Fifteen

Everything will change
Nothing stays the same
Nobody here is perfect
and everyone's to blame

In My Veins – Andrew Belle

They put down turf next, laying it around the trees in a wide strip. Neelix had somehow pulled together a work party, three of his neighbours from the same block whom he delicately described as 'semi-retired'. Their enthusiasm didn't quite match Neelix's, at least at first, but their spirits were vastly improved when Tom brought them all fresh coffee.

"Looks like your magic might finally be working," he muttered to Kathryn quietly, as they all took a caffeine break in the warming morning air.

Kathryn grinned. "Not my doing. I'd say we're lucky Neelix decided to get involved. He obviously knows his way around this area. Listen – I'll tell him this too – but make sure to leave the side with no trees free of turf too, OK?"

Tom glanced behind them at the wire wall that housed the gate. "Why? What have you got planned?"

Kathryn shrugged. "Not sure yet. It may be nothing. But we'll wait and see."

Tom raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Ah ha. I see. Like that is it? Magic and mystery. It's all go when Kathryn Janeway's around."

She laughed at this absurdity and then glanced up to see him smiling at her. "What?"

He shrugged. "It's just nice, that's all."

"What is?"

"Seeing you happy."

Kathryn was surprised. She hadn't been aware Tom took any notice of her emotional state.

Tom smiled again and took another mouthful of coffee. "I've noticed it now and then lately. It's good. I like to see you this way. You deserve it."

She looked down into her coffee mug, oddly touched and not quite sure how to respond. "Achieving something – getting somewhere – always helps, doesn't it?" She looked up at him again, raising an eyebrow. "I get the sense you might have noticed that lately, too."

Tom nodded, looking around at the site. It was taking on shape now, form where before there had only been space. "Yeah," he said, quietly. "It's this place. I didn't really get where you were coming from at first, but now – now I do. I want it to work, and you know what? I really think it might."

Kathryn smiled. "Well, there you go," she said. "Now I guess you know what's been making me happy lately."

He turned to her and she was again surprised, this time by the serious look in Tom's eye. "It's not just this place though, is it? I mean, that's part of it… but it's not just work that's making you smile at the moment. Is it?"

She stared at him, trying to work out what he meant. "What do you mean?"

Tom regarded her for another second and then shook his head with a smile, gulping the last of his coffee. "Well… I figure planning the wedding probably has something to do with it too, right?"

"Oh!" Kathryn said and then stopped, realising that, not for the first time, she'd completely forgotten about her coming 'big day'. Then she remembered that she should have called the caterer she and Mark had been discussing when they'd last Skyped. She should have done that two days ago. It would take a miracle for them to be available as it was and every day she delayed made it ever more likely that they'd booked solid. She sighed and then frowned, feeling a headache beginning to settle across her brow.

Tom was still watching her. "Everything all right?" he asked.

"Yes, fine," she said, waving a hand and settling her empty mug back on the tray. "Just something you reminded me about. I'll sort it out later. Let's get back to work before Neelix and his friends think we're terrible slackers."

The grass looked wonderful beneath the trees, even in its just-laid state. It was early afternoon by the time they'd finished. The six of them stood back and regarded their work with pride.

"It's going to take a lot of looking after, Neelix, especially at first," Kathryn said. "Think you're up to organising a rota? I can get you a site key cut so you'll have access at any time."

Neelix beamed. "Leave it to me, Ms Janeway. We'll take care of it. Won't we?" he said, addressing his neighbours. There was a general murmuring of tired but encouragingly enthusiastic assent.

There came the sound of soft footsteps scuffing across the bare earth behind them. Kathryn turned to see a tall Latino man making his way in their direction. He looked at least seventy, his face lined with the passage of years, his hair burning silver in the shine from the afternoon sun. His face was stern and Kathryn felt her heart sank. She braced herself for a fight, although what she could have done to provoke one she wasn't sure. She offered a smile but raised her chin, waiting for the onslaught.

"Hello sir," she said, when he was close enough. "What can I-"

He cut her off, speaking in rapid Spanish as he gesticulated at the trees and the turf behind them.

Kathryn held up her hands, trying to stem the flow. "I'm sorry," she said, "But please slow down, I can't-"

He paused for a moment, eyeing her, then started again just as rapidly, this time accompanying his speech with shapes that he sketched in the air with his hands, low to the ground.

"Tom? Neelix?" Kathryn asked. "Any of you? My Spanish isn't up to scratch-"

"He's saying that benches would look good beneath the trees," volunteered another voice, emanating from behind him. "You know, for people to sit on."

B'Elanna Torres appeared from the man's shadow, dressed in her customary skinny jeans and black t-shirt, her hands deep in her pockets. She glanced up at the man, giving him a nod.

"He says he used to be a carpenter. He's offering to make them for you, if you can find him the wood to use. He still has his old tools, but he can't afford to buy the wood himself."

The man nodded and spoke again for another moment.

"Reclaimed would be best," B'Elanna translated. "Better for the environment to re-use old wood. Find him some hard wood that he can treat so that the benches will last a long time. The trees will grow over them. It will be beautiful, he says."

For a moment Kathryn could do nothing but smile. "That's a wonderful offer," she said, stepping forward and reaching out grasping the man's hand in sudden and abject gratitude. He finally smiled back as he clasped her hand in his and B'Elanna translated her words into Spanish for him. "And such a beautiful idea," Kathryn added. "Thank you so much, Mr-?"

"Franco," he said, and then added in English, "I am Franco. And you are?"

"Mucho gusto, Franco," Kathryn smiled. "Me llamo Kathryn. Um… lo siento si mi español sea malo…"

Franco laughed, a low, rumbling growl. "We get by, eh? I-" he waved his hand in the direction of the gate and then back towards the group again, before squiggling a line in the air with one finger and raising an eyebrow at B'Elanna. "El diseño?"

"I think he's going to do some designs," B'Elanna supplied.

"OK," Kathryn said, as Franco began to walk back across the earth towards the gate. "Wonderful. Thank you!" He waved a hand over his head in goodbye.

There was a brief silence as the group watched Franco leave.

"Thank you, B'Elanna," Kathryn said, after a moment. "It was good of you to help."

The girl shrugged. "Next time I won't be here."

"No, but as Franco said – we'll get by."

B'Elanna looked past her at the trees and the grass. "He's right. Benches will look good."

"They will," Kathryn agreed. "Tom, think you can take on finding the wood for Franco to use?"

Tom nodded. "Sure. I'll get on it first thing tomorrow."

"I think we're going to take a break, Ms Janeway," Neelix said. "Is that all right?"

"Of course it is. Thank you all, so much," she said, addressing the group. "I'm so glad you were here – we couldn't have done it without you all. Actually, we really wouldn't have wanted to do it without you."

"We'll be back," Neelix told her, "you can be sure of that."

"Kathryn, there are a few calls I need to take for the deliveries we're expecting tomorrow. I'm going to head inside," Tom said. "I'll organise us some lunch, too. B'Elanna? Shall I get something for you?"

B'Elanna looked surprised. "Oh – you don't have to do that."

"That depends on what brought you here today and whether you're staying around for a while," Kathryn pointed out, turning to pick up two of the spades the group had been using. "If you're staying, you've got to eat."

B'Elanna shrugged. "Coach said I should talk to you. About some gala thing. I've got a free class this period, so…"

Kathryn straightened up and pushed the hair out of her eyes, glancing over at Tom. "Get B'Elanna something too," she told him.

Tom grinned and took the tools from her. "Don't get too excited," he said to Torres. "We live on Subway. Anything you don't eat?"

B'Elanna shrugged. "I'm not fussy."

Tom waggled his eyebrows at her as he passed. "There's hope for me yet, then."

Kathryn shook her head but couldn't help smiling as she and B'Elanna watched him leave.

"He's such an idiot," the girl muttered.

"Aren't they all?" Kathryn asked and then smiled again as B'Elanna turned towards her with a surprised look on her face. "Tom's one of the good ones, though. His heart's in the right place. And he's got a lot of faith in you."

B'Elanna dropped her head and pushed the toe of one battered trainer into the dirt. "Yeah. Dunno why. He doesn't even know me."

Kathryn looked at the top of the girl's dark head for a second, then began to collect the rest of the tools. A moment later Torres began to help.

"I'm keeping room for your water reclamation unit," Kathryn told her, nodding across the site to the empty length of fence. "I'm not sure how much room you need, but I thought it best to err on the side of caution, or at least try to. Think that'll be enough space?"

Torres turned to look at the area Kathryn had indicated, a frown settling on her face. "But it's just an idea," she said. "It's nothing. It probably won't even work. And even if it did, how would I build it? I don't even know where to start."

Janeway leaned her weight on one of the spades, its blade pushing down into the earth. "Well, let's start with the assumption that it will work and that we can build it. Then it's just a case of working out how to get there."

B'Elanna smirked. "Positive thinking? That's your big master plan?"

"Call it determination, call it positive thinking, call it pig-headedness – call it whatever you like," said Kathryn. "But add whatever it is to coffee and together they've got me through a lot. I choose to believe that you've hit on a brilliant idea that just needs application, funding and maybe a champion or two… or three. You've already got the latter in Tom, Chakotay and me. So how about you and I have a go at finding a way of sorting out the first two before we just throw in the towel, OK?"

B'Elanna regarded her for a moment before nodding.

"Good," said Kathryn, straightening up and tugging the spade out of the ground. "Then let's get to it. We've got two weeks to get a decent presentation together. We'll start by talking to an old friend of mine. It's not strictly his specialism, but he's a scientist so he'll probably have some idea of where to begin. And then-"

"Ms Janeway," B'Elanna interrupted.

Kathryn stopped. "Yes?"

An awkward look passed through the girl's face. She shrugged. "Why are you putting time into this? Into… me? After-" she broke off. "Well. You know."

Kathryn rested a hand on B'Elanna's shoulder. "We all make mistakes," she said, softly. "I know that as well as anyone. You pointed out a couple of my most recent to me."

The girl shifted uncomfortably. "I didn't mean-"

"The point is," Kathryn told her, "we all end up in a hole at some point or other. I'm not saying I know the way out; I'm just saying we're in this one together. All right?"

B'Elanna nodded. "All right."

"Good. Now let's see if Tom's found us some lunch, shall we?"

[TBC]