"So how do we get them...separated?" Kathryn asked.
Q glanced between Kathryn and Chakotay briefly before turning and pacing across the room. "That could be tricky. The transfer will have to take place in the continuum. You'll both have to come with me."
"The continuum?" Kathryn asked. "I need to know what's going to take place, and notify..."
Q interrupted with an exaggerated sigh. "Kathy, have I ever steered you wrong? You need to be along so that Chuckles here can have something to anchor him to the proper reality. And your crew will scarcely miss you..." And before the captain could object further, Q snapped a finger and the trio vanished from Voyager and the Delta Quadrant.
Kathryn looked down the road and sighed. "Okay Q, what is your game?"
"Kathy I'm disappointed. Chuckles?"
Chakotay was looking around, his face showed the total confusion he felt at being here...
Q nodded, "It's quite something isn't it? "Since you are not completely Q you don't see all the spectacular beauty." He smiled at the look of confusion on Kathryn's face, but he continued speaking to the Commander. "Unlike her--she sees as a human."
"Q?" Kathryn stepped forward.
Chakotay took her hand and closed his eyes. He opened them when he heard her gasp. "Well?"
She looked around the dismal road and bleak landscape. With a shake of her head, she said, "It was incredible--I've never..."
"See, to ground Chuckles, here. Perfect." Q clapped his hands in glee. "Now..." A pained look appeared on his face for a split second. "Ah. You two share much--including my son's life...I need you. We need you."
Chakotay squeezed Kathryn's hand, then turned his face to Q. "Chakotay," he said simply.
Q raised an eyebrow in question, in mild confusion.
"My name is Chakotay." He raised his chin slightly, met Q's annoyed gaze. "Use it."
He exhaled slowly, his gaze never wavering. He saw something akin to fear make a fleeting appearance in the shadows of Q's expression...fear of things passed...fear that his history with Voyager and her crew might suddenly come back to haunt him. Chakotay's demand a mere indication of the animosity Q had sparked. The look had been fleeting, but it had been there. Q was frightened. For himself, and for his son.
The lines of the Commander's face softened imperceptibly. He bit his lower lip. "What do we do now?"
Q eyed the twosome warily, then sighed. "First, we need to determine the extent to which your consciousness, and that of my son's, are merged. The extent will determine the separation process. Then, we perform the disjoining, during which your Captain will play a key role. The process will not be a pleasant one...for you or my son. It will be painful. It will be frightening...especially for a child. He will fight it, you may also." He quietly glanced at Kathryn. "You must ground him, Captain...so as he may ground my son. Their strength will come from you."
Q's eyes lingered on the both of them before he winked out of existence. Kathryn gazed at the spot where he'd stood before dragging her gaze toward Chakotay.
His eyes were on the skies and held a growing look of fear.
"Chakotay? What's wrong?" She took a step closer to him, trying to focus on what he was seeing. All she could see was the blue of the sky. Turning again, if only to get a better grasp at where he was focusing. Still the skies, and now his breathing had gone ragged.
"Chakotay?" she called again. Louder this time. Instinctively she grasped his hand, holding tightly, willing him to acknowledge her. She thought she saw him blink. Then suddenly he stilled.
"They're coming."
"Who...Who's coming..." Her voice trailed off as she heard a distant roar. The ground started to shake so that the little rocks bounced. Janeway reached out to grab Chakotay's arm to maintain her balance. She shouted her question again, but the words were lost in the increasing noise. She clutched his arm harder.
He turned his face and smiled at her. A nervous smile. She tried to smile back. The noise was now deafening.
Then suddenly silence followed quickly by the ground falling away, sending the couple in rapid free-fall toward nothing...
Breath was ripped from lungs. Hands gripped vise-like, unwilling...unable...to let go.
And then they were on their knees, gasping for breath. Solid ground lay beneath them. Bright warm sunlight blanketed them, replacing the cold blackness into which they had only seconds before plummeted.
Heartbeats passed.
Finally, silently, Kathryn pushed herself to her feet, dragged Chakotay up with her. She studied him intently...met his dark gaze. "What the hell just happened?"
Q's voice sounded before his 'body' appeared. "That is the place where my son is. It's a very dark, very scary place. He's lost and alone and he cannot find his way home. You were dragged into his reality."
He looked every bit the distraught parent as he paced before the two officers. After several moments of silence, he spun on them, his eyes and voice mildly accusing. "You were not strong enough to pull him back."
Kathryn was taken aback at his sudden outburst, but remained silent as he had more to say.
"If we are to separate them you will have to do more than just hold his hand! You must occupy his mind," Q said to Kathryn.
"Occupy his mind?" Kathryn asked. "What do you mean 'occupy his mind'"?
Q gave her a once over, before disappearing in a flash of light. Again his voice remained. "You're a woman, think of something!"
"Q!!!" Janeway called out to the darkening sky. No one answered. She glanced at Chakotay who hadn't moved during Q's entire conversation. "Well, do you know what we are to do?"
He shook his head. "No. We need to think of something to occupy his mind..."
"I don't even know how old Q...junior is. What does he like..." She looked suspiciously at her First Officer's as his sudden thoughts filled her mind. She blushed furiously and struggled to think of something else as he pulled her into his embrace.
She shivered as the air grew colder, as all light disappeared and they were again floating in the nothingness.
"Chakotay?" Her voice was tense.
"Relax..."
She glanced nervously around her...at the darkness. It was different this time. They weren't falling...they were floating. Still. Quiet. She again met his eyes. "Relax." She echoed softly. At his slight nod, she swallowed hard, closed her eyes, forced the tension to ease, thoughts to still, mindful all the while of the arms enfolding her. She frowned imperceptibly. She was supposed to be occupying their minds...no...that wasn't right. She was supposed to occupy his mind, so that he could help Q's son. Instead, he seemed to be the one occupying her mind. The corner of her mouth crooked in an amused smile. But then, maybe she was...occupying his mind. What had Q said? You're a woman? Sometimes it was easy to forget.
When she opened her eyes again, he was staring at her...eyes dark, intensely thoughtful, with just a hint of melancholy. Her brow furrowed at his expression. She opened her mouth to speak.
He shook his head, the action stopping any words that might have been spoken.
She slowly closed her mouth, looked at him questioningly.
"Say nothing." he whispered. "Just hold me. Don't let go."
"But Q said..."
He placed a finger gently against her lips, shushed her.
She stared at him a moment longer, but obeyed, resting her head against his shoulder. She felt when his eyes closed and did likewise. It felt like a releasing.
Slowly she became aware of a change, a gentle energy circling them. It was soft, like a summer breeze and fragrant as a flower. The sense it brought on was warmth, and intense devotion; love. It twirled and wrapped all around them, caressing and filling them.
*I love you,* she felt Chakotay say, and the currents around them, shifted and buoyed them up, as if they'd crested a gentle wave. She couldn't prevent the unconscious response.
*Oh, how I love you, Chakotay.* She felt the change almost immediately. The waves suddenly surged, filling with brilliant light and overpowering emotion. The physical presence of his hands against her lower back faded against the sudden torrent assailing her consciousness.
She pulled back slightly so she could watch the waves coalescing then fade away only to reform again. As she watched, the waves faded more.
"Kathryn, concentrate." His voice was warm and compelling and so close. She turned slightly, her face clearing showing her confusion and fascination.
"Concentrate? On what?" She was highly distracted by his nearness.
He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "What we were doing was working..."
"Working?" She stared into his eyes as she searched for an understanding. "Q?" She said.
Chakotay nodded. "He's around us...The child needs a strong anchor to focus on...to bring him back to reality..."
"Won't solving a..." His lips cut off her words as he kissed her. Neither were concentrating on the forms around them.
Subtle hues of violet and blue and green had again faded into existence about them. Color swirled, danced, mingled, rose, fell, surged, receded. The tones, currents, sensations intensified suddenly...then flared. Brightness filled the space where darkness once existed.
Neither noticed, yet both were aware.
She groaned helplessly as his lips abandoned hers...trailed a path along her jawline, to her ear, down her neck, to the edge of her collar.
The brightness intensified again, blurring the definition between bodies and light.
Her head fell back as his lips followed the line of her collar to the point just above the hollow at the base of her throat, moved up to the tip of her chin.
Light suffused flesh.
Suddenly, he cried out. His hands clenched the fabric of her robe, as his head fell back, agony defining the lines of his face.
She gasped at the sound of his cry, at the virulence of his grasp.
The light burned...violently searing thought and skin, the sweet agony of lips on flesh transformed into unimaginable torture.
Her head snapped to his. She squinted into the brightness, trying to see what she could only hear and feel. Her arms tightened around him. "Chakotay?"
A choked groan was his only response as his hands loosened their hold.
"Chakotay!" she called again as he began to slip. Not physically, but on some other level he was falling away from her. Even his body beneath her fingers felt wrong--the warmth was replaced by cool.
She glanced around, desperate to see beyond the miasma of swirling lights and colors, desperate to find Q. Yet, even before the word could pass her lips, she knew. It had started. The separation had begun and there was no stopping it.
What had Q said? 'Keep him grounded.' What did that mean? And how was she supposed to do that if she wasn't even sure what she was grounding him against. One thing she did know: she was losing him. Just as sure as if he'd fallen off a cliff, he was receding away from her.
Just then an image flashed through her mind. It was an eagle, and he was soaring, flying high above the cliffs. "Join me, Kathryn," a voice whispered earnestly in her mind. The image flashed again, this time lasting longer, catching her unawares. "Join me."
"Chakotay?" she whispered mentally. And suddenly the image became reality, she was snuggled against the back of a large eagle, an eagle that spoke with Chakotay's voice and bore a tattoo over his brow.
"Where are we?" she cried in shocked amazement as the wind whipped through her hair, blowing it out behind her. They were soaring over a deep canyon with a river meandering snake-like along its course.
"We're free!" the eagle thought to her, laughter filling his voice. "Free!" He soared higher and higher.
She tightened her fingers in the feathers and his back, and was shocked to find that the fingers were her own. Chakotay was an eagle and she was a woman...'Keep him grounded...' Q's words echoed through her mind. 'Keep him grounded...'
'Keep him grounded...' She opened her eyes with a start. "No! Chakotay!" She grabbed for him surprised to see his hands in hers. "You can't leave me..."
He didn't respond as she felt him again slip away. "Chakotay!" She desperately tried to think of another way of bringing him back to reality. She pulled herself closer to his body, letting her warmth envelope him. "Chakotay," she whispered just before she kissed him.
The colors swirled around them, drawing closer tying the couple together, merging with them.
Kathryn opened her eyes at his sharp gasp of pain...
Then felt nothing.
He was gone.
"No!" she gasped as she spun around, arms outstretched...reaching...attempting to find him.
She felt nothing. Heard nothing. Sensed nothing.
Panic reared it's ugly head. She raised a hand to shield her eyes from the incredible brightness. The action was futile, the surrounding brilliance too intense. 'Keep him grounded.' She cursed silently through her teeth. She couldn't panic. Panic wouldn't help him. She closed her eyes, bowed her head, attempted to ease her breathing, which was now coming in short gulps.
She forced her breath to slow, the tension in her body to ease, her mind to still.
After several moments, she lifted her head, again opened her eyes. He could be anywhere. He could be nowhere.
"Chakotay!" she shouted, then stilled...waiting...praying...listening for a response.
She waited so intensely that when something happened she nearly missed. It was a soft, quiet, wispy thing--like a breath blowing across her cheek. She froze completely, concentrating on that small motion.
It was him! He was right there, just like he always was. A gentle sound like the tingling of bells sounded, and she smiled, remembering him. Her mind flowed back to the two of them discussing a morning meal of ration packs. So long ago, in the first days of their exile in the Delta Quadrant, yet the sensations were so real. If she wanted she could reach out and touch him...
She did--literally threw her arms about him and held on for dear life.
"Captain?" Chakotay's arms went about her. "Is something wrong?" His voice sounded as if it were coming from a great distance, then suddenly very near.
"Kathryn?" he called again. There was such a different note to his voice that she pulled away and looked up. They stood on the bridge, all the eyes of the crew on them. She turned toward the view screen to find a Borg cube closing.
When she turned back to him, they stood on the surface of a planet. Chakotay was gazing toward the sun, and had just turned back toward her. He held a small child in his arms.
"I think the weather is clear enough? Kathryn?" A frown etched itself between his brows and he took a step closer. "Kath?"
"Where are we?" she asked urgently, glancing behind them. A grouping of buildings were visible through the trees.
"We're home," Chakotay answered her, confusion evident in his gaze. "This is our home..."
She took a step backward. This couldn't be...the others had been memories...She didn't remember this...it couldn't be...She took another step backward, and then she was falling...
#
She was lying on her back staring at a unfamiliar ceiling. She grunted as she shifted position, trying to find a more comfortable position.
"Kathryn?" He said softly. "Is everything all right?"
She opened her eyes wide and tried to sit up. "Chakotay? What are you doing here?"
A hand on her shoulder stopped her. "We've finished salvage operations and I thought I would get some sleep."
She rolled over quickly and attempted to sit on the edge of the bed. "Salvage?" She could barely make-out Chakotay's frown in the pale moonlight.
"Kath?" He sounded very concerned. "Calm down..." He reached around her and placed his hands on her stomach. Kathryn gasped in surprise--she was pregnant. And by the looks of it, *very* pregnant.
"Q?" She whispered. "What the hell is going..."
A voice interrupted her thoughts. "Commander." It was B'Elanna. "We're ready."
Chakotay took her hand and smiled sadly. "To Voyager. May she rest in peace."
"What?!" she gasped. What had he said? What was wrong with her ship? What the hell was going on?
"Kath..." His brows furrowed as he peered into her eyes, studied her face. "Are you all right?"
"No...I'm not." she said, wresting her hand from his. Her eyes flitted around the room. Real. And yet, unreal. Her hands went to her swelled belly. None of this was right. *Keep him grounded...occupy his mind.* None of what surrounded them was of her mind. She could only assume it was of his. But why? An escape?
Her eyes again found his. She had to ground him...hold him fast, so that he could help Q's son. Her devices, not his. Her strength, for only her strength could be trusted. His torment would only serve to trick him...lead him away from his own strength.
Slowly, she held out a hand to him in supplication. "Come back with me."
Chakotay looked at her strangely for several moments, his eyes locking into hers. She felt that he could see the very essence of what made her Kathryn Janeway. As she watched, a change came over him--his features blurred and another image appeared. It seemed as if for an extended moment in time two Chakotays occupied the same space. This face was tormented.
"I'm with...you....Kathryn. I'm always...with you." The words sounded as if they were dragged out of him. "List...en to...me. Listen..." And then he slipped away...the anguish melted to be replaced by a different Chakotay--one who didn't look as if the universe were tearing him apart. This Chakotay met her gaze evenly, then glanced away.
"This...what you are seeing is the part of the essence of the continuum. Those images...they ARE us, Kathryn. Our past...our present..." he let his eyes meet hers for a significant moment then slide away to linger on her distended belly. "One possible future."
He continued, mentally preparing himself, and perhaps her too. "The separation process is almost complete, what remains is...difficult. If we are to move forward and through the process, we must go where this takes us."
"You know where that is, don't you?" Kathryn asked.
Chakotay's eyes lingered again on her belly, before his eyes were drawn to the horizon. A tiny flash of light grew from the air around them, expanding and contracting until it threatened to engulf them. "It's time." he said.
"Time?" She said as they were surrounded by an increasing number of tiny flashing lights.
Chakotay nodded as he took her hand. "Kathryn?" She hesitated, before following him through the lights.
As she closed her eyes to block the dizzying effect, she felt the ground disappear from under her feet--yet they kept walking. She didn't open her eyes until they stopped and he wrapped his arms around her. His mouth tickled her neck as he gently started kissing her. "Chakotay, just what exactly is going to happen?"
He didn't answer her but continued to kiss her shoulders, his hands starting to wander over her abdomen.
She fought the haze his kisses produced in her mind. "Chakotay...please." she forced. She felt as if she were being lulled. It didn't feel right. She pulled slightly away.
"Kathryn." His voice was low, firm, as he pulled her gently back against him.
She rested her hands atop his, stilled them. "I need to know what is going to happen. None of this is making sense to me. I don't see how these experiences are helping the disjoining."
She felt him sigh against her neck.
"The human mind can not comprehend the workings of the continuum."
"Try me."
"Trust me." he whispered.
Kathryn nearly gave in to the sensations Chakotay was causing, but a small part of her mind warned her that something was not right. Gently she pushed him away.
"Kathryn..." he moaned with frustration in his voice. "This is a possible future for us. I would never lie to you about something this important. Why can't you just accept that? Accept me? Our baby?"
Janeway continued another step back as he pleaded with her, his anguish event in his every movement. His emotions were powerful and poured into her consciousness, washing her with overwhelming measures of his desires, his pain and his needs. Her sense of fear and guilt added to the pooling of conflicting emotions. But far down, deep beneath all the confusion was a knot of determination, a strong sense of self and a deep and abiding love for her Chakotay. So armed, she straightened her shoulders and approached the man that she knew...and didn't know...yet.
"Chakotay," she whispered. "I do accept you, and I'd be willing to accept this future, if it comes to that. It's beautiful and it's seductive, but it isn't our time. Would you have us miss all the experiences that might bring us here? Or the joy of conceiving this child? Of this...place? All the days in between then and now? Chakotay I cannot let go of those things. I want to know them and feel them. And I want to do that with you."
Standing proudly before him, she reached out her hand. "Will *you* come with me?"
"I would follow you any place, Kathryn Janeway," he said with quiet passion. Even if..." He gasped suddenly, his eyes glazed over in pain, and collapsed in her arms. His weight drove them both to the ground of a dusty road.
"Chakotay?" She shoved at him. "Chakotay!" she repeated, louder.
The lights around them blurred and she grabbed onto him to keep him with her. "Q! What?"
Her voice echoed in the nothingness, before fading away. "Keep him anchored...In what?"
A wind buffeted them, and she pulled him closer..."How much longer? Anchored? Q! Answer me!"
Nothing.
"Q?" Her voice seemed quite small, Kathryn thought as she realized two things. They weren't floating anymore. She was lying on something comfortable and her First Officer was lying on her..."Chakotay, wake up." Wherever they were it was too dark to see anything. She relaxed her hold and tentatively felt around her with her left hand.
Soft pieces of material--blankets she realized with a start--StarFleet issue...
That didn't mean anything...Not after what they'd been through.
"Wake-up..."
He snorted softly, but didn't move off her. She hoped he was just asleep--not unconscious. Explaining this to the Doctor...or Tuvok...and the crew...
She laughed. *We were kidnapped by Q?* "Fat chance in explaining being caught together like this." She ran her fingers over his tattoo, down his cheek, and across his lips. A path she'd traced so many times--in her dreams.
She gasped as she felt his lips pull her finger into his mouth with a gentle sucking motion. "Chakotay?"
He merely hummed in response.
She pulled her finger from his mouth, brought her hand to his shoulder and gently pushed him. "Chakotay."
Again, no words met her ears. Instead, she felt the brush of lips against her neck as he buried his face in her hair.
She pushed again, harder this time. "Chakotay."
His lips stilled, his head raised. Brown met blue.
"When are we now?"
He responded with a smile. "The beginning."
"Of?"
"Us."
She smiled at a memory that would someday be hers. The beginning. But, that time wasn't now, of that she was sure. He'd again dallied along the path of wherever all of this was taking them.
She stilled suddenly, realization dawning. The path. The process. Long. Arduous. Painful; more so as they proceeded. Every instance in which she'd witnessed his pain, it had been much more intense than the time previous. When he dallied, he was afforded a reprieve...a respite from the agony. The temptation to stop... to stay... was great. Seductive were the threads, the times, through which they traveled. Even more so when all he knew outside these brief respites was pain. He...they...he and Q's son...it was only natural that they would choose to stay, in a time of peace and joy, in a time free of agony.
She had to ground him. She had to push, pull, lure him along the path. If she didn't, they would all be trapped...in some state of limbo...adrift in the continuum...for eternity. She had to help him to accept the pain...the necessity of it. She had to deny him what this place offered, in order that the promise be kept alive.
Her eyes drifted over his features, then came to rest on his eyes. "We have to leave this place."
Confusion registered briefly across his features as he gazed more deeply into her eyes, struggling for understanding. When he found it, his countenance fell. Fear washed over him, spilled over unto her. His eyes focused through her as if seeing some unfathomable horror.
"Chakotay? Chakotay, what is it?" Kathryn asked grabbing at his arms as he slowly began to shake his head, his eyes never loosing contact. It was eerie, as if deep in her gaze he had found his worse fear. Indecipherable words of denial spilled from his lips as she continued to hold onto him.
"Chakotay I'm here." She murmured soft words of encouragement, putting all of her being into keeping him safe, ensuring him that he was not alone. Her grip tightened as if to reinforce the point. But it did nothing to alleviate the dark fright that danced behind his eyes.
The black rippled ever so slightly, breaking Kathryn's concentration. And then suddenly it yawned into a gaping maw and sucked her in whole. There was no time to scream, and the fear she'd only sensed from Chakotay mounted and all-out attack, nearly knocking her over in its intensity.
A mammoth raging life form with the evil leer of a Cardassian, and the powerful body of a Ginubian wildebeest stood over them grasping a large jagged weapon in a long-nailed claw. In its other paw it held something small and precious. It tormented them with it, moving it closer to them and then concealing it from their grasp. Approach and fade. Approach and fade. The precious thing began to whimper pitifully.
With a final gleeful grimace the life-form displayed the precious thing fully. It was the blue eyes and tanned skin and arching tattoo that first caught Kathryn's attention. The next was the gleeful grin of the life-form transforming to murderous intent.
#
#
The Doctor was practically glaring at the two security officers, when Tuvok walked into sick-bay. The Doctor didn't need to say what was wrong--Tuvok had noticed the Commander was not in the bio-bed. The Vulcan turned and looked at the shorter officer. "Report."
"Sir," the ensign said. "Contrary to what the Doctor thinks, Commander Chakotay did not leave sick-bay by the door. We were there..."
The doctor harumphed, but didn't interrupt.
"Doctor, have you located Commander Chakotay?"
Tuvok quirked an eyebrow at the Doctor's slight nod as he hoped Tuvok realized why he was reticent to speak. The two guards were ordered to leave, before they continued their conversation.
"Of course I have located him. He is with the Captain. I was reluctant...well..."
"Interesting." Tuvok tapped his comm-badge. "Tuvok to Captain Janeway."
The Doctor looked at him in alarm when there was no response.
Tuvok calmly continued, "Computer locate Captain Janeway."
"Captain Janeway is not on board Voyager."
"Commander Chakotay?"
"Commander Chakotay is not on board Voyager."
The Doctor shook his head slightly. "How long have they been gone?"
"Ten point three three seconds."
The two looked at each other. Tuvok again tapped his comm-badge. "Tuvok to bridge."
"Commander?" Tom's voice replied.
"I want a complete scan of the area. And have the away teams return to the ship."
"Yes, sir."
The Doctor watched him leave. Having people disappear and reappear without notice really was too much. It reminded him of...
He stared at the empty biobed. No...It wasn't possible, was it?
#
#
"Oh my God." gasped Kathryn. It was their child, the babe within the grasp of the beast. It was their child, this precious innocent thing against so much malevolence was concentrated.
"Don't do this, Kathryn."
Her face snapped to his. "What?"
"Don't do this." he said, gesturing toward the raging creature, the babe within it's paw.
Confusion, abhorrence redefined the lines of her face. "What are you talking about?" Her eyes darted to the baby. At that moment, the life-form stepped closer, emitted a fierce sound.
"This... this is all your own doing." He stepped between her and the beast, grasped her shoulders, forced her to meet his eyes. "You're intent, your need to leave here, your desire to deny us, is killing that child... our child."
Her gaze drifted to the left and up... at the innocent life within the clutches of such evil. Was she to believe that this was conjured from her heart and mind? Was this how Chakotay interpreted her attempts to usher him out of this realm? Was this how Chakotay interpreted her heart? She couldn't believe that. She wouldn't believe that. Somehow, the presence of Q's son was affecting his reasoning. What she saw before her was the merged perception of her actions and words. What she saw before her was the merged reaction of a man and a child... a mortal man, an omnipotent child... a passionate man, a frightened child... a thinking man, an unreasoning child. She had to stop talking to just one. Whatever she said to Chakotay, both heard and reacted to. She could reason with Chakotay, but Q's son would interfere. Chakotay might try to rein in the child, but unless she could provide the anchor for both, his attempts were in vain.
What was happening before her was not real.
Her eyes again found his. "That's too bad..." She said forcefully. "Because we're leaving. Now. That's an order."
Chakotay starred back at her first in stunned confusion. "Kath...?" His voice trailed away pitifully. "I...you can't do this? You can't order me to just allow this to happen... I won't do it!" He stomped his foot for good measure.
Kathryn turned and leveled him with a icy glare. "You will commander. You will stop behaving in this childish manner. You will obey my orders and you will do it now." She punctuated each sentence with a menacing step in his direction, but she never raised her voice. She stood toe to toe with him. "Now move."
Chakotay wilted, all of the fight gone out of him. His face crumpled and he began to cry, going to his knees. "I'm afraid. The bad monster will get me. It'll tear me apart. It wants to tear me apart." The voice that whimpered was that of a frightened child. "Don't make me do it, please, Kathryn. Make the bad monster go away." He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and sobbed into her belly.
This was nearly Kathryn's undoing. Her heart melted at the very real fear of the child shining through. But she knew what she had to do. She stooped to Chakotay's eye level and raised his chin.
"Listen to me. This is going to be hard, but you have to be brave. You can beat this silly old monster. And when you do, it'll be all over. You'll see." She smiled softly at him. "I'll hold your hand and we'll face it together." She extended her hand out to him and her smile broadened when he placed his hesitantly into it. "Come on," she said, dragging him to his feet.
He gripped her hand so tightly that she almost asked him to let go. She took a step away from the monster, gently pulling him with her. Then another step.
"Is it gone?" A voice, Chakotay's, but yet not Chakotay's said.
"Almost," she said with a smile. "Don't look back. Be brave." There was a childish whimper, but he didn't resist as she continued backing away. The monster's form started to swirl, the colors blending then separating to the full visible spectrum then vanished away into nothingness.
She stopped in surprise as their surroundings blurred and started spin. A wave of dizziness passed over her as she leaned against Chakotay for support. A soft, kind chuckle--his laugh now, not the whimperings of a child--as he wrapped his arms around her. "Hold on Kathryn."
Then they were falling into a black abyss.
She closed her eyes as they spiraled out of control for what seemed like minutes or even hours...She didn't know. She could feel them accelerate as something pulled them closer. A bright light appeared in her mind, then surrounded them as they fell faster. She gripped Chakotay tighter and was surprised to discover a second form.
She opened her eyes and found herself looking into the eyes of a petrified five year old. "Chakotay?" She called out, her voice tinged with panic.
"Here." His calm voice said reassuringly. The swirling light that surrounded them, coalesced, slowing their descent until they were gently floating toward a familiar shape.
"Voyager!" She said.
#
She stood in her quarters, so familiar. Her coffee pot, her desk...She noticed Chakotay staring at her. "Well?"
He closed his eyes and nodded. "At least I think it was successful." They both looked around the room. "Q?"
There was no answer, instead there was the insistent chiming from the door. "Come in!" She glanced at Chakotay and pulled her robe tighter.
Tuvok with three security guards entered with weapons drawn. "Captain Janeway...Commander Chakotay..." She almost laughed at the confusion on his face.
"Commander Tuvok, as you can tell, everything will be fine, I hope." One could never tell with a Q. "I'll explain everything, *in the morning.*"
"Captain," the Vulcan tried to say. "You and the commander were gone for over a minute..."
"A minute? It seemed longer. I'm tired and I'm sure the Doctor will be having puppies soon if Chakotay doesn't report back there now. Anything else can wait." She started walking toward the door. "Have I made myself clear?"
"Yes, Captain." Tuvok arched an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. But Janeway realized the three young guards were just as anxious to leave. They did have a story to tell, she realized as she glanced at what she the heavy robe she was still wearing.
Chakotay waited until the door closed before he touched her shoulder. "Thank-you, Kathryn." He started to kiss her, but stopped. He was not sure where the realities crossed.
"You're welcome," she was saying as she turned. But something in his stance brought her up short. Any additional words she might have said died on her lips as the realization of what he had been about to do dawned on her.
Chakotay's eyes slanted away in embarrassment, and he took a step backward. "I...uh, some parts of the timeline were very vivid and seem to have..." Shaking himself, he stood straighter. "I apologize for overstepping my bounds, Captain."
Kathryn watched him silently. He stood straight, a professional mask over his features. His eyes met with hers, and she saw something there that she recognized. Something that caused a pleasant warmth to flood her system.
Smiling, she approached him, took his hand. "I think it's time," she said.
Chakotay looked very confused. "Time?"
"For the beginning," Kathryn explained with a small smile. "Q has shown us the future, and now I think it's time we put that future in motion.
She placed her hand in his and let him pull her toward him. She tried to remember to breathe as his lips met hers.
"Well, well, well. I just can't leave you two kiddies alone." Q stood right beside them grinning like an annoying cheshire cat.
Janeway took a deep breath and stepped away from him and the commander. "Didn't you *ever* learn manners?"
"Bah..." Q smiled at her. "But I do want to say thank-you...To both of you." He held out his hand toward Chakotay, who reluctantly shook it.
"You're welcome," the commander said. "How's the boy?"
"He's fine. Recovered completely." Q laughed. "He's out and about."
"Disrupting someone else's lives, I hope," Kathryn whispered.
Q looked hurt. "And here we've shown you so much..."
"Q?" Janeway stepped toward him. "Were those visions of what will be or what might be?"
"The future is what you make of it. Au revoir Kathy...Chuckles." He winked. "Have fun."
Chakotay shook his head as the other man vanished in flash of light, then turned to face her. "Now, where were we before..."
"I seem to remember you were kissing me, Chuckles..." She laughed at his look of horror, that turned to one of sheer passion.
"So I was...Kathy." He grabbed her shoulder and pulled her into his embrace again.
"That's Captain..." She didn't finish as she kissed him.