#or pat from janeway

[maliciousalice]

EPIC

[bumblingbabooshka]

Janeway really said “I’m gonna hunt him down no matter what the cost. No matter how long it takes. If you wanna call that a vendetta-” like ma’am you KNOW that’s a vendetta there’s no IF

[divinemissem13]

The Shots You Don't Take

2024 Eight Character No True Pair Challenge Fandom: Star Trek Voyager Pair: Kathryn Janeway & Tom Paris Word count: 379 Prompt: one in a million

Kathryn watches the look of panic rise on Tom's face as he analyzes the pool table and she can't help but tease him a little. "I'll tell you what, if you can make this shot, you can have your second pip back."

"Seriously? That shot is nearly impossible! One in a million, at least!"

"I could make it," she declares.

"I'd like to see you try," Tom huffs in response. He knows she's a great pool player, but this shot? There's no way!

"Alright," she agrees confidently. She leans over the table to set up her shot but before taking it, she looks up at the ensign. "What do I get when I make it?"

"Uh… replicator rations?" A raised eyebrow tells Tom that was the wrong answer. "What do you want? My last pip??" Tom groans in frustration.

Kathryn focuses her attention back to the table, lining up the cue just right as she responds. "For the next talent night, Tuvok asked me to read a scene with him from a play he's been writing." She leans over the cue and looks up at Tom. "When I sink this shot, you'll volunteer to read with him instead."

If Tuvok's poetry is any indication, this could be quite the punishment. But Tom looks at the balls on the table again. The eight ball sits directly between the pocket and the last stripe. There's no way to get one in without the other. Tom boldly meets his captain's eyes with a confident, steely gaze. "Deal."

Without even looking back at the table, Kathryn sinks the shot.

Tom's mouth hangs open like a fish while Kathryn orders the computer to reset the table to the previous configuration. "Your move, Ensign," she grins, offering him her stick.

Tom is so flustered that he not only misses the shot but he also rips a hole in the felt with his pool cue.

"Tuvok will be expecting you for a rehearsal tonight at 2000," Kathryn smirks, patting Tom consolingly on the shoulder. With that, she exits the holodeck, leaving Tom to contemplate all of the mistakes he's made in his life to bring him to this moment: a Starfleet ensign, lost in the Delta Quadrant, about to star in the latest Vulcan contemporary theatrical experience.

[japhan2024]

The planet with two faces

I wrote this for @haruspeks in the @startrekwintergiftexchange ! I've worked on it for the entire month lol with my partner, we had so much fun thinking of scenarios and stuff! We also invented a Delta Quadrant planet haha :) I hope you like it! <3

~

"Chakotay!" Janeway calls out for her number one.

Her head hurts - the Janurean who just hit her, lays knocked out on the ground.

"Captain," a strained voice comes from behind Janeway. "We have to retreat, there is no winning this..."

"Just stay behind me!" Janeway commands. But more and more Janureans flood into the room.

"Surrender," their leader says. "And we will spare your life."

Janeway looks the hostile alien in the eye. "No."

read on ao3

~

One day earlier

~

"Captain, Seven," the Doctor greets the two women in his sick bay.

"Is this really a good idea, Seven?" Janeway frowns at her ex-borg Astrometrics officer. But a smile tugs at the corners of her mouth. Seven looks as determined as ever. A quality Janeway appreciates, as she is a stubborn person herself. Debating Seven is never dull or easy.

"My calculations are sound. I assure you, captain, it is safe."

"I concur," the Doctor says, examining the screen with data about the procedure he's about to conduct on them. He tilts his head, looking at Janeway. "You won't feel a thing."

"That's not what I am worried about," Janeway says with one eyebrow raised.

"We will be at great tactical advantage, and will not need transponders," Seven answers.

Janeway squints and scrunches her nose. Seven will always get her way in the end anyway. "Let's just get this over with..."

~

"What's on the menu today, buddy?" Chakotay asks Neelix with a smile.

"Oh! Well, nothing special today, I'm afraid, commander. But! Tomorrow I will have the chance to collect all kinds of delicious herbs and vegetables from Janu. I can't wait to cook with those! It's almost Voyager's birthday, did you know that? I'm going to make an excellent Voyager birthday soup!"

Chakotay looks straight at him.

"Oh! Well, today, I do have a stew, famous on Earth for it's spices and... sloppy texture..."

"Right... Thank you, Neelix."

Seven walks into the mess hall.

"Seven! What a nice surprise, I don't see you often here in the mess hall."

"I'm not here to eat," Seven tells him. I'm here to discuss the tactics of the mission with the captain and commander Chakotay."

"You know, I'm also joining your expedition!"

"You are?"

"Why yes, it's so I can collect some delicious herb-"

"Captain." Seven walks up to Janeway, who just entered the room. "Is it wise to bring Neelix with us? He has insufficient combat training."

"We won't be fighting anyone, Seven," Janeway says calmly.

"How do you know this?"

"We're going there to scan for Deuterium, as we can't pierce the magnetic field of the planet. We'll be in and out, no questions asked."

Janeway and Seven sit down at Chakotay's table, and they talk while Janeway and Chakotay eat from the stew reluctantly. Seven looks at it, puzzled.

"Do you truly choose this over ration bars, Captain?" she asks.

Janeway looks at Seven, not able to hide her smile anymore. "You know what, Chakotay? Seven has a point."

~

Janeway, Neelix, Chakotay and Seven get ready to step into the Delta Flyer.

"Good luck finding that Deuterium source, team!" Tom Paris says. "And..." he looks at Chakotay. "Take care of her for me?"

Seven looks at Janeway, searching her face for answers.

"He means the Deltaflyer."

"Of course I will," Chakotay reassures Tom Paris. He pats him on the shoulder and enters the flyer. Paris looks after them, a smile on his face but his eyes revealing worry. He is the best pilot after all, not Chakotay. But the commander has more experience dealing with pre-warp civilizations. He sighs and looks after them as they fly away.

They leave Voyager and fly into space, approaching the red and green planet of Janu.

"Isn't that pretty," Neelix gushes, looking ahead. "It's like the planet has two faces, one on each side with it's own color."

"We will be 100% undetectable with the Deltaflyer's improved camouflage," Janeway says.

Chakotay nods. "And we should be able to cruise through the magnetic field with our navigational deflector and coating. The corrosive effects of the field should keep to a minimum."

Seven and Janeway raise their eyebrows.

As they get closer to the planet, they enter the magnetic field. The shuttle begins to shake and they are hit by some space rubble.

"Shields at 80 percent," the computer voice says.

"Hold on, this will be a bumpy ride!" Chakotay says. Everyone grips their armrests.

"Shields at 40 percent," the computer says in the same steady tone as always. But the crew doesn't feel so steady. They bounce around the aircraft. The only one still in place is Chakotay, a crazed look in his eyes, mirroring his past when he was still with the Maquis.

~

Janeway slowly comes to. Her vision sharpens and she sees a wooden ceiling. Her head hurts. In fact, her entire body hurts. She slowly turns to look at her surroundings and sees someone sitting in a chair beside her. It's a Janurean.

"Oh no, the prime directive," Janeway thinks. But it's too late for that now.

"How are you feeling?" The Janurean asks.

"Like I've been hit by something big. But it seems you're taking good care of me."

The Janurean blushes and smiles. It's a young woman. "I'm taking care of you and your friends. You fell out of the sky. You must be our gods."

"Oh, no, not at all," Janeway says a bit too hasty. Because waking up, she doesn't have a good cover story yet. "We, ah, we got swept up by a mighty wind, and then we fell down, it's quite remarkable."

"How could the wind sweep up a house made of metal?" the woman says.

"I have no idea either," Janeway says. She sits up, rubbing her temple. The lack of morning coffee is becoming a real problem.

Janeway hears someone groaning. She turns around and sees her crew all in beds, clothed in Janurean robes. They are also waking up. No sign of their transponders or combadges.

"Where are our clothes?" She asks.

The woman looks at her apologetically. In a hushed voice, she says, "it's not safe to wear the clothes of the gods. We're protecting you here, but there are many who also saw the falling star. And they're looking for you."

"What do they want with us?" Chakotay chimes in.

"They think the falling of the gods means the end of time. Destroying you is the only way to save our world. I know, it's foolish and I don't believe it at all. It think you're here to enlighten us. And so does my family."

A small family enters through the doorway. A young male, an elderly person and two small kids. One shy, the other waving at them. Neelix winks at her. She laughs. "You look funny," she says. Neelix smiles.

"I'm very grateful you've tended to us, but I need to know where our clothes and things are, and where our... metal house is?"

"Oh, don't worry, we have hidden your house well. Nobody can find it. It's safe."

"I appreciate that," Janeway says, getting annoyed now, "but I still would like to know where it is."

"Please," the woman says. "Tell us about the skies? Teach us?"

Janeway and Chakotay look at each other.

"How do you feel?"

"I've been better," Chakotay jokes.

Seven eyes the windows and door of the room. She gets up. Her dress is brown and wavy. Janeway thinks it suits her better than the suit the Doctor gave her. Her hair is loose and falls over her shoulders. Seven shoots her a look. Janeway quickly looks back at Chakotay.

The Janureans huddle together in the doorway. "It's not safe to go outside," they urge Seven.

"Let's try to think of a plan first," Chakotay says.

"Let me through, I can take care of myself," Seven insists. She pushes past them and is out of sight.

Chakotay looks at Janeway like he blames her. Janeway ignores it.

~

Seven walks outside. It's early morning. Three moons grace the green sky. The house of their hosts stands in a small village. There are several shrines around, all portraying the moons. She scans the inscriptions. The shrines indeed tell the tale of the gods, that 'will come down again to bring forth the final Wisdom'. Nobody is outside yet but her. She resolutely walks over the village square, in a straight line towards the small alien forest beside it...

~

Janeway and Chakotay try various ways to get the family to give back their gear. But nothing seems to work: they don't respond to appeals to their ego, and will not be divided in any way. They just want to learn about the sky. Chakotay tells them some basic things that wouldn't further compromise the prime directive. Janeway looks distracted. They all have breakfast together, everyone except for Seven, who's still gone. Chakotay peers out of the windows. But Janeway just chows down on the food they've been given.

"Well, this is delicious!" Neelix breaks the tension. "What is this made of?"

One of the children says, "It's my favorite too! We add herbs from our garden to make it extra tasty."

"I would love to see that garden!" Neelix says, friendly. The child quickly finishes their meals and tugs on Neelix's arm. The mother says it's okay, as the garden is fenced. Nobody will be able to spot Neelix there. They walk into the garden.

"Wow, these flowers are beautiful."

"And tasty!" The kid says.

"I really like this place, it's so pretty! And your family so nice."

"Not everyone is nice," the kid says, face clouding over.

"Oh, yes I heard the people who want to capture me and my friends?"

"They are mean about that, yes. But they are always mean. They want to go back to how things were before."

"How were things before?"

"I don't know! I'm just a kid." Neelix smiles.

"But I do know where your stuff is! Come, follow me!"

Neelix follows the kid around a corner, and through a shrub, out of the garden.

"You know kid, sometimes you gotta look back in order to move forward. But forward you must go."

They walk to a shed behind the house.

"Here it is!"

Neelix opens the door of the shed, and puts their combadges into his pocket.

"YOU THERE!" An angry Janurean calls. He has a whole bunch of fierce looking friends behind him.

"I guess these are the mean people," Neelix says to the kid and they both run around the house, back inside.

"Where did you just come from?" The mom asks the kid.

"I just showed him their stuff..."

"That's dangerous!"

"But it's theirs!"

"Please, don't blame your kid, I shouldn't have let them out of the garden in the first place."

Neelix gives the combadges back to Janeway and Chakotay.

The angry mob bursts into the room.

"Give us the tri-moon gods!" their leader commands.

The young woman who tended to the Voyager crew, hisses. "Leave the gods be! They are here to teach us!"

"They are here to destroy us!"

Janeway stands up. Her injuries are still fresh, but her wit has fully returned. "We are neither gods, teachers nor destroyers. We are simply explorers from the other side of Janu. We just want to go back home-"

The angry Janureans attack and hit the elder Janurean.

"Leave them out of it!" Chakotay calls out and jumps into the fray.

Everyone is fighting, except for Neelix who hides under a table with the two kids.

Janeway jumps in front of a big Janurean that was about to hit the young woman. In stead, the blow lands on her head. She's out of a moment. When she comes to, the fight is still ongoing.

"Chakotay!"

"Captain, we have to retreat, there is no winning this..."

"Just stay behind me!"

"Surrender," their leader says. "And we will spare your life, for now."

Janeway looks the hostile alien in the eye. "No."

And at that exact time, Neelix, Chakotay and Janeway disappear.

~

"How did you know where the Delta Flyer was?" Chakotay asks Seven, who sits smugly at the helm.

"Irrelevant," she jokes.

"Seven used her Borg-skills to locate it," Janeway says, smiling into one corner of her mouth. "That is, she saw some bushes outside of the village and used her, very human, common sense." Seven smirks.

"How do you know that?" Chakotay asks.

"The Doctor installed a temporary mind-link in our cerebrum. This way, we could communicate, not that much unlike the Borg, and work together."

"It was highly effective," Seven adds. "Although," she pauses for a moment, looking at Janeway. "It was strange as well. I thought I would be more used to a shared mind, but I think... I like a bit of mystery."

Janeway, Chakotay and Neelix look at her, dumbfounded. Then everyone laughs. Except for Seven.

"And guess what?" Neelix says. And he shows a bag full of herbs from the planet. "We will eat Voyager birthday soup tomorrow!"

Chakotay and Janeway politely smile and thank Neelix. Seven raises her eyebrow.

"Captain," she says.

"What is it, Seven?"

"Why did you give all those replicated goods to the Janurean family?"

Janeway sighed. "I know we can't interfere with their lives too much, but at least they will be able to buy off their enemies for a while so they don't get more trouble. Didn't you get that through our link?"

"Your emotions often cloud your judgement and your thoughts become hard to read."

"I'm a human being, having emotions is part of the package deal. Besides, I feel your emotions as well."

Seven looks stoic, too stoic maybe.

"It is nice to understand each other for once, though."

[orangeboulevard]

Five: Stretch The Truth (Star Trek Voyager, Reader)

Summary: An interesting encounter for the crew of the USS Voyager.

Word Count: 714

The crew of the USS Voyager did not expect to encounter a lone shuttle, adrift in space, on their recent journey of a stretch of planet-less space. Captain Kathryn Janeway raised a perfectly plucked brow and shot a glance at her first officer, Chakotay, who seemed equally mystified.

"Ensign?" 

"It's a standard design shuttlecraft, one life sign, no power besides life support. It's just adrift, Captain," Ensign Kim reported, nimble fingers dancing across the computer screen. "Should we tractor it in?" 

"Yes, Commander Tuvok, I want you and a security team to meet the person."

The stoic Vulcan nodded and left his post, another yellow-clad officer stepped into his place, tapping on his com badge in the turbo-lift as he put together a security detail. His chosen officers assembled and awaited him at the doors of the shuttle bay, he briefly acknowledged them before entering the bay- all with the phasers drawn.

The doors hissed open, and the officers cautiously moved forward. The team found a still silence in the bay as the person had not yet exited the shuttlecraft, they circled the vehicle, and Tuvok was the one to infer the whereabouts and initiate the door-opening mechanism on the craft. 

The team tensed as a humanoid figure- wearing horrendously bright clothes, one hand clutching a glass filled with strange-looking liquid and the other holding a thinly wrapped joint- came sprawling out. Tuvok observed them with an indifferent expression. 

You recover from your messy entrance after taking a huge swig of your drink, you meet the Vulcan's eyes. "Wwwell, hello!" 

"Are you intoxicated?" The Vulcan asked without any hint of hesitation. 

"No... Not right now." Seeing the taller man's unamused expression, your face tinted a shade of red. "Okay, yeah, maybe I am. Just a little bit." 

You sighed and looked around the cargo bay, brows furrowed in confusion, "Did Jena send you?" 

"I am unfamiliar with a Jena, we encountered your vessel adrift in space." 

"Nah, I think you're with Jena," you patted his shoulder but immediately recoil as every phaser is pointed at you, "Chill-ax! Wow, testy." The Vulcan made a motion which prompted the team to lower their weapons.

"Damn, so who are you? A taxi service?" 

"This vessel you are aboard-" A woman's voice startled you so badly, your drink jumped out of your hand and you littered ash from your joint on the floor too, "-is the Starfleet Federation USS Voyager and I am Captain Kathryn Janeway." Janeway crossed her arms, an amused look on her face at your jittery and nervous gestures. 

"Shit! Uh, sorry. I'll uhh, I uhh. Please to meet you... Your majesty." You blundered, your face becoming increasingly red at your seemingly unending series of fuck-ups.

"Captain Janeway will do just fine." She raised a manicured hand.

Tuvok turned to his captain, "Captain, they're currently under the influence of some illicit substances."

"Nuh-uh!" Your complaint went unheard.

"Where are you from?" 

"Florida." 

Janeway's neutral look shifted at that and she gaped at you with shock, "Earth?" 

"Of course. Where else?" You giggled, missing the look shared between Captain Janeway and lieutenant-commander Tuvok.

"Are you aware of where you are right now?" Tuvok asked. 

"Uhm, a movie set? Looks pretty awesome, can't lie, guys. Sorry, I don't know what I'm doing here," you admit while taking a drag from your joint. 

"What do you last remember?" Janeway questioned, her fingers holding her chin as she pondered this bizarre situation. 

"My buddy told me to test out this acid he got, said it would make me transport dimensions-" your reddened eyes widened, "I didn't think he meant it literally!" 

"There must be more to this than... That." Tuvok assessed. "Whatever might have transported you here may be the key to returning home." 

"Returning home? Where are we right now?" You looked around, becoming increasingly more manic and nervous. 

"Space, the delta quadrant." 

"Whaaaat! I'm gonna act like those funny words mean something to me!"

"We're one hundred and twenty light-years away from Earth." 

"Okay... Okay... I think... I think I'm gonna take a nap." Ignoring the protests from the strangers, you lowered yourself onto the floor and passed out almost immediately.

[curator-on-ao3]

May I greedily request another dialogue prompt ficlet, please?

Janeway/Paris (or Janeway&Paris would also be good; it doesn’t have to be romantic) - “What are you doing out here by yourself?”

Not greedy at all — request away, @lindsaybob! 💕 These are fun. 🥰

I’m going to go AU on this one for a post-Endgame established relationship. Fingers crossed you like it, and please keep the prompts coming, y’all.

———

In This Place of Dreams, We Find Ourselves

McKinley Station is as bustling as ever, computer chirps overlapping low-toned conversations, clipped orders, and seemingly far away reverberations of metallic clangs.

But it was silence that brought Tom out from their temporary quarters, doors parting so he could squint in the bright light of night shift, try to saunter as if he doesn’t have a care in the world, as if the grey-shouldered uniform he was issued doesn’t somehow feel like a betrayal of the red shoulders he wore for those seven years out there.

Kathryn had said she was going to take a walk. And Tom is used to that, used to her insomnia and her fears that would grow too big for their quarters on Voyager and her need to go away and come back because coming back to something — to someone — would remind her that it’s possible to come home again.

But now they are home, technically, and she’s doing it again.

Maybe she’ll always be like this. Maybe those seven years have changed her, etched a new personality over the old one.

Maybe not.

There’s a narrow corridor not far from the port docking clamps, an out of service section of the station overlooked by most adults. But children, bored admirals’ children brought to McKinley Station and told to entertain themselves with a padd while their flag officer parent sat in meetings, those children can find the narrow corridor, follow it until they reach the open-air turbolift, then tap in the access code that’s easy to guess because who sets Federation Day as an access code if they don’t want children to be able to guess it?

Tom retraces his childhood steps, keys in the old access code, and the turbolift rises. And it’s funny because people say visiting a place from childhood should feel strange, proportions out of place and objects seeming too small, but everything is just as he remembers, just as he and Kathryn talked about so many times once they both realized that, separately, they had found this place and stood on small tiptoes to try to get to the top faster, stolen lift ride ascending until it reached the top.

He’s at the top now, the lift settling with the same seeming sigh of accomplishment.

And awe.

The old, floor-to-ceiling transparent dome gives a clear view: Earth, Mars, the asteroid belt and beyond, every star gleaming, ships gliding past, motion as observed from stillness. This is the station’s original docking control room, a function long-since moved to deck six for closer proximity to other station operations, old computers left behind for reasons lost to time.

But nothing could beat this view.

Kathryn is sitting cross-legged on the floor, her back resting against an out-of-date console. She doesn’t turn from the stars — her stars, her North Star that became his North Star to get the crew home — but she must know it’s him because her voice is a gruff imitation of his father: “What are you doing out here by yourself?”

That’s what Owen Paris had said when he caught Tom in this room, small arms out pretending to be nacelles, flying, flying, flying.

So Tom pitches his voice to the timbre of Edward Janeway: “Young lady, you had better explain yourself.”

Because of course Kathryn got caught, too, her padd clattering as it hit the floor, her childhood equations an attempt to determine quantum efficiencies for every type of luminescence of matter she saw through the dome.

She chuckles now, pats the floor next to her, and he sits, her head finding its place on his shoulder, familiar weight in this room they’ve never been to together but both visited alone.

“They say we all become our parents.” He speaks in his own voice, words he feared until he could see the divergence of his life’s path from the Parises who came before him.

Kathryn speaks as herself, too. “I don’t think they meant it literally.”

“Nah.”

And they should talk — as themselves — about what it means to be home and about all the things they said they would do once they got back to Federation space. They should talk about … everything … from tomorrow’s briefings to the future beyond winding down Voyager’s first mission.

But, instead, he sits in a room where he was a child and she was a child, and he stares at Earth, Mars, the asteroid belt and beyond, gleaming stars and gliding ships.

He pretended to fly here.

She tried to make scientific discoveries here.

Now he’s flown farther than anyone else ever has and she has a stack of scientific discoveries that will keep headquarters busy for years.

And, yet, here they are in this place where they separately, silently, stole off to dream.

Together.

———

Send me an ask with character(s) and a prompt and I’ll do my best to dream up something you’ll like. ❤️

[ailendolin]

M, P and U for the fandom asks

Thank you! 💙

M - Say something genuinely nice about a ship that you don’t ship (or its shippers, or anything related to you)

How about PatCap because I can definitely see why people ship it and why it’s so popular. The Captain and Pat work well together and obviously share a love for routine that sometimes holds them back from truly experiencing life (or death, as it were). It’s something I’d love to see them working on together in the future, and I think the shippers would agree that them both relaxing a little and letting their guard down around each would be nice to see.

P - Invent a random AU for any fandom (we always need more ideas)

Already answered here with a Primeval AU that I can't stop thinking about now that I've written it down.

U - 5 favorite characters from 5 different fandoms

Thomas Thorne - BBC Ghosts Kathryn Janeway - Star Trek Voyager / Prodigy Thomas Jopson - The Terror Archie Kennedy - Hornblower Billy Brennan - Jurassic Park

Ask Game can be found here.

Already answered: A & O, L, N & P

Next up: E

[stitching-in-time]

Voyager rewatch: season 4 recap

I always felt like season 4 was kind of the beginning of the downturn in quality for Voyager, and while this season wasn't as bad overall as I remembered, it definitely started some negative trends that impacted my enjoyment of the show. While I ended up liking more episodes than I disliked, with a lot of the ones that I 'liked' this season, many were only tolerable, rather than something I actually enjoyed, or have any desire to watch again.

Things I liked this season: All the two parters were absolute bangers this year! Scorpion, Year of Hell, and The Killing Game are all classics, and I wish they'd done more big stories like those, especially since they involved the whole crew.

Less unnecessary romantic subplots this year! Nobody got more than 1, and only six characters even had one this year. I guess the creepy old men calmed down when Kes left.

First contact with the Alpha Quadrant! The crew being able to finally let everyone back home know they're alive, and hear from their families and friends, was a lovely thing that made getting home seem so much closer and less of a forlorn hope.

Things I disliked this season: The mean-spirited streak that crept into the writing more and more as the season went on. The Voyager crew has always been a little more into teasing and jabs at each other than any other crew, but there was some genuine nastiness this season that felt like it came out of nowhere and didn't feel organic to the characters, nor proportionate to the situations they were in. The Doctor had been getting consistently meaner since the beginning of the series, but this season is where I finally tipped into outright disliking him. Up through Year of Hell, I was surprised by how much I liked Seven of Nine, and how much less mean she was than I remembered, until they abruptly decided she should be rude and nasty and arguing with everyone all the time. Even Tom, who had been improving so much during seasons 1-3, and had always been kind even to people who treated him like garbage, suddenly got some mean-spirited tirades sprinkled throughout the season, which were so nonsensical. Even sweet little Harry and the usually zen-like Tuvok said some jerky stuff to people, and it was just like, why?? Disagreement is one thing, but just having characters yell at each other or insult each other all the time, and not even apologize or addesss it, undermines their relationships, and undercuts the fun the audience should be having watching the show.

I didn't like losing Kes this year, though at least her send off was decent. I wasn't thrilled about gaining Seven of Nine, but her early episodes were pretty strong, and more interesting than her later ones, where they seemed to just give up on giving her nuance and decided to make her into a bratty teenager who fights with everyone constantly. Aside from the clumsy attempt to make her into a sex object with the world's dowdiest catsuit, I feel like they used her to undermine Captain Janeway's authority by having her argue with and defy her at every turn, even though it was never her place to do so. I can't imagine them writing a character who would behave that way to Picard or Sisko, let alone writing them tolerating it. It felt weird and misogynist to bring a new female character on and pat themselves on the back for being progressive, when said character was used to undermine another female character's authority, and also to insult the women in the audience by reminding us that the show is still run by men, and that they're only letting us have more female characters as long as they pander to the male gaze first and foremost. I feel like they missed an opportunity for some interesting drama when they decided to just make Seven rude and dismissive of everyone, since it's actually far more interesting when characters who like and respect each other are in conflict than all this teenage rebellion stuff they gave her.

Season stats:

Crew compliment at start of season: 148 (officially, but that number was inaccurate, it should have been 143.)

Crew compliment at end of season: They keep saying 150, but the number stated onscreen, is should be 142. By the actual count, it should be 137.

Crewmembers killed off: 6

Unnamed female bridge officer (Scientific Method)

Unnamed crewmember (The Killing Game)

3 unnamed enigineering officers (Living Witness)

Unnamed male bridge officer (One)

Romantic subplots:

B'Elanna- 1 with kiss (Tom- ongoing since s3)

Tom- 1 with kiss (B'Elanna- ongoing since s3)

Harry- 1 without kiss (his crush on Seven in Revulsion)

Seven- 1 without kiss (Harry's crush in Revulsion)

Neelix - 1 without kiss (the fruitseller in Random Thoughts)

Chakotay - 1 with kiss (the alien woman in Unforgettable)

Shuttles lost: 3 (series total: 6 confirmed)

1 -Kes took one when she left (The Gift)

1 - Shuttlecraft Cochrane, exploded (Day of Honor)

1 - Chakotay's shuttle, exploded (Nemesis)

Number of episodes I liked/disliked/mixed reaction:

Liked: 16

Disliked: 6

Mixed: 4

[theultimatefan]

Tomei, Christensen, ‘Vacation,’ ‘The Office’ Q&As Among Top Programming at FAN EXPO Philadelphia

From celebrity Q&As to industry, cosplay, gaming, anime, and entertaining, informative sessions from all areas of pop culture, FAN EXPO Philadelphia presents its collection of nearly 200 programming panels and meetups during the event, Friday through Sunday, May 3-5 at Pennsylvania Convention Center. There’s truly something for every fan and every taste every hour of the show into the evening throughout all three days of the convention, right until Sunday’s 5 p.m. finish.

FAN EXPO Philadelphia celebrity guests such as the Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei (My Cousin Vinny, The Wrestler), Rosario Dawson (“Ahsoka,” Rent), Hayden Christensen (Star Wars) Chevy Chase (National Lampoon’s Vacation, Fletch), Danny Trejo (Machete, The Book of Boba Fett), Mark-Paul Gosselar (“Saved by the Bell,” “Pitch)”, Tom Cavanagh (“The Flash,” “Ed”), Chloe Bennet (“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” “Nashville”),“The Office” foursome of Rainn Wilson, Kate Flannery, Creed Bratton and Oscar Nunez, Ethan Suplee (“My Name is Earl,” Remember the Titans,”) and many more are among those who will conduct individual and group interactive sessions with fans, headlining the slate.

There are dozens of informative, entertaining panels by superstar creators as well as cosplay, gaming, trivia, film, horror and other pop culture themed sessions. Fans can review the entire event schedule at http://fanexpohq.com/fanexpophiladelphia/schedule. Most panels are free with event admission. Just a few of the other highlights include:

Friday: • 4:45 p.m., Con Survival: How to Make the Most out of Cons, Workshops Room 125 • 5 p.m., Devil Hunters! Chainsaw Man Cast Q&A with Ryan Colt Levy and Sarah Wiedenheft, Theater #2 • 5 p.m., Evil Animated: The Top 10 Animated Movie Villains, Family Zone • 5:30 p.m., A Conversation with Ethan Suplee, Theater #6 • 5:45 p.m., Mythbusting with Adam Savage, Main Theater • 6 p.m., Let’s Talk About Loid: Spy x Family Q&A with Alex Organ, Theater #5 • 6:30 p.m., Three Point Perspective: Cartoonists and the Publishing World, with Jamar Nicholas, Pat Higgins and Brad Guigar, Theater #6 • 7 p.m., Pilot the Galzxy with Denis Lawson, Theater #2 • 7:30 p.m., LED Basics for Cosplay, Theater #3 • 7:30 p.m., Spotlight on Artist Jonathan Glapion, Creator Stage • 8 p.m., Sip ‘N Color, Aloft Hotel, 101 N. Broad St.

Saturday • 10:45 a.m., Charmed Ones: Spotlight on Holly Marie Combs and Rose McGowan, Main Theater • 11 a.m., A Fairly Odd Panel with Butch Hartman, Grey Delisle and Dee Bradley Baker, Theater #2 • 11:45 a.m., A Conversation with Cameron Monaghan, Main Theater • 11:45 a.m., Tales of the Jedi, scripted show featuring members of the Saber Guild, Theater #4 • Noon, More Marco Diaz! Star vs. the Forces of Evil’s Adam McArthur, Theater #5 • Noon, Rebel Moon’s Sofia Boutella, Theater #2 • 12:30 p.m., Using the Force to Create Great Star Wars Art, Creator Stage • 12:45 p.m., Saved by the Bell with Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Main Theater • 1 p.m., This is the Way with The Armorer Emily Swallow, Theater #2 • 1:45 p.m., Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Meet Chloe Bennet and Jeff Ward, Main Theater • 2 p.m., Padawan Training with the Jedi Sith Alliance, Family Zone • 2:15 p.m., K-pop Random Dance with Love Groove, Cosplay Red Carpet • 2:45 p.m., Philly’s Got Talent: FAN EXPO Edition, Theater #4 • 3 p.m., An Outlandishly Creative Discussion with Brandon Rogers, Theater #2 • 3:45 p.m., All the Voices of Alan Tudyk, Main Theater • 4 p.m., Women of Star Trek, with Star Trek: Voyager's Kate Mulgrew (Captain Kathryn Janeway) and Star Trek: Picard's Michelle Hurd (Raffi Musiker), Theater #2 • 4:45 p.m., A Return to Scranton: The Office Cast Reunion with Creed Bratton, Kate Flannery, Oscar Nunez and Rainn Wilson, Main Theater • 5 p.m., It’s A Me Charles Martinet “Mario,” Theater #2 • 5:15 p.m., Spotlight on Andy Kubert, Theater #6 • 5:30 p.m., Heroes in a Half Shell: 40 Years of TMNT, Theater #3 • 5:45 p.m., FAN EXPO Philadelphia Cosplay Championship Cup, Main Theater • 6 p.m., Into the Speed Force with Tom Cavanagh, Theater #2 • 6:15 p.m., Bootleg Safari with Aaron Reynolds, Theater #6 • 7:30 p.m., Hayden Christensen and Rosario Dawson: A Galactic Reunion, Main Theater • 9 p.m. - 2 a.m., Official FAN EXPO Dance Party, Concourse Dance Club, 1635 Market St.

Sunday • 10:45 a.m., Late Bloomers: Cosplay is for Older Fans, Too!, Workshops Room 125 • 10:45 a.m., Meet Aunt May: Spotlight on Marisa Tomei, Main Theater • 11 a.m., Geeking out with Felicia Day, Theater #2 • 11:30 a.m, Comics for Younger Readers, Creator Stage • 11:45 a.m., The Voices of Gaming, with Jen Taylor, Patricia Summersett, Roger Craig Smith and Neil Newbon, Main Theater • Noon, A Grim Adventure: Grey Delisle and Richard Horvitz, Theater #2 • 12:45 p.m., Mastering the Elements with the Cast of Avatar: The Last Airbender, Dallas Liu, Ian Ousley, Elizabeth Yu and Maria Zhang, Main Theater • 1 p.m., The History of Animation with Don Bluth, Theater #2 • 1 p.m., Slime Time with the Philadelphia Ghostbusters, Family Zone • 1:45 p.m., A Seasoned Warrior: Meet Gina Carano, Main Theater • 2 p.m., Jedi Games with Matt Lanter and James Arnold Taylor, Theater #2 • 2:30 p.m., Writing for Comics, with Heather Antos, Peter Tomasi and Rodney Barnes • 3:30 p.m., Comic Book Gurus Podcast Live!, Theater #6 • 3:45 p.m., National Lampoon’s Vacation Reunion with Chevy Chase, Randy Quaid, Beverly D’Angelo and Dana Barron, Main Theater • 4 p.m., The Man, the Myth, the Legend: Spotlight on Danny Trejo

Single-Day Tickets and Three-Day Passes for FAN EXPO Philadelphia are available now. Ultimate and VIP Packages have sold out. Philadelphia is the eighth event on the 2024 FAN EXPO HQ calendar; the full schedule is available at fanexpohq.com/home/events/.

[starship-imzadi]

S6 E3 Man of the People

(I typed most of this out a long while ago; this is just a much delayed posting with minor additions.)

-

Another episode to add to Troi's suffering and trauma. This is one of the tough ones to watch.

So I actually stopped doing these for a while because I got busy but also because I didn't feel like I had the emotional energy to watch this episode. (Now I can't quite remember what happens, so let's do this!)

I always love some silent eye contact between Riker and Troi.

I wonder, do they just hold them in the pattern buffer untill whoever is supposed to greet them gets there? Troi walks in right before the materialize; It's such perfect timing....

What a way to make a bad first impression. And Troi looks deeply uncomfortable.

This beginning has a little more exposition than I want with a few too many names that are meaningless.

Worf's tai chi class. For all of Worf's supposed physical training he never strikes me as an especially poised or graceful person.

Troi and this guy's interactions immediately seem a bit awkward and forced; like bad flirting. I'm not sure if that's intended or they're meant to be establishing a positive rapport (one of the down sides of characters confined to a single episode is there's never enough time to build what feels like real chemistry and tell both plot lines A and B).

Awkwardly long shoulder touch to end the interaction. I imagine this might have been intended to display comfort? but it makes me uncomfortable because we barely know the character. Anyone lingering like that, even if they're only touching my shoulder, would make me uncomfortable if I've only known them for five minutes. (For anyone who is interested, the field that looks at non-verbal, interpersonal interaction through touch is known as social haptics or haptic communication.)

This guy's "mother" is a HUGE red flag. From her jealousy to her impertinent question. Also telling a woman that if she "mates" with this man she'll regret it for the rest of her life.... is a pretty outrageous statement.

By contrast, the rapport Troi has with Riker feels very natural and authentic. Her body language and face expression seem relaxed. His voice is softer and seems more gentle too (which is to say they both seem at ease.)

It's funny, you can hear Troi pat Riker's knee

The old woman's hands are stiff like....rigor mortis already? (Is 93 old for this time period?)

Troi had such a strong reaction when the rocks touch, clearly negative, and I want to know what she's feeling. Does she realise something is wrong?

She has such long fingernails. Wow.

(ensign Janeway?!)

What's that little thing Troi has? A skirt?

I love Picard's jacket. It was such great costuem development.

I really want to know what Troi is feeling. She's exhibiting different behavior externally but there's really nothing to tell us how she is feeling about it.

"i don't know anything about you" sounds like a potentially alluring line but the reality is she really doesn't know anything about him so she has no idea if being alone with him is even really a safe place to be.

"if there's anything else I need I know where to find you" this statement immediately displays a selfishness and a self-centeredness that is uncharacteristic of Troi. Clearly the sexual interaction she just had with this crew member was about satiating her desires, with literally the closest available person. And it brings into question abuse of authority; she has no personal relationship with the man so their only connection is professional, and she out ranks him.

And then Troi's first question to Riker seems intent on instigating jealousy, and he handles it very well. (Which is a testament to his character.) I wish he'd been written to be concerned about her altered behavior rather than apparently annoyed (but we've still got 25 minutes to get through and if he got suspicious too early there wouldn't be a plot.)

Damn, Troi is really going off the rails.

Crusher getting clever for a work around.

Data is like a child, pointing out obvious but important details. Marina does look incredible in that dress. It's much more flattering than her typically bland one piece not-uniform.

The question is, is what Troi says born from whatever she's feeling or is it genuine perception?

I'm glad to see Riker intervening. I wonder if telling her she's "way out of line" is as a commanding officer? He certainly has a harsh tone.

Troi using "imzadi" as a means of manipulating Riker makes me cringe so hard. Rather than being in tune with him she seems oblivious to his emotions and social cues. "I'm worried about you" now feels like a it's coming from a friend despite still being stern. I feel like it should have been sooner but at least he is paying attention.

He is resistant to her, but still gentle, calling her by name and not outright rejecting her kiss. When she hurts him, literally drawing blood, he looks so confused and shocked; probably too much so to register being hurt. When she says "please" it sounds so desperate and genuine.

It really isn't clear why Troi desires this guy (or anyone) when he seems so disinterested in her. (He even pronounces ger name incorrectly). I don't know what his behavior was in the beginning (that awkward flirting) that he has done away with it now. Was it just to gain her trust for the ritual?) because he doesn't seem to have any other interests in her.

"I'm closer to Deanna than I've ever been to anyone." Aww 🥰

Deanna is really taking a turn for the worse, and fast. Picard's reaction to her is a perfect mix of shock and confusion.

Cute little moment between Picard and Crusher. It's funny that Picard as the patient assures Dr. Crusher that he'll be fine.

Crusher's impassioned "I don't care" seems more about her care for Deanna than a flippant reaction to a different culture.

This guy is horrible and he's totally fine with it. The arrogance; He's playing god and he's self appointed. A very important question that should be asked is why he chooses women to carry the burden of his "negative" emotions? It would seem to be an all too real display of how "great" men use and neglect the women whose support (chosen, coerced, or forced) makes them "great" without sharing the credit or benefits and while insisting they, as men, are more logical and capable than those same women.

Look at Riker's utter shock and panic when Crusher says Deanna has to die, as he turns to Picard for .... emotional support, or help. And you can see his panic rising more as the conversation goes on.

The makeup on Marina is incredible and also really ugly.

It's unfortunate that an episode were Troi gets so much screen time involves abusing her. That seems often to be the case; like the writers don't know what to do with her otherwise.

Is everyone in on the plan to kill Troi? Because Worf didn't seem phased.

This guy has an incredible ego. He's so manipulative and....predatory.

I don't know how the damage to Troi isn't irreparable. But okay. (The little brain defibrillator is so comical.)

It's cute that Riker is there the whole time and he's the first person Troi turns to once she regains consciousness. (Notice the optimistic little brass theme that signals that everything is okay again).

At least the experience seems distant to her, and potentially less traumatic.

Aww, little affectionate kiss. I love that.

"thanks for sticking by me"

"I always will"

And a cute cuddle

[mrdinoart]

En el cual estos tres weyes son regañados y estos deciden abrir la boca + Janeway :)c

In which these three dorks are scolded and they decide to open their mouths +Janeway :)c

Now with a continuation here!

ID of the three pages under read more:

[First Image description: Comic is in a simple cartoon style. Harry, Tom and B'elanna, are in the captain's ready room, standing in line with their hands behind their back. Janeway is standing upright with a stern expression in front of them, she scolds them saying "So... I expect you three to follow a better behaviour, I don't expect to be dissapointed... Is that understood?". Harry, Tom and B'elanna, looking to their sides with expressions of discomfort reply "Understood, Ma'am." Harry by accident says instead "Mom". The three of them realize what Harry says and Harry starts to sweat nervously. Janeway stops looking stern and raises her eyebrows. END ID.]

[Second Image description: Harry, Tom, B'elanna and Janeway are in the middle of the captain's ready room drawn in stick figures. A spotlight is shining on top of Harry, Tom and B'elanna, Harry sweating and standing straight while Tom and B'elanna are peering at him. Janeway then asks "...Did one of you... Just call me mom?". The art style returns to be cartoony and Harry immediately tries to answer "No, ma'am", but B'elanna interjects saying "YES, MA'AM". Tom also tries to interject, instead saying "Yes, mom-... Shit", and then looking down flustered with Harry peering at him with a smug grin and B'elanna exclaiming "HA!" at him.]

[Third Image description: Janeway crosses her arms and looks at them with a fond expression, she then shrugs and smiles saying "Come on, 'Lanna, don't make fun of my kids". Tom covers his face with his hands muttering "Whyyyy", While Harry pats him in the shoulder condescendingly. B'elanna flusters at the nickname and exclaims "Mo- CAPTAIN" and becomes more flustered. Harry and Tom both peer at her from their previous positions with smug grins. END ID]

[bumblingbabooshka]

🤍💌🎀

🤍what's one fic of yours you think people didn't "get"?: None come to mind! On the whole it can be slightly frustrating when you put work into themes or symbolism and stuff and none of that is explicitly recognized but that doesn't mean people didn't 'get' them necessarily! A lot of that stuff seeps in implicitly anyway so it's worth putting in there in my book. When you make a soup people don't necessarily compliment every ingredient but as long as they like the whole it's okay~! I don't have any fics that I feel were straight up misunderstood, lucky for me! 🎀give yourself a compliment about your own writing: -pats my own shoulder- You're great at interesting descriptions and character interaction v_v 💌share something with us about an up-and-coming work (WIP) that has you excited!: I don't have a fic WIP I'm actively working on right now...I'm busy with two other projects but here's a list of ideas I have on the backburner! Tuvok/T'Pel valentines day fic, Tuvok & Janeway post-voyager food based family fluff (a meal at each other houses), T'Pring having a crush on Michael while Michael remains unaware, Family fluff with Tuvok and his kids, Voyager crew meeting Tuvok's kids, Mark and T'Pel have an angsty conversation about when it's 'time' to move on and Tuvok post-workforce recovering from having his brain messed with (he tells Neelix & B'Elanna a story about his wife while his Vulcan control isn't yet firmly in place)!

[divinemissem13]

30 Days of Prodigy - Day 30: Boldly Go

On the bridge of the USS Voyager-A, Commander Tysess stood to attention as the turbolift doors slid open to reveal the ship’s commanding officer. 

“Vice Admiral on the bridge!” he announced, prompting the other officers on the bridge to stop their work and follow suit. 

Kathryn Janeway nodded to her crew as she emerged onto the bridge. “Thank you, Commander, as you were,” she ordered and the bridge immediately became a hive of activity once again. Kathryn loved this part of a mission - the buzz of excitement as everyone went through their final preparations for launch, the anticipation of what would come next, and welcoming her carefully selected crew to their new home. She began her tour of the bridge at the Ops station, just to the left of the ‘lift. 

“Ensign Icheb,” she said warmly, placing a hand on the ex-borg’s shoulder, “it’s good to see you. Welcome aboard.”

Despite the years of history between them - or perhaps because of them -  the young ensign was determined to display the utmost professionalism and so he nodded sharply and replied, “Thank you, Admiral, glad to be here,” and then returned to analyzing the status readings on his screen. “Everything appears on track for an on time launch,” he added. 

One last pat on the shoulder and Kathryn was moving along to greet the rest of the crew. The bridge was a bit more crowded than usual, due to the presence of a large number of trainees who would be joining this mission. She had requested several jump seats be installed along the back wall of the bridge to accommodate observers and she stopped there now to welcome her warrant officers aboard. 

“Well, are you ready for your first official Starfleet mission?” she asked them. 

They all answered at once, their voices overlapping gleefully: 

“Yes, Admiral.” 

“Ready, Admiral!”

“Yes, Vice Admiral Janeway.” 

“Jankom Pog is ready… er, yes, Admiral.” 

and of course, a few chirps from Murf. 

She smiled at the ragtag group, despite herself. They may not be Starfleet officers - yet - but what they lacked in official knowledge and experience, they more than made up for in enthusiasm.

Kathryn continued on her tour, freely offering welcoming smiles to crew members old and new.

She even afforded a tight-lipped smile at her new head of security, the only member of the crew that she had not hand-picked for this mission. Commander La’an Noonien-Singh seemed extremely competent, if a bit cold. But Janeway still resented the fact that Temporal Investigations had seen fit to place one of their own on her bridge. Even if they were going to be dealing with time travel on this mission. And even if she did have a bit of a reputation where such things were concerned.

Finally, Kathryn reached her command chair. She lowered herself down reverently and ran her hands over the arms of the chair before allowing herself to relax into the backrest and cross one knee over the other. 

Commander Tysess stood to the left of her with his hands behind his back and she gestured for him to begin systems checks. (The one thing she really didn’t like about this new class of ships was the fact that the command chair sat all alone in the middle of the bridge. She missed being able to lean over and share the odd observation with her first officer at any time.)

As each station reported in, Kathryn gripped the arms of her chair, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. Here we go again, she thought. She opened her eyes and looked towards the tall blond pilot sitting at the conn. “Mr. Paris, is the course laid in?” He was the best pilot she knew, and after her last helmsman turned out to be an undercover saboteur, Kathryn was doubly glad to have Tom Paris at the helm of her ship now.

“Yes ma’am,” he drawled with a cheeky smile. 

“Let’s do it.”

[supjello]

Sometimes I just stare at the writing for Tom Paris and think about how with just some small changes it could have been so great. But instead they take all these half steps around him and never actually deal with any of it! Like this dude is hurting!!! They took pains to make sure we knew that, yet when he finally feels comfortable enough to ask people for help it's shrugged off? He talks so openly about his issues with self-worth, feeling hated on voyager, being abused as a kid, etc- and the other characters most of the time just kinda... give him either an eye roll or a pat on the back? Or tell him he's being selfish? Makes me think about janeway in season one regretting that there's no therapist on Voyager- the closest they really have is Neelix as the moral officer, and that's a non-starter since he openly hates Tom for most of the show. I'm just saying, if fucking anyone had good will hunting'd Tom, and responded to him opening up with a simple and genuine "it's not your fault"- we could have had it all. There could have been emotionally charged conversations that really pushed forward the plot and brought the audience in on the Voyager crew as a whole moving from co-workers/enemies to a family. Tom's the perfect vehicle for this! He starts estranged from everyone! If we checked in on him from time to time throughout the seasons, and saw through his story the healing process going on between everyone as they got closer and closer and learned to love each other- that's so much better than all that growth happening unspoken off-camera, and Tom just continually shoving his issues further and further down every time they re-surface. Give me a scene with Harry reaffirming a couple of seasons in that he chose Tom for a friend, and continues to choose him because he genuinely likes Tom for who he is. Have him look Tom in the eye while he does. Show me the conversations between Tom and Chakotay where that trust was gained a lot more slowly. Give me a scene with Janeway, talking openly and off the record with Tom about his father. Let's actually let them unpack how his dad abused him for not living up to his standards, yet janeway was owen paris' star pupil.

like i stare at so many scenes where those conversations with Tom get started then promptly shut down- and no offence to voyager but I could have fixed him it

[myenterpriseisparked]

The Voyager Bunch

Or, Rascals: Voyager Edition

-----

Based on this post

This is dedicated to @jellybeansarecool @bizships @emilie786 @joyful-voyager and @subtle-spock for providing ideas, encouragement, and for generally being really awesome people. Also they are the nicest folks ever. Go follow them.

This ain’t my first fanfiction rodeo, but it is my first Star Trek fanfiction rodeo so I beg for your patience. Also, I am perfectly aware that there are some plot holes in here. This is because I am an animal scientist, not a Starfleet physicist/biologist/whateverist. Swiss cheese also has holes and swiss cheese is good so please consider that.

Click here to read on AO3, if you prefer. Thanks for reading!

-----

Despite having only been a captain for a few years, Kathryn Janeway had seen more unusual occurrences, courtesy of the Delta Quadrant, than most Starfleet captains combined. Some days, she felt a little overwhelmed by the summary of the last three years of experiences. Other days, she was grateful for the callouses such challenges had built over her nerves, preparing her to face even the strangest incidents without panicking.

Today was a day to be grateful, because without having seen everything she had seen, the prospect of her Chief Engineer, Chief of Security, Head Helmsman, and most brilliant Ensign being reverted into child-like versions of themselves would have launched her straight into a spiral of panic.

“How-” Janeway paused for a moment to pinch the bridge of her nose, “how exactly did this happen?”

“Well, ya see, ‘Lanna and Harry and I were in that shuttle and then this big black thing showed up and we flew into it and there was a big flash and-”

Janeway held a hand up, cutting off the shockingly fast string of prattle. “I think I understand that part, Tom, thank you.” She spoke as gently and patiently as possible. “What I don’t understand is how Tuvok got into this.... predicament.”

She turned toward the tallest of the four children, who stood with his hands behind his back in a way that would have been exactly like Tuvok, if the pre-teen boy weren’t fidgeting with the hem of his shirt and looking around the bridge, open mouthed and starry-eyed. “Tuvok?”

The Vulcan turned toward her. “The shuttle was stuck in the anomaly and the tractor beam wasn’t working, so I rammed my ship into theirs to dislodge it.” Tuvok nearly smiled, which was jarring to see on his features, no matter how much younger he looked. “It worked, but I got sucked into the anomaly too. When we came out the other side, we looked like this.”

He motioned to Tom and B’Elanna, who were standing next to him, both of which appeared to be around the age of 5 or 6. Harry, who looked to be about a year old, was currently tucked into Chakotay’s arms, playing contentedly with the rank bar at the large man’s throat.

Janeway looked the group over, ignoring the humored smiled playing at her first officer’s lips. With a sigh, she turned to the members of her senior officer team that were not currently under the age of 13. “I’m open to suggestions.”

“I would like to run some experiments first, but I am wondering if I can age their DNA back to the correct age in a process similar to the one I used to turn you and Mr. Paris back into humans after the, ah, Warp 10 incident,” The Doctor said.

“That might put their bodies back at the right age,” Kes said, brow furrowing, “but their minds appear to have reverted to their new biological age as well. Will the DNA reversal process fix that?”

The Doctor tilted his head. “I’m unsure. I need more time to research and run simulations.”

Janeway nodded. “Get started on that right away. In the meantime,” she turned back to the children and her commander, “let’s get you four something to eat.” 

Neelix jumped to his feet, practically lighting up the room with his enthusiasm. “I’ll fix you kiddos up something real nice!” He dashed over to the door with a wild grin. “Give me ten minutes, and I’ll have the best grilled cheese sandwich you’ve ever smelt!” He saluted the whole room and practically bounced out the door.

Janeway glanced over at Chakotay who, for the first time since he had picked up baby Harry, looked nervous. His worried glance met her own and he tilted his head.

“Well,” Chakotay sighed, “hopefully these guys aren’t as picky of eaters as I was.”

-----

As unappealing as Janeway found Neelix’s cooking to be, it was, apparently, perfect for kids, as evidenced by the unrestrained glee with which Tom, B’Elanna, and Tuvok devoured their sandwiches.

The captain couldn’t help but smile as Tom downed the second half of his sandwich in a few bites and think how the older version of Tom would have been appalled to see himself eating Neelix’s cooking with such enjoyment.

As the older children ate, Janeway found herself spooning some kind of mashed vegetable mix into Harry’s waiting mouth. At first, she was a little uncomfortable with the idea of feeding one of her best officers, but, once she was able to get past the strangeness of the entire situation, she found herself enjoying the funny expressions and eager attitude of the baby in front of her.

“Gosh, he’s such a cute baby.” She said with a grin for the fourth time.

Chakotay leaned over, his shoulder brushing hers as he smiled at Harry. “I’d like to agree with you, Captain, but you keep hogging him so I can’t get a good look.” He turned to look her in the eye, raising his eyebrow teasingly.

She shoved him playfully with her elbow. “You got to hold him earlier in the conference room. It’s my turn.”

“I think your turn ended about ten minutes ago,” he grinned.

“I think I can find something else for you to do if you’re going to take Harry away from me, Commander.” She returned his grin.

“Fine,” Chakotay shook his head with a chuckle, “but I get him later.”

-----

Several hours had passed since lunch and, much to Chakotay’s disappointment, baby Harry was still firmly in Janeway’s possession, perched on her hip and looking for all the world like he belonged there.

Chakotay tried not to think too much about how naturally Kathryn had taken to caring for Harry as he watched her pace the bridge, checking on various scanner readings and flight paths, from his position on the floor by their command chairs. Beside him, Tom and B’Elanna rolled a ball back and forth between them, excitedly chattering about... well... everything.

“Do you think the whales were really THAT big?” Tom spread his arms out to the side.

“Yeah they were!” B’Elanna exclaimed loudly enough that the entire ship could probably hear it. Despite Chakotay’s best efforts to get her to lower her voice, the young girl seemed to only have one volume. “I saw a big fake one in a museum once and it was HUGE!”

“Whoa!” Tom’s eyes widened. “Bigger than this ship?”

B’Elanna tilted her head. “I don’t know, but it was definitely bigger than me!”

The two kids laughed, rolling the ball back and forth faster.

“Hey Tom?”

“What?”

“You’re my best friend!” B’Elanna suddenly reached forward and gave Tom a hug.

Chakotay glanced up at Kathryn to exchange a look of awe before he turned back to the kids on the floor. “But B’E, I thought you just said a few minutes ago that I’m your best friend.” He raised an eyebrow, hiding his smile.

The young girl gave him a look that he had seen far too many times on her older counterpart’s face whenever he said something particularly dumb. “I can have two best friends, duh.”

He laughed. “Fair enough.”

Suddenly, he saw Kathryn’s purposeful walk stop out of the corner of his eye. 

“Chakotay,” her voice was even and tense, “where’s Tuvok?”

Eyes widening, Chakotay glanced around the bridge. Tuvok was no where to be seen.

“Chakotay to Tuvok.” He stood as he tapped his commbadge. “Tuvok, please acknowledge.” They waited a moment and, upon receiving no response, moved simultaneously toward the turbolift. 

“It’s possible he hasn’t figured out how to use his comm.” Janeway tucked Harry closer to her side as they stepped into the lift. “Computer: locate Tuvok.”

“Unable to comply.”

Janeway gave the ceiling a glare. “Why?”

The computer did not respond.

“Maybe the de-aging effect has made it difficult for the computer to locate him.” Chakotay rested a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sure he’s alright; he’s probably just exploring the ship; you saw how amazed he was by everything in the conference room earlier.”

She nodded tightly. “Let’s hope so. Where do you think he’s gone?”

“Maybe to the holodeck?”

“Or his quarters.”

“What about the mess hall?”

“He just ate.”

They both paused, mulling it over.

“Alright.” Kathryn straightened. “I’ll check holodeck one and his quarters, you check holodeck two and the mess hall.” She turned back to the lift door. “Holodeck one.”

Chakotay swallowed around the lump in his throat, trying not to think of all the ways a small child could get hurt on a spaceship like Voyager. As the turbolift began to move, Janeway’s badge chirped.

“Kes to the captain.”

Her brow raised as she tapped the emblem. “Go ahead.”

“I think I’ve found something you’re missing.” Kes’s usually lighthearted tone was even lighter, clear amusement seeping through.

Kathryn turned to look Chakotay in the eye, a hopeful smile brightening her face. “I’m on my way.”

-----

Honestly, Janeway was a little ashamed of the fact that she didn’t think to go looking for her best friend among the orchids and other plants in the aeroponics bay, considering his horticulturally-related hobbies. As she and Chakotay stepped into the room, smiles crept onto both of their faces as they watched Tuvok carefully transfer one of Kes’s sprouts to a bigger pot. After patting the soil around the plant firmly, he wiped a hand across his forehead, smearing dirt on his face to match the dirt on his uniform.

Kes smiled up at the command team. “He came down and asked about a hundred questions about our system and then offered to help me with my work while we talked because its ‘more efficient to talk and work than simply talk.’” 

Janeway chuckled at Kes’s approximation of Tuvok’s speech pattern. “Thanks for letting us know, Kes.” She reluctantly handed Harry to Chakotay, who flashed his dimples, and crouched next to Tuvok. “Hello there.”

Tuvok glanced up quickly before resuming his work. “Hello, Captain. Did you know that these Talaxian green beans take only a week and a half to reach maturity?”

“I did not.” Janeway raised a brow and tilted her head. “That’s very impressive.”

“I thought so too when Kes told me.” He patted the soil around another plant and set it aside, retrieving another sprout.

“Tuvok,” the captain reached forward and rested a hand on his shoulder, “I’m glad you’ve found something to do, but you have to tell someone where you’re going before you wander off. We didn’t know what happened to you and Chakotay and I were really worried.”

Behind her, Chakotay’s heart flipped. There was something rather... intimate about the way she had referred to both of them being worried about a child.

“I’m sorry, Captain.” Tuvok nodded his head. “It won’t happen again.”

“Good.” Janeway smiled and stood. “Why don’t you help Kes down here for a while and then come back up to the bridge when you are ready?” She looked at Kes. “That is, if Kes is alright with that.”

The young woman smiled. “Of course, I’d love some help.”

Janeway nodded and turned back to Tuvok. “Be sure to let us know when you’re on your way back up.”

“Of course, Captain.”

She patted him one last time on the shoulder and turned back to Chakotay. They fell into step beside one another and entered the elevator.

As the doors whooshed closed, Janeway turned to Chakotay with the intention of reclaiming Harry, but stopped. A smile grew across her lips as she watched Chakotay bounce Harry gently, allowing the little boy to palm his tattoo in curiosity. Even as one of Harry’s chubby fingers poked him in the eye, Chakotay simply chuckled and took the tiny hand in his own.

He finally turned to look at her. “What?”

Kathryn just shook her head, grinning wider. “I was going to take Harry from you, but I can’t bear to break up this cute little arrangement.” She motioned to the two of them with a long finger.

The corner of Chakotay’s mouth kicked up a little higher. “Captain, did you just imply that I’m cute?”

Her brow arched, but her smile didn’t diminish. “It would be hard for anyone to look unappealing with a cute baby in their arms.”

Her heart stopped suddenly as she realized what she had just said. From the look of Chakotay’s face, he had caught it too. Implying that he and the baby were cute was one thing; calling him “appealing” was another. Before she could say anything else she might regret, Kathryn turned back to the lift door, schooling her features back into the face of the Captain.

If she had turned but a half-second later, she would have seen a wide smile break across Chakotay’s face.

-----

“I’m sorry, Captain, but I need more time. I won’t deactivate myself until I have a solution, but this situation is very delicate and I can’t risk rushing my tests. You’ll need to find somewhere for the children to sleep. Hopefully I’ll have a solution tomorrow.”

Kathryn nodded. “Of course. Thank you, Doctor.”

With a grim smile, the feed from sickbay switched off, leaving her to look at her dark reflection in the black screen. Something like relief swept over help alongside a touch of regret. On one hand, she could really use her senior officers back in functioning shape. On the other hand....

Her eyes drifted back down to Harry, who had pulled a bit of her hair out of it’s ponytail and was curling it around his tiny fist in unbreakable fascination. A smile tugged at her lips as she cuddled him a bit closer. 

She could get used to this.

The thought struck her before she even knew what she was feeling and, as soon as she admitted it to herself, she took that feeling and shoved it as deep into the recesses of her mind as she could. She was the captain of a ship that was constantly in danger and she shouldn’t dwell on things she couldn’t have.

Kathryn sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. “Well, Harry, looks like we need to find you a place to sleep.”

Turning back to the computer, she moved to set him down so she could use both hands to search the crew quarters layouts for a suitable place to keep the children overnight. As soon as Harry’s feet touched the ground, a wail rose from the back of his throat and his face scrunched.

Kathryn quickly scooped him back up. “Harry? What’s wrong?”

The boy’s cry of protest faded into whimpers and he buried his head in her shoulder, clinging to her tightly.

A warm feeling washed over her. “Ah,” she smiled, “I see.”

She pulled him closer and turned back to the computer, tapping buttons with one hand. “You can stay up here with me, then.”

The door to her quarters chimed.

“Come in.” 

Before she could turn to greet her guest, mischievous giggles rose from the door. Eyebrow raised, she whirled around to find Chakotay standing in the doorway, a stack of PADDs in his hand, a tiny engineer on his left leg, and a tiny helmsman on his right.

He stepped forward with far less difficultly than she would have expected, given the extra weight on his legs. He crossed the room quickly and passed the PADDs to her. “The crew reports you requested.”

“Thank you.” She smiled, glancing down at the still giggling forms. “Not to alarm you, Commander, but it would seem that you have a couple of lifeforms attached to you.”

Chakotay’s eyes grew wide in mock surprise. “Really?” He turned his head and shuffled around, as if to look at his back. “Where?”

Tom and B’Elanna’s laughter grew. Suddenly, Chakotay leaned over and scooped the two of them off his legs, lifting them both up over his shoulders as their shrieked in delight.

He turned back to Kathryn with a wide smile. “Not to worry, Captain, I’ve apprehended the life forms.” 

She smiled back with a soft chuckle. “We need to find a place for the life forms to stay tonight.”

Chakotay’s smile faded into a more serious, but not displeased look. “The Doctor doesn’t have a solution yet, then?” He lowered Tom and B’Elanna to the ground. They scampered off to the viewport, excitedly chattering about the stars.

“No, he needs a bit more time.”

Chakotay nodded. “Maybe I could take them for the night, that way someone is there to keep an eye on them.”

Kathryn shook her head. “I have no doubt in your babysitting abilities, Commander, but four children is a lot for one person to watch alone and your quarters are not big enough for Trouble 1 and Trouble 2 to run around in.” She gestured to the kids at the window. 

“Fair point. Maybe I should take Harry and Tuvok then, and you could take Tom and B’Elanna?”

She turned Harry away from Chakotay. “Trying to take my boy again, are you Chakotay?” 

He chuckled and shook his head. “Do you have another idea, then, Mom?”

Her breath caught in her throat, but she managed to smirk at him and continue speaking without any indication that his previous sentence had impacted her. “My quarters are the largest on the ship. If we set up cots here in my living room we could easily both keep an eye on the children overnight.”

“Sounds good to me.” He glanced up at the clock on the wall. “How about I go collect Tuvok from aeroponics and some food from the mess hall while you get the cots set up?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

He gave her one last lingering smile, which she returned, before heading out the door and down the hall.

-----

Apparently the lunch they had shared earlier that day had been misleadingly easy. Supper was, to put it lightly, a challenge.

“B’Elanna, eat your own food and stop taking from Tom’s plate,” Kathryn said firmly.

“But Tom isn’t eating it!”

“I was going to eat it! I’m just a slower eater than you are!”

“Well eat faster then!”

“B’Elanna!” Chakotay set down the spoon he had been using to feed Harry and fixed her with a stern look. “That food isn’t yours, and Kathryn already asked you to stop taking Tom’s food. You won’t be asked again.”

B’Elanna mumbled out an apology and stuffed another bite of her own meal into her mouth.

Kathryn shot Chakotay a grateful smile and turned to Tuvok, who was holding up one of his vegetables to the light. “Tuvok? What are you doing?”

“I’m looking at the xylem and phloem of this plant.”

She bit back a smile. “I appreciate your curiosity, Tuvok, but I need you to stop studying your food and start eating it.”

The young Vulcan turned to her and nodded. “Of course.” He politely chewed and swallowed his food and turned back to the captain. “Did you know that this particular plant is a distant cousin of Terran broccoli? You can tell by the-”

Chakotay smiled as he watched Kathryn listen to Tuvok’s fourth lecture of the evening on plant biology. Neither of them were certain of what he was talking about most of the time, but his enthusiasm for the subject was nearly infectious and neither of them minded listening.

“Chakotay?”

He turned away from the scene across the table and looked at Tom next to him. “Yes?”

“After dinner, will you read to us?”

“Of course.” Chakotay smiled and ruffled Tom’s hair. “Anything particular you want to hear?”

“I want to hear about your missions with the Maquis!” B’Elanna bounced in her seat, all of that barely-contained Klingon energy starting to spill over. 

“Or perhaps you could read to us from a classic story,” Tuvok raised a brow. “I’m fond of the works of Tolkien, maybe Tom and B’Elanna would like ‘The Hobbit’ too?”

“What’s a hobbit?” Tom’s face scrunched in confusion.

“Maybe,” Kathryn interjected before Tuvok could give a detailed recounting of the beloved childhood book, “Chakotay could tell us a story from his tribe.” Her eyes met his across the table. “He is pretty good at recounting ancient legends.”

Heat crept up the sides of Chakotay’s face as he held her stare. “Maybe.”

“Nah,” Tom’s voice broke through the pleasant tension between them. “I wanna know what a hobbit is!”

Chakotay chuckled. “Alright, ‘The Hobbit’ it is.”

-----

It took some time to get the older three to settle into bed, but finally, they began to yawn and snuggle deeper under their blankets. As their heads grew heavier, Chakotay wrapped up his story telling and the command team began to tuck their young companions in for the night.

As Chakotay wished Tom and Tuvok a good night’s rest, Kathryn carefully extracted B’Elanna from where she was snuggled into her side and took her over to her cot. As she got the small girl settled, she suddenly reached up and captured Kathryn in a tight hug. Surprised, Kathryn’s eyes widened, but she returned the gesture in earnest.

“Kathryn?”

“Yes, B’Elanna?”

“You’re my best friend.”

Kathryn blinked and pulled back to look B’Elanna in the eyes with a small smile. “I thought Chakotay and Tom were your best friends.”

“I can have more than one best friend.” B’Elanna’s voice was filled with deep confidence, despite how sleep-laced it was.

“Fair enough,” Kathryn chuckled, pulling the blankets tightly around the girl. “Goodnight.”

She met Chakotay in her bedroom, Harry still in his arms.

“Any time I try to set him down he starts crying.” Chakotay grinned sheepishly. 

She grinned back. “I had a similar experience earlier today.” She reached up and brushed hand over the boy’s soft, black hair. “Its a good thing he weighs next to nothing.”

At Kathryn’s gentle touch, Harry stirred. His dark eyes found Kathryn’s and he reached out for her. With a look of mock hurt, Chakotay transferred the boy to his desired location.

“I’m trying not to be offended right now, Harry.”

Kathryn simply grinned and bounced the baby in her arms gently. “It’s alright, Chakotay. He has excellent taste.”

Chakotay shook his head, dimples flashing. “I suppose I can’t argue with that.”

She turned toward the bed and settled herself on one side, her back resting against the pillows and Harry resting against her chest. “Let’s see if we can get this one sleepy enough to not notice if we set him down.” She looked back at Chakotay, who was still standing, rather awkwardly. She patted the bed next to her with a smirk. “Come on, Commander. Get some rest. We’ve has a big day, wrangling the kiddos.”

He smiled and crossed the room to the other side of the bed, gently sitting next to her, his legs stretched out. “It has been a long day,” he said with a sigh. “But, I can’t say I haven’t enjoyed it.” He tilted his head to look at Kathryn, who was already looking up at him.

“Nor I.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Suddenly, Chakotay was very aware of how close their faces were. He watched as Kathryn’s eyes slid down to his lips. Before he could do something he couldn’t take back, he took a deep breath and turned away.

“Well,” Kathryn cleared her throat, sounding more like the Captain now, “it’s been fun but we should get some sleep. I’ll keep an eye on Harry here and take him to his cot in a few minutes. You should go ahead and rest, Commander.”

“Of course.” He tilted his head and gave her a small smile. “Goodnight, Kathryn.”

She grinned back. “Goodnight, Chakotay.”

-----

Apparently, Kathryn didn’t stay awake long enough to take Harry back to his cot, as evidenced by the weight on her chest as she stirred awake the next morning. She slowly became aware of her surroundings and the previous day’s events came flooding back to her.

She also became distinctly aware of the warm, comfortable presence beside her. As she opened her eyes, she realized that her first officer’s arm was settled around her shoulders and that his shoulder was currently her pillow. His head rested atop hers and the hand that was not draped around her shoulders was resting on top of Harry’s back next to her own.

The situation was all rather snuggly and, were it not a violation of every professional barrier Kathryn had erected between her and the commander, she would have had no issue in savoring the moment.

Then again.... maybe she could allow herself just a few moments to pretend that the baby in her arms wasn’t her star technical officer and that the man holding her close wasn’t her XO and that this was a perfectly normal situation.

Before she could get too far into her fantasy, however, Chakotay stirred next to her, his dark eyes fluttering open to find her own.

“Good morning,” he said, his voice huskier than her own as sleep clung to it.

“Good morning.” 

They looked at each other for a moment before Chakotay carefully extracted himself from her side, helping her up so she could carefully place Harry in his cot in the living room without waking the boy or the other children who were still sleeping. Without a word, they quietly prepared breakfast and coffee, steeling themselves for another day of handling the kids.

-----

“I’m afraid I’m a bit.... stuck,” The Doctor ground out with obvious difficulty.

The captain raised an eyebrow. The EMH admitting that he was struggling to solve a problem was a rare instance indeed. “How so?”

With a huff, The Doctor turned back to his desk, flipping through experimental results from a stack of PADDs. “Kes was right; the DNA reversal process I initially thought might work will not account for the de-aging of the officers’ brains, so I decided to look at the type of radiation that might have caused this and, to be completely honest, Captain,” he turned back to look her in the eye, “I have absolutely no idea how this even happened. There’s no evidence of radiation, the temporal energy around them is unidentifiable, and I can’t figure out how their cells and their minds were reversed.” He lowered his head. “I’m unsure of how to even proceed from here.”

Kathryn nodded, taking the emotions that were beginning to tumble in her chest and stuffing them as far down as she could. “Very well, Doctor. Take a rest and we can all come back to the issue later once we’ve had time to think.” She rested a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up. “Don’t despair yet; there’s a lot of other brilliant minds on this ship besides your own. We’ll figure it out together.” She smiled and gave his shoulder a squeeze before heading into the turbolift.

As the doors slid open, she found Tuvok waiting in the lift for her. She smiled down at him and stepped inside, calling for the bridge.

“Chakotay to the captain.”

She tapped her badge. “Go ahead.”

“We need you on the bridge, there’s a bit of a situation.”

She raised a brow, glancing down at Tuvok, who was gazing at her intently. “On my way.”

-----

“So they want to.... interview us?”

“They want to interview you specifically.”

“To see if we are worthy of going through their space.”

“Something like that.”

“And going around their space isn’t an option?”

“It would add another 7 months to our journey, so this interview is our ideal option.”

“No pressure, eh, Commander?” Janeway shifted Harry from one hip to the other with a long sigh. “Alright. Hail them.”

After a moment, a blue and red humanoid alien appeared on the screen.

“Greetings, Ambassador.” The Captain flashed a polite smile. “I’m Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation Starship Voyager.”

The alien woman inclined her head. “Hello, Captain Janeway, I’m Ambassador Tel Parah of the Doonian Delegation.” Her eyes swept the bridge. “You’re ship is heavily armed, which, according to the laws of our people, requires that we do a personal interview of the commanding officer to ensure that violence or other manners of chaos will not be instigated as you pass through our space.”

“Of course, I understand.” Janeway smiled again. “What questions may I answer for you?”

Over the course of the next 30 minutes, Janeway was grilled on their purpose in passing through Doonian space, the types and numbers of weapons they carried, and the journey they had made so far. Just as Janeway thought there wasn’t possibly anything more she could tell them, Ambassador Parah paused and looked up from the computer device in her hand to study Janeway. After a moment, she spoke again.

“Just one more thing, Captain Janeway,” a slow smile slipped onto her face, “What’s your son’s name? He’s absolutely precious.”

Janeway raised her eyebrows in surprise and glanced down at Harry, who she had nearly forgotten was still in her arms. At some point, he had removed her combadge and was currently turning it over and over again in his tiny hands, taking a moment here and there to bite parts of the object he must have found particularly interesting. Kathryn exchanged an amused glace with Chakotay, who shrugged off screen, before turning back to the ambassador. 

“This is Harry.” Janeway smiled, turning the boy so the ambassador could see him better.

The other woman smiled widely. “How adorable. He has the brightest eyes.”

“He does.” Kathryn smiled back down at him.

“You know,” Parah leaned back in her chair, “I usually don’t allow anyone through our space that isn’t from a system or planet we are already know and trust and so I wasn’t planning on letting Voyager pass. However, when I saw your baby and how well-cared for and happy he seems, I felt that I could trust you somehow.” She smiled again. “We value children highly in the Doonien Delegation. Children are often a reflection of a parent’s character. I can tell by Harry’s disposition and curiosity that you are of a fine character, Captain.”

Janeway cuddled Harry a little closer, heart warming. “Thank you, Ambassador, I take that as a high compliment.”

“As you should.” Parah leaned forward again. “You may pass through our space. We will have you stop at three checkpoints on your way though which I will send you the coordinated for in a moment. Have a safe journey.”

The screen went blank and Kathryn turned to Chakotay.

“Should I feel bad that I let her believe Harry is my son?”

Chakotay chuckled, stepping close enough and lowering his voice enough that the rest of the bridge could pretend not to hear him. “Are you saying he’s not?”

Her gaze grew softer. “I guess he’s sort of been like a son to me since we got on board.” She looked back down at him. “I feel very protective of him.”

Chakotay rested a hand on her shoulder. “I know.”

They smiled at each other again. Chakotay opened his mouth to say something more but, suddenly, there was a tug at Kathryn’s elbow.

“Captain? Now that the negotiations are over, I think I have an idea about how to fix Tom, B’Elanna, Harry, and me.” Tuvok’s eyes were bright and eager.

“Alright,” Captain Janeway smiled down at him. “Let’s get The Doctor up here and we’ll hear your idea together.”

-----

Chakotay exchanged glances with The Doctor and the Captain over the table as he bounced both Tom and B’Elanna on his knees. “Could that really work? It seems almost too easy.”

“Well, if this is a phenomena that’s inexplicable and is tied only to the anomaly the shuttles passed through, I feel like sending the children back through isn’t our worst idea.” The captain rubbed the back of her neck. “Doctor?”

The holographic man continued typing into his PADD for a moment before stopping and reading. “I- I honestly think this could work.” He slid the PADD over to Janeway. “It’s hard to predict, since we have no idea what exactly caused this, but if we send the shuttles through the anomaly opposite of the way they first went through, I think it just might turn them back to their usual ages.”

“How do we know it won’t just make them even younger?” Chakotay watched as B’Elanna slipped off of his knee, pulling Tom along with her to go play in the corner.

“We’d have to run some tests to be sure that they don’t. Perhaps we could send a plant through first, or some other organic life form.” The Doctor took the PADD back and made a note.

“We would also have to make sure that, if the tests show some promise, Tuvok can take the shuttle back through the anomaly.” Janeway turned to the boy sitting at her right. “Well, Tuvok? Do you think you could pilot the shuttle?”

He shook his head. “Since I don’t have my older self’s memories I don’t think I could.”

“We could use the tractor beam to send the shuttle through,” Chakotay said. “If we give them enough of a push to go through the anomaly, they should be able to pilot themselves back to Voyager once they get out the other side and have returned to their normal ages.”

Janeway raised her eyebrows. “Well, it’s worth a shot and I don’t have any better ideas. Commander, set a course for the anomaly. Doctor, prepare the experiments.”

-----

Tom and B’Elanna seemed to sense that something was up as they suddenly became even more clingy. The whole trip back to the anomaly, B’Elanna shared the captain’s chair with Kathryn, insisting with all of her Klingon passion that the older woman tell her more stories from earlier in their journey through the Delta Quadrant. At the helm, Tom hung on to Chakotay’s arm, watching the stars go by and asking Chakotay a hundred questions about piloting starships. Tuvok sat in Chakotay’s usual seat, interjecting with questions of his own here and there, and Harry sat on Kathryn’s knee, chewing on her jacket sleeve, her combadge still clutched tightly in his left hand.

After they reached the anomaly, it took a couple of hours for The Doctor to complete his experiments and, once he had declared that plants that had gone through the anomaly twice were returned to the same age the started as, they began preparing the children to enter the anomaly themselves. 

“Will it hurt?” B’Elanna asked in the smallest voice she had ever used in her life as Kathryn tucked the small Starfleet uniform that she had come through the anomaly with around her shoulders.

“It won’t,” Tuvok said. “It didn’t hurt when we came through the first time, did it?”

She shook her head, but didn’t look very reassured.

“It’s okay, ‘Lanna!” Tom grabbed her hand. “I’ll be right beside you.”

Kathryn stood and took a step back, feeling almost as if someone had filled her chest with some of Neelix’s heavy stew. She had to let them go, of course, this wasn’t the way they were supposed to be, but she was certainly going to miss seeing the level of innocence her officers had now. B’Elanna was unburdened by trust issues, Tuvok was passionate and bright, and Tom - well, she supposed he hadn’t changed all that much, but at least he seemed to be genuinely happy, not just putting up a front of humor to protect himself.

It would be hard to see them go back, but maybe, now that she understood how the world and time had changed her friends, she could help them.

She was shaken from her thoughts by a tug at her collar. She looked down to see Harry pulling at her pips, completely enamored by the gold metal.

“Oh, Harry.” She nearly choked on his name. Since he was so young now, she didn’t have any insight into his personality after having seen him as a baby, but she was going to miss his innocent curiosity and familiar weight on her hip.

Before she could think too much about it, she handed Harry over to Tuvok. The younger boy scrunched his face up and whimpered at the change of hands, but Tuvok bounced him gently and he settled down, reaching for the pointed tip of Tuvok’s ear.

Kathryn took a step back, feeling Chakotay step up behind her so that they were nearly touching. “Best of luck, you four.” She gave them her most reassuring smile. “See you on the other side.”

She and Chakotay hurried up the bridge and gave the go ahead for the ensign who had taken over Harry’s post to begin using the tractor beam to move the shuttle out into the anomaly. They stood side-by-side on the bridge and watched the shuttle go through. At come point, they grabbed each other’s hands and squeezed each other tightly.

There was a flash as the shuttle passed through the anomaly. After a few terrifyingly quiet moments, the shuttle came bursting out of the other side and a voice crackled over the comm.

“Cochran to Voyager,” confusion leaked through Tom’s voice. “What the hell just happened?”

Kathryn and Chakotay smiled at each other in relief. “What’s the last thing you remember, Tom?” Chakotay asked.

“B’Elanna, Harry, and I were coming back to Voyager when we- wait a second, how did you get here, Tuvok?”

Janeway laughed. “Why don’t we get you four back on board and then we’ll explain everything.”

“Copy that. See you in a few.” Tom’s voice grew quieter, like he was leaning away from the comm. “I have a feeling this is going to be one heck of a story.”

-----

After everyone had been debriefed and left to process the last two days of strangeness, Chakotay found Kathryn in her favorite spot; on her couch and staring wistfully out at the stars as they drifted past. She had shucked her jacket and taken her hair out of it’s clip, leaving her in her grey turtleneck with her hair falling around her shoulders and face.

“Got a lot on your mind?”

She turned to smile at him, a note of sadness in her eyes. “It’s been an interesting couple of days.”

He settled on the couch a ways down, turning to face her. “It sure has.” He was quiet for a moment. “I’m going to miss our kids.”

“Me too. It was fun having little ones around, playing at being a parent.” She fidgeted with the seam on the couch. “It was different and they sure did give us some challenges,” she chuckled, “but I loved it.” 

“Have you ever thought about having kids of ou-” he coughed, “your own?” 

Her crystal blue gaze caught his. “Yes.” She smiled and looked out the window again. “I always thought someday I would be a mother.” With a snort and a smirk, she continued; “Of course, I never thought I’d be mothering my helmsman, security officer, engineer, and technical officer.”

Chakotay laughed softly. “I think you were mothering them before they were turned into actual children.”

“Perhaps.” A pause. “What about you? Did you ever think about being a father? Outside of the whole instance with Seska, of course.”

He nodded. “When I was in the Maquis, no. My life was too fast-paced to be a proper father. If I was going to be a dad, I wanted to do it right and I couldn’t have done that from a Maquis ship.” He took a deep breath. “After joining this crew, though.... I’m in a better place now, and I think I’d be thrilled to be a father.” He looked over at Kathryn to find that she was already looking at him with something like wonder in her eyes. He held her gaze for a moment and, finally finding a bit of courage, he said: “I’m more at peace.”

A smiled played at the corners of her lips, and her eyes looked a little like they were silver-lined, though Chakotay couldn’t quite tell for sure in the low light of her quarters.

“You were really good with the kids. You would make an excellent father, I have no doubt.”

He smiled. “You would make an excellent mother. You’re a natural.”

“Thank you, but I barely felt like I knew what I was doing.” She chuckled.

“You could have fooled me.” He grinned for a moment, before his countenance grew more serious. “I hope you get your wish someday, Kathryn. I hope you get to be a mother.”

She was quiet for a moment, and Chakotay suddenly felt his chest tighten. Had he said too much.

Before he could fall too far into his panic, her hand slid over to his, giving it a squeeze. He looked up into her eyes, which definitely had tears in them now.

“I hope you get to be a father too Chakotay. Someday.”

He squeezed her hand back and they both fell into a comfortable silence, enjoying the view of the stars outside Kathryn’s window.

[oikawaplssteponme]

The Apartment: part 4

▪️part 1

▪️part 2

▪️part 3

pairing: Kuroo Tetsurou x fem! reader

ratings/warnings: swearing, a little suggestive at times but nothing bad

synopsis: You knew that living with your three best friends, Kuroo, Oikawa, and Bokuto, would be a wild ride. It’s never a dull moment with those three. Let’s just hope you can keep your huge crush on Kuroo a secret when he is only a room away.

a/n: hi friends💕 i had a lot of fun writing this part so i hope you guys like it :)) the taglist is still open so just lmk if you’d like to be added and so are my requests/asks, so don’t be shy and say hi✨ enjoy xx

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Four: maid outfit

You laid on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. It was far too late for you to be up yet here you were. Not only was the couch uncomfortable, but your head was filled with thoughts that you’d rather not think. You kept thinking about Kuroo. Maybe if you would have just told him that you liked him, he would’ve reacted differently. Or he would have reacted just the same, making you feel worse.

You were stuck in the friendzone. Except the friendzone was quicksand, and you felt there was no possible way out. The air vent blew down on you. You hugged your blanket close to you. You couldn’t understand why you felt like this. It wasn’t like you were planning on telling Kuroo anyway. You said yourself its better to keep things the way they are, so why did you feel so upset? Maybe your feelings for Kuroo were a bit more than a longing crush.

You flipped onto your side, once again regretting your decision to sleep on the couch. Suddenly, you heard footsteps heading for a door. You were surprised someone could be awake at this hour, since everyone had gone to bed way before you. You heard a door open, so you shut your eyes pretending to be asleep. You felt their presence get closer to you. Then you felt what you presumed to be a second blanket, lay on top of you. The footsteps started to move back to their room. You peaked your eyes open, and saw Kuroo, slowly walk back into his room.

~

“Y/N-CHAN!” You were suddenly awoken by a loud voice next to your ear. You jolted up from the couch, causing you to fall onto the floor, still wrapped up in not one, but two blankets.

“Y/N get off the floor. I need you to answer my question,” said Bokuto. You sat up from your fall looking at Bokuto with evil eyes.

“Bokuto I don’t know if anyone has ever told you this but screaming in someone’s ear is NOT the proper way to wake them up,” you growled, rubbing the back of your head. Bokuto rolled his eyes.

“Yeah yeah whatever. Anyway, back to my question,” he said.

“If you didn’t notice dumbass, you asked your question when I was asleep so I didn’t hear you.”

“Okay so I’m going with Akaashi to his writers conference next week and do you think I should pack an extra bag just for snacks or will we buy them along the way? Because sometimes I pack them and then Akaashi says-“

“Bokuto, why on earth would Akaashi bring you to a writers conference?”

“Obviously to keep him company, come on Y/N, keep up with me here.” You groaned and stood up to be look at Bokuto.

“Pack the snacks, we all know you’ll end up eating more than less,” you said, patting his shoulder.

“That’s what Kuroo said too but I don’t trust his opinion.”

Your heart dropped. Right. Kuroo.

“Is- uh- Kuroo awake?” You asked.

“Yeah but he’s having a meeting with his Chemistry professor,” explained Bokuto. You let out a sigh of relief. Suddenly, the events from last night came to mind.

“Wait...is Oikawa awake?” Bokuto looked at you nervously.

“No…”

“Bokuto?”

“He’s in his room,” he muttered. You clenched your fists. You stormed over to your room.

“TORU IM GONNA BEAT THE LIVING SHIT OUT OF YOU!”

You slammed open your door to see Oikawa laying on his bed, using his endless amounts of pillows as shields from your wrath.

“Y/N, my dearest love, let’s be rational here,” he pleaded.

You charged over to him, jumping on his bed and pinned him down.

“Y/N if you wanted to get down and dirty all you had to do was-“

“Oh shut up. You are so lucky that Iwaizumi was here last night or else I would’ve kicked your ass.”

“I know you’re trying to sound threatening but honestly you just sound hor-“

“TORU!” Oikawa sealed his lips together.

“Do you remember what happened last night?” You asked. Oikawa gave you a sarcastic thinking face.

“Hmmm are we talking about the PG stuff that happened or the PG-13 content that occurred after the party-“

“Oh my god why do I even bother with you.” You let go of Oikawa and he sat up to face you.

“I have a horrible feeling that you’re talking about my big mouth from yesterday,” he whispered.

“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m talking about shithead.”

“It is way too early for such vulgar names Y/N.”

“Oikawa!” You were slowly losing your patience.

“Okay okay, yes maybe I slipped up a little. But hey, I gave you a good excuse to confess to Kuroo, so all is well.” You could feel the smoke coming from your ears.

“No it’s not because he turned me down last night!” Oikawa’s eyes grew.

“He did what?”

“Yeah he basically friendzone me. Badly.” you explained.

“Oh shit Y/N, I’m sorry. Maybe he will change his mind,” said Oikawa. You looked at him with pleading eyes.

“I don’t know Toru, I feel like it’s never gonna happen.” You shook your head and rubbed your eyes. You heard a heavy sigh and you looked over to the doorway and saw Bokuto standing there with a frown.

“If Kuroo doesn’t like you then he’s just an idiot,” said Bokuto. He walked over and sat with you and Oikawa.

“Great now everyone knows I like Kuroo,” you joked.

“Well it’s not like you’ve liked him your whole life or anything,” said Bokuto. You looked over at him with widened eyes.

“You’ve always known I liked Kuroo?”

“Yeah I thought we all did. That’s why last night I didn’t see the big deal. I think Kuroo’s just too dumb to see that the answers right in front of him,” explained Bokuto. You gave him a playful push.

“Bokuto! Did you ever say anything to him about me?”

“No, why would I? Unlike some people I can keep my mouth shut...for the most part,” he looked over at Oikawa. Oikawa groaned.

“Okay well since we are all on the same page, we gotta make a plan to get Kuroo and Y/N together,” said Oikawa.

“I mean you two will be the only ones home next week, so try to do something then,” suggested Bokuto.

That’s right, you and Kuroo will be the only ones in the apartment next week. Bokuto will be with Akaashi and Oikawa is taking a mini vacation with Iwaizumi.

“Guys its gonna be so awkward with just me and him,” you pouted.

“Y/N you have to make an effort or else you’re gonna lose the nerd to some other bitch,” said Oikawa. Again, he was right.

“Fine fine. But what would I even do?”

“Walk around the apartment in a maid outfit,” blurted out Bokuto. You slapped his arm as Oikawa laughed.

“Wait, that's actually a good idea,” giggled Oikawa.

“I am not gonna seduce him with a fucking maid outfit,” you said firmly. Oikawa sighed.

“Well unless you have a better idea, I think we should head over to Party City and-“

“NOT HAPPENING!” You interrupted.

“This might be a crazy idea but you could just TELL HIM YOU LIKE HIM!” said Bokuto sarcastically. Your face got warm.

“But-but-“

“No buts Y/N. When Oikawa and I come back, I expect some progress to have been made,” huffed Bokuto. You sighed.

“I’ll do my best,” you muttered. Bokuto wrapped his arm around you and placed a friendly kiss on your head.

“And hey, if he rejects you again, it’s not like things could get any more awkward,” he smiled. You laughed and hugged him back.

“Woah what’s going on in here? An intervention?” said Kuroo, standing at the doorway. You didn’t even hear him enter the apartment, let alone your room.

“Shit Kuroo, you scared me,” you said.

“Uh how long have you been standing there?” asked Oikawa.

“Maybe a few seconds. Don’t worry I didn’t hear any of your top secret conversation,” Kuroo smiled. The three of you let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank god,” you muttered.

“I brought lunch if you guys want some.” Kuroo held a bag of takeout food. The three of you jumped up from Oikawa’s bed and rushed over to him.

The four of you sat at the table and ate your lunch. You kept looking at Kuroo, trying to think of anything you could do to possibly get him to like you back. In the past, a whole week alone with him wouldn’t have seemed so scary. But now that your crush on him was on high gear, you needed to control yourself. It’s not like you could make matters worse.

Right?

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