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Switched

Chapter 26

TWO WEEKS LATER

"I must have passed this house a million times as a child," Kathryn said as she and Chakotay enjoyed a refreshing glass of lemonade on the porch of their new home in Bloomington, Indiana. "But not once did it cross my mind that I would live here some day. I never even thought I'd live in Bloomington. It's strange how much our hopes and desires change as we get older. When I was a child I only ever wanted to live in space. Then I wanted to live half in space and half in San Francisco. There was no way I wanted to live in what I considered to be boring backwater Bloomington. But now there's nowhere dearer to me on Earth."

Goldy, now a healthy six month old pup, played with a ball in long grass and Kathryn watched him fondly.

"I'm glad Goldy is settling in so well. I was afraid he'd grown too attached to Phoebe but he seems to be happy with us." She paused. "But you don't seem as happy about being here as I thought you'd be. Is it the house? Does it make you uncomfortable? These are old houses and old houses have histories."

Chakotay couldn't help but smile at that. "What's this? Kathryn Janeway believing in hauntings?"

"Not exactly," she laughed. "But of a kind. As so many people have had ghostly experiences there's got to be something to it all. Something like replays of the past that some people are more sensitive to than others. Maybe incidents of high trauma leave a physical imprint on the surroundings and certain individuals can tune into that."

"Well, I assure you that the only thing I'm tuning into are media stations," Chakotay smiled. "I love this house. It's got character and soul and I like that." He paused. "I'm just wondering if we've done the right thing."

"How do you mean?"

"Well, as confident as the police are that Taron will be no threat to you once he's caught, I'm not convinced. Men like Taron never let a grudge go. They have ways and means of getting what they want. I'm afraid for your safety and for Minessa's. I'm wondering if it would be better for us to sign up for a deep space exploration mission and live on a starship. We'd be safer there. You can decline your upcoming promotion to the admiralty and I can decline the teaching post I've been offered at the Academy. I know space life isn't what we'd like for our child, but it didn't do Naomi any harm and there'll be other children on board. If we stay here, our child may always be at risk, but in space we'll be far out of Taron's reach."

"I'll admit," Kathryn replied, "I've thought the exact same thing. But it would be running away and running away never solves a problem. If Taron is determined to use me as bait then he'll extend his hook and fish with me from a distance. We'd be no safer in space. And in all honesty I think he'd be more likely to go after Cayla's children than me. It's them she loves, not me. I'm just a stranger to her. All we can do is trust Detective Elliot's judgment. He's known Taron for years. If he says he'll leave us alone after he's caught, we have to believe he'll leave us alone." She paused. "Taron has ruined Cayla's life. We can't let him ruin ours too."

"I suppose you're right," Chakotay conceded. "I just couldn't bear it if anything happens to you or Minessa."

Kathryn took his hand in hers. "Nothing's going to happen to us, I promise." She then let go of his hand with a squeeze. "So let's forget about Taron and start thinking about decorating the nursery. What do you think? Purple or pink?"

"How about both?"

"Deal," Kathryn smiled.

The nursery was a large room on the upper floor with a big bay-window. It was as shabby as the overgrown garden it overlooked and needed a lot of work. The whole house needed a lot of work, but it was in a great location and Kathryn and Chakotay relished the challenge of doing it up. Chakotay had gone into town now to get some bits and pieces and in his absence Kathryn tried to decide what shade of pink best suited the walls. So far she had painted five strips but each one was either too dark or too light. Just as she was about to open another paint sample, something blue flashed in the corner of her eye and she instinctively turned towards the light. It was the light of a transporter beam. In seconds it was gone and a black woman with long curly hair materialized before her.

Kathryn reached for her phaser, but an empty space reminded her she wasn't wearing one. "Who are you?" she asked. "What are you doing in my house?"

The woman spoke in an all too familiar voice. Cayla's voice. "I'll explain later. You and I are taking a trip."

With that she tapped a badge on her jacket and the two women dematerialized.

When Kathryn rematerialized she found herself in a small windowless room. There was a bed in the corner, a sofa, a table and chair, and a little cabinet, but otherwise the room was empty.

"Not the Grand Plaza, I know," Cayla said. "But it will have to do."

"Do for what?" Kathryn asked. "I demand that you tell me!"

"For keeping you in." She reached under her chin, fiddled a bit, and then pulled off a face mask. It peeled away like onion skin and revealed her natural face. "Taron will never leave us alone, Kathryn. He will hunt me for the rest of my life and he'll haunt you until the day you die. No doubt the police have told you differently, but I know him. He never lets a grudge go, never. He'll use you, my children, Lacey, anyone to try and fish me out. I can't let that happen. I won't let it happen. I won't let that bastard destroy any more lives."

"What are you going to do?" Kathryn asked. "Why do you need me?"

"Because I need to become you. There's only one way of ending this, Kathryn, and that's at the beginning. I've heard that Starfleet has a 28th century time-ship hidden in a bunker in Arizona. And don't try to deny that because I've heard it on good authority. Taron isn't the only one with friends. I have my share. But to get access to it I need to become you. Because there's no way any one will deny Captain Kathryn Janeway, the Delta Quadrant hero, access. I'm going to get my hands on it and I'm going to use it."

"Why? What can you hope to achieve?"

"A re-write of history, of course. And don't look so surprised. By all accounts you've re-written it enough. I'm going back to the day we were born and fixing this mess before Taron fixes us. We can't beat him, Kathryn. I used to think so, I used to think justice always prevails, but I was a stupid fool. Men like Taron rule this God forsaken world and unless we play the game their way we fall into the gutter and are trampled on. Because of him I lost everything. Everything! Being a cop was all I knew how to be. If I couldn't be a cop, if I can't be a cop, I'm nothing. You see, Kathryn, we're not so very different. You're fleet through and through and I'm force. They're in our nature, run through our veins. No matter what timeline we're in, we'll always be fleet and force. With Taron out of the frame, life will be better for both of us, so I'm putting him out of it. I'm going back to the day we were born and switching us."

"How do you mean switching us?"

"Just what I said. I'm going to put me in your place and you in mine. That's the only way out, Kathryn, for all of us. And it will make no difference, not to your past. You'll still join the fleet, still go the Delta Quadrant. But it will make all the difference to all our futures. Because if I'm raised in Indiana, I'll never be a Texas cop. And if I'm not a Texas cop, I'll never meet Taron. And if I never meet Taron, none of this will ever happen. It's so simple, Kathryn."

"But even if this time-ship exists, and I've never heard of it, changing the future never comes with any guarantees. There are other Tarons out there. Other villains. What if the same thing happens all over again with someone else?"

"It won't. Of all the bastards I burst, Taron was the only one who destroyed my life. And he'll destroy yours, Kathryn. He'll destroy Lacey's and the lives of my kids. I can't let it happen. I'll do whatever it takes to get my hands on that ship and change our futures."

"And if you succeed, what becomes of your children? They won't exist."

"It's better to have never existed than to be brutally murdered. Because that's their fate if I don't do this. And whatever you think of me, Kathryn, I love my kids. I'll do anything to protect them, even this."

"I know that you love them," Kathryn argued. "I've never doubted that. But before you try to wipe them out of existence, give the police a chance to catch Taron. They're very close. Very close."

Cayla stepped forward angrily. "Haven't you listened to a damn word I've said? Catching Taron won't be the end! It will just be the beginning! Because it won't be a direct hit, Kathryn. Oh no. He's too smart for that. It will be an accident here, an accident there, and before you know it you, your baby, Lacey, her kids and mine, will all be six feet under! And that will all be for my sake. Mine! I can't let it happen, Kathryn. I won't let it happen. I'm finding that time-ship and I'm switching us."

"I understand how you feel, but..."

"You have no damn clue," Cayla cried. "No damn clue!" She pulled out her phaser and pointed it at Kathryn. "Don't make me stun you or restrain you, Kathryn, because I don't want to hurt you. But I will restrain you if you make things difficult for me. Understand?" She flicked her phaser towards the cabinet. "There's a replicator in there. It will give you food and drink. Don't even try to replicate anything else as everything else has been disabled." Her hand flicked towards a silver door. "There's a bathroom in there. Consider this room ensuite. How long you're here depends on how long it takes me to complete my mission. It could be hours, it could be weeks. But until then it's your home."

"You won't get away with this, Cayla. Everyone will know you're not me."

"Don't kid yourself. You'd be amazed how many people walk around with their eyes shut."

"Chakotay will know right away. My mother and sister too."

"For their sake I hope not, or they'll be joining you here. And as you can see for yourself, it will be a tight squeeze." Cayla noticed a commbadge on Kathryn's sweater and she ripped it off. "You won't be needing that."

"Don't do this, Cayla," Kathryn beseeched her. "I beg of you. It's wrong and..."

"Wrong? Who the hell are you to judge me? Was it wrong for you to change history to get yourself home faster? No it wasn't. So don't you dare tell me what I'm doing is wrong! If it's right when it suits you, it's right when it suits me!"

"You don't know what the consequences will be. Just wait and..."

"I know what the consequences will be if I don't! And I'm not going to stand around debating this with you. I've already made up my mind and nothing is going to stop me! So try to make yourself at home here, sister, because you might be here a while. And don't even try to escape because there's nothing around this place but desert." She pressed a button on her commbadge and it flashed green. "Goodbye, Kathryn. When we meet in our new lives, everything will be better."

With that she tapped her commbadge and disappeared.

END OF CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX