Compos Mentis

Chapter 1

"I hope you're not going to hog this child all the way back to Planetia Utopia Commander." said a raspy voice behind him, he looked over his shoulder to see the Captain hovering at the door to sickbay.

He hadn't set eyes on the Captain since she retreated to her ready room a few hours ago, ignoring his questioning glance and the raised eyebrows of the bridge. He was worried about her. She did not seem as exuberant as he expected her to be. How he had imagined her to be on many occasions.

Although he had to admit, none of those occasions had involved sending her future self to be assimilated by the borg queen. And he knew that the Admiral had told her something about the future. Her u-turn had been too severe for it to have been any other reason. Whatever it was had spooked her enough to ignore the temporal prime directive.

He had considered going after her but hesitated. Things had changed over the years. A few years ago he would not have thought twice. Forcing her to talk of whatever was bothering her. But the distance between them, since the Equinox, since Quarra, made him pause. They had a left a few things behind in the Delta Quadrant, and while he knew their friendship would always remain intact, the platonic intimacy they had once shared appeared to be one of them.

"I just might Captain. Isn't she beautiful?"

The Captain walked over to where Chakotay was perched on the biobed and stood at his shoulder. He took the time to look at her as she gazed down at the child. She was tired, drawn and looked like she had just gone ten rounds with the Kazon and Hirogen combined instead of achieving the unimaginable in getting her crew home, in relatively one piece, from the depths of the Delta Quadrant.

"Absolutely. May I pull rank Chakotay?"

He nodded and saw the Captain smile at his reluctance as he headed the child gently over to her. But if had known the change in the Captain by simply holding the child in her arms, he would have thrust the child at her the moment she walked into the room. Radiant was not the word. It was as if every ounce of Captain and protocol and responsibility had melted away and all was left was Kathryn.

"Oh my B'Elanna. She really is beautiful. Did you decide on Miral for her name?" she looked up at B'Elanna and Tom.

"We did." said Tom, who was smirking no doubt at the change in his formidable Captain. She had gone all gooey. There was no other word for it.

"But," B'Elanna interjected, "We also decided on a middle name."

"Captain, meet Miral Kathryn Paris."

That made the Captain look up sharply and Chakotay was shocked to see the tears form in her eyes, a quick glance at Tom and B'Elanna showed they too were having difficulty keeping their emotions in check.

The Captain swallowed thickly, her voice husk with tears, "I don't know what to say. I am truly honoured. Truly, truly honoured."

She looked over at Chakotay and he was floored again by the radiance in her smile and the tears that threatened. He couldn't help but grin back. He stood to edge closer to where Kathryn was swaying with the baby and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Miral Kathryn. Named after two formidable women. One of them is the bravest, decent and most remarkable woman, I've ever met."

He felt Kathryn lean lightly against him and saw Tom lay an arm round his wife's shoulder as they sat up on the bio bed. If you had told Chakotay seven years ago that he would witnessing the naming of B'Elanna and Tom Paris' child, after a Starfleet Captain no less, he would have thought the world had gone mad. How much had changed. The selfish, thoughtless Tom Paris had become a husband, father and consummate Starfleet Lieutenant. The brash, impulsive and difficult B'Elanna Torres was now a mother as well as the Chief Engineer on a Federation starship and lectured junior staff about Starfleet protocols and adherence to them.