Family Ties
The chronometer on her nightstand shone bright in the darkened bedroom; it read almost 0200 hours. She'd only been asleep for half an hour when the sound of the comm. unit roused her from her light slumber.
Even now, years after her resignation, she had trouble sleeping, but it was something she'd just learned to live with.
Swinging her legs out of the warmth of the bed, she stood with a sigh.
Her bones were aching; an indication that the weather would be changing soon; another sign that the days of her youth definitely lay behind her.
The unit chirped again as she threw on her dressing gown and padded barefoot into the living room. Sitting down at her desk, she activated the unit and the familiar face of a woman in her late thirties filled the screen.
"Naomi," Kathryn greeted her.
"Admiral, Kathryn. I'm sorry to call you this late at night," the young woman gave a sigh, before tears suddenly filled her eyes. "I don't know what to do. She's done it again."
Kathryn didn't even need to ask who Naomi meant.
"Where is she?" She asked instead.
"The usual place," the younger woman answered.
"What about Josh?" Kathryn asked, even though she already knew the answer.
Naomi just shook her head. "I'm sorry Kathryn, and I can't leave Noah alone."
Kathryn sighed, but didn't comment any further. This was not the time to discuss Naomi's family situation. "Don't worry, Naomi. I'll talk to her," she was already pushing her chair back to stand.
The younger woman gave another sigh, and more tears filled her eyes. "I just don't know what to do anymore."
"Try not to worry. I'll get back to you as soon as possible." She waited for an affirmative nod before she closed the comm. link.
Chakotay gave a soft grumble when she re-entered the bedroom, obviously displeased with having found her side of the bed vacant when he'd awoken.
She whispered an explanation to him, before telling him to go back to sleep again. She knew he wasn't happy that she was going alone, but knew better than to challenge her on that point. They'd had that discussion before.
Stepping outside of the small apartment complex where she and Chakotay lived, she turned to the right, knowing that the park where Naomi's daughter met with her ‘friends' wasn't far.
Pulling up the collar of her jacket against the light rain, she wondered in what kind of condition she would find her this time. And as she made her way through the dark streets, her thoughts turned to another night over twenty years ago...
=/=
The Captain had been informed of her every move for the last two weeks, ever since the problems had started. She was sure it had been a long and slow build up, one that had gone unnoticed for some time, but had found its first peak fourteen days ago. That had been the day when they'd found the graffiti painted on the walls of one of Voyager's Jeffries tubes.
It had been easy to find the culprit; twenty-fourth century technology did have its advantages after all. However, after being confronted with the evidence, she'd still outrightly refused to confess to the crime or even discuss it, leaving the captain at a loss. This was not the sort of behavior she was used to, especially from her.
She had been quiet for the next few days and hope had built in the captain's heart that this had been a one-off incident but the following night someone broke into the food storage units in the Mess Hall. Again Voyager's technology worked in their favor giving them the same outcome. She confronted the perpetrator once more but the captain wasn't sure what was worse, the stoic silence she was met with when she tried to talk to her, or the feeling of sadness and distrust that had crept into her heart because of her actions.
Of course, she had been betrayed before, not only by enemies, but also by her own crew. But she'd thought that they shared a special bond that made this relationship exceptional. She'd hoped that she saw her as more than just the captain, maybe a friend, an aunt and sometimes even as a mother figure.
She was on her way to see her again now but couldn't help stifling a yawn and rubbing a hand over her tired eyes. The past two days had been hard work. Supply negotiations were never simple in the Delta Quadrant. Still she had been close to cutting a deal that would fill Voyager's cargo bay with fifty more containers of food ... until one of her crew quietly slipped a PADD into her hand.
‘She's done it again,' she had read in a quiet corner, after excusing herself to the Langolian ambassador.
She had tried to slip quietly from the party; leaving instructions with Chakotay, to finish the negotiations. Yet, she was sure that her sudden disappearance would ruffle more than a few of the ambassador's feathers - literally speaking.
She sighed again, it was too late to turn around and after all, she was sure that her special crew member needed her more right now. She couldn't tolerate this kind of behavior any longer.
Upon entering her destination, she had trouble orientating herself at first. As far back as she could remember, the hydroponic bay had always been a simple and tidy - almost sterile - area. Now loud music and smoke filled the space, reminding her of the time Q junior had paid them a visit. She didn't even want to know where the smoke was coming from.
She shouted an order to the computer over the loud, blasting rhythm and it wasn't long before the air cleared and she was able to make out her surroundings. After another shouted order, the music finally stopped, leaving her ears with a slight tingle.
Naomi's head appeared from behind one of the hydro containers, ready to shout at the person who had dared to intrude on her solitude. Her mouth was already opened to scream abuse, but she snapped it shut once she recognized the captain.
Janeway couldn't help feeling a small surge of self-satisfaction knowing that she still had this kind of effect on her. That seemed to be the extent of respect Naomi had left for her though, without acknowledging her presence, she merely returned her attention to the plants she was tending.
Janeway had expected the reaction and wasn't the least bit intimidated. Instead, she strode towards the girl, the sound of her footsteps almost deafening in the resounding silence. She came to a halt next to the girl who seemed totally absorbed by her work. Janeway knew better though. She herself was a champion when it came to shutting people out.
Still, she gave Naomi a few more moments leeway - or brooding - whatever she wished to call it while she silently observed the young girl next to her. ‘Young woman' she mentally corrected herself.
It was almost frightening how fast the girl had grown in the last couple of years. Naomi was only five years old, but her Ktarian heritage obviously didn't only influence her rapid growth. She also looked and acted like a teenager - as recent incidents had shown. Still, Janeway had trouble picturing Naomi as a delinquent. There had to be something else, something deeper that had was troubling her.
"Naomi?" Janeway eventually decided to break the silence.
"I don't want to talk to you," the young girl interrupted her at once, forcefully pulling another young plant from the bed and moving it into a larger pot.
Janeway couldn't help wincing when she saw the stems breaking from the harsh handling. Talaxian tomatoes were still special to her, even after all these years. That may have been one of the reasons why she chose to get her hands dirty too.
Taking the plant Naomi grabbed next, she gently placed the seedling into the freshly prepared soil.
Kathryn let silence unfold between them, hoping that Naomi would start talking when she felt comfortable enough. They found their rhythm eventually, Naomi handed her the plants and Kathryn placed them into the soil again.
"I miss them," the young girl whispered eventually, so softly that Janeway had to fight the urge to ask if Naomi could repeat what she had said.
"Who do you miss?" she asked, even though she had a strong feeling she knew who she meant.
"All of them," Naomi said cryptically, before she continued. "Mezoti, the twins, Neelix...," she trailed off, silently handing Janeway another plant.
"It was Neelix's right to choose a life of his own, a life he would be happy with," Janeway said in a low voice, careful not to admit just how much she envied the Talaxian for the life he had chosen. A life with a loved one, without the daily burdens she had to face. She gave a sharp intake of breath, one she hoped Naomi would interpret as a sigh. "I miss him too though," she admitted. And it was no lie. Even though that furry little alien had gotten on her nerves at times and even though she hated to admit it, she had been inclined more than once to shove him out the nearest airlock, he had often been the one who had brought the smile back to her face after a day of fights and red alerts. "Yes, I do miss him," she repeated, just to be sure.
Naomi gave a disbelieving snort.
Janeway looked at her young companion. "I know you probably don't want to hear this, but life is full of hellos and goodbyes and you can't force people to stay when it doesn't make them happy. Loving someone is also about letting go." Janeway fell silent for some moments, absorbed in her own thoughts before she asked the next obvious question. "What about Icheb and Seven?"
"Icheb is...it's...," Naomi stammered, before she broke off again and turned away, her face turning a light shade of red.
A knowing smile played around Janeway's lips as she turned her attention back to the Talaxian tomatoes. "And what about Seven? You always shared a special bond with her."
"Seven has changed, she isn't the same ever since she and ..." Naomi broke off again.
Glancing at her Janeway noticed her blushing again, but this was not the blush of a young girl with her first crush but something else, something deeper. Janeway briefly wondered what may have caused a rift in that friendship.
"Naomi listen," Janeway shook some soil from her hands, before she leaned against the container they had just replanted. "I know this isn't easy for you," she said, motioning to the room and Voyager at large. "This is not a place for a child to grow up. Especially not here in the Delta Quadrant where no one knows what lies behind the next nebula. But there have to be some rules; rules that help us to survive. And one of the most important rules is that we have to work together; we have to help one another and talk to each other when we aren't sure how to go on. If we don't do that and if we stop listening to each other, I won't be able to lead us home."
Naomi had turned her head away from Janeway while listening to her speech and the captain wasn't sure if she had understood what she had been trying to say.
"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that," Janeway said, when Naomi whispered something.
"I said, you do a fine job, Captain," Naomi repeated, still not looking at the older woman.
Janeway wasn't sure what brought the fine shine of fresh tears to her eyes; the fact that she hadn't heard such kind words spoken in a very long time, or the fact that they were spoken by the very person to whom she had always thought she owed the most. As she'd said earlier: it wasn't fair that Naomi had to grow up on a starship full of adults and the dangers of uncharted space.
Not sure if the young girl would be comfortable with an embrace, Janeway simply gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. But it both surprised and filled her with relief when Naomi engulfed her in a hug.
"I know it's not easy to grow up only surrounded by adults," Janeway whispered into Naomi's ear. "I was much like you in my youth, but it was my choice to isolate myself from others and to stick my nose into books and mathematics instead of meeting people my age. I was always the one who wanted to be the best and first one to achieve new goals. I know you're not the same, but please don't shut us out. We only want to help you."
Naomi pulled back but met Janeway's eyes. "You know, I would love to promise you that I'll be a better girl from now on. But I'm not sure I can. I'll try though and do my best. But if you think I'm failing, I'd like you to give me some kind of hint, or just another talk. I've always liked spending time with you, I hope you know that."
A small smile played around Janeway's lips, and pride for the young girl in front of her swelled her chest.
"I promise I'll take care of you Naomi, and just remember; my door is always open; no matter what and no matter what time. Are we clear about that?"
The young girl gave another nod and while Janeway was sure that they still had a rocky path in front of them, she was also confident that she had been able to break down the walls Naomi had built around her. With a sigh she turned back to the container in front of them, now replanted with Talaxian tomatoes.
"I think we're done here, what do you think?"
Naomi turned too, taking in the work they'd done.
"Yes, I think we're finished. The trouble is my punishment was supposed to last until 2000 hours and it's only 1930."
"Oh, I see your problem," Janeway said, furrowing her brow. "But you know I'm on really good terms with the captain of the ship and I think she'll agree that you can call it a night." She turned to Naomi again, another smile playing around her lips.
"Come on," she said, laying a hand around Naomi's shoulder. "I think it's time to go home. I'm sure your mom would love to have you home earlier."
"Yes, I'm sure she would," Naomi admitted, as both turned towards the hydroponic bay doors, leaving some of their old demons behind.
=/=
The sound of loud laughter and something crashing broke her out of her thoughts, and recognizing that she was almost at her destination, she deliberately increased her pace. She suspected that security would be there soon too, and she wanted to make sure Kayla was out of the way before they got there. She didn't care about the other kids; there were other people who should take care of them.
Rounding the last corner, she found the small group of teenagers and young adults she was looking for. A park bench had been ripped from its moorings and turned upside down. Some of Kayla's friends where sitting on it. A small part of Kathryn mused that it was probably very uncomfortable to sit on the street furniture in that kind of way, but with a shake of her heard she let that thought go. It probably was just ‘in' to sit like that and she was just too old to ‘get it'.
Despite all the noise the small group was making, a few had noticed her arrival, even though she was a good two hundred meters from them.
"Hey, Kayla, your babysitter is here!" The tallest, dumbest and strongest, and therefore the leader of the group, shouted over to where Kayla stood.
Kathryn sighed. She had been in this situation before. The universe was full of bullies.
A lone figure broke from the group and made her way over towards her.
"Leave me alone, Aunt Kathryn." She said, her voice slightly slurred and her eyes unable to focus. Still Kathryn couldn't help noticing that she had called her aunt. A sign of both affection and respect.
"I'm not going to leave you alone, Kayla. You shouldn't be here. Your mother is worried about you."
"Yeah, Kayla, your mother is worried." The group's leader echoed her words.
"Isn't your mother worried too?" Kathryn speared him with a dagger-like look. He didn't grace that one with an answer, but the snort he gave showed her that she had hit close to the mark.
"Kayla, come home, please. This is not the place for you to be." She said, turning back to the young girl in front of her.
"I don't want to go home. Mom and Dad are fighting all the time. They won't listen to anything I say. All I hear is them screaming accusations at each other." Kathryn gave another sigh. She knew Naomi had trouble with her marriage and Kathryn was sure the half-Ktarian woman would be better off on her own, but it was not her place to judge the situation. She could help her though, by bringing her daughter back home.
"Kayla, I know this is difficult, but I only want to help. I don't think we should discuss this here. How about you come home and we'll talk about it after a good night's sleep?"
"I said, I don't want to go home," Kayla screamed at her, pulling back from where Kathryn had laid a hand on her forearm. "These are my friends. They are helping me, they're listening to me!"
"No, Kayla, they're not helping! Real friends wouldn't help you by keeping you out at all hours, getting you drunk in a park in the middle of nowhere!"
"Hey lady, didn't you hear what she said?" The leader said, now standing from the upturned bench he had been perched on.
Kathryn turned her attention to him now, realizing that the atmosphere had changed into something more ominous. In the previous gatherings, he had been happy with just shouting abuse at her. Now it seemed that he wanted to move it up a notch and prove who had a say here.
Well, despite her age she was ready for him. She'd faced the Borg more than once, so a boy with a big mouth hardly made her quiver in her boots. Still, it didn't help that he was almost a head taller than she was when he came to a halt in front of her.
"The lady said she wants to be left alone. So now, would you please leave us alone," he gave a short wink, which should probably have cautioned to her to leave. The faint scent of alcohol that wafted around him didn't help to convince her though.
The young man didn't seem to notice, as he took Kayla by her arm, guiding her back to the group.
"Kayla, I think you should come with me now, before you get caught by security, which I'm sure will arrive soon."
The group's leader stopped in his tracks, spun around and strode back towards her. "You really don't get it, do you? She said she wants to stay with us, so now, just back off." He punctuated his last words with a not so gentle shove that forced Kathryn to take a step back.
Kathryn's eyes turned into slits as she focused her attention entirely on the man in front of her. They were moving onto very shaky ground indeed.
"I'd be careful what you do now, young man," she said in a low voice. "I may be old, but I'm still stronger than I look."
The boy gave a short snort that was quickly accompanied by the laughter of his friends - none of whom had made a move however. Obviously, still not taking her seriously, he turned again to go back to his companions. Giving an internal sigh Kathryn tried her luck again.
"Kayla..."
She had to admit that he was faster than she had anticipated, but when she heard a cry of alarm she instinctively held up her arm to protect her face. A balled fist came down hard and she stumbled slightly before righting her stance again, ready to face the danger head on.
The scene that unfolded in front of her made her heart swell both with pride and fear.
"Are you out of your mind?" Kayla screamed at her friend, having stepped between him and Kathryn. "She hasn't done anything! God, I'm so fed up with all the fighting and hurting," she gave the young man a hard shove, it was so forceful that he had to take a step back. Irritation, flashed across his face; obviously he wasn't used to be contradicted.
"Well, then why don't you go back home with your nanny?" He shot back at her, once he had found his composure again. "I'm sure she‘ll tuck you in after she's made you a nice cup of hot milk and read you a story."
"Guess what you stupid, Targ?" Kayla screamed back at him. "I'm going to do just that!" With her head held high she turned and made her way to where Kathryn was standing watching the scene unfold.
She had to admit that although it didn't happen often, for the first time in a long time, she didn't know what to say. She was just grateful when Kayla simply slipped her hand into hers and tugged her back along the way that would lead them out of the park.
They walked in silence for several minutes, both unsure how to find the right words. They stopped in front of a small all-night café and in silent agreement stepped inside. She moved to the counter and watched Kayla choose a table in the far corner.
After ordering a cup of tea for Kayla and a cup of coffee for herself, Kathryn quietly slipped into one of the booths that held a communication device to let Naomi know where they were and that they were both okay. On her way back to the table she tried to gauge Kayla's mood. She was staring out the window, cradling her tea cup in both hands.
"Kayla," she said quietly, as she sat down in front of her. Once Kayla had turned her attention from the cup in her hand back to her, Janeway scrutinized the girl in front of her. She looked so much like her mother, although she hadn't inherited many of her grandfather's Ktarian genes. There were no spikes on her forehead but she had her mother's hair and her eyes. The same angry eyes.
Taking a deep breath, she hoped that she would be able to help her.
"Kayla, I know you don't think I understand, but I would like to tell you a story..."
The end