The away team waited near the Delta Flyer for the last member of their collection team to come out of the dilithum laced caves. They were set to rendezvous back at the flyer nearly ten minutes ago and were due to return to Voyager within the next thirty. A slow growl came from the young Human-Klingon chief engineer as she looked back at the others who were loading their mined crystals onto the shuttle.
"Where the hell is Delvine?" B'Elanna grunted as she looked over at Tom Paris. The Delta Flyer's pilot and B'Elanna's husband just shook his sandy blonde head. "If we're late for our return I swear he'll be scrubbing conduits with q-tips for a month." She growled. "Doesn't he realize I have a kid to get home too?"
"Shall I return to the caves and look for him?" Vorik asked as he carefully came up behind his CO.
B'Elanna was just about to say yes when she spotted a dark haired man pulling a collection canister behind him. She watched as the man struggle with the small crate and rolled her eyes as she signaled Vorik to go and help him. She stood there, her dark eyes never leaving the young officer, and waited until they had the last crate loaded onto the shuttle.
"Your late, Ensign." She scolded through gritted teeth.
The young man looked more like he'd just gone wild targ hunting rather then collecting dilithum crystals. "I'm sorry, Lieutenant."
"If we're late getting back to Voyager, Ensign Delvine, you will be right along side me explaining to the Captain why." B'Elanna barked at him. It took everything in her power not to smack the young man in the back of his head.
"Yes Ma'am." Delvine replied as he looked at the tops of his boots.
Again B'Elanna rolled her eyes. "Alright everyone on the damn shuttle."
The trip back to Voyager was a quiet one. No one was willing to say a word while B'Elanna was in one of her cranky moods. The engineering crew had thought that after having a baby and spending a whole month on parental leave that the brash lieutenant would come back a little more mellow. She hadn't. She'd come back just as brazen as she'd been before the birth of her daughter.
The Delta Flyer docked with three minutes remaining on the clock. A feat done solely because Tom flew like a mad man. The tension on the shuttle was too much for him to take and he couldn't wait to get back on the bridge to finish his shift. After this assignment he felt he really needed that hour on the holodeck with Harry, which he was planning on sneaking in before having to pick Miral from Neelix.
Captain Janeway turned away from the Astrometrics report she was reading when she heard the turbo lift doors open. She couldn't help but smirk a little as she took in the look on Tom's face. Mining missions always came back with some pretty interesting stories. "I trust all went well, Mister Paris?"
Tom nodded as he took the helm with a sigh of relief. "Yeap, we got what we needed and managed to make it out fairly easy. Though I wouldn't want to be Delvine right now."
Janeway's brow frowned as she thought about the young engineering ensign who still seemed awkward in his own skin, and certainly in his uniform. She sighed inwardly and decided to wait for B'Elanna's official report before looking into ways to get the young man on track yet again. "Seems like we're done here, Mister Paris. Get us back on course, warp six."
"Aye Ma'am." Tom replied as he turned the ship towards the Alpha quadrant and engaged the warp engines.
Ensign Delvine stood near B'Elanna's desk while she chewed him out over getting spilt from Vorik, for not reporting in, and for returning to the shuttle late. He couldn't look at his CO so his gaze remained attached to the top of her desk.
"This isn't the first time I've had to remind you of things you should have learned in your first year at the academy, Ensign." B'Elanna scolded.
Delvine nodded but knew not to reply.
B'Elanna sighed in frustration. "One more mess up Mister Delvine and I'll have you reassigned to cleaning the pots and pans in the mess hall. For now you're going to be buddied up with Ensign Mahoney." For a moment when he looked up at her, meeting her eyes, B'Elanna thought she saw a flash of outrage but of course the young man didn't say anything. He merely nodded. "Am I understood?" She asked wanting a verbal answer.
"Yes Lieutenant." He replied in tight voice.
"Good now go help Mahoney and Vorik with those crystals." B'Elanna told him as she flicked her hand towards the door of her office.
The mess hall was just starting to hum with the pre-dinner buzz which made it the perfect time to steal away a cup of coffee and some down time with the two most perfect babies anyone had ever seen. Of course this was coming from the mother to one and godmother to the other, but Janeway wasn't being a bit bias.
"I'm so glad that the Doctor was able to make this into an actual blanket." Janeway said as she picked up her daughter's blanket, formally one of Seven's body suits, and placed it over the lap of the now ten-month-old child.
Neelix chuckled as he cradled a four-month-old Miral in his arms. "He downloaded a 'how to sew' program as part of his how to care for infants subroutine."
This time Janeway laughed, and then sat there watching the Talaxian as he held the smaller of the two children, while at the same time making strange noises and faces that made the child who sat next to her laugh. "Neelix have we told you how much we appreciate you adding nanny to your list of duties?" Janeway asked just Gretchen's blanket hit the floor again. The tiny redhead's favorite game these days was seeing how many times she could get her grown ups to pick up her things when she drops them.
Neelix smiled. "Only a few times, Captain, but who am I to turn down a kind word." He stood up slowly the smile on his face never fading. "I should finish dinner before the first rush comes in. Captain, would you mind?"
Janeway looked up from Gretchen's cooing face, and smiled as she reached out the hand not keeping her daughter secured to the sofa. "Go ahead, Neelix, I think I can handle them both until Tom arrives."
"Thank you, Captain." Neelix said as he handed the infant to the Captain. He walked over to the kitchen quickly and watched the mighty Captain Janeway playing with the youngest members of her crew. The sight never ceased to amaze him.
Tom rushed into the mess hall and quickly looked around as he caught his breath. Of all the days to be late in picking up his daughter, B'Elanna was going to kill him. Tom relaxed a little when his eyes fell on the sight of Captain Janeway holding Miral in her arms while Gretchen leaned against her chewing on her puffy cloth padd toy.
"Captain." Tom said breathlessly as he approached.
Janeway looked up and smiled. "Did you finish your Captain Proton chapter, Tom?"
Tom looked dumbfounded for a moment. He hadn't told anyone he was going to the holodeck let alone which program he and Harry were going to run, but after all this time he guessed it wasn't much of a leap to come to that conclusion. "Sure did, sorry I'm late."
"Not a problem, Tom. I completely understand the need for a little down time." Janeway said as she handed the young man his daughter. "I was actually thinking of doing the same. It's been awhile since I've visited Fair Haven." Or perhaps she'd spend some time with the Maestro.
Tom gave her his best boyish smile. "Well if you need a sitter you know where I live." He made a funny face as he leaned down towards Gretchen who laughed as he blew a raspberry on her forehead. After shouting his thanks to Neelix as he picked up Miral's bag. "I'd better get her home before B'Elanna. She hasn't had the best of days."
Janeway watched as Tom and Miral hurried out of the room and once again found her self thinking of the young ensign he had mentioned before. She thought B'Elanna's idea of partnering him up was good, but maybe she would recommend a reevaluation of his placement. Perhaps there was a better area for him to serve in.
The thoughts of her crewmen were quickly interrupted by an ear-ringing squeal. "Are you trying to get my attention?" Janeway asked as she picked up the tiny girl and placed her in her lap. The child responded by smiling up at her before snuggling into her mother's arms and yawning. "Mo-mo." Gretchen said as she snuggled.
Gretchen was nearly asleep but then was suddenly wide-awake and smiling. She clapped her hands together as she announced, "Mama!"
Sure enough several seconds later the mess hall's door swished open and Seven of Nine walked in. Janeway laughed at the child's reaction to Seven's approach and entrance, which caused Seven's left brow to head skyward.
"My entrance is amazing to you?" Seven asked as she walked towards her partner and their child.
Janeway laughed a little more and then shook her head. "No, but Gretchen's reaction was. She was nearly asleep until heard you coming."
Seven sat beside Janeway and looked the child over. "Good. It is not time for her nap. She has yet to have her afternoon meal."
Janeway and Seven remained in the cozy corner of the mess hall attempting to eat their own dinners while getting more of the freshly puréed baby food Neelix had made for Gretchen into the child's mouth then on her clothes.
"Perhaps a bath is in order." Seven said with hidden amusement shining in her icy blue eyes. "And a change of uniform before you return to the bridge."
Janeway looked down at the mess they'd managed to make and laughed. "Good idea." She replied as she handed Gretchen to Seven. She tried to clean up quickly but Neelix told her he would take care of the rest.
After a quick uniform change and two stolen kisses, one on the cheek of her daughter and the other on the lips of her lover, Captain Janeway headed back to the bridge. She'd barely made it into her chair when Harry's voice called out.
"Captain, I'm picking up a shuttle craft and I believe it's trying to hail us."
"Can you identify the craft, Ensign?" Janeway asked as she looked over at the display next to her chair.
Harry looked over his scans and readouts before answering, "It appears to be a scout shuttle of some type."
"Try and get a better connection, Harry, and put the hail through." Janeway ordered.
Harry nodded and went right to work. "Aye Captain."