Bravely A Coward New Disasters Captain Crystal Kathryn and her new husband sat in their room of the Aloha Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii. They were completely surrounded with real paper newspapers announcing their wedding with numerous different headlines. “Listen to this one,” Kathryn said. “’Dynamic Duo Ties Knot.’” “Or, ‘Star Couple Weds,” he replied. “’Famous Chakotay Takes A Last Name.’” “That’s the weirdest one so far, I think. Where do they come up with these things?” Chakotay asked, “I dunno. Oh, listen to this, ‘Janeway’s Third Time’s The Charm.’” They couldn’t help but laugh at that one. All of the sudden, Kathryn’s laughter stopped. She stared intensely at the paper she was holding. “What does that one say?” Chakotay asked her. “’Woman Brutally Murdered.’ Cartersville Police Department reported a woman brutally murdered at her friend’s home. The woman was identified as Mary Jo Johnson. Johnson left behind a husband and twin daughters. With no living relatives on either side, the baby girls were sent to an adoption agency. Mary’s husband, Mark has disappeared from our trackers and readers are asked to be on the lookout for him. Although no incriminating evidence has been found, he is the prime suspect.” Chakotay froze with this news. Mary had warned Kathryn that Mark had become obsessed with her. Now, that warning proved to be Mary’s death sentence. What did that mean for Kathryn? “I think we should head back to the states,” Kathryn said, her voice cracking. “Agreed.” They cut their honeymoon short and returned to their home in South Carolina. ~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~ “Ben, please! You gotta help me!” Mark exclaimed into the console at the Starfleet Officer on the screen. “I’m sorry, Mark. I can’t! If headquarters found out that I helped you kill your wife, I’ll be put in prison and lose everything. Helping you kill Mary was a mistake, and I refuse to help you kill another person.” “Ben, I don’t need you to help me kill her, just kidnap her. I don’t intend to kill her. I want her to be mine again. For that she needs to forget that Indian.” “Look, Mark,” Ben began. “We’ve been friends since childhood. Hell, I even had a crush on Kathryn at one time, too, but I can’t help you again without raising suspicion on myself.” “Ben, listen to what I need and see if you can help me. It’ll be indirect. They can’t pin you,” Mark pleaded. “What do you need?” “A portable transporter, a non-traceable communications panel, and an outdated access code to erase the transport logs.” “That’s it?” “Well, maybe a plasma torch or two.” “Well, let’s see,” Ben began thinking aloud. “I could get a transporter station from storage and the communications panel from Intelligence. But an outdated code would be pretty easy to override.” “Just get me a code, and I’ll rework it. The computer will still recognize it as the outdated code, but headquarters won’t be able to break it very easily. Please, Ben?” “I’ll see what I can do. When and where?” “Yes! Um, I’ll meet you behind the Starbucks Old-Fashioned coffee shop on Third Street in Atlanta, Georgia at two o-clock on Tuesday.” “If I’m not there by two-thirty, I couldn’t get it, alright?” “Thanks, Ben. You won’t regret this.” “I’m certain that I will. Lieutenant Commander Sharp out.” ~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~ The wanted Mark Johnson signs were everywhere. Luckily for him, though, he knew a guy that was skilled in Reconstructive Surgery. It was the perfect plan. With his disguise, no one could recognize him unless they knew his voice. Silently, he waited in a dark alley. Suddenly, a man walked up to him with a concealing hat and long trench coat, as well as a rather large briefcase. “Ben?” Mark asked, trying to disguise his voice as well. “Yeah, Man. It’s me,” the man replied. “Thank god! Did you get them?” Mark asked moving closer. “Yes,” Ben replied opening the case to reveal the transporter, communicator panel, and voice chip. “Whose code did you get?” Mark asked taking the case and closing it. “James T. Kirk. That should throw them off your path. You sure you can alter the harmonics?” “Yeah, Kathryn’s as good as mine.” “How do you plan on doing it?” Ben asked crossing his arms. “Well, I’ve been watching their comings and goings since they got back from their honeymoon. Chakotay usually arrives home first and Kathryn about twenty minutes later. I’ll just have to knock out the Chief and grab Kathryn while she’s distracted,” Mark explained. “Not a half bad plan. Where are you going to take her?” Ben wondered aloud. “I haven’t decided yet. Somewhere they won’t think to look. Well, I’d better run. Thanks Ben,” Mark whispered taking off. ~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~ Four months passed and Chakotay had all but forgotten Mary’s murder. He began humming as he prepared dinner for his wife. She would be home in about fifteen minutes. Waiting for the water on the stove to boil, Chakotay picked up the day’s newspaper and glanced at the headlines. One specifically caught his eye. Underneath the ‘Federation Daily’ logo, were the words, ‘Dynamic Duo Pregnancy Suspicions?’ He read farther along and according to the paper, reporters had managed to get a glance at one of Kathryn's doctor’s reports. They had claimed the document said Pregnant. He was so transfixed with the paper article that he failed to notice the boiling water until it splashed over the side of the pan and onto the burner, making a hissing noise. Chakotay quickly threw down the paper and turned down the heat on the water. His thoughts dwelt on these accusations as he continued to prepare the Fettuccini Alfredo for the evening meal. Just as he was turning off the heat, his front door opened and the love of his life stepped in. “Hello, Hello!” She called, hanging up her coat. “Hi,” he called back. “Diner ready?” she asked hugging him from behind. “Almost. Have you read the paper today?” he asked, wondering why she was so cheerful. “No, why?” she replied, removing her arms from around him. “Read the headlines,” he said, mixing the Alfredo sauce with the cooked noodles. She glanced down through the headlines and cursed under her breath. “What?” he asked, dipping their plates. “They ruined it!” “Huh?” he replied, turning around with plates in both hands. “They’re not suspicions. They’ve been confirmed.” “What?” Chakotay smiled, dropping the plates on the floor. “You’re pregnant?” “Yes. I’m almost five months along.” “Five months? That would put conception at..” “Our first time,” Kathryn finished. “That night that we let the Fettuccini Alfredo get cold on the patio.” Chakotay closed his eyes in remembrance on that night. One of the most memorable he could think of. “I love you,” he smiled, taking her tightly into his arms. “You’ve made me the happiest man in any quadrant.” “I’m glad I could be of help,” she replied. They cleaned up the mess he had made in his surprised state and talked long into the evening. Kathryn made known the fact that the baby was female and after several hours of debating, they settled on the name Leah Anne. Leah was a name that Kathryn had always loved, and Anne was the basic translation of Chakotay’s mother’s name. Life appeared to be wonderful. But as the saying goes, things are not always the way they appear. ~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~ Mark sat perched on the tire of his Kathryn’s tomato garden. It was nearly five o-clock and that ‘big oaf’, as Mark tended to call him, would be arriving at the Janeway home shortly. He had his hypospray filled with sedative to knock Chakotay out for at least four hours. Down at the end of the drive, a hover car pulled up and the door swung open. Mark pulled himself tightly against the wall and behind some bushes so that he would not be seen. ~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~ “See ya tomorrow guys,” Chakotay said as he stepped away from the vehicle. “Yeah, tomorrow. Don’t have too much........ Fun tonight, Old Man!” One of the men in the car was saying. “Tom, Shut up! Ya know, B’E would have your head if she knew the way you talk.” “Not only does she know,” Tom began. “She encourages it!” Chakotay shook his head as the car sped away. He kept thinking about how he should design the cradle. Flowers or Butterflies? Or both? Animals? When he reached his door he raised his hand to punch in the door code. Suddenly his hand froze in mid-air as he heard someone breathing behind him. Normally this wouldn’t faze him, but he had an odd feeling that whoever was behind him didn’t want him to know they were there. Chakotay punched in the last digit and slid the door open, depositing his bag on the floor. He spun around and immediately found himself face-to-face with Mark Johnson. Mark came at him with a hypo and Chakotay lifted his hands to pull defense. Chakotay was an able boxer and was fairly sure that he could win this fight. But Mark was just as strong as he was in strategy as well as actual physical strength. The fight was an honorable one, but Chakotay did not win. His body slumped to the floor after being injected with the sedative. ~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~ Mark watched in satisfaction as his opponent dropped to the floor. He stepped back into the shadows and reloaded the hypospray. It was time to wait for Kathryn. About ten minutes later, he heard Kathryn coming up the walkway humming. The tune sounded like a children’s lullaby. ‘Very Sweet,’ Mark thought. ‘Ever the proud mother.’ Her humming stopped and Mark figured that she had noticed the door ajar. A few seconds later, the door opened fully and Kathryn gasped at Chakotay’s unconscious form on the floor. Mark maneuvered himself behind her as she reached down to her husband to check for a pulse. She never saw the hypo coming. He smiled at the happy couple unconscious on the floor. After going outside and returning with Ben’s briefcase, Mark programmed the transporter to take them to a secluded spot on Lake George. Mark and Kathryn disappeared in a blue shimmer leaving a motionless Chakotay on the floor of his home. ~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~ As Chakotay came to, the first thing he noticed was how dark it was. Since the sun was no longer up, he estimated he had been knocked out for roughly four and half hours. When he sat up, he began to remember things. Knowing that Mark wouldn’t have attacked him unless he wanted something, Chakotay's thoughts turned to the silence of the house. One word drifted through his mind. Kathryn. Where was she? He ran through his home. She was not in the kitchen, dining room, or living room. He darted up the steps to check the bedrooms and the bathroom. She wasn’t in any of them. “Kathryn, Kathryn, Kathryn,” he repeated over and over again. After checking in with everyone he knew and receiving the same message that no one had seen her made him realize that Mark had attacked him to get Kathryn. Mark had her. Mark kidnapped her. Mark would pay. ~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~ Kathryn wearily tried to open her eyes. They opened slightly, but her entire body appeared to be sluggish to her mind’s commands. Almost as if she were intoxicated. But one thing she knew was that she was *not* drunk. She turned her head when she heard someone moving about. Her old fiancé came quietly into her view and then noticed her waking moment. “So, you decided to return to the world of the living,” Mark smiled as he took a seat on the edge of the bed she lied on. “What are you doing here, Mark?” she asked sluggishly. “Where is here? There is here and here is there!” he replied. “Why are you trying to confuse me?” she asked, the fog clearing from her brain. “Where’s Chakotay?” “Oh the Chief? Yeah, he’s unconscious on your hallway floor. Had a real nasty fight with him, too.” “Mark,” she said with anger in her voice. “You had better let me go!” “Why would I do that. I have ways of making you cooperate with me,” he replied with a calm voice and a cheeky grin. “What would those be?” She asked trying to get out of the room that she was being held in. “Well, my first one is that I have a plasma torch that will send out a charge high enough to kill your baby with a two second burst.” Mark had to smile at her gasp of fear for her child. “And, I have a device that will detonate four kilos of explosives under your home. I wonder how many people I can kill that way?” “Mark!” She screamed. “You are 100% evil and I hate you! They should hang you for this!” Mark moved up behind her so swiftly that she had no time to react. He gently pressed the plasma torch to her abdomen to remind her who was in control. “Uh, uh, uh, Kathryn. That’s not a very nice thing to say, now is it? You should be more respectful of the man you love.” “I could never and *will* never love you, Mark.” Mark pressed the plasma torch tighter against her barely swollen stomach. “All I have to do is press a button and the baby dies. I want to hear the exact opposite of the words you just said. If you don’t.....,” Mark trailed off. Kathryn didn’t like it, but she had to think of her child. Chakotay’s child growing inside of her. It was her responsibility to keep her safe since she was an innocent. “I love you, Mark,” she whispered. “Prove it, or she dies,” Mark ordered. Kathryn steeled herself and grabbed the back of Mark’s head and pulled him down for the fiercest kiss she had ever given. All the while, praying for Chakotay to forgive her. ~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~ “What do you mean there’s nothing you can do?!!” Chakotay screamed at the Starfleet Investigators in the briefing room. “I’m sorry, sir, but there are no leads to her disappearance.” “No leads?” he asked disbelievingly. “How about my fight with Mark Johnson. You said yourself that he is already wanted for murder.” “That’s right, but we have no way to pin him to Kathryn Janeway’s disappearance. The transporter logs were made by James T. Kirk. At least that’s what the computer says. The access code is so heavily encrypted that we can’t even tell where the transporter beam was directed.” “No clues,” Chakotay whispered. He was preparing to make another argument when a Starfleet lieutenant came into the room. “Sorry to interrupt, but I think this comm call transmission is something that you should hear.” The lieutenant pushed in several codes and Kathryn appeared on the screen. “This is Kathryn Janeway. This message is for my husband, Chakotay. I’ve run away with Mark. The child is actually his and we’ve moved to a safe location. Please keep in mind that I do love you but I love him as well. I’m happy here. The view of the lake is quite beautiful. Mark and I can't be disturbed but if you do find us, I will go with force. Please don’t let it come to that. Remember me with love in your heart. Goodbye, Chakotay.” Chakotay sat stunned. But then, he began to read between the lines. This message had something hidden within. ~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~ Phoebe Janeway sat perched in front of the viewing station watching the old time productions of the soap opera. It was something that Neelix had introduced to her and she was beginning to enjoy it. Suddenly a man appeared on the screen that didn’t belong in the show. “We’re sorry for the interruption in programming, but we have breaking news this hour. As you know, Voyager’s Delta Darling, Kathryn Janeway, was kidnapped from her home last night in South Carolina. We brought this news to you late last night and we now have some closure. It appears that the baby Janeway was expecting was not her husband’s, but rather a former fiancé‘s. Knowing that her husband would treat this as a kidnapping, Janeway sent a message to intelligence explaining that she and Mark Johnson had run off together and asked not to be disturbed. With this message, Starfleet Headquarters has decided to call off the search and accept Janeway’s departure. Now back to your regular scheduled programming.” “Mom?” Phoebe called. “I know,” Gretchen answered from right behind her. “I saw it last night. It doesn’t sound like her.” “I know,” Phoebe said sadly. She paused for a few moments, but then. with a renewed sense of energy, shot up from the couch. “I’ve got to hear that message.” “Phoebe?” “I’m going to Starfleet. I’ll be back!” Phoebe yelled back to her mother as she ran down the driveway. ~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~ “Very good, Kathryn,” Mark praised her while watching the search being called off on the viewer. “You were very convincing it seems.” “I only did it to protect them,” she whispered, knowing that she was most likely stranded here unless Chakotay could figure out what she had meant. “He’ll move on. And you’ll be safe and happy. With me!” ‘Chakotay please save me,’ Kathryn silently prayed. ~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~ “What the hell do you mean, you’re calling off the search?” Chakotay asked the official. “Now sir, please calm down. You saw the same message that the rest of us did. You know that she has moved on.” “No! You don’t understand! She’s done this before!” The official looked at him questionably. “Not running off! Sending a message using specific words that take double meanings! She’s trying to tell me something!” “That’s right!” a voice from behind them interrupted. “Phoebe?” “Yep, I know my sister. This is a message. Call those stuck up investigators back in here.” “I’m sorry, I can’t do that,” the man declared. “Fine! We’ll figure it out ourselves!” Phoebe exclaimed, pushing him out the door. They downloaded the message into text and began the slow process of reading and rereading it looking for double meanings. “The phrase the view of the lake must mean that she is by water,” Chakotay pointed out. “Right, so we need to find all the places that Mark has access to by a lake.” “Excuse me,” a man said from the doorway. “Yes?” Chakotay asked annoyed. “I was an accomplice to your wife’s kidnapping. My name is Lieutenant Commander Ben Sharp. I want to help you get your wife back.” Chakotay looked at him closely. All the signs pointed that he was telling the truth. There was guilt in his eyes and a slump to his posture, just to name a few. “Tell me what you know.” “Well, I gave Mark the transporter, communications panel, and voice chip.” “Did he tell you where he was taking her?” “No. But he said that it would be a place that no one would think to look.” “No one would look there and by water,” Chakotay pondered aloud. “Lake George,” Phoebe whispered. “What?” Chakotay asked. “It could be Lake George. Think about it. It would be the last place anyone would think to look. Close to home, out in the open, and people know that he has access to it. It makes sense.” “Yes, it does. Call that security detail in here. We’re going after her.” ~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~ Mark sat quietly running his fingers all over Kathryn’s face and neck with one hand and pressing the plasma torch to her middle with the other. “You know, you’re very beautiful, and sexy, and smart. Now I remember why I love you.” “Oh really?” Kathryn asked, not daring to move a muscle. “Do enlighten me.” “With pleasure,” Mark smiled leaning in closer to her. Just as he was about to kiss her the front door to the cabin opened. “Freeze Mark! This is Lieutenant Anthony Peterson of Starfleet Security. You are under arrest,” the leader of the security team declared while aiming a phaser at Mark’s chest. Chakotay barreled in the door and immediately moved to Kathryn’s side. “Oh, Love, are you alright?” Chakotay asked as he pulled her tight against him. “I’m fine! Just scared,” she replied holding him tighter. Mark saw his opportunity. He dove for the plasma torch, turned it on, and shoved it against Kathryn’s abdomen. The hissing sound of Plasma on flesh and Kathryn’s blood-curdling scream was enough to get the security officer to shoot Mark. Kathryn fell back, unconscious, with blood quickly streaming from the gash created by the torch. “Somebody get a Doctor!!” Chakotay screamed. Within minutes Kathryn was beamed to Starfleet Medical and the story of her rescue was all over the news. ~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~ Gretchen sat glued to the viewscreen watching the developments with her daughter. “Our man, Harold, is at Starfleet Medical right this minute with Kathryn’s sister Phoebe.” The scene changed to include a reporter, Phoebe Janeway, and the background of the emergency room ward waiting room. “Ms. Janeway, what happened to your sister?” “Well, her husband and I figured out that the message sent to Starfleet Headquarters had a hidden message included.” “Please elaborate.” “Well, she used key words and terms as well as phrases with double meanings to tell us where she was.” “And where was that?” “We found her in a cabin in Lake George, New York.” “And her condition when you found her?” “Restrained and held at gun point.” “ I see. Why is she here, now? What happened to her?” “Mark dove at her as she was being rescued from the prison she was being held in. He turned a live Plasma Torch on her abdomen in an attempt to kill the baby she held inside. They are trying to save that child now. The last word I got was that the shock to her system sent her into premature labor over four months early.” “Is there an estimate of how high the survival rate is for the infant?” “There is approximately a 41% chance that the baby will survive. At least that’s what I was told.” “Thank you, Ms. Janeway. You heard it right from family. A 41% chance of survival.” “Such a tragedy. Thanks Harold. Now on to other news.” Gretchen switched off the viewer and walked slowly upstairs to Kathryn’s old room. Glancing around, she picked up several photos and little trinkets to take to the hospital, knowing that if they kept her baby there; Kathryn would be staying, too. ~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~ Phoebe stared into nothingness just waiting for more news on her sister. “This is bullshit!” Chakotay screamed slamming the double doors open into the lobby. “Chakotay! Calm down!” Phoebe said as she pulled him away from the doors. “They won’t even let me see her! She’s my wife, Dammit!” He screeched plopping into a chair in the waiting room. “Deep breaths. Come on, she needs you to be calm,” Phoebe smiled as she tried to calm him. “I’m just frustrated,” he replied, bowing his head. “I’ve never seen her this vulnerable before and it scares the hell out of me.” “You’ve been by her side through thick and thin. You know her better than the rest of us ever will. “ “I know, but if she loses this baby, she will be devastated,” he whispered as he wiped away a tear rolling down his cheek. “She won’t lose it,” Phoebe assured him as she pulled him into a hug. He hung onto her for dear life and she just sat there and let the big man cry. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~* Gretchen Janeway entered the Emergency Room waiting area to see her younger daughter cradling her eldest daughter’s sleeping husband. “Phoebe?” Gretchen asked quietly, moving toward a seat across the table from her daughter. “He’s so lost, Mother,” Phoebe whispered. “He stomped in here screaming and cursing because they won’t let him be with her and then he broke down and cried on my shoulder. He cried so hard that he exhausted himself and he’s been asleep for close to an hour now. I haven’t moved at all because I know that he needs the rest.” Gretchen reached out to touch her daughter’s strawberry locks gently before moving to stroke her son-in-law’s cheek. He was very special and he made her daughter very happy. He made her happy, too. Neither Justin nor Mark had made her very happy. Edward was happy and, being the father, gave them permission to marry Kathryn both times. This time, Gretchen was happy with the man that had chosen Kathryn and Kathryn was happy too. That made everything alright. The man in Phoebe’s arms began to stir and he whispered Kathryn’s name as he rose through the many levels until consciousness. “Chakotay, wake up!” Phoebe loudly whispered into his ear. “I’m up, I’m up,” he replied, pulling himself off of Phoebe’s shoulder. “Phoebe?” “Yes?” she replied. “Any news on Kathryn yet?” he asked hopefully. “No, not yet. I’m sure that there will be some news soon. Don’t worry.” “Easy for you to say,” he murmured, bowing his head slightly. ~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~ Almost four hours of waiting passed before a doctor emerged from the surgery area. “Mr. Chakotay?” he called out. “Yes,” Chakotay responded instantly, moving toward the doctor’s side. “Your wife made it through,” the doctor told him. “She had complications though. The labor was unstoppable and the baby came.” Chakotay bowed his head for the umpteenth time that day. He thought he had lost his daughter. “We were able to keep the child alive and it has been put into a simulated womb in an incubation chamber. She will need to remain there for at least three months. Possibly more.” “But, she will make it, right?” he smiled. “Yes. Your daughter will be fine. In time.” “Thank you, thank you!” Chakotay kept saying over and over again while shaking the doctor’s hand. He was so pleased that his ‘miracle baby’ was going to make it. “You may go in and see her, now. Only one at a time though. She’s still a little disoriented and she might panic if a lot of people were in her room. She is in room number six.” Chakotay watched silently as the doctor walked down the hall. He stopped at the desk and picked up a PADD and he went on to his next patient, Chakotay assumed. Then he moved over to the Janeway ladies to give them the good news. They were very excited about the baby, and told him to go first into the room to see his wife. ~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~ Chakotay entered the small door that lead to room number six. There he saw his wife, resting quietly on the biobed. “Kathryn?” he asked quietly. If she was asleep, he didn’t want to wake her. “Honey, is that you?” her sleepy voice replied. “Yeah,” he whispered, moving to a chair by her bedside. “Did she make it?” she asked hesitantly. “Yes. She’ll have to stay here in the hospital for about four months until she is fully developed, but the doctor said that she will be fine. You did wonderful,” he smiled, leaning over to plant a kiss on her forehead. “Thanks. I’m sure that you were worried sick.” “I was. I yelled and screamed, and then I cried so hard that I put myself to sleep. I’m just glad that you are ok. You came so close to death so many times on Voyager and I thought to myself, ‘We’ve just started something amazing and if I lose her now, how will I ever make it? How can I live without my angel? How would I survive?’ Kathryn Janeway, you aren’t just the world to me, you *are* my world. And if I lost you, there wouldn’t be a man left, just a shell. My heart and soul would follow you wherever you went, to the afterlife in the spirit world and places beyond. I never want you to leave me, and you’ll never be able to get rid of me. I’ll be here until the day you die and longer. I love you very much.” “Chakotay?” she called quietly, taking his hand. “Yes, my darling?” he whispered back. “You have a hell of a way with words, do you know that? It’s one of the many things that I love about you. “It’s definitely a good quality then.” ~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~ Epilog: Mark Johnson was tried for murder and attempted murder in court with the most ruthless judge available at the time. He was convicted by a unanimous vote of the jury and sentenced to life is the New Zealand Penal Colony. Although Mark continued to plan more revenge to Kathryn Janeway, he was never released from the colony and never got the chance to put his plans in motion. Little Leah Anne Janeway was kept in her artificial environment for three months before her parents were able to take her home. B’Elanna Torres was named Leah’s godmother, and Tom, her godfather. Kathryn Janeway and Chakotay lived a happy life together and Kathryn gave Leah a little brother when she was four. Leah and Andrew Alan grew up without ever knowing about Mark Johnson or Mary Jo Johnson’s murder. Their parent suppose that they’ll eventually find out, but they’ll cross that bridge when they come to it. The End |