Takes place about 7 months after the events of Web of Life 5. I hadn't planned on doing an A/U from the series--it sort of just happened.
Dedicated to La and her family.
Kathryn Janeway sagged into her chair, her mind a whirl. Dozens of adjectives were running through her head. Incredible to impossible didn't even begin to describe them. She leaned forward and buried her head in her hands.
It wasn't as if this was unplanned or unexpected...It was just that she thought it would take longer once they'd made the decision to start a family. Apparently two weeks (if the Doctor's calculations were correct) had been plenty of time. She smiled slightly as she sat up and placed her hands on her belly. "Hello," she whispered. The doctor had asked if she'd wanted to know the sex...She'd said no...Maybe later, she...no they would ask...
She opened a drawer and pulled out a PADD. "See this," she said with a gentle pat to her stomach. "This is a letter to your grandmother and aunt." She stopped. By now her sister would of have had her child. Her niece would be...She paused...Six or seven months old.
She leaned back and looked at the ceiling. Seven months since she'd heard from them. Long, hard months. And for the first time since beginning this odyssey, the crew was wondering if it was worth it. Actually, she was now wondering--she suspected the crew had considered the alternatives before. But the Captain? Before the Hirogen, before hearing from home, she had gone out of her way to avoid thinking of alternatives.
She'd made a promise to everybody to *get this crew home.* But was it possible that home could be something more than the alpha-quadrant.
She shook her head, she wasn't quite ready to decide that. But it was now something she was willing to acknowledge as an alternative. "Well, little one, Mommy needs to get back to work." She smiled softly as she picked up the top PADD in her never-ending supply of reports.
She woke slowly--someone was shaking her gently. "Kathryn?"
"Chakotay?" She looked around and rubbed her eyes. "I must have fallen asleep."
"I'd say. You feeling all right?"
"Just tired." She smiled at him.
He grinned in return, "I kept you up too late last night?"
She laughed, "I think this dates back about six weeks ago." She twisted her neck to try to relieve the kinks, then stilled as his hands found her neck and started to massage her shoulders.
She leaned back enjoying his touch, "Mmm. Feels good."
"Thanks..." He stopped suddenly. "Kathryn?"
She controlled the urge to laugh at the confusion in his voice. She stood and faced him. "Yes?" She said, her face giving away everything. He just wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. She leaned into him, "I take it you approve?"
He leaned down and kissed her. "I...Definitely." He kissed her again.