Acknowledgements: I cannot thank Susan or LZClotho enough for their phenomenal beta-reading skills, encouragement and late-night hand-holding. Ladies, you save me from myself and my terminal mis-use of the ellipse not to mention chronic comma abuse. A very special thanks to Gina Dartt for her gracious permission to use her wedding vows. Monk spent hours explaining the intricacies of military ceremonies, uniforms and traditions. Any errors in this area are mine alone: no one could have had a better teacher than her. Semper Fi!

Yes, there had always been something. Janeway’s heart had known even if her head had denied it for all those years. The feeling of unutterable rightness as she’d blurted out her proposal of marriage and the way her heart leapt at the incandescent smile on Seven’s face as she’d accepted. The feeling of completeness in her heart for the first time in her life. Oh yes, there had always been something. Janeway’s eyes filled with tears as she regarded her soon-to-be wife tenderly.

Seven, as if sensing she was being watched stirred and blinked her eyes open. As they focused on Janeway a slow smile began to spread across her face.

“Good morning, my Kathryn. Did you sleep well?” she murmured.

Janeway propped herself up on one elbow and gazed down at the gorgeous blonde snuggled against her. She leaned down and pressed a quick kiss on Seven’s lips. “I always sleep well when I sleep with you. It’s a shame I was so stubborn on Voyager; if we’d been living together back in the Delta quadrant we’d have been so well-rested we’d probably have figured out a way to be home years earlier.” Idly she trailed a hand slowly down Seven’s side, fingertips delighting in the feel of abdominal implant mesh joined seamlessly to the soft flesh of her lover’s flank. Blue eyes darkened with desire as the hand began its return journey, gently cupping a full breast and brushing across the hardening nipple.

Seven gasped as Janeway pressed butterfly-soft kisses along her jaw line and teased the starburst implant below her right ear with the tip of her tongue. “Kathryn...!”

Janeway’s chuckle came out as a deep vibration against Seven’s skin as the smaller woman kissed her way down the alabaster column of throat and across Seven’s shoulder. Without hesitation she took a pebbled nipple between her lips and began to suck gently, her tongue stroking with increasing firmness as Seven moaned and clutched her head against her. Without haste, and seemingly ignoring the increasing urgency of her partner’s moans and the writhing of her hips, Kathryn lavished attention on each breast as her hand once again ventured slowly south. When her fingers tangled in the crisp curls at the juncture of Seven’s legs she felt the heat and readiness of her partner and wasted no time slipping her fingers into that velvety sheath. Seven’s response was immediate, gasping and thrusting against the fingers that stroked her.

Janeway could feel the rapidly building tension in Seven’s body and knew that she was close. Concentrating on her partner’s responses, Janeway smoothly brought her lover to the edge and over, holding Seven as the spasms of her orgasm washed through her and gently kissing her as her gasping subsided into regular breathing again. Seven shivered as Janeway’s hand returned to stroke over an inflamed nipple and then down her arm to clasp her hand. The kisses that followed were gentle and sweet.

“How did I ever think I could live without you?” mused Janeway. “I should have blown Chakotay out an airlock when I found out about you two.”

Seven chuckled softly. “I should have had more courage and pursued you, Kathryn. You were the one I really wanted.”

“Mmm, love…I don’t want to think about what we should have done. We’re together now and tomorrow we’ll be married and that’ll be that. Are you nervous about the wedding?”

“No, I am apprehensive, but not overly nervous. Of course, as the time nears for the ceremony to begin my apprehension may grow until I reach fully panicked, but I am hopeful that will not happen. When I feel it increasing I remind myself that I am marrying you and the thought calms me.”

Janeway gazed into the impossibly blue eyes next to her and grinned. “That is a marvelous thought, isn’t it? So tell me, my love, how do you feel about a long, leisurely, steamy shower before we have brunch with everyone?”

Seven rolled them over until she lay partially atop Janeway. Her human hand swept across Kathryn’s chest until it captured a small, firm breast. “I have a better idea for the immediate future,” she said lowering her lips to Kathryn’s.

Janeway didn’t argue. It really was a better idea.

* * * * *

“…and just as he leaned in to kiss Maggie, I transmitted the matrix alterations and she turned into a cow! You should have seen Harry’s face!” Newly minted Lieutenant Kim blushed furiously at the howling laughter that ensued from Tom’s story.

“Yeah, and look how that turned out. We were the only ship in Starfleet whose holodeck characters ever staged an uprising,” he retorted. Now it was Tom’s turn to flush at the laughter.

The wedding party and a few guests were having brunch in a private dining room of the hotel. As the friends relaxed over coffee after eating, the conversation naturally moved to their time on Voyager. Family members and those who had not been with them in the Delta quadrant listened and once again marveled at the bonds that had formed among Voyager’s crew.

“You know, somehow I keep waiting for Neelix to show up,” commented Tom, “He would have been in his glory organizing this wedding.” Glancing at Gretchen he added hastily, “Assisting you, of course, Mrs. Janeway.”

“Of course, Tom,” laughed Gretchen. “Neelix was your cook and morale officer wasn’t he? A Delta quadrant native?”

“A Talaxian from Rinax, yes. Neelix and Kes were the first of our Voyager Irregulars,” said Janeway. “After we got B’Elanna and Harry back off the Ocampan home world they came into my ready room and informed me that we needed them. And he was right. Of all the things that Neelix did for us, there was nothing he enjoyed more than throwing a party. He came up with the most unbelievable excuses to have them.”

“Mr. Neelix was most adept at inventing holidays to celebrate,” said Tuvok implacably.

That provoked another round of laughter as well as more Neelix stories. Radcliffe felt a small pang in his chest as he regarded the Voyager officers, wondering idly if he would ever feel that kind of bond with crewmates. As he shifted in his seat he felt a twinge from his last workout. He was slowly improving his marksmanship skills and Lieutenant McDeere was teaching him katas as quickly as he could learn them. He still felt awkward and clumsy when he performed them but Lieutenant McDeere assured him that was normal and that he was making good progress. His determination to win a berth on Janeway’s new command was stronger than ever, even more so as he observed the camaraderie of her Voyager officers. Knowing each of them had agreed to join the captain in her campaign against the Borg without hesitation merely stiffened his resolve to become a member of that select group.

The rehearsal went smoothly that evening with general merriment accompanying the revelation of Miral’s and Ethan’s roles in the ceremony. Janeway laughed so hard at the sight of her aide carrying a squirming toddler down the aisle that she had to sit down to catch her breath. Miral, for her part, was more interested in grabbing hold of Radcliffe’s nose than she was in her role as flower girl and kept the young ensign busy trying to keep tiny fingers out of his eyes. The arrival of Captain Martin and a contingent of Fleet Marines didn’t even cause a ripple in the festivities. The rehearsal dinner was equally light-hearted with several hilarious toasts and even more humorous tales from the Delta quadrant being recounted. After the rehearsal dinner close friends and family moved to a suite in the hotel for one last evening of reminiscing. Even that was low-key, with Janeway and Seven retiring for the night at a surprisingly early hour.

As Phoebe and Gretchen were preparing to retire in their rooms Phoebe commented that Kathryn had seemed more relaxed that she had expected.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet. She’s just like your father; he was fine the day before but by the time of the ceremony he was shaking so badly we weren’t sure if he could make it down the aisle. If it weren’t for Owen and Rob Patterson I think he would have fainted dead away before I got to the altar to hold him up. Just wait.” Gretchen burst into laughter at the stunned expression on her younger daughter’s face.

* * * * *

The morning of the wedding dawned clear and cold, the sun blinding on the blanket of fresh snow covering everything. Gretchen and Phoebe joined Kathryn, Seven and Seven’s Aunt Claudia for breakfast in the suite before leaving to check on final preparations at the church and ballroom. Martin and Radcliffe arrived midmorning to transfer the luggage to St. Lucia. Martin kept his involvement very low-key, but his real purpose was to insure that his security team was in place on the island and ready to take up their protective duties that night. They would be walking a fine line between respecting Janeway and Seven’s privacy and maintaining the watchfulness necessary to protect the women, but Martin was confident that the senior men he’d selected for the duty were up to the task. He had been mildly surprised but pleased when Radcliffe had offered to accompany him. It was a good opportunity to instruct the young officer in some of the varied considerations of a security assignment.

Claudia Hansen did her level best to keep the tension levels low in the suite. Janeway was beginning to show some nerves and Seven was sounding more like the drone that she’d once been, a sure sign of tension. By the time Gretchen and Phoebe got back Janeway was buffing the shine on her boots for the third time and her hands were shaking noticeably. 

Gretchen looked at her youngest daughter with a twinkle in her eyes. “Just like your father.”

B’Elanna arrived shortly thereafter to help Seven dress for the wedding and Gretchen pointed Janeway toward a bedroom at one side of the suite while Phoebe and Torres ushered Seven toward the bedroom opposite. Before she turned away Seven smiled at Janeway and said quietly, “I will see you at the altar, Kathryn.”

“Altar, yes, at the…the altar,” stammered Janeway. Gretchen shook her head with a smile. Just like her father. Gretchen was hard-pressed to nudge Kathryn into the rooms set up for her to dress in. Gretchen took the boots away from Janeway lest they be polished yet again and pointed her toward the shower.

“Shower. Now. Long and hot. Scrub until you’re pink.” Kathryn’s wry grin acknowledged the whip of command in Gretchen’s voice as she headed for the bathroom. Gretchen turned and began a minute examination of Kathryn’s dress whites. It didn’t take long for her to pull out an ionizer to remove the stray lint. As she flipped the switch to activate the unit a bittersweet smile touched her lips. How many times did I do this for Edward? I never realized that I missed fussing over a uniform until just now. The replicator leaves a uniform with a slight negative charge that attracts lint like a magnet. He never knew. Apparently, neither does Kathryn. Her chuckle was deep and throaty. Just like her father. I’ll have to remember to tell Seven about this. She’ll have to check the uniforms from now on.