The main problem with having a puppy on a starfleet ship was not having anywhere for the dog to potty without fear of making a mess. A cat was more logical since they could use a litter box but a dog wasn't as practical. All the same Janeway wasn't a cat person. She had grown up with dogs, loved dogs for their loyalty and intelligence, and besides Q had given her the puppy. Aside from the occasional accident and her attempts to set up a good potty place for her new friend Rowley was very interested in chewing anything that had corners or an edge. In fact he would chew on the walls if someone wasn't watching him and the troubles didn't end there. Only a few days with the puppy and he was already very attached to his new 'mommy' as Q liked to call her. He whimpered and howled when she was away and then got so excited when she came back her pants ended up taking the full assault of excitable puppy piddles. Trying to escape her quarters without the puppy falling after her into the hallway and growling at her crew Janeway was trying to distract him with one of the chew toys she had acquired. So far she had spent a weeks worth of replicator rations on puppy toys to keep Rowley occupied. Her next week was just filled with Neelix's cooking and honestly she wasn't too excited about it.
As Rowley turned around to chase after his chew toy he picked it up and before Janeway could get her door closed he was hot on her heels scampering after her with a happy yip. "Rowley you have to stay in there. I have to get to the bridge and puppies are not allowed." Happily he dropped the toy at her feet wagging his tail and opening his maw with a wide doggy smile. She couldn't yell at him but she couldn't let him behave like this either. Resting her hands on her hips she knew she couldn't declare defeat because of a puppy. "And Q thinks we have time for a baby on Voyager. I hardly have time for you." Janeway was trying to keep her voice down knowing if she mentioned the b word Q would show up with his own version of puppy eyes. It was her own fault for giving him hope, she could have delivered one final crushing blow and never seen him again. Instead he clung to her ship and crew like his life depended on it. In fact he was here so often she was even giving him tasks, one of them being cleaning out the warp plasma filters. He seemed willing enough to give it a try and it got him out of her hair for a few seconds at best.
Just like clockwork from behind her that little spark of light created the familiar figure dressed up in a now slightly more dirty looking red starfleet uniform. "Is your biological clock finally ticking Kathy or are you just so overwhelmed with your need to be with me you can't even stand it anymore. Wait don't answer that question." He joked before looking down at the puppy. "Aww, look at your little boy already doing his best to please his mommy."
"I'm not his mommy Q and I have to be on the bridge." She scoffed before picking up the toy and throwing it for Rowley to chase down again. "Are you spying on me?"
"Define spying? No don't. I just so happened to be on my way back to tell you the warp plasma filters are clean as can be. By the way Kathy don't be so down. Of course we would have time for a baby, any good parents make time for their children. Besides when you are busy playing a big important captain strutting around your beloved bridge I can always keep the little tyke occupied with say a trip to a forming nebula or perhaps even a field trip to a red giant on the brink of death. It would be educational and a bonding experience."
She raised a brow a little disturbed by his excitement to taking a baby into dangerous environments. "You would take a baby close to a dying red giant? A half human baby?"
"Of course. Why what is wrong with that?" He still didn't know how vulnerable humans were and even if they did have this supposed baby and it was half Q it could still end up with possible life threatening injuries. Janeway found herself oddly sick to her stomach about a person that didn't even exist. Still if it was her child as well he would be taking their baby into those situations only over her dead body.
"Nothing is wrong just don't expect the poor thing to ever see it's first birthday." Rowley came prancing back and dropping the toy back at her feet with his same excited yip. Bending over to pick it up again he bounced around waiting for her to throw it for him.
"Well then when we have the kid we can discus our parenting methods together. By the way I have something for Rowley down in your little Hydroponics bay. A small side project I have been working on as a little show of just how capable and responsible I really am. Afterwards I'll look after your little boy for you so you can run around with your little friends." He took her hand in his a little excited about this secret he had put together for the puppy. Even Rowley seemed curious about what Q was up to, no longer holding his attention on Janeway and his chew toy he pranced after Q and yapped at him. "See your son is excited about it too." He joked partially dragging her behind him. If he would keep to his word and look after the puppy then today she just might get something of value done. At that point it was the only reason she was giving in to him and not just pulling away to head back towards the bridge. As they got closer to the turbo lift Q picked up Rowley and attempted to cover Janeway's eyes only to have her swat his hand away.
"What's the matter Kathy? You don't like surprises?"
"Not from you." She shot back before the turbo lift stopped.
"Debby downer." He snapped back at her and grabbed her hand again dragging her down the hall towards the bay they had hydroponics set up. When the door slid open she looked around not really seeing anything different until one of the far walls caught her attention. It was a decent sized area of nothing but grass with a small little pool of water just big enough for a dog to play around and be a dog. "Since you can't really take the puppy outside without sending him into space I felt Fido needed a proper space all his own to do his business and get out his energy without taking out your crew members. Besides it shows just how good I am at providing. You have to admit something deep down inside you is a little excited by a man who can provide a nice lawn for you in the middle of the Delta quadrant."
He set Rowley down allowing the pup to run off and sniff the grass. At first he jumped back doing a play bow and barking at the grass not really certain what to make of it. After all unlike dogs from earth he hadn't even known the outside world. In fact he hadn't existed until Q snapped him into existing. Once eh was certain the grass wouldn't attack him he jumped down on top of it and went into a full roll wagging his tail and panting heavily. His eyes wide with excitement as he ran about the space claiming as his own. It brought a smile to Janeway's face to see the pup act like her own dog had when she was a younger dog. So full of energy and exploring every new site and smell with her healthy curiosity. "That is very kind of you Q, I am sure Rowley couldn't have asked for more but I really do need to get to the bridge and you promised to look after him for me. So if you don't mind." Giving him a pat on the back Q slumped over a little having expected more than that. Not even a little peck on the cheek?
"I'll take good care of him until you are done. Won't take my eye off him." He had to do better, he had to show her he could both provide for her and look after a small creature with unpredictable behavioral patterns. Something hyper that typically gets into trouble if left alone. With his less than plucky owner walking away the little pup lost his interest in the fun new turf and tried following Janeway again only to be caught by Q. Holding the pup up he raised a brow and studied the little furry beast. "Alright Rowley now hear me out. You are going to be on your best behavior while your captain is working so you can prove to her I'm a worthy choice of mate." The pup panted and looked back at Q seeming none too concerned he was the person who had created him. The pup let out a big yawn and narrowed his eyes seeming a bit more relaxed than he should have been. It took Q a moment before eh realized the little fur ball was unleashing a stream of urine on him. Once he had caught on he held the puppy out and tried jumping out of the way growling at the little beast. "Oh I see who's side you are on you ungrateful mutt." For a moment he was tempted to snap the puppy back into oblivion and conjure up a new one. Janeway wouldn't have known the difference, yet the stupid fuzzball just whimpered and looked up at Q with his sad little eyes. "Oh, oh alright. I get it, you can stay. After all." He paused flipping the puppy on his back and holding him like a baby. "You are a cute little devil. Just don't make me look too bad in front of your captain and I promise I'll make sure you get 100 wonderful years to stay faithfully by her side. Not many dogs get that luxury you know."
Squirming in his arms Rowley fell to his feet and started dashing down the hall to the turbo lift. Q stood a moment in his place clenching his fists and wondering if the dog was doing this on purpose. "How about 100 years of rare steak to go along with that first one? A doggy dish made of gold? A dog bed with a silk cover? Female French poodles?" Q chased him down the hall still trying to reason with the mongrel. "First I need to give you higher functioning cognitive abilities so you can understand my propositions."
Spending the better half of the day running after the puppy Q ended up passed out on Janeways bed curled up with Rowley by his side. The puppy tucked under his arm as the two laid cozy on the comforter. After her long day of discussing and planning out what their next moves were in their journey home Janeway only wanted to lay her head down and get some sleep. She was a little surprised to find Q spooned up with Rowley on her bed when she told the computer to bring the lights up. Q hadn't even noticed she was there yet and Rowley was more than content to keep quiet. Lifting his head up a little the puppy blinked his eyes and yawned stretching his back legs and giving a puppy smile to his master. "Well look at you Rowley, did you kill Q?" The puppy wagged his tail slowly trying to be covert so as not to wake the sleeping Q. Walking over to the edge of the bed Janeway sat down and lifted the puppy into her lap giving him a little hug and scratching him behind the ears. "What do you think about him Rowley? Do you think he would be a reliable father?"
The pup licked her face and rolled over onto his back in her arms tossing his head back towards Q and motioning as if he would start barking. "I know, he's hopeless, unreliable, cocky, irritating, troublesome, and honestly I have had a headache since he showed up but at the same time, well maybe it's just wishful thinking but I feel like he's putting in the effort to improve." Janeway paused and bounced the puppy on her knee looking away from Q to the widow over behind her bed. "Maybe it's just me trying to be optimistic but a baby couldn't be all that bad if it's for good cause. Creating peace in the continuum, having someone like Q on our side in the event of trouble though I can't say how much he would be allowed to intervene." Letting out a little sigh she set the pup back down on her bed and cocked her head to the side. "Just don't tell him I'm considering his request just yet. I don't need him thinking he's winning anything. You can keep a secret can't you?" The puppy stretched again and bowed wagging his tail. "Good boy, now where am I going to sleep tonight?" She patted Rowley on the head. "The ready room it is."
Standing back up she hadn't noticed Q open one of his eyes as she walked back to the door with the puppy following behind her. A little smirk stretching across his face. Maybe the pup wouldn't tell him her little secret but he didn't need to pup to know where Janeway was standing on his offer. He just had to keep doing what he was doing, earn her trust, keep his promises, impress her and show sincerity. Most of all he couldn't screw up now being so close to his goal. Instead he stayed on the bed thinking it over in his head how he would proceed from this point on. Cautiously of course, one small slip and he would lose a lot of ground. Ground he might never get back again. Rolling onto his back and rested an arm behind his head and considered all the important things he would have to focus on now. Most importantly what they would have to expect with a little hybrid running around. Turning back to his side he looked over to her end table and the little picture of Janeway with her dog on earth and that less than impressive fiance of hers, Mark something.
Picking up the picture Q smirked a little sending a flash over the image, the place of Mark was replaced with an image of himself, the dog looking a little more masculine to replace her earth dog with an adult looking Rowley. It seemed the dog would eventually grow up from that awkward big pawed pup into a fairly nodal looking creature suiting of his elegant master and his regal creator. With a nod of satisfaction Q's sly smile shifted into one of sincerity before fading again with another flash of light over the photo. Behind Kathryn was a rather dashing looking young boy with his arm around one of Q's shoulders and a hand on Rowley's head sporting his fathers classic smirk. "On second thought." Q mussed sending another flash over the picture frame so the child had more of his 'mothers' smile. "Perfect." That was his one last hurdle, Mark. Kathy still had feelings for the mortal. Her fiance back on earth. Since he had come to stay around the ship and it's crew he had seen her looking longingly at this same photo. Maybe it was the reason he was so satisfied with replacing it with his own image of his perfect family. As much as he wanted to leave it as he had made it now Q couldn't. Despite Janeway clinging to the small hope she would make it home to Mark he couldn't take that little thing that made her happy. Rolling his eyes the picture flashed again and went back to the way it had been before. One day he wouldn't have to be the one to change the photo. The point was making her realize that picture wasn't her life anymore, something better was waiting for her.
