Disclaimer:  Roses are red, violets are blue, Paramount owns all; 
I hope they won’t sue. ;-)  The characters of Ariana, Kathryn 
Paris, and Kolopak are mine, and the rest belong to the great and 
wonderful Wizard of Oz -- er, Paramount. :-)
Copyright January 1997 by JoAnna Walsvik.  Spread around if you 
must, but give me the credit.  And please please please please 
send me feedback at jowalsvi@sendit.sendit.nodak.edu.
Author’s note:  The @@@’s indicate a change of scene and/or time 
and place on Voyager.  The ***’s indicate a change from the 
future, from when Admiral Janeway is talking to her granddaughter, 
to the time in which this story takes place.
Enjoy!

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Summary:  An elderly Admiral Kathryn Janeway tells a story to her 
five-year-old granddaughter, Ariana, about her life on Voyager.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Tell Me A Story  
Voy; J/C and P/T; PG
by JoAnna Walsvik

     “Grandma, tell me a story.”  
     Admiral Kathryn Janeway, long since retired from Starfleet, 
stroked her granddaughter’s auburn tresses affectionately.  “Let’s 
see; a story.  How about I tell you about your Uncle Tuvok’s 
latest paper 
on -- “
     “No, Grandma!” little Ariana pouted.  “I want to hear a 
*real* story.  Tell me a story about Voyager.”
     “About Voyager?”  Janeway said, feigning amazement.  “You 
don’t want to hear another story about that old ship, do you?”
     “Yes.”  Ariana stubbornly glared at her grandmother with a 
pair of very familiar dark brown eyes.
     “Well, let’s see,” her grandmother said thoughtfully.  “Have 
I ever told you the story of how your Grandpa Chakotay and I were 
married and had your daddy? Or how your Grandpa and Grandma Paris 
had your mommy?”  
     “Uh uh.”  The little girl said, settling herself on the floor 
by Janeway’s knee.  “Tell me, Grandma.  Tell me.”
     Kathryn Janeway smiled at her granddaughter.  “Well, it all 
started one day when Voyager had been in the Delta Quadrant for 
almost six years.  Now, during the time your Grandpa Chakotay and 
I were dating, your Grandma B’Elanna and your Grandpa Tom had 
already gotten married.  In fact, they celebrated their six-month 
anniversary on my wedding day.  But, your Grandpa Chakotay and I 
hadn’t gotten married yet; in fact, he proposed to me that very 
night.  I can still remember my reaction to his proposal...”

*********************************************************

     “You want to *what*?”  Kathryn Janeway stared at her first 
officer in astonishment.
     “I want to get married,” Chakotay repeated.  “Come on, 
Kathryn.  We’ve been together for over three years.  The crew sees 
us as a permanent couple.  It’s high time we did something about 
it.  I’m tired of going to your quarters every night.”
     “Couldn’t we just...live together?  Besides, I’m the captain.  
Who would perform the ceremony -- that is, if I even said yes?”  
     “Just live together?  Is that the kind of example you want to 
set for the crew?  You know as well as I that it would give them 
the impression that we aren’t serious about this relationship.  
And, I’ve checked Starfleet regulations.  If the captain or the 
first officer is not available to perform a marriage ceremony, 
then the next highest ranking officer has the authorization to do 
so.  That’s Tuvok.  And I’m sure he’d be happy to marry us,” 
Chakotay said patiently.  “I didn’t come to this decision lightly, 
Kathryn.  I’ve thought about it for a long time.  I love you.  And 
I want to marry you.”
     Janeway began to pace around the room.  “But *marriage*?  
That’s a lifelong commitment.”
     “And you aren’t *prepared* for a lifelong commitment?”  
Somehow, Chakotay didn’t believe that.
     “It’s not that, it’s just that...I guess you could say that 
I’m already married -- to this ship and her crew.  My first 
priority is them, Chakotay.  My personal life has to come second.”
     “I understand,” he said quietly.  “I feel the same way.  So 
what’s the problem?”
     “The problem?” She stared at him in disbelief.  Couldn’t he 
see? “The problem is, if we were married one of us might use our 
personal feelings to make decisions for Voyager or her crew.  That 
can be disastrous on a starship.”
     “Kathryn, we’ve been together for the past three years.  In 
all that time, can you honestly say that either one of us has used 
our feelings for each other to affect any decision we made?”
     “Well, no, but -- “
     “You’re stalling.”  Chakotay’s voice was sharp.  “I want a 
straight answer from you, Kathryn.  Will you or will you not marry 
me?”
     She brought her gaze to meet his, and he could see her blue 
eyes were troubled.  “I -- I don’t know.  I just don’t know.”
     Chakotay remained silent, but it was clear that his feelings 
were hurt.  “You don’t love me?”  he asked, his dark ebony eyes 
filled with honest bewilderment and sadness.
     “No -- no! I do love you, Chakotay.  I love you with all my 
heart, but...well...”  She trailed off and stared miserably at the 
floor.  This was not how she had thought the evening would turn 
out. 
     “You need some time.  I understand.”  He stood up and gently 
kissed her on the cheek.  Her gaze remained fixed on the pale gray 
carpet.  “Good night, Kathryn.”  Then, for the first night in a 
long while, he left her quarters to stay in his own.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

     Janeway stood nervously in the corridor, racked with 
indecision.  Was she going to the right person?  She needed 
someone to talk to. Under any other circumstances the first person 
she’d go to would be Chakotay.  Tuvok was out of the question; he 
was a good friend but logic wouldn’t help in matters of the heart.  
Kes was just too inexperienced to talk with; she was married to 
the only man she had ever dated and pregnant with that man’s 
child.  There was really no one else she could confide in...except 
for one person.
     And she was standing outside that person’s door now.
     *Come on, Kathryn, get a hold of yourself,* she scolded 
herself firmly.  *Ring the damn doorbell.*
     She rang it; and waited.
     “Enter,” was the reply from within.  Janeway took a deep 
breath, and stepped inside.
     “Captain,” a surprised B’Elanna Paris greeted her.  “Can I 
help you?”  This was the first time in six years Janeway had ever 
come to her and Tom’s quarters.  It couldn’t be about business; 
Janeway looked exceedingly nervous.  
     “Actually, yes.  I -- I need to talk to you.”  Janeway hoped 
B’Elanna couldn’t hear the tremor in her voice.
     B’Elanna could hear it clearly.  “Please, sit down.”  Janeway 
sat, and B’Elanna eyed her worriedly.  She was clearly very 
nervous about something, but B’Elanna coudn’t imagine why Janeway 
would come to her chief engineer, of all people, if she had a 
personal problem.  “Is something wrong?” 
     “Very.  I -- I need someone to talk to.”  
     “Tuvok wasn’t available?”  B’Elanna silently cursed herself.  
*Good going, B’Elanna.  Did that sound as rude as I thought it 
did?*
     But the captain didn’t seem offended at all.  Instead, she 
glanced up at B’Elanna rather apologetically.  “I mean, woman to 
woman.”
     “Oh, I see.  What about?”
     “Well, it’s just that -- that -- “  Janeway broke off.  
Before she could stop herself, she burst into tears.
     “Captain?”  B’Elanna stared at her superior officer 
despairingly.  What the hell was she supposed to do?  Janeway 
obviously needed comfort from someone, but she had always been 
rotten at consoling people.
     Helplessly, she sat down next to the captain and put a 
tentative arm around the sobbing woman’s shoulders.  She didn’t 
know what else to do.
     But apparently, a sympathetic touch was all Janeway needed.  
Her tears stopped as quickly as they had come, and she wiped her 
eyes with the back of her hand.  “I -- I’m sorry,” she hiccuped.  
“I -- “
     “Hey, it’s okay,”  B’Elanna said gently.  She replicated a 
steaming hot cup of coffee and set it in Janeway’s trembling 
hands.  “Here.  Drink this.”
     Janeway obediently took a small sip, and the comforting aroma 
seemed to soothe her a bit.  “Now, can you tell me what’s wrong?  
Why are you so upset?” B’Elanna asked, her voice laced with 
concern.
     “It -- it’s Chakotay,” Janeway said softly, her eyes welling 
up with tears again.
     “Chakotay?  Did you two have a fight?”  
     “No, he -- last night, he -- he asked me to marry him.”
     B’Elanna blinked in surprise.  That had been the last thing 
she had expected.  “Oh, I -- I see.  Is -- is that a bad thing?”  
Janeway remained silent, and B’Elanna became alarmed.  “You said 
no?”
     “I -- I said I needed more time.  Oh, B’Elanna, I don’t know 
what to do!”  Janeway jumped up and began to pace.  “I love him, I 
love him dearly, it’s just that -- well -- I don’t know if I’m 
ready for this!  I mean, marriage is a big step, a very big step.  
I just don’t know if I....”  She trailed off, beginning to pace 
even faster.
     B’Elanna now understood.  “Captain, did you have someone -- 
special -- back in the Alpha Quadrant?” she asked gently.
     Janeway stopped dead in her tracks at simply stared at 
B’Elanna.  Slowly, she sat down.  “Yes.  Yes, I did,” she admitted 
quietly.
     “And do you feel like you would be betraying him if you 
married Chakotay?”
     Janeway looked at her chief engineer with newfound respect.  
B’Elanna had just voiced the very concern she had, deep down, been 
feeling but had been too afraid to admit.  “I guess so.  Mark -- 
that’s his name, Mark -- we were very close.  I had the feeling 
that he was going to propose to me any day.”
     “Do you still love him?”
     Janeway sighed.  “That’s the problem.  I -- I don’t think so.  
I mean, I’m fond of him, but not in the way I was before.  I still 
miss him, but like -- like -- “
     “Like a brother?”  B’Elanna supplied.
     “Yes.  That’s it exactly,” Janeway agreed.  “I just don’t 
know what I’d do if we got home and Mark still loved me.  He’s 
always been sensitive, and I’m afraid that my marrying another man 
would just about kill him.”
     B’Elanna suppressed a smile.  So all Janeway was concerned 
about was the feelings of her former lover.  “Captain, I think 
it’s pretty safe to bet that Mark’s feelings for you have cooled 
as well.  It’s been six years.  He probably has assumed you were 
killed and has gotten on with his life.  Maybe he’s married by 
now.  But I think you have to stop being concerned for his 
feelings and start caring for your own.”  B’Elanna paused 
slightly.  “For example, if there were to be an accident, and 
Chakotay was -- killed -- how would you feel?”
     Janeway’s face turned ashen at the mere thought of it.  “I -- 
I’d be devastated.  I wouldn’t be able to go on without him.”
     “Then I think you have your answer.”  B’Elanna sat back and 
looked at Janeway expectantly.
     The captain slowly considered this.  B’Elanna was absolutely 
right.  If something happened to Chakotay, her life would be over.  
She would always regret not saying yes to his proposal.  
     Her purpose was clear.
     She looked up at her chief engineer.  “Thank you,” she said 
earnestly.  “Thank you very much.”
     B’Elanna smiled.  “My door is always open if you ever need to 
talk.”
     Janeway smiled also.  “I just wish I had come sooner.”  She 
stood up, and glanced  at the door.  “Now, if you’ll excuse me...”
     “Go to your fiancee,” B’Elanna grinned.  “And 
congratulations.”
     “Thank you.”  And she was gone.  Before B’Elanna could gather 
her rather bewildered thoughts, Janeway was back.  “You won’t tell 
anyone quite yet, will you?” she asked worriedly.
     “Not a word,” her chief engineer promised.  And again the 
captain vanished.
     B’Elanna Paris grinned.  She felt -- well, damn *good* about 
herself right about now.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

     Janeway pressed the chime for Chakotay’s quarters and waited 
impatiently.  He had to be there.  He just *had* to be.
     The doors slid open to reveal her first officer, dressed and 
ready for bed.  “Kathryn?” he said with some confusion.
     Before he could say another word, her lips were on his.  
“Kathryn?” he said once the kiss had ended, and an unasked 
question was in his voice.
     “Yes.  Yes, I will marry you,” she said, and kissed him 
again.  “I love you, Chakotay.”
     “I love you too,” he agreed, rather dazed -- but happy -- at 
her sudden acceptance.  “What changed your mind?”
     “It’s a long story,” she smiled.  “I’ll tell you later.  
Right now, we have more important things to attend to.  Should we 
set a date?”
     Chakotay couldn’t help but grin.  She was still the same 
practical Kathryn Janeway.  “Later,” he told her, disappearing 
into his bedroom and reappearing with a small black box in his 
hands.  He opened it up and slipped something small and gold on 
her finger.
     Janeway gasped.  “Oh, it’s beautiful!” she said, admiring the 
solid gold band with a lone, twinkling diamond.  It was simple but 
elegant, just the sort of jewelry she loved.  “Thank you.”
     “My pleasure,” he said modestly.  Then, with an impish 
sparkle in his eye, he added, “Mrs. Chakotay.”
     “Mrs. Chakotay?  I’ll be damned if I -- “ she protested 
laughingly, but Chakotay silenced her with a kiss.

*********************************************************

     “And then you and Grandpa Chakotay got married,” Ariana said 
brightly, climbing into her grandmother’s lap.
     “We got married,”  Janeway agreed, smiling at her.  “Exactly 
two weeks later.  Uncle Tuvok performed the ceremony, and Grandma 
B’Elanna was my maid of honor.”
     “And Grandpa Tom was Grandpa Chakotay’s best man,” Ariana 
finished.
     “That’s right, sweetheart.”
     “But, Grandma, you still haven’t told me how Grandma B’Elanna 
and Grandpa Tom had mommy!” Ariana said impatiently.
     “I was getting to that.  Be patient,”  she told her 
granddaughter.  “And just a few months after my marriage -- “
     “ -- and after your honeymoon -- “  Ariana interrupted.
     “ -- after our honeymoon,” her grandmother continued, a faint 
blush spreading over her face,  “I went to tell your Grandpa 
Chakotay some wonderful news.”

*********************************************************
     “You’re *what*?”  Chakotay stared at his bride of three 
months in complete astonishment.
     “I’m pregnant!”  Janeway had to laugh at the completely 
dumbfounded expression on her husband’s face.  “Can you believe 
it?”
     “No, actually, I can’t.”  Chakotay sank down into a nearby 
chair, his legs having turned to jelly.  “How -- how did this 
happen?”
     “Well, the sperm reaches the egg -- “
     “Kathryn!”  He gave her an exasperated look.  “I *know* 
that.”
     “Just checking.”  Janeway couldn’t hide the broad smile that 
crossed her face.
     “What I *mean* is,” Chakotay continued, ignoring the smile, 
“you know as well as I that the doctor told you that since you 
were considerably older then most women of childbearing age and I 
older then most fathers, our chances of conceiving without medical 
assistance were slim to none.  How did this happen?”
     “He said *slim* to none,” Janeway pointed out.  “And we, my 
dear, just beat the odds.  The doctor says we’ll have a bouncing 
baby boy or girl in about eight months.”
     “Eight months?  That long?”
     “Long?  I’m only three weeks pregnant.”  She paused slightly, 
and regarded him carefully.  He seemed more stunned then anything 
else; she couldn’t tell if he was happy or not.  “Are you glad?”
     Slowly, the stunned look passed from Chakotay’s face, and a 
rather delighted grin replaced it.  “Glad?  Darling, I’m 
ecstatic!”  And to prove it, he picked her up and swung her 
around, shouting, “I’m going to be a father!”
     “Chakotay, hush,” she scolded laughingly.  “Someone will hear 
you.”
     “Hear me?  I want *everyone* to hear me!  This is great 
news!” he exclaimed, but he lowered his voice anyway.  “When are 
we going to tell the crew?”
     “As soon as possible,” she promised.  “But there’s someone I 
want to tell first.”

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

     “Captain!”  B’Elanna Paris said in surprise, greeting Janeway 
at her door.  “Come in.  What can I do for you?”  *I don’t think 
she had a fight with Chakotay,* she thought, gazing at the captain 
discreetly.  *She looks positively ecstatic.  I wonder what she’s 
up to?*
       “B’Elanna, I’m so happy I’m about to burst,” Janeway said, 
her eyes sparkling.  “I wanted you to be the first to know -- I’m 
pregnant!”
     Instead of the joyful reaction she had expected, B’Elanna 
merely stared at her in astonishment.  “You’re kidding.”
     “No, I’m not.  I’m really pregnant.”  Janeway smiled at her 
chief engineer.  “Well, aren’t you going to congratulate me?”
     “Oh, my -- you’re really serious, aren’t you?”  B’Elanna 
couldn’t seem to get over the shock.
     “Yes, I’m serious,” Janeway assured her with a note of 
exasperation.  “What is so hard to comprehend about my being 
pregnant?”
     “It’s not that, it’s just that -- so am I!”
     Now it was Janeway who stared in astonishment.  “So are you?  
You mean...?”
     “I’m pregnant too!”  B’Elanna exclaimed, a smile crossing her 
face.  
     Simultaneously, both women started to laugh.  The entire 
situation stuck both of them as being outrageously funny.  That 
both of them would become pregnant at the same time was so uncanny 
it was hilarious.
     “How far along are you?”  Janeway asked when their giggles 
had ceased.
     “Two weeks.  Tom and I -- well, we’ve been trying for 
months,” B’Elanna confided.  “We, ah, we haven’t had any luck 
until this morning. I scanned myself with the tricorder, and then 
went to the doctor to confirm my findings, and, well -- I’m 
pregnant!  But what about you -- how far are you?”
     “Three weeks,” Janeway answered.  “But, B’Elanna, what you 
said before -- you and Tom have been trying for months?”
     “Ever since we got married,”  B’Elanna confirmed. “Tom wanted 
to start a family right away, and I agreed.”
     “And yet you consoled me when I came to you for help,”  
Janeway said guiltily.  “To think I had to go and unburden all my 
troubles on you when you were trying to have a baby -- “
     “Hey, don’t worry about it,” B’Elanna said reassuringly.  “I 
was glad to help.  The important thing is that I *am* pregnant now 
-- and so are you!”
     “I wonder what the reaction of the crew will be.”
     “Everyone will be thrilled.  We’ve been wondering if or when 
you and Chakotay were going to have kids.”
     Janeway raised her eyebrows.  “Have our reproductive 
abilities been a hot topic for discussion?”
     “Try the *only* topic.”  B’Elanna laughed when she saw 
Janeway’s startled expression.  “No, I’m just kidding.  Actually, 
it just came up one day in the Mess Hall and a few people were 
discussing it.  No one has really talked about it since.”
     “And what was the crew’s opinion?”
     “Well, most of us weren’t sure.  We thought that after the 
episode with Seska, Chakotay wouldn’t want to have a baby.  But 
Harry was positive that you two would have at least one child.  He 
said that with genes like yours, you had to pass them along.”
     Janeway burst out laughing.  “Leave it to Harry,”  she 
chuckled.  “Actually, we never really discussed it -- having 
children, I mean.  This was a complete surprise to both of us.  
The doctor  had told us that since we were considerably older then 
most couples of childbearing age, our chances of conceiving 
without medical assistance were slim to none.  So we were *not* 
expecting this.  But Chakotay is thrilled anyway.  He was shocked, 
at first, but he’s happy.”
     “Tom doesn’t even know yet,” B’Elannna said.  “He had already 
gone on duty when I found out.  In fact, I’m waiting for him to 
come home -- “
     “Hi, honey, I’m home!”  Tom Paris called cheerfully, walking 
through the doors.  “I -- oh, hello, Captain.  Hey, Chakotay told 
me the good news.  Congratulations.”
     “Chakotay told you already?” Janeway repeated.  “Who else is 
he telling?”
     “Everyone within earshot,” Tom grinned.  “He’s really excited 
about this.”
     Janeway rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.  “I wonder how 
he’ll react when he hears who else is pregnant,” she said, winking 
at B’Elanna.
     “Someone else is pregnant?”  Tom asked.  “Boy, we’re having a 
regular baby boom.  Who’s the lucky couple?”
     “We are,” B’Elanna said quietly.
     “Really?  That’s great, honey.  I -- “  Suddenly, the full 
impact of what she had said hit Tom like a torpedo.  “We -- we 
are?!”
     “We are,”  B’Elanna nodded, a wide smile crossing her face.  
“I’m pregnant!”
     “Oh, my -- “  Tom swept his wife up into his arms and hugged 
her ecstatically.  B’Elanna laughed, delighted at his happiness.  
“We’re going to have a baby!”
     “Congratulations, Tom,”  Janeway smiled.  “You’ll make a 
wonderful father.”     
     “Oh -- uh, thanks,”  he said, glancing at his captain.  In 
his happiness, he had forgotten she was there.  Then, he had a 
realization.  “Hey...you two are going to be pregnant together!”
     Janeway and B’Elanna looked at each other and laughed.  “I 
guess we are,” the captain admitted.  “What great timing, huh?”
     “Actually,” B’Elanna said, “not quite together.  The doctor 
says that because of my Klingon genes, our little one will be 
arriving in ten months instead of the usual nine.”
     “The doctor knew about this?  And he didn’t tell me?”  Tom 
protested.
     “I told him I wanted to tell you myself,” the ever-practical 
B’Elanna said.  “Besides, you would have been too excited to work 
all day if I *had* told you.”
     Tom opened his mouth, then closed it again.  He knew what his 
wife was saying was true.  As it was, he could barely keep from 
getting on the ship-wide comm system and shouting the fabulous 
news to everyone.
     “Well,” Janeway said, standing and giving a quick glance to 
the chronometer, “I had better go and make sure my husband isn’t 
annoying the hell out of everybody with his enthusiasm.”
     “Chakotay?  Annoying?  That’s an oxymoron, Captain,”  
B’Elanna grinned, but she stood as well.  
     “I’ll tell him you said so,”  Janeway joked, smiling warmly 
at her chief engineer.  “Again, congratulations to the both of 
you.”
     “Likewise,” B’Elanna agreed.  “Good night, Captain.”
     “And give Chakotay our congratulations,” Tom added.
     “I will,”  Janeway promised.  “Good night.”  And she was 
gone.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

     “It’s a boy!”
     Cheers and applause rang throughout the ship as Harry Kim, 
over the ship-wide comm system, announced the news everyone had 
been waiting for since Captain Janeway had gone into labor thirty-
six hours before.
     Eight months had passed since Captain Janeway had made the 
formal announcement of her pregnancy.  As B’Elanna Paris had 
foretold, the crew had been delighted with the news.  Janeway had 
been fawned over and waited on hand and foot until she was nearly 
sick of all the attention.
     However, no one was more attentive or watchful then her 
husband.  Chakotay had officially earned the title of “The Delta 
Quadrant’s Most Overprotective Father-To-Be.”  He was hesitant to 
let her out of his sight, even for an instant.  If she so much as 
picked up a tricorder without assistance, he would rush to help 
her.  He even asked other crewmembers to watch over her when he 
wasn’t available.  Finally, late in her pregnancy, after almost 
seven months of Chakotay’s overzealous protection, Janeway 
threatened to throw him out the nearest airlock unless he stayed 
away from her.  After that, Chakotay backed off a little, but his 
protective nature was still very much in evidence.
     To her chagrin, the doctor had insisted of relieving her of 
duty once she approached her due date.  “If there should be an 
accident or an attack,” the obstinate hologram lectured, “I don’t 
want you and the baby right in the middle of it.  In cases like 
this, Captain, the authority of the CMO overrides your own, so 
don’t try to argue.”  After an initial protest, Janeway had agreed 
to the temporary leave of absence, leaving Chakotay in command.  
Even with her not on the bridge, Chakotay would call her every 
five minutes just to make sure she was all right.  Janeway 
privately wondered what would come first: their baby’s birth or 
herself going insane.
     Finally, early one morning just three days before her due 
date, Janeway went into labor.  And after thirty-six hours of 
interminable waiting, Kes contacted the bridge with the happy news 
that Captain Kathryn Janeway and Chakotay were the proud parents 
of a brand new, eight pound five ounce bouncing baby boy.  Harry 
Kim, who was on bridge watch, immediately related the news via the 
comm system.
     In their quarters, Tom Paris patted his wife’s swollen belly 
and smiled at her.  Although B’Elanna still had a month to go 
before her due date, the doctor had insisted on relieving her of 
duty as well, since Engineering was a dangerous place during an 
attack or accident.  B’Elanna hadn’t put up much of a protest, 
seeing how Janeway had complied with the doctor’s same order.
     Since the crew had been delighted at Janeway’s pregnancy, 
they had went wild when they learned Tom and B’Elanna were 
expecting a child as well.  B’Elanna had received much the same 
overwhelming attention as Janeway, and was equally sick of it.  
Tom wasn’t as overprotective as Chakotay, although he was almost 
as bad.  Tom knew the extent of his wife’s temper, and wisely kept 
out of her way whenever she snapped at him for being too 
protective.  Other then these minor discords, B’Elanna’s pregnancy 
was proceeding smoothly.
     B’Elanna and Janeway had grown to be very close friends 
during their corresponding pregnancies, both being the only woman 
aboard who could sympathize with the other’s bouts of morning 
sickness, or swollen ankles, or aching backs.  They now existed on 
a first name basis;  B’Elanna calling Janeway “Captain” only when 
they were on the bridge.  Off duty, it was Kathryn.  This kind of 
friendship with a superior officer was new to B’Elanna, and she 
enjoyed it immensely.  
     It was soon learned that Chakotay and Janeway had named their 
new son Kolopak, after Chakotay’s father.  Little Kolopak quickly 
became a favorite of everyone aboard ship.  With his father’s dark 
eyes and his mother’s auburn hair, he was an adorable little boy 
with a smile that would melt the heart of even the most stoic 
Vulcan.  Nothing delighted him more then to be taken to the Mess 
Hall where he could be worshipped by all the crew.  Tuvok, 
although he would never admit it, was one of the little boy’s most 
devoted followers and spent countless hours singing Vulcan legends 
or doing other activites with Kolopak.
     B’Elanna and Tom adored Kolopak as well, and were especially 
honored at being named godparents of the small child, along with 
Tuvok.  But as much as they loved Kolopak, nothing could equal the 
excitement or anticipation of having their own child.
     So, both B’Elanna and Tom were delighted when, exactly a 
month after Kolopak’s birth, B’Elanna went into labor as well.  
After only twelve hours, Tom and B’Elanna Paris became the parents 
of a baby girl, named Kathryn Kim Paris.
     Little Kathryn was a beautiful child.  She had clinging 
golden curls all over her small head, and big violet eyes with 
long, thick lashes.  Tom knew that the hair had been inherited 
from himself, but his daughter’s striking eyes remained a puzzle.  
The mystery was soon solved when B’Elanna said softly, after 
holding her daughter for the first time, “She has my mother’s 
eyes.”
     Just like Kolopak, little Kathryn became the darling of the 
crew.  She wasn’t a bit shy and delighted in being held or fussed 
over.  Her namesakes and godparents, Janeway and Harry, spoiled 
her rotten, as did her other godfather, Chakotay.
     Kolopak and Kathryn, as they got older, became the best of 
friends.  Rarely was one seen without the other.  They were 
bestowed the nickname of “The Terrible Twosome” after they became 
toddlers, for their exploits around the ship kept their harried 
parents busy trying to keep up with them.  They snuck into 
Neelix’s kitchen and made a ghastly mess, they played with the 
doctor’s instruments until the poor hologram was driven to near 
distraction trying to baby-proof his sickbay, and they delighted 
in playing tag throughout the corridors, nearly tripping everyone 
who stumbled into their path.  
     They also began to show distinct personalities.  Kolopak 
showed a definite affinity for the bridge, and never tired of 
sitting in “Mama’s big chair” while he pretended to command 
Voyager.  The bridge crew got a kick out of hearing his tiny voice 
telling them to set a course for the Alpha Quadrant at maximum 
warp.  He had his father’s patience, combined with his mother’s 
stubborness.
     Kathryn had her father’s easygoing nature but her mother’s 
fierce temper.  Although no ridges appeared on her smooth 
forehead, her Klingon genes were very much in evidence when she 
got into a rage.  She preferred Engineering rather then the 
bridge; and was enchanted by her mother explaining the workings of 
the warp core.  She often stated she was going to be “a engineer 
just like Mommy,” and nothing could dissuade her.
     And then, something unexpected but welcomed happened when the 
two children were just five years old:  Voyager found a wormhole 
to the Alpha Quadrant, and finally got home.

******************************************************************
******

     Looking down,  Janeway discovered that little Ariana was 
sound asleep.  “Sweet dreams, little one,” she whispered, kissing 
her granddaughter softly.  
     “Is she asleep?”  The quiet query from the door drew 
Janeway’s attention away from the child in her arms.
     Janeway smiled at her daughter-in-law.  “Sound asleep.  I 
told her a story and she drifted off.”
     “Here, let me take her.  She must be heavy.”  Kathryn Paris 
gently lifted her small daughter from the arms of her grandmother.  
“Was she good?”
     “Angelic, as always,”  the admiral told her.
     “Angelic.  Somehow, I doubt that.  She has more of Mother in 
her then I care to admit,”  Kathryn grinned.  “But thank you for 
watching her.  I didn’t think she’d be interested in Klingon 
Opera, even considering her Klingon genes.”
     “My pleasure.  It’s always a joy to baby-sit.  She looks so 
much like Chakotay it’s amazing.”
     “Isn’t it?  Kolopak was so proud of her when she was born.  
But Chakotay thinks she looks like you.”
     “The hair is mine, but the eyes are his,”  Janeway disagreed 
lightly.  “She has Tom’s smile, though.”
     “Dad agrees with you there,”  Kathryn grinned.  
     “What are you three women doing in there?”  Kolopak asked, 
entering the room.  “Come on, Kathryn.  We’re going to be late.”
     “Kolopak, you are the captain of the Endeavor.  It’s not like 
they’re going to leave without you,”  Kathryn said, rolling her 
eyes as she smiled fondly at her husband.  “Besides, we’re not 
scheduled to leave DS9 for a few hours yet.”
     “Captain Kolopak of the U.S.S. Endeavor.  I’m never going to 
get tired of hearing that,”  Janeway commented, smiling at her 
son.
     “Tell that to my chief engineer,” he said, winking at his 
wife.  “She gets plenty tired of hearing it.”
     “Only because that’s what I have to call you all the time,” 
she retorted, handing his daughter to him.  “Here, take her.”
     “Hiya, Angel,” Kolopak whispered to his sleeping daughter.  
Then, he turned his attention back to his mother.  “Oh, Mom, 
B’Elanna and Tom send their love.  They want to know when you and 
Dad are going to come visit.”
     “In a few days,”  Janeway promised.  “As soon as your father 
returns from the Gamma Quadrant, we’re going to catch the next 
transport to Earth.”
     “Great; I’ll tell them,”  Kolopak approved.  “Bye, Mom.  
Thanks again.”
     “Yes, thank you,”  Kathryn added.  “Good-bye.”
     “Good-bye,”  Janeway called, watching her son, daughter-in-
law, and granddaughter leave.  “Come again!”

THE END