What hurts the most,
Was being so close,
And having so much to say
And watching you walk away
And
never knowing,
What could have been
Not seeing that loving you
Is what I was trying to do...
Voyager was home. They’d run the gauntlet of the Borg transwarp hub and lived to tell about
it. The astonished faces on the Starfleet brass commanding the task force waiting to battle the Borg invaders was almost worth
what they’d gone through to get there. Almost.
There had been the ceremonial escort home and then the wild celebrations as they overflew the Golden Gate and San Francisco
Bay amid the exploding plasma fireworks. Tom had been in his glory, piloting the sleek scout ship as if it was one of the
nimble WASP trainers of the Nova Squadron. Voyager
had pirouetted and climbed and dove and twirled as if the laws of gravity and propulsion had ceased to exist for those few
magical minutes.
Then it was the short hop to McKinley Station and a hard dock for the battered starship. Her crew would swear they
almost heard the ship sigh in relief as it finally came to rest in its assigned berth. On Earth, or at least in orbit above
Earth. Home. Once the hard dock had been established and the umbilicals connected they’d had to spend nearly an hour
downloading their data logs for Starfleet evaluation. Harry and Seven of Nine had been amazing during that time; both of them
should earn a commendation for their efforts to make the download flawless.
Once the bureaucrats were happy the crew was allowed an hour to pack their belongings and prepare to leave the ship
for an extended leave. Once they had, there was the official ceremony marking the end of their deployment.
Janeway and her senior staff had marched onto the stage in front of the assembled ship’s company. Behind them
were seated Federation and Starfleet dignitaries and as many family members as could make the trip in a day.
“Captain Janeway, front and center!” The diminutive commander stood at attention in front of Starfleet’s
Director of Operations. “Read your orders, Captain.”
“Attention to Orders. From: Bureau of Personnel, Starfleet Command. To: Captain Kathryn Janeway, USS Voyager. RE: CSO order 736568. Upon receipt or as directed by reporting
senior command you will detach from command of NCC-74656, USS Voyager and report to Starfleet Headquarters for reassignment.
USS Voyager to be removed from active
service pending redeployment refit.”
She looked up at the stolid visage of Admiral Alynna Nechayev through a mist of unshed tears. “Sir, I am ready
to be relieved.”
“Very well, Captain. Surrender your colors and command codes.”
Chakotay brought forward the bronze plaque that had hung on the Bridge since the vessel had been built at Utopia Planetia
and the PADD containing their command codes and handed them to his captain. She turned and presented them to Admiral Nechayev.
“Admiral, I surrender the colors of my command and its command codes.”
“I accept the command codes and colors of USS Voyager. Captain, you are relieved. You and your valiant crew will stand down with the grateful thanks
of the Federation and Starfleet for your outstanding service.”
“Aye, aye, Admiral. I stand relieved. Captain Kathryn Janeway and USS Voyager standing down.” Her salute was crisp and flawless.
“As you were!”
The crowd had roared its approval as the brass surrounded her to offer congratulations on their safe return from the
Delta Quadrant. Captain Janeway endured it all stoically just as her father would have wanted. Nothing leaked through the
faultless command mask she had learned to project. There was no crack in the stalwart Starfleet Officer persona. She was Captain
Kathryn Janeway, hero of the Delta Quadrant and, if she so chose, soon-to-be Rear Admiral Kathryn Janeway of Starfleet Command.
No one who shook her hand in the following hour knew her heart was breaking at the loss of everything she loved. Her
ship, her command and very shortly, the woman she loved. That hazy ‘someday’ she always knew she’d have
to face sooner or later was here. Now. There was no escaping it. Just as soon as
the congratulations started to fade out, she would begin saying goodbye to her crew. And when she did Seven of Nine would
walk out of her life. With Chakotay at her side. And there wasn’t a damned thing she could do about it.
As she finally freed herself from the dignitaries, she trotted down the steps of the stage and into the waiting arms
of her mother and younger sister. When the admirals had arrived at their farm with the news that Kathryn had brought her ship
safely home Gretchen and Phoebe Janeway had taken full advantage of their connections to Admirals Paris and Patterson and
accepted the use of the shuttle and pilot sent to convey them to McKinley Station.. They had changed into more formal clothing
and hastened to the spaceport to watch the arrival of the lost starship. Phoebe had been the first to catch sight of Kathryn
as the command staff marched off the boarding ramp at the head of the crew.
“There she is, Mom! Geez, she looks like death on toast.”
“Hush, Phoebe. She’s probably exhausted and after seven years she’s allowed. I wager you’d
look a lot worse if you’d just spent seven years in a hostile quadrant trying to get home.”
“No argument from me. But that’s the difference between your daughters, Mom. I’ll NEVER be in a hostile
quadrant trying to get home. You won’t get rid of me that easily.”
Gretchen smiled at her younger daughter. She’d been a Starfleet wife for her entire married life and her elder
daughter had eagerly followed in the footsteps of her Admiral father. But Phoebe utterly rejected everything to do with Starfleet
and lived life by her own lights as an artist of some renown. The sisters fought like cats and dogs the entire time they were
growing up but beneath the outside friction they truly loved each other. Phoebe might comment that her sister looked like
hammered shit, but if anyone else at the ceremony had tried they would have found themselves on their backsides from a hard
left hook.
They watched the ceremonies proudly as Kathryn was honored for her courageous service and relieved of her command;
what they both knew would be only a brief respite. Kathryn would be back in the command chair of a starship as quickly as
Starfleet would allow. She was a starship captain to her bones. They waited while
the brass congratulated her and as she bid farewell to her crew. When they had been dismissed to go with their families, they
swept her up with open arms.
“Welcome home, darling.” The brilliance of Gretchen’s smile was not diminished a bit by the tears
flowing unashamedly down her cheeks. Kathryn threw herself into those welcoming arms and nearly collapsed with joy. Phoebe
wrapped her in a fierce hug from the other side and just held her.
“Don’t you ever worry us like that again or I’ll kill you!”
Laughter broke the awkwardness but Gretchen could see the stiffness in Kathryn’s bearing. She said nothing, willing
to give Kathryn some space to tell them what was wrong in her own time. Not so, Phoebe. They’d not gone fifty steps
down the passage to the shuttle docks when she spun her sister around to face her.
“Enough! You should be jumping for joy to be home safe and sound and instead you look like we’re taking
you to your own funeral. What the hell’s the matter?”
Seeing the concern on the faces she had missed most in their long voyage on the other side of the galaxy, something
inside Voyager’s captain broke.
It was but a small crack in the façade but that was all it took. In an instant the officer’s reserve, the command mask
shattered and to Kathryn Janeway’s horror tears began to course down her cheeks and her breathing became gasping sobs.
Phoebe instinctively knew that her sister would be mortified should any of the Starfleet brass see her in this condition.
Looking around, she spotted a small conference room nearby. Grabbing Kathryn with one hand and Gretchen with the other, she
hustled her family into it and secured the hatch behind them. Gretchen held her sobbing daughter while Phoebe faced her with
hands on hips demanding an explanation.
“Okay, we’re alone. Now spill it.”
The story came out in fits and starts. Gretchen held her daughter while Phoebe paced back and forth and probed for
missing information when Kathryn hesitated. Finally, between the two of them they got the whole story.
“So let me see if I’ve got this straight. You basically kidnapped her from the Borg Collective, severed
her connection to the only life she’d known since the age of six, stripped her of the technology that made her superior
and then just cut her loose to ‘reclaim her humanity’? If I was Seven of Nine I’d have strangled you long
ago. Instead, she manages to become human enough to fall in love with you and when she tried to let you know what you mean
to her you pushed her away. You cut her loose again. And then, after you’d
done everything possible to push her away, she takes up with Chakotay and now suddenly you’re in love with her and nothing
in your world will ever be right again because you’ve lost her. That about sum things up or did I miss some salient
fact?”
Phoebe’s words seemed harsh, but she knew instinctively what would get through to her sister. She had been the
one to finally bring Kathryn out of the black depression she’d fallen into after the deaths of their father and Kathryn’s
fiancé, Justin. In that instance it had taken a bucket of ice water. In this one hard words that penetrated the fog of despair
would have to suffice.
Kathryn nodded miserably and sniffled through her tears. Phoebe just stared at her in disbelief. I refuse to believe we share the same gene pool. How can so fearless a commanding officer be such a freakin’
coward about her love life? Both men she chose to marry were absolute duds. Now she finally finds somebody who challenges
her and she runs away like a scared rabbit. Geez Louise!
It took about ten seconds for Phoebe to come to a decision and she spun to face her sister.
“Does your COMM badge work here? Are you up on Starfleet frequencies yet?”
“Yeah, they took care of that before we left the ship.”
“Well, find Tuvok. He’s headed for the Vulcan Embassy to wait for T’Pel isn’t he?”
“I… I think so.”
“What are you waiting for? Hit your badge and hail him.”
“Janeway to Tuvok”
“Tuvok here, Captain. How may I assist you?”
“Tuvok, this is Phoebe Janeway. Are you still on the station?”
“I am.”
“How fast can you get to conference room…” Phoebe glanced around the room for its designator, “…
43G-Delta?”
“I will join you there momentarily. May I ask the nature of the assistance you require?”
“Let’s call it a rescue mission.”
There was a slight pause before he replied. “Very well. I will see you in a few moments. Tuvok out.”
Gretchen looked at her youngest questioningly while she comforted her eldest. Kathryn had finally stopped crying and
she was gently wiping the tears from her daughter’s face.
“We’re going after her, Mom. I refuse to spend the next two months anywhere near the sniveling mess Kathryn’s
going to be if we don’t go get Seven of Nine. The Borg needs to see that some
of the Janeway women know their hearts and have the nerve to speak up about it when they need to.” She spared a glare
for her sister. “And don’t you dare try to give me any of that Starfleet crap about command officers not being
allowed to have relationships with members of their crew. Daddy always said that was just an excuse to try and hold the randiest
of the officer corps in some kind of check.”
She and Gretchen spent the next couple of minutes trying to get Kathryn squared away enough to face her long-time friend. They had barely succeeded when the hatchway chime sounded and Tuvok requested entry.
When it slid open at Phoebe’s command, the tall Vulcan and two other Voyager officers walked through.
“What the hell are you two doing here and who’s watching Miral?” demanded Janeway when she caught
sight of B’Elanna Torres and Tom Paris.
“Don’t worry. Your goddaughter is being doted on by her grandparents and our EMH. If he hovers any closer
Admiral Paris is going to decompile his program. Besides, if helmboy here is going to be flying a rescue mission you’re
going to need a good engineer along. So where are we headed? We gonna try to beat the ferry to DS9 and wait for them there
or can we just heave-to alongside in flight and beam Seven over?”
“I dunno. What do you think, Tuvok?” asked Phoebe.
“It is logical to assume that if we can obtain the flight plan of the ferry we can intercept it along its flight
path. There should be no reason to venture as far as DS9. I’m sure Mr. Paris is up to the helm duties in either case.”
“I… I don’t… What’s going on?” Kathryn was having a hard time keeping up with the
rest of the room. Gretchen nudged her toward the door as the group left the conference room and headed for the shuttle docks.
“Do we have official access to a shuttle or will we have to commandeer one?” asked Tom.
“We’ve got the use of a type-10 shuttle but I’m sure we’re not authorized to take it for a
joy ride,” commented Gretchen.
“Then it is a good thing you will have a Starfleet Security officer on board,” replied Tuvok impassively.
By this time they’d reached the shuttle docks and the young ensign assigned to their craft sprang to attention
when he caught sight of them.
“Captain Janeway, welcome home. I’m your pilot, Ensign Davis, and I’m honored to take you to your
family’s home.”
“Belay that, Ensign. We have a a rescue mission to carry out before that,” ordered Tuvok, flashing
his Starfleet Security credentials.
“Rescue…? What? Nobody said anything about a rescue mission. Is a ship in trouble? Has sector security
been notified? We’re not authorized to…”
“Ensign, sit down, strap in and shut up,” growled Torres pointing at the passenger seats at the rear of
the cabin. The Voyager crew spread
themselves around the consoles without needing to speak with Paris on helm, Tuvok on tactical, Torres on engineering and Janeway
on ops. Gretchen and Phoebe fastened their harnesses on either side of the sputtering ensign and tried vainly to reassure
him. Once they cleared the docks, Tom swung the ship around the far side of the immense space station and Tuvok hailed Harry
Kim.
“Mr. Kim? Have you obtained the manifest and flight plan?”
“Roger that, Commander. I’m on my way to the transporter room
now.”
“Hold your position, Mr. Kim. I have a transporter lock on you and will beam you aboard….now.”
The flickering of the blue ions heralded the arrival of Voyager’s operations officer into the rear of the shuttle. He nodded a greeting to the Janeways and
the now-silent ensign.
“Where are we headed, Harry?”
“The ferry’s first stop is at the Rigil Spaceport in the Alpha Centauri system. That’s where they’ll
board the deep-space shuttle to DS9. The ferry’s top speed is only warp 2.9 so there’s no reason we can’t
be waiting for them when they dock. Trip should only take a couple of hours.”
Tuvok turned to face his former commanding officer and raised one eyebrow quizzically.
“Captain?”
“Once we get underway somebody is going to explain what’s going
on to me. Very well, lay in the intercept course and engage at your discretion Mr. Paris.” For some reason the melancholy
that had overwhelmed her since she found out about Seven and Chakotay lifted somewhat.
“Aye, Captain.”
In moments they were at warp six streaking toward the planet Rigil and, unseen, passing the lumbering ferry ship in
the folds of subspace. When the familiar haze of a healthy warp field surrounded the shuttle Captain Janeway turned to her
crew and demanded an explanation.
“When your sister hailed me and requested my assistance for a rescue mission I could only conclude that the person
to be rescued was you, Captain. From yourself. That being the case, it followed
logically that the key to that rescue would be Seven of Nine. Therefore, to effect the rescue your sister spoke of it would
be necessary to locate Seven of Nine and return her to Earth with us. I therefore recruited Mr. Paris to pilot the mission,
Mr. Kim to obtain the necessary intelligence for us to carry out the mission and Lieutenant Torres as muscle should we need
to fight our way clear of inconvenient entanglements.”
“Tuvok, the woman gave birth less than seventy-two hours ago!”
“Don’t worry, Captain. I’m fine. Klingon, remember?”
“So based on my idiot sister’s comment that it was a ‘rescue mission’ you deduced all of that
and summoned the entire remaining senior staff to assist?”
“Yes, Captain. I must say, the EMH was not happy being relegated to caring for Miral. He maintained that he should
be along in case Commander Chakotay requires medical attention at some point.”
“Did he seriously think there would be a fight with Chakotay?”
“No, Captain. I believe his concerns were more about what Seven would do to the Commander if he tries to keep
her with him after she learns that you are in love with her.”
“That I’m, I’m what? How did we get to that conclusion?”
“It is the only logical one based on the available facts.” Tuvok was unperturbed at her outburst.
“Seven is an adult and she chose to be with Chakotay. Besides, what gave any of you the idea that I’m in
love with her?”
Even Gretchen had to laugh at the ‘oh puleeze!’ looks Voyager’s officers gave their captain in unison.
Seems Kathryn hasn’t been as discreet as she thought. Good, that will
make things easier when we find Seven. Phoebe was already
marshalling her arguments to bring Seven home with them. Now she just needed to
get her sister moving in the right direction.
“Start preparing your speech, Kathryn. We’ll be there before you know it.”
“Three point two-six hours at present course and speed,” supplied Tuvok helpfully.
***** *** *****
“Federation Transport announces the arrival of the ferry Cerberus from Earth. All passengers holding ticket authorization to
connecting destinations and waiting to board are asked to allow disembarking passengers to leave the ship before doing so.
Thank you for using Federation Transport and have a safe and comfortable flight.”
Kathryn’s heart was pounding in her chest, her palms were sweating and if she took a deep breath she was
afraid she would pass out. Any moment now, Chakotay and Seven would be walking off the gangway of the ferry headed toward
their deep space shuttle to DS9. She had helped arrange for both of them to be debriefed at DS9 instead of at Starfleet HQ
as was standard for senior officers. Chakotay had wanted to get off Earth as quickly as possible forgoing the official welcome
gala that was planned for later in the month and Seven had offered no objection. It wasn’t because of his Maquis background;
all the former Maquis crew held written pardons from Starfleet and commendations for their service aboard Voyager. So, unable to voice her desire for Seven to stay, she had
helped organize their travel to Chakotay’s home planet near the Cardassian border. Now, less than forty-eight hours
later, here she was, intercepting them at their first stop.
It was Seven of Nine who saw her first, the young woman’s eyes widening noticeably as she hurried from
Chakotay’s side to join her former commanding officer.
“Captain! Is something the matter? Has there been an emergency of some sort? Why are you here?”
Janeway took that deep breath she had feared and surprisingly, it steadied her. “I’m here to see
you, Seven. There were things left unsaid when we docked and I wanted to make sure that we cleared the air between us before
you flew off to DS9.”
Chakotay had joined them by now and greeted Janeway cautiously. Gretchen, Phoebe and the others stayed far enough
back to not be party to the conversation but close enough to get there quickly if things got ugly.
“Hello, Kathryn. I’m surprised to see you here. Is there a problem with our debriefing schedules?”
“No there isn’t. I merely wanted to have a word with Seven of Nine. A private word if you don’t mind.”
He bristled at the implication and moved between the two women as, unseen by him, Tuvok took a quick step forward
in case he was needed. “I do mind, Kathryn. There’s nothing you can
have left to say to Seven and we need to make our connecting flight. So if you’ll excuse us, we need to be going.”
Now Janeway bristled. “No, I don’t think I’ll excuse you, Chakotay. It’s important that
I speak with Seven privately. Now. It will only take a few minutes and then you
can board your flight.”
“Will I be boarding with Seven?”
“That’s entirely up to her. Seven, there’s a coffee bar right over there. Why don’t you
and I go sit down and talk?”
“No way, Kathryn! You’ve got no right to…” Seven’s Borg hand firmly gripping his
arm silenced him as Tuvok and Torres came up behind him.
“It will take only a few minutes, Chakotay. We have sufficient time to make our connecting flight.”
Turning back to Janeway she indicated the coffee bar with a tilt of her head. “Shall we, Captain?”
They sat down and Janeway ordered coffee for herself and a Vulcan tea she knew Seven enjoyed. They spoke of inconsequentials
until their drinks arrived and then, fortified by a gulp of her drug of choice, Kathryn stepped off into the abyss.
“I… I very much wanted to have this conversation with you on Voyager but I… hesitated and then there was no time. I know I’ve been…
distant recently and I want, I need to be sure you know why.”
“Very well, Captain. Why?”
Kathryn Janeway had faced down the worst thugs of the Delta Quadrant with equanimity but she quailed at the thought
of what her next words had to be. But, contrary to her sister’s appraisal, she wasn’t a coward when push came
to shove. Summoning all her dreams and hopes she bared her soul to the beautiful ex-drone who held her heart.
“I was afraid. I was afraid of what I felt for you. Twice before I was ready to marry and had never known
what it could be like… what I felt… what I feel, for you. It’s
overwhelming.”
Seven’s optical array flicked up and down in acknowledgement. “And what, precisely, do you feel for
me, Captain?”
Janeway’s stomach did its usual back flip at the familiar mannerism. Only
Seven could make a tritanium implant sexy as hell.
Lost in the depths of the intense blue gaze focused on her she could utter only the truth. “I love you,
Seven. I’ve been a fool – a coward and an idiot not to acknowledge it before this. I know I’m probably too
late and that I’ve hurt you deeply but I couldn’t let you leave without knowing the truth. I love you. I’m
in love with you and I have been for a very long time.”
The optical array twitched again, this time accompanied by the tiniest upturn at one corner of Seven’s
mouth.
“I see. And precisely how long have you felt this way?” Full lips glistened as she took a small sip
of her tea.
“Since you followed the Borg resonance frequency to Raven on the B’omar moon. That night in the DaVinci holoprogram. We stood by the fire and you wondered
what your life would have been like had you not been assimilated. I knew then that all I wanted to do was to help you regain
whatever you could of that life. However long it took; I wanted to make the journey at your side. You were so beautiful in
the firelight; so fragile yet so strong. That’s the night I knew I loved you.”
“That long? And yet, when I began to explore my feelings and discovered that I felt differently about you
than any of the others you distanced yourself from me. Why, Captain?” Seven was merciless when only the truth would
do.
“I was terrified, Seven. I’ve lost everyone else I loved; if I lost you it would have destroyed me. And we were all in danger every day we spent in the Delta Quadrant. Every single
day I could have lost you. I was terrified so I backed away.”
“And what prompted this sudden change in your demeanor? Are you no longer afraid of losing me?”
Kathryn looked at her bleakly. “I think I’ve already lost you. My heart broke when I watched you
and Chakotay leave this afternoon. Am I suddenly less afraid of losing you? No, but I have nothing left to lose. If you walk
away from me again my heart will stay broken but I’ll know I tried to tell you how I feel. I’ll have that small
comfort at least. And if the fates are kind and by some miracle I haven’t
lost you, I realize the joy of spending the rest of my life with you will far outweigh the fear of losing you. That’s
all I can offer you; my love and my life. You heal my soul and before today I didn’t even realize it had been damaged.”
The icy blue gaze remained impassive as Seven weighed and analyzed what she had been told. She had long suspected
that Voyager’s captain harbored
deeper feelings for her than she showed, but had been at a loss to understand her commanding officer’s behavior. And
she could understand the captain’s fears. Seven harbored secret fears too; of knowing she would never be fully human.
Of not being accepted on the strange planet of Earth; teeming with billions of individuals.
She had yielded to them somewhat in her choice of Chakotay. And while she had resigned herself to the knowledge that she would
most likely never know the soaring passions of love with him, she was content to know that he was safe.
But now a chance for redemption sat across the small table from her. Those grey-blue eyes open and trusting,
the elegant hands gripping the coffee mug so hard their knuckles were white. For the first time, Captain Janeway – Kathryn - had faced down her fears and opened her heart. Here, in this shabby coffee bar in this shabby spaceport, Kathryn Janeway had declared her love. The
question now was simple. Am I willing to overlook the pain I endured burying my feelings
for her and take the same chance she is taking? Can I trust what she says?
Yes. I have always trusted her. She has human failings but she has never lied
to me.
And just that quickly the answer was clear. Seven of Nine was no coward either.
“Very well, captain. I believe you. What do you propose?”
“Propose? What do I…?” Suddenly Janeway’s eyes popped wide and she grinned from ear to
ear. “Of course! That’s what…”
She sprang to her feet and took two quick steps around the tiny table. Very slowly she knelt down on one knee
and reached out to grasp Seven’s Borg hand in both of hers.
“Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix 01, will you do me the honor of marrying me? Of spending
the rest of your life with me? Of being my soul mate and the love of my life?”
An incandescent smile bloomed across Seven’s beautiful features. “Yes, Kathryn, I will.”
“You will?” Janeway let out a short bark of laughter.
“I’m not prepared. You’ll have to wait until we get back to the farm and I can get my Grandmother’s
ring for your finger, but will this do in the mean time?” Eyes shining with love, she popped one of the four pips off
her collar and extended it to the beautiful woman before her.
“It will be most acceptable.”
Janeway reached up with now-trembling fingers and pinned the small brass insignia just off the neckline of Seven’s
biosuit. Then she looked back down at Seven’s hands clasped in her lap, grasped the mesh-covered Borg appendage and
gently pressed it first to her lips and then to her cheek. When she finally looked up she saw love shining in every facet
of Seven’s countenance. She stood and held out her hand to help Seven rise.
And then, never knowing who moved first, they were in each other’s arms.
The first, brief kiss was electric and Kathryn felt her heart skip a beat as they broke slightly apart and gazed
at each other. Then she again sought full lips that had haunted her for so long, falling into them like a lost soul finding
home. The heat of their kiss nearly stopped traffic on the concourse.
Phoebe’s grin nearly split her face. Way to go, Kathryn. I knew
you had it in you.
Chakotay’s response was not quite as positive. With a low growl he took an angry step toward the two women
only to be restrained by a pair of Vulcan hands on one arm and a pair of half-Klingon hands on the other.
“That would not be very wise, Commander. A conviction for assault would do little to help your future in
anthropology.”
“But she’s stealing my woman! Am I supposed to just stand here and let her do it?”
“Chakotay, I hate to break this to you, but your woman seems
to be just fine with being stolen away. It even looks like she’s pretty happy about it so you might need to re-examine
exactly what it is you think Seven felt for you.” B’Elanna was blunt but she knew her old Maquis friend needed
a hard lesson in reality. He had deluded himself for far too long. “You know there’s always been something between
those two. It just took them this long to figure out what it was.”
Knowing she was right the burly man sagged in their grasp and then shook himself free. He reached down and grabbed
his carryall as the two newly-engaged women walked hand-in-hand back to the group. He straightened and spoke first.
“I guess I can see for myself who she chose. I’m sorry, Seven; I had hoped we might have a future
together.”
“No, Chakotay, I am the one who is sorry. I never should have allowed our relationship to progress this
far. I knew from the start that I didn’t love you but I hoped that I could learn to do so in time. I know now that would
not have been possible. I beg your forgiveness for the pain I’ve caused you.”
“There’s nothing to forgive.” He reached out and shook hands with his former captain. “Congratulations,
Kathryn. I don’t have to tell you you’re getting a wonderful woman.”
“No you don’t. I’m sorry for the hurt we’ve caused you, old friend. I never meant to
do so.”
“I know. And in time we’ll all be friends again. But right now, I need to catch my flight to DS9.
Best of luck to you all.” Nodding at the group, he turned away and strode down the concourse toward his boarding gate
without a backward glance.
“So, Captain, Seven, something you want to share with the rest of the group?” asked Paris with a
grin.
“Yes, Ensign Paris. You’re all going to be invited to
a wedding as soon as my mother can organize one. Oh, and before I forget, Mom? Phoebe? This is Seven of Nine. We’re
getting married.”
Beaming, Gretchen wrapped a surprised Seven in a hug and kissed her cheek. “I’m so glad to finally
meet you, Seven. You make my daughter so very, very happy. I’m thankful that you’re going to be part of our family.”
“Welcome to the Janeway clan. I’m Phoebe, the bane of Kathryn’s existence. Don’t believe
one single thing she says about me; it’s all a pack of lies. Now as soon as we get back to the farm I’ll tell
you the true stories of Kathryn’s childhood…”
“Like hell you will! Seven, ignore her. She’s an artist and she just wants the attention. C’mon
everyone, let’s get back to the shuttle before Ensign Davis decides to fly home and save his career with Starfleet.”
B’Elanna casually pulled three isolinear chips out of her pocket. “Ensign Davis isn’t going
anywhere until we get back to the docking bay.” The laughter of the group
trailed after them as they started back down the concourse.
Four hours later, just as the sun was beginning its climb over the eastern hills to shine on the rambling farm
house, Kathryn and Seven stepped hand-in-hand out of the shuttle and into their future.
Together, at last.
