Disclaimer: The characters are the property of Paramount and were created by Kate Mulgrew, Jeri Ryan and the wonderful cast of Star Trek: Voyager. This is strictly a non-profit operation: the rewards are in the writing and feedback. If you’re under 18, or have a problem with consenting adults in a same-sex relationship, now is the time to find something else to read. Do not post or reprint without author’s permission. © 2007 by BeachBum

 

Acknowledgements: I cannot thank Lyric, Susan, Annie or LZClotho enough for their phenomenal beta-reading skills, encouragement and late-night hand-holding. You ladies save me from myself and my terminal mis-use of the ellipse not to mention chronic comma abuse.

 

OK DAx, challenge accepted! Believe it or not, both DAx and I came up with very similar story arcs independent of each other. So we decided to square off head to head and take our best shots. I hope you enjoy!

 

 

CHAPTER 4

 

The following morning Gretchen and Phoebe Janeway had just finished the breakfast dishes when they became aware of a growing roar outside. Their eyes widened considerably when they stepped onto their porch to see two heavy-duty Starfleet shuttles in final landing maneuvers over their expansive lawn. The first shuttle touched down and two squads of heavily armed Starfleet Security troops ran out and took up positions creating a secure perimeter around the house and outbuildings. When the protective ring was in place, the second shuttle set down gently. Its hatch opened and Kathryn jogged out and ran up the steps to them.

 

Phoebe grinned at her older sister and quipped, “I’m not even gonna ask. Starfleet finally figured out you don’t know what you’re doing and decided to hold you prisoner here?”

 

“Phoebe, hush,” commanded her mother. “Kathryn, I trust you have a good explanation for this…invasion?”

 

“Mom, Phoebe, I’m sorry for the trouble. Didn’t Owen contact you?”

 

“Yes, Owen called last night and informed me that you’d been delayed and wouldn’t return home until some time today. He didn’t mention anything about an armed detachment accompanying you, though.”

 

Janeway grinned at her. “Well, he probably didn’t want to frighten you off. Seven of Nine was kidnapped by…a…group of people interested in her Borg technology. They almost killed her trying to take it out of her.” An involuntary shudder passed through her as she thought again how close they – she -- had come to losing Seven. “We caught up with them on Mars and brought her back to Starfleet Medical. Kate Pulaski and my EMH put her back together last night, but we need a safe place for her to recover from her injuries. Owen and I thought here would be best. Do you mind? The security is just until we get her settled, then it will spread back to the edges of the Agricultural Park. They won’t bother anybody.”

 

Gretchen frowned. “Kidnapped by ‘people interested in her Borg technology’? I’m sure there’s more to this story than you’re telling me. But that can wait. Of course she can stay here. We’ll put her in your old room upstairs. You can sleep in the guest room for the time being.”

 

“Thanks, Mom,” Janeway planted a quick kiss on her mother’s cheek, turned and signalled the shuttle.

 

Kate Pulaski and the EMH quickly moved the anti-gravity stretcher with the unconscious woman off the shuttle and toward the steps. After the stretcher cleared the hatch a group of officers and two anti-grav pallets quickly followed. Tom Paris and Harry Kim brought the first pallet, loaded with medical and monitoring equipment, and followed the stretcher while B’Elanna Torres and two of Voyager’s engineers headed the second pallet, loaded with extra power cells, toward the barn.

 

As the anti-grav stretcher rose to clear the steps Admiral Pulaski broke into a large smile. “Hello Gretchen, it’s been too long. I’m sorry to invade your home like this.”

 

The elder Janeway returned the smile. “Hello, Kate. I seem to remember you always enjoyed making an entrance. Welcome to Indiana. We’ll settle Seven of Nine upstairs…last door on the left.”

 

When the stretcher and the equipment pallet were safely headed upstairs Gretchen turned back to her elder daughter.

 

“So, when was the last time you ate?”

 

“Ummm, I think I had most of a sandwich at the hospital last night…”

 

“And how many people did you bring with you?”

 

“Uh, not counting the security troops, I think…eight. Why?”

 

Gretchen ignored her question. “Come along, Phoebe, we’ve got a big breakfast to cook. Kathryn, you head upstairs and help get Seven settled. I’ll call you when when breakfast is ready.” Gretchen Janeway had not spent the bulk of her adult life married to a Starfleet Admiral without acquiring considerable command skills herself.

 

It took Janeway, Tom and Harry half an hour to get the medical equipment and monitors set up in Kathryn’s bedroom. The job could probably have been done quicker had Tom and Harry stopped glancing around the large, airy room searching for signs of their esteemed commanding officer’s early life. Finally, Janeway could take it no longer and said wickedly, “Shall I get out my stuffed animals, gentlemen? I’m sure they’re in a box in some closet.” She was rewarded with deep blushes from both men and an amused chuckle from Admiral Pulaski.

 

But when the Admiral fired back with, “I seem to recall a rather large teddy bear you refused to go to sleep without,” it was Janeway’s turn to flush crimson.

 

As they made the final connections on the equipment Gretchen’s voice carried up the stairs from the dining room, calling them to breakfast.

 

Janeway insisted that both Pulaski and the EMH come downstairs. When B’Elanna and the engineers came in from the barn she formally introduced everyone.

 

Mom, Phoebe, I’d like you to meet the bulk of my senior staff. This is Harry Kim my Operations Officer, Tom Paris my Chief Helmsman, B’Elanna Torres my Chief Engineer and my CMO…who has never managed, in seven years, to choose a name and so we call him simply ‘the Doctor’. These two stalwart young officers are Lieutenants Vorik and Nicoletti from Voyager’s Engineering section. Admiral Pulaski you already know. Ladies and gentlemen, my mother and sister, Gretchen and Phoebe Janeway."

 

Gretchen smiled. “I’m so happy to meet all of you. Welcome to our home. Now sit down and let’s get some breakfast into all of you. You must be starved.”

 

When B’Elanna saw the platters of steaming pancakes, bowls of scrambled eggs, pots of fresh coffee and home made cinnamon rolls covering the dining room table she had to swallow quickly so as not to drool openly. In no time at all they were seated around the large table passing the heaped plates around and talking happily. Since he didn’t eat, the EMH excused himself and returned upstairs to monitor Seven of Nine.

 

When the meal was finished, B’Elanna and her engineers returned to the barn to finish work on the portable regeneration unit. Tom and Harry returned to the shuttle to link up with Admirals Paris and Patterson and Janeway and Pulaski went back upstairs to check on Seven and the EMH. The long surgery to repair her implants had been grueling, but the EMH remained convinced that a week of regeneration would see Seven fully functional albeit weak. Pulaski seemed better after having eaten, but the fatigue and stress of the past two days were evident in her face.

 

As for Seven of Nine, most of her face and body were covered by bio-medical gel paks to help heal the huge wounds around her implants. Her skin, where it was visible, was chalk white  and the steady beeps and chirps from the monitoring equipment seemed slow. Pulaski noticed the worried look on Janeway’s face.

 

“Don’t worry, Kathryn, she’ll be fine. The EMH will stop by daily to check on her. Once we get her in regeneration mode she’ll look better. The gel paks need to stay on a week. When we take them off she’ll look like her old self again.”

 

B’Elanna and the rest of Voyager’s officers arrived, portable regeneration unit and power cells in tow. The men gently eased Seven onto her side and B’Elanna and Janeway positioned the unit beneath her. When she was on her back again the contacts of the unit were in position to interface with her Borg systems. B’Elanna showed Janeway how to interlink two power cells so that as one drained the other activated.

 

“Each cell should be good for twelve hours. The way we’ve got them interlinked should provide a full twenty-four hours’ regeneration. There’s six more fully charged cells in the barn. Just watch the indicators here. When they show red, the cell is drained. Just replace it with a fresh one and you’ll always have a twelve-hour reserve hooked to the unit. Tom and I will bring the Delta Flyer down every two days and recharge the drained cells in the barn. That way there will always be at least a two-day power supply available.” Turning to the doctors she asked, “Is she ready to regenerate?”

 

When the EMH and Admiral Pulaski nodded B’Elanna activated the regeneration unit. A quiet hum filled the air and Seven’s body stiffened noticeably. B’Elanna checked the reading on the unit and declared it functioning properly.

 

“Okay then, in a week her Borg systems should be back to normal. Is there anything else you need us for, Captain? If not, Tom and I want to get back to Miral before her grandparents spoil her beyond salvation.”

 

Janeway chuckled and accompanied her officers back downstairs. She tried to thank them all for their help and for giving up their precious leave time but found herself waved off again and again.

 

“Seven is part of Voyager, and everybody from Voyager is family. You do things for family. You do whatever needs to be done. Forget it, Captain,” was the reply to each of her offered thanks. In minutes, both shuttles had lifted off and the Janeway farm was again the peaceful haven where Kathryn had grown up. She turned and went back through the screen door. Gretchen was waiting for her.

 

“Well, I must say dear, you certainly have a way of livening up dull mornings,” she chuckled. “Now why don’t you take me upstairs and introduce me to your Seven of Nine?”

 

“It won’t be much of an introduction, Mom. She’s unconscious and will be for at least the next week.”

 

“Well then, let’s go upstairs and you can show me what we’re going to need to do to care for her.”

 

“Mom, you don’t have to…”

 

“Kathryn, think. Phoebe and I are going to be involved in her care, too. You have to sleep some time you know.”

 

Kathryn went into the living room and snagged one of her favorite books off a shelf and then took her mother upstairs to familiarize her with the equipment monitoring and healing Seven of Nine.

 

Gretchen observed closely when Kathryn unconsciously touched the young woman and decided that sometimes a mother needs to bring up unpleasant facts to her offspring.

 

“Didn’t you mention that Seven and Chakotay were involved when you reached Earth? Do you expect him to visit her?”

 

The look of fury on Janeway’s face would have frozen the Borg Queen in her tracks. “Under no circumstances is Chakotay allowed to see Seven! If he contacts you and asks to visit, notify the Security detail immediately. The security staff of the transport center at Portage Creek will stop him if he tries to come here. If he flies in on a shuttle, lock the doors and call the Security detail. Wait for help to arrive. If I’m not here, there’s a hand phaser in the nightstand by the bed set to heavy stun. Don’t be afraid to use it. Do you understand?!”

 

Gretchen was shocked at her daughter’s response. “Kathryn! What’s really going on here? Isn’t it time you tell me the whole story?”

 

Janeway sagged into a chair, her exhaustion evident. Haltingly, she related everything that had happened in the past thirty hours. When she finished she looked up at her mother imploringly.

 

“Do you understand now? I can’t risk letting them get close to her again.”

 

“Are you sure that he cooperated in her abduction? Isn’t there another possible explanation?”

 

“The Security interrogators are questioning him about his interactions with Section 31. He may not have known everything they had planned for her, but he went along with them thinking he was saving his career. What more explanation do you need?”

 

“And he’s still in custody?”

 

“The report I received this morning indicated that when they conclude the interrogation he’ll be freed but monitored pending a review board action on his conduct. I don’t want him within a hundred kilometers of here. Until she wakes up and can make her own decisions regarding him, he doesn’t get near her. He doesn’t get another chance to betray her.”

 

“All right, Kathryn. I’ll tell Phoebe,” said Gretchen quietly. “I’ll be downstairs if you need me.” She left the room and Janeway settled back in the bedside chair to read.

 

Three hours later, Gretchen called up the stairs for Janeway. “Kathryn? Owen Paris is on the comm for you.”

 

Janeway took the hail in her father’s study. “Yes, Admiral? What can I do for you?”

 

“How’s Seven doing?”

 

“The portable regeneration unit is working and we’ve got plenty of power cells. So far everything is fine.”

 

“Glad to hear it. Your Board of Inquiry is slated to resume next Monday morning at 0900 hours. If you can meet me in my office at 0800 hours I’ll brief you on everything we’ve discovered. Until that time you’re on detached duty in Indiana. Try to check in once a day until then, will you?”

 

“Thank you, Admiral. I’ll contact you every day. And I’ll be in your office at 0800 hours Monday morning.”

 

“All right, then. Give my best to your mother.”

 

“I will, Admiral. Janeway out.”

 

The next week passed quickly. Chakotay attempted a comm link to Janeway, but Phoebe intercepted the call and in no uncertain terms informed him that he was not welcome in Indiana. When Janeway found out about the call she hailed Tuvok and informed him. The Vulcan and Lieutenant Ayala paid a visit to the former First Officer, shortly after which he abruptly returned to his home colony near the Cardassian border to await the review board’s judgment. The EMH beamed in daily to check on Seven and declared that she was making excellent progress.

 

The following Monday morning Janeway presented herself in Owen Paris’ office precisely at 0800 hours. He gave her a detailed account of all the data they had collected from the raid on the Mars facility. Over a hundred operatives had been arrested so far and three clandestine facilities had been shut down. The most amazing fact was that Admiral Richardson had been arrested for running Section 31. He hadn’t had time to destroy most of his files before the arrest and they were proving a treasure trove of information for Starfleet Security. By all appearances they had succeeded in dismantling most of the unauthorized unit. Shortly before 0900 hours, Paris stood and told Janeway to accompany him to the room where her Board of Inquiry was to meet.

 

“Don’t worry, Kathryn. I think everything will be fine.”

 

Once inside Kathryn took her seat before the Board. Admiral Nechayev cleared her throat and brought the Board to order. Richardson’s vacant chair stood out like a beacon.

 

“Does this Board have any additional questions for Captain Janeway?” When no one did she looked down at the papers in her hands and then back at Kathryn.

 

“Captain Janeway, it is the finding of this Board of Inquiry that you acquitted yourself in a manner reflecting the highest Starfleet standards and that your command of Voyager was exemplary. A commendation will be placed in your record reflecting this, and the Board is recommending that you be placed on the promotion list for Rear Admiral. Further, it is the recommendation of this Board that you be awarded Starfleet’s Medal of Honor and the Christopher Pike Medal of Valor for your command of Voyager. You are hereby released to your leave. This Board is adjourned.” She stood abruptly and left the room.

 

Janeway sat in her chair, stunned. Admirals Paris and Patterson came around the table to congratulate her.

 

“I told you everything would be fine, didn’t I?” laughed Paris.

 

“You did, sir, but I didn’t expect them to be quite THAT fine,” replied Janeway. “I know I have both of you to thank for this. I can’t tell you how relieved I am that…”

 

“Kathryn, belay that. We’ve got a proposition for you. We all know that being placed on the promotions list for Admiral is a formality. If you want the job, it’s yours. But we’d like to make you a different offer before you accept. As a flag officer you won’t ever command a starship again. We’d like you to consider taking charge of Voyager’s refit for the next year or so. You’ll still be based on Earth, so you’ll have a good long time to be with your family. You’ll be ensuring Voyager is upgraded the way it needs to be, and you’ll be able to keep your options open regarding command. Take a month leave.  Get Seven of Nine back on her feet, and then let us know what you decide. Is that agreeable?”

 

“I don’t know what to say. I’m astounded!”

 

“Take the leave and think about what you want to do. If you decide that you don’t want another command, we’ll have an office here at Headquarters ready for you. If you decide you do want another command, you’ll pretty much have your pick of assignments. In the meantime go home. Relax. Get used to being back on Earth. And keep in touch.”

 

She shook both men’s hands and went quickly to the transport center. At Portage Creek, she took a hovercraft back to the farm. Gretchen came out on the porch as she walked toward the steps.

 

“Kathryn, what’s wrong? I thought your Board of Inquiry was meeting this morning!”

 

Janeway laughed and wrapped her mother in a bear hug. “It was. I have been cleared of all charges, gotten a commendation, been awarded a couple of medals, and been placed on the promotions list for Admiral. Not bad for an hour’s work, eh?”

 

“Kathryn!” her mother laughed, returning the hug fiercely. “So what happens now?”

 

“Admirals Paris and Patterson made me a rather intriguing offer. They want me to take over Voyager’s refit for the next year. Then, if I decide I want to accept promotion, I get stationed at Starfleet headquarters as an Admiral. If not, I get another starship command. In the meantime I’m on leave for the next month.”

 

“I’m so proud of you. I knew that Board couldn’t find anything wrong with your command!”

 

Janeway grinned. “Well, it’s obvious that Paris and Patterson had a lot of input. Nechayev didn’t look at all happy when she read the findings and dismissed the Board. But it’s finally over. I can have my life back. So how’s Seven doing this morning?”

 

“Your sister is sitting with her now. The monitors are all showing strong vital signs. Your EMH should be here in a little while to do his last check.”

 

“That sounds great. Let me get out of this uniform and into some comfortable clothes and I’ll take over for Phoebe. I’m starved! When’s lunch?”

 

The following morning both Admiral Pulaski and the EMH arrived to check on Seven of Nine and terminate her regeneration cycle. After several scans the physicians decided that she should be allowed to wake on her own from the chemically induced coma. They removed all the monitors and scanners from the room and and spent nearly two hours gently removing the bio-medical gel paks. Janeway paced nervously in the hallway outside as the medics worked, praying fervently to any deities in the neighborhood that Seven would be all right. The gel paks had done their job. The ghastly wounds were gone, replaced with the silvery gleam of regenerated Borg implants and the pink of new skin. Once the medics satisfied themselves that the healing was complete, they dispatched Janeway to their shuttle to replicate some sleepwear for Seven. She returned in a few minutes with pajamas, robe and slippers, and was promptly shooed from the room again. When Pulaski opened the door a few minutes later a pajama-clad Seven of Nine was tucked neatly in bed. The Admiral turned to Janeway.

 

“Okay, Kathryn, she’s still out, but we’ve stopped the sedation. As long as she’s asleep she won’t need to regenerate again. Once she wakes up she’ll need to regenerate a couple of hours each day. But you need to focus on getting her to eat and sleep naturally. Food and normal sleep are what she needs most now and will do the most to help her regain her strength. Don’t let her try to amp up her nanoprobes to hurry things along. That will only weaken her Borg systems unnecessarily. When she wakes, let us know and we’ll come out and explain things to her. Until she does it’s important that you try to communicate with her. Talk to her, read to her, let her hear your voice. That will help her wake up.”

 

“How long do you think it will take her to come around?”

 

The EMH replied, “Well, with a human I’d say three to four days. But with a human-Borg hybrid? It’s anybody’s guess. It could be as early as tonight or it may take that three or four days. We really don’t know.”

 

“Will someone need to stay with her around the clock?”

 

“Not medically, but it would be best if someone was here when she does wake up. She’s been through an horrific ordeal. Seeing someone she trusts when she awakens will help her deal with that.”

 

“All right, Doctor. I’ll make sure one of us is always with her until she wakes up. She won’t be alone.”

 

Phoebe and Gretchen split the afternoon shift while Kathryn napped. After dinner she went upstairs and relieved her younger sister.

 

“Here, Katie. I’ve been reading ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ to her. You can pick it up at the top of the page here.”

 

“God, Phoebe! She was kidnapped and almost eviscerated. Don’t you think you could have chosen something a little more…appropriate…to read to her?”

 

Phoebe laughed. “Somehow, I don’t think the subject matter is that important. I think the tone of the voice she hears is the most important thing right now. Or the fact that the voice she hears is yours, Katie.”

 

“What do you mean by that?”

 

“I mean that hearing the voice of someone who loves her is more important to help her wake up and deal with what happened than the precise words that voice uses. Unless of course the voice is being honest and telling her how much it loves her.”

 

“You’ve finally lost your mind! I always knew inhaling all those paint fumes would do it eventually.”

 

“Kathryn, are you going to stand there and deny to my face that you love her? If you are then I suggest you review some of the stories you told Mom and I when you got back. Because each and every one of them included Seven of Nine in a main role.”

 

“Phoebe, she was an important part of Voyager’s senior staff; of course she was involved in everything we did.”

 

“No, Kathryn, I mean the stories of how you risked Voyager and her crew time and again to save Seven. You went after her into the heart of the Borg empire; you challenged the Borg Queen for her; you allowed yourself and your crewmates to be assimilated to help her in Unimatrix Zero; you chased Ransom and the Equinox halfway across the Delta Quadrant to rescue her. Do I have to go on? Every time Seven was threatened, you moved heaven and earth to save her. Did you do the same for your other crew members?”

 

“None of my other officers got into as much trouble as Seven did. And I’d never abandon any of my crew.”

 

“Perhaps that’s true. But are you going to deny the most convincing proof?”

 

“And what would that be, Phoebe?”

 

“The look on your face…in your eyes…every time you look at her.”

 

Janeway looked at her younger sister in astonishment. “You really have lost your mind!”

 

Gretchen appeared in the doorway and leaned against it. “Phoebe, that’s enough. Leave your sister alone.”

 

Phoebe handed the book to Kathryn and turned to leave. As she reached the door she turned back to Kathryn and smiled.

 

“You know, I’ve always had reservations about the men you brought home. Now you finally fall for someone worthwhile and you’re too damned stubborn to admit it to yourself. I am beginning to despair of you, big sister. Call me if you need me to spell you tonight.”

 

Gretchen continued to lean in the doorway after Phoebe left.

 

“She has a point, you know.”

 

“Mom, don’t you start, too. Seven’s going to have enough to deal with when she wakes up. She doesn’t need to worry about feelings you imagine I have for her.”

 

“The problem won’t be with feelings we imagine you have for her. The problem will be feelings you imagine you have for her.”

 

Janeway dropped into the bedside chair heavily and sighed. “Mom, just give it a rest.”

 

“She’s why you were so distraught when you first came home, isn’t she?”

 

“It’s not what you think. I just…I’d promised her that I’d bring her here. I always thought that if we got home, when we got home, I’d bring her here and we could help her deal with being on Earth. I was the one who always helped her deal with new and strange things. I just assumed…I thought I’d have time. But that’s not how it worked out.”

 

“You thought you’d have time for what? To show her that you loved her?”

 

“Mom, please. Just let it go.” The anguish in her eldest daughter’s eyes spoke volumes to Gretchen.

 

“All right, Kathryn. But with everything this young woman has been through the least she deserves from you is the truth. You might want to think about that.”  With that Gretchen left.

 

Janeway settled more comfortably in the chair and gazed at the unconscious beauty before her. She sighed, opened the book and began to read aloud.