Chapter 12

"How does that feel? You glad to have a clean diaper?" Katelynn smiled and blew a raspberry at her mom as a response. "ooh my goodness you're getting heavy" Kathryn commented as she picked Katelynn up and carried her out to the playpen that was set up in the main lounging area. "Peanut are you coming to the holodeck with us?" Kathryn called from her room. It had taken her three long months but she had finally gotten her pre-pregnancy figure back.

"No I think I'm just gonna stay here"

"Okay, suite yourself. I have it booked for an hour so if you change your mind..." Kathryn had changed out of her uniform and was now wearing black leggings, a red top and black running shoes. Placing Katelynn in her stroller she headed out the door. A minute later Kim opened a comm line, "Janeway to Michael Torres"

"Hey sweetie, what can I do for you?"

"I need your help with my Biology homework. It's rather urgent."

"I'll be right there my love. Torres out." As soon as he was inside her quarters they were all over each other. "We only have an hour" she told him as she removed her shirt. He was standing in front of her in just his pants, his jacket having been removed even before the doors had closed.

"We better make the most of it then shouldn't we?" he said as he ran his lips over the freckled skin just above the lace of her bra. Forty-five minutes later they sat in each others arms talking and watching the stars. "Kimberley could you please come and get your sister, I'm needed in the airponics bay" Kathryn called over the comm.

"What if I don't want to?" she grumbled quietly.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Acknowledged Captain. Janeway out."

It was quite late when Kathryn made it back from her trip to airponics. As she walked in the door she was assaulted with the twang of guitar strings and the soft melodic voice coming from Kimberley's room. The closer she got the better she could hear the song. It seemed to have a haunting sadness to it which Kathryn found odd. "Hey Peanut...How was your day?"

"Fine" she answered non-nonchalantly without looking up.

"What did you do?"

"Not much"

"Okay then. Don't stay up too late."

- - - - -

Michael had enlisted Naomi to help him with cleaning the Plasma manifolds. They worked in silence for an hour before Michael broke it. "I thought Peanut was going to do this with you."

"Me too. She said afterward that she had something else she needed to do instead. So how was your picnic the other night, did she like the program?"

"I guess she did, I'm not sure. She never said she didn't like it"

Naomi sat back trying to find a different position in the cramped space they were in. "Has she changed at all? In her attitude and that?"

"You noticed it to?" he asked hopefully. Naomi nodded her head, "she never wants to hang out anymore and she cancels plans"

"We used to be with each other every chance we got and now it feels like she's avoiding me. The passion between us is gone. Has she talked to you about anything?"

Shaking her head she answered, "no we're barely speaking right now. We need to do something about it though."

"I agree but what do we do?"

"We confront her. She's fighting an internal battle with herself and if she doesn't tell someone soon, I'm afraid of what she'll do."

As the week wore on Kimberley's mood continued to darken. Kathryn tried countless times to get Kimberley to open up and tell her what was bothering her but for all her efforts it caused Kimberley to close up even more. For three days Naomi worked with Kimberley before she got a chance to talk with her. They were working on repairing the anodyne relays on Deck 12. Naomi could hear Kimberley muttering away angrily and unusually loud banging. "Hey hey what gives?"

"This stupid piece of crap won't stay aligned!"

"Have you tried putting the scanner tool on a rotating pulse resonating frequency?"

"Yes, it won't work!" Kimberley demanded throwing the tool on the ground. Five minutes later Naomi sat back with a smile on her face and handed the tool to Kimberley. "You had the wrong frequency ratio."

"Thanks". Taking the tool she stood up to leave and felt the room spin. Grabbing at the bulkhead for support she waited until her head cleared. Feeling a hand on her arm she heard Naomi ask, "what's wrong?"

"I'm fine" Kimberley lied with a shake of her head.

"No you're not. What's wrong?" Realizing she couldn't hold it back anymore, Kimberley felt tears sting her eyes and with a tremor in her voice, confided in Naomi.

- - - - -

Kimberley, Naomi, and Michael sat in Michael's room talking to each other. Now that Kimberley had finally let her secret out she was feeling a bit better but wasn't back to her regular self yet. "Does the Captain know?" Michael and Naomi looked at Kimberley.

"You can't say anything. Swear to me you won't say a thing."

"Kimberley she's going to find out sooner or later. I'm sure she'd rather hear it coming from you directly than the gossip mill."

"She'll kill me, and Daddy will kill you Michael"

"She needs to know Kimberley. Whether she kills us or not it's guaranteed she'll kill us if she has to find out from somewhere else."

"I'll tell her, just not right now. Please, swear to me you won't say a word to the Captain or Commander Chakotay." Seeing their hesitation she began to worry that they wouldn't comply.

"Please?" she pleaded again as the tears began to form.

"Okay, I won't say anything... yet" Michael agreed. Kimberley looked to Naomi. Slowly she nodded her head in agreement.

- - - - -

Tom Paris was in Shuttle bay One working on repairs to the Delta Flyer when Michael walked up and began helping. After a short while Michael said, "I need your advice dad"

"What about?"

"Well, someone told me something in confidence and made me promise I would keep it secret. The problem is that it involves me and I feel the Captain should know what the problem is but the person doesn't want her to know. Not Commander Chakotay either."

"Who does it involve and how big is the problem?" Tom asked with a hint of sadness in his voice. "Michael" he prompted more sternly. He couldn't explain the exact emotion or feeling in his son's eyes but he did see how troubled he felt.

"Kimberley thinks she's pregnant and..."

"...and you're the father" Tom finished. Michael nodded his head, "yes sir". Before they could continue with their conversation the ship rocked hard and the klaxons began blaring. "Red Alert! All hands report to battle stations!"

- - - - -

Tom and B'Elanna sat on the couch curled up together, going over their daily reports. "I don't know why I even bother with these half the time. I could sum it up in two sentences. All systems running at same capacity. For further details see report form Stardate 60163.9" B'Elanna grumbled.

"Had a rough day today did you?" Tom asked soothingly as he rubbed his wife's legs that were draped across his lap.

"Don't even get me started Flyboy. It took over three hours to do a basic routine warp core and sensor diagnostic. Every time one system got fixed another one overloaded and blew a console. While I was curled up underneath one said console I hear Miral ask me what I'm doing. I was so surprised to find her in my Engine room – where she isn't supposed to be to start with – that I automatically sit up causing me to hit my head quite hard. After asking why she is in an unauthorized place, she gives me the pathetic excuse that she's bored and wants to help me. That's when the Captain called for red alert and expected me to keep the ship in one piece while those aliens used us for target practice."

"Try being on the Bridge with the Captain breathing down your neck to avoid being the target so your job is easier."

"Oh yes, your day was so hard" B'Elanna replied sarcastically but with a smile. Letting out a big yawn she decided it was time to turn in for the night.

at least 1 more chapter still to come, maybe even 2...