Chapter Four
"Your child is really stubborn its been nearly a year and the doctor can't even induce labor," B'Elanna commented as they crawled in one of the Jeffries Tubes and were changing a gel pack.
"Who are you telling, but I've been having pains lately so I think its finally going to give in."
"Let's hope so. You two have been avoiding each other lately."
"No kidding, I'm so tempted to kiss him, but we can't until the baby is born."
"You'd never think that not kissing someone would be so hard. Tom and I tried it for a week, but it wasn't the same as when it just happened naturally because of Miral."
"I know, I think that's what Aphrodite tried to achieve, but it's the little things that get a kiss just because." B'Elanna nodded.
"You know I really thought you were kidding when you said that a child could be stubborn and not come when he or she is supposed too." Xena laughed.
"I don't kid about these things." They crawled out and went back to engineering. Xena's shift ended late and she could hear crying from a select few quarters on deck three. It had been very interesting to find out that Chakotay and Seven were seeing each other. She wondered if the Captain had been a little distraught over it, but she had recovered from it quickly at least on the outside. They now had a daughter, Chakotay had insisted on calling her Gabriella. Unfortunately she was a fussy one.
"You know now I am glad my daughter is half klingon," B'Elanna muttered.
"Why is that?" Xena asked.
"Never in her life has she been that fussy except when sick." They laughed and went to their respective quarters. When she entered the children were asleep in their bed. Hercules was waiting up with dinner. He looked handsome in his Starfleet uniform.
"Thank you," Xena told him careful not to go near him or she would kiss him. He was careful to keep his distance as well. "Hopefully it won't be long now." He nodded. She ate her dinner and promptly went to bed. Hercules slept on the couch just so they could avoid accidents. Xena woke up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night as pain ran through her body. She felt between her legs and found it was wet.
"Computer lights on," Xena said. There was blood on her fingers. Hercules stirred and yawned.
"Xena what's wrong?"
"Hercules help me get to sickbay." He got up and dressed quickly before lifting her up easily. She buried her face in his neck to keep from screaming in pain as ran through her body. "Computer activate the ENH Alpha 8." Xena had created the Emergency Nanny Hologram. Everyone had their own and was assigned a specific number, so they wouldn't have to share. Now there were more mobile emitters created. They watched as she appeared wearing a mobile emitter though she couldn't leave the room. She immediately headed for the children's room to watch over them. They left quickly and got on the turbo lift.
"Deck Five," Hercules said. "Are you okay?" Xena shook her head as she closed her eyes.
"There's blood."
"Everything is going to be fine, you'll see." He wanted to kiss her, but they both knew everything would not be fine if he comforted her in that way. He walked quickly down the hall and arrived at sickbay. The doctor was no where to be found.
"Computer locate the doctor," Hercules said as he laid Xena on the main biobed.
"The doctor is on holodeck one."
"Crewman Hercules to Doctor we need you in sick bay."
"I'm on my way crewman." Soon the doctor had appeared.
"Please state the nature of your medical emergency," the doctor said.
"I'm bleeding," Xena said. "Now get over here and make sure no one gets in or out of this sickbay unless they're seriously injured or having a baby too understood?" He nodded.
"Computer lock sickbay doors." He gave the command codes and went over to Xena grabbing a tricorder.
"You're child is in distress Lieutenant I'm afraid we'll have to do a c-section." She nodded as she breathed hard. The doctor prepared to transport the baby, but he had to call Tom to assist since he was his medical assistant.
"Okay Tom get ready." Tom nodded. He pushed the button and a beautiful baby boy appeared in the bed. He was being choked by his umbilical cord. Tom immediately set to freeing him.
"Now for the second one."
"Two?" Hercules asked. He'd almost forgotten they were having twins. "I almost forgot." Once the baby boy was free Tom waited for the second one as Xena watched her new born son in his biobed. Than her daughter who was perfectly fine and agitated that she wasn't inside her mother anymore. Tom checked her out just to be sure. The after birth came out the normal disgusting way. Xena was strangely rested from the sedative the doctor had given her. She held her daughter close as Hercules held his son.
"What are we going to name them?" Kathryn asked. B'Elanna was holding the girl while Kathryn held the boy a little later after the sedative had worn off an hour later.
"The girl we named Eleanor Kathryn Tudor and the boy we named Leonardo Gabriel Tudor."
"So does this mean the curse is broken?" B'Elanna asked. There was a flash of light and Zeus appeared.
"Yes, Xena can safely interact with her family and Ares can't harm any of them."
"Who are you?" Kathryn asked.
"I am Zeus, I was about to kill you remember during the civil war."
"Oh yes, now I remember," Kathryn told him. He nodded.
"What about me, what's to stop him from making me appear in some far off galaxy?" Hercules asked. A cup appeared in Zeus hands.
"Its also time you two took your rightful places in the continuum."
"No thanks, Zeus, but I like the life I've made for myself especially now without Ares to worry about."
"Yeah, you know being a full God is not for me."
"Your place in the grand design is here on voyager, but you must become full Gods now so that your powers may develop in the time it takes this ship to make it home."
"You mean we can't assist them?" Xena asked.
"Since you are still half mortal however immortal your powers must grow and they will have matured by the time you get back."
"What's going on, on earth?"
"I cannot say, but they must be prepared. Drink when you are ready." He disappeared leaving the cup in Hercules hands.
"Well?" Kathryn asked.
"Well what?" Xena asked.
"Are you going to drink?"
"It would change everything."
"No more than being immortal already has once you think about it," B'Elanna told her. "So you get a few extra powers and defend mankind." Xena nodded.
"She's right you know."
"I know, you drink first."
"Of course you would make me go first, God forbid its poison." They laughed.
"Well men are supposed to go first when something is suspicious."
"Yeah, but its more chivalrous when a lady goes first," He told her holding out the chalice.
"Coward," She told him teasingly. She took the cup and a thirst ignited so powerful she drank it all. He took the cup.
"Nice leave none for me."
"There's more," Xena told him. The chalice was once again full. He shrugged and drank deeply when nothing happened to her.
"You feel different?" Hercules asked. Xena shook her head.
"You?" He shook his head.
"You're glowing." Xena suddenly glowed bright and she felt as if she were never pregnant. Everything and anything made sense and she knew all about the continuum. The only thing she didn't know was the threat ahead of them.
"So are you." Hercules glowed and he knew too.
"Redemption and Balance," Xena told him.
"Protector of Nations," Hercules told her.
"Yours fits," They said at the same time.
"Redemption, Balance?" Kathryn asked.
"Protector of Nations?" B'Elanna asked equally confused.
"My role is Redemption, and keeping the balance between Good and Evil."
"And I would essentially protect nations from each other or outsiders." They nodded in understanding.
"Now, to get back to our quarters for some rest, we had a long night." Xena got up and took her son, and Hercules took their daughter after the doctor insisted on checking them out again.
"Right, come on B'Elanna we have work to do." They all headed for the door, but stopped as a dark figure in black appeared.
"Ares," Hercules and Xena said together as they held their children close. Both kids were very alert and watching their grandfather who was also their Uncle.
"You may have escaped me, but the people around you are still mortal," Ares told them. He glared at the children as they began to cry before he disappeared.
"Everyone had better be prepared for some sort of battle," Hercules whispered. They nodded. Xena and Hercules returned to their quarters.
"Eve, Solan," Hercules called after putting his daughter down in her new crib. Xena lay her son down and noticed that there was no sign of them anywhere. She went to the bed and noticed that her chakram had become the yin and yang chakrams once again. There was also a scroll from Aphrodite. She quickly scanned it.
"Do you think they're with Naomi?" Hercules asked.
"No, look." Hercules read the scroll and sighed. "They made the choice in the afterlife, and for almost a year they got to have home, love, and a complete family. I for one am happy Aphrodite did what she did." Hercules sighed again.
"Its still heart breaking, I really thought it was a second chance with Eve and Solan even." Xena rubbed his shoulders.
"I know, but you are getting a second chance with them, we both are, they have been reincarnated as Eleanor and Leonardo." Hercules looked at his new born children who looked at him and gurgled happily. Xena picked up her the yin and yang chakrams. She transformed them so that they were a necklace. She dressed in a clean uniform as did Hercules.
"Well I had better go, I'm still on duty." Xena nodded as he began to engage his children in a little play before he departed. He kissed her before leaving. She spread their blanket out on the floor and spread out some toys. She noticed that they could easily lift their heads up and move their arms to pick up toys, but they were still a little bald.
"Uh oh you two need to grow some hair on your heads. I better get you some clothes. She went over to the drawer and looked through it for their pajamas. "Damn I'll have to replicate hats for them." She straightened up with their clothes and saw that they had grown old enough to sit up on their own. Aphrodite was now sitting next to them.
"Aphrodite what did you do to them, change them back," Xena told her. Aphrodite smiled at her.
"I didn't do anything to them warrior babe, they grew all on their own."
"What?" Xena asked. "But they're only Immortals not Gods." Aphrodite shrugged.
"Yes, but they're not just 20 percent Immortal and 75 percent mortal. They're the children of two Immortal Demi-Gods." Xena sighed. "And Immortals and Gods, don't do newborns so naturally they grow fast in the first couple of hours if they were full Gods it'd be more like minutes. But you can stop worrying they've stopped growing at the time of the continuum."
"Well that's good to know, everyone's going to be surprised as it is."
"Call me if you ever want me to watch them, and Ares is planning something big so I'd make sure that these mortals are prepared." Xena nodded. She put all their baby clothes away and back in the box. She had it sent back to storage as she replicated them new clothes and examined their features. Eleanor had her gorgeous black hair and her beautiful smile and her father's blue eyes where as her brother had her eyes, but his father's brown hair and kind smile. Unfortunately growing within hours of your birth and being born made you fiercely hungry. The littlest of Gods and Immortals needed to nurse after all if they were going to grow up to be big strong Gods. Xena found she had more than enough milk to accommodate them both over the course of the day as they demanded frequent feedings and would eat nothing else.
"What's in your milk?" Hercules asked when he got off his shift.
"Not what you're thinking, it just happened right after you left, but they haven't grown any more since." Xena easily nursed her daughter who wanted milk more frequently than her brother, who didn't mind because that meant his sister usually slept and he got to nurse a little longer than normal if she were up and waiting for him to finish. He had learned that earlier in the morning.
"Well hopefully they won't grow to fast now or we won't get to experience parenthood after all."
"No, Aphrodite said Gods and Immortals don't do newborns, I don't think they're going to grow any faster than normal now." He nodded.
"How often are they nursing?" Hercules asked.
"Elly nurses every hour she's awake and Leo is content to nurse every time she's asleep. I think she fights too many Borg in her sleep." Hercules laughed and kissed Eleanor's forehead before playing with his son. Once Eleanor had contented herself, she crawled to her father and Leo quickly crawled to her. He latched himself on immediately sucking hard and fast.
"Ouch, you my friend are going to have to learn to eat other food if you keep this up," Xena told him in all seriousness. He didn't suck so hard, but he never once slowed down his pace. "Thank you." That night everyone had a birthday party for them in the mess hall as was tradition on Voyager these days and were slightly surprised to see they had grown to be a year old.
"Neelix, I think you had better change the candles!" Kathryn called making everyone laugh. They sang Happy Birthday to them and ate chocolate cake, which immediately turned into their new food source.
"Oh you've gone and done it now Neelix, they're going to want chocolate cake now all the time," Hercules told him. Although it sounded like a joke Xena knew he was serious. That night in front of everybody Miral and Eleanor took their first steps together. That made everyone happy to witness such a blessed event. Leo preferred to take his first steps in private that night with his parents and sister.
"Good morning Neelix," Xena greeted as she led the children by the hand into the mess hall for breakfast.
"Good morning Lieutenant," He greeted. Xena joined B'Elanna and Miral, who had to sit next to Eleanor.
"So we're on for a game of velocity?" B'Elanna asked.
"Yeah."
"I can't believe you got your figure back so fast, I just got mine." Xena grinned.
"Well I suppose this God thing does have its perks." B'Elanna nodded.
"So have you tried anything?" Xena shook her head. I was saving that for the holodecks.
"Ah yes, and I will be the one to see you fail." They laughed.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, B'Elanna encouraging as always."
"Thank you," B'Elanna replied making them laugh. Neelix brought over five bowls filled with a yellow substance that was like syrup.
"Neelix what is this, I asked for oatmeal," B'Elanna told him.
"I know you did Lieutenant and this is it, it took me awhile, but I finally found the old Talaxian recipe."
"Well can you find the Human recipe, this looks like pure glucose." She let it drip from her spoon slowly.
"It is pure glucose."
"Neelix no, humans cannot eat pure sugar," B'Elanna told him. "Its bad for our health." He took it back with a shrug as everyone started to realize what they were eating.
"Oh God thanks Neelix just what I need health issues out here," an Ensign said. Neelix brought out something more appetizing though it wasn't oatmeal.
"Tomorrow I will find the human recipe." They nodded. They ate and at first Eleanor and Leonardo would not touch the food preferring to have chocolate again or even nurse, which Xena and Hercules hadn't indulged their appetite for it however, but finally they relented and began to eat before running off after Naomi, Miral, and Evan for a complete tour of the ship. B'Elanna and Xena went to go play velocity before their shift started in engineering.
"B'Elanna I want you to get started on updating our weapons to match that of the borg."
"Aye Captain, Lieutenant Tudor you're in charge." Xena nodded as B'Elanna hurried out. Xena took over for her to make sure things were running smoothly.
"Lieutenant Tudor, meet Seven of Nine in Astrometrics I want you to two to see if you can find a quicker course through the Delta Quadrant and work on the transwarp drive."
"Yes Captain." She heard the link terminate and turned to Lieutenant Carey who she had surpassed in rank.
"Lieutenant Carey engineering is all yours until B'Elanna and I get back."
"Must you rub it in my face that you took my position?"
"When it comes to you Lieutenant always."
"Harsh Lieutenant, harsh."
"Thanks Lieutenant you always did know how to flatter a girl." She left out. When she arrived in astrometrics, she found Eleanor and Miral in the room. Xena patted both of them on the head before her and Seven began working. Eleanor and Miral climbed up onto the platform watching the screen intently.
"Hmm…this M-Class planet has Dilithium," Xena commented.
"Captain, there's an M-Class planet seven light years from here full of Dilithium. Long range sensors have just picked it up. Lieutenant Tudor has also detected borg ships around the planet."
"Meet me in the briefing room."
"Lieutenant Carey has just informed me there was a strange drop in our Dilithium supplies and then you two detect a planet just loaded with it and surrounded by Borg ships, I don't know about you, isn't it a bit strange?" They all nodded.
"Well whatever caused it we need that Dilithium," B'Elanna told them. "How many Borg ships are we talking?"
"I detected twenty all strategically placed," Xena said going to a screen and showing them. We fly into there we'll be trapped, and we'd have to go out of our way to even get around them, but we're still no guaranteed to miss detection. Seven light years is not very far and they've probably already detected us. I'm guessing from their positioning they knew before we knew."
"Tuvok what do you suggest as tactical officer?"
"Captain it would be useless to go around with so little Dilithium and the chances that we will avoid detection are minimal at best."
"I think if we work fast we can try out the cloaking device."
"What cloaking device?" Kathryn asked.
"Xena and I have been in theory working on a cloaking device."
"We used data I found from the Romulans."
"Found?" Kathryn asked looking at Xena.
"Yes, found," Xena said sticking to her story.
"Well that's good enough for me," Chakotay said.
"Yeah me too," B'Elanna agreed. They had known about it and hadn't told the Captain.
"How do you find data?" Kathryn asked.
"Its like intercepting a message, Captain, it just happens," Seven told her suspecting she hadn't actually found the data. Everyone except Tuvok started to agree that, that was probably how it occurred.
"Lieutenant?"
"That was exactly how it happened Captain, it wasn't too much data, but B'Elanna and I decided to give it a try and if we failed than no one would have their hopes dashed."
"I'm going to let this matter go though I suspect that you didn't find the data as you say."
"Captain there's another M-Class planet point five light years ahead. We can set down there and make the corrections there before proceeding and conserve Dilithium while we do it."
"We'd be sitting ducks, I recommend we come to an all stop in Space and proceed from there."
"Upon reconsidering my first analysis, I concur with Lieutenant Tudor."
"Tom bring Voyager to an all stop, Tuvok I want you to have Security teams in the Delta flyers to watch our backs and warn us ahead of time. Seven take over for B'Elanna in the weapons lab, B'Elanna, Lieutenant get a team and start working on the cloaking device."
"Yes Captain." They all left out.
"Captain do you really think its Q?" Chakotay asked.
"Oh I know it is Chakotay, yesterday we had a very full supply of Dilithium and today we barely have enough to go thirty-five light years."
"Do you think we can get the Dilithium without being detected?"
"Its possible Chakotay, Seven's parents spent years chasing after Borg undetected before their technology malfunctioned."
"Crewman Tudor, what's your status?" Kathryn asked as she paced on the bridge. Xena herself had put the last piece of technology into place and it had been a week.
"There is a lot of Borg activity, they switch places ever six hours and they're sending out constant long range scans, while they have detected us, they're not pursuing. My guess is that they stand a better chance at catching us in their trap rather than come after us."
"Any sign of Q?"
"No ma'am, if he's here we can't detect him on our sensors." All was silent for a moment. "Captain three Borg ships have created a spatial rift and are entering."
"Captain, Three Borg ships have just exited a rift and our coming up behind us," Harry said checking the scanners.
"Tom!" Tom was already starting the starship.
"Hey beam us back in before you go to warp!" Xena yelled.
"Sorry," Tom told her. "Transporter Room one beam Lieutenant Tudor and team back on board you have three seconds."
"They're all safe Lieutenant." Tom took off and soon B'Elanna and Xena arrived on the bridge just as Captain Janeway was ordering the Delta Flyers to return.
"Excuse me Harry," Xena told him. He nodded and moved. "Captain if we can't risk uncloaking closer to the other Borg ships, perhaps if I reconfigure the transporters I can get the Delta Flyer and its crew into the docking bay."
"Go ahead." Xena nodded. Eleanor and Miral quietly entered the Bridge and sat in Kathryn's seat she nearly sat on them.
"What are you two doing in here?" Kathryn asked erasing all anxiety from her face.
"We command ship," Eleanor told her. Kathryn had to smile.
"The seat is all yours any other time, but not today, why not take over the ready room." Eleanor nodded and got down with Miral following.
"Those two are weird, so quiet," Chakotay commented. Kathryn nodded.
"I have a lock. Engergizing."
"We're in the docking zone," Hercules said over his commbadge."
"Initiating first system," B'Elanna said.
"Initiating second system." From the back forward the ship began to disappear.
"Xena, did you finish putting on the HDF sensors?"
"Your team was supposed to put the Human Dampening Field sensors up."
"On the left side."
"I gave my teams orders in advance, so if we were supposed to do the right it got done." She did something. "Well that's just great."
"What?" Kathryn asked.
"My team was either right in the middle or didn't tighten the bolts, but the moment we went warp they ripped off. Half our crew can be detected and the Borg will fire at the life signs. If they hit our shields we'll be reveal however brief."
"Maybe we can set them up inside on that side of the ship."
"Not a bad idea, simple calculations and we can do that."
"One of you stay here and the other go."
"I'm on it," B'Elanna said rushing out. Xena gave Harry back his station and she took B'Elanna's.
"Why aren't the Borg firing?" Kathryn asked.
"They're driving us towards the others," Xena said as she looked at the screen of the three Borg vessels still following them on their tail. Kathryn looked at the Borg ships.
"Mr. Tuvok full torpedo spread."
"Yes, Captain." They watched modifying the torpedos to match their shield frequency.
"Resistance is futile!" They heard even as one of their ships was destroyed.
"Not in this case," Kathryn muttered as Xena began to activate the sensors, the life signs began to disappear and they broke off their pursuit in confusion. Xena grinned.
"Now to get that Dilithium," Kathryn said to Chakotay who nodded. B'Elanna returned.
"Captain the planet is a trick, Seven just picked up that it is a Demon class planet its all a trick, but we're really low on Dilithium. We'll have to continue on thrusters at some point and hope for a supply. Kathryn nodded.
"Go straight through them Mr. Paris." Tom nodded.
"Warp nine."
"I wouldn't recommend warp nine Captain, Warp Seven if we want to make thirty-five light years." She nodded to Tom who nodded as well and they were gone.
"I've put out constant scans, and there's nothing Captain."
"Where is Lieutenant Tudor?" Kathryn asked as she sighed and looked at her staff.
"She and Crewman Tudor are currently in the cargo bay one trying to produce as much Dilithium as they possibly can," Tuvok told her.
"They're going to burn themselves out for a few days at this rate," B'Elanna said. "I had better go stop them." Kathryn nodded.
"I'm coming with you." Five minutes later they entered the cargo bay to find that both Hercules and Xena were already tapped out Eleanor, Miral, Evan, and Leonardo were watching them as well as Naomi and Icheb even.
"I need to sit down," Xena said landing on her bottom and putting her head between her legs. She was feeling very queasy at the moment and Hercules followed suit.
"Captain, you'll be happy to know that before they were burnt out they managed to make twenty gallons each before they became weak and together got another fifteen, we now have fifty-five gallons."
"Icheb it looks like more than that is in here."
"Oh I forgot to mention they're huge crystals that are about the size of the containers so I figure it's a gallon though really I can't think in terms of liquid in this case, no telling how many smaller crystals we can cut down from them for our use." Kathryn nodded and held up her hand as she went to a barrel.
"B'Elanna can we cut these down to size."
"Yes Captain we have the technology." She nodded.
"Are you two all right?"
"We'll be fine, I'm feeling better all ready though the use of our powers will be gone for a while."
"You two get some rest, B'Elanna get these cut down."
"Yes, Captain." Xena merely stayed where she was and watched them cut down the crystals in the cargo bay. Eleanor and Miral sat beside her watching intently.
"Girls don't forget you have to make the first cut straight down with the laser on setting .0001 you want a very fine and cut," Xena told them.
"You also have to pay close attention, the cuts are so fine you won't see them until they fall apart and she can't uncut so you have to make sure you don't make the wrong cut," B'Elanna told them as they nodded. When it was all said and done they had enough Dilithium, but eventually they would need more. After they had replenished their supply in the warp corp they retired for the night until their next shift.
"No," Xena told Hercules when he tried to start something more.
"What's wrong Xena, why have you been shunning me its fine now?"
"I know that Hercules, but I can't until Ares has given up his pursuit in hurting the other people on this ship, I'm just on edge, they may as well be Eleanor and Leonardo. As if she had called them they both sat up in their beds. Eleanor climbed out of her crib followed by Leonardo. They pulled on the covers.
"I think you woke them."
"And that's another reason," Xena told him as she lifted Eleanor into the bed and he pulled up their son. Eleanor easily nursed while they both laid down.
"I thought you had weaned yourself this morning," Hercules said to Eleanor.
"No, they both show up for random feedings though they have broadened their diet." Eleanor nursed until she was content to sleep through the night and Leonardo slept while she nursed, but woke up immediately to nurse himself to sleep and satisfy his hunger. Xena had to sit up with him because of his powerful sucking.
