Category: More Than a Lifetime

Kathryn felt as if she’d just been insulted. She squared her shoulders. “But I’m-“

“-her mother,” Chakotay said, finishing her sentence for her. His ending differed from what hers would have been, however. “Come on.”

Giving one last look to Dani and her companion, Kathryn abandoned her mission and followed Chakotay to a table on the other side of the room.

Xxx

Icheb and Dani walked through the doors into her quarters. They sat down on the couch in the living room and looked at each other.

‘The things he must know,’ Dani thought, her eyes tracing over Icheb’s face, from his dark hair to the cortical implant near his left eye to his nose ridges.

“What’s it like?” she asked him.

“What is ‘what’ like?” Icheb asked.

“Being you,” Dani asked. Then she realized how absurd this must’ve sounded to Icheb. “I mean, you used to be part of the Borg collective. What was it like?”

Icheb looked at the table in front of them for a moment, while he gathered his reply.

“It was…comforting,” he finally said, looking back at Dani.

Dani was a little surprised. Comforting wasn’t exactly the term she would use to describe the collective. Then again, she had never actually been apart of the collective.

“Comforting?” Dani asked.

“Yes.” Icheb went on. “Every thought circulated throughout the collective. One was never alone. That is how it was comforting.”

“Do you ever miss it?” Dani asked him.

Icheb thought for a few more moments before answering, “No. I do not.”

“Were you happy there?”

“Emotion was irrelevant.”

“It’s not irrelevant now,” Dani said. Both she and Icheb thought about this for a moment. “Are you happy on Voyager?”

Icheb looked at Dani. There was an expression of revelation on his face. “Yes,” he said.

Dani smiled. Icheb smiled also.

“I’m glad you’re here, Icheb,” Dani said.

“So am I,” Icheb said. “I enjoy your company.” He looked away from her, and his smile faded.

“What’s the matter?” Dani asked, noticing the change that had taken place in him.

“I am unsure,” Icheb said. “I am experiencing…feelings unfamiliar to me.”

“Can you describe them?” Dani asked. Icheb didn’t answer her. “Icheb?”

Icheb looked at Dani. He started to speak. “I…”

“Yes?” Dani encouraged.

Icheb looked at Dani. Then he unexpectedly leaned over and kissed her.

Xxx

“I think they have lot in common,” Chakotay said. He and Kathryn were on their way from the mess hall to their quarters. “They both had to learn how to accept tremendous changes in their lives. Icheb had to learn how to live away from the collective; Dani had to learn how to live away from Earth. I think they could have some very interesting conversations. They could become very good friends.”

Kathryn and Chakotay stopped walking. They had reached their quarters.

“Do you think they could become more than friends?” Kathryn asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I don’t know,” was Chakotay’s reply. “Do you?”

Kathryn smiled. “Nooo… Dani and Icheb?” She shook her head. “No.”

“You never know,” Chakotay said, smiling. “There have been stranger pairings. Tom and B’Elanna, Neelix and Kes…you and I.” Kathryn looked at him before stepping up to the doors. They slid open and she and Chakotay walked in. They both stopped dead in their tracks. Dani and Icheb were on the couch engaged in a kiss. Before they could retreat back out the door, Icheb and Dani parted and looked up at them. Everyone remained frozen, not knowing how to proceed. Then Icheb stood.

“Captain,” he said. “I…we…”

Chakotay held up his hand. Icheb had addressed Kathryn, but she was still too stunned to say anything. “There’s no need to explain, Icheb. It’s alright.”

“We did not mean any harm,” Icheb explained.

Dani stood beside Icheb. “Icheb, it’s alright. We didn’t do anything wrong.” She looked at her parents. “Did we?”

All the color had drained from Kathryn’s face. She looked as if she’d just seen a ghost.

“No,” Chakotay said, answering Dani’s question. “You didn’t.”

Dani turned to Icheb. “We’ll talk a little later, Icheb.”

“I must apologize for this incident,” Icheb said.

“Don’t worry about it.”

Icheb walked over to Chakotay and Kathryn. Kathryn’s expression had changed very little.

“I apologize sincerely,” Icheb said.

“It’s okay, Icheb,” Chakotay said. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Icheb looked at Chakotay and then at Kathryn. He looked at Chakotay and nodded slightly before leaving.

Dani walked around the couch to Chakotay and Kathryn. Her father seemed to be okay, but her mother looked quite shell-shocked.

“Dad, could you give us a minute?” Dani asked.

“Sure,” Chakotay said. He walked across the room and into his and Kathryn’s bedroom.

Dani looked at Kathryn.

“Mom?”

“Yes?”

“Are you okay?”

Kathryn blinked a few times. “Uh-huh. Yes.”

“Um…I don’t know what to say,” Dani said.

“Me either,” said Kathryn. “For a change.”

Dani smiled. “Well, what are you thinking, then?”

It was Kathryn’s turn to smile. “That you’re not my little girl anymore.” Dani smiled sheepishly at Kathryn.

“Are you mad?” Dani asked.

Kathryn shook her head. “No. Come on; let’s sit.” They both walked over and sat down on the couch. “I’m not mad at you, Dani. It’s just that this is a little…surreal to me. The idea of you…you know, when I look at you, I still see that twelve year-old little girl who sneaked aboard five years ago. It’s taken this to make me realize that you’re becoming a young woman. I suppose I should start treating you as such.”

Dani studied Kathryn’s expression, as if trying to predict what she was going to say next.

Kathryn continued. “I’m sending an away team down to the planet’s surface to collect dilithium. How would you like to go with them?” Voyager had recently arrived at an M-class planet that, the sensors had detected, contained vast deposits of dilithium.

“What?” Dani asked. Her mother had never let her go down to a planet surface without her before. And even when Kathryn had beamed down with her, it hadn’t been on an away mission. It had just been shore leave.

“B’Elanna will be leading the away team. Tom and Seven will accompany her.”

Now, Dani was really surprised. Her mother wasn’t sending her father with them.

“You’re not sending Dad?”

“No. Your father and I will remain on board.”

Dani couldn’t believe her own ears. “Are you serious?” she asked. “I mean, you’re not kidding me, are you?”

Kathryn shook her head. “No. You’re on your own on this one.”

Dani looked at Kathryn. Kathryn nodded. Dani couldn’t believe it; her mother was actually letting her leave the nest. She leaned over and put her arms around her mother.

“Oh, Mom…” Dani said. “Thank you.”

“Thanks,” Dani said. A smile formed on her face as she turned to go. They hadn’t given her a curfew. That meant-

“Be back by 2400 hours,” Kathryn said, interrupting Dani’s thoughts. Dani whirled back around to face her parents, her smile having faded.

“2400?” she whined. She looked at the small chronometer strapped to her wrist. “But it’s 2100 now.”

Kathryn turned a page in the book. “Then you’d better be going then,” she said. As an afterthought, she looked up behind her at Chakotay. “You were finished with that page, weren’t you?”

“Um-hm,” Chakotay nodded.

Kathryn looked back down at the book. “2400,” she repeated.

Dani turned and walked out of the quarters. Kathryn watched the doors close behind her, then she closed the book.

“I wasn’t finished with that page,” Chakotay said.

“You don’t think 2400 is too early, do you?” Kathryn asked Chakotay, completely ignoring his complaint.

“No,” Chakotay said. “Not at all. When I was sixteen, that was my curfew.”

“But that was a different time,” Kathryn countered. “And different circumstances…” She leaned forward and placed the book on the coffee table. “The main reason for curfews was so that you could know where your child was. We know where ours is. What can happen to her here?”

“I think the more appropriate question would be ‘what can’t?’”

Kathryn thought about Chakotay’s statement for a moment. “You’re right,” she agreed. “Some strange things have happened on the decks of this ship.”

“And who’s to say that what happens can’t happen inside the walls of these quarters?” Chakotay challenged. “The fact that she’s in here doesn’t automatically make her safe.” Kathryn looked at him, and he went on. “Safety isn’t the only reason for curfews, though. Curfews establish discipline, order. In some cases, they can be used as punishment.”

“When do parents usually stop giving their children curfews?” Kathryn asked.

“Well, my parents stopped giving me a curfew when I turned 18,” Chakotay replied. “What about you?”

“Oh, I never had a curfew,” Kathryn said casually.

“You’d better not let Dani hear you say that. She’d call you a hypocrite.”

“No, it wasn’t like that. I mean, I never went out. There wasn’t any need for a curfew.”

“Well, what about Phoebe, then?” Chakotay probed.

“I suppose she stopped getting them at around 18, like you.”

“I think the thing to remember here is that Dani just turned sixteen. The rules will have to change as she gets older, but right now, I think 2400 is reasonable.”

Xxx

Chakotay paced the living area. He looked at the chronometer on the wall. It was 0200 hours, and Dani still hadn’t returned from the holodeck.

“I’m going to go get her,” Chakotay declared.

“No,” Kathryn protested. “Let’s giver her a few more minutes.”

“A few more minutes? She’s had two hours.”

“Computer, locate Dani Janeway,” Kathryn commanded. The computer responded that Dani was on this deck. Kathryn and Chakotay looked at each other. That meant she was close. “Computer – lights.” The room instantly became dark.

Dani stopped in front of the doors of her quarters. ‘Maybe I shouldn’t go in,’ she thought. ‘But if I were any later, I’d just be in more trouble. Maybe I’ll get lucky, and they won’t be up.’ She punched in the security access code. She got it wrong the first time, partly because she was so tired and partly because she was worried about what might happen when the door open opened. She got the code on the second try and the doors slid open. She looked around the room before she went in. It was completely dark. ‘Maybe this won’t be so bad, after all.’

Dani walked in. The doors slid closed behind her, and she was enveloped in the darkness. She stood still for a moment before walking on, so that her eyes could adjust to the darkness. ‘Now, if I can just get to my room…’ She tip-toed across the living area to her room. She had expected to hear the whoosh of her doors sliding open when she approached the door, but she didn’t. She felt…a presence. A person. Someone was standing in between her and her bedroom. She sighed. The jig was up. “Computer – lights.” Light immediately flooded the room, and Dani saw that it was her father who was barring the way to her room. Dani turned around. Her mother was standing in the doorway of hers and Chakotay’s bedroom. Dani looked back at her father. Busted!

“Thanks,” Dani said. A smile formed on her face as she turned to go. They hadn’t given her a curfew. That meant-

“Be back by 2400 hours,” Kathryn said, interrupting Dani’s thoughts. Dani whirled back around to face her parents, her smile having faded.

“2400?” she whined. She looked at the small chronometer strapped to her wrist. “But it’s 2100 now.”

Kathryn turned a page in the book. “Then you’d better be going then,” she said. As an afterthought, she looked up behind her at Chakotay. “You were finished with that page, weren’t you?”

“Um-hm,” Chakotay nodded.

Kathryn looked back down at the book. “2400,” she repeated.

Dani turned and walked out of the quarters. Kathryn watched the doors close behind her, then she closed the book.

“I wasn’t finished with that page,” Chakotay said.

“You don’t think 2400 is too early, do you?” Kathryn asked Chakotay, completely ignoring his complaint.

“No,” Chakotay said. “Not at all. When I was sixteen, that was my curfew.”

“But that was a different time,” Kathryn countered. “And different circumstances…” She leaned forward and placed the book on the coffee table. “The main reason for curfews was so that you could know where your child was. We know where ours is. What can happen to her here?”

“I think the more appropriate question would be ‘what can’t?’”

Kathryn thought about Chakotay’s statement for a moment. “You’re right,” she agreed. “Some strange things have happened on the decks of this ship.”

“And who’s to say that what happens can’t happen inside the walls of these quarters?” Chakotay challenged. “The fact that she’s in here doesn’t automatically make her safe.” Kathryn looked at him, and he went on. “Safety isn’t the only reason for curfews, though. Curfews establish discipline, order. In some cases, they can be used as punishment.”

“When do parents usually stop giving their children curfews?” Kathryn asked.

“Well, my parents stopped giving me a curfew when I turned 18,” Chakotay replied. “What about you?”

“Oh, I never had a curfew,” Kathryn said casually.

“You’d better not let Dani hear you say that. She’d call you a hypocrite.”

“No, it wasn’t like that. I mean, I never went out. There wasn’t any need for a curfew.”

“Well, what about Phoebe, then?” Chakotay probed.

“I suppose she stopped getting them at around 18, like you.”

“I think the thing to remember here is that Dani just turned sixteen. The rules will have to change as she gets older, but right now, I think 2400 is reasonable.”

Xxx

Chakotay paced the living area. He looked at the chronometer on the wall. It was 0200 hours, and Dani still hadn’t returned from the holodeck.

“I’m going to go get her,” Chakotay declared.

“No,” Kathryn protested. “Let’s giver her a few more minutes.”

“A few more minutes? She’s had two hours.”

“Computer, locate Dani Janeway,” Kathryn commanded. The computer responded that Dani was on this deck. Kathryn and Chakotay looked at each other. That meant she was close. “Computer – lights.” The room instantly became dark.

Dani stopped in front of the doors of her quarters. ‘Maybe I shouldn’t go in,’ she thought. ‘But if I were any later, I’d just be in more trouble. Maybe I’ll get lucky, and they won’t be up.’ She punched in the security access code. She got it wrong the first time, partly because she was so tired and partly because she was worried about what might happen when the door open opened. She got the code on the second try and the doors slid open. She looked around the room before she went in. It was completely dark. ‘Maybe this won’t be so bad, after all.’

Dani walked in. The doors slid closed behind her, and she was enveloped in the darkness. She stood still for a moment before walking on, so that her eyes could adjust to the darkness. ‘Now, if I can just get to my room…’ She tip-toed across the living area to her room. She had expected to hear the whoosh of her doors sliding open when she approached the door, but she didn’t. She felt…a presence. A person. Someone was standing in between her and her bedroom. She sighed. The jig was up. “Computer – lights.” Light immediately flooded the room, and Dani saw that it was her father who was barring the way to her room. Dani turned around. Her mother was standing in the doorway of hers and Chakotay’s bedroom. Dani looked back at her father. Busted!