Chapter Three
"I know you're thinking that demi-gods and goddesses don't exist. Well we do. We're half Q as you call Gods now. There's more than one breed of Q though some more troublesome than others."
"But Q said Q's didn't have children." Xena nodded.f
"Well that may have been true now, but in my time the Gods found themselves falling in love with humans or lusting after them all the time. I'm just one of many consequences and so is Hercules there's no changing it."
"So you are the Hercules and Xena from the history books?" Tom asked. Xena nodded. "So my program is it accurate?"
"Somewhat its my fault things got a little mixed up down in New Zealand when they made shows." Tom nodded.
"I look forward to your insight." She nodded.
"Okay so that doesn't explain how he got to the Gamma Quadrant or the Delta Flyer, why you're here." Xena sighed.
"My father, his half-brother Ares didn't particular love the idea of his beloved daughter falling for his hated half-brother. At first things were okay we didn't explore the possibilities of our relationship until the birth of our daughter. Neither of us were willing not to give her a happy home with both her parents and her half-brother as well who was brought back to life by our Uncle after my son's untimely death. He owed me a favor."
"Than what happened?" Xena sighed as she sat down. Now was where things got tragically sad.
"He turned the Greek Gods against us. First it was my own grandfather Zeus and Hercules was forced to kill him before he killed me and my daughter before she was even born. The furies made him mad with grief and he just vanished. I assumed that was when Ares probably sent him to the Gamma Quadrant and just to be an even bigger bastard gave him the means for travel when he didn't know how. Meanwhile I sent my son to live with my mother he was safe so long as he was not with us. They only wanted Eve after all. My best friend and I Gabrielle we came up with a plan to trick the Gods into thinking we were all dead so that we could live in peace. Perhaps even find Hercules if possible."
"But wouldn't they have known if you didn't enter the underworld?" Kathryn asked mesmerized by the tale. Xena shook her head.
"At this point in our lives we were destined for a different afterlife. A heaven where angels truly existed. In any case we drank death's tears and my daughter was safely hidden with a Roman emperor while a doll burned in her place in the fires of the wagon. But everything went wrong. Ares was angry, he wanted me to suffer, but he didn't want me to die. He froze my body and that of my friend. I missed twenty-five years . He got his wish I suffered unknowingly until the sun shined through the ice cave and I broke free. I freed Gabrielle and together we got out. At first I didn't know how long it had really been, but it was horrifying and even worse to find my daughter had become me except worse. Ares knew who she was having recognized his own grandchild immediately. He destroyed her and turned her into everything her father and I never wanted for her. My son he grew up in Greece more or less how I would have wanted him. Things just got worse from there, but I saved my daughter from herself and at least got her on the road to peace. "
"You said she died."
"That came later, there was a two year period of some sort of peace, but everything was truly going downhill. My mother was murdered and Gabrielle's family gone. We couldn't live anywhere in peace for very long and the world was foreign to us. My son started his family fairly quickly, he wasn't plagued with that outsider feeling as much as we were, but his was more due to his grandmother's horrifying death. My daughter eventually found love and they had children. But Ares could not deal with the fact that we were moving on and he was still suffering. I wasn't miserable, my daughter who he viewed as having betrayed him just as I had, wasn't miserable either. So he did the one thing he knew would hurt us all."
"What?" Chakotay asked.
"He screwed with everything the time continuum everything. Gabrielle found herself being tortured and everyday was like watching her family die. I was the only one who hadn't settled down with anybody the love of my life could not be found. It was all my fault and finally he gave me an ultimatum. I was cursed with never being able to interact with my children for as long as they lived, I had to agree not to ever see Gabrielle again or she would immediately and especially her children and future generations would become prey to more than just his armies. They didn't know about the deal as they begged me to save their children and I could not deny my children anything when it came to their happiness. So I agreed." They all looked sad. "I faked my death in Japan and left them all to grieve, but they were now safe and so were their families. At first this worked out perfectly except when Ares revealed to them I was still alive but could never approach them or be seen by them. But we took comfort in the other's presence alone when he allowed me to be closer to them. Then I discovered that my grandchildren up until a certain age were immune to Ares curse. I got to know them and spend time with them."
"And the war, your planet?" Kathryn asked.
"The war was Ares trying to cause more pain. Gabrielle was old by then, her children were grown and had traveled pass Greece looking for more to feed their hungry minds just like her. My children were old, my grandchildren young adults, and my great-grandchildren young and sweet. We had defied Ares again, by having something of a happy family. My children went to fight knowing why they came, my grandsons they fought and my granddaughters followed me with the little ones to safety. I knew that their death was near, but I hurried. I hid them and rode into battle as fierce as ever. I was a ghost to them all and I killed every last man who dared to fight me. But my children were mortally wounded before I had come. And for the briefest of moments in their death we were reunited. The village was razed and Gabrielle dead. I almost had no one left."
"Could the other villagers see you?"
"Not if I didn't want them too. One of my powers is being able to not be seen if I don't desire to be. I'm also a technopath, so I can fool even the sensors and the comm badge. As the ancient times lent itself to the past I made sure that my family was always well taken care of. They knew me and they knew our plight. There was always a place for me in their homes usually their small children or servants might alert them to my presence as they became less aware of me to the point of not being able to see or hear me. I watched over Gabrielle's descendants as well. I made that promise to her before I had left even if she never saw or heard me, but she knew I was there."
"Wasn't there a Tudor massacre though."
"Yes some years back most of my family was annihilated except my granddaughter she was in the Beta Quadrant and her small children were with me. They survived and I'm not quite sure, but a grandson of mine was missing when I boarded Voyager."
"What brought you to Starfleet?" Chakotay asked.
"My son Zefram Cochrane. After defeating Ares in the nineteen forties and earning myself two decades worth of freedom with my family Ares was furious when Athena released him. The curse was back into effect. He killed the first daughter I had had in a long time. Until the sixties I hadn't given birth since Eve. I had been more focused on my grandchildren. Unfortunately now I can only keep away my maternal instincts to breed for only so long. Every death is just as fresh and new as if it were Eve and Solan all over again. Its gotten to the point that its like a lottery on who lives or dies. If they live than things will go one of two ways. Either they'll be so attached to me and then one day I wake up and they're gone. He takes them to his personal training gounds where two weeks is as good as two years. If he's feeling particularly cruel he rapes the girls. And he always makes sure that they still know who I am so that they miss me. Or they grow up unable to love me though they desperately want too before he takes them away. Maybe he'll kill them, maybe not who knows."
"So you joined because of Zefram well he had a long life," Kathryn said.
"Yes, because I gave Zefram up Ares took his brother from me upon his arrival after a particularly nasty fight. Zefram arrived many hours later, so I did what I had too. I joined Starfleet and was with him everywhere he went during his travels. He never noticed me, but in the end Ares took him away too."
"Which is why he's labeled as disappeared." Xena nodded.
"After that my family just kind of joined Starfleet. I stayed on. I'd end one life as Alanna only to come back as her granddaughter. Occasionally changing my name."
"Why Voyager?" Seven of Nine asked.
"I was bored and thought a trip to the badlands would be great, I never expected to get pulled into the Delta Quadrant or even find you Annika."
"Me?" Seven asked.
"Yes, you, your mother, Erin Hansen, she gave birth to you when I was working as a doctor on the Tendara Colony checking in on her. I arrived just in time. I honestly thought you'd look more like Gabrielle, but I was wrong."
"Well now I know where the Gabrielle comes from." Everyone nodded.
"Well now that everyone knows I can tell you that you have more family than your Aunt Irene. Sometimes the people in your family can be a little stuck up but they love with their heart's mixed in with Gabrielle's father's stubbornness."
"Well at least there's some good news here." She straightened up. "Can we expect a visit from this Ares?" Xena nodded.
"I'm not sure if he has the power to pop all the way out here to the Delta Quadrant himself as opposed to sending someone else out here or even to the Gamma Quadrant. But if he can you can expect he'll be here because Hercules is here and I'm here."
"So, that means?" Tuvok asked wanting it to be clear.
"That while true love knows no boundaries neither does the hatred that's been scorned by love. I'd like to tell you that his love for me was purely that of a father, but than I'd be lying about the Gods who don't see brother, sister, father, daughter like you do. The only thing that can free me from this hated curse and my children is for Hercules and I to successfully mate. If he can help it my child won't be born even if I have to die."
"I think you should go for it. There's that chance he won't know."
"Yeah," Tom agreed.
"You'd all be in more danger if I did."
"I think you should too," Chakotay told her. Everyone agreed except the Captain.
"People you do realize we're talking about ."
"Yes," Chakotay said. "I for one have faith that Xena warrior princess can still kick some ass to at least make him go away for awhile even Hercules." Xena smiled at them.
"Look Captain I'd bet on him not showing for the simple fact that Xena's last children were killed because of the borg not some Q."
"Lieutenant as much as I would like to tell you not to mate in the best interest of this crew, I can tell from your story that it won't make a difference when it comes to this Q. Besides it is also not my right." Xena thanked her.
"But you have to inform the entire crew of the risks." So that night in the mess hall she told everyone and they were excited and demanded to hear one of her wonderful stories. So everyone headed for the holodeck including the doctor where they sat around a campfire telling stories from their cultures.
"I think we should make this a weekly ritual." Everyone agreed.
"We should take dinner here too!" Everyone laughed and nodded wondering what else can make their new ritual perfect.
"How is he?" Kathryn asked sitting next to Xena who was sitting away from the group now, but closer to the fire for warmth. She was holding the boy, who had almost been turned into a borg, and comforting him. He was frightened without her.
"Perfect, he reminds me of my newest grandson, my granddaughter Elizabeth sent me a picture of him in her last letter. To think that soon she might just be able to see me, write letters directly too me, hear me, hug me."
"Why is she your favorite?"
"Because she never stopped confiding in me. To some they remember me as a imaginary friend, but its their parents before them that keep reminding them that I am real and there. Elizabeth never needed a reminder nor her children to make her remember that I am real and alive not just some phantom or ghost. We've spent time together and had loads of fun as long as she was smiling I was smiling. While she couldn't see or hear me others could and she would get comments all the time. She was never surprised that I was still there right beside her as always. She looks a lot like my mother."
"It's always nice to be treated like a real person."
"Very, it's a horrid thing to know that people don't think you're alive. It feels so much more lonely than actually being alone especially when its family."
"Why don't you keep him, he's immune to the curse isn't he." Xena nodded.
"He's not of my flesh." Kathryn smiled.
"Than enjoy your new son." Xena smiled too.
"You're a very kind woman and I'd be happy to take the little guy in. He wouldn't be the first."
"There's more?"
"Who do you think started the Tudor boarding school for boys and girls located in beautiful Greece. The place is full of Orphans from all over the world and rich children as well seventeen thousand dollars in tuition per child even less for Orphans so the country will pay."
"I suppose after living for four thousand years you would be well off." Xena shrugged.
"Well you learn to predict what you mortals will go for next. The next thing you know there will be a colony in the Delta Quadrant and guess who'll invest in protecting the colonies properly of course."
"Me," Kathryn replied. They laughed.
"However I can't take him, his place isn't with me."
"But he loves you already."
"Yes, but he must love another someone like him." Kathryn nodded.
"I'll talk to Ensign Wildman about it."
"I'll keep him until then."
"So what are you going to name?"
"I think I'll name him Evan." They smiled and watched as a guitar note was struck along with Harry's clarinet and dancing began.
"Join us?" The doctor asked her holding a violin. Xena nodded.
"Here I'll take Evan." Xena nodded and handed Evan over. They both stood up and soon she was fiddling and they were all dancing happily until the fun had to end.
"Here's your new temporary home Evan," Xena told him as he yawned wearily. She hummed to him a sweet lullaby and he drifted to sleep in her bed. She kissed his forehead careful of his spikes. Neelix rang her doorbell and she opened the door for him.
"Thanks for doing this Neelix."
"No problem, I do love children." Xena nodded.
"He's already fallen asleep so he should be of no trouble." Neelix nodded as she left. He looked around the room was relatively plain unless you counted the chakram hanging over her bed and the purples that lined the corner of the room belonging to a now dead infant or infants. There were also some old scrolls hanging on the wall that had been recopied several times over the years so that the stories upon them could be preserved. He also noticed that everything was neatly arranged and in its place as well as the games like kadis-kot, Tri-Dimensional chess, and Kal-toh. Naomi usually had her's all over the place.
"Lieutenant I thought you and young Evan would be asleep by now, you've had a big day." Xena nodded.
"Yeah, but I had to check on Hercules."
"I was just about bring him his meal, but you can, I had to put a force field around him he's quite hysterical."
"You should have called me."
"I wanted you to rest, but now that you're here you may take him his meal. I understand he is very confused." Xena picked up the tray.
"Yuck Leola root soup?"
"Neelix sent it up, but you must admit it does have the nutrition he needs." Xena nodded. Xena glanced in her reflection in the glass before she headed further into sickbay. The doctor removed the force field long enough for Xena to step through and give her a tricorder.
"Xena?" Hercules asked.
"Yes, its me, I'm real you were injured pretty badly even for an Immortal, I'm sure the furies are out of your head now especially if they didn't want to be stuck in this Quadrant."
"No, they left me a long time ago, the hallucinations were only my dreams. So how long has it been?"
"Four thousand years since the days we were born and only slightly less since you last saw me."
"Eve?" He asked curious about the fate of his daughter.
"Ares did something Gabrielle and I did not forsee in our plans. In any event we were frozen for twenty-five years. I missed everything and he corrupted her." Her voice was low with sadness as she continued to explain to him up until that day.
"Its not your fault Xena, you did everything you could, I'm just happy that in the end she had a family, I'm just sorry she died like that and Solan too." Xena nodded. "And don't worry we'll break you from Ares' hold."
"I know we will, now eat your soup, you're going to need your strength." He picked up the bowl and ate. He made a face.
"What is this crap?"
"Leola root soup, now eat up its good for you when you're sick or we're rationing."
"I'm glad the planet I was on taught me a lot about technology or I would be so lost." He forced the soup down. "When can I leave this place?"
"When you're all better and you have to behave yourself if you want the force field down." Hercules nodded. "You can tell the hologram I'll be good."
"The doctor is considered a member of this crew so treat him with respect." Hercules nodded noting that she was serious and challenged him to disobey her. "Now get some rest, I'm sure you'll be good as new tomorrow and I'll show you around perhaps if you're up to it."
"Tomorrow I think I just want to sleep somewhere more private." Xena nodded. Once he was lying down she stroked his forehead affectionately before leaving after scanning him. The doctor looked at him wearily, but nodded to Xena as he took the tricorder back. Xena left out and returned to her room.
"Care for a game of kadis-kot Lieutenant?" Neelix asked.
"No thanks Neelix not right now, perhaps a day when I'm free unfortunately Naomi and Seven have got me booked solid for the next week." He nodded and left after she thanked him. She took a shower in the sonic shower complimentary in everyone's quarters before going to bed.
In the morning Ensign Wildman was happy to add Evan to their family as long as Xena would be Aunt to both him and Naomi. Xena readily agreed as like Seven she had become a sort of mother to Naomi at times.
"Are we still on for my lessons in Kal-toh so I can beat Tuvok?" Naomi asked her. Xena nodded. "We'll work on your French too." Naomi smiled. She told her goodbye and Evan as well. She got a quick breakfast from the replicator and headed for sickbay. Kathryn entered after her.
"Hello I am Captain Kathryn Janeway of the starship Federation Voyager," Kathryn introduced herself. Hercules shook her hand.
"Nice to finally meet the Captain of this ship, I wanted to thank you for taking me in, in my time of need, I know the borg are frightening to go up against alone."
"It was no trouble."
"I'm sorry I'm not pleasant to be around, I'm just anxious to get into a real bed." Kathryn nodded.
"By all means, Xena take the day off we can catch up with him tomorrow." Xena nodded.
"Thank you Captain." Xena led him out of sickbay and back to her quarters. Hercules body rejoiced at the feel of the bed under him.
"Leola root soup in a mug." The replicator made it appear and she brought it over to him to his dismay. "Drink it up and then go take a shower." She replicated him several pairs of clothes as he went into her bathroom.
"Um Xena do you have any other soap besides this girly stuff I can't walk around smelling like lavender." Xena laughed and replicated a brand of soap Tom had recommended to Harry. She loved the smell of it so it did not bother her. "Thank you." When he came out she helped him dry off and get dressed in some night clothes before he got into bed.
"Are these my quarters?" He asked.
"No, they're mine we share them now, we're still husband and wife after all." Hercules smiled as he looked above him and spotted her famous chakram and sword even. He spotted the games he had no idea how to play and the scrolls on the walls. But most importantly was the baby stuff. Xena began to put it away realizing that she had left it out.
"You had a baby?" Hercules asked.
"Artificially I had triplets this time, but they were killed only a day or so after a borg attack and for once I can't blame it on Ares."
"Maybe it was him." Xena shook her head.
"No, with Ares there would have been something more." Hercules nodded.
"You want a child badly don't you?"
"Sometimes, but mostly I dream of another child that's a little bit of you and I who won't have the pain the others have. I've missed you so much over the years that it has almost overwhelmed me with absolute grief, but I never gave up hope. I want to take things slow though, if we're not happy together than our child won't be happy so we're going to stop and talk about everything that is bothering us today." Hercules nodded.
"Now that I've found you I've got two problems."
"What's that?"
"One is of course Ares and two the fact you've slept with other men." Xena frowned.
"That only happened once when the urge got too strong, but after nineteen eighty – medical technology allowed me to get pregnant without a man." Hercules smiled. He could over look that one, unlike Ares he would never begrudge her anything that made her happy. Xena smiled as well noting that he was still the same except he looked tired from his journey as if he thought he would never see the end. He had gone a long time without companionship while she was at least able to surround herself with other people.
"I don't know what I'd have done if I hadn't found you soon."
"I know, how you feel, but I never expected to find you all the way out here."
"How far are we from home?"
"Thirty-two thousand light years unless we find a faster way home it'll be years, my grandchildren's children's children will have kids probably."
"That's a long time." Xena nodded. "So what do you do around here, what's your role?"
"I'm second in command in engineering; I give lessons in French, Genetics, and Kal-toh a Volcan game its like chess." Hercules looked at her confused. "Don't worry I'll explain everything more thoroughly later. But sometimes I babysit Naomi and now Evan Wildman though Naomi doesn't need much babysitting she's more of an observer at times. She'll be a great engineer one day."
"Are they the only children on the ship?" Xena shook her head.
"No, there's Miral, the daughter of my best friend B'Elanna."
"She must be a great person to earn that title." Xena was silent as she thought about it for a moment and nodded.
"Yeah I guess so, I haven't called anyone my best friend since Gabrielle."
"I know I hadn't had a best friend since Iolaus except for you."
"We were born best friends even when we didn't know it." He kissed her and in that moment electricity ran through their body as a fierce longing and hunger was awakened in them. Or at least that's what would have happened if Aphrodite's hand, hadn't found its way between their lips. They both pulled back immediately.
"What the hell!" They both exclaimed.
"Like sorry guys, but I couldn't let you do that."
"And why can't I kiss my own wife?" Hercules asked as Xena stood up ready to grab her sword off the wall.
"Because than Ares will know you've found each other."
"Why doesn't he know now?" Xena asked.
"The only time he keeps tabs on you now is when you get pregnant and he lost track of Hercules after he left him on that planet thing. But he didn't foresee or plan for this. Now lucky for you I kept Ares from noticing the birth of your last children, where are they by the way?" She looked around finding no sign of them except one empty baby bed.
"They died during a Borg attack." Aphrodite looked sad.
"Damn it I thought for sure I had saved them this time." She stomped her foot. "Well anyway look the moment you kiss however he is going to know and he will be here faster than you two can break that kiss. He won't let it lead to a child."
"Who came up with the whole child thing anyway, how would that break the curse on my children?"
"Zeus, it's hard to interfere with other gods at times, but we can do little things to make something better. Because of the way children love, I am able to override that curse, however, as one grows older you don't love as easily, but their fond memories of you no matter how they start to think of you lets them know you're near them. But Zeus stimulated that when you two had a child that was created in love Ares hold over you would be gone forever and he could never do that to you again."
"Hence why I was all the way out in the Delta Quadrant."
"You were in the Gamma Quadrant; you traveled into the Delta Quadrant."
"Oh, what she said then."
"Yes."
"So how do we do this without getting caught?" They were all silent as they laughed at her words. "Sad I'm a grown woman trying not to get caught having sex by her father." They laughed some more.
"Okay no seriously how?" Hercules asked.
"Well you have to do it without kissing. Sex is private under my law, sexual partners cannot be known during the act by any God even me. At most they'll know you're having sex, but you absolutely cannot kiss or he'll know you're together."
"Is kissing restricted from a certain area or everything?"
"Everywhere."
"He's a kisser though."
"I know, but I was thinking if we tied him to the bed and then did it, you'd be fine." Xena was silent as she thought.
"You're actually considering that?" Hercules asked. Xena shook her head.
"No, I was just thinking if we did it artificially than we could make the moment we actually have sex more special and Ares won't find out, we'll just have to abstain from kissing until the baby is born. Naturally he won't assume Hercules is the father. In the mean time I'll give you a gift to keep you two busy." She snapped her fingers. "Remember absolutely no kissing." They nodded.
"What did you do?" They asked, but she had already disappeared.
"Maybe it was nothing." He nodded. "Come on I'll teach you to play kadis-kot." He nodded knowing he needed to keep his mind off her lips and every other part of her body. He learned Kadis-kot fairly easily and joined in the lessons with Naomi to learn Kal-toh, he lost sorely and it really took his mind off sex, because it was so puzzling.
"This time I am going to win this game." Xena laughed.
"Yeah right." He pulled out another rod and made an even bigger mess of the puzzle. He sighed in defeat.
"Okay I give up, fix it." Xena fixed it in two moves. "You always win."
"Don't beat yourself up it takes a lot to win, now will you please come out of this room and meet people besides Naomi and Evan. "I actually have a game with Tuvok that Harry and the others are looking forward too."
"Aren't you looking forward to it?"
"I would be if you weren't hiding out in our quarters. Its been a week." He sighed.
"Okay fine, I'll come watch and meet people."
"Thank you." He got dressed in a tunic and pants. She tossed him a pair of boots and waited for him to shave while she brushed his hair. "There now let's go." They left her quarters and he got a full tour of all the decks and ended at the mess hall.
"Xena!" B'Elanna exclaimed.
"Hey, is Tuvok here yet?"
"No, Harry and I were just playing a warm up game."
"Hmm who's winning?" Xena asked taking a seat next to B'Elanna, Hercules took a seat next to her as he looked around.
"I am," Harry and Tom said at the same time. They laughed.
"Hercules it's finally nice to meet you I'm Lieutenant Tom Paris, I pilot this ship most of the time." Tom said introducing himself. They shook hands.
"I'm Ensign Harry Kim, head Operations coordinator."
"And I'm Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres, head of Engineering, I'm Tom's wife." Hercules nodded as he shook both of their hands.
"So have you two love birds gotten pregnant yet, you haven't left the room for a week."
"I have, he hasn't," Xena told him as she rolled her eyes at his joke.
"Doesn't matter, so can we expect another kid around here in two months?" Tom asked.
"Yes, but we chose to do it artificially, don't ask I'll explain later." They nodded.
"We get it at least I do," B'Elanna told her. Neelix walked over.
"So what can I get you guys?" Neelix asked. He looked surprised to see Hercules. "Ah Hercules its so good to see you finally out of your quarters, I was just preparing to come give you a pep talk to get you out of bed." They all groaned even though they didn't hate Neelix's pep talks they liked giving him a hard time.
"No, no thanks I was just resting that's all Mr….?"
"Neelix, I am moral officer and cook on this fair starship, um…how do you like it so far?"
"I love every inch of it, it's the people I'm trying to get use too it's been a long time." Xena squeezed his hand in reassurance and he smiled at her.
"So Neelix what's on the menu today?" Xena asked to take all of the attention away from Hercules. It didn't take long for Neelix to go off on all that he had prepared and bring over selected dishes for everyone to enjoy just as Harry beat Tom.
"Yes, I told you I was winning." Tom frowned.
"Yeah, yeah."
"Hey you know this isn't bad," Hercules said eating Neelix's version of spaghetti, which nothing like spaghetti at all. Neelix was very pleased it was the first comment he had gotten not in the form of a joke, but then he frowned.
"I know you're new here, but we don't lie around here." Hercules looked surprised as the others laughed.
"Sorry Neelix when Hercules actually says he likes your cooking, he means it, but don't worry he'll be insulting your cooking like the rest of us in no time." Neelix smiled.
"Well that's good to know." They nodded. Neelix left.
"Why would I insult his cooking?"
"Well its become the norm around here to insult Neelix's cooking even if its really good, its just something we've all gotten use too and has become a way to say that we appreciate him being the cook and not subjecting us to replicator food all the time." Hercules nodded. "But nothing mean just jokes like this isn't half bad and stuff along those lines."
"So I have to treat it like it's your cooking," Hercules teased.
"Forget you, my cooking has gotten much better for your information."
"How bad was her cooking?" B'Elanna asked.
"Torture bad," Hercules told her. They laughed. "Didn't you once take down an entire army?"
"No, that was Joxer, remember that dressing Joxer has, his own special recipe now that was poisonous and inhuman to give somebody." Hercules made a face.
"Don't remind me I still have nightmares." They told them about the sauce and they were horrified by the idea.
"I guess it's true then," Tom said.
"What?" They asked.
"Some things should stay in the past and never spoken of again." They laughed. Finally Tuvok arrived as Neelix cleared away their dishes.
"Ready for our game Lieutenant?" He asked. Xena nodded. Chakotay came in after him and walked over.
"But first I would like to introduce you to Hercules, my husband, Hercules this is Lieutenant Commander Tuvok, He is the security and tactical officer here on Voyager."
"I look forward to training you, so that you may join this crew as an officer." Hercules nodded.
"I look forward to learning." They shook hands, but Hercules was slightly unnerved by his lack of emotion. He had of course read up on all the species that were on the ship as Xena had instructed, but it didn't prepare him for the Vulcan lack of emotion. It was almost like Xena, but she always showed him emotion and nine times out of ten he knew what she was thinking or feeling.
"And this is our first officer Commander Chakotay, he's got almost as much power as the Captain."
"Almost as much?" Chakotay asked with a grin as he shook hands with Hercules.
"Yes almost." Once everyone had arrived and surrounded Xena and Tuvok they began their game. Naomi was right beside her very excited that one day soon she would also beat Tuvok and than Xena." Kathryn arrived wondering where all her officers had gotten off too leaving Ensigns in charge.
"What's going on here?" Kathryn asked.
"Shh!" Everyone exclaimed at once not paying any attention to who had entered. Even Hercules was watching them closely after getting more details from Tom and Chakotay. Kathryn sighed and went over to Neelix.
"Ah Captain what can I get for you?" Neelix whispered.
"Coffee black," Kathryn whispered back. "What's going on?"
"Ah Lieutenant Commander Tuvok and Lieutenant Tudor are playing Kal-toh it's a close game." Kathryn nodded as he handed over her coffee.
"They've been trying to get him to play for months and now we know who the person they had in mind was." Neelix nodded. She went over and they easily let her through. Tom moved to the side of Chakotay so she was sitting next to Hercules. She nodded to him and he to her.
"You are a very formidable opponent Lieutenant, but you're not going to win today," Tuvok told her as she prepared for her next move. She was purposely looking as if she were going to the wrong rod.
"I haven't lost a game of Kal-toh since I first began learning," Xena told him as she moved her hand deciding on a different rod it seemed. It did not win her the game and everyone held their breath as Tuvok made his next move. Fortunately that wasn't the right one. Xena deciding that she had made the game go on long enough to torture her comrads she beat Tuvok.
"Yes!" They exclaimed. They all clapped her on the back and high fived her for her win.
"Great game Lieutenant," Tuvok told her.
"Great game," Xena replied shaking his hand.
"How did you do it?" Harry asked.
"Elementary spatial harmonics Harry." Seven smirked.
"I told him the same thing when I beat Tuvok."
"He just doesn't get it."
"Well now that the game is over can you all get back to work?" Everyone groaned and nodded.
"Oh my shift started an hour ago," Xena said looking at her watch."
"Crap me too," B'Elanna told her. Kathryn watched them all hurry off.
"Well I better get back to our quarters," Hercules said standing up.
"Why don't you join me on the bridge and learn some things?" Hercules shrugged and nodded. He stayed out of their way and watched everyone work for a little while before wandering off. He found the astrometrics lab. He watched Seven and Icheb work.
"Can I help you with something?" Seven asked. Hercules shook his head.
"Merely learning how everything works around here."
"Amazing that you and Ensign Kim built this place."
"Lieutenant Tudor helped as well."
"Do you call anyone by their first name?" Hercules asked.
"Yes, Neelix."
"I meant who has a rank."
"Occasionally."
"Are you as smart as your wife?" Icheb asked him.
"I am knowledgable in the technology of the Bronte species."
"Are they peaceful?" Icheb asked.
"They can be, but they're located in the Gamma Quadrant, so its of no use here, but Humans have yet to reach so far in Gamma Space, at least when I was there and they could have changed by now."
"It is possible," Seven replied. Naomi walked into the astrometrics lab.
"There you are Hercules, I was looking for you, come play Kadis-kot with me." Hercules smiled and nodded at Naomi. Evan was following her around and took his other hand as they led him out. "Aunt Xena said you love to play Kadis-kot and were too afraid to ask me to play because you knew I'd win, but I promised her I'd go easy on you." Hercules laughed. He could get use to Naomi occupying some of his time.
Meanwhile on the bridge Kathryn and everyone on the bridge were staring at some white apparition that had appeared there with their guns ready.
"What is that?" Chakotay asked the Captain. She shrugged.
"I don't know, but if its hostile everyone get ready to fire." Soon the hazy white light disappeared and in its place were two five year olds. One beautiful blond haired blue eyed little boy, who looked remarkably like his roguish father, but had the piercing eyes of his mother and one gorgeous brunette who definitely had her mother's eyes and bone structure. There was a note on the boys clothes.
"Captain maybe you shouldn't go near them."
"They're just children Tuvok." Kathryn carefully crept towards them. They backed away.
"I want my mommy!" He wailed and the girl started to wail too. They moved away from her again, but she got the note at least.
"Who's the note from?"
"Its from Aphrodite, Xena did mention that she had snapped her fingers for something to occur, but nothing ever happened, I guess we know what it is now." They nodded.
"Which children do you think they are?"
"First two maybe, they seem to have a special place in her heart," Kathryn said after they had gotten them into her ready room. They had already called Xena to her ready room. The replicator had provided a toy to keep them busy and from crying.
"Eve and Solan right." Both children looked up at the sound of their names confirming their identity. Xena knocked.
"Come in." Xena took in everything immediately and her eyes rested on the two children playing. Her heart knew them instantly and it only took a minute for her mind to as well.
"Just to be sure I'm not hallucinating, but there are two five year olds sitting on the floor right." Kathryn smiled knowing she had recognized her children immediately.
"Yes, Aphrodite sent them." They looked up and smiled at Xena.
"Mommy!" They exclaimed. She went over to them and they met her halfway. She hugged and kissed them.
"Well we're glad things are working out for you."
"Thank you Captain, Commander." She hurried off to find Hercules, she still had to get back to work and the children couldn't stay in Engineering. Hercules was surprised when she entered their quarters with them, but all the same he rejoiced.
"We can celebrate more later, I still have to finish my shift." He nodded and Naomi was happy to have more friends and play Kadis-Kot, the best part was they were her age.
