"Funny How Life Can Be"
						by Zaxxon

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JuPiter Station Challenge #1: [from Geordi Padovan] What would Janeway
and Paris' life, from children onward, been like if their fathers,
Admirals Janeway and Paris, were friends? Would certain incidents seen
in Canon been avoided?  Would each grew up much differently? Would
history be different? You decide!

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	//It's funny how Life can turn out,// Captain Katheryn Janeway
of the Federation Starship Voyager thought as she stood on the bridge.
She had just left the turbolift and was heading towards her
ready-room. All the while her eyes were on the man seating in the
center seat, the 'Captain's Chair.'
	Although she was trying to be as silent as possible, she knew
from the slight smile on the man's face that he knew she was there. He
also knew that she did not wish to draw any undo attention to herself.
She had an half-hour until Alpha watch, her watch, would begin. She
wanted to use the time to get an early start on the paperwork she had
to do.
	Surprisely, or not so surprisely if she thought about it, there
was a warm cup of coffee, her favorite favor, sitting on her desk
waiting for her. She did not think she was that predictable but an old
Starfleet saying came to mind, //Whenever a Paris is involved, the
impossible can happen.//
	She sat down, took the cup of coffee into her left hand, took a
sip of the coffee, and picked up a PADD with a report she had to read
in her right hand. After reading the report for a while, she set the
PADD down and got a longer sip. Feeling slight content she could not
help reflecting on the past.

	She had first met Thomas Eugene Paris when he was wearing only a
small towel and only one month old. Her father and, then Captain, Owen
Paris, were like brothers... They had graduated from Starfleet Academy
together, served on the same starship for their first deep-space
assignement, and had been together most of the time still they both
made the rank of Commander. From there, they both went on to serve as
First Officers and later as Captains' of their own starships. While
Owen Paris had made Captain before her father did, by a year, her
father had gone on to become an Admiral before Owen Paris did. Like
many before him, Owen Paris only wished to be a Starfleet Captain, but
events 'pushed' him into it. Just as events simple to 'push' his son,
Thomas, in the same direction.
	At ten years old, Kathryn was fasniated by the infant Tom. Back
then, and since then it had been proved a number of times, she
remembered her father telling her that great Starfleet Captains are
trained, they're born. Up til then, she hadn't believed that but the
infant Tom's cries did not sound, to her, like the pleading of
'regular' children, no, Tom's cries sounded a lot like commands to
her. As she looked at Tom, she could not help feeling there was an
intelligence beyond them just waiting for knowledge.
	It took some pleading on her part but she was able to actually
hold him in her arms for a few minutes. As she did so, she could not
help feeling as if a bond, of some sorts, was made. That feeling of
connection grew as they did... although she's still not sure if Tom
never felt it.

	Over the next seven years, Kathryn had almost spent as much time
at the Paris's place as her own. Although she never figured out when,
at some point, Tom Paris had become the center of her life. Then, and
even now, there was not a single thing she would not do for him and
she knew there was not much he would not do for her. Unfortunately, in
her mind, their reasons for this were different. Tom saw her as the
'big sister' he never had while she.... What she felt went beyond
'sister's love.'
	It was definitely after puberty when she felt she was destined to
marry Tom Paris and, more importantly, have his children. Upon
reflection, she had only felt this before but it was only then that
she began to understand it. This Feeling, this Destiny, became the
driving force in her life. Everything she had done, she had done in
hopes of fulfilling this Destiny.
	It was an unwritten law that everyone knew, but few spoke of, was
that if Starfleet Officers married, they married around their own
rank. Since she knew that Tom was destinied to become a Starship
Captain, that meant, she was going to marry him, she had to a Starship
Captain too. Once she realized this, everything else fell into place.
The fact that Tom's own father helped her quite a bit only added to
her feeling of Destiny.
	Although her pursuit to become a Starship Captain kept her away
from Tom physically quite a bit, she kept in touch through various
communication channels. A lot of times, these messages were simply
three words like 'Tommy, Hi, Kitty,' and when she was feeling brave
she sent 'Tommy, Miss you. Kitty.'
	Tom was the only person who she allowed to call her 'Kitty.' Just
as she was the only one allowed to call him 'Tommy.' That had all
started back when Tom was four and Kathryn's mother made the mistake
of calling her 'Kitty Kat.' Little Tommy picked that up real fast...
	She didn't think of herself as a cat.... She loved dogs too much.
But when Tom said it... it was special, intimate, and she could
imagine that he was referring to that part of her anatomy that she
wished that he would become more interested in. But he never seemed to
be... She was just his 'Big Sister Kitty.' Slowly but surely, she
began to make sure that he saw her as a woman whenever she could.
Unfortunately, her career at in deep space did not help that.
	Her hopes were raise when Tom entered the Academy. It only took
two semsters before Tom was promoted to Ensign, Junior Grade, in
charge of his class section. By the middle of his second year, Tom was
promoted to Ensign, Senior Grade, and placed in charge of his entire
class. While the entire of Tom's class were promoted to Ensign, Junior
Grade, upon graduating, Tom and the rest of his 'command staff' were
promoted to Lieutenant

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