Kathryn's eyelids fluttered open as she recognized the starkness of Voyager's sick bay. The last thing she remembered was the transporter beginning to envelop her in its golden light. Immediately, she had sensed the trouble it had in trying to grasp her new molecular pattern. Kathryn felt like she was being pulled apart piece by piece and she knew she had to abort the transport to preserve her physical self.

As she tried to wrest her molecules from the beam and realign them back into the semblance of her human figure, she felt a mental and physical exhaustion she hadn't felt since her death. Making one final effort at cohesion, she focused on transporting literally every last piece of herself to sickbay on her own and prayed she'd make it.

She surmised she had been successful as she moved her arms, legs, and the rest of her body. It all seemed to be connected as it should be. The hum of a warm medical field ceased and its warmth drained away as the Doctor popped into her view.

"Good Evening, Admiral. It's good to have you back- in every sense of that word."

"Doctor." Kathryn raised her hand and took his. "It's good to see you."

"To feel me too, I would imagine. I may be a lowly hologram compared to your current makeup but I would be willing to share my experiences and lend you some ideas to enhance yourself. Your work is not bad."

"What?" Kathryn's hand dropped to her face as she fingered her mouth and lips. "Oh, you mean my physical appearance."

"Yes, it's very impressive. But, I strongly suggest you get rid of it. Sickbay to the Captain."

"What?" Kathryn asked.

"Chakotay here, Doctor. Is she awake?"

"Yes, for now."

"What does that mean?" Kathryn asked.

"On my way."

The Doctor picked up a medical tricorder from the side table and waved it over her. "It means that unless you tell me differently I don't think you can maintain this physical state. At the current rate of cellular decay, this body will decompose in 24-48 hours depending on your level of exercise. I don't recommend any."

Kathryn pulled herself up and swept the blanket away as she dangled her bare legs off the side of the bed. She noticed she had been redressed in the familiar sickbay gown. "Are you telling me I'm dying, Doctor?"

"Yes. Again. However, since you've already done it, I really don't think you should be too upset about it."

Kathryn smiled and tossed her long hair back. She had missed his dry wit and sarcasm. It made her feel almost human to hear his no nonsense bedside manner just as if she were a regular member of the crew again.

The Doctor greeted Chakotay as he entered. He went straight for Kathryn and took her hands in his. "You're back."

"Yes." Kathryn said. "But, the Doctor thinks it won't be for long."

"What?" Chakotay turned to the Doctor for an answer. "Why?"

The Doctor finished evaluating his latest scan and said, "Her cellular structure is still breaking down. She doesn't appear to have the energy to maintain her physical appearance for much longer even with my help. I'd give her a day, maybe two, but that's all I would count on. As I said before, Captain, she is trying to maintain an unnatural form and it's killing her."

"What can we do?" he asked.

"We can do nothing. And I don't think she should do anything either," the Doctor replied. "In fact, I think she should stop doing all together."

Chakotay ran his hands up Kathryn's arms and rested them on her shoulders willing her body to maintain itself. Her worried eyes search his. "But if she stops holding onto this form, what happens?"

"She'll most likely revert back to her normal state. If that's some form of energy, then that's what she'll become."

Chakotay knelt down. "Has this happened to you before? Do we need to take you somewhere or do something to regenerate this process for you?"

Kathryn shook her head. "No. I've always had my body for as long as I wanted to. It's never been an issue for me." Kathryn raised a hand to his forehead. "Maybe it's because I've come back to Voyager. Maybe there is something here that's interfering with my ability to keep it together so to speak. Or maybe it's because I left the Q."

"Well, you're not going back. Doctor?"

"I would need to know more about what she is actually doing to answer that. How are you forming it?"

Kathryn pursed her lips for a moment and said, "I take the basic elements, realign them with the pattern of my former DNA structure and manifest them into an exact replica of what I remember my body to be. With a few modifications for aesthetics, of course." She smiled and said, "I guess I think. Therefore, I am."

"An ancient and crude and utterly human description of yourself. Really Kathy, you must expand your new mind and aim higher."

Chakotay shot up as Q flashed next to the bed behind Kathryn. The red alert klaxon sounded as Q leaned down to whisper in Kathryn's ear. "Let's see if we can help you kick it up a notch, shall we?"

Chakotay pulled his phaser and yanked Kathryn off the bed as a security team raced into sickbay carrying their compression rifles. All weapons aimed at Q who stepped back and put a hand to his chest. "I am honored. You finally got it right, Kemo Sabe. A welcome worthy of a Q. Of course, I would have expected more of a celebration than this primitive show of aggression but I'll take it."

Chakotay glanced down at Kathryn who was rubbing at bruises that had begun to form after he pulled her to the floor. "Doctor, get her into your office now and seal the door. Don't come out until I tell you to. Computer, silence auditory red alert warnings." The Doctor shepherded Kathryn into his office as Chakotay said, "Q, this is your last warning. Get off my ship!"

Q held up both hands and said, "I surrender, Kemo Sabe. I surrender to your tribe. In fact, I formally request asylum. Kathy was good enough to give it to Q once. I now demand the same for myself."

"Denied!" Chakotay growled. "Now get off my ship and go back to the Continuum and tell them to back off!"

Q put his hands on his hips. "That's not fair! I know your precious Starfleet regulations say that I have to be granted a trial first. I have a right to counsel. You can't just summarily dismiss me and my request. I demand to see the Vulcan!"

Chakotay leaned over the bed towards him and pushed the phaser at him. "Belanna modified these weapons just for you, Q. We've been meaning to try them out but we didn't have a Q handy to play guinea pig. Since you've decided to stay and make yourself readily available, let's see how good they really are."

Q scoffed. "You can't bluff me. You are dealing with a master of trickery."

Chakotay smirked and lowered his weapon. Glancing behind, he nodded at the security team to keep their weapons trained on Q. "It's good to hear you finally admit your deception. But before you dismiss us and these as ineffective I think you should know that we kept a few mementos from our last trip to the Continuum. Q equipped us with your weapons when we saved you and Kathryn from your civil war, remember?"

Q's eyes followed the phaser in Chakotay's hand as it rose again. He stepped back and raised his hands, higher this time, into the air. "Well, if that isn't just like a woman. They say women will be the death of you but you never really believe it, do you? Put to death by evil feminine wiles. I'm sure my own is working her bewitchment on the Continuum right now. We should all be dead within the week."

Chakotay cradled his phaser. "Your Q is at the Continuum? You turned her in?"

"Of course I did! I was assigned a task and I completed it. A feather for me, Kemo Sabe."

"And now you've come to collect your second one by killing Kathryn?"

Q dropped his hands in disgust. "Does Starfleet not train you people in the art of proper communication? All these wars you have all over the galaxy. It's no wonder other species don't like you. It's a very poor education if you ask me. I'm not impressed." Q pointed. "Once again, I am here to help. Fight the good fight! Save Kathy from another tragic and unspeakable death. I'm sure she's told you by now it's really no fun to die."

Chakotay eyed him. "You're here to finish the job."

Q took a few steps and stopped as Chakotay and the security team re-trained their weapons. "Okay, I admit I may have had ulterior motives in the past but I have never lied to you."

"You lie by omission, Q. What are you hiding from us now?"

Q looked at the office window. He saw the Doctor standing beside Kathryn as they both watched. "Kathy, I really do want to help. Q admitted to me that she initially took you to make me suffer. She wanted me to watch you die by her own hands because she was jealous. She knows you and I share a past."

Chakotay shoved a security member in front of the window. "Doctor, get her away from there!" To the security member, he said, "If he takes one step in your direction, shoot what's left of him."

Kathryn stepped away and tried to move towards the door but the Doctor stopped her and shook his head. Covering the view, he said, "You can't go out there."

"I have to. I can stop this. It needs to end now. I should never have come back. It was selfish." She swallowed and took a deep breath as she moved her bare feet across the smooth floor.

The Doctor blocked her. "Admiral, you can't do this. I will not allow it. There will be no bloodshed in my sickbay!"

Kathryn shrugged. "Doctor, I'm dead. I'm not an Admiral anymore and I have no duty. And since, I'm going to be gone again in 24 hours, you really need to get out of my way." She waited.

The Doctor finally nodded and said, "Okay, I won't stop you. The Captain will have my program decompiled and I will never see that stage or be lauded for my recent accomplishments but then we all have our disappointments in life."

Kathryn cocked her head. "Doctor, you look…almost sad. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were preparing to grieve for me."

He smiled. "I already did. And I will again if you go out there."

Kathryn's eyes filled with tears as she cupped his face. Standing on her tip toes, she brushed his cheek with her lips. "Look at us. Two life forms crying over one another and neither one of us is human."

The Doctor looked wistful and said, "And yet another topic for another paper that I will never have the privilege of preparing and presenting to my peers. Perhaps, I'll have the Captain allow me a few personal log entries before he pushes 'Delete'."

Kathryn tapped his cheek and pushed him back. "I've missed you and your dramatics. I promise I'll try and put in a good word for you with my last breath."

"Thank you. It's the least you can do." He walked back to his desk and sat down. "Computer, access personal log of the Chief EMH. Oh, and drop the force field around the office."

Kathryn mouthed a thank you and took another deep breath to steady herself. It had been a long time since she had felt like this. The last was at her first death. She felt her adrenaline surge as the door swished open and she stepped outside.

The security team moved towards her and Chakotay glanced back. "Kathryn, get inside! Doctor!"

"No." Kathryn held up her hands and stepped around the security team towards Chakotay and Q. "This ends now. I won't have you and Q tearing up this ship over me. You want me, Q? You can have me."

Q smiled. "Oh Kathy, how I wish you had said those words when you and I…"

Kathryn waved him off. "Please spare me your undying love speech. You can kill me now. Or, you can wait. According to the Doctor, I'll be gone in a day or two anyway." She paused as Q remained silent. "Well, I guess you and the Continuum already knew that. That's why you haven't attacked this ship yet, isn't it? Just letting nature take its course and you won't have to dirty your hands?"

Q cast a glance at Chakotay who still had his phaser trained on him. Putting his hand out, he took a few steps toward Kathryn.

"Don't do it, Q," Chakotay said.

Q stopped. "If I don't touch her, I can't help her. I would think this is one time you would want me to lay my hands on her."

"If you can do something for her, you can do it from there," Chakotay said.

"Oh, Kemo Sabe, may I?" Q said.

"I don't need your help," Kathryn said. "When I lose my body, I'll just revert back to what I was before."

Q gave her a look. "Do you really want to do that? Because, if you do, the natural cycle of death for your species will resume and you will cease to exist. Never to return."

Kathryn felt her breath catch. Q's confirmation that having a Q by her side as necessary for survival hit hard. She could never stay on Voyager or with Chakotay alone. "Then I guess that's what will happen." She looked back at Chakotay whose face was alternating between anger and grief. "It's long overdue anyway."

"Kathryn, no," Chakotay said.

"It doesn't have to end, you know," Q said. "You could stay…with me."

Kathryn forced herself to turn away from Chakotay and returned her attention back to Q. "I don't want to stay with you, Q. I don't trust you. You interfered in my life and now you've interfered in my death. Both times, the Continuum has threatened to execute me." Kathryn walked closer. "Even I did, what could possibly be in it for you? And what makes you think you have any sway with the Continuum's decisions?"

Q sighed. "Kathy, I know I have not been the most upstanding Q. But what's done is done. The past is the past! I am a new Q! I am a parent! I am an example. To him and now to you. All of the Qs are. We created you. You are our child!" He waved at hand at Chakotay and the security team. "The Q are above emulating these lower bloodthirsty species. The Q do not kill. The Q evolve. They know that as well as I do. I just had to remind them of their innate reason for being. It's the reason you still exist. Q smirked and said, "How's that for sway?"

Kathryn raised her chin and said, "So your gift for speech has given the Continuum an altruistic interest in me, then what's yours?"

Q shifted. "Well, I admit there is a tiny bit of personal satisfaction for me there. I've spent most of my existence keeping the Continuum on their toes. You're an excellent way to keep doing that and a unique one too. And Q wanted to make my life miserable by keeping you here. Well, she should be more careful about what she wants. As if she could ever outdo me. Only I know how truly miserable misery can be, especially when the tables are turned and the payback is so deserved."

"So, you are going to use me to aggravate the Continuum and your girlfriend at the same time." Kathryn shook her head. "I'm not interested in being an irritant between you and the Continuum, Q, or in your eternal lovers' spats."

"You won't be," Q replied. "Our relationship is over. My presence here is proof of that. And your existence will make sure it stays that way. It will also save your life. Take you off the endangered species list. As long as I agree to look after you and your growing capabilities, there is no reason why it's not the perfect solution to this ugly little situation. And Kathy, I can assure you that you'll never want for anything in my arms! You and I will travel the cosmos together!"

"No," Chakotay said. "You're not taking her anywhere."

Q crossed his arms and looked at him. "Well, that's not really your call now is it, Kemo Sabe?"

Chakotay grabbed Kathryn's arm as she stood beside him. "Kathryn," Chakotay repositioned his grip on his phaser. "You can't trust him. The Qs live by their own personal whims. Their agendas come first not you. The Doctor, Belanna, all of us will figure out the physical stuff. You can't go with him and leave us. What happens when they get bored and want to move on again? What's to stop one of them from one day snapping their fingers and…getting rid of you?" Chakotay's desperate eyes met hers. "Please," he said. "Don't go. Stay with us. Stay with me."

Kathryn held Chakotay's gaze for several moments before she turned to Q who watched expressionless. She scanned the room. They were all here for her. The security team was still poised to protect her with Chakotay in front leading the charge. She looked up at the flashing red alert still signaling throughout the ship to the entire crew. She knew what she had to do. Brushing a stray tear from her cheek, she whispered, "I have to. I have to end this. It's not right. I'm sorry, Chakotay."

"No!"

Kathryn pulled herself from his grasp and threw herself against Q knocking him to the ground. Weapons fire flew over their heads as she and Q rolled across the floor, their limbs entangling.

"Get us out of here, now," Kathryn demanded.

"Dearest Kathy," Q said as he ran a finger to sweep a stray hair away from her eyes. "You won't regret this."

Kathryn's voice shook as she said, "I already do."