her exhausted mother. "Have I been here long?"
"Two days."
"All I did was hit my head."
"Yes, but the Doctor didn't want to bring you out of it medically, he says it's better if you came out of it naturally."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Shannon said softly.
"'For what?" asked Kathryn, moving to sit on the bio bed.
"You were worried, didn't sleep."
"You're alright now." Kathryn tucked a strand of Shannon's hair behind her ear.
"I'm sorry," Shannon repeated.
"Oh honey, I said it's alright."
"No, sorry I climbed the ceiling and spied on you and tried to get you together. It's just that I've never had a real father before, and he was so nice to me, and I knew you liked him... we both liked him and he was so fatherly towards me and......"
"I know honey, I know. Hey, you did get us together, you arranged for that lovely restraint and you came on board and made me see the error of my ways."
"Mum."
"Yes baby?"
"I love you so much."
"I love you too baby, more than you'll ever know?" said Kathryn pulling Shannon into a hug.
"More than you love Chakotay?"
"Getting jealous are we?"
When Shannon didn't say anything, she sighed, "More than Chakotay."
"Does he know that?"
"He does now," said Chakotay walking up. Shannon studied him, wide eyed, but Kathryn smiled. They had already talked about this and Kathryn had pointed out that her number one priority was Shannon, Chakotay came next and he had agreed. He looked out for Shannon as he would for his own daughter, "And he's fine with that. He loved Shannon too, that's why he's asked her mother to marry him."
"You have?" Shannon asked.
"Yes," answered Kathryn.
"I guess you haven't then," said Shannon watching as her mother flew into Chakotay's arms. It was like one of those scenes from the love stories Tom had made them watch.
"Oh Chakotay," sighed Kathryn, as she leaning in to kiss him.
"Oh Kathryn," he sighed.
"Oh bother," Shannon rolled her eyes before falling back on the bio bed, "Wake me up when they're done," she told no one in particular.
The room was silent for a moment, before Shannon jolted up, "Wait!" she asked. Kathryn and Chakotay both turned to look at her, "Does this mean I don't get punished?"
Kathryn shook her head, "I've your tools all ready," she said handing Shannon a pair of toothbrushes.
"Two?"
"You can pick up Naomi on the way."

".......and then they started kissing and it was gross," Shannon ended dramatically, grabbing Tom's toothbrush and pressing their heads together in a smooching motion.
"That is gross," agreed Naomi, as Tom snatched his toothbrush back.
"But I bet Mr. and Mrs. Paris here do it all the time," Shannon said shooting her second favourite couple a look.
"Mr and Mrs. Paris, Ms. Janeway and Ms. Wildman, kindly refrain from talking," stated a dry Vulcan voice.
"Just our luck, we get stuck here, while Mr. Tuvok is on duty," whispered Tom as they scrubbed the floor.
"You'd think we'd get the job done fast, considering there are four of us," said Shannon.
"Besides, this place looks clean enough already. What's the point?"
"Oh, no, it's not the cleaning that they care about it's that you scrub, you can scrub the same spot for hours and the person on duty wouldn't know, unless you've got Mr. Vulcan here, There's a time limit actually," explained Tom.
"And you'd know...... because?" asked Shannon.
"He's done it before," laughed B'Elanna.
"Your time is up Lieutenants Paris," stated the Vulcan.
"That's not fair."
"It is, they started earlier," muttered Shannon to Naomi. "Save us some food in the mess hall," she reminded B'Elanna.
"Unless..."
"It has Leola root in it," Tom finished Naomi's sentence. "Too bad you couldn't be there to stop him today."
Naomi shot him a look before returning to a game of I-spy with Shannon.

"I'm home."
"How was your day honey?" Kathryn asked.
"That stupid Captain sentenced me to a day of cleaning the transported pads with a toothbrush, can you believe it."
"Hey, I gave you that punishment as your mother. Actually, by my rules a 'mother' punishment shouldn't involve the ship, it should be something like no Holodeck time, but your 'mother' thought you might have fun with your friends."
"Tom and B'Elanna are grown ups I don't know why they like to hand with me."
"You're fun and nice."
"And I'm thirteen and they're thirty something, and sometimes I wonder if they want to spend time with a thirteen year old?"
"Oh honey, do you regret coming here?"
Shannon shook her head, "No, I'm happy here. Happier than I've ever been before."
"Don't worry honey, I'm sure Tom and B'Elanna want to spend time with you. I have a feeling they wouldn't do something they didn't want to. They used to spend time with Naomi all the time before you got here."
Shannon nodded, but her unhappy mood followed her about for the rest for the evening. At night, as Kathryn tucked her daughter into bed, she decided to question into it further.
"Goldenbird, is there anything else on your mind?"
Shannon shook her head. Kathryn sighed, she guessed it was the attitude Chakotay said she used herself most of the time. She wondered why she'd always hated sharing her feelings with other people and why Shannon was keeping stuff from her.
"Why did you call me that?" asked Shannon suddenly.
"What?"
"Goldenbird."
"My father used to call me that when younger. You look so much like me when I was younger, the nickname is fitting."
"Are you ever sorry you adopted me?"
"Oh honey, I didn't adopt you?"
"You didn't?"
"I mean," Kathryn hurriedly changed the subject, "You feel like my real daughter. You are my real daughter. I told you today I love you more than anything in the world," she paused before continuing, "And Chakotay loved you too, that's why he's going to adopt you at the wedding."
"Oh," said Shannon, "You won't forget me once you've married him, will you?"
"It's hard to think you, who tried to set us up, are asking this."
Shannon gave her mother a blank look.
"Alright, alright. I've told you before, I could never forget you. I promise."
Shannon nodded, "I'm sorry."
"Honestly honey, you've got to stop apologizing for stuff that isn't your fault."
Shannon nodded again.
"Wait there's something I think you should see."
Shannon nodded and her mother came back with a picture of herself and Mark and a folder.
"You see this?" she asked, holding out the picture to Shannon.
Shannon nodded.
"Stare at it for a long time."
Shannon gasped, "That's me and you."
"'Course it is. You think I'd never have any accessories of you in my room. Hah, what kind of mother do you think I am?"
"I know you've said before, but why didn't you tell the crew about me."
"Because it hurt to talk about you. Remember how I couldn't talk about Justin after he died?"
Shannon nodded. She remembered though she'd been extremely young.
"I missed you so much."
"I did too, that's why I came."
"Look," said Kathryn holding out the folder.
Shannon opened it, to find a bunch of papers and a padd.
"All the letters you sent to me when I was on away missions are in there."
"I can't believe you kept them," Shannon laughed.
She looked at the papers to find Mother's Day cards and Christmas Cards and Birthday Cards and stories written for her mother.
"Whenever I missed you, I took these out. They made you feel closer to me," said Kathryn collecting everything up and putting them back into the file.
"Thanks mum."
"No, thank you. I don't think I ever told you this, but I'm glad you came. I probably couldn't have survived without you. There was this time when we went through this void...."
"And you went into a depression....... Chakotay told me," she answered her mother's raised eyebrow.
"My problem was I couldn't stop thinking of you."
Shannon smiled, "Well, as a wise man once said you can't live in the past, Shannonita my dear."
"How do you find Maestro?"
"Eccentric," laughed Shannon.
"Yeah," joined Kathryn.
Their laughter could be heard all the way in the next room, where Chakotay sat reading the crew manifestation reports.

"Hey," said Kathryn, sauntering into Chakotay's quarters.
"Hey yourself," smiled Chakotay, putting the padd down, "Come."
Kathryn lay down in his arms, "You won't believe the conversation I've had with Shannon today," she said telling him about the conversation with Shannon, "I wish there was a way she could meet more of the crew."
Chakotay nodded, "Perhaps we should have a gathering. We haven't had one of those for a long time and if my reports are correct, crew morale is dropping a little."
"You mean a party, not a gathering."
"Yeah, but I thought gathering started more Starfleet-ish. It could be a late welcoming party for Shannon."
"You're just too sweet, we'll ask the Captain tomorrow," said Kathryn leaning in for a kiss.
"Where's the Captain tonight?"
"Beats me, but if you keep asking about her, I might find reason to get jealous," she pulled away from him to say the sentence, but went back for more.
She giggled.
"Shhhhh," whispered Chakotay, "The bulkheads aren't very think."

To be continued.