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Kathryn sat at her desk in her ready room tapping viciously on a PADD that had Tuvok's most recent security report on it. He head was pounding from too little sleep and too much coffee. She briefly considered going to sickbay for a hypospray, but dismissed the idea for maybe the fifth time that day. The Doctor had an unfortunate proclivity for lecturing her on her lifestyle choices, and it was exactly those kind of choices that had given her this headache.
She'd been awake for most of the night, tossing and turning, thinking of Q and wondering if she'd done the right thing by rejecting him. She couldn't get his last expression from her mind. She'd really hurt him this time. No creature could look that sad without truly meaning it, and knowing she'd caused another being so much pain made her feel sick inside.
But I did the right thing! She told herself over and over again. There was no way Q could live on Voyager and not drive her crazy. Not to mention the trouble he'd present to her crew.
She put down Tuvok's report and picked up another PADD from the corner of her desk. It was Captain Picard's report of the incidents aboard the Enterprise during Q's stay there as a human. She'd read it three times that morning to help her reaffirm her decision to keep Q as far away from Voyager as possible. Even if he didn't mean to, Q could be dangerous.
She put the PADD down and leaned back into her chair, stretching stiff muscles, trying to shake off her fatigue and swirling emotions. It was times like this when she wished Voyager had more to do than warp through space towards home; a new planet to study, a new culture to meet, anything to distract her.
She thought about calling Chakotay in and telling him the whole story. He'd always been so good at counseling her in the past, offering sound advice, or just listening to her while she worked through her thoughts until they made sense. He hand was almost at her com badge when she realized that it wouldn't work to talk to Chakotay this time. This was a personal problem, not a Captain problem, and what was worse, this was a personal problem she was sure Chakotay wanted to hear nothing about...he'd made that more than clear.
A shuddery sigh escaped her chest, and Kathryn bit her lip to hold back the tears. It didn't work. Silently she put her face in her hands, rested her elbows on her desk, and let the tears just slide down her face. She was upset, overtired, and overwhelmed. She needed a good cry and a mental health day, but she'd settle for just the cry.
Ordering the computer to seal the doors, she replicated a box of tissues and sat down tiredly on her couch. Stars streaked across the window, and she watched them, wiping the tears as came into her eyes.
I'm a mess, she thought to herself. Hell, everything's a mess.
Eventually the tears stopped. The Captain blew her nose, wiped her eyes, and leaned back against the couch, exhausted.
There was a flash in the middle of the room. Kathryn looked up in hope, but received a shock.
"Hey, Aunt Kathy," said Q Jr., walking gracefully up to her and sitting down.
"Q," said Katherine, her tone pleased. She was surprised when the young Q reached over and gave her a warm hug, but she welcomed the embrace. "It's lovely to see you."
He'd changed quite a bit since the last time she'd seen him. He looked older, his slender frame filling the Starfleet uniform he wore in ways it previously hadn't. There was an air of confidence and ease about him that made Katherine smile with pride. The young Q she'd hosted on her ship was all grown up.
"It's good to see you too Aunt Kathy," his voice had gotten deeper as well. "It's been awhile."
"Well, what brings you here?" the Captain asked, wondering if she'd like the answer.
"Well," Q hesitated. "I'm here to talk about my father." He looked into her eyes, but she looked away.
"Q..." she began, her tone warning.
"Please Captain, I need you to hear me out. It's important," Q reached out and touched her upper arm, a physical gesture that asked her to remain seated. Katherine had to smile at the authoritatively polite tone of his voice and his demeanor. She knew diplomacy when she saw it. Q had been right; his son was undoubtedly a skilled negotiator.
"Did he send you here to talk to me?" she asked. Q shook his head quickly.
"No, Aunt Kathy, my father would be appalled if he knew I was here with you now. I came on my own."
Katherine sighed and relaxed her posture. Turning towards Q, she crossed her legs, and leaned against the back of the couch.
"Very well," she sighed, motioning with a hand for him to continue.
"Oh, where to start?" the young Q said, his voice a bit teasing. He mirrored the Captain's posture and sighed dramatically in a manner reminiscent of his father. "I'm worried about Q."
"You mean your father?" Katherine asked.
"Yes. You see, Aunt Kathy, he's gotten himself into some trouble with the Continuum Council. A few days ago, he informed them of his intent to pursue you romantically, and as I'm sure he told you, it did not go over well. Tea?"
A large tea set and a spread of delectable looking sandwiches and cookies appeared on a table in front of the couch. Katherine smiled and nodded. Together they helped themselves.
"Why's that?" she asked, sipping at her cup and taking a several sandwiches to nibble on. It was the first real food she'd had all day.
"Well, to put it simply, my Father has a history of stirring up trouble when it comes to humans, dropping his son off on one of their starships...that sort of thing," Q winked at Katherine, who smiled at him.
"Lucky us," she quipped, sipping her tea.
"Anyway," said Q in a much more casual tone. "They felt he was being insincere in his proclamations of affection for you. They told him to stay away from you and this ship."
"Yes, well, that worked well," Katherine sighed.
"It did at first," Q countered. "He stayed in the Continuum and continued to appeal to the Council, but they still didn't believe him..."
"Let me guess, when he first appeared here, it was against the Continuum's wishes?"
"Exactly," said Q. "He was frustrated. I tried to talk him out of it...no offense Aunt Kathy...but he came to see you anyway."
"I'm sure that went over well," Katherine chuckled. Q sighed.
"They were furious with him. After the Civil War, they've been keeping a close watch on my Father. They get nervous when he gets ambitious," Q seemed proud of this, if the grin on his face were any indication. Katherine rolled her eyes. "Anyway, they threatened him with banishment, but of course he didn't listen. He continued to visit you, until one day he came to the Council with a proposal. He asked that the Council make him human for a month so that he could live on Voyager and court you..."
"Of course, it never occurred to him to speak to me about any of this first," Katherine growled. Q sighed.
"Aunt Kathy, I know he's not always polite. Sometimes he doesn't think before he does things, but he means well, and he cares for you very much. He's changed. My father avoids the High Council like the plague. He never deals with them unless it's absolutely necessary, and yet he's been there almost every day asking if he can see you. My father, asking permission? Aunt Kathy, you must understand how unusual that is."
"I have some idea..." Katherine was listening intently.
"And now he's in trouble. They told him that he has one month to prove that he loves you, or he's banished from the Continuum for good. Banished! Captain, my father loves being a Q. He has more Q pride than any of us. He wouldn't risk loosing that power unless it was for something important. I've never seen him act this way."
"But what do you expect me to do, Q?" Katherine threw up her hands in exasperation. "I care for your father, and I'm sorry his feelings for me have put him in this terrible predicament..."
"Let him live on Voyager," Q interjected smoothly. "That's all you need to do."
"It's too dangerous!" Katherine replied.
"I give you my guarantee as a Q that nothing will happen to your ship or your crew. This won't be like it was on the Enterprise, Aunt Kathy. You'll have the Continuum's full protection. Don't you see? They don't really want to banish Q, but they feel like they need to teach him a lesson."
"You mean they won't actually kick him out?"
"Oh," scoffed Q. "They'll certainly follow through with the punishment...but they will avoid it if they can help it. Like it or not, my Father is an important member of the Continuum. Banishing him could cause trouble, and as I'm sure you can understand, we've had enough trouble for the time being."
Katherine sighed and looked out the window at the stars flashing past. Could she really tolerate a human Q on her ship for a month? And even worse, what if she enjoyed it?
"Captain, if he can spend a whole month as a human for the sole purpose of spending time in your company, the Continuum will let him off the hook. If worst comes to worst, you can lock him in the brig the whole time, just please let him have this opportunity. I can't imagine living in the Continuum without Q."
The Captain chewed quietly on her bottom lip in thought. She could either put up with a whole month of Q chasing her around, or she could let him sleep in the bed he'd made by denying him access to her ship and to her, eventually allowing him to be banished, leaving his son without a father, and leaving her with a guilty conscience...Well, she couldn't do that.
"Fine," she whispered to Q. "One month."
"You won't regret it," the younger Q was beaming at her.
"We'll see about that," Katherine snarled. He head was hurting again. Q noticed that she was rubbing her temples, and in seconds, her headache was gone.
"You need to take better care of yourself, Aunt Kathy," he said, patting her knee affectionately. He stood up and she followed. The tea setting disappeared, and the two of them looked at each other.
"You've grown so much," Katherine said with a small smile. "You've become a respectable young man. I'm proud of you." She was surprised to see Q blush.
"Thanks Aunt Kathy," he grinned. "I hope things work out between you and Q. I'm sure he'll show up here when he hears the news. Remember, he'll be human...try not to murder him." The Captain laughed. Q smiled and gave her another hug. "I'm sure I'll see you soon," he said, and disappeared in a flash of light.
Katherine sat down at her desk and picked up Tuvok's security report once more. If Q was going to be living on her ship, she figured she should get as much work done now as she possibly could.
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Next time on "The Q and the Janeway", the Captain deals with a human Q aboard her ship. But just because he's human doesn't mean Q doesn't have a few tricks up his sleeve...Stay tuned and review! Coffee