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Switched

Epilogue

Christmas 2378

In a large room that was decorated with tinsel, the Janeway family sat around a long table eating Christmas dinner together. Gretchen, the matron of the family, was sitting at the head and she watched happily as her little flock ate the last of the Christmas feast she'd lovingly prepared. At her right was sitting Kathryn, Chakotay, Gertie, Thomas and Erin, and on her left was Phoebe, Bill, Eros and newly weds Cayla and Vic. At the foot of the table, in privileged position, was Erin and Eros's beloved Aunt Peggy.

"You've done a marvelous job on dinner, Mrs Janeway," the kind-faced, chubby, woman said as she poured white sauce over her pudding. "You're a fine cook."

"Thank you," Gretchen replied, "but I can't take all the credit. Kathryn and Chakotay took care of the turkey."

"Make that Chakotay exclusively," Kathryn smiled. "I've got to be the worst cook in the entire history of the Federation. Anyone who was anyone on Voyager will vouch for my burnt roasts. I dared not go near the turkey until it was done, not that I'd have a clue how to prepare it anyway. The real deal is beyond me, let alone the vegetarian kind."

"Was it vegetarian?" Erin asked. "I would never have guessed."

"One hundred percent," Kathryn replied.

"I'm amazed," Peggy exclaimed. "It tasted so real!"

"Well, I did cheat a little," Chakotay confessed. "The only difference between this and the real McCoy is that this turkey was replicated."

"Alive?" Thomas asked. "Did you replicate a breathing turkey?"

"No," Chakotay smiled. "It came frozen. I cooked it."

"Well," Peggy said, "whatever it was it was delicious. Do you mind if I take some slices home?"

"Be my guest," Chakotay replied.

Gretchen topped her glass of wine and then looked fondly at her dark haired, dark eyed grandson. "I'm so glad you could come, Eros," she said. "The family wouldn't have been complete without you."

"Too right," Erin agreed. "This has got to be the best Christmas ever and I'm so glad you're here to share it with us."

"So am I," Eros smiled. He then winked at his grandmother. "Although it was the food, not the company, that drew me."

"This is definitely the best Christmas ever," Thomas said, mouth full of pudding. "I've never had so many presents or seen real live snow before. It never snows in Miami."

"Oh I love snow too," Gertie said. "When I lived in Portland it snowed every winter and I'd make huge big snowmen in the garden. And not just snowmen but snowladies too. Sometimes Daddy would help me and we'd make one as high as the house. Oh it was so much fun. I was always sad when the sun came out, and they started to melt, because they were my friends and I'd miss them when they were gone. Have you ever wondered what it's like to be a snow person, Thomas? I have and it's awesome. Because I don't think they're just snow shaped people, I think that once they're made they're real. Of course I can't prove that, and people might laugh at me for thinking so, but I think that when the sun comes out and they melt away they go to heaven on a shooting star."

Suddenly a little cry came from a pink basket in the corner of the room.

"Sounds like someone's letting you know she's hungry," Phoebe said.

"Only for attention," Kathryn smiled. She then got to her feet and went over to the basket. Inside it, wrapped in a white blanket, was red-haired baby Minessa.

"Leave her cry, that's my advice," Peggy said. "Once you start mollycoddling her that's it, you'll never have five minutes peace."

"Oh she's as good as gold," Kathryn replied, picking up her precious baby and bringing her over to the table. "She sleeps like an angel and we hardly get a peep out of her all day."

"Then consider yourselves blessed. I've worked in daycare most of my life and I can tell you that when you have a squawking baby, you have a squawking baby. I'm surprised I'm not deaf after all the ear-bashing I've had from a room full of screaming infants."

Minessa stopped crying as Kathryn cradled her and Peggy sighed inspite of herself.

"But she sure is adorable, isn't she? Bless her little heart, who would want to be stuck in the corner when the action is right here?"

"Not a Janeway," Phoebe smiled. "Never put a Janeway in the corner, especially one with red-hair."

"That's right," Gretchen said. "But isn't it strange that she has red hair? With you being Native American, Chakotay, I was sure she'd be dark."

"You would expect it, wouldn't you?" Peggy added. "It is strange."

"Not really," Chakotay said. "One of my great great grandparents was white. So, with throw back genes in me, Minnie could even have come out blonde."

Cayla took a sip of water, cleared her throat, and then spoke. "While we're on the subject of babies," she said, "Vic and I have an announcement to make."

Kathryn's eyes joyfully flew to her twin's face. "Let me guess...you're pregnant!"

"We are," Cayla beamed.

"Oh that's wonderful," Gretchen cried, getting up to hug Cayla, "Congratulations!"

"And from me," Kathryn smiled.

"And from all of us," Phoebe added.

"Yes, yes, yes," Gertie laughed. "Oh I can't believe I'm going to have a baby cousin aswell as a baby sister!"

"And not just one cousin," Cayla said. "I'm having twins."

Gertie was beside herself with joy at this news and Gretchen wasn't far behind her. "You are? What did I tell you, Kathryn? What did I say? I don't care what the doctors say, twins have twins!"

"What are they?" Kathryn asked. "Boys or girls?"

"Boys," Cayla answered. "Identical twin boys."

"Oh fantastic," Gretchen smiled. "Fantastic! When are they due?"

"Early fall," Cayla answered. "I'm not long gone."

"Which gives you plenty of time to knit matching outfits, Mom" Phoebe smiled.

"It does indeed," Gretchen replied.

Kathryn raised up her glass of champagne. "This calls for a toast. To Cayla, Vic, and their bundle of double joy."

Everyone raised up their glass, including Gertie and Thomas. "To Cayla, Vic, and their bundle of double joy."

A streak of lightening suddenly flashed before the fireplace and Q appeared. He was dressed as Santa and was holding a sack over his shoulder. "Ho, ho, ho," he said. "Merry Christmas Kathy and family!"

"Q," Kathryn said. "What a surprise!"

"That's me," he smiled. "Full of surprises! And don't I have some for you!" He juggled the sack and Goldy, who had sat all this while at Chakotay's feet in begging position, ran up to it and sniffed it playfully. "That's right, my old pal," Q said. "Something for you too." He then put down the sack and went over to Minessa. "Ah," he said, "how cutesy wootsy she was...is...oh is and was...time is all one to a Q! And believe me, Kathy, I never thought I'd say that of the Chak brat!" He then looked up at the air and frowned. "Don't you dare, dragon, don't you dare!" He then looked at Kathryn. "Sorry, Captain Kath...Q's breathing down my collar. I'm on a leash you see...no, you can't see as it's invisible, but she's got me chained."

"It's Admiral now," Kathryn told him. "I've been promoted."

"So you have," Q said. "Congratulations, Admiral." He then turned to Gretchen. "Don't worry old lady, I won't gatecrash any more... Yes, yes, Dragon, I'm coming, I'm coming! Toodle pip all. Toodle pip!"

With that he clicked his fingers and disappeared. As soon as he was gone, Thomas got up and hurried over to the sack. Inside it was a pile of wrapped up presents and he pulled them out one by one. "There's loads," he said, "loads!"

"Any for me?" Gertie asked.

"I don't know," he answered. "I can't read the names."

Erin got up and went over to her son. "This one's for Uncle Eros," she said. "And this one for Aunt Peggy."

"For me?" Peggy said. "Oh how kind of him!" She scooped up what was left of her pudding and then joined them on the rug. Eros did the same and the two of them opened their gifts.

"Wow," Eros said. "Some kind of alien super tricorder. This will help my research no end! Way to go, Q!"

"Oh my," Peggy said, opening her gift. "Silk underwear! And what's this? A note saying 'you'll need these soon'? I hope he's not suggesting I'm in for a hospital stay."

"I don't think so, Aunt Peggy," Erin laughed. "Look at the hearts on the frill. I think he's saying you're in for some romance."

"Really? At my time of life? I'm 64!"

"You're never too old for love," Erin smiled. She then picked up two more presents. "For Gertie Vinten Janeway and a Mr Chuckles."

"That's us," Chakotay said to Gertie.

Gertie laughed. "You're Mr Chuckles?"

"I am."

"That's so funny!"

Chakotay got up and helped Gertie over to the fireplace while Erin dished out more presents.

"There's another one for Eros, one for you Phoebe, and one for you Uncle Vic."

"I love anyone who gives me presents," Phoebe smiled. "So Q, if you can hear me, add me to your fan club!"

Phoebe then made her way over to the rug with Bill and Vic while Kathryn went to put Minessa back down in her basket.

"Goldy, this is for you," Erin said. "Want me to open it?"

The dog woofed and Erin laughed. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Anything for me?" Gretchen asked.

"Yes," Erin said. "Here..."

Minessa was now sleeping and Kathryn kissed her tenderly as she lay her down. Then she stood over the basket and gazed in adoration at her tiny child. Her little life was a miracle, of that there was no doubt, and there was no gift Q could ever give her that would be as precious as the gift of this little girl's life. Kathryn then turned to the little group before the fire and watched as Gertie unwrapped her present.

"Is it a set of stories?" the child asked as she felt her gift with her fingers. "Oh please say it's a set of stories!"

"It is," Chakotay replied.

Gertie smiled and clapped. "Oh thank you, Q! Thank you, thank you!"

Erin pulled out another gift from the sack and then turned towards the table. "Cayla," she cried. "This one's for you."

"I'll be right there," Cayla answered. With that she got up from her chair and left the table, but instead of going to get her gift, she went over to Kathryn. "Thank you," she said.

Kathryn turned to her twin. "What for?"

"For making this Christmas so special. Last year Christmas for me was a beer and a burger in my shuttle, but this year it's a roast dinner with people I love and have come to love. If someone would have told me last year that this is how things would be this year I wouldn't have believed them. I'd got to the point in my life where I didn't believe anything good would ever happen to me again, but now so many good things have happened that I wonder sometimes if I'm really dead and gone to heaven." She paused. "You said that I deserved a sister who would stand by me no matter what and in you that's what I got. And I love you, Kathryn. I want you to know."

Tears filled Kathryn's eyes and all she could do was drawn her twin close. "I love you too," she said.

Cayla returned her embrace and they held each other close.

"Come on, huggers," Phoebe cried. "Get to your presents."

At those words, Kathryn and Cayla drew apart and happily joined their family on the rug.

THE END