by Dakota

Tom watched where Anna and Kay were playing in the corner. The four year olds had been whispering and giggling for the last twenty minutes. RT had spent most of the morning in his room finishing his homework for his afternoon classes. He had come out once or twice to talk to the younger girls, but had not lingered so Tom had not reminded him to get back to his studies. Tom glanced at his two youngest children in another corner, but Jason and Molly seemed to getting along happily for a change.

The sudden silence in the first corner brought Tom's attention back to Anna and Kay. He saw them disappearing into the room Anna shared with Molly. They were there about twenty minutes then returned to their original corner still whispering. He had been doing the duty roster for two years now but still found it to be a nuisance and a challenge. He had just started to get the hang of scheduling the day care shifts around the duty shifts of the parents involved when they had started regular classes for the oldest of the children meaning he had additional people and considerations to coordinate. Tom especially hated bothering Chakotay for help. Whenever he did, Chakotay immediately made a suggestion that seemed so clear and simple that Tom felt like an idiot. He jumped when Anna spoke.

"Daddy, can we go to Kay's and play?"

"Is her mother there?"

"Mom is there but Daddy is on the bridge this morning." Kay spoke up. Tom glanced at the little girl who looked so much like her mother in spite of the brown eyes and darker hair.

"Ok, but no detours on the way."

"We promise." The girls were out the door before Tom had a chance to change his mind. As soon as the door closed, Tom hit his communicator.

"Paris to Kathryn Janeway."

"What do you need, Tom?" Kathryn's voice responded immediately. She sounded tired but calm.

"Anna and Kay just left our quarters to come to yours. If they don't show up right away, let me know and I'll get someone to track them down. If you don't want them, then send them back here."

"Any problems?"

"No, nothing."

"Well, I just put the boys down for a nap, so as long as they don't wake them up, they can stay here."

"Thanks. Paris out."

Kathryn turned back to the main room that had been devastated by the twin whirlwinds she called her sons. They were relatively quiet babies but as she had learned over the months, quiet did not mean inactive and today they had been into everything. They hadn't protested once when she took things away from them; they had simply moved on to some other forbidden object. Kathryn started picking up the items left behind by Chad and Cody thinking it was a good thing they looked so much like their father or she might be upset with them. All they had to do was turn on those dimpled grins and her anger or frustration evaporated.

"Hi, Mom." Kay's cheery greeting alerted Kathryn to the girls' arrival.

"Hi, Captain Kathryn." Anna's greeting was softer but just as cheerful.

"Hi, Anna. Honey, the boys are sleeping, so don't wake them, OK? Do you want a snack before lunch?"

The girls exchanged looks then shook their heads. "No, thanks. We're not hungry." The two headed purposefully into Kay's room. Kathryn heard small thumps and bumps and muffled whispers then the whoosh of the closet door opening. Ten minutes later, the girls were back in the main living area. They helped Kathryn pick up the last few items left behind by Chad and Cody. When they finished, they put their heads together, whispering and giggling then turned their attention back to Kathryn.

"Mom, can we go in your room for a little while?"

"What do you need in my room?"

"We just want to look for something."

"Did you lose something?"

"Not exactly. Can we?"

"Don't move anything around."

"We won't."

"Ok, then."

Anna and Kay headed off to the main bedroom. Kathryn again heard thumps and bumps and muffled whispers, but no crashes or indications that they were into things they shouldn't be. When the closet door whooshed open, Kathryn stuck her head in the door.

"What are you doing in there?"

"Looking."

"Well, there's nothing in there except clothes and shoes."

"Ok, Mom. They're not here anyway."

"What's not here?"

"What we're looking for. Can we go down to Josie's until lunch?"

"You'll have to call and ask if it's ok with her mother."

"Ok. Can we use our communicator's?" Anna remained quiet while Kay did the talking for the pair.

"You know the rules. Your communicators are only for when you're in trouble or if you get hurt. You can use the terminal in the living room."

"All right." Kay's voice was dejected but she obediently walked into the living room toward the terminal. She climbed up on the chair and carefully punched in the code.

Kathryn watched Kay from across the room and listened in to make sure there were no miscommunications.

"Hi, Lieutenant Wildman. Is Josie there?"

"Just a minute, Kay. I'll call her."

"Wait, Lieutenant. We have a question to ask you first. Would it be ok if Anna and I came down to your place until lunch to play with Josie?"

"Is it ok with your folks?"

"Yes, but only if it's ok with you."

Sam glanced at the chronometer -- only thirty minutes until all the children usually went to lunch. Carrie was with Jem and Taylor finishing their school work. Ryan was busy with some of his favorite toys in his room. Josie had been getting restless so perhaps a few friends would be a good idea.

"Well, if your mom says it's ok, then you're more than welcome. Is she there?"

"Just a minute." Kay turned to Kathryn. "Mom, Lieutenant Wildman wants to talk to you."

"Hi, Sam."

"How did you end up with those two? I thought Tom was watching them."

"They wanted to come here; now they want to come to your place. Is it a bad morning?"

"No, it's fine. Why don't we meet you in about thirty minutes for lunch?"

"I just put the boys down. Chakotay was going to eat with the girls today so he'll be the one showing up in the mess hall." Kathryn glanced at the two girls waiting patiently while she and Sam talked. They were still too young to wander the ship alone but the two of them usually followed directions and would probably be safe enough making their way to Josie's. "Sam, I'm going to see just how grown up these two are. I'm going to allow them to walk without an escort to your quarters. If they aren't there in five minutes, let me know and I'll have security deal with them."

"I understand completely." The two women exchanged knowing looks and signed off. Kathryn turned to two very excited little girls.

"You two heard what I told Lieutenant Wildman?"

Two heads bobbed up and down.

"You understand what I expect?" More bobs. "Tell me, so I'm sure. Anna, you go first."

"We go directly to Josie's. We don't take the long way or stop to see anyone. We can answer questions but we aren't supposed to bother anyone on duty."

"Kay?"

"All that. We can use the turbolift but only if no one else needs it." She paused to think what other guidelines they had to follow. "Oh!  If something weird happens, we stop where we are and call you on our communicators. If someone else is around, we follow their directions until you or Daddy come to get us. Since Anna is with me, does that mean I would go with Commander Paris or Commander Torres?"

"Very good question, Kay. Yes, since you two are together, if something 'weird' happens, both of you would go with whoever comes for you first. Ok, get going and stay out of trouble."

"Yes, ma'am." Their voices echoed behind them as they dashed out the door. Two meters out the door they slowed down. At the first intersection, Kay stopped and stared down the other corridor in both directions.

"You heard your mom. We aren't supposed to stop or take the long way."

"I'm not. I'm just looking." Kay sounded confident but started moving toward the turbolift anyway. When the lift arrived, they got on and carefully gave their destination. When it stopped, they exited and headed towards Josie's. Kay was checking every corridor they crossed and kept looking behind them to make sure she hadn't missed something. Anna had given up arguing and was helping her look.

Just as Sam was about to alert Kathryn that the girls had not yet arrived, the chime sounded. Sam smiled thinking they had made a wrong turn or given the wrong deck as their destination. Josie was ready and waiting at the door for her friends. The three girls were quickly off on their own whispering and giggling. Sam watched them until they disappeared into Josie's room. Then Ryan brought her his favorite stuffed animal with a missing ear. Sam performed minor surgery on the toy and returned it to Ryan with instructions to take it back to his room.

"Hey! Get out!" Ryan's voice startled Sam.

"We aren't hurting anything."

"Mom!" Ryan was calling for reinforcements.

Sam followed the noise and found Ryan in the door to his room facing the three girls.

"Well?"

"We didn't touch anything, Mom. Honest. We were just looking for something."

"Did you find it?"

"No."

"We didn't touch anything of his, Lieutenant Wildman." Anna spoke up quietly and sincerely. Sam stared at the three and then around the room. All appeared normal in the room and none of the girls were trying to hide anything.

"Josie, what's the rule about going in Ryan's room?"

"I'm supposed to ask him or you or dad first."

"And?"

"I'm sorry, Ryan. I'll ask next time." Josie was contrite as she took a step toward her brother and gave him a hug. "Forgive me?"

Ryan was an outraged little boy, but couldn't stay angry with his sister for long. They had spent too many hours playing together and plotting against their older sister for him to hold a grudge.

"Ok, Jose."

Sam sighed and motioned the girls into the main room. Catastrophe averted for the moment. The three girls were again off on their own whispering and giggling. Then they started walking around the living room looking under the furniture and behind the cushions on the chairs. Sam watched them a minute before going into Ryan's room to change him before lunch.

Ten minutes later Sam was carefully herding the four children along the corridor near sickbay when someone stopped to ask her and Joe to dinner one evening. While Sam was distracted, the three girls diligently looked up and down the corridor. As they neared the door to sickbay, a crewman exited and all three heads turned to scan what they could see. They edged closer to the door, triggering the mechanism that help it open.

Ryan, seeing an open door, darted through with all the speed and agility of a two year old. He headed straight for the doctor's office remembering the treats he had received at the end of his last visit. It took Sam only a few moments to realize where Ryan was heading before she started after him. The three girls followed her into sick and immediately started searching all the corners they couldn’t see from the corridor.

Sam emerged from making her apologies to the doctor with Ryan in her arms to find the three girls busily searching sickbay. They were carefully opening doors, looking inside, and then closing them again. Sam cleared her throat loudly and watched all three of them quickly close doors and turn to face her.

"What are you doing?"

"Just looking, Lieutenant." Kay spoke for the trio this time.

"Yeah, Mom, we're just looking." Josie spoke up following Kay's lead.

Sam debated briefly about a lecture on respecting the privacy of others but an impatient Ryan decided that lunch was a better idea. "Down!" The lecture would wait until later.

Sam arrived in the mess hall to find Joe waiting for her. He smiled when he saw Anna and Kay. Ryan ran to meet him.  "Daddy!"

Joe picked him up and kissed Sam on the cheek. "You have the three of them all morning?"

"No, just for the last half hour. Chakotay is going to meet Anna and Kay for lunch. Kathryn has the boys napping." At that moment, Kathryn entered carrying Chad and Cody. "Or so she planned."

"Hi, Captain." Joe greeted Kathryn first.

"Hi. These two decided that lunch was a better idea than a nap. She deftly shifted Chad to Sam. "Thanks, Sam. Let's get these two in their chairs."

Kathryn and Sam quickly settled the two boys in high chairs and put crackers and some grapes in front of them knowing that would keep them occupied until they could get the others seated and eating. The first half hour of the main lunch break had come to be called the 'kids' mess' for a number of reasons, the first one being that the children generally ate during that time and the second one being that they frequently left the area a mess.

The twins were at the end of a table for eight happily throwing crackers at each other and Joe was in line with Ryan and the three girls when Chakotay entered the mess hall. Kay was the first to see him. She abandoned her place in line and ran across the room to greet him.

"Daddy!"

Chakotay swung Kay into his arms and gave her a bear hug. "How was your morning, Sprite?"

"Good! Can Anna and Josie and me set at a table by ourselves?" The question was not a new one. The three girls thought they were old enough to sit at their own table like their older siblings. Chakotay pretended to consider the issue.

"I don't know. Maybe we should ask your Mom and Lieutenant Wildman and Commander Carey. Then again, maybe we should all sit at one table today."

"No, Daddy. We'll be good. I promise."

Chakotay relented and nodded his head. "All right, but if you three make a mess, it will be a month before we try this again. Understand?"

Kay nodded her head. "Yes, Sir!" She wriggled down and ran off to tell Josie and Anna the news. Knowing they had bypassed asking their mothers, the three wisely were on their best behavior as they went through the line and sat at a table at the opposite end from Chad and Cody. In the meantime, Sam and Kathryn had joined Chakotay in the serving line.

"You sure that was a good idea?" Kathryn wasn't afraid to question him.

"No, but I told them it would be a month before they got to try this again if they made a mess. We'll see if it makes a difference."

Kathryn brushed an imaginary speck of dust from Chakotay's uniform jacket then leaned up to kiss his cheek. She brushed her fingers over his pips.  "Have I told you lately that fourth pip looks good on you?"

"No. Have I told you lately that I think it looks better on you?"

"No." Kathryn smiled. "We've been remarkably quiet, don't you think?"

"I think we have four growing children and no time to think much less talk."

Chakotay picked up a tray for Kathryn and handed it to her and they topic switched to more immediate matters like what the twins would be more likely to eat than throw. They had just reached the table when B'Elanna entered the mess hall followed in a few minutes by Harry, Taylor, Jem and Carrie. Carrie and Taylor walked over to greet their parents before following Harry and Jem to the serving line. Kathryn and Chakotay busied themselves putting food in front of the twins while Joe and Sam assisted Ryan at the other end of the table. Harry sat down next to Chakotay.

"Hi, sorry we're late. They got stuck on one of their assignments and insisted on finishing it before we came. It's hard to argue that they shouldn't do their homework."

"You still beat Tom." B'Elanna spoke up from her seat next to Kathryn. "He's still not here and he only has three of the kids with him this morning.

Chakotay chuckled. "He's been struggling with the duty roster again. I bet he's the one who lost track of the time and won't show up until Jason demands food."

"You're probably right."  B'Elanna smiled. "Then he would have to get Molly ready. He'll be lucky to get here before dinner." Just then, the door swished open and then closed. Only the truly observant noticed the dark head dash through the door and make a beeline to B'Elanna. A few seconds later, the door opened again to admit Tom carrying a blue-eyed miniature of B'Elanna and followed by RT. Joe changed seats to allow Tom a place on the end next to Molly. Tom settled Molly in her high chair next to Ryan and then followed RT to the serving line.

The three older girls had chosen a table near the twins and were chatting and giggling while they ate. Every once in a while, the word "homework" was spoken loudly enough for the adults to hear. They were very proud to be starting classes. RT approached the adults' table.

"Mom, can I sit with the girls?"

B'Elanna paused for a minute. RT's track record with the girls was not good. She glanced at Kathryn and Chakotay, then at Sam and Joe, and finally at Harry.

"What do you all think?" Four heads shook indicating they were not going to say yes or no. Only Chakotay seemed inclined to express an opinion. He spoke directly to RT.

"One more time, RT. If you cause a problem, you're eating with us for the next month. If they start something, you just get up and come back over here and let me sort them out. No excuses for your behavior. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir."

Chakotay turned back to B'Elanna. "Commander, I think he understands my point. I think you can give him another chance, but it's up to you."

"Ok, RT, but if you cause trouble, you are going to deal with the captain, then with your father and then with me."

"Yes, ma'am." RT quietly walked over to take a seat with the girls. The girls ignored him for the most part being fully aware that all their parents were only a meter or two away.

Tom looked a bit skeptical when he saw RT join the girls but only raised his eyebrows before sitting down. The talk at the table turned to general topics and crew gossip. None of the adults noticed the three younger girls finish their meals and carefully carry their trays to the recycling point. Then, instead of returning to the table to wait for their parents to finish, they started searching the mess hall. They carefully stayed out of the way of the people who were eating, but as soon as a table was vacated, they checked under it and the chairs. They had moved to the entrance to the kitchen and were trying to decide if entering was breaking any rules when Chell noticed them.

"Ok, girls. You can't come back here now. You know I'm too, too busy to talk to you during the lunch rush. Come back later if you want, but not now."

The three turned to rejoin their parents only to find three long pairs of uniform pants in front of them. They tilted up their heads to see their fathers standing and staring at them.

"Are we in trouble?" Anna's voice was quivering almost as much as her lip. "We didn’t mean to do anything bad."

"We didn't make a mess at lunch, Daddy." Kay spoke up pointing out how they had followed those instructions hoping it would distract her father.

"You're not in trouble yet, but you do have some explaining to do. Then we'll decide whether you're in trouble. Let's go back to the table." The threesome followed the captain's orders promptly. All three waited for their fathers to sit down, then climbed up on their laps so they could see everyone.

"What exactly were you doing?" Kathryn took the lead in the interrogation.

"We were looking for something?" Kay answered her mother, albeit too briefly.

"You were looking for something in our quarters, too, weren't you?" Sam spoke up. All three nodded.

"Is that what you were doing in your room, Anna?" Tom asked as he recalled the two girls' behavior earlier in the day. Anna only nodded.

"You were looking in your room and our room, too, weren't you?" Again, Anna and Kay nodded in response to Kathryn's question. "What exactly were you looking for?"

The three exchanged looks.

"You tell."

"No, you tell."

"You're the one who told us about them."

"Ok." Anna conceded defeat. "We were looking for the rabbits. But we can't find them anywhere."

"Rabbits?" Joe broke his silence. "Why are you looking for rabbits?"

"We wanted to find them." Josie's explanation was succinct but completely uninformative.

"Why did you even think we had rabbits on the ship?" Chakotay asked the obvious question.

"Anna said there were rabbits on the ship so we wanted to find them."

"Honey, why would you think we had rabbits?" B'Elanna spoke up with the next question.

"RT told me." Anna's reply made RT blanche. He was certain he was in trouble and he had no idea why – at least not this time.

"I didn't tell them we had rabbits on the ship." RT spoke up in self-defense from the next table alerting the adults that all the younger ears were listening.

"You did too tell me we have rabbits on board."

"When?" RT was getting agitated now.

"After Daddy made you clean up your room. You told me!" The normally calm Anna was nearly in tears by this point.

"Calm down, honey. Just tell us exactly what RT said to you."

Anna gulped and took a deep breath before answering her father. "He told me that Daddy said he had dust bunnies under his bed. Kay and Josie and I were just trying to find them so they wouldn't get hungry or scared. But we can't find them anywhere."

Three very confused little girls received loving hugs from their fathers as their mothers tried not to laugh.
 

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