Disclaimer: See part 1
Authors Notes: Here's part 3...just be glad it didn't take as long as part 2! Give me about a week on part 4, just in case! Feedback is always appreciated!

Janeway knew it was time she talked to Tom, that they needed to figure out just how they were going to handle this. They planned to meet in her quarters, just as soon as they both got off duty.

He was nervous when he showed up. So was she, but she managed to hide it.

"How do we want to handle this?" she had asked, without preamble, knowing small talk would be pointless. "What do we want to do?"

"I want to be there," Tom answered, almost immediately. "I don't know how we can work this out, but I want to be there, to help. I want to see thier first smiles, catch them with their first steps," he paused, and she thought she saw tears in his eyes. He blinked, and they were gone. "I want to comfort them when they cry," he said softly. He looked up, his eyes finding hers. "Please," he said, almost begging. "Let me be there, somehow."

Janeway nodded. "I knew that's what you would want," she said with a soft smile. "I knew that you would want no less than everything." She stopped. "But then, I had to think about the logistics of everything. Am I supposed to call you every time they cry? If you're in your quarters when one takes a first step, there's no way you can get here in time to see it. And," she said with another smile, "I'm not going to take a holo-vid of everything." He smiled, and she continued. "So I came up with another idea."

He looked at her expectantly, accepting the padd she handed him. "What's this?" he asked, not understanding what he was looking at.

"Specs for new quarters," she answered. "We have a few empty rooms, just down the hall. We can do a bit of remodeling, and have our own quarters. Your room, my room, the kids' room."

Tom nodded slowly, then smiled. "Captain," he said, his cocky grin in place. "Are you asking me to move in with you?"

They spent the next hour or so talking, and Tom had a few more ideas to add to thier quarters. Deciding they should start building right away, Janeway knew that it was time she told Chakotay, and nervously, she set off to do so.

Kathryn rang Chakotay's doorchime, and just as with Tom, she didn't know what she was going to say.

"Come in," he called, and she walked in, hating herself for the nervousness she couldn't control.

"Captain," he said, a little surprised to see her. "What can I do for you?"

She sighed, taking the seat he offered her. "I thought you had a right to know," she began. "That Tom and I are moving in together." As soon as she said the words she cringed, knowing how they must sound.

She watched as shock, followed by anger, crossed his face. She explained further, hoping she wasn't just making things worse. "Remember when Tom and I were on that planet?" she asked. "When we...evolved?" she clarified. "Well, things..." she paused, not knowing how she could admit this, to Chakotay of all people.

Chakotay nodded slowly, looking like he wanted to say something, but he let her finish.

"Things...progressed down there," she said. "And I ended up mating with him." She couldn't bring herself to call it sex. It wasn't, really, it was natural, unavoidable in their situations. By his reaction, Chakotay didn't see it that way.

"So you spend a few days with him on a planet, and you're moving in together. Kathryn," he took her hand. "That kind of rash decision doesn't sound like you."

Kathryn shook her head. "It wasn't like that," she said desperately. "I'm pregnant. Tom and I want to raise these children together."

Chakotay was silent for a painfully long time. He nodded. "If that's what you want," he said finally. And she knew how much it hurt him to say that.

The next bridge shift, Janeway shared with both Tom and Chakotay, and it was torture. A strained silence encompassed the room, broken only by the soft sound of consoles working.

"Good morning," Chakotay had greeted her when he arrived, his tone forced. Tom never even looked up from his console.

Harry, Tuvok, and the rest of the bridge crew saw the tension between the three, but didn't say anything. It remained silent.

Janeway could see that Chakotay was upset about the entire situation. He was openly angry at Tom, and cold and distant to her. Tom didn't know what to do about Chakotay's anger, and simply ignored him. And he didn't know how he was supposed to act toward Janeway, either. And Janeway herself didn't know how she was supposed to react. She knew Chakotay was hurt, but couldn't do anything about it. And the whole situation with Tom made it impossible for her to act normal around him.

As the minutes ticked by slowly, Janeway prayed for the shift to end. But halfway through, it became too much for her. She stood, and felt all eyes turn to her. "Chakotay and Mr. Paris," she said. "In my ready room, now."

She could almost feel everyone else breathe a sigh of relief as the tension that had filled the bridge followed them into the ready room.

Once inside, Janeway took refuge behind her desk, motioning for the two men to take a seat. Tom sat in a chair on the opposite side of the desk, while Chakotay remained standing.

"Please sit down, Commander," Janeway said, more of an order than a request. He did, but wasn't happy about how close that put him to the younger man.

Janeway sighed. "This cannot go on," she said finally. "We have to work together on that bridge, no matter what happens to us personally," she said, her tone sharp. "All of our differences, our personal lives, do not enter that bridge," she said firmly. "Is that understood?"

They nodded solemnly.

"Good," she said. "Is there anything either of you would like to say, to each other, or to me?" she asked, still stern.

They shook thier heads in unison.

Janeway looked at them, her expression softening. "I know this isn't easy, for any of us." She paused. "None of us wanted this to happen, none of us could see it happening beforehand. But we have to live with the consequences of what has happened. And it's not going to be easy," she admitted. "For any of us."