It had been a fairly uneventful day aboard the Enterprise as Captain Picard sat in his captains seat. His day might have continued to go well until a familiar bright flash sparked behind him on the bridge. The Captain stiffened his back and turned to face the Q dressed in Starfleet Captains uniform but not the current style. It was curious as to why he was dressed in the old red and black uniform rather than the current slate and black uniform. "Q." Jean Luc groaned as he got to his feet and caught a glimpse of a baby in his arms. The little girl was dressed a lot like her father, the same red and black starfleet command uniform. "What's the meaning of this?" He growled at the miscreant aboard his ship. Oh how Q had missed his other favorite starfleet captain. Squandering away all his time with Kathryn he had nearly forgotten about Picard, but not for long. It had been too long since last he faced off against his first starfleet captain and it felt nostalgic being back on the Enterprise.
"Hello Picard." Q walked away from the wall and down the ramp to the Captain. "I would like you to meet someone, you're Goddaughter." Q smiled, if Picard refused to be Amelia's godfather he was going to be very disappointed in him. After all he had fought Kathryn on it and he had hurt the doctors feelings. "Amelia." Q looked down at the baby in his arms. "This is daddy's old friend, Captain Picard."
"Daughter?" The Captain spoke up before it finally hit him, this was possibly the worst news he had ever heard. It seemed his troubles had just doubled, Q having a child, if he was a superstitious man he would have considered it one of the first signs of the apocalypse.
"Just showing her the ropes of how to be a proper little Q, only five months old and she's already causing trouble in the universe." He sounded so proud of his little Amelia and honestly he was. Human parents praised their children for such little things like learning to walk, talk, dress themselves. Q was lucky enough to be proud about things like Amelia spawning a dozen butterflies in her mothers ready room or teleporting herself around Voyager to avoid bedtime. What a wicked little adorable creature she could be just like her papa. "And besides, as her Godfather Picard I felt it important she met you in person."
"I don't remember agreeing to be your, child's Godfather." Picard snapped back.
Q put on a fake sad face and raised Amelia up a little. "Why not? Just look at that face, how could you say no to that face?" He looked at Amelia holding her up a little more. "She has my cheekbones and my wicked sense of humor." Amelia was chewing on her own hand with a little smile on her face, drool running down from her mouth and falling on her little captains uniform. "Normally she's less gross and more adorable, she's just getting her first teeth right now." Amelia had never been what Q called a 'soggy' baby, one that drools and slobbers more than a dog but with her teething she had apparently developed over active saliva glands. "Besides I fought her mother for months over the right to ask you to be Amelia's Godfather."
Picard nodded his head slightly. "In that case, my condolences to her mother."
Q opened his mouth looking a little shocked and offended. "Insult me all you like Jean Luc, you seem to have given the rest of Starfleet quite the warning about me, I guess it didn't work that well. After all one of your brave mighty Captains fell to my charm." He sassed back hugging Amelia. "In fact her mother seems to think Amelia is going to be starfleet material. One day who knows Amelia might serve on Enterprise." Q smiled and looked between them before handing her unceremoniously to Picard. Picard looked a little stunned holding the baby and glancing between her and Q.
"A Q in starfleet?" He would hope to be retired when that day came.
"Well, half Q, she's half human as well you know, the first little hybrid." Q smiled at Picard, he looked good with a baby in his arms, shame he couldn't get that doctor lady of his. What was her name again? Snappy Yappy Red Head? "In fact I would grantee you know Amelia's mother. Trust me I picked a sensible human mate. I mean, Amelia can't be a complete copy of myself that would be arrogant even for me." Q glanced over at William Riker knowing he was considered attractive to the human females. "And I would certainly hope Commander Riker Doesn't know her." Now he remembered why Chuckles bothered him, he was the less intelligent version of Will. Always kissing up to the Captain, Q didn't like that a whole lot. One needed to have a concept of individuality like Tom. Tom was perfect in every way.
"Do I now?" Picard asked.
"Well I did mention Amelia's mother is a starfleet Captain." Q smirked.
"I find that very hard to believe." He knew just about every Captain in Starfleet and he knew none of them would put up with Q, at least any more than he would. Sisko most of all it would seem as word had gotten around quickly that Sisko had really given Q a piece of his own mind.
"Well, it wasn't love at first sight, thank you for corrupting her by the way with talk of what a horrible creature I am. She gave me quite the run around but in the end women just can't resist this."
"I don't believe you."
"Well I would prove it to you but...she's a little displaced at the moment lets say." Q felt like his abilities were being challenged and by Picard none the less.
Picard must have believed him at least a little as he lunged at Q seeming somewhat upset. "What did you do with her?"
Putting his hands up in a defensive position Q shook his head. "Don't look at me, I didn't do anything to her. She was stuck there before I showed up." How sweet of Picard, being protective over his fellow Starfleet Captains. "Trust me Picard Janeway is a big girl, she can more than handle herself and me. You don't need to worry about her." Q covered his mouth having let her name slip. "I wasn't suppose to say that." Snapping his fingers the two were transported to Picard's Ready Room where the 'children' couldn't overhear the adults having a conversation. Q pointed at Picard "You can't tell anyone about this, I'm not suppose to interfere with the natural order of events."
"Captain Kathryn Janeway?" Picard questioned to make sure they were talking about the same person. If anyone would have rejected Q it would have been her most of all.
"So you know her?" Q tried not to show his obvious concern over that, William Riker may have been a mortal woman's living fantasy, he has his face permanently set to stunning but Picard was smart and charming. The sort of man Kathy would find interesting. Who knew maybe they met as some Starfleet Captain Pot Luck.
"I knew Admiral Janeway and I know about what happened to Voyager." Picard looked back down at Amelia seeing the startling resemblance. He had met Kathryn Janeway a few times himself but before she had become a Captain. Once while she was still in Starfleet academy studying at a little coffee shop. She was a smart woman. The second time had been while she served as a science officer, she had been with a Vulcan called Tuvok, someone that as Picard recalled had taught at Starfleet academy himself. Kathryn had always been polite and charming but made a point to stand out from the crowd. It hadn't surprised Picard to know she had become a captain and was given Voyager. She certainly had taken after her father the Vice Admiral Janeway, a man who had been close friends with Picard in his youth.
"And you can't report what I told you to Starfleet or they will be very upset with me." He rolled his eyes, as much as he would love to tell Picard to run to starfleet and tell them Voyager needed their help Voyager had to figure it out for themselves, Kathryn had to figure it out for herself how to get home. He could just push her in the right direction. "Besides I have to set a good example for Amelia which is why I asked for you to be her Godfather. If anyone can help make a future starfleet captain out of her it would be you." If Amelia took after her mother more than her father, that would be the only way for her to ever have hopes of being a Starfleet Captain. Amelia cooed a little looking back up at Picard with a big smile on her face. "See, she had faith in you." For being Q's progeny she was a fairly cute little thing but Picard was still a little suspicious of Q and why shouldn't he be? Q introduced them to one of their worse foes, the Borg. "So what do you say?"
Picard let out a sigh and looked back at Q, "If Starfleet has any hope then I would have to keep an eye on her, for Starfleet's sake." That was as good as he would get for a yes. "But lets start with something a little more, obtainable. How about learning to be polite."
"Oh believe me her mother already has that one covered." Q sassed, Kathryn was full of valiant idea's she was imprinting upon Amelia's little mind and even as a bay it showed. Amy had a strong sense of right and wrong for a five month old.
"I was talking about you." Picard snapped back. Amelia giggled making Q frown a little more, his own daughter was against him and siding with Picard? Maybe picking him as the Godfather had been a bad idea. As her father didn't he deserve some respect? He had made a little monster out of her. "Seems your little Amelia agrees with me, hmm, perhaps she is Captain Janeway's daughter after all."
"Peachy." Q raised a brow and took Amelia back. "She does take after her mother quite a bit, wait until she grows up." He bounced his daughter and brushed away a little slobber from her mouth. "Well, we should get going, Kathy is already nervous enough with me taking Amy off Voyager. Can't keep her waiting or she might drop me off on the nearest M class planet, not that it will work anymore. Say bye bye to Captain Picard Amelia." Q took her little hand and forced her to wave at Picard though Amelia had a less than pleased look on her face. "Bye-bye." In a flash Q and Amelia were gone leaving Picard to stand there with her arms crossed over his chest. So much for uneventful days.
Q had appeared in the downstairs of an old styled country farm house, a little red rose in his hands and Amelia drooling all over his shoulder now. It was dark in the house, clearly night time on this side of the planet. Setting the rose down on a nearby table he pulled a little note from his pocket and rested it next to the flower, a small messaged written on it saying 'Don't give up hope.' It was the best Q could do considering the circumstances. Perhaps it would make sense to her one day when Voyager contacted earth. When Amelia let out a stream of babble Q put a hand over her mouth. "Sshhhh, don't wake her up Amy." Q walked towards a staircase that lead to the supper level of the house and made sure no one had turned on any lights after his daughters attempt to spout poetry, or so he liked to think. "You'll get to meet her some day too Amelia, just not today. I think she needs to have your mommy explain that one."
