Balance of Power part 3  NC17  by Kadi and Kat

The teams sent over to the younger Voyager went straight to work. Ryn and Hope started on the bridge, repairing damaged controls and panels. When the twins and the rest of the team beamed over, the groups split up. Kat crawled through Jefferies tubes with Tom Paris in an effort to repair helm controls from the auxiliary panels. Kadi, Tom, and Harry headed for engineering. Not only were they in their element, but they were tempted to upgrade some of the systems. Only the thought of further damaging the timeline kept them from playing too much. Kalin joined Ryn on the bridge. The two of them were soon covered in soot and debris and they dove in full force. Later they were found scrambling through yet more Jefferies tubes as they replaced damaged circuits and gel packs. Hope found herself traveling to different areas of the ship, never leaving the crews alone for very long, but she needn’t have worried. Once occupied with a task, the twins and their fellows became all business, though she did catch them singing a bawdy round of 99 naked daubo girls on the bar. She didn’t say anything though because no one else seemed to be objecting, and when she checked back a short time later, most of engineering was joining in. Feeling like a third wheel, Hope eventually meandered to the messhall where a sort of short term triage was set up. Just the most basics of patching cuts and burns received during the repairs. Anything major went to the other ship. Making herself useful, she helped crewman Chell serve dinner, and picked up a bit of gossip. She even listened to a few crewmembers who felt the need to talk, making use of her counseling experience.

After nearly four hours of repairs, the younger Voyager was well under way to working properly. The Captain had sent over a relief crew, and the shifts on the younger ship had everything under control. Hope, Ryn, and the twins decided to beam back first, leaving the guys to fill the relief shift in on any details. After transporting back the ship, the girls made plans to meet in the holodeck. Ryn grinned and stretched, looking forward to the break. “How about we meet in the holodeck in about an hour. We can replicate a meal, goof off, bond, maybe over some pool at Sandrine’s?”

Hope and the twins exchanged looks of dismay, but couldn’t refuse Ryn’s enthusiasm, so they agreed. It wasn’t so much the holodeck time together, as Sandrine’s. None of them particularly cared for pool. Kat escorted them to the guest quarters as Kadi headed off for her own, hoping for a quick meeting with Tom. After leaving them, Kat headed back to the transporter room, where she met up with Harry. The two of them headed for her quarters, for a quick shower together.

Ryn entered the quarters she was sharing with her sister and her family. With a grateful smile, she picked up the clean clothes that had been replicated for her. Grinning, she raced Hope to the shower, closing the door smartly in her face. The race spawned a serious of giggles and no hard feelings. Ryn was by far the dirtier of the two, and as Kalin walked in, Hope decided she could wait. Walking over to her husband, she draped her arms around him and smiled. “We have the place all to ourselves for the next few minutes. What are you going to do about it?”

Kalin grinned lecherously and pulled his wife snug against him. As he tipped his head to kiss her, he whispered against her lips, “I’m sure I can come up with something.”

As Ryn left the bathroom she chuckled and lifted a hand to block her face. Still laughing, she slipped through the room hollering “That’s more than I needed to see of both of you. Get a room.”

Kalin growled as Hope blushed and he dragged her into the bathroom. “We were just waiting for you to leave...” His words were cut off by Hope’s elbow in his stomach.

Ryn caught a flash of bare butt and trousers flying through the bathroom door as she spun out the door and into the corridor. Smile firmly in place, she issued a privacy lock, and headed for the messhall to see what she could come up with as food.

The twins waited patiently as they rang the chime to the room Hope and Kalin were sharing with Ryn. They entered as a breathless "come" echoed into the hall and nearly died of laughter when a very flustered Hope rushed into the living room, scrambling into her top. A telltale hickey glowed on her neck, and the masculine chuckles from the bedroom eliminated any chance at nonchalance. Hope settled for an embarrassed grin and pulled the girls out into the hall. Kadi couldn't resist a jibe. "Working in a quickie before dinner?"

Hope rolled her eyes and lightly punched Kadi's arm. "Mind your own business." At their chuckles, she grinned. "Well hell, I really couldn't resist. No kids knocking on the door, and the folks are visiting with yours. Kalin started getting amorous, and Ryn discreetly left, giving us some private time."

Kat smirked at her. "Yeah well, your private time made us late. We were suppose to meet Ryn in the holodeck fifteen minutes ago."

Hope shrugged. "Should have gone without me. I would have caught up."

Kat gave her a crooked grin. "Actually, we were engaging in a little private time ourselves, so it wouldn't have done any good." She snickered as Kadi blushed.

Kadi took a moment and then smiled good-naturedly. "What program are we running again?"

Hope wrinkled her nose. "Ryn said something about running the old Sandrine's program and playing a little pool. I have to say, it's not one of my favorites."

"Ours either. Why don't we just say something then? I'm sure she wouldn't mind if we did something else?"

"Well, she's been there for about an hour, so maybe she's gotten it out of her system."

The girls nodded, barely checking to make sure the program was running before entering the holodeck. They stopped just inside, surprised to find themselves standing in the middle of a midnight beach. The roar of the waves crashing on the shore was enhanced by the crackling of a large bonfire. Ryn sat next to it, staring transfixed into the flames, her expression lost. Hope was the first to act. "Hey goofy, I thought we were playing pool?"

Ryn's head snapped up and she gave her sister a ghost of a smile. "You really didn't sound that enthusiastic when I mentioned it, so I ran another program. I figured we could hash it all out when you guys got here." She motioned them to take a seat and then pulled a covered container into their site. At the confused expressions, she opened it and held up the contents individually. "Hotdogs for the main meal, then marshmellows, chocolate, and graham crackers. Thought we could make s'mores for desert."

The women smiled, familiar with the concept. Hope grinned. "An when we are done with the chocolate?"

Ryn reached beside her once more and lifted a bottle of wine. "It's a good year, or so Paris tells me. Maybe we can break it in properly."

Kat tipped her head to the side. "You forgot glasses."

Ryn and Hope exchanged an amused look. "Honey, this bottle is too good for glasses. You pass it around as you either lament the things life has thrown your way, or celebrate that life to the fullest. Either way, its a ritual of sharing."

Kadi studied to bottle for several moments before glancing around at her
sisters. "I think I'll pass if you don't mind. I don't drink much anyway it
never sits very well."

Kat snickered. "That's because you overindulge."

"Yeah, well, what can I say? I learned from the best." While the words were teasing there seemed to be something missing.

Ryn gave Kadi and odd look. "Honey it's not supposed to sit well. The whole purpose of this is to get so damn drunk you puke your guts up."

Kadi glanced down and scooted some sand with the toe of her shoe. "I'll be puking soon enough thank you, without the alcohol."

Kat blinked. "What do you mean?"

Hope and Ryn share a look once more. "She's pregnant."

Kat blinked, "Excuse me?" She stared at her sister for a moment, then without warning she reached over and slapped her upside the head, "What the hell do you mean you're pregnant, when did you find this out??? I thought you were waiting!"

Kadi rubbed the sore spot. "Damnit I hate it when you do that. Doc told me earlier, I just hadn't found a chance to tell you. Something about the boosters not working." Then she sighed, "I thought I was waiting too, but shit happens."

Hope reached over and slapped Ryn in the back of the head. "Did you have something to do with this?"

Ryn scowled. "Do I look like I have the equipment necessary? Besides, I ain't into my sisters that much."

Hope rolled her eyes, "You know what I mean..."

"Well, I thought you had the ability to know these things. You knew about Ryn."

"I do, I've just been distracted."

Kadi shook her head, "I don't know what you're talking about, but Ryn had nothing to do with anything. I'm about three weeks pregnant, still very early. Which," she looked closely at her twin, "is why Tom doesn't know yet... anything can happen in the next couple of weeks. I wouldn't have even known if Doc hadn't been recording the data from our scans earlier."

Hope grasped Kadi's hand. "How do you feel about this?"

She shrugged and stared into the fire for several seconds before finally meeting Hope's gaze, "I honestly don't know. Tom and I want children, he wanted to start having them the minute we were married... I'm the one that's been stalling."

"And now you don't have much of a choice."

"Oh there is definitely no other choice, but I'm scared spit less." She shook her head, "I don't know how to handle this if it..." Kadi trailed off as she looked into the fire, letting the crackling reds and blues of the flame soothe her.

As Kat dropped her face to her hands, Ryn leaned over and placed her hands on Kadi's stomach. The girl jumped in shock then stilled watching as the woman closed her eyes and concentrated. Finally Ryn opened her eyes and smiled. Standing, she walked toward the exit. "You'll be fine. You're strong and healthy, so is the baby."

Kadi looked up at her with hope written all over her face. "How can you be so sure?"

"I just am. Even if something were to happen, you're strong enough to survive. We all have too much of our mother in us to not do so."

Kadi stared after her in wonder, her own hand moving to her stomach, then she looked up, "Where are you going?"

Ryn smiled. "To replicate some synthehol for the little mother of course. We have a tradition to uphold."

Hope stood and followed her. "I'll be right back.'" Grabbing Ryn's hand, she tugged her sister close as the exited the holodeck. "I didn't know you could do that?"

Ryn chuckled. "I can't, but nothing I could think of was going to give her the confidence she needed. Nothing except that."

Hope shook her head and grinned, "You are something Kathryn Chakotay, and I think you might have just did the thing."

Ryn chuckled, "Of course I did."

In the holodeck Kadi glanced at her sister who was still staring at her a little oddly, "What?"

A dozen thoughts raced through her head, but Kat refused to voice them. the last thing she wanted to do was throw doubts back out there and rehash the past. she shook her head. "You just have to make me an aunt. You realize of course now that Harry's going to want one now too?"

Kadi studied her for a moment, she knew when her sister was hiding something, but let it go. "Well," she sighed, "All I can tell you is to make sure when you have your booster, make sure it works!"

Kat's reply was lost as Hope and Ryn reentered the holodeck, both sporting bottles. Hope grinned at them. “Just remember, when in the company of Arion, don't have sex cause them boosters just don't work."

Kat's face fell, then she whimpered, "Please tell me that's a joke..."

Ryn rolled her eyes as she sat back down. "Your safe. There are only certain Arion that affect the boosters. I don't happen to be one of them at the moment. There are definitely times I'm glad I don't have to worry about those damn things too.”

Kat breathed a very long, very loud sigh of relief, "Oh thank you..."

Kadi giggled, "I take it that means Harry finally managed to get back into your good graces... and your bed..."

Kat grinned. "Well, ever since I let him show me how good he really is, he hasn't been out of my bed that often." She flopped onto her back in the sand and covered her heart with her hands. "Damn but that boy is good with his mouth."

"Please," Kadi held up a hand, "I'll be puking soon enough, I don't need to do it now..."

Kat glared at her, "You make me listen to all those wonderful little details about how great Tom is in bed... you could at least return the favor, like I really needed to know Tom was multi-orgasmic... sheesh.."

Kadi blushed bright red as the other two gazed at her and asked in unison, "Oh?"

Kadi shook her head and the others laughed. Ryn took a sip from the bottle before passing it to Hope. "At least Dare is house trained."

Hope rolled her eyes. “Surely you can do better than that. What is something that Dare does that absolutely makes your toes curl?"

"You first. One of Kalin's secrets for one of Dare's?" By this point, Kat and Kadi had sat up in interest.

Hope took another rather long swig from the bottle then passed it on to Kat, "Alright,

Kalin likes it when I tie him up," she spoke the last part so quickly the others had to do double takes to make sure they'd heard it correctly.

Kadi fell over laughing, "Kalin... the same big dude who looks like he could take both Tom and Harry then have enough energy left to haul you into bed? Likes to be tied up??" She laughed until her sides her, "Oh that's rich.."

Kat shook her head at her goofy sister as she drank from the bottle then once more passed it back to Ryn, "I don't know why you think that's so funny, what's funny are the matching tattoos you and Tom got right after the wedding." She shot a meaningful look at Hope and Ryn, "And they aren't tribal..."

Kadi sat up then, "Hey, you swore you wouldn't tell.."

Kat shrugged, "Well we're all family here."

"Tattoos," Ryn grinned at her, "what kind of tattoos.."

Kat snickered, "One says, You Suck, the other, Bite Me... I'll let you figure who has what..."

Ryn closed her eyes and looked skyward. "Oh spirits that's horrible."

Hope nudged her. "Spill."

Ryn closed her eyes for a long moment. "Dare has this thing about hickeys. Always, just before he enters me, he leaves a hickey somewhere on my body. It's like he leaves a visible mark so he knows I'm his. As for me, he has the most amazingly long fingers..." She sighed as she thought it, and took a sip. "Here's to long fingers!"

Hope chuckled. "Long deep kisses, and sturdy desks!"

Kat grinned. "To magic mouths!"

Kadi sipped from her bottle before making her toast. "To good lovers!" She glanced around at the others, "And the Jeffries tubes on deck 12.... that vibration coming off the warp core makes getting caught worth it..."

Kat snorted, "I was wondering why you kept doing that.." She stopped then and glanced over at Ryn. "Ryn? Can I ask you something?"

"I'll probably regret it, but go ahead."

"How... How did you do it?"

The mood was suddenly serious. Ryn closed her eyes for a moment, tempted to pretend she didn't know what Kat was talking about. "I don't know."

Kadi glared at her sister. "You just had to go and ruin the mood didn't you?"

"No, it's not like that. It's just... I don't know how she does it that's all. How does a person crawl in bed with the enemy, suffer the obvious problems of an attack, and yet joke about sex the next instant. How can she survive it much less separate herself from it?"

Ryn glanced at the fire for a long moment. "It isn't real in the same sense. My mind can't accept everything yet, break it down. I did what I had to do. Somehow I pushed myself out of the picture and became another creature. As for this, well, it simply is. I would be lying if I said I didn't like sex, and I love my regular partner. The other wasn't about sex, it was about power. That's all subjugation really is about. Will I be able to look Dare in the eye and enjoy an easy sexual relationship? I don't know. I plan to take it one day at a time." She reached over and threw a log into the fire. As the flames sparkled and flared, she scowled. "That's for manipulating bastards."

Kat moved over and sat near her, but not touching, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to re-open the wound it's just..." She took a deep breath and glanced at her sister, "If I knew how to separate myself from the things I've done in the past.. I could help Kadi celebrate this baby, but right now... All I can think about is making sure I don't cause her to lose this one too."

Kadi shook her head, "But it wasn't your fault... you didn't push me in front of that disruptor, I jumped. I didn't even think about the consequences of MY actions, I just did it, and you would have done the same. You put yourself in charge of the situation, but that doesn't put you in charge of my body... I caused me to lose that baby.. but it wasn't to be helped, and as heartless as it might sound, it was a hell of a lot better than losing my sister. Babies I can have plenty of, sisters I can't."

"But you could have been killed," Kat lifted a log and studied it, her fingers biting almost painfully into it's bark, "I goaded him, I pushed, and I was too arrogant to know what I was doing was out of line. I should have relinquished command to mom the minute we rescued the others, but no, I had to see MY mission through to the end... and no matter what I do I can't seem to get past the results of my actions." She picked up the log and threw it into the fire, "I'm just tired of feeling so damned guilty about everything little thing that goes wrong."

Ryn looked at her for a long moment, before pulling her into a fierce hug. "We can't change how we think and how we are made Kat, but we have to find a way to live with our choices." She glanced at Hope and then at the flames. "I want so much to have Dare with me now, my center in this storm, but I know that I will eventually have to face him, and even though I know why I did what I did, and even though I know he won't condemn me for it, I'll have to tell him. The guilt is there, and the disgust, and I'm afraid that he will see it and then I'll see it reflected back at me in his eyes." She jabbed at the logs with a long stick, grimacing as sparks flew in the air. "That is for the stupid fears that plague us."

Hope watched them for a moment, recognizing the change of tone and the emotional release imminent on the horizon. As far as she was concerned, nothing but good could come from this. She even smiled as Kadi grabbed a log and tossed it on the flames, shouting, "Here here!"

~~~~

The next morning a grumpy Kat stumbled into the turbo lift next to an equally grumpy Ryn. "Remind me of this moment," she growled at her twin "the next time someone shoves a bottle of wine in my face."

Ryn growled, "I don't recall you complaining last night."

Hope, also sporting a headache just shook her head, then groaned at the pain the action caused. "If you don't want to pay, don't play."

Kadi, the only one not suffering from a hangover just chuckled softly, "She's right you know. You shouldn't over indulge if you don't want to pay for it the next morning. No one made you drink, you really should not be so pissy about it."

Kat and Ryn just glared at her, "Oh shut up!" They growled in unison.

"If you hadn't gone and gotten yourself knocked up," Kat snarled, "you'd be standing right here beside me whining right along with us."

"I do not whine," Ryn straightened and thrust her chin into the air, "I complain loudly."

Hope snickered, "Yeah right." She hooked a thumb in Kat's direction, "And this one is a perfect angel."

"Shut up!" they both growled at her.

The doors to the turbo lift opened a moment later and all but Kadi stepped out onto the bridge, trying at least, to look like the Starfleet officers they were as they took their stations. Kadi waved to them hollering “Have a great morning!“ as the turbo lift doors closed, transporting her to engineering.

“Shut up!” was the empathic response from all three women.

Hope stepped up to the railing to observe quietly. Ryn for her part moved over to the panel directly behind the command station, while Kat moved over to a science station to help monitor the sensor readings.

Ryn frowned at the com panel for a long moment before allowing her fingers to fly across the controls. Equations danced in her head, pouring through her fingers as she adjusted the parameters of the deflector. With one final series of commands, she nodded decisively and studied the bridge. Hope stood off to the side as Kalin worked with Harry at ops. Kathryn stood with Tuvok, nodding and assisting in adjustments there, while both Chakotays had their heads bent over a padd. The Captain sat in her chair, also watching the various computations come together. The goal was simple. Open a gate to send the younger Voyager back to their dimension. If that worked, then additional adjustments could be made to open a smaller gate, hopefully allowing Hope's family through. Ryn nodded again, and after making eye contact with the others, she addressed the Captain. "The final adjustments have been made Captain, we are ready to open a portal."

The Captain nodded at her and slapped her combadge. "Janeway to Seven. "

"Yes, Captain?"

"Ready on my mark."

"Of course."

The Captain stood slowly and took in the bridge. Everyone was ready. "Harry let the other Voyager know we are ready. Keep communications open."

At his nod, her gaze swung back to Ryn. As the girl met her eyes, she nodded again. The firm command was all they needed. "Now."

The hum of the engines magnified in the silence as the deflector began to glow. For a long moment the space before then looked the same, and then it started to waver a bit. Eventually a swirling mass of white filled the space, large enough for a ship.

Ryn ran a quick scan as Tuvok launched a probe. A surprised expression crossed her face, as a hail came across the com system. "Captain, we are being hailed... from a Starfleet shuttle."

The Captain glanced at her for a moment, then at the view screen. "On screen." She blinked as a very tousled girl of about 20 appeared on screen. She shot a glance at Hope to make sure she was still on the bridge before focusing once more on the girl on the screen, finally noticing the bright blue eyes as the girl grinned at her.

The cheeky grin and the blush caused her to roll her eyes. This one was pure mischief. Her brows rose a degree as the girl shrugged and tried to assume an innocent expression. They rose even more at her first words.

"Now Mom, let me explain before you go off the deep end. I filed a flight plan with Tristan before I left the ship. He knew all about it. Besides, you yourself said that someone should accompany the Micordian ambassadors back to their planet. And no matter what Chase says..." The girl broke off and turned as a half naked alien male entered the room and placed his hand on her shoulder. She studied him appreciatively for a moment before turning back to the viewscreen. She gave them a guilty shrug and blushed, her eyes lighting on Chakotay. Realizing that this was her best avenue of defense, she gave him the sweetest smile. "Daddy, its not what you think. I was just showing Keton how the sonic shower works. I..." Her words slid to a halt as she suddenly noticed two Chakotays and two Kathryns. She smacked her hand to her forehead and rubbed her eyes. In a voice barely audible she mumbled "No more Jevarian ale..." She glanced at the bridge again and paled, noting a younger image of her mother and a replica of herself. "Sweet spirits..." Her eyes locked with Hope's and the compassion there calmed her a bit. She glanced around the bridge for a moment, before slapping her combadge. "Chase to the helm. Now!"

An equally tousled boy wearing only a pair of trousers came barreling through the door only to skid to a halt at the vision in front of him. His first response was the same as his sisters, hands coming up in a defensive gesture. "Now mom, I can explain. We filed a flight plan with Tris..." His words stumbled to a halt as well as the girl grabbed his arm and gestured to the full bridge. Blinking a couple of times, he too rubbed his eyes. "No more Jevarian ale..." Opening his eyes again, he studied the bridge. "Bloody hell... Chance honey, they've doubled on us." He tipped his head to the side for a moment before sighing and dropping into a seat. "My name is Chase Janeway, and this is my sister Chance, of the federation starship Voyager." He paused a moment blinking again. "Who are you and why have you taken the form of our family?"

The Captain smiled, understanding their confusion, and mildly amused at the scene before her. "My name is Kathryn Janeway. We haven't taken the form of your family. We are actually part of an alternate dimension. We opened a dimensional gate in an effort to return our counterparts to their universe. It appears however that we've opened one to yours instead."

The boy tipped his head again and narrowed his eyes as if ascertaining the truth of her words. A quick glance at the com panel and then his fingers were moving rapidly over the controls. His sister abandoned her post at his side to man another station, her fingers flying across the panels as well. Her brow furrowed in concentration. "Chase, I'm reading several subspace openings centered around the planet. We are actually caught in the wake of one. It's pulling us in, toward them."

The boy nodded and adjusted the controls, setting the engines to full reverse. He glanced up at the Captain, frustration crossing his features. "Your dimensional portal is pulling us in Captain. Any suggestions?"

Before she could answer, Ryn piped up from behind them. "Captain, we can reverse the flow of the tractor beam and try push them away."

The captain considered it, then nodded, "Do it." Then she glanced back at the view screen, "You two might want to hold on to something, this could get bumpy."

The two nodded and began adjusting their shields to compensate. Then when the tractor beam was ready Ryn nodded before engaging it. It did indeed get bumpy. Kathryn grinned and exchanged a look with her counterpart as Chase and Chance were tossed from their seats, resulting in a loud chorus of, "Bloody Hell!"

Hope herself snickered, while Ryn's fingers worked over the console. "It's working Captain. They're being pushed away, and the rift itself is beginning to close."

Kathryn watched Chase pull himself back into his seat and frown at the console then she heard him bark an order at his sister, "Set a course for the planet."

Kathryn shook her head, "We apologize for the inconvenience. I would suggest you warn your Voyager to stay away from this sector of space."

The dark headed young man nodded, "Will do Captain."

"Good, Voyager out," as the communication was cut they all got one last glimpse of the cock pit, and the young man standing to glare at the half naked alien.

"You," they heard him stay, "Get the hell away from my sister."

"But Chase... he's cute."

Kat shook her head and frowned, "She reminds me of someone, but I just can't think who."

Chakotay just shook his head, "I don't know if I should pity her parents or just be glad she's theirs and not ours."

The Captain chuckled and turned to Ryn, "Let's try it again, but this time let's--"

"Captain," Harry Kim was manning his usual post at Ops, "There is a ship hailing us off the port side." He sighed and shook his head slightly, "It's another Voyager."

"What!?" Kathryn turned to Ryn, "What happened?"

"It may have gotten pulled in like the shuttle, it was probably masked from our sensors while we were busy helping the others."

Kathryn sighed, "On screen." She plastered a smile on her face, "Welcome to our universe, I'll be happy to explain all of this to you---"

She as cut off as the versions of herself and the commander, appearing to be her age, stepped toward the viewscreen, a mixture of relief and worry on their faces. "Ryn!?"

Ryn's head snapped up at the sound of her mother's voice. Her body stiffened immediately and she snapped to attention. "Captain, Commander."

Kate's head tilted to one side, "Well this is turning into quite a family reunion."

Kathryn glanced back at her guests and at Ryn, then looked back to the viewscreen, "Perhaps you would like to beam over, we'll be glad to explain to you what has happened."

The other Captain glanced briefly at her First Officer and then nodded, "We'll be ready for transport in five minutes." Then she glanced at her daughter, "We're looking forward to hearing a full report."

"Understood." The communication was cut and she turned to Ryn. "Meet them in transporter room 1 and escort them to the conference room."

"Aye Captain." She nodded briskly and turned to march into the turbo lift.

At her departure the entire room exchanged a series of concerned looks. This puzzle just kept getting more and more interesting… not to mention complicated.

Ryn waited stiffly in the transporter room, her body at full attention as her parents dematerialized in front of her. "Captain, Commander, welcome to Voyager."

Her father was the first one off the transporter padd, "What happened?"

"Hope contacted me, she needed my help." She glanced at her mother, "Captain Janeway is expecting us in the conference room. I'll fill you in on the details on the way."

Fighting between wanting to rail at her daughter for worrying them, and wanting to embrace her, Kathryn just nodded briskly and followed her daughter from the transporter room.

Ryn lead her parents into the briefing room, everyone was already in place, including the guests from the much younger Voyager. Smiling at the way the already present Chakotays had grouped themselves on one side of the conference table, she stepped aside for the introductions, "Captain Kathryn Janeway, meet," she smirked, "Captain Kathryn Janeway."

Kathryn extended her hand to Ryn's parents, "Well, we thought we had the names worked out, maybe we were wrong." She gestured to herself, "Captain or Kathryn," then she pointed at the others going from eldest to youngest. "Kate and Kathy," she shook her head, her eyes twinkling, "And the dunces over there, on the left side we have my husband and first officer Chakotay. On the right side we have dunce number two, he belongs to Kate, and we call him Tay. Dunce number three would be the young one in the middle, you know, the one that's still cute. We just call him Chak."

Kat was cackling and leaning against Hope, "Dunce, I love it!"

Ryn actually snickered, "Commander Dunce, that almost has a nice ring to it." Her eyes were twinkling as she met her father's mock glare. But the smile on her face faded as she met her mother's gaze.

Ryn's mother offered a polite smile, "Dunce number four likes to call me Katie, I suppose that will work for now."

Ryn's jaw dropped open at the joke, but she quickly recovered. Hope snickered, "See, I knew you came by that sense of humor naturally."

At that point, the first three commanders who had been observing the women drew their attention. All three of them slumped, their heads hitting the table. "Oh god," one of them moaned, "There's four of them!"

"Five if you count the daughter!"

Chakotay shook his head and clapped his younger version on the shoulder, "Frightening though it may be, I tell ya its worth it."

Tay clapped him on the other shoulder, "I tell you man, get out now while You still can!"

Chakotay snickered, "It looks like he may be dead soon," he indicated the dangerous glare on Kate's face, "Feel up to taking on an older woman? Yours may not be willing, but I figure that one won't object to trading in her dunce for a younger model."

Kathryn smiled sweetly at her, "Just think, that one is still trainable."

Chak glanced at his Kathryn, then the others, and shook his head, "Hell no, I like mine just the way she is. She's at least half-way trainable." He pointed at the older versions, "I wouldn't stand a chance against one of them, they know too many secrets."

Chakotay snickered, "That's one way of putting it."

Kat stepped forward from the back of the room and stood next to her mother, "You know mom, counting me and Kadi, there's actually seven of us. I'd say that outnumbers the dunces almost 2 to 1."

Kathryn's brow arched, "Speaking of which, where is your sister?"

Kat smiled wickedly, "She should be arriving right about---"

The doors swooshed open to admit her twin. Kadi marched in, unaware of the current situation and stopped cold in her tracks. Her eyes glanced around the room then went wide. Her hands flew up, grabbing her head and she exclaimed loudly, "Holy shit, there's four of them!"

"You didn't warn her?" Hope slapped Kat across the back of her head, "That's just cruel."

Ryn's father was laughing openly while her mother tried to maintain a straight face. Kathy however was finally the one who stepped forward, a stern expression on her face, though it didn't reach her twinkling eyes. "Could we get this meeting under way now?"

Katie shook her head and glanced at Kathryn and Kate and whistled softly, "Aww the old days, protocol, regulations, and nacelles sticking out our ears."

Again Ryn's mouth dropped open, "Mot--Captain!"

Kathryn and Kate snickered, then the latter added, "Yes, those were the days weren't they. Long nights, lots of coffee, loads of work."

"And no sex." The three of them said together, all shaking their heads sadly in the direction of their younger counterpart.

Katie shook her head again, "Maybe we should get to work," she pointed to their collective daughters, "Not only are we scaring the young ones, but reminiscing is starting to depress me."

The Captain tilted her head to the left, "You're probably right, what do you think?" She glanced at Kate.

Kate nodded, "Probably, much more of this and even the husbands will be confused."

Katie's brow shot up, "They're not already?"

Snickering, Hope put an arm around Ryn's shoulders, "See your mom isn't all that bad after all. Give it a few more days and mine will have her so corrupted you won't even know her anymore."

Ryn and her father exchanged a look, "She's corrupt enough thank you very much."

From the table young Kathy sighed, "May we please get to work now? The rest of you may be free to cut up and joke around but I for one have a ship that I need to get back to its own time frame."

Chak shook his head sadly and glanced at his older counterparts, "I might have to take you up on that offer after all..." At his Kathryn's glare he paled, "Or not." Then cleared his throat, "Yes work sounds good, lets get to work."

The older Kathryn's rolled their eyes but took their seats, waiting until everyone in the room had followed suit. "Alright," the captain began, "this is what we've got. According to the sensors the third Voyager was pulled in approximately 2.8 seconds after the first rift opened. Other readings show that we were able to open at least 11 other rifts, including what we believe to have been a rift for your time frame." She nodded toward Kathy and Chak. "However it didn't last long enough to be detected, nor was it large enough to guide a ship through." She turned to Katie and her first officer, "We've been trying to devise a way to get our guests home, that will now also include you. Ryn can provide you with a report on everything that we've learned, along with the suggestions we've come up with. What we need to do now is figure out a way to perfect our plan. Perhaps your crew will have some insight on that." She looked around the room again, "This meeting will adjourn to allow our new arrivals to brief their crew, and come up with suggestions of their own. We'll reconvene in about..." She looked at her husband, "Seven hours, at which point I expect us to have a solution. All three ships' energy has been depleted, we'll try again tomorrow morning, dismissed."

Tay glanced across Chak at Chakotay, "You know it's kind of sexy the way she does that."

Chakotay grinned lecherously, "Isn't it?"

"You have no idea," Chak sighed almost wistfully while the others chuckled.

"Ryn," her father caught her arm and pulled her into a corner of the conference room, "We were worried."

She softened at the concern in his eyes, "I know, I'm sorry, but they needed me." She stiffened again when her mother joined them, "Captain."

She started to reach for her daughter, but as usual held back. "The Hope is here as well. I'm sure you're crew would like to see that you're alright."

The meaning in her words was not lost on Ryn, "I'll beam over immediately."

Standing toward the head of the conference room Kathryn exchanged a look with Kate. "What do you make of that?"

Kate crossed her arms, "They both need a good spanking. Hope was right, they're more like crewman and Captain than mother and daughter." The two exchanged a look, "You want to have a talk with her or shall I?"

Kathryn flashed her a crooked grin, "You go first, if it doesn't work I'll slap some sense into her."

"Works for me."

At the table their husbands exchanged worried looks, "They're plotting..."

Chakotay nodded slowly, "I'll put Tuvok and sickbay on full alert."

"Why does this frighten me?" Tay shared a look with his counterpart.
"Because alone they're evil, troublesome, and stubborn enough to put a Klingon to shame... and now there's two of them?"

"Oh yeah, that's it. Damn... I think I need a drink."

Chakotay slapped him on the back, "Come on, I'll even buy!" On their way out the door they snagged their young counterpart.

~~~~~

An hour later Ryn breathed a deep sigh as she materialized aboard her own ship. She looked around the transporter room of The Hope and felt a sense of security wash over her at the familiarity of the small transporter room. Then her lips curved upward into a slight smile at the sight of the handsome, tall man in red and black standing at the transporter controls. She couldn't help herself, she glanced back at her sisters, "Ladies, meet Dare." She stepped down off the transporter padd and into his waiting arms, indulging for a few moments in the feel of his strong arms around here. When she pulled back she saw the concern and questions in his eyes, her own look promising him an explanation later. He nodded in understanding and she stepped back, only to laugh at young Kadi's purr.

Kadi sighed. "Oh my goodness... I can't wait to see Tom in a few years, especially if he's built like that."

Kat nodded, "*I* can't wait to see Tommy in a few years if he's built like that. Damn girl, I don't share, but I might have to consider trading Harry in for one of those!"

Hope snickered, "You two are so bad."

Ryn sighed as she let the sound and feel of her ship sink in, it wasn't enough to heal, but it did feel good to be back on her ship, in essence her baby. She and Dare led them into turbo lift she squeezed up against the back to make room for everyone. "Bridge," she called when they were all inside. "She's a bit small, but we like her."

"How many people do you have on board?" Kat was already noticing the similarities in the circuitry.

"We usually try to keep a compliment of 40 on board, the senior officers live aboard the

Hope, most everyone else cycles out between here and Voyager."

Hope grinned and nodded, "Yeah, gives everyone a turn on the mother ship."

Kadi giggled and filed out of the turbo lift when the doors opened. She scanned the bridge, noting similarities, and differences. It was much smaller than Voyager's, but then, everything about the Hope was smaller than Voyager.

"Well look who's back from saving the galaxy." Kat turned at the sound of an all too familiar cocky voice, and her jaw dropped half way to engineering.

Ryn's brow shot into her hairline, "Look whose back from warming the brig, how was it Owen? Bet you just can't wait to go back."

Owen rolled his eyes and sauntered over to Kadi, "You're cute..."

Kat recovered herself and snorted, "Well its settled, Paris' are all pigs."

Hope chuckled, "How could you tell?"

"He looks like mine, only blonder."

Kadi snickered, "Well he acts just like it too."

Owen looked wounded, "Janeways, they're all the same. Never give a guy a chance."

Kat snorted, "Trust me, I give mine more chances than he's worth."

"Ryn," a voice sounded from behind them, "You scared us."

Kat turned around and looked up, and kept right on looking. "Jonah? Damn boy what the hell happened to you? Did Lanna poor miracle grow down your throat again? I swear I keep telling that girl it won't work, once IT's there, it won't get much bigger."

Kadi shook her head, "TMI Kat, T-M-I!"

She blinked, "You're not Jonah."

The young man shook his head, "I'm afraid not."

Ryn smiled, "Hope, Kat, Kadi, this is my baby brother, Kol."

Hope just shook her head, "Wait til mom and dad get a load of this bunch."

"YOU!" A dark headed woman tore out of the turbo lift and stalked toward the group, her eyes fixated on Ryn. She was rigid and ready for a fight. "Sickbay, now, no arguments."

Kat and Kadi looked at each other, then the first pointed at Hope and the new arrival.

"Look! There are two of them!"

Ryn smiled in spite of her sister’s order, "And this would be my younger sister Phoebe, I'm sure the youngest is around here somewhere, that would be Kes."

Hope grinned and stuck out a hand, "So you're the pest I've heard so much about. She speaks... well she speaks of you. I'm Hope, this is Kat, and the nice quiet one is Kadi."

Kat blinked, "Hey!"

Phoebe barely nodded to acknowledge the greeting. Her attention was focused on her sister. “Go!”

A soft sigh echoed through the bridge as everyone got silent. Hope watched as Ryn’s eyes closed at her sister’s demand. Her shoulders drooped and a weary hand swiped over her face. When her eyes opened again, Ryn shrugged and nodded. “Fine Phoebe. You’ve got five minutes.” With a quick smile of apology, she left the bridge heading for the small sickbay.

The girls followed for the hell of it. Phoebe on the other hand stood floundering in uncertainty. She glanced at Hope. “She’s more screwed up than I thought. I was expecting more of a fight damnit.”

Hope patted her on the shoulder. “I’m not sure she has a whole lot of fight right now.”

The younger woman glanced at Hope a moment and then glanced back at her sister. “Who am I going to kill?”

Hope gave her a sad smile. “My husband already took care of it.”

Phoebe studied her for a long moment and saw something she wasn’t certain she wanted to pursue. She let the thoughts run through her head for a moment before nodding. “Good!” she said, emphatically.

As they entered the small sickbay, Ryn climbed up on the bio-bed. “Make it quick Phoebes, I’ve got things to do.”

Phoebe snatched up her medical tricorder. “Smart ass,” she exclaimed, without any real heat. Hope and the twins exchanged grins as they realized it was more of a sisterly camaraderie than either of sisters realized.

Ryn caught Phoebe’s hand as she began the scans. “This is between us Phoebes. Do you understand me?”

The girl’s eyes darkened with anger as she pulled away. “It’s always between us Ryn, it always has been. The only information that has ever been shared has been with Doc. I’m hurt that you could even doubt me.”

Ryn released her sister’s arm but not her gaze. “This time it’s a little different.” She paused a moment. “In fact, it would probably be better if you contacted their Doctor,” she motioned to Kat and Kadi, “and got with Doc. I can already tell you there is some depletion of neural energy and it may get worse. I need you to bump heads with the docs and see if you guys can come up with any options for renewal.” she glanced at Hope and noted her frown. “Just in case.”

Phoebe glanced around at the other women and noted various frustrated expressions. She locked eyes with Ryn once more. “Why do I have the feeling this situation is really going to piss me off?”

Ryn shrugged, trying to inject a note of humor. “Because I wouldn’t be doing my job otherwise.”

“Ryn...” She was interrupted as the door to sickbay opened and in walked another young woman, identical to Hope. The girls liked her instantly. She had a soft, shy smile she flashed to all in the room as she entered. In her arms she held a little dark haired angel, snuggled under her chin

Ryn slid off the bio-bed to embrace the young woman. “Everyone, this is my sister Kes.” Her hand brushed lightly over the hair of the snoozing child. “And this is my daughter, Kaelynn. Kes, this is Hope, Kat and Kadi, our sisters.”

Hope noticed the maternal gleam of pride as Ryn watched the sleeping child. Kes murmured a soft “hello,” before turning back to her sister. “She hasn’t been feeling well. She’s teething again. I was walking with her to get her to settle down when Dare told me you were back. I thought you’d want to see them, but she fell asleep on me, finally.”

Ryn smiled, her hand sliding across the silky baby hair again. “I’m glad you brought her by.”

She glanced around and Kes chuckled. “She took off out the door as soon as Dare came in. He went after her and said he’d meet us here. He knew Phoebe had sent you here, but we checked to make sure before we came.”

Ryn chuckled. About that time the door opened again. This time it was Dare, with his hand wrapped securely around that of an energetic redheaded toddler. The little girl saw her mother and tried to run as fast as her chubby little legs would go. Dare released her and the child scampered forward, plowing into her mother and throwing her little arms around her knees. Ryn stooped and scooped the child up, lifting her high over her head before cradling her close. Her eyes glimmered with tears as the child lifted her face and patted her mother’s cheeks. And impatient “ki” followed by an exaggerated puckering of her lips filled everyone in as to what the child wanted. Ryn obliged, cuddling the child close and following the first kiss with a series of smacking kisses and raspberries. The child giggled with glee, trying to repeat the gestures. Finally satisfied the little girl gave an imperious “dow” to which her mother shook her head and placed the child on the floor. Ryn glanced at her sisters and smiled at the looks of shock they all were showing. She grinned wryly. “I guess I finally learned something after all.” At their chuckles, she scooped the giggling child up and handed her to Hope. “My daughter, Aerynn.”

Kat glanced at the children and then at her twin. “I think I want one.”

Ryn and Hope shared a look. “There’s time.”

Kat thought about it a minute and chuckled. “Yup, I can wait. After all I haven’t gotten Harry completely trained yet. He still has some rough edges that need polishing.”

Kadi chuckled and nudged her sister. “I thought you like his rough edges.”

Kat blushed and grinned. “Uh huh. And I think its time we finished our tour.”

Ryn nodded. As she gestured them to the door, Hope reluctantly passed Aerynn to her father. She reached up and patted Dare’s cheek. “Ya did good handsome.” With a wink she followed the others out the door.

~~~~~~

Part 4