What Friends Are For

TITLE: What Friends Are For
AUTHOR: Sally
SUMMARY: The friendship between Naomi and Icheb has become strained. Can a Q sort things out for them?
RATING: PG
DISCLAIMER: TPTB own the characters, I own the story and the dog!

“Naomi, wait up.” The call was enough to make the young half-Ktarian woman stop in her tracks. She turned and, spotting who had called her, her face broke into a huge smile.

“Q! When did you get back?”

The dark-haired man smiled back. “Last night. Had a debrief this morning but now I’m free for the next couple of days.” He crooked his arm at her and she quickly accepted it. “So, where are you off to?”

“Home,” she replied. “I’ve had enough of this place for one day.”

He laughed. “I know that feeling. I suspect every cadet knows that feeling. How long have you got left anyway?”

“Just a few weeks,” Naomi told him. “Got one week of exams and then I’m done.”

“Any word of a posting yet?”

“No,” she sighed. “Auntie Kath keeps hinting that it will be taken care of but I just don’t know.”

“It would be great to have you on Voyager,” Q said. “I’m sure Captain Kim would take you. And you’d be a perfect choice for astrometrics.”

“I won’t say it hasn’t crossed my mind,” Naomi conceded. “I’d love to go home.”

He let out a laugh. “You still think of Voyager as home?”

She looked at him. “Don’t you? I mean, Auntie Kath did let you stay.”

“Auntie Kathy was good about it, I guess. And yes, I suppose compared to the continuum any place would seem like home.”

“Well, then!” Naomi said triumphantly.

They had reached her apartment building. Q withdrew his arm and placed his hands in his pocket. “Well, here you are, my lady.”

“Yes, thank you.” She smiled. “I enjoyed the unexpected company. I’d invite you in but…”

“I know you need to study. Its okay.” He paused for a moment. “Listen, Icheb’s in town as well. Why don’t we all get together tomorrow night?”

She looked awkward. “I don’t know, Q,” she admitted. “Perhaps you ought to ask Icheb first.”

“He’ll say yes, I’m sure he will. He’d love to see you again.”

“Don’t be so sure about that,” Naomi muttered.

His brow creased as he frowned. “What does that mean?”

“We’re not as close as we used to be,” she confessed. “In fact, he didn’t write to me at all this time around. That’s why I didn’t know you were all back.”

Q looked taken aback. “That doesn’t sound like Icheb.” He smiled. “I’ll ask him and let you know.”

Fifteen minutes later the former first son of the Q Continuum reached his own home, which he shared with the aforementioned Lieutenant Commander Icheb. His friend was in the kitchen cooking and Q pulled a chair out from under the dining table and sat down on it.

“How did your meeting go?” the former Borg drone asked.

“Same as always. B’Elanna Paris had some concerns over some adjustments we’d made, but besides that it went okay.”

“I told you she would say something. She does still consider it her warp core, even if you are the current engineering chief.”

“I know.” Q allowed a smile to slip onto his face. “Speaking out our former fellow crew members,” he began. “I ran into Naomi today. I suggested that we all go out tomorrow night?”

Icheb paused momentarily in his task of stirring a sauce. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

Q leaned back. “For spirits’s sake, Itchy. I got the same reaction from her. I don’t understand the two of you. We had a great time together last time we were home. So what the hell’s going on?”

“Nothing.” Icheb involuntarily coloured, something that Q was not slow to pick up on.

“Nothing?” he repeated. “Maybe that’s the problem, then.”

“What do you mean?”

“You like Naomi,” Q pointed out.

“She has always been a good friend.”

Q groaned. “I don’t mean like that. You can be such a Borg at times.”

Icheb began serving the meal. “And I suppose you know everything in this situation, Q-Ball.”

“Nah,” Q replied, recognising that his friend was not insulted. “That’s my father. But my time as a member of the Continuum does mean that I’ve managed to become an observer of the human condition. My time spent as a human has only confirmed what I already suspected.” He began to eat. “Mmn, this is good.” Waving a fork at his friend he observed, “You’re in love with her and what’s more, you haven’t a clue what to do about it.”

As fate would have it, Naomi got called to attend a cadet meeting the following evening. As Voyager got sent on a mission a few days later the next time Q saw Naomi was a few weeks later after her graduation. They’d arranged to meet in a coffee shop near the Presidio.

“Well, well, Ensign Wildman,” he jested as she came through the door. “Not a very good start to your Starfleet career.”

She accepted his outstretched arms and reveled in the warmth of his hug. “Well, Lieutenant Ball,” she retorted. “If you had my mother you’d be ten minutes late too. I had to run all the way to the transporter station.”

“Well, I might not have your mother but Auntie Kath did teach me the importance of punctuality.”

“Oh, please,” Naomi laughed as they sat down. “This is the woman who was late to her own wedding.”

“Its traditional for the bride to be late,” Q objected.

“Yes,” Naomi conceded. “But not four hours late.”

“Wasn’t her fault that Aunt Phoebe went into early labour.” Q laughed. “Do you remember what Chakotay was like? How old were you anyway?”

“I was ten,” Naomi said, nodding to the server and picking up the mug the woman had brought over. “And yes, I remember. He was accusing your father of any number of crimes.”

“It’s the one time my father genuinely felt intimidated by him. What was it he said? ‘My dear Chuckles, you might not be my favourite person in the known universe, but you appear to make Kathy happy and how could I ever deny her that?’”

“I don’t think it exactly helped.”

“Haven’t you noticed, Naomi?” Q smiled over his own mug. “My father never ‘exactly helped’ in anything. My father takes pride in creating difficulties for the mere mortals to resolve. I’m glad I got the chance to be not like him.” He looked across at his companion who was smiling broadly. “What is it?”

“You,” she replied. “You’ve mentioned your father now more times than I’ve heard you do so in years.”

He shrugged. “You were the one who brought him up.” He took another drink of his coffee. “Anyway, I didn’t come here to discuss him. I wanted to hear all about your news. However, speaking of Auntie Kath I’ve been thinking I should probably take a few days and go see her. Would you like to come with me?”

Naomi’s eyes lit up. “I’d love to. I saw her at my graduation of course but she did say I should visit sometime.”

“Well, in that case, you just let me know when.”

“You’re what?” Icheb asked.

“Going to visit Auntie Kath for a bit. We’ve got some time off. Might as well use it.”

“But you are taking Naomi, is that not right?”

“I am not taking Naomi,” Q tried to explain. “She’s got her own invitation to visit and we thought we’d go together.” He put down the padd he’d been trying to read for the past half hour. On it was a letter from his godmother about the proposed visit. “You could come with us.”

“I do not think that would be wise,” his friend replied.

“Why not? Is it because of Naomi? Is it because you don’t know how you should act when you’re with her?” Q was on the verge of losing his temper. “Gotta tell you something. I’ve seen her more recently than you and she is one incredible woman. And you better watch it, Itchy, because if you don’t tell her you feel someone else will and you’ll lose her.”

Icheb glared at him. Then he stood up and left the room. Moments later Q could hear him moving pots and pans in the kitchen.

The former first son of the Q Continuum sighed and shook his head. If his friend wasn’t careful Naomi would turn someone else’s head and be swept off her feet. “And if he’s not quick enough that someone else might well be me,” the man muttered. He was beginning to have a hard staying the neutral party in all this.

On a beautiful summer’s day in Indiana, a former Maquis freedom fighter was engaged in battle. The struggle this time was with the weeds that seemed to thrive in one particular patch of garden. The shadow falling across his work area encouraged him to look up.

“Hello, Icheb,” he said cheerfully. “I’m afraid you just missed Q and Naomi. Kathryn’s taken them off on a hike somewhere.”

“So you are tending to her flowers instead, Commander?”

Chakotay wiped a hand across his brow. “It makes for good therapy, believe it or not. And call me Chakotay please. It’s been years since I held rank.”

“I am sorry, Sir,” the young man reply. “I fear it was out of habit.”

Chakotay smiled and sat back on his heels. “Take a seat, Icheb,” he said, gesturing to the ground. He watched the younger man slowly lower himself down and could not help the laugh that escaped. “I’m sorry,” he said. “Its just that you reminded me of someone else just then.”

“Seven.”

“Yes.” Chakotay’s face clouded over. “You always do, I guess.”

“I am sorry.”

“Its all right,” the older man laughed. “Its not your fault anyway. Have you heard from her recently?”

“Not since…” he began and then stopped. “No, no I haven’t. I heard she went on that deep space mission to track down the remaining transwarp hubs.”

Chakotay stretched his legs out in front of him. “Kathryn would have killed for that mission,” he said. “But Starfleet weren’t too fond of the idea of letting one of their favourite Admirals take part in such a mission.”

“Especially one that might take a seven year detour?” Chakotay’s eyebrow raised and Icheb felt compelled to explain his remark. “I have heard the Admiral joke about it.”

“We both joke about it. It seemed like such a disaster at the time and you know she felt guilty for years.”

“Command is,” Icheb hesitated briefly. “Difficult at times.”

“Tell me about it. Having been a captain myself I was able to understand a lot of what Kathryn was going through.” He stood up and brushed the dirt of himself. “I need a drink,” he said. “Want one?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

They were back at the house and sitting on the front porch when Chakotay said, “I suppose you’ve come to congratulate Naomi on the brilliant news.”

“What news is that?”

“About her getting the assignment to astrometrics of course. You should have seen Kathryn’s face when we all found out. She wanted to contact Harry and congratulate him on making such a wise decision.”

Icheb was stunned. “Naomi has been assigned to Voyager?”

“Yes. What? You didn’t know?”

“I was unaware of such a decision,” the younger man said.

“It was probably a given, actually,” Chakotay told him. “Few people possess the knowledge of Voyager’s astrometrics that Naomi does.”

“This means that I will be working with her.”

Icheb didn’t appear too comfortable with the situation facing him and Chakotay couldn’t help but notice. “Okay, Icheb. What is it?”

“Sir?”

“Icheb, you should be happy for Naomi. But you’re not and I want to know why.” He stared at the younger man. “You used to be close. What’s happened to get you worried at the prospect of working with her?”

“I do not know,” Icheb finally admitted. “I find I am uncomfortable around her. I do not feel the way I used to about her.”

Chakotay stared blankly at the lieutenant commander for a long time, trying to comprehend the meaning behind the words spoken. Finally it appeared to dawn on him what the problem was and he threw his head back and laughed.

Icheb was confused by his behaviour. “Sir?”

“Sweet spirits, Icheb, I should have recognised the signs,” the former commander grinned. “You feel uncomfortable around her, yet you can’t stay away from her, so you follow her up here.”

“I was invited.”

“Invited my ass, as Kathryn would say. You’d have come even if you hadn’t been. You couldn’t stay away.”

“Sir?”

Chakotay leaned across and placed a hand on the younger man’s shoulder. “I know what your problem is, Commander. You’re in love.”

“Want to tell me what’s troubling you, Naomi?” Kathryn asked, putting an arm around the young woman’s shoulder. Ahead of them Q was playing with Kathryn’s spaniel, Russ. It had turned out to be a lovely afternoon and the fields were beginning to show their golden crops.

“Its nothing, Aunt Kath,” she sighed.

“On the contrary,” the Admiral looked down at her. “It is most definitely not nothing. You’ve been quiet ever since you got here and you’ve not exactly been celebrating over your posting. Aren’t you happy about being back on Voyager and with your friends again?”

“My friends?” Naomi repeated.

“Well, yes. Aren’t Icheb and Q your friends?”

“Q is,” Naomi smiled for a moment, as she watched him racing the dog. “But I’m not sure about Icheb.”

That stopped the Admiral in her tracks. “What do you mean, you’re not sure about Icheb? Good godd, Naomi. I’ve watched the two of you grow up together; you were always close, nearly always to be found in each other’s company. What the hell happened between the two of you?”

“Nothing,” the newly appointed Ensign snapped. “Absolutely nothing.”

“You’re not making sense, Naomi,” Kathryn told her, adding, “Starfleet officers should always make sense.”

Naomi raised an eyebrow, a habit she’d picked up from Seven of Nine many years before. “And you always stuck to that rule, of course,” she stated sweetly. “I have to tell you, Aunt Kath, there were times on Voyager when you didn’t make a whole lot of sense, especially when it came to your relationship with Commander Chakotay.”

“And just what do you know of that, hmm, young lady? You were only a child at the time.”

“Yeah, well, children tend to be forgotten about. I had a lot of time to observe things without being noticed. Plus, I listened.”

Kathryn smiled ruefully. “No doubt you listened to the crew’s gossip, then.”

“But of course.” She let out a giggle. “Though half the time I had a lot of words to look up in the dictionary afterwards.”

Voyager’s former captain held up a hand. “I don’t know that I want to hear anymore,” she said slowly. “But I hoped you learned an important lesson.”

“Don’t eavesdrop?” Naomi suggested.

Kathryn laughed. “Well, that too. But I was thinking more along the lines of what not to do when it comes to personal relationships with your crewmates.”

Dinner was a subdued affair. Neither Icheb nor Naomi was inclined towards conversation and eventually even Q ran out of things to say. The older people looked at one another across the table, resolved to hash it out between the two of them later that evening.

The following morning Q invited Naomi and Icheb to go hiking with him. Naomi looked across at Icheb but he only shook his head and wandered off into the kitchen. “I don’t think so, Q, but thanks all the same,” she said softly before leaving the room.

“Fine,” Q said, shaking his head. “He wants to be an idiot. Let him be an idiot.”

His comment was loud enough to bring Icheb back in. “You think I’m an idiot?” he asked angrily.

“Yes,” Q returned. “You’ve got everything you want right at your fingertips, including Naomi. And yet you’re just quite willing to let it all slip away.”

“I came up here, didn’t I?”

“And now you won’t even spend time with her.”

Icheb stared at him. “My apologies. It sounded to me like you were asking both of us to spend time with you.”

“And I was. When was the last time the three of us spent any time together? I don’t remember, do you? And yet you don’t want to come.”

“I thought you might want to spend the time with her yourself. I heard your comment the other night. That you wanted her.”

Q shook his head and laughed. “You heard wrong. I just said if you weren’t careful you were going to lose her to someone else. Yes, fine, I like Naomi but not enough to come between the two of you. However, if you walk away, I may well decide to step in. She’s an amazing woman and you need to realise that.”

“I do.” Icheb looked down at the ground. “I just don’t know what to do about it.”

Q began pacing the room. “In case you didn’t notice. Naomi decided not to go on that walk with me. She wants to spend some time with you.” He stopped and sighed. “Come on, why don’t we go on that walk, just you and I. We’ll take Russ and talk it over.”

Icheb nodded. “I suppose. I don’t know that I’d be good company to Naomi right now.”

“No. And you’re not being a great guest to Auntie Kath and Chakotay either.”

“Think they noticed?”

Q laughed. “Just a bit, but I think even they realise that the course of true love never runs smoothly. Just look at them.”

“Argh, men!” cried Naomi as she watched the two disappear. “How I hate them at times.”

Chakotay, passing by and overhearing the statement, popped his head around the door. “Then I’m sure glad I’m not one of them.”

It was enough to get a laugh out of Naomi and Kathryn’s comment of, “Now he tells me!” was enough to bring the former first officer back into the room.

“Hey,” he complained. “I thought you knew.”

Naomi flung her head down into a cushion to muffle her shrieks while Kathryn threw a padd in the direction of her husband. “Get back to your wood-carvings,” she commanded.

“Yes, ma’am.” He threw a mock salute from the crouching position he’d assumed when the padd came flying his way, then stood up and ran.

Kathryn turned back to Naomi. “He’s not that funny, you know,” she told the young woman. “In fact, I don’t know how I’ve stood him the last several years.”

Naomi raised her head. “Then why have you let him stay with you all this time?”

Her companion shook her head. “I really don’t know. Sometimes I think I would have been better off ditching him on a delta quadrant planet somewhere.”

The newly appointed ensign sat up properly. “You don’t really, do you Auntie Kath?”

“No, I suppose not.” Kathryn’s voice softened. “Don’t tell him this, his head will swell, but I do love him. When I think how close I came to losing him.”

Naomi nodded. “I like Seven but I wasn’t sure about her being with him. I know her and Icheb had a fight over it.”

“They did? I didn’t know about that.”

“I think Icheb was confused as to how she could make a play for Chakotay when she knew how the doctor felt about her.”

“It doesn’t always work like that though,” Kathryn replied. “I knew how Chakotay felt about me and I ignored it, or at least I tried to.”

“It all worked out in the end though.”

“Thank goodness for small mercies.” She paused briefly. “You know he loves you, don’t you?”

Naomi was confused. “Who? Chakotay?”

Kathryn laughed. “No, at least he had better not. I’m sorry; I wasn’t making sense again was I? I meant Icheb.”

“Yeah, right,” Naomi snorted.

“You had better believe it, my girl. Chakotay managed to dig it out of him yesterday. Its why he changed his mind about visiting.”

Naomi leaned back against the couch. “I can’t really believe that. He hardly wants to be around me these days. And I didn’t hear from him at all the last time he was away.”

“Naomi. Listen.” Kathryn paused for a moment. “Icheb is a very different young man.”

“Well, so’s Q,” Naomi retorted. “In fact, if you were to plonk the two of them down and say one of them cares a lot about you, I’d choose Q! He’s paid more attention to me recently than Icheb has.”

Kathryn looked at the young woman. “You’ve got to remember what Icheb’s like, Naomi,” she said gently. “Although both men certainly have had unusual upbringings, Q has always been more certain of himself. Comes from being a member of the Q I suspect. But Icheb’s still getting used to the world around him, and all that comes with it, even after all these years. For a long time he was on safe on Voyager, with people who were able to help him adjust.”

“But I was on Voyager as well,” Naomi protested. “I know we led sheltered lives at times, even with the threat of the unknown each day. But I turned out okay, didn’t I? What makes Icheb so different and so different around me as well?”

Kathryn laughed. “You were born on Voyager, surrounded by a group of people who cared for you, helped raise in as normal a situation as possible. Icheb didn’t have that luxury and whatever he might have learned growing up with his parents was stolen from him when he was assimilated. See what I’m saying?”

“Handle with kid gloves, in other words,” Naomi smiled. “So Chakotay managed to make sense of his actions then?”

“He wasn’t Voyager’s unofficial counselor for nothing you know!”

“Poor Icheb. Has to be incredibly confusing for him,” Naomi said softly. “I don’t suppose I helped matters either.”

“I don’t know about that,” Kathryn replied. “But I warn you, unless Q can reason with him, you may have to take the lead in this situation.”

Naomi was aghast. “Take the lead? You mean, make the first move? Oh, Aunt Kath, I couldn’t. What if Chakotay was wrong?”

Kathryn stood up. “I’ve found he rarely is.”

Early evening saw Icheb and Q’s return from their hike. It was immediately noticeable to all that the young Brunali man seemed a lot more at ease with himself and his companions, chatting amiably with Chakotay as they prepared dinner. A casual meal took place after which Q and Chakotay opted to clear the remains while Kathryn went to check on some Starfleet matters in her home office.

That left Naomi and Icheb alone together.

Naomi took a deep breath and began. “Icheb…”

“Naomi, I…”

They laughed at the confusion. “You go first,” Icheb offered. He gestured to the couch. “Perhaps we should sit down?”

She took another deep breath. “I know things haven’t exactly been smooth between us recently, and I was hurt that it seemed that you didn’t want to spend time with or contact me while you on Voyager.”

“I am sorry for any hurt I may have caused you, Naomi,” he replied. “It was not my intention.”

“I don’t think you’re entirely to blame,” she said. “I should have said something. But now I am.” She paused, looked at her hands briefly that were tangled in her lap. “Icheb, there’s something I need to tell you. I don’t know what you’re going to think but I’m going to say it anyway.” She let out a hollow laugh. “After all, I don’t know how much worse it could make things.”

“I do not want things to be bad between us.”

“Icheb, please.” She looked back across the couch at him. “This isn’t easy for me. What I’m trying to say here is that, well, recently things have changed between us. I’m sure you’ve noticed.”

He nodded. “Things have become… strained.”

“Do you have any idea why?”

He looked thoughtful for a moment. “I believe I do, although I had to have Commander Chakotay and Q to help me see it. My feelings toward you have altered. I used to think of you as my sister but lately that has changed.”

Naomi laughed. “You’re not exactly my big brother anymore either.” She sighed. “So where do we go from here?” Seeing his confused expression she expanded her question. “Icheb, our relationship is changing. I’d like to us to experience the change together. I care a lot for you.”

“And I you. Are you suggesting that we…” He paused over the expression. “That we date?” He lifted his other hand and gently ran it down her cheek. “That sounds like a suitable proposal.”

“Good.” Naomi leaned her head on his shoulders. “I’m so glad we were finally able to talk this through. I missed you so much.”

“I missed you also. Over the years I have become accustomed to your company. I didn’t like being without you but I did not know your feelings for me.” His arm gently went around her shoulder. “Is this all right?”

She smiled against his chest. “Its perfect.”

The moment was shattered a few moments later when a shout from Chakotay indicated that they would shortly have company. Seconds later Kathryn bustled into the room, demanding to be shown the pot of coffee her husband had supposedly made. Naomi jumped up and grabbed Icheb’s hand. “Let’s get out of here,” she said.

Q heard her words as he came in carrying a couple of mugs in one hand and a packet of biscuits and immediately managed to sum up the situation. “If you’re going out take Russ. I’m not trusting you two without a chaperone.”

Naomi giggled while Icheb immediately turned a dark pinkish colour. Neither of them had failed to interpret their friend’s comment correctly.

“Honestly, Q,” Kathryn chastised her godson. “That’s no way to talk to your friends. I thought we brought you up better than that.” She stood there, hands on her hips. “Obviously your father got there first,” she muttered.

Q shrugged. “Like father, like son. Besides, I’m just looking out for my two best buddies.” He looked across at Chakotay. “Isn’t that what best friends do?”

“Don’t look at me,” Chakotay replied, setting down the steaming pot he had carried in from the kitchen. “I was just the first officer. Looking out for Captain Janeway was one of the unwritten rules of the position.”

Kathryn was still fighting her former first officer on that when Icheb and Naomi slipped out the door into the darkness.

“Obviously being a best friend to a former member of the Collective is not without its problems,” Q told the crowd. “But I’m sure he had his own problems putting up with a former member of the Continuum. Thank goodness for Naomi. She kept us both on the level. Wouldn’t put up with crap from either of us.” He smiled down at the happy couple sat beside him at the top table. “But the crap that I had to put up with to get these two together,” he paused amid the laughter and smiled. “It was worth it. To Naomi and Icheb,” he continued, raising his glass. “May you have many long years of marriage together.”

“To Naomi and Icheb,” the guests chorused.

FINIS

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