fic: All In A Weeks Day 3/5 [PG-13] Hl/Voy xover (prompt: trust)
Title: All In A Weeks Day
Author: Aeron Lanart
Genre: Highlander/Star Trek: Voyager crossover
Rating: PG-13 but does contain a references to a multiple relationship so if such things offend, don't read!
Warnings/Spoilers: AU for both Highlander and Voyager. No warnings/Spoilers otherwise.
Disclaimer: Trekstuff is owned by Paramount/Viacom. Highlander stuff is owned by Davis/Panzer productions
Marahet the immortal belongs to Alis, this is a companion piece to her story 'A Sense of Immortality'
Title from the song of the same name by A Wedding Anniversary.
OCC prompt = Trust
Part 3
Marahet was woken by the chime at her door. Still dazed by her unfamiliar surroundings, she blearily stumbled from her bed yelling,
"Come in!" Then she walked into the desk with a yelp. The door opened to reveal Siannon and a considerable amount of light, which cut off as soon as the door closed.
“That hurt!” Marahet complained, shielding her eyes.
"Lights 25%." Siannon grinned at the sight of Marahet rubbing her shins, and then remembered why she was there. "I thought you may want some lunch. There are also some more people I'd like you to meet."
"More... wait a minute... You said *lunch*. What time is it?"
"About 12:30. Hey, after a day like yesterday you needed your sleep. And that's the stand your MO is going to take." Marahet was still half asleep.
"My MO?"
"Medical Officer. In other words, me - as I'm the resident expert on Immortals, or so the Doc informs me."
"Oh. Now what?"
"You go wake up, and I'll convince the replicator to make some proper coffee."
Fifteen minutes later, dressed in jeans and t-shirt, Marahet was ready to go. She had worried about the informality of her attire when she'd been confronted with uniforms at every turn the previous day, until she was told to stop worrying by Siannon.
"We do have off-duty clothes you know. I couldn't stand wearing this..." she gave her uniform a disparaging tug, "all the damn time. It'd drive me absolutely nuts!" Accepting no other protests, Siannon dragged Marahet off to the mess hall.
Marahet found herself almost welcoming Neelix's bizarre appearance as he was a point of reference - no matter how odd - in the otherwise strange world of a 24th century Starship. She let Siannon make the selections for their meal, not wanting to chance her taste buds on choice by sight alone. She surprised herself by almost inhaling her food, despite its slightly peculiar taste. There was a muffled chuckle from the opposite side of the table.
"You obviously *did* want your lunch," Siannon commented.
"Mmph," agreed Marahet through the last mouthful of her dessert. "Obviously." After a few minutes of companionable silence Marahet broached one of the subjects that had been nagging at her, and the one she felt Siannon would prefer *not* to discuss in front of her bond-mates.
"I know I probably shouldn't ask this... but why was it such a shock when you heard about me being married to Methos?" Siannon refused to meet Marahet's eyes mumbling,
"You don't want to know." Marahet sighed. It was going to be one of *those* conversations, apparently, despite Siannon's seemingly easy-going nature.
"No, I *do* want to know. Don't you think being married to the man for five thousand years gives me the right?"
"Er... Well." Siannon continued to stare determinedly at the table to avoid Marahet's piercing blue gaze.
"Siannon?" The Irish woman suddenly looked up.
"Have you ever had something mean a hell of a lot to you without you realising it, only to find out it was worth nothing?"
"What?" Marahet was puzzled at the nature of the sudden question.
"Never mind, it doesn't matter now. Methos though..." She gave Marahet a crooked smile. "This could take some explaining..." Marahet shrugged.
"Why am I not surprised? I'm not going anywhere so explain away..."
"This seems unfair in a way. I've been friends with Methos a long time, and he isn't here to give his side of the story - true or not." Marahet grinned in the privacy of her mind, Siannon evidently knew some of Methos' failings. She herself knew about many more.
"Friends, hmmm. *Good* friends?" She asked innocently. Siannon grinned.
"Kind of. I first met him in Athens about... ooh 700 I think. I was lonely and tired and sick of immortality, fed up with watching too many friends die. Methos stopped me from feeling
sorry for myself. After a few weeks we went our separate ways, but met up with each other from time to time to trade drinks and stories. Then I didn't see him for ages; I thought he'd been killed."
She shook her head with a rueful smile. "I should have known better of course..." Marahet could quite easily see Methos enjoying Siannon's company. Her down to earth attitude to life, the universe and everything would have appealed to him, as would her appreciation of the brewer’s art.
"Next time we met, I found him. This time *he* was the one who was sick of it all. Something had obviously happened that affected him deeply, but I never asked. I think he was grateful for that. In no time at all we got used to being around each other. Weeks became months; months became years. I even took him home, to Ireland..." She chuckled. "They were good years." The green eyes were focused far away in time and space. Marahet jolted Siannon out of her pleasurable reminiscent haze.
"And...? Is this anything to with what I don't want to know?"
"Actually, yes. Tell me; do you know much about old Celtic customs?"
"Enough."
"Enough to have heard of Brehon Law?"
"Brehon Law...." Marahet broke off as the significance of what Siannon was *not* saying finally hit her, put two and two together, and actually came out with an answer that approximated four. "You mean you and Methos were *married*?" She felt a twinge of something unpleasant that she did not care to identify.
"A Brehon marriage, yes. We aren't any more. It was over more than six hundred years ago."
"How long?"
"Twenty seven years."
"Twenty seven years? ...ah... three times three times three." Siannon nodded in confirmation." I can see why finding out he'd been married to me for 5000 years would be a shock. But why...?"
Marahet broke off almost guiltily, cleared her throat.
"Did I over react?"
"Well, if you want to put it like that, yes." Siannon brushed a few stray hairs off her face, and conveniently managed to avoid Marahet's eyes again.
"Remember what I said about having something mean a hell of a lot to you without you realising it?"
"Only to find out it was worth nothing..." Marahet had a sudden urge to strangle her husband. More than once, for good measure. "What happened?" Strangely enough, she found she really did want to know, the words were not just the platitude they so easily could have been.
"You. Oh I knew Methos had been married before - sixty times I *think* he said - but he'd always led me to believe that he'd never married, or even thought of marrying, another Immortal. Even in a fixed term contract. It meant something to me on a level I was never even aware existed before you told me. And I...I. Well, you saw." Marahet reached out to touch Siannon's hand gently.
"Yes, I saw. And I saw how you hated yourself for it. It's also why you shut the others out, I suppose." Siannon said nothing in reply but nodded tiredly, managing to look every one of her 2000 years for a second or two. For once, she didn't feel the need to explain knowing Marahet was the one person who would more than likely understand her better than she did herself. Marahet smiled a little. "I think we can safely put all this behind us," she said, "Our lives are going to be complicated enough as it is, I'm sure." Siannon let out an explosive sigh of relief, thankful to have been let off the hook so easily.
"You can say that again. Nothing is *ever* simple when Q is involved." She rubbed her eyes before looking back at Marahet with a faint smile. "So, what do you want to do today? I'm off duty this afternoon so I can give you the full guided tour. Harry did the same for me when I first arrived years ago. Or if you're not up to that there's always work for me to do in the lab if you want to keep me company. At the moment Tuvok still isn't convinced you don't mean us harm, intentional or otherwise, although he and the Captain have decided it's safe for the rest of the ship to know you're here now; added to the fact that not one of the crew trusts Q and that means you're stuck with one of us if you want to go anywhere, or Neelix if none of us is free. Tuvok will soon get used to the idea of another Immortal around the place, especially if we behave ourselves, and then you'll be free to come and go as you wish."
"I think I'll go for the tour. All of this..." she waved a hand round the mess hall "is just completely fascinating."
"Right then, we'd best get going as there's a hell of a lot to see, even on a ship this size." Siannon grinned as she picked up their trays to dispose of them. "This tour'll be different from the one I had. Voyager's changed a great deal in the last nine years. For the better, I think... but then, I suppose I would."
Q lost interest at that point. He already knew the ship better than any mortal or immortal in its crew, and he didn't want *another* tour. He was very pleased with the information he'd gathered from his eavesdropping, though of course he didn't think of it as eavesdropping.
"Married to Methos, hmmm? You kept that one quiet didn't you, Siannon O' Niall?" He chuckled to himself. "This gets more interesting all the time. Now I wonder when those two will finally realise...." Again he chuckled as he disappeared to oversee something else worthy of interest to a Q.
Neelix popped his head above the counter.
"Did someone call me?" He noticed that the mess hall was now empty. "Hearing things again, I suppose. Hmph." He went back to his pots and pans in disgust.
Marahet's head was in a whirl. So many people, so much technology, and most alien of all was everyone's easy assumption that this level of technology was normal. To them, maybe, but she was a twentieth century girl... or more accurately a Bronze Age girl. An immortal had to get used to new technology or die, and Marahet had done that from things as simple as the stirrup and iron tools to steam power and computers; but it was something that had happened gradually. This sudden immersion into technology hundreds of years more advanced than anything she had ever seen was unnerving to say the least. She heard a muffled chuckle from the woman beside her, and turned to glare at her.
"I'm sorry..." Siannon had the grace to sound at least a little contrite, "But I wish you could see your face. I forget how strange everything must be to you, landing right in the middle of all this. I mean, I've lived through the last 400 years and it still surprises *me* sometimes." Marahet shrugged.
"I'll live. I may even get used to all this... one day." Siannon grinned at her.
"Maybe. Still, I bet I know *exactly* how to distract you..." She guided the older immortal through more almost identical corridors before pausing at a particular door. She glanced at a nearby chronometer. "Bang on time, too." Siannon keyed the door release, and waved Marahet to precede her.
Marahet did not know what to expect, but it certainly wasn't to be bombarded by children. As soon as she recovered from the shock she realised that there were only a few of them, and that they were more interested in Siannon than her. An older child, with *spikes* on her head, quietened the little ones down into some semblance of order, smiling gravely at Marahet.
"Hello, I'm Naomi Wildman. You must be Marahet." Naomi reached over to shake Marahet by the hand.
"Yes, I'm Marahet. But..." Siannon chuckled from where she was settling children down around herself.
"Naomi's mother Samantha is running this place today and we decided that even Tuvok couldn't think of you as a threat if the kids took to you. It was Naomi's idea actually. And a good one, I think." Naomi beamed at the two immortals. Marahet looked down as a small hand tugged on her clothes.
"Story? Please?" The little boy had a mop of dark hair and a huge smile.
"I don't see why not. Siannon?"
"That's one of the reasons I came here - this bunch absolutely love stories. It sends them home in a better mood too. If you want to indulge them, feel free." Siannon smiled. "Now come sit down, Adam," she said to the boy who was still looking at Marahet with huge hopeful eyes. He did so - slowly. Marahet picked her way over to Siannon.
"One of the reasons?" She queried.
"This is the other one," announced a strange voice. A graceful blond woman had entered from another room, ushering in another small child before her. "I'm Samantha Wildman, by the way." The little girl ran to Siannon with a smile. Siannon dropped a quick kiss onto the child's forehead
"Hi sweetie," she said, before picking her up.
"And this is Miral, B'Elanna's daughter." Siannon glanced at the other children, "Are you ready for your story?" The answer was a series of affirmatives of various types. She smiled at Marahet,
"Your cue, I think." Marahet returned the smile; it was a long time since she'd sat down and told stories to little children. She began,
"A long time ago in a Galaxy far, far away...."
Marahet was surprised at how much she enjoyed the story telling, and was pleased that the children seemed to enjoy it too. Soon after she had finished other adults arrived to pick up their children, and Marahet had another round of meeting and greeting. Before long there was just her, Siannon, Samantha, Naomi, Miral and another little boy left.
"I thought the Captain wanted to keep down the number of people who knew I was here? First the tour, and now this. The whole ship will know I'm here." While Marahet was speaking the door opened behind her, unnoticed.
"The Captain also knows that you can't keep anything quiet for more than a few hours on this ship." Marahet whirled round to face Kathryn Janeway. "So what better than to make sure the people we want to know about you, know first?" She was met with silence, apart from the little boy who shrieked,
"Mummy!" And toddled over to Kathryn as fast as he could without falling over. She swept him up into her arms and kissed him hello.
"Has Edward behaved himself today?" She asked Samantha. Samantha grinned,
"Beautifully. It's as if he knew something was going on..."
"Nothing to do with me," said Kathryn. "Thanks Samantha, Naomi." She threw another smile at them all before sweeping out of the nursery.
Marahet looked at Miral nestled on Siannon's knee. Now she knew the child was B'Elanna's the faint shadow of ridges across the sleeping girls forehead was more obvious.
"She's beautiful, Siannon."
"Isn't she just. We all look after her, but even so we'd never manage without Samantha, Naomi and the others who run this place for us." Samantha looked embarrassed at the praise.
"We enjoy it." Naomi nodded her agreement.
"So? We still don't thank you enough. We really appreciate it, you know." Siannon grinned at them both. "And now I've got you a new story teller just to prove it!" They all chuckled at that, and then said their goodbyes. "Come on sleepyhead, time to go." She whispered to Miral, who woke instantly, still all eyes and looking at Marahet
"Is Miral who you wanted me to meet today?" Marahet asked as she and Siannon made their way back to her quarters.
"And Samantha and Naomi, yes. Naomi's the oldest Voyager child; she was born before I arrived. She takes her responsibilities for the other kids very seriously. If you ever feel at a loss for anything to do or anywhere to go, Samantha and Naomi will always appreciate your help and your company. Naomi loves Old Earth history, so she'll probably be giving you an inquisition before long - especially when her mother's on duty."
"I don't mind."
"That's obvious. You're almost as soft a touch as me - I love kids and I've always wished I could have a child. This is the closest I've ever come to having one of my own. We're an unusual family I suppose, but it seems to work. Now do you want to eat with us, or in the messhall?" Marahet grinned.
"If you don’t mind, I'd prefer to eat with you - I feel like my head is about to explode." Siannon chuckled,
"I can relate to that. Come on then."
Marahet couldn't stop herself from staring when she entered Siannon's quarters. While she had realised that the four of them shared, she hadn't thought about what that meant. It wasn't just the size, it was the general effect of the influence of four different personalities and cultures in one place. And it was completely different to the starkness she had come to expect on
Voyager.
"This is wonderful!" She exclaimed, with a smile. Siannon turned round with a grin as she set Miral down.
"And very un-Starfleet too. It's our refuge."
"I would have said eclectic," Marahet said as she glanced around, paying more attention to the decor, her eyes lingering for a minute on an empty part of the wall, with it's slightly paler sword-shaped shadow.
"And that too. But it was never going to be anything less than eclectic with a Latino half-Klingon, a Celt, an Asian American and a guy obsessed by 20th Century B-movies sharing." Marahet chuckled in agreement.
"You have a point."
"If you'll keep an eye on Miral, I'll go talk to the replicator. Any preferences?"
"For some reason I have a craving for ham and pineapple pizza."
"Pizza it is then, Tom will love you for ever. And salad." Miral reappeared with a book. "No more stories til after tea, sweetheart. You need to get washed up; Marahet will help you." Miral grabbed
Marahet by the hand and dragged her away.
B'Elanna arrived back before Tom and Harry for a change, and went to check that Miral wasn't tormenting Marahet; she came back in short order, grinning.
"Don't tell me, she got Marahet to read to her after all?"
"It's worse than that, Miral's telling her about Toby the targ."
They were still laughing when Tom and Harry breezed in. Tom made straight for the Pizza while Harry distributed kisses to all the ladies in his life, and Marahet for good measure. They managed to sit down to eat before Tom had snaffled more than one piece.
Marahet left a couple of hours later, having been inveigled into helping Miral with her bath, book and bed; Siannon with her as they walked back in companionable silence to Marahet's quarters.
Marahet threw herself onto the couch as soon as they'd walked through the door.
"Kids!" She exclaimed. Siannon grinned, and perched on the desk.
"Yup. And I bet you loved every minute..." Marahet grinned back.
"So sue me."
"Not a chance, lady. You're going to be our number one sitter from now on. Everyone with kids is going to be queuing up! Well, it'll give Samantha and Neelix a well-earned break."
"You really think so?"
"Just wait... I'm on duty tomorrow, do you want to come to sickbay with me, or shall I leave you with Neelix?"
"I think I'd be safer with the pots and pans."
"Neelix it is, then. By lunchtime you'll have a complete dossier on the entire staff, including the kids. I hope you don't mind."
"Not in the slightest."
"Tomorrow then? Eight O'Clock?"
"Sure." They shared a last smile, and Siannon breezed out.
//Eight o'clock? I'm a lunatic!// Marahet shook her head. Still, a morning with Neelix, even that early, was infinitely preferable to a morning in sickbay. She settled down for an early night, asking the computer for a selection of music; but as she relaxed toward sleep she couldn't help but wonder about her own world and why it seemed so far away and dreamlike.
Much to her surprise, Marahet enjoyed her time with Neelix the next morning to the extent that volunteered to stay and help in the afternoon too. She'd also learned a lot more about the workings of the ship than she would have thought possible. People talked to Neelix, even if it was just a few words in passing, so he generally knew everything that was going on and what the current mood of the ship was without stirring from his domain in the messhall.
The evening meal that day was taken in the messhall, made a little bit special by a surprise dessert that Neelix had whipped up in honour of Marahet 'the best kitchen assistant, ever'. When they were ready to leave, Marahet found herself collared by Siannon.
"I've something else to show you, and there's no time like the present." She said cryptically. Siannon led her to the holodeck, and busied herself at the console for a few minutes, before glancing at Marahet with a smile. "Go on, I'll be right there."
Marahet walked through the metal doors to find herself home. Or home from home anyway, a place Methos and Richie had both loved and that she had come to love too, and certainly not something that she had expected to see on a 24th century starship. Even the smell was right. She walked in, and sat at her usual table even though the place was empty. Siannon followed her, and pulled up a chair.
"Well?"
"It's perfect. All it's missing is the people and the music."
"I can remedy that if you want..."
"Just the music, please." A few soft voiced commands later, and Marahet was relaxing to the sound of The Blues. Siannon smiled gently at her, a little sadly.
"I have holograms of them all, Methos, Richie, Joe, Duncan - even Mike! But I rarely use them. Joe sometimes, now it's not so painful - a few centuries makes a lot of difference. But the others... losing them is still too recent. We used to use this holoprogram back home, to remind us of 'old times'. This is even their table..."
"And was back in the 20th century too. God and Goddess, I miss them. The worst thing is sitting here, knowing that Joe is dead. It's kind of obscene in a way. No, don't change it." She captured Siannon's hand. "It's still comforting to be here."
"I hoped it might be. I've set you up for full access to the program, just ask for Marahet 1. I've set it up empty, but if you change your mind, tell the computer. I come here and play the blues with Joe sometimes; it helps when things aren't going so well."
"Would you play for me? Just a little?" Siannon's answer was a smile, as she pushed her chair back. She asked for her guitar, and one materialised in her hands. Slowly she began to play. Marahet closed her eyes and let the music take her to another time, in a place so very similar. She could almost feel the presence of Methos and Richie beside her, and her heart knew a jolt of disappointment to find then still absent when the music finished.
"Shall we go now?" Siannon asked softly. Marahet nodded, not
trusting herself to speak right at that moment. "You can come here anytime, as long as someone is with you. Though I think that it won't be long until Tuvok gives his approval for you to come and go freely." Siannon waved Marahet to precede her from the holodeck as she ended the program.
Author: Aeron Lanart
Genre: Highlander/Star Trek: Voyager crossover
Rating: PG-13 but does contain a references to a multiple relationship so if such things offend, don't read!
Warnings/Spoilers: AU for both Highlander and Voyager. No warnings/Spoilers otherwise.
Disclaimer: Trekstuff is owned by Paramount/Viacom. Highlander stuff is owned by Davis/Panzer productions
Marahet the immortal belongs to Alis, this is a companion piece to her story 'A Sense of Immortality'
Title from the song of the same name by A Wedding Anniversary.
OCC prompt = Trust
Part 3
Marahet was woken by the chime at her door. Still dazed by her unfamiliar surroundings, she blearily stumbled from her bed yelling,
"Come in!" Then she walked into the desk with a yelp. The door opened to reveal Siannon and a considerable amount of light, which cut off as soon as the door closed.
“That hurt!” Marahet complained, shielding her eyes.
"Lights 25%." Siannon grinned at the sight of Marahet rubbing her shins, and then remembered why she was there. "I thought you may want some lunch. There are also some more people I'd like you to meet."
"More... wait a minute... You said *lunch*. What time is it?"
"About 12:30. Hey, after a day like yesterday you needed your sleep. And that's the stand your MO is going to take." Marahet was still half asleep.
"My MO?"
"Medical Officer. In other words, me - as I'm the resident expert on Immortals, or so the Doc informs me."
"Oh. Now what?"
"You go wake up, and I'll convince the replicator to make some proper coffee."
Fifteen minutes later, dressed in jeans and t-shirt, Marahet was ready to go. She had worried about the informality of her attire when she'd been confronted with uniforms at every turn the previous day, until she was told to stop worrying by Siannon.
"We do have off-duty clothes you know. I couldn't stand wearing this..." she gave her uniform a disparaging tug, "all the damn time. It'd drive me absolutely nuts!" Accepting no other protests, Siannon dragged Marahet off to the mess hall.
Marahet found herself almost welcoming Neelix's bizarre appearance as he was a point of reference - no matter how odd - in the otherwise strange world of a 24th century Starship. She let Siannon make the selections for their meal, not wanting to chance her taste buds on choice by sight alone. She surprised herself by almost inhaling her food, despite its slightly peculiar taste. There was a muffled chuckle from the opposite side of the table.
"You obviously *did* want your lunch," Siannon commented.
"Mmph," agreed Marahet through the last mouthful of her dessert. "Obviously." After a few minutes of companionable silence Marahet broached one of the subjects that had been nagging at her, and the one she felt Siannon would prefer *not* to discuss in front of her bond-mates.
"I know I probably shouldn't ask this... but why was it such a shock when you heard about me being married to Methos?" Siannon refused to meet Marahet's eyes mumbling,
"You don't want to know." Marahet sighed. It was going to be one of *those* conversations, apparently, despite Siannon's seemingly easy-going nature.
"No, I *do* want to know. Don't you think being married to the man for five thousand years gives me the right?"
"Er... Well." Siannon continued to stare determinedly at the table to avoid Marahet's piercing blue gaze.
"Siannon?" The Irish woman suddenly looked up.
"Have you ever had something mean a hell of a lot to you without you realising it, only to find out it was worth nothing?"
"What?" Marahet was puzzled at the nature of the sudden question.
"Never mind, it doesn't matter now. Methos though..." She gave Marahet a crooked smile. "This could take some explaining..." Marahet shrugged.
"Why am I not surprised? I'm not going anywhere so explain away..."
"This seems unfair in a way. I've been friends with Methos a long time, and he isn't here to give his side of the story - true or not." Marahet grinned in the privacy of her mind, Siannon evidently knew some of Methos' failings. She herself knew about many more.
"Friends, hmmm. *Good* friends?" She asked innocently. Siannon grinned.
"Kind of. I first met him in Athens about... ooh 700 I think. I was lonely and tired and sick of immortality, fed up with watching too many friends die. Methos stopped me from feeling
sorry for myself. After a few weeks we went our separate ways, but met up with each other from time to time to trade drinks and stories. Then I didn't see him for ages; I thought he'd been killed."
She shook her head with a rueful smile. "I should have known better of course..." Marahet could quite easily see Methos enjoying Siannon's company. Her down to earth attitude to life, the universe and everything would have appealed to him, as would her appreciation of the brewer’s art.
"Next time we met, I found him. This time *he* was the one who was sick of it all. Something had obviously happened that affected him deeply, but I never asked. I think he was grateful for that. In no time at all we got used to being around each other. Weeks became months; months became years. I even took him home, to Ireland..." She chuckled. "They were good years." The green eyes were focused far away in time and space. Marahet jolted Siannon out of her pleasurable reminiscent haze.
"And...? Is this anything to with what I don't want to know?"
"Actually, yes. Tell me; do you know much about old Celtic customs?"
"Enough."
"Enough to have heard of Brehon Law?"
"Brehon Law...." Marahet broke off as the significance of what Siannon was *not* saying finally hit her, put two and two together, and actually came out with an answer that approximated four. "You mean you and Methos were *married*?" She felt a twinge of something unpleasant that she did not care to identify.
"A Brehon marriage, yes. We aren't any more. It was over more than six hundred years ago."
"How long?"
"Twenty seven years."
"Twenty seven years? ...ah... three times three times three." Siannon nodded in confirmation." I can see why finding out he'd been married to me for 5000 years would be a shock. But why...?"
Marahet broke off almost guiltily, cleared her throat.
"Did I over react?"
"Well, if you want to put it like that, yes." Siannon brushed a few stray hairs off her face, and conveniently managed to avoid Marahet's eyes again.
"Remember what I said about having something mean a hell of a lot to you without you realising it?"
"Only to find out it was worth nothing..." Marahet had a sudden urge to strangle her husband. More than once, for good measure. "What happened?" Strangely enough, she found she really did want to know, the words were not just the platitude they so easily could have been.
"You. Oh I knew Methos had been married before - sixty times I *think* he said - but he'd always led me to believe that he'd never married, or even thought of marrying, another Immortal. Even in a fixed term contract. It meant something to me on a level I was never even aware existed before you told me. And I...I. Well, you saw." Marahet reached out to touch Siannon's hand gently.
"Yes, I saw. And I saw how you hated yourself for it. It's also why you shut the others out, I suppose." Siannon said nothing in reply but nodded tiredly, managing to look every one of her 2000 years for a second or two. For once, she didn't feel the need to explain knowing Marahet was the one person who would more than likely understand her better than she did herself. Marahet smiled a little. "I think we can safely put all this behind us," she said, "Our lives are going to be complicated enough as it is, I'm sure." Siannon let out an explosive sigh of relief, thankful to have been let off the hook so easily.
"You can say that again. Nothing is *ever* simple when Q is involved." She rubbed her eyes before looking back at Marahet with a faint smile. "So, what do you want to do today? I'm off duty this afternoon so I can give you the full guided tour. Harry did the same for me when I first arrived years ago. Or if you're not up to that there's always work for me to do in the lab if you want to keep me company. At the moment Tuvok still isn't convinced you don't mean us harm, intentional or otherwise, although he and the Captain have decided it's safe for the rest of the ship to know you're here now; added to the fact that not one of the crew trusts Q and that means you're stuck with one of us if you want to go anywhere, or Neelix if none of us is free. Tuvok will soon get used to the idea of another Immortal around the place, especially if we behave ourselves, and then you'll be free to come and go as you wish."
"I think I'll go for the tour. All of this..." she waved a hand round the mess hall "is just completely fascinating."
"Right then, we'd best get going as there's a hell of a lot to see, even on a ship this size." Siannon grinned as she picked up their trays to dispose of them. "This tour'll be different from the one I had. Voyager's changed a great deal in the last nine years. For the better, I think... but then, I suppose I would."
Q lost interest at that point. He already knew the ship better than any mortal or immortal in its crew, and he didn't want *another* tour. He was very pleased with the information he'd gathered from his eavesdropping, though of course he didn't think of it as eavesdropping.
"Married to Methos, hmmm? You kept that one quiet didn't you, Siannon O' Niall?" He chuckled to himself. "This gets more interesting all the time. Now I wonder when those two will finally realise...." Again he chuckled as he disappeared to oversee something else worthy of interest to a Q.
Neelix popped his head above the counter.
"Did someone call me?" He noticed that the mess hall was now empty. "Hearing things again, I suppose. Hmph." He went back to his pots and pans in disgust.
Marahet's head was in a whirl. So many people, so much technology, and most alien of all was everyone's easy assumption that this level of technology was normal. To them, maybe, but she was a twentieth century girl... or more accurately a Bronze Age girl. An immortal had to get used to new technology or die, and Marahet had done that from things as simple as the stirrup and iron tools to steam power and computers; but it was something that had happened gradually. This sudden immersion into technology hundreds of years more advanced than anything she had ever seen was unnerving to say the least. She heard a muffled chuckle from the woman beside her, and turned to glare at her.
"I'm sorry..." Siannon had the grace to sound at least a little contrite, "But I wish you could see your face. I forget how strange everything must be to you, landing right in the middle of all this. I mean, I've lived through the last 400 years and it still surprises *me* sometimes." Marahet shrugged.
"I'll live. I may even get used to all this... one day." Siannon grinned at her.
"Maybe. Still, I bet I know *exactly* how to distract you..." She guided the older immortal through more almost identical corridors before pausing at a particular door. She glanced at a nearby chronometer. "Bang on time, too." Siannon keyed the door release, and waved Marahet to precede her.
Marahet did not know what to expect, but it certainly wasn't to be bombarded by children. As soon as she recovered from the shock she realised that there were only a few of them, and that they were more interested in Siannon than her. An older child, with *spikes* on her head, quietened the little ones down into some semblance of order, smiling gravely at Marahet.
"Hello, I'm Naomi Wildman. You must be Marahet." Naomi reached over to shake Marahet by the hand.
"Yes, I'm Marahet. But..." Siannon chuckled from where she was settling children down around herself.
"Naomi's mother Samantha is running this place today and we decided that even Tuvok couldn't think of you as a threat if the kids took to you. It was Naomi's idea actually. And a good one, I think." Naomi beamed at the two immortals. Marahet looked down as a small hand tugged on her clothes.
"Story? Please?" The little boy had a mop of dark hair and a huge smile.
"I don't see why not. Siannon?"
"That's one of the reasons I came here - this bunch absolutely love stories. It sends them home in a better mood too. If you want to indulge them, feel free." Siannon smiled. "Now come sit down, Adam," she said to the boy who was still looking at Marahet with huge hopeful eyes. He did so - slowly. Marahet picked her way over to Siannon.
"One of the reasons?" She queried.
"This is the other one," announced a strange voice. A graceful blond woman had entered from another room, ushering in another small child before her. "I'm Samantha Wildman, by the way." The little girl ran to Siannon with a smile. Siannon dropped a quick kiss onto the child's forehead
"Hi sweetie," she said, before picking her up.
"And this is Miral, B'Elanna's daughter." Siannon glanced at the other children, "Are you ready for your story?" The answer was a series of affirmatives of various types. She smiled at Marahet,
"Your cue, I think." Marahet returned the smile; it was a long time since she'd sat down and told stories to little children. She began,
"A long time ago in a Galaxy far, far away...."
Marahet was surprised at how much she enjoyed the story telling, and was pleased that the children seemed to enjoy it too. Soon after she had finished other adults arrived to pick up their children, and Marahet had another round of meeting and greeting. Before long there was just her, Siannon, Samantha, Naomi, Miral and another little boy left.
"I thought the Captain wanted to keep down the number of people who knew I was here? First the tour, and now this. The whole ship will know I'm here." While Marahet was speaking the door opened behind her, unnoticed.
"The Captain also knows that you can't keep anything quiet for more than a few hours on this ship." Marahet whirled round to face Kathryn Janeway. "So what better than to make sure the people we want to know about you, know first?" She was met with silence, apart from the little boy who shrieked,
"Mummy!" And toddled over to Kathryn as fast as he could without falling over. She swept him up into her arms and kissed him hello.
"Has Edward behaved himself today?" She asked Samantha. Samantha grinned,
"Beautifully. It's as if he knew something was going on..."
"Nothing to do with me," said Kathryn. "Thanks Samantha, Naomi." She threw another smile at them all before sweeping out of the nursery.
Marahet looked at Miral nestled on Siannon's knee. Now she knew the child was B'Elanna's the faint shadow of ridges across the sleeping girls forehead was more obvious.
"She's beautiful, Siannon."
"Isn't she just. We all look after her, but even so we'd never manage without Samantha, Naomi and the others who run this place for us." Samantha looked embarrassed at the praise.
"We enjoy it." Naomi nodded her agreement.
"So? We still don't thank you enough. We really appreciate it, you know." Siannon grinned at them both. "And now I've got you a new story teller just to prove it!" They all chuckled at that, and then said their goodbyes. "Come on sleepyhead, time to go." She whispered to Miral, who woke instantly, still all eyes and looking at Marahet
"Is Miral who you wanted me to meet today?" Marahet asked as she and Siannon made their way back to her quarters.
"And Samantha and Naomi, yes. Naomi's the oldest Voyager child; she was born before I arrived. She takes her responsibilities for the other kids very seriously. If you ever feel at a loss for anything to do or anywhere to go, Samantha and Naomi will always appreciate your help and your company. Naomi loves Old Earth history, so she'll probably be giving you an inquisition before long - especially when her mother's on duty."
"I don't mind."
"That's obvious. You're almost as soft a touch as me - I love kids and I've always wished I could have a child. This is the closest I've ever come to having one of my own. We're an unusual family I suppose, but it seems to work. Now do you want to eat with us, or in the messhall?" Marahet grinned.
"If you don’t mind, I'd prefer to eat with you - I feel like my head is about to explode." Siannon chuckled,
"I can relate to that. Come on then."
Marahet couldn't stop herself from staring when she entered Siannon's quarters. While she had realised that the four of them shared, she hadn't thought about what that meant. It wasn't just the size, it was the general effect of the influence of four different personalities and cultures in one place. And it was completely different to the starkness she had come to expect on
Voyager.
"This is wonderful!" She exclaimed, with a smile. Siannon turned round with a grin as she set Miral down.
"And very un-Starfleet too. It's our refuge."
"I would have said eclectic," Marahet said as she glanced around, paying more attention to the decor, her eyes lingering for a minute on an empty part of the wall, with it's slightly paler sword-shaped shadow.
"And that too. But it was never going to be anything less than eclectic with a Latino half-Klingon, a Celt, an Asian American and a guy obsessed by 20th Century B-movies sharing." Marahet chuckled in agreement.
"You have a point."
"If you'll keep an eye on Miral, I'll go talk to the replicator. Any preferences?"
"For some reason I have a craving for ham and pineapple pizza."
"Pizza it is then, Tom will love you for ever. And salad." Miral reappeared with a book. "No more stories til after tea, sweetheart. You need to get washed up; Marahet will help you." Miral grabbed
Marahet by the hand and dragged her away.
B'Elanna arrived back before Tom and Harry for a change, and went to check that Miral wasn't tormenting Marahet; she came back in short order, grinning.
"Don't tell me, she got Marahet to read to her after all?"
"It's worse than that, Miral's telling her about Toby the targ."
They were still laughing when Tom and Harry breezed in. Tom made straight for the Pizza while Harry distributed kisses to all the ladies in his life, and Marahet for good measure. They managed to sit down to eat before Tom had snaffled more than one piece.
Marahet left a couple of hours later, having been inveigled into helping Miral with her bath, book and bed; Siannon with her as they walked back in companionable silence to Marahet's quarters.
Marahet threw herself onto the couch as soon as they'd walked through the door.
"Kids!" She exclaimed. Siannon grinned, and perched on the desk.
"Yup. And I bet you loved every minute..." Marahet grinned back.
"So sue me."
"Not a chance, lady. You're going to be our number one sitter from now on. Everyone with kids is going to be queuing up! Well, it'll give Samantha and Neelix a well-earned break."
"You really think so?"
"Just wait... I'm on duty tomorrow, do you want to come to sickbay with me, or shall I leave you with Neelix?"
"I think I'd be safer with the pots and pans."
"Neelix it is, then. By lunchtime you'll have a complete dossier on the entire staff, including the kids. I hope you don't mind."
"Not in the slightest."
"Tomorrow then? Eight O'Clock?"
"Sure." They shared a last smile, and Siannon breezed out.
//Eight o'clock? I'm a lunatic!// Marahet shook her head. Still, a morning with Neelix, even that early, was infinitely preferable to a morning in sickbay. She settled down for an early night, asking the computer for a selection of music; but as she relaxed toward sleep she couldn't help but wonder about her own world and why it seemed so far away and dreamlike.
Much to her surprise, Marahet enjoyed her time with Neelix the next morning to the extent that volunteered to stay and help in the afternoon too. She'd also learned a lot more about the workings of the ship than she would have thought possible. People talked to Neelix, even if it was just a few words in passing, so he generally knew everything that was going on and what the current mood of the ship was without stirring from his domain in the messhall.
The evening meal that day was taken in the messhall, made a little bit special by a surprise dessert that Neelix had whipped up in honour of Marahet 'the best kitchen assistant, ever'. When they were ready to leave, Marahet found herself collared by Siannon.
"I've something else to show you, and there's no time like the present." She said cryptically. Siannon led her to the holodeck, and busied herself at the console for a few minutes, before glancing at Marahet with a smile. "Go on, I'll be right there."
Marahet walked through the metal doors to find herself home. Or home from home anyway, a place Methos and Richie had both loved and that she had come to love too, and certainly not something that she had expected to see on a 24th century starship. Even the smell was right. She walked in, and sat at her usual table even though the place was empty. Siannon followed her, and pulled up a chair.
"Well?"
"It's perfect. All it's missing is the people and the music."
"I can remedy that if you want..."
"Just the music, please." A few soft voiced commands later, and Marahet was relaxing to the sound of The Blues. Siannon smiled gently at her, a little sadly.
"I have holograms of them all, Methos, Richie, Joe, Duncan - even Mike! But I rarely use them. Joe sometimes, now it's not so painful - a few centuries makes a lot of difference. But the others... losing them is still too recent. We used to use this holoprogram back home, to remind us of 'old times'. This is even their table..."
"And was back in the 20th century too. God and Goddess, I miss them. The worst thing is sitting here, knowing that Joe is dead. It's kind of obscene in a way. No, don't change it." She captured Siannon's hand. "It's still comforting to be here."
"I hoped it might be. I've set you up for full access to the program, just ask for Marahet 1. I've set it up empty, but if you change your mind, tell the computer. I come here and play the blues with Joe sometimes; it helps when things aren't going so well."
"Would you play for me? Just a little?" Siannon's answer was a smile, as she pushed her chair back. She asked for her guitar, and one materialised in her hands. Slowly she began to play. Marahet closed her eyes and let the music take her to another time, in a place so very similar. She could almost feel the presence of Methos and Richie beside her, and her heart knew a jolt of disappointment to find then still absent when the music finished.
"Shall we go now?" Siannon asked softly. Marahet nodded, not
trusting herself to speak right at that moment. "You can come here anytime, as long as someone is with you. Though I think that it won't be long until Tuvok gives his approval for you to come and go freely." Siannon waved Marahet to precede her from the holodeck as she ended the program.