I thought I was done with the Picard/Janeway storyline when Picard and Crusher met for dinner in Once and Never, however the muse insisted all was not fair, if Janeway and Chakotay didn't get their chance for a 'what if' story.

Hence, Bittersweet -- set 5 years after Voyager's homecoming, also post-Nemesis. Janeway hears answers to questions she probably regrets asking.

The other Picard/Janeway stories in this universe are Touch and Beautiful, but this one can probably stand on its own without that background.

Many thanks to rocky_t for not only the beta, but also for keeping a draft of this story for me; I had written it earlier in the year, sent it to Rocky, and then promptly lost it. A few weeks ago, after frantically searching through all of my files, I asked her if she still had the original draft and amazingly, she did. So double gratitude for the Rockmeister this time around.

And zakhad, somehow this story is your fault. I haven't figured out how or why, but I'm pretty sure it is (g).