Chapter Three
The Journey Continues

KIRK'S PERSONAL LOG STARDATE 61697.4

We are two weeks into our journey to Barrier Gate Station. What was supposed to be a three month journey spent investigating where needed and basically enjoying the time on the ship has been cut short. We're headed straight for the station at warp nine. There's been a constant sensor sweep and still no further sign of the second coming of the Maquis. That has a lot of people on the ship on edge. I find myself hoping for Q to return as she said she would. Perhaps she could put a stop to this uprising.

Kathryn told us that Anthony Barclay and Jared Nash, two of the men that nearly beat me to death at the academy were among those who escaped from the penal colony at Aukland. Janice Sparks and Matthew Porter were among them as well. I don't know what to think about that. Surely none of them were coming after me. That would be stupid of them. I have decided to keep my guard up nonetheless.

He stood in the center of the bridge on the Lexus and viewed the destruction of his ship. So many were dead or worse. He forced himself to hold it together at least until he found Quinn and Chad. Quinn. He'd been taken by the Borg. Jim knew that he had to rescue him. He just didn't know how to do it now that the ship was so heavily damaged and so many key people were either dead or missing. He didn't even know if Chad was still on the ship.

"Computer, locate Lieutenant Dodds," he said.

"Lieutenant Dodds is not on board the Lexus," responded the computer, and Jim's heart sank.

He left the bridge. He knew where Quinn was. He was on the Queen's Yacht. He would go over there and personally shove a transphasic torpedo down the bitch's throat unless she gave Quinn back. She'd also know the location of Chad. He'd make her give him back as well. She had to.

"Captain?" Icheb inquired as Jim came into the transporter room.

"Icheb," he said, smiling. "I want you to transport me to the Queen's Yacht."

"Captain, I can't do that," said Icheb. "For one thing the transporters are off line."

"And the other?" Jim demanded.

"I can't transport you to a Borg vessel, Captain," replied Icheb.

"Then I'll take a shuttle," he said and turned on his heel to leave the transporter room.

"Captain, wait!" cried Icheb.

Jim didn't listen. He had to get to the Yacht and save Quinn. There was no other choice. He couldn't live without Quinn. They were to be married if they ever got out of this cursed timeline. He silently cursed Admiral Hays for sending him to stop the Terix. The damned device it was carrying had brought them all to this timeline. He growled in frustration as he ran through the corridors to the turbo lift and then to the shuttle bays.

"Captain," said Telsia as soon as he came into the first shuttle bay.

"Telsia, I need a shuttle," he said. "I'm going after them."

"Captain, the shuttles are all gone," she said. "You ordered everyone to escape, remember?"

Suddenly a Borg implant sprouted from her face! He stepped back in shock. She reached out her arm and at the end, where her hand should have been, there was a Borg implant with a small circular saw blade spinning at the tip. He couldn't endure this. Not this. He raced from the shuttle bay back to the lift. He had to get back to the bridge. He stopped short when the lift doors opened. He was confronted by both Chad and Quinn. But they'd been assimilated!

"We are the Borg," said Chad.

"You will be assimilated," said Quinn as he reached forward and injected his assimilation tubules into Jim's neck.

"No!" he cried, sitting upright in the bed.

For a moment he was sure that it had been real. Then Quinn was sitting up beside him and trying to calm him as he rubbed his back. He leaned against Quinn and sighed. Another dream. They'd been the same every night for the last two weeks. They were back in the right timeline and everything was fine. Quinn and Chad were both fine. They were on the Titan on their way to Barrier Gate Station and then to Alta Venus to move into their house and get married.

"Here, Jim," said Quinn as he handed him a glass of water from the nightstand. "It was just a dream. We're all safe."

"For the moment," Jim said, sipping the water.

"Relax, Captain," Quinn said, rubbing his back. "There are no Borg here."

"No," agreed Jim with a faltering smile.

"Look," said Quinn. "Maybe you should talk to Deanna about this, Jim."

"Deanna?" Jim asked, looking at him with a stunned expression. "I thought you didn't like empaths."

"I don't," he replied, looking away. "It's just that these dreams are getting worse for you. You wake up sweating and yelling every morning."

"I'm sorry for making you worry," sighed Jim. "If it'll make you feel better I'll schedule an appointment with Deanna this morning."

"Thanks, Jim," Quinn said, kissing him.

Two hours later they were seated in the mess hall across from Kathryn and Chad. Jim had talked with Deanna about getting together to discuss his dreams and she'd informed him that she had time later in the day. He'd agreed but now he was having second thoughts. He was a Starfleet Captain. If he showed Deanna a weakness would it get back to Command? Would it affect his commanding of the new Lexus?

"You're quiet this morning, Jim," said Kathryn as she sliced an apple.

"Rough morning," he replied, sharing a quick look with Quinn.

"We'll be arriving at the station in a few days," she said. "Then you'll be headed to your new home. Maybe some time off will do you good."

"Will I actually have time off with this new uprising of the Maquis?" he asked.

"I'm sure that'll be left to others for a while," she said. "I can make sure that the three of you are on the ground for a while. I thought that's what you wanted for the wedding plans anyway."

"It is," he admitted. "I'm just not so sure that staying on the ground would be a great idea for very long."

"Jim, the search for this new Maquis has only just started," said Kathryn. "Besides, Lexus isn't rebuilt yet. They've only just started."

"And how long will that take?" he asked.

"It could be as early as eight months," she said. "I don't know for sure. There's talk of a different class this time."

"A different class?" he asked, startled.

"Yes," she said. "There are stronger, more advanced ships that the Intrepid-class."

"Well I know that," he replied. "What are they talking? Galaxy?"

"They haven't told me anything specific," she said. "Believe me when I know you'll know."

He let it go and went back to eating his oatmeal. When they were finished Kathryn challenged him to a game of Kadis-kot but he refused. He had his appointment with Deanna to get to, but he didn't want to tell Kathryn about that. He'd sworn Quinn to secrecy before he'd talked to Deanna, and he knew that doctor/patient privilege still held so there was no worry about Deanna telling her about one visit. He excused himself and headed to see her.

Deanna's office was very softly decorated. From the cool colored fabric of the couch and chairs to the soft wooden desk in the corner. The coffee table in front of the couch held a potted plant from Risa that Jim couldn't identify. It was mostly green and purple leaves with what looked like dwarfed white and soft lilac lilies protruding here and there, giving off a sweet scent. In fact, the entire room was filled with the subtle aroma.

"Come in, James," she said, smiling at him. "Have a seat."

"Thank you," he said, returning her smile. "Please, call me Jim."

"Jim it is," she said. "How are you feeling today, Jim?"

"Anxious I think," he said, wondering when and if he would feel her doing whatever it was that she did to read his emotions.

"Yes, I'd agree," she said, letting him know that she was already doing it and he couldn't feel anything. "With a touch of fear I'd say."

"Left over from the nightmare, probably," he said with a sigh.

"Why don't you tell me about your nightmares," she coaxed.

And he found himself telling her all about his nightmares, beginning with the reality that he'd faced in the other timeline when Quinn and the others had been transported off the ship by the Borg. He told her about the nightly dreams about both Chad and Quinn being assimilated and coming for him. He told her about how anxious it made him to know that not only Anthony Barclay and Jared Nash had escaped Aukland, but Sparks and Porter as well. He told her about how he sometimes had a feeling that something terrible was about to happen, and he told her about how scared he was of losing Quinn.

"But all of this is completely normal after all that you've been through," she said when he'd finished. "To be honest I'm surprised that you weren't having nightmares sooner."

"But my dreams are usually very nice," he said, smiling as he thought about them. "I dream about my family."

"Tell me about your family," she said, smiling back at him.

"Oh," he said, looking down at his folded hands in his lap. "I had the most amazing parents. My dad was an engineer. He never went to the academy though. He always said that he couldn't afford the tuition."

"But the academy has no tuition," she said, giving him a strange look.

"Deanna, I'm talking about the timeline where I was born," he said. "Starfleet and the Federation weren't exactly the same as they are here."

"Fascinating," she said.

Then he was telling her everything about his timeline that he knew. He told her how First Contact had taken place on April fourth of 1963 instead of this timeline's 2063, a full one hundred years earlier. He explained that the four original planetary members of the Federation of Planets were the same though the Federation itself was founded in 1978, just fifteen years after First Contact. That was wildly different than the ninety-eight years between this timeline's First Contact and the founding of the United Federation of Planets.

She was mystified by the fact that in his original timeline, the Enterprise NX-01 was launched in 1969, just seven years after First Contact while in this timeline it had taken eighty-eight years before that ship was launched. He had no idea when the United Earth Starfleet was formed, but he knew that it was the offspring of the United Earth Air Force. He did know that it became known as the Federation Starfleet in 1981 but that was not the same date as the founding of the United Federation of Planets. In this timeline the founding of the Federation and the change from United Earth Starfleet to Federation Starfleet happened in the same year.

When she asked about the famous USS Enterprise NCC-1701 she was shocked to find that the ship was constructed in the year 1990 instead of the year 2245. She was even more amazed to learn that James T. Kirk was not the captain of that Enterprise but a much earlier one. He told her that in the history books he'd read in high school, James T. Kirk was the captain of the Enterprise NX-01 C. Then he told her that Jonathan Archer was promoted to Admiral in 1979, just ten years after the launch of the ship he'd been captain of.

"All of what I've just told you is in the Federation Database," he said. "We were debriefed completely when we arrived here from Andromeda four years ago."

"And so much has happened to you in the last four years," she said. "I read your file, Jim. I know about the attempt on your life at the academy."

"That was a horrifying experience," he admitted.

"And from what it says in your file you were never subjected to a psychiatric evaluation afterward," she said. "Admiral Hammil had you tested for early graduation, and then you were quickly enrolled in Command School and then back on your ship where you were transported to an alternate timeline where Borg had assimilated the galaxy."

"I can't say that they'd assimilated the entire galaxy," he corrected her. "The Sol System was all we knew for sure."

"What I was getting at is that you've been through so much in four years," she said. "And you were in Andromeda for how long?"

"Three months, give or take," he said. "Not all of those three months were spent in Andromeda. We came here from the Delta Quadrant of this galaxy. What we don't know is which timeline we came from at that point. We're not sure if Q sent us to this timeline when we appeared in front of the Enterprise or if he sent us to this timeline when Lexus became real."

"That's a very good question," she said thoughtfully. "If he only sent you to this timeline when you appeared in Earth's orbit in front of the Enterprise-E then everything you'd done, everyone you'd met in both Andromeda and the Delta Quadrant hasn't happened in this timeline. Yet if he sent you to this timeline at the precise moment that the Lexus became real . . . "

"Wait," he said, interrupting her quickly. "It wasn't the precise moment that the Lexus became real. We appeared in space beside Voyager. Then we were sucked into some kind of spatial rift. We thought it had been caused by the use of unprotected warp drive at the time. Now we know that Q was responsible."

"Well that is important," she said. "I just don't understand how."

"What about Captain Sparks," he said. "She never said anything to me about the timeline. All she was ever interested in was revenge."

"Well we know that at least Captain Sparks is from this timeline," she said slowly. "But if Q was responsible for everything that happened to you then it is reasonable to assume that he could have sent the Ranger anywhere he wanted at that time."

"You've come back to the same wall that Chad and I face every time we try to figure this out," he said, smiling.

"What about Quinn?" she asked. "He was a Q. Doesn't he know which timeline you were in all that time?"

"No," he sighed. "We've asked him that. Starfleet has asked him that question. He says that he only watched us. He didn't pay any attention to details. His father is the one who did that to us. Quinn just tried to end it all and send us home."

"And he was punished for that," she said.

"Right," agreed Jim. "I think the only way we'll ever know is to go back to Andromeda and talk to the Arminians, but that's not possible at this point."

"But you think it may be in the future?" she asked, watching him closely.

"Deanna, I'm sitting in this room with you in a timeline that isn't mine," he said, smiling. "We rescued the crew of Voyager from yet another timeline where Borg had become ultimately powerful and were in the middle of a civil war. I'm twenty years old and a Starfleet Captain. I think I'm living proof that anything is possible."

"You've a fair point there," she said, smiling back at him. "But I'm afraid our time is up. I have to report to the bridge in ten minutes. I'd like for you to see me every day at this time, Jim. We've much ground to cover and I think I can help you with your nightmares."

"I'd like that," he said, smiling again. "I have to admit that I had my reservations about seeing you in this capacity, but talking with you has given me a lot to consider. Thank you."

"No, thank you," she said. "I know I could have gotten just about everything you've told me today from the computer, but somehow I think having you tell me made it more real."

"Same time tomorrow?" he asked, getting to his feet.

"Yes," she said, nodding with a smile. "I'll look forward to it."

"As will I," he replied.

Two hours later he was in the quarters he shared with Chad and Quinn. Quinn was in Sickbay helping Dr. Addison with physicals while Jim and Chad sat and discussed their thoughts on which timeline they'd been in while in Andromeda and the Delta Quadrant. Chad still believed that they were transported to the current timeline at the precise moment they appeared in Earth's orbit.

"He said it wouldn't be the Earth we expected," he reminded Jim for the hundredth time. "So I think we got to this timeline when he sent us to Earth."

"But what about the Ranger?" Jim asked. "That ship was from this timeline."

"That still doesn't prove anything, Jim," said Chad quickly. "Q probably sent the Ranger to us. He probably started all the shit between you and Captain Sparks, too."

"You've a point, but I still think we've been in this timeline since we ended up in Andromeda," sighed Jim.

It was a pointless argument. He knew what Chad believed, and he knew why he clung to it so tightly. The fact remained that they didn't agree on when they'd come to this timeline. They were likely never to agree, because the only thing that could truly solve the argument was a trip to Arminia or to talk to the Q that had sent them to Andromeda in the first place. Since neither of those things were possible he had no choice but to agree to disagree with Chad on the issue. Thankfully the doorbell prevented further discussion.

"I invited Gerron, Tom and B'Elanna over to watch movies," Chad said suddenly. "Come in."

"Movies?" Jim asked, looking at the television. He didn't even know if it worked.

"Yeah," said Chad as the others filed into the suite. "I uploaded all of the movies from Lexus."

"All of them?" Jim asked in a stunned voice. "Does Riker know?"

"He said he'd better get an invitation when we watch any old war movies," said Chad, turning to their guests. "Hi guys."

"Tom hasn't stopped going on about the movies you told him you have in the computer for this thing," said B'Elanna, pointing at the television.

"But he said he had science fiction!" Tom said excitedly.

"No science fiction," said B'Elanna. "We live on a starship, Tom. We have enough science. We don't need fiction. Besides they always got it all wrong anyway."

"I was thinking about a comedy actually," Chad said, making B'Elanna and Gerron smile.

"I guess I'll replicate popcorn," said Jim with a sigh.

"I'll help carry it," said Tom as he followed Jim into what looked like a fully functional kitchen. "Where's Quinn?"

"Sickbay," said Jim. "He's helping Dr. Addison with physicals for all of the children on board."

"That man's a machine," laughed Tom. "Look at this place! It looks like a real kitchen from the twentieth century!"

"Yeah," laughed Jim. "We have Q to thank for that. She refused to change it back. Don't tell Quinn, but I'm happy that she refused."

"Oh I would be too," Tom said seriously. "Why should I not tell Quinn?"

"Because he thinks I'm put out by the things his mother does," replied Jim. "Chad says he likes it that way though, so I just let him think whatever makes him happy."

"You're getting the hang of this," laughed Tom.

"Anything to make him happy," Jim replied, laughing. He opened a cabinet door and Tom laughed harder when he saw that the replicator was hidden by the cabinet. "Twentieth century movie theater jumbo popcorn."

He took the bucket of popcorn and sat it on the counter and repeated the order twice more. Then the two of them carried the popcorn back into the living room of the suite. Tom joined B'Elanna on the couch and Jim sat in one of the recliners. He noticed that Chad was sitting in the other with Gerron on the floor leaning against his leg.

"Computer, load Earth movie 'Liar Liar' to the main television console," said Chad, and the television screen came to life.

Quinn came in about half way through the movie and sat with Jim to share his popcorn. They laughed a lot at Jim Carrey's actions in the movie and had a good time. When it was over Jim requested the Earth movie "The Mask" also starring Jim Carrey. They had a great time watching that one as well and, after Tom and B'Elanna checked on Miral the six met in the mess hall for dinner.

They talked about the movies over dinner, and Jim found himself more relaxed than he'd been since they returned from the other timeline. He loved his friends for that. Tom and B'Elanna both talked about their time on Voyager after they'd been revived and the theme parks they'd created on the holodeck. Tom told them that he wanted so badly to spend a day in a theme park again, and Jim and Chad told him they'd be happy to program the holodeck for such a day if he could get them permission to use it for the day.

They came for him just after his appointment with Deanna the next day. For two hours Jim and Chad programmed the holodeck. They chose Six Flags Magic Mountain in Los Angeles, California as it had been in 2008 so that even they would be surprised and have a good time. The computer had enough information to recreate the park from that time period on it's own. It was the shows, food stands and staff that had to be chosen. Jim thought it would be fun to put famous actors of the time period in the staff positions and Chad thought that the shows should be concerts by famous entertainers from that time period.

They had a really great day riding roller coasters and plunging into dark corridors. They saw a concert and had dinner in the park. Chad and Tom were blown away by the more complex and terrifying roller coasters and left Jim, Gerron and B'Elanna to ride the X coaster a second time. The three of them headed for a second ride on Roaring Rapids.

"You know Tom is never going to want to leave the holodeck," B'Elanna said as they waited in line.

"There are rides for children here in the park, too," Jim said, smiling at her. "You could bring Miral."

"Great," she laughed. "Just great. You're trying to kill me."

"Oh, come on," he said as the line began to move again. "What doesn't kill us and all of that."

"I can't believe that the people of this time actually traveled to these parks to scare themselves nearly to death on the coasters," said Gerron. "I thought my life was about to flash before my eyes when we were on that Riddler's Revenge coaster."

"I actually enjoyed that one," laughed Jim.

"It was amazing from an engineering prospective," B'Elanna agreed.

"You're both as crazy as the other two," Gerron said as they boarded the small tub sized boat. "I like rides like this myself."

"Anything that gets you wet," laughed B'Elanna. "It was so hot in here today."

"That's why I told you to wear twentieth century summer clothes," laughed Jim as he took in her long sleeve shirt and blue jeans. He and the other guys were dressed in khaki shorts, sandals and t-shirts.

"You'd think I'd remember the last time we were in a park like this on the holodeck," she sighed and then squealed as a fountain shot water down her back.

They were all three so soaking wet that they readily agreed to riding the Tatsu flying roller coaster. Gerron had second thoughts when he found out that the stand up trains tilted forward until they were parallel with the track itself. He was the loudest of the group as the coaster swooped and flipped them over and over again.

"That was amazing!" breathed B'Elanna when they were coming off the ride.

"You liked that?" Gerron asked, looking a bit green.

"Loved it would be a more accurate description," she said and then burst into laughter at the look of appalled astonishment on his face.

There were no nightmares that night, and he was very thankful for that. He was whistling after his shower. Quinn was so surprised that he nearly jumped out of his skin when Jim stepped up behind him in the kitchen and put his arms around him. He turned him around and kissed him before letting go to replicate breakfast for both of them. They were sitting at the table with their plates when Chad came out of his room.

"Good morning," Chad said, smiling at them. "Yesterday was great."

"It was," agreed Quinn. "We'll have to do that again soon."

"I want a holodeck in my house," said Chad as he sat at the table with his bagel and coffee.

"Dream on," laughed Jim. "We don't make enough to keep a holodeck up for a month."

"Holo suite then," said Chad. "Not as good but I can do a few things with it."

"They're your credits," Quinn said. "What's on your agenda today?"

"I'm going to get some bridge time in today," replied Chad. "Might even get to fly for a while. What about you two?"

"Well I have to meet with Deanna in an hour," said Jim. "Then I'm supposed to go sailing with Kathryn."

"I'm going to be in Sickbay all day again," said Quinn.

"Do you ever get tired of it?" asked Chad with a bewildered expression on his face. "You realize you're taking a bus man's holiday, right?"

"And you're not," pointed out Jim. "Sitting at the Conn is no different than what Quinn's doing."

"No, I guess not," Chad said, properly chastised. "Still it's exciting to fly this ship."

"And I think it's exciting to help Dr. Addison," said Quinn. Chad made a face. "Don't make that face at me. Your fun and my fun aren't always the same thing, Lieutenant Dodds."

"Point taken, Doctor," said Chad, smiling.

"If you two are done," laughed Jim, "I'm supposed to tell you two that our three friends are coming back to our quarters tonight to watch more movies."

"And then tomorrow we can go back to Six Flags," Chad said excitedly. "This is going to become a pattern quickly."

"Not so fast," said Jim quickly. "Tomorrow we're supposed to be going to the beach. That was B'Elanna and Gerron's request. Tom and I agreed."

"All right," Chad said, picturing Gerron in a swim suite. "That could be fun, too."

An hour later he was recounting the previous day's events to Deanna, telling her how much fun they'd all had together and how he'd not had a nightmare for the first time since he'd returned from the other timeline. She asked questions and told him to explain certain things to her as she'd never been to a theme park. He was having almost as much fun telling her about it all as he'd had in the park.

"Well you certainly seem less anxious today," she said, smiling when he'd told her all there was to tell. "Perhaps I'll get Will to accompany me to this Six Flags some time."

"The program is in the holodeck banks," he said, smiling. "If you can get him to agree let me know. We'll all go together."

"That sounds like a great idea," she said. "I'll work on him."

"So what should we talk about today?" he asked.

"I think I'd like to hear more about your life before stasis," she said. "You told me that your father was an engineer, but we got sidetracked before you could tell me about your mother. Do you have siblings?"

"No," he said. "I'm an only child. My mother wrote holo novels actually. She was getting pretty famous. She said she did it so that she could stay at home with me, but she could have done anything when I was in school. I think the novels were her passion."

"That sounds great," said Deanna. "What type of holo novels did she write?"

"Mysteries mostly," he said. "Dad and I would test them out for her and let her know what we thought. I was always terrible at solving the mysteries, but my father was awesome at it. We had a lot of fun together in those novels."

"I can sense that from you," she said. "So other than holo novels, what was your life like?"

"It was great for the most part," he said, smiling. "We had family dinner together every evening, and my dad would tell us all about his day. We'd talk about developments in my mother's novels and what was going on with me at school. We were very close."

"What led your family to put you in stasis?" she asked and noticed that his face darkened immediately. She also sensed shame radiating from him; shame and despair.

"I got sick just after my fifteenth birthday," he said. "I had been going through a bit of a rebellious year. I started to hang out with a few boys at school that my mother didn't exactly care for. It turned out that she was right not to trust them in the end. They were all older than I was; seniors at the high school. Obviously they did things that weren't exactly legal or safe. It was through those boys that I met Phillip."

He told her all about Phillip Danvers, the Starfleet pilot. He described him in complete detail from his perfect blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes to his perfect physique. She sensed fondness from him when he began to tell her about the gifts that Phillip would buy him and the time Phillip spent with him. He told her about how Phillip had listened when no one else would. Through all of that she sensed fondness and nostalgia.

"But he was only being nice to me so that I would have sex with him," he admitted; his emotions turning sad and angry. "This went on for three months until my father found out about it. Phillip was arrested and discharged from Starfleet. It was after his intake physical at the prison in Los Angeles that we found out that he was sick. My mother took me to a Federation clinic and had me tested for the virus. I tested positive, and then before I knew it my immune system was gone. I contracted everything from colds to pneumonia every other month. Finally we heard about Genicorp Cryogenics.

"The doctor at Genicorp told us that advances in medicine were being made every day," he continued. "I was getting more and more sick, and he told my parents that the cure for AIDS was still pretty far off from being found. He said that stasis was our only option. I would be cryogenically frozen while medicine made their advances, and when they found the cure I could be revived and cured. They had to liquidate their savings and take another mortgage on the house to pay for it, but a month later I was admitted to the clinic at Genicorp to begin medical testing in preparation for stasis.

"That's where I met Chad," he said. "He was a patient at Genicorp, waiting the ninety days required for stasis. He was so sick. I remember thinking that we'd both die before they put us in stasis. He had some pretty close calls during those ninety days, but he made it. They took him to the stasis room and I didn't see him again until we were both revived on Voyager one hundred, seventeen years later."

"So much," she said to herself in a voice just above a whisper. Then, "You and Chad are both remarkable young men, Jim. To have experienced all of this and still be the men that you are says something wonderful about you both."

"We've both just accepted the hand we've been dealt and refused to let it break us," he said, uncomfortable with the compliment. "I suppose we could be completely done in by all of this, but that just isn't the way either of us are. We made a pact in that clinic in 1990. We promised each other then and there that no matter what life threw at us, if we survived then we would give life our absolute best. That's what we're both trying to do."

"And then you woke up in 2107 aboard a starship," she said. "You must have both been very confused."

"We were," he replied. "When we came out of stasis our memories were a bit fuzzy. It took time for us to piece our pasts together."

"I can imagine," she said, nodding. "Starfleet only has records of three other people who've been in stasis that long. They were confused a bit at first as well, but they're all three on Earth now."

"I remember reading about them in Voyager's computer," he said. "Those people didn't know each other before they went into stasis," he said. "And in this timeline they came from a pre warp time period in Earth's history. We were very different."

"Your story is absolutely remarkable," she said. "You've no idea just how amazing either of you are."

"Anything we've done has only been done to in some way make our parents proud," he said, and she sensed a need in him at that moment that was so great it pained her.

"Oh, Jim," she breathed. There were tears in her eyes as she processed the raw emotion that passed through him in that moment. The near consuming need and longing that practically sang from his heart to hers was almost too much for her to bear without crumbling there and then. She couldn't imagine how he went on with all of that in his heart. She reached out and touched his hand as the tears spilled from her eyes. How was he not crying? How was he not screaming at the universe to right the wrongs it had done?

Unnoticed by either of them, Q watched the scene before her with a great deal of interest. Touching the heart of a Q was next to impossible. She'd prided herself on always being able to face the universe with indifference, but this young man, the man who had won her son's heart, he was special. She could see it shining in his eyes. She could feel it drumming with his heartbeat. Both Jim Kirk and Chad Dodds were special even by Q standards. To have traversed not only time but timelines to get to where fate had guided them made the entire Continuum sit up and pay attention to them.

Every Q in existence found themselves watching both young men almost constantly, practically willing them to succeed. From the moment that her mate had meddled in their fate and brought them to the attention of the Continuum they'd been watched. Such suffering and perseverance was astounding to the Continuum, but only because it was found in humans. Two human men that fate had punished yet they stood on their feet, facing the future with conviction and courage. The Betazoid was right. They were special. They were special indeed, and she had work to do. She smiled to herself as she left the Titan and returned to the Continuum to put her request to them. Oh how she wanted to be able to do this for them both.

She stopped short as she encountered another Q. This Q had been one of the only two in the entire Continuum that had punished her mate in the past. He'd also very nearly destroyed the Enterprise with his punishments thrust upon Q. He smiled at her, and she was instantly worried about what he was thinking of doing to her humans. It shocked her to find herself thinking of Jim and Chad as her humans, but the moment the idea occurred to her it felt right. They were hers, damn it, and whatever Q had up his sleeves couldn't be allowed.

"Just what trouble are you about to cause, Q?" she demanded of him.

"Trouble?" he asked, standing tall and proud. He tossed his soft brown hair and glared at her. "You know the edict. None in the Continuum is allowed to alter the lives of the humans known as James R. Kirk and Chadwin M. Dodds. I can't cause trouble for them any more than you can. Though the entire Continuum is taking about your little tricks on the Titan."

"Just don't you bother yourself about my tricks on the Titan," she hissed. "I've not broken the edict. Changing their quarters didn't alter their lives one little bit. Besides, the Council didn't say I couldn't make their lives more comfortable."

"Yes, but why?" he asked, looking truly perplexed. "Why do you even want to make their lives more comfortable, Q?"

"I suppose it's too complicated for your primitive mind, Q," she said, glaring at him again. "For one thing, my son is in love with Jim Kirk."

"Oh yes," he laughed. "A punished Q who refuses to return to his rightful place in the Continuum because of his affection for a human."

"Watch yourself, Q," she hissed, her eyes closing to slits as she beheld him. "My son is just as off limits as Jim and Chad. You'd do well to remember that not only those three are off limits. The Council said any races on the ships they are on at any time are off limits to every Q in the Continuum."

"No, you watch yourself," he spat, stepping closer to her. "You may be the Council's golden girl now, but I assure you that one day you will fall from grace just as you pathetic mate has. Perhaps then I can send you to the same retched planet you sent him to."

"That's quite enough," said the voice of Judge Q as the Council suddenly appeared before them. They were dressed in the robes of the tribunal. Could Q have been right? Was she about to fall from grace for something as harmless as making the humans comfortable?

"Yes, Ma'am," Q said, bowing his head. She followed hesitantly.

"This bickering will stop," said Judge Q. "The edict stands, and as we see it anything that has been done to make the humans more comfortable hasn't broken the edict. However we must discuss Quinn now."

"I knew he wouldn't get away with demanding to stay human," Q laughed, and she glared at him again.

"That's enough!" Judge Q said in a voice that shook the sky above them.

The wind gushed down the desolate desert highway. When Judge Q was angry anything could happen, and Q found herself waiting for the very fiber of the Continuum to be ripped open at any moment. Thankfully that moment never came. The wind died down and then stopped and they were standing before the Council on a starship. She was certain it was the Titan.

"The Continuum is not allowed to alter the lives of any race on the same ship or planet as the humans known as Jim Kirk and Chad Dodds," Judge Q continued when all was quiet. "It seems that I must add Quinn Janeway's name to that list to keep the jealous from harming him in his human form."

"Forgive me, Judge Q," said the male Q, bowing his head further. "It is not jealousy . . . "

"It is jealousy," she snapped, cutting him off. "Do you think I can not see the heart of every Q in the Continuum? Do you think I do not know petty human emotions when I see them?"

"Yes, Ma'am," he said, bowing further. "Forgive me."

"And because of this we know what you've come to request of the Council," she said turning to the female Q. "We are inclined to permit this, but not while they are in space. You must wait until they've reached Alta Venus, and remember, you can not prevent a life from happening in any timeline to do this. I trust that you plan to make sure they reach the planet unharmed."

"Of course," she said quickly.

"We'll be watching as well," she warned. "As for the wedding of Quinn to Jim Kirk, we find the idea most intriguing. You are planning to be in attendance?"

"Yes, Ma'am," she said, smiling.

"I see that the idea of this union makes you very happy," said Judge Q. "It makes us happy as well. Jim Kirk has proven himself worthy of being a Q."

"But, Ma'am, neither of them wishes to join the Continuum," said Q quickly. She was afraid that they'd be forced to join.

"No Q is planning to force them to accept such a fate," said Judge Q. "We may offer the choice at some point. Until then we must remain out of their destiny. It is permitted to make sure that nothing disturbs them on the ship or the station, but once they reach the planet we must stop protecting them. Humans pride themselves on taking care of themselves. No measures are to be taken by any in the Continuum once they reach Alta Venus. Again, no Q is to alter their lives at any time no matter the circumstances. That, of course has two exceptions. The wedding must take place. We've seen the future. We know what will happen if it does not. We will be in attendance as well to make sure that nothing stops the wedding."

"Thank you, Judge Q," said Q, smiling. She'd gotten exactly what she wanted.

"Now as for this Maquis," said Judge Q, her face hardening. "A Q was involved in these events, and we will know which."

"A Q?" both the female and male asked at the same time.

"Yes," she said sternly. "Not only the Skrreea were meddled with however. A Q was involved in the escape at the penal colony as well as the attack on Alta Vera. We will know which, and we will know it soon. Do nothing to alter what has been done. We'll be watching."

As soon as the last word left her lips the Council disappeared and they were alone in the mess hall of the Titan. Everything was back to the way it was supposed to be. People of many races came and went, eating and chatting with each other. The two Q were invisible to them, but they wouldn't be always.