THE HOME TRILOGY

by Heartwings

A post Endgame story with some unexpected twists that finally right an old wrong! Written in three parts the first two are serious and the third is a guaranteed happy ending!

Title: THE HOME TRILOGY - J/C

Author: Heartwings PG 13 for language, slight violence

Length: 24,530 words

Disclaimer: The characters belong to Paramount, I just tell the stories they didn't.

Many thanks to my wonderful betas Alastria Seven and Pen12345 for their sharp eyes and suggestions. Thanks also to my friend Al Hartman for his expertise with the Tower of Technobabble!

This story takes place after "Endgame". I have ignored certain aspects of "Endgame", (a lot of them actually); in my universe J/C live and love happily ever after! After Voyager's return the crew was held in isolation on a remote Starbase, for medical exams and debriefings. For the most part the crew was exonerated; Chakotay was fully cleared and offered his commission, if he chose to retain it. Since it was agreed that Janeway, as captain, was responsible for everything that happened, her position was precarious at best. There were those who wanted to pin medals on her chest and those who wanted to see her head on a silver platter. She had both friends and enemies in high places. Since the matter would take some time to resolve, she was granted two weeks leave with her family in Bloomington, Indiana and the story begins with Kathryn and Chakotay on a shuttle bound for Earth.

Part One

WELCOME HOME, KATHRYN

"Are you sure I won't be imposing? I just feel like maybe your family wouldn't want an 'outsider' there right now and it sounds like the house is going to be pretty full with all your relatives there."

"Don't be silly, Chakotay, Mother is thrilled that you're coming, she can hardly wait to meet you; I love you and so will she! Our house is huge, there's plenty of room and you won't be an 'outsider'. Besides, this is a package deal, the whole Janeway clan comes along with me!"

"Well, Kathryn, I'm not giving you up, so I guess I'll take them! I have to admit I am looking forward to being in a real family home again, even if it isn't mine. After all the medical exams and debriefings we've been through and hardly seeing you since we got back and only getting to steal the occasional kiss or whisper an 'I love you' in a deserted corridor, I just want to forget about Starfleet for a while."

"Me too, I can't wait to get out of this uniform."

"And I can't wait to get you out of it, Kathryn! I have plans for you." said Chakotay as he put his arms around her and started kissing her and whispering his plans into her ear. She giggled and pushed his hands back to a more appropriate place.

"Well, we are still in uniform and in a public place, so I suggest you put those plans on hold for a least a little while longer, my dear; we'll be home soon enough. I'm so sorry you couldn't find any of your family, but maybe you can adopt my family as yours now? Mom will tell you to make yourself at home and she really will mean it, so I suggest you do as you're told because, if you think I am the most stubborn and commanding of the Janeway women, you're wrong."

"Yes, Ma'am!"

"Chakotay, Commander Chakotay, since we're still in uniform and I can still technically give you orders, I am going to give you one more. If you call me Ma'am or Captain in the next two weeks, I will personally see to it that you spend them in the hen house with nothing but leola roots and water! Is that understood?"

"Yes,………………..Kathryn!"

"That's better!"

The shuttle trip to Earth was long and tiring. They had been forced to make the final leg of the trip on a crowded public economy carrier that stopped to pick up and discharge passengers at every rock in space. Admiral Owen Paris had tried to arrange a VIP Starfleet shuttle, but he had been overruled by those who thought Janeway shouldn't be granted such privileges. She took the insult in stride, just glad to be going home. As the shuttle docked she and Chakotay picked up their bags and joined the dozens of other passengers in the long line to get off. The terminal was crowded with hundreds more people as well and Janeway could not see any familiar faces among the crowd.

"Do you see them, Kathryn?"

"No, but I know that they're here! You're tall; you've seen their pictures, keep looking for them!"

"There! Is that them?"

"No, keep looking. It should be Mom and Phoebe and maybe Uncle Mike. Oh, damn, I wish I could see! Don't let go of my hard, Chakotay, I'm afraid of getting separated."

"Kathryn! Kathryn! Oh, Kathryn!"

"Mom! Phoebe!" Kathryn screamed at the top of her lungs as she dropped her bags, shoved people in her way aside and ran into her mother and sister's embrace. They hugged and cried and hugged some more. Chakotay gathered their bags and stood at a distance, thinking that they would want some privacy. He had rarely seen Kathryn cry, but these were the most joyous tears he had ever witnessed, the tears of a mother and a daughter and of sisters being reunited after seven years. Kathryn's mother Gretchen was smaller than he had expected and her hair longer and grayer than in the images Kathryn had shown him, but he could definitely see the resemblance in their faces and in the way Gretchen had, despite being so tiny, muscled her way through the crowd to get to her daughter. Phoebe was prettier than he had expected and much taller; somehow he had assumed she would be about Kathryn's size. She didn't look much like Kathryn; obviously she favored her father and Kathryn her mother. After what seemed like several minutes, Kathryn slipped from her mother and sister's embrace and took Chakotay by the hand and guided him towards them.

"Mom, Phoebe, this is Chakotay."

He wasn't sure what to do, so he set their bags down and extended his hand, but all three of the Janeway women enclosed him in a warm embrace and, once again, tears were shed; they were home, they were family.

"Kathryn," said Gretchen, "I know you want to get home, but I'm tired from having to stand and wait for so long, do you mind if we stop at that café and rest for a few minutes? I'm not as young as I used to be and I bet you could use a cup of coffee!"

"Oh, Mom, do you know how long it has been since I've had a real cup of civilian coffee?"

"Too long, I'm sure! Well, now you can have all the coffee you want and caramel brownies too. Look at you, you're much too thin and look at your hair, why did you cut off your beautiful hair? Oh, Kathryn, I don't care, I'm just glad to have you home! And you too, Chakotay, I'm so glad you're here!"

"Thank you, Mrs. Janeway, I'm glad to finally meet you and you too, Phoebe."

"Mrs. Janeway? Chakotay, you're a member of this family now, please just call me Mom!"

"Yes, Ma'am!"

"And no Ma'ams either, save them for Starfleet, just Mom, OK?"

"OK!"

Kathryn looked at Chakotay and grinned, it wasn't as if she hadn't warned him. They finished their coffee and went to the car, loaded in the bags and set off for home. Kathryn and Chakotay were in the back seat and, exhausted from their long trip, soon fell fast asleep, cradled in one another's arms.

"Will you look at the two of them, Phoebe!"

"Awww, they're cute, Mom! Poor things, they must be exhausted after what Starfleet has put them through. Kathryn looks so tired and she's too thin and so pale, but I know you'll have her back to her old self in no time, she just needs rest, plenty of home cooking and Indiana fresh air and sunshine! What do you think of Chakotay? He seems awfully shy and quiet, but he sure is cute!"

"That he is and polite too. It must be hard for him, you know; meeting the in-laws is usually awkward and, when they're Janeways, it must be doubly so."

"In laws? Are they engaged? Why didn't you tell me, Mother?"

"Well, I'm just making an assumption, he's hardly let go of her hand or taken his eyes off her since they got here and you saw the way she looked at him and what she said about him in her letters. I think they just need a little time away from Starfleet to make their plans."

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"Wake up, sleepyheads, you're home!" said Gretchen as she reached into the back seat and jostled Kathryn and Chakotay. Well rested, they eagerly walked up the path to the old farm house and stepped into a throng of welcoming Janeways. Introductions were made and hugs and tears flowed. The crowd soon moved into the dining room where the long table was spread with a massive buffet-style array of all of Kathryn's favorite homemade foods. She was overwhelmed and starting crying again, but she managed to pull herself together and walk to the head of the table and speak to her friends and family.

"I can't tell you how good it is to be home and to be here with all of you. I never lost hope that I would one day be standing here again and I thank you for not losing hope in me, in Voyager and her crew. I hate making speeches, so I'm not going to make one now, except to say thank you for this amazing welcome and for your letters that kept me going for the past couple of years. I would also like to introduce you all to Chakotay, my First Officer, my best friend and the love of my life. If it weren't for him I would not be standing here right now and I think I'm going to cry again so thank you all, my dearest family and friends, let's eat!"

Kathryn and Chakotay were ushered to the head of the buffet line and filled their plates with more food than they had probably eaten in the last week. They snuck off to eat on the veranda and settled into a dark corner. Kathryn surveyed her plate, trying to decide which food to attack first, and she suddenly jumped up, handed her plate to Chakotay and disappeared back into the house. She soon returned with something wrapped in a napkin and sat back down. Giving Chakotay a quick kiss, she smiled and unwrapped the napkin, revealing two caramel brownies.

"Kathryn, You're eating dessert first?"

"Didn't I always say this was the first thing I was going to eat when I got home? Have one!" Kathryn took a huge bite of the caramel brownie, savoring the taste as she slowly chewed and swallowed. Realizing that she had managed to smear caramel all over her face, Kathryn reached up with her napkin to wipe it off, but Chakotay stopped her hand, leaned in and slowly kissed away the caramel.

"Mmm, that was wonderful, and the brownie isn't bad either!"

A little after midnight the party was still going strong, but Kathryn and Chakotay were starting to fade from such a long grueling trip, plus too much rich food and wine. Gretchen took them aside and said "I know you two are tired, go on upstairs and go to bed, I'll keep the party going and make excuses for you, they will understand. Uncle Mike put your things upstairs, so go and get some rest and sleep as late as you want to. Oh, it's so good to have you home!"

They hugged and kissed and then Kathryn and Chakotay climbed the stairs hand in hand.

"May I see your room, Kathryn, where you grew up?"

"Sure. Knowing Mom, it's still probably just the same."

"Oh, my, look at all these flowers!" said Kathryn as she began looking at the flower arrangements and opening the cards to see who had sent them. Chakotay walked around and examined various things: old pictures; tennis trophies; a collection of dolls piled on a trunk in the corner and a stack of wrapped gifts on the dresser. Kathryn joined him, inspecting the gifts.

"Well, I can see I will have to spend half of tomorrow writing thank you notes! I'm too tired to open the gifts tonight, I'll get to them in the morning, I can hardly keep my eyes open." Kathryn started to walk away from the dresser and nearly tripped over a duffel bag. "Oops, oh my, that's yours! Obviously Mom thought we would want to share my room. I guess, at my age, she's finally decided it's OK if my 'boyfriend' wants to spend the night and she just assumed that's what we would want. I don't mind if you don't."

"Well, I guess it's better than the hen house!"

"Humph! For that you get to use the bathroom second!"

When Chakotay slipped into bed, Kathryn was already asleep. She slowly stirred, rolled over into his arms and they gently kissed.

"You know, Kathryn, I had really hoped to make love with you tonight, if you wanted to, but I am so tired that I just don't think I could……….."

She silenced him with a kiss. "Don't worry, Chakotay, I'm too tired too. We've waited nearly seven years, I think we can wait another night. Sweet dreams, I love you."

"I love you too, welcome home, Kathryn."

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"Good morning, Chakotay."

"Good morning……….Mom." said Chakotay as he gave Gretchen a gentle hug and sat at the large kitchen table.

"Did you sleep well? I didn't expect to see you up so early."

"Yes, I slept better than I have in weeks. The sun woke me up; I'd forgotten how nice it is to wake up that way. Kathryn is still asleep. She was exhausted, she's hardly eaten or slept since we got back. She pushes herself so."

"Tell me something I don't know!" laughed Gretchen. "She'll probably sleep until noon, at least I hope she does. What would you like for breakfast, Chakotay?"

"Just coffee for now, thank you, I'll wait for Kathryn to have breakfast. Good morning, Phoebe, sleep well?" said Chakotay as Phoebe walked in and joined him at the table.

"Oh, yes, thanks! Pass the coffee, please. I'm going into town after breakfast, do you or Kath need anything?"

"Yes, I do. Do you mind if I go with you?"

"Not at all, I'd enjoy the company. If we hurry up, we can probably get back before Kath wakes up."

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"Do you want to drive, Chakotay?"

"Uh…No, I think it would be better if you did. My driving record isn't too good the past couple of years, so I probably shouldn't."

"So what do you think of the family so far? I take it Kathryn warned you about us or maybe you've decided she must be adopted?"

"Not at all! I can see her in all of you and all of you in her, except maybe for that Cousin Earl."

"Well, he is only a cousin by marriage and, believe it or not, he was on his best behavior last night. So, what do you need to buy, what kind of store do you need to go to? Mom gave me a grocery list, so I just need to go to the market. Bloomington is a small town, but you should be able to find whatever you need here."

"Is there a jewelry store?"

"Yes, there's a good one just up here on Walnut Street." Phoebe parked the car and Chakotay offered her his arm as they walked towards the jewelry store. "Here it is, what do you need?"

"Well, I want to buy ……uh…….some jewelry."

"Duh! Well, you're going to have to do better than that, Chakotay! Does this mean what I think it means?"

"What do you think it means, Phoebe?"

"It means that Kathryn never told me you are so totally cryptic and exasperating, but she did warn me about that smile and those dimples and how bad you are at keeping a secret! She wears a size 6 and I know just what she would like, do you want me to help you pick it out?"

"Please!"

"Oh, come here and let me give you a hug! I'm so happy for you, for you both, and wait until Mom hears about this, she adores you, we all do, Kathryn is so lucky."

"Well, you can't tell your mom just yet, I want it to be a surprise, I'm going to ask her after dinner tonight. Do you think she'd like this one?"

"No, that's too big and gaudy, she likes simple, elegant things, like that one. Oh my, it's pretty expensive, maybe you should look at the ones down there?"

"No, I like this one too and I agree, I think she will love it, see how it looks like a rose?"

"It does! It's perfect, Chakotay!"

"No, it's just a ring, it's Kathryn who's perfect!"

"I'm going to like having you for a brother in law! So, now, thanks to you, we'll have to make one more stop on the way home."

"For what?"

"Champagne, of course!"

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"Hi, Mom, we're back! Is my sleepyhead sister up yet?"

"I think so, I just heard some thumping around upstairs. It has to be her because everyone else already got up and left to take Cousin Earl home, thank goodness! Did Chakotay find what he needed?"

"Oh yes, Mom, he has everything he needs!" said Phoebe as she went out the door, egg basket in hand.

Gretchen rushed to the back door. "Chakotay, let me get the door for you, you didn't need to carry everything in at once! Let me help you, set those down here and I'll take care of the groceries, you get yourself a cup of coffee and I'll start some late breakfast. I heard Kathryn making noise upstairs, so she'll be down soon. I swear, that girl could wake the dead the way she bangs around in the morning!"

Chakotay smiled and sighed. "I've lived next door to her for seven years, you'll get no argument from me! Are you sure I can't help you with breakfast, Mom?"

"Of course not, although my daughter told me you're quite a good cook. I tried to teach Kathryn to cook, I really did, but she was always more interested in quantum mechanics and her science projects, so I guess you already know about her cooking. Did she ever cook for you on Voyager?"

"She tried."

"Amen!" sighed Gretchen as Kathryn made her grand entrance, kissed her mother and walked towards the table.

"Good morning sleepyhead, or is it good afternoon?" said Chakotay as he pulled Kathryn into his lap, kissed her and poured her a cup of coffee.

"You know better than to give me grief before I've had my coffee! Ummmm, thank you, you always know just what I need and in what order. How long have you been up?"

"A while."

"What have you been doing?"

"Ummmm……nothing."

"Talkative, aren't we!" said Kathryn as she slid off his lap to the chair next to him and sipped her coffee. "Where's Phoebe?"

"She went to the hen house to take care of the chickens and gather the eggs. How many pancakes do you kids want?"

"Oh, three or four, Mom. How many do you want, Chakotay? Don't worry, Mom's pancakes don't taste anything like the ones I made you on New Earth."

"In that case, I'll have six please! They weren't that bad, Kathryn, and they turned out to be great for patching the roof."

"You! That bunk in the hen house is still vacant you know! If you think I'm kidding, just try me!" Kathryn tried to flash him her death glare, but it didn't have the same effect when she was giggling.

"It's pretty hard to take a threat seriously when it comes from a woman in a fuzzy pink bath robe. Where did you get that …….. thing?"

"It was here, I've had it for years. Nana Janeway gave it to me and I love it……….and so will you."

Gretchen looked up from the stove. "Who could that be, pounding on the door like that? I need to turn the second batch pancakes. Chakotay, can you please go see who it is before they break the door down?"

"Sure…….Mom." Chakotay opened the door to four uniformed Starfleet Security officers, all heavily armed. They showed their ID and pushed past him, marching through the house into the kitchen.

"What is the meaning of this?" shouted Kathryn as she jumped up from the table. The officers had their phasers drawn and made it clear that they meant business.

"Captain Kathryn Janeway?"

"Yes, and who the hell are you and what are you doing bursting into my mother's house like this?"

"Lieutenant Spivak, Federation Security Special Forces. Captain Janeway, I am placing you under arrest for violation of Starfleet regulations. Stand and place your hands on you head. Tsung, search and secure the prisoner."

"You wait one damn minute Lieutenant…….." she protested, but he interrupted her by pointing his phaser at her. Chakotay moved forward, but one of the other officers stopped him with her phaser. "There's no need to search me." she protested. "I am not armed, I'm in my damn bathrobe eating breakfast for heaven's sake! Please let me at least get dressed first and then I'll go with you and get this sorted out. Put those phasers away, how dare you point one at my mother!"

"I have my orders, Ma'am. Place your hands on your head and cooperate or we'll do it for you." Kathryn had no choice but to comply and Chakotay and Gretchen had no choice but to stand there and let it happen as Kathryn was handcuffed, frisked and marched towards the door.

"Is that really necessary?" Chakotay argued. "She said she'd cooperate. She's a starship captain; do you have any idea who she is? You don't need to be so rough with her! Please let her get dressed first! Who ordered this, where are you taking her?" Chakotay demanded.

"Stand aside, Sir!" Spivak warned. "My orders are to secure and transport the prisoner to Starfleet Headquarters ASAP and not to let her out of my sight until she gets there; that's all I know. You will have to contact Starfleet Security for details. I'm sorry, Sir, I am only following orders." Kathryn wasn't resisting, but the guards picked her up nevertheless so that her bare feet hardly touched the ground as they dragged her out and beamed away.

Chakotay and Gretchen were stunned; they couldn't believe what had just happened. They knew there was a possibility that Kathryn would have to face some charges, maybe even a court-martial as a worst case scenario, but certainly nothing that would justify what they had just witnessed. Chakotay thought for a moment. "Where's your com link? I need to contact Admiral Paris and see what this is all about. Don't worry, it's probably just a stunt by some asshole admirals trying to make a point or settle a personal vendetta. I'll go to Starfleet and get it straightened out, I won't let them do this to her!"

Part Two

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

"Chakotay, you're back! Oh, Owen, thank you so much for coming!"

"Of course, Gretchen, you know I would do anything for you and Kathryn. I hope you don't mind, but given the situation, I thought it would be better if Commander Chakotay and I discussed this away from Starfleet, to be assured our discussion isn't monitored. Kathryn's arrest falls under the jurisdiction of Section 31, so I really shouldn't be discussing any of this with you at all and I'm not entirely sure my office is secure at this point."

"I understand; if anyone asks, I haven't seen you in weeks. Please, feel free to use the study, there's a com link in there and you should be able to find anything you might need. I'll be in shortly with some coffee and sandwiches. I just don't understand how this could have happened, how they could have dragged poor Kathryn out like that! Where did they take her?"

"I still can't find that out, it's classified. At this point all I know is she's no longer at HQ. Don't worry, Chakotay and I will get to the bottom of this. He contacted Commander Tuvok, who is on his way here from Vulcan; he should be able to use his position in Security to assist us. Chakotay, is Kathryn's personal computer here? We might find something on that that could be useful."

"Yes, I'll get it and she has some PADDs too. I'll meet you in the study."

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Admiral Paris looked up from his computer as Chakotay joined him at the conference table in the study. "Well, as I suspected, Admiral Lanro and her band of cronies are the ones that ordered the arrest, it's her signature on the warrant. She's had it in for Kathryn from the start, and she has powerful friends in high places, her brother is married to the Federation President. I suspect she thinks she can convict Kathryn and get the glory of bringing her, the 'rogue captain', to justice. In the past few years things at Starfleet have changed dramatically, there is now great division and mistrust and a power struggle within the hierarchy and Voyager's return has only made it worse. Chakotay, have you ever heard Kathryn mention Lanro?"

"No, Admiral, I can't say that I ever heard Kathryn mention her. I've heard of her of course, but I have never met her and, far as I know, she was not directly involved in the debriefings, not mine at least. She's been around a long time, hasn't she? Could this be related to some bad blood from way back between her and Admiral Janeway, Kathryn's father?"

"That battleaxe is older than Bajor, so I suppose it's possible, but I think if that were the case she would have overruled me and Kathryn would have never gotten Voyager and the mission in the first place. Here, I've managed to get a list of the charges and specifications against her, this is even more than I knew about, how in the hell do they think they're going to make all these stick? They've thrown everything but the kitchen sink at her, but what we have to worry about is that she's charged with violating the Prime Directive and also with treason. The rest is just insult to injury and most of it is just trumped up, enough evidence to make the charges, but probably not to ultimately prove them. They think she collaborated with the enemy and gave away Starfleet technology, that's surely why she's under Section 31 jurisdiction."

"That's bullshit, Admiral!" Chakotay retorted in anger. "Begging your pardon, Sir. I didn't always agree with Captain Janeway, but she always did what she thought was right and what was in the best interest of Starfleet, the Federation, Voyager and her crew. Unless you've actually been in the Delta Quadrant, you can't begin to understand what she was faced with. She did things she wouldn't have done here, we all did, but it's different when you're 70,000 light years from home and sometimes just feeding the crew was a struggle. She had no contact with Starfleet, a skeleton crew, some of them with no Starfleet training, and pitiful few allies. Kathryn faced things no captain has ever had to face and, if you ask me, she did a damn good job."

"Chakotay, you don't need to convince me, there are those of us that feel that what she did was extraordinary and the ends more than justified the means; she has friends too. Have you found anything useful on her computer?"

"Not so far, this is her personal one, it has just what you would expect on it and I have found no references to Lanro, to any Admiral other than you. One of the PADDs has her notes from her debriefings, take a look and see if you think any of them would help. The rest of them just contain personal stuff; letters, lists of thing to do, books, holo images and such."

Paris sorted through his stack of PADDs. "It will take me a while to go through all this and I can get the debriefing reports and compare them, but from what I've seen the serious charges against her are weak at best. Obviously there was enough evidence for probable cause to get her arrested, especially for someone who might be able to pull strings with Starfleet Security and JAG. I would suggest that we wait until Tuvok's arrival; we can put Voyager's data and logs together with all of this and thoroughly go through everything. There's a lot of data. Unfortunately, it looks like they dotted all their I's and crossed all their T's and the arrest is technically legal, although I will have JAG verify it of course. I have friends there."

"Sir," Chakotay interrupted, "I have a message from Tuvok, he says Captain Janeway is being held at the Van Dieman Detention Facility. Why would they have her there and not at Starfleet? He also said his wife T'Pel is accompanying him; she is an attorney and may be able to help."

"Oh my god! Van Dieman is the worst possible place; it's where they send the dregs of Starfleet for long term or permanent incarceration: those court martialed for murder, assault, rape, spying, defection and so on. It's a maximum security facility out near the Mutara Sector, totally isolated and, if half the rumors I've heard are true, the conditions are deplorable; it's Starfleet's dirty little secret. It was also a smart move, - prisoners there are not permitted to send or receive messages or have visitors, no contact whatsoever. I'll give whomever is behind this credit, they played their hand well."

"But, Sir, doesn't Kathryn have the right to legal representation?" asked Chakotay.

"Of course, JAG will assign her a lawyer although, if the powers that be have them under their thumb too, probably a bad lawyer."

"But what about T'Pel? She is an attorney. Can't Kathryn have any lawyer she chooses? If so, Gretchen or I could hire T'Pel to represent Kathryn?"

"Ah, good thinking, Commander," congratulated the Admiral. "Let me check the regs here. Uhm…..ah……yes, she has the right to any and all civilian lawyers she wants. If T'Pel will do it, we'll have a means to get messages and information in and out, which will give us an advantage. I will try to get her moved, of course, but I doubt I'll have any success. Gretchen will have to hire T'Pel, you would do best not to officially involve yourself in the matter and the same goes for Tuvok. By the way, Chakotay, Kathryn told me about you, I mean about the two of you, but that should be kept under wraps for the time being……….and I'm very happy for you both."

"Thank you, Sir."

"Excuse me." Gretchen interrupted as she poked her head into the room.

"Yes, Gretchen, please come in." replied Paris, motioning her into the room along with Phoebe.

"I have dinner ready," Gretchen said. "Would you two like to eat now? You're more than welcome to stay for dinner, Owen."

"Yes, thank you. We're just finishing up here, we'll be right in. I would certainly never miss an opportunity to sample your wonderful home cooking." Owen explained the situation to Gretchen and Phoebe, trying to be as optimistic as possible, but he knew that they were devastated. They had only gotten to spend a few hours with Kathryn after seven years, only to have her taken away again. Phoebe was shell shocked as she listened, her eyes glazed over, as if it were all a bad dream. The four of them went to the dinner table and sat down.

"Are we expecting someone else?" Chakotay asked noticing that there was another place set.

"Oh,……….I forgot …….. and set a place for Kathryn." replied Gretchen as tears came to her eyes. Phoebe squeezed her mother's hand and took a rose from the floral arrangement and placed it on Kathryn's plate.

"To absent friends," Owen toasted as he raised his glass.

Chakotay raised his glass, but put it back down before taking a sip, tears welling in his eyes. He placed something on Kathryn's plate beside the rose and hurried out of the room and up the stairs.

"What's that?" asked Gretchen.

"The engagement ring Chakotay was going to give Kathryn tonight." replied Phoebe.

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Kathryn was beamed directly from Starfleet Security to a waiting Starfleet Security shuttle and placed in a small holding cell. The guards refused to answer any of her questions. She slid down the wall to the floor and drew her knees up to her chest, - could this really be happening? She idly stared at her toenails; she had painted them pink, non-regulation bright civilian pink, that morning. She thought about the stack of half eaten pancakes she'd left on her plate, her mother's sunny warm kitchen that always smelled like coffee, Chakotay's good morning kiss and then she fell asleep.

"I can walk!" Kathryn protested as two prison guards dragged her from the shuttle by her armpits, her shoulders now agonizingly painful after having her wrists handcuffed behind her back for so long. "Where are we, where are you taking me?" The prison guards were even rougher than the Starfleet Security detail and considerably less polite.

"Shut up! You are going to Processing. Here you speak only when spoken to and do as you are told, do you understand?"

"How dare you! I'm a starship captain, you will not tell me to 'shut up' and you will answer my questions! That's an order!"

The guard slapped her hard across the face. "Here you are inmate 5523, nothing more." Kathryn was taken to a small room in the infirmary. The guard removed her handcuffs and left her in the company of the prison doctor and a guard at least twice her size.

"Janeway, you're not what I expected." said the doctor as she laughed and gazed at Kathryn, who was still clad only in her nightgown and fuzzy pink bathrobe. "Oops, I see you must have bumped your head on the way in; too bad, you'll have to be more careful. Take off your clothes and lie down on the examination table."

Janeway eyed the guard, who took a step closer and crossed his arms. "Isn't he going to leave the room? I didn't 'bump my head', the guard that brought me in here struck me."

"Congratulations, you just lost your recreational privileges for one week. What part of 'speak only when spoken to and do as you are told' did you not understand, Janeway? The guard didn't hit you; guards don't abuse prisoners here, you had an 'accident', got it? You are a high risk prisoner, you must have a guard with you at all times when outside of the cell blocks. If you need help getting undressed, I am sure Flannery here will be glad to help you, although you're a bit too skimpy and past your prime for his tastes."

Kathryn turned her back, undressed and got up on the examination table, preserving her modesty as best she could. The doctor performed a brief examination, handed her some clothing and told her to get dressed. She looked at the clothing, a pair of underpants, a gray jumpsuit, slippers and nothing more.

"Please, Ma'am, couldn't I have a bra or at least an undershirt and a pair of socks?"

"My, aren't we the little Prima Dona! Now you have lost your recreational privileges for two weeks instead of one."

The guard escorted Kathryn down a series of grim corridors to the cell block and ordered her to halt in front of a small dimly lit cell. The cell contained two sets of bunk beds, a table and four stools, open cubby holes for storage of clothing and personal items, a sink, a toilet in a cubicle with no door and nothing more in the way of furnishings. The three women in the cell paid no attention as Kathryn entered. She cleared her throat, but there was no response from the others, so she announced, "Hello, I'm……………….."

"We know who you are," said the woman playing solitaire at the table.

Kathryn moved towards a set of bunks and the large Bolian woman occupying the lower bunk growled and spat at her. She stepped back and approached the other set of bunks. Since the lower bunk was occupied, she started to climb into the upper one.

"That one's mine!" shouted the woman at the table.

"Sorry, I didn't know." Realizing that her bunk must be the one above the Bolian, she tried to best judge how to get into it without incurring her wrath again.

The woman at the table spoke. "Mell does not like anyone looking at her; I suggest you don't, she gets violent very easily. She doesn't talk and she doesn't like anyone talking to her either or even breathing her air. She especially hates officers; she's in here for stabbing one so you might do best to keep your distance."

"Thanks, I'll try to remember that."

"I'm Andrea Williams and, in case you're wondering, I'm in here for 'taking liberties' with some Cardassian prisoners. Ironic isn't it…… after what they did with their Starfleet prisoners they'd lock me up in here for thirty years for doing the same thing? That's Val there on the other lower bunk; she's Vulcan and she doesn't talk much either, she just reads."

"Reads? Where can I get something to read, is there a library?"

Andrea nodded. "Yes, you can go there, we get recreational privileges from 1400 to 1600, unless of course there's a lock down. That happens a lot, no matter which cell block, women's side or men's, they lock down the whole place if there's the slightest little incident. It sucks. Since the prisoners are the ones who prepare the slop they call food, there's no food during a lock down unless they bother to toss us some ration bars. Be the one that causes a lock down and you'll get beaten to a bloody pulp and the guards won't try to stop it; they hate lock downs almost as much as we do."

"My recreational privileges were suspended for two weeks."

"Gee, little Captain Katie got herself in trouble again, already! You must not have put on a good enough show for Flannery- he's a mean one and as lecherous as they come, but give him what he wants and you will make out all right. I'll get you something to read tomorrow, but you'll have to give me half your food at dinner."

"But, I haven't had anything to eat since yesterday."

"Tough shit, Katie. Welcome to Van Dieman."

---------------------------------

Gretchen opened the front door. "Tuvok, T'Pel, welcome, please come in. Chakotay and Owen are in the study. Please, let me take your things and I'll show you to the study and bring you some tea."

"Thank you, Mrs. Janeway," replied Tuvok. "We regret the circumstances of our visit."

"Well, I know you just got home and I'm so sorry you had to interrupt your leave for this. I insist that you stay here, there is plenty of room and it's the least I can do."

T'Pel bowed her head. "Thank you for your hospitality. Tuvok and I only hope that we can be of some assistance."

Gretchen ushered Tuvok and T'Pel into the study, where they were greeted by Admiral Paris and Chakotay. They spread their work out on the table and Gretchen brought a tray with tea, coffee and snacks and left them to their work. Admiral Paris stood and spoke. "I suggest that we compare the ship's logs and data, Captain Janeway's official logs, her personal logs and your personal recollections of the incidents in relation to how they are referenced in the charging documents. T'Pel, are you familiar enough with Starfleet regulations to interpret the charges?"

"Yes, Admiral. Tuvok provided me with the information and charging documents and I had time to thoroughly review them on the journey here. I have compiled a list of charges which should be quite easy to have dismissed as they are based on facts which are no longer true. For example, the charges relating to Seven of Nine are easily dismissed as she was recognized as Human and granted Federation citizenship, therefore she is not a Borg as the charges stipulate and, therefore, Captain Janeway did not aid, assist or give access to Starfleet data to a Borg in the issues regarding that particular individual." T'Pel went on, eliminating several dozen of the charges in a similar fashion. "I fail to see the logic in making such charges when they are not based on the actual evidence. Admiral, would it be possible for me to access the Starfleet legal database? It would be beneficial if I were able to examine previous cases with similar charges."

"Of course, you should be able to find out what you are looking for here, T'Pel. Gentlemen, shall we move on to examining the data in relation to the more serious charges?" The three began pouring over pages and pages of documents, determined to find something, anything that T'Pel could use in Kathryn's defense.

Chakotay finally broke the silence. "Tuvok, look at this log entry regarding the Equinox. It certainly isn't what I remember and it does not agree with the captain's personal log either. Admiral, can you bring up the ship's data for this stardate please?"

"Yes, you are correct, Commander." replied Tuvok, "The information in the ship's official log is incorrect to my recollection as well and Captain Janeway would have not made such an error, she was always very precise in her logs. I have my personal log and it correlates with yours, I remember the incident quite clearly. It is illogical to think the captain would have made an entry in the official ship's log that differs so much from her personal log."

"Well, unfortunately," said Admiral Paris, "the ship's data does correspond to her official log and it certainly adds credence to the charges."

Chakotay stood and placed his palms on the table. "With all due respect, Admiral, the log and data are incorrect, that's not what happened!"

"Chakotay, the captain's log is verified as hers; you and Tuvok were the only two other people with the codes to alter the ship's data. Did you?"

"Of course not, Sir! If I had done such a thing, I certainly would not have changed it to something so damning to Kathryn! A command code override to alter official ship's data would have been recorded anyhow and there is none."

"I did not alter the data either," replied Tuvok, "but I know it to be incorrect, therefore the logical conclusion is that some other person altered the data."

"Yes, Tuvok, but who?" questioned Paris.

"Please permit me to run a detailed analysis of the logs and data. Perhaps if I am able to discern how they were changed, it might lead us to the identity of the person that changed them." replied Tuvok as he began checking records.

"Sirs," interrupted T'Pel, "am I correct in assuming that so called personal logs are maintained by the individual and are not an official part of Starfleet records?"

"Yes, T'Pel," replied Paris, "that is the case. It is not required, but most people keep personal logs, a diary or journal of sorts. They are unofficial, not linked to any Starfleet database, so I doubt that they would do us much good."

T'Pel thought for a moment. "Would such logs have remained in the possession of the individuals while aboard and after they left Voyager?"

"Yes, they are considered personal property," Paris confirmed as he poured another cup of coffee.

"Actually, they could be quite significant," offered T'Pel as she raised her eyebrows. "Not so much in what they say, but in the fact that, if they are similar to Tuvok and Commander Chakotay's personal logs, all of the crew's personal logs will contain essentially the same information, information that differs from the official logs. From what you have said, someone with the proper skills and codes could have changed the official logs and ship's data, but not all of the personal logs."

"Yes, T'Pel, that's exactly right, I see what you're getting at!" Paris began jotting notes down on a PADD. "Tuvok, Chakotay, can you think of anyone on Voyager who might have had both the skill and the motivation to alter the logs?"

"No, Sir, I can't." Chakotay replied as he rubbed his chin. "Motivation, perhaps, but skill, no. Captain Janeway changed the command codes more frequently than required, which hopefully the data will reflect, and I am certain that Tuvok and I were the only ones who knew them."

"I concur." Tuvok agreed as he scanned his PADD. "To the best of my recollection, the data I see here regarding the frequency of command code changes is correct. It is logical to assume that the person or persons who altered the logs and data is someone who was not aboard Voyager and the changes were made after the ship returned, or possibly even after information was downloaded to Starfleet. Any access made using a command code would have automatically been logged. It will require considerable time to run a detailed analysis of this much data, but I shall work on it until I discover the truth."

"Thank you, Tuvok," replied Admiral Paris. "I agree This is going to take some time, but Tom and B'Elanna can help us. T'Pel, would you be willing to act as Captain Janeway's civilian attorney?"

"Affirmative."

"Good. She is not permitted visitors or messages, so you will be our only means to contact her and exchange information. She will have been appointed a JAG lawyer, but for all we know, that lawyer might be in on the conspiracy to frame her or selected for his or her incompetence. You should inform her not to discuss anything we have discussed here with her JAG lawyer, we need time to get to the truth. Please advise her of our theory and ask her if she has any idea who might have done this or at least why. Please ask her about Admiral Lanro, if she has any history with her or connection to her since she is the one who made the charges."

"Yes, Admiral, I shall leave as soon as you have had time to complete your analysis and I can arrange transportation. Please prepare any documents or personal messages that you wish me to give her. I have a secure recording device which emits a dampening field, so I shall be able to record our conversations while insuring that no one else does."

"Excellent! Thank you so much, T'Pel."

T'Pel prepared a cup of tea and returned to her seat. She looked at Tuvok and bowed her head in thought for a moment before rising to speak. "Captain Janeway spoke to me before Voyager's departure and promised me she would return Tuvok to his family; I only hope I can do the same for her, I owe her a great debt."

---------------------------------------

"I wish there were some way to get a cup of coffee outside of the mess hall."

"Gee, Katie, maybe you could call room service?" Andrea laughed as she drank from an imaginary cup and saucer, her pinky extended. "Actually it's not too hard to get what you want in here, the guards get shore leave and you'd be surprised what they can get you- like I got these playing cards, and extra blankets and soap and shampoo that don't smell like disinfecting solution." Andrea ran her hands through her long dark hair and smiled. "All you have to do is bribe them."

"Bribe them? Bribe them with what?"

"How the hell did you ever get four pips? You're dumber than shit! Almost all the guards are male, they only get shore leave every six weeks and there's only about thirty women in here …… you do the math."

"I don't think I want coffee that bad." sighed Kathryn as she slid down the wall and sat on the floor.

"Suit yourself, Katie."

"Please don't call me Katie!" Janeway shouted as she stood up and moved to the table.

"Shut up, Miss Priss, it's probably the nicest thing you'll get called in here. You're an officer. Well, you were. Everyone here hates officers, inmates and guards alike, so you had better watch your back……..and your mouth."

Janeway raised her chin in defiance. "I am still an officer, I have not been convicted of anything."

"Yet. Face it, Katie Jane, they didn't stick you in here because they think you're innocent. Where are you going?" Andrea asked as Kathryn bolted from the table. "Oh, shit, don't tell me you're puking your guts out again? Ack ack ack, all Katie does is hurl her guts into the toilet and stink up the cell. Sit down, I'll get you some water. What the fuck's wrong with you, are you pregnant or something?"

Kathryn slowly returned to the table, sat and sipped the cup of water Andrea had placed on it. She wet the edge of her sleeve and wiped her face. "Thank you. No, I'm not pregnant, I think it's the food; it doesn't agree with me and you have to eat so fast, I'm just not used to it. I'd go to the infirmary, but the doctor and I didn't hit it off too well and I'm wary of that big guard there."

Andrea nodded her head in agreement. "Oh, yeah, Flannery. Be careful of him. Don't let him get you alone, someplace out of the way of the security cameras; he'll rape you then beat the crap out of you and put you on report for 'resisting' so they'll throw you in solitary for thirty days." Andrea pointed to the lower bunk. "He's the one that messed up Val's face, it's not like they fire up the dermal regenerator around here if they know you won't ever be getting out. He steals drugs from the infirmary so he can drug people too, don't eat or drink anything he gives you unless you want to pay the price. On the other hand, get on his good side and he will make life easier for you, works both ways."

"That's terrible, why hasn't someone reported him?"

"Reported him? Ha ha ha, reported him to who? You're denser than a Packled, Katie Jane, as far as Starfleet is concerned, this place doesn't exist, we problem children don't exist. Nobody in here cares and we can't send messages out, so there's nothing you can do but live with it." Andrea heard footsteps and went to the door to look down the corridor. "Here comes Tosh, it's time for happy hour!" The guard handed a stack of PADDs to Andrea. She looked at them and tossed them down on the table in front of Kathryn. "He brought you some shit from your JAG lawyer. Gee, you got Kol Binari, he's awful, you can kiss your skinny little ass goodbye. I'll bring you back another PADD to read and you can play with my cards while I'm gone, but you touch anything else of mine and I'll give you a black eye to match the one you already got."

Kathryn sat at the table and read the letter from her JAG appointed lawyer, whom she had yet to meet in person. The letter basically said it was hopeless, to plead guilty and maybe he could get her a lesser sentence, perhaps as little as fifty years. She tossed the PADD into the force field in the doorway and it bounced off and landed in front of the toilet……appropriate. She reviewed the charging documents: 129 counts. That probably set a new record, but at least they didn't charge her with wearing non-regulation underwear under her uniform from time to time.

She started reviewing the evidence, the ship's logs and data, and soon realized that what she was reading was not right. It rapidly became apparent that someone had somehow altered them, something that should have been impossible to do. It all looked right, appeared to be genuine, but she knew it wasn't. Kathryn began to realize just how desperate her situation was. Someone had gone to great lengths to make sure that her career was ruined and she would never see the light of day again; but who?

She felt another explosion of nausea and raced to the toilet to vomit. There was no food in her stomach, but the water Andrea had given her came up and also a little blood and maybe a piece of her soul as well. She felt dizzy when she finished, but she stumbled back to the table and started reviewing the documents again; maybe she had read them wrong? The words just swam in her head, she couldn't concentrate and finally swept the PADDs off the table onto the floor. Something snapped and Kathryn felt the desperation of her situation and, with her last precious few ounces of strength, she threw herself into the force field on the door again and again until she collapsed on the floor and passed out.

When she awoke Kathryn felt a cool cloth on her forehead. "Here, take a few sips of water." She did so and looked to see who could be offering her the first simple act of kindness she had experienced since her arrival a week ago.

"Thank you, Val." She said as she sat up in the bunk and studied Val's face. It showed that she was obviously well into middle age and it was badly scarred from the beating the guard had given her. Her complexion was pale, her cheeks hollow and her long graying hair hung in pathetic thin strings, yet somehow she still retained the air of grace and dignity common to Vulcans.

"Are you feeling better, Captain?"

"Yes, I think so. You know, Val, you are the first person here who has addressed me as 'Captain'. Thank you."

"I was an officer too, I see no reason to disrespect you. I know about Voyager and I think your accomplishments most remarkable. I have observed you are not a violent individual, so, if I might inquire, what caused you to have such a violent reaction to what you were reading?

"My lawyer, who obviously thinks I'm guilty, sent the evidence against me. I don't know how, but someone has changed my ship's logs and data. What they did will insure that I am convicted of offenses that will keep me in here for the rest of my life, for things I didn't do! Sure, there were some gray areas and I expected to have to defend my actions. I may have bent the Prime Directive a bit at times, but I certainly didn't violate it and I didn't collaborate with the enemy or sell Starfleet technology or………"

"Calm yourself, Captain, I believe you. It is entirely possible to alter data so that it is virtually impossible to detect, I did so myself. I have been incarcerated here for a long time and I am certain technology has changed; the computer I work with in my prison job is most certainly antiquated but, if you allow me to examine the records, perhaps I can ascertain how they were changed, or at least suggest possibilities of how to examine them for tampering."

"You would do that for me?" Kathryn asked with suspicion. She had come to learn that nothing at Van Dieman was free and payment was expected for even the smallest of favors.

"Yes, as your exoneration and release could ultimately be of benefit to me, however I require that you do something for me in return."

"What?"

"Are you familiar with an incident aboard the Enterprise-A, then under Captain Kirk's command, involving a plot to assassinate the Klingon High Chancellor, that happened approximately 84.2 years ago?"

"Yes, I am, although I don't know all the details. My grandfather was a Starfleet officer as well and I remember him speaking of it, a collaboration between an admiral, the Romulan Ambassador, some Klingons and some crew on the Enterprise designed to insure war continued between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. Val, are you …….. Ensign Valeris, from the Enterprise?"

"Lieutenant Valeris, actually."

"I see. Are you trying to tell me you are innocent?"

"The answer to your question is complex. I did exactly what I was charged with and convicted of. I was involved in the conspiracy and I did in fact murder two crewmen and facilitated the assassination of the Chancellor. I also altered the Enterprise's data banks to make it appear that they had fired upon the Chancellor's ship when they, in fact, had not. I deny none of this, however I recently realized that I did not participate of my own free will."

"How so?" enquired Kathryn as she shifted to a more comfortable position..

"As Andrea told you, several months ago I was beaten by Flannery for refusing to 'cooperate' and I received a severe head injury as a result. When I regained consciousness I also regained memories that had been suppressed for over 83 years. I now recall that Admiral Cartwright called me into his office and drugged me. I was taken by Romulan Ambassador Nanclus to a Romulan facility and I was remanded to the Tal Shiar. I am uncertain of the actual technique used, although I am familiar with similar Vulcan techniques; a Tal Shiar adept performed a mind meld to insure that I would cooperate with the conspiracy. Since that moment my thoughts were exactly the ones they implanted in my head- that I would do what I did and think that it had been the logical and correct course of action. While I was physically responsible for my actions, I was not mentally responsible for them; I did not act of my own free will, I acted of the will of the Tal Shiar."

"Have you told the authorities or an attorney? Can't you file an appeal, Valeris?"

"My right to appeal has long expired, Captain. I have spoken with the Commandant on several occasions since regaining my memories, however he has dismissed me as insane, a result of my head injury and, of course, the doctor concurs with him. They will no longer listen to me. Although I am not certain, I believe a Vulcan Master could perform a mind meld on me to verify my story or it might also be possible to compare brain scans, they should reveal some minute differences."

Val rose and brought Kathryn more water before continuing. "I was able to gain entry to the doctor's office for a few minutes several months ago. I accessed the Federation prisoner database on her computer and I discovered that Nanclus is still alive and incarcerated. If willing, he could also verify my story. As distasteful as it was, I bribed a guard to send messages to Captain Spock for me. I thought he would believe and assist me, however I received no reply. It is a possibility the guard never sent the messages, never delivered the replies," she paused as a slight expression of disappointment showed on her face, "or Spock chose to ignore my messages."

Kathryn sighed as she considered what Val had just told her. She looked at her with a hopeful expression. "I should be seeing my lawyer shortly, perhaps he could send a message for you?"

"I think not. To the best of my knowledge a JAG lawyer has never done so, the repercussions would be too severe if caught and I suspect conversations with attorneys are secretly monitored, insuring that they do not violate regulations." Val rose and picked up the PADDs that Kathryn had swept onto the floor and placed them neatly on the table and sat down. "Please, may I now examine your documents and see if there is any way that I might be able to assist you? Establishing your innocence is of mutual benefit."

Kathryn rose from the bunk and slowly walked to the table and sat. "Yes, of course. I am certain that these records have been altered, even though they appear to be genuine. If I had my personal logs here you could see that they are entirely different on some matters. Only two other officers had the command codes on Voyager and I am certain that neither of them altered the logs, I would trust them both with my life." Kathryn thought of Chakotay and Tuvok and put her face in her hands for a moment before taking a deep breath and continuing. "We were precariously shorthanded on Voyager and I had very few crew who would have even been able to attempt something this sophisticated, let alone pull it off; I wouldn't even know how to do it myself."

Kathryn rose and paced around the cell for a minute to gather her thoughts. She sat again and smoothed her hair back, wishing she had something to keep it in place. As she played with it an idea struck her. "It had to have happened after Voyager's return. Admiral Lanro is the one who seems to be spearheading this conspiracy against me, but that doddering old twit has been behind a desk for so long she wouldn't have the slightest idea how to sharpen a pencil, let alone ……."

"Lanro, did you say Lanro?"

"Mell, you spoke!" exclaimed Janeway in surprise. The Bolian woman hadn't spoken, in fact she'd hardly even moved since Janeway had been there. She had come to think of her as the huge inanimate blue blob in the lower bunk.

Mell got up, walked over to the table and sat down. "Please, may I see?" She examined the PADD briefly and sat it back down. "Lanro is the one who did this. She is the one who framed you, she has to be."

"How do you know?" asked Kathryn in disbelief.

"Simple logic." Mell said as she smiled at Valeris. "Cavit was your First Officer, right?"

"Yes, but he was killed when we were thrown into the Delta Quadrant, I barely………."

Mell interrupted her. "Cavit was also Lanro's lover. If we could check the records I bet you'd see she got him the assignment on Voyager, he wasn't exactly on the A list and someone would have had to pull strings to get him such an assignment. You didn't ask for him, did you?" Kathryn shook her head no. "I used to be a maintenance technician at Starfleet HQ, I worked on the floor where Lanro's office was. I observed things. I overheard things. I may be big and blue, but as you've seen, I am the type of person who's quiet and blends into the woodwork; people tend to ignore me. I apologize for the way I acted when you arrived, but I've found that such behavior, along with my size, insures my safety here; everyone is afraid of me and leaves me alone. I can give you the names of others who knew about Lanro and Cavit as well, they were not as discreet as they thought, their after hours rendezvous were actually a topic of gossip amongst the evening maintenance crews. Lanro is a vindictive bitch and she no doubt blames you for Cavit's death. She also has a lot of influence and she probably convinced other admirals to go along with her. After all, bringing down a starship captain would be a major coup, wouldn't it? She's also one to grab all the glory and publicity she can get. If you check her service record, I believe you will find that she was a computer encryption specialist before they mothballed her behind a desk."

Val nodded her head in agreement. "That is logical, to alter ship's data would require someone skilled in resequencing encryption algorithms, that is how I was able to accomplish it; I used replicated isolinear chips with the altered data inserted into the replication data stream matrix. Actually altering ship's logs and data requires command codes, which I did not have, however clandestinely replacing isolinear chips, which yields the same results, is not difficult as long as they are encoded properly. There is a vulnerability in Starfleet systems and security protocols and I merely exploited it. I will put the information on a PADD for you." Valeris went to her bunk, retrieved a PADD and began making notes. "Unfortunately, we lack the necessary resources here to analyze the data, but someone with access to Starfleet resources should be able to use this information I am giving you to reveal the alterations. The process cannot be detected with standard methods, Starfleet was never able to ascertain how I did what I did and I did not reveal my methods, but someone with this information would be able to establish that the records were altered. The proper analysis will detect that the isolinear chips used were replicated and not from Voyager; there will be a slight difference in isometric signatures between genuine and altered data. Since the chips would have to have been replaced manually, it is possible they would contain residual DNA of the individual that replaced them."

Kathryn finally felt a real sense of hope and smiled. "Thank you, thank you both so much! I need to get a message out of here as soon as possible, is there any way to do that?"

"You can bribe a guard. Several of them are easily bribed." replied Valeris..

Kathryn shook her head. "I mean, is there any way to do it without fucking a guard? I want to send the message myself, there would be no way to be sure a guard would even send a message. Do you know where the com links are? Is there any way to get access to them for a short time? I would only need a minute or so, I can put the message on a PADD and upload it. I will also send a message for you and my friends will see that it gets to Spock."

Valeris thought for a moment. "It might be possible, I understand others have done it. I will make inquiries. I have been here a long time and know the routines of the guards well, I will attempt to devise a plan."

"Thank you, Valeris."

"Andrea's very friendly with the guards and they often take her to the restricted areas where the com links are. I will bribe her for information on their locations." Mell laughed and patted her well rounded belly. "Not how you think! I work in the kitchen and I can smuggle food out, I will bribe her with food!"

"Thank you, Mell!" Kathryn exclaimed as she patted her on the arm.

Mell returned the gesture. "Most of the food here is contaminated with bacteria because the stasis chambers are dirty and don't work properly and that's probably why you're so sick. Your body will become accustomed to it eventually, but in the meantime, I will try to smuggle you out something decent that you can tolerate. If you get too thin here they will put you in the infirmary and feed you through a tube and, thin as you were when you got here, that won't take long. They don't let people die here, but then they don't really let them live either."

"Don't worry, I'll also send a message letting them know what goes on in here and that something needs to be done. I have friends who will be able to do something about it." Janeway assured them as she moved to her bunk. "I've read this book that Andrea brought me twice, do either of you have something that I could read? I need to get my mind off things for awhile."

Mell shuffled over to her cubby and pulled out a PADD and handed it to Kathryn. "Here you go, old Earth classic, one of my favorites, read this!"

"The Wizard of Oz?" Kathryn giggled.

"I only have two books, it's either that or A Practical Guide to the Repair and Maintenance of Ferergi Waste Extraction Systems." replied Mell.

"There's no place like home!" Kathryn exclaimed as she settled onto her bunk to read.

-------------------------------------------------

The four cellmates devised a plan to gain access to the com link in the head guard's office. Andrea used her connections to get the four of them assigned to a maintenance detail in that area. Valeris and Mell started a fight in the hallway, knowing that by virtue of Mell's size and Valeris' strength, it would take several guards to break up the fight. As the fight started Kathryn and Andrea were cleaning in the guards outer office area. The disruption caused the head guard to race from his office as predicted and Andrea shoved the handle to her mop into the doorway, preventing the door to his office from sliding closed all the way. The two women were able to pry the door open wide enough for Kathryn to slip through into the office. Andrea then took the opportunity to help herself to the stash of liquor that she knew the guards kept hidden behind an air vent. Kathryn sat at the com link and quickly began establishing the link to send her message to Admiral Paris. Unfortunately what they did not plan on was that the head guard was not alone in his office, he had been enjoying the company of one of the female guards. She emerged from the bathroom, still hastily dressing, and caught Kathryn at the desk. Kathryn tried to run, but the guard grabbed her by the hair, punched her and slammed her into the wall, rendering her unconscious.

Andrea survived the ordeal unscathed, but Kathryn, Mell and Valeris each got thirty days in solitary confinement. Kathryn actually didn't mind it that much, she enjoyed the peace and quiet and relative safety that her solitary cell offered. She unzipped her jumpsuit and surveyed the bruises on her side; she was glad she didn't have a mirror to see what her face looked like. She felt a stabbing pain each time she took a breath, suspecting she must have some cracked or broken ribs, but she would live. Kathryn reached into the waistband of her underwear and retrieved the PADD with her message. They hadn't bothered to search her, at least there was a bright spot. The boredom was the worst part of solitary, but Kathryn had her PADD and she began to write about the simple things she missed most. There really was no place like home- Dorothy was right! She heard footsteps in the hall and quickly slipped her PADD back into her underwear.

"5523, step to the door." The door slid open. "Step out, place your hands on your head." Kathryn did as told and the guard handcuffed her and led her out of the cell block and down a series of corridors. She wondered where she was being taken and feared the worst, but she now knew better than to ask. She tried to memorize the route, knowing that information on the prison layout might be of use later. The guard led her to a small room and shoved her through the door before it had completely opened, bruising Kathryn's shoulder.

The woman seated at the table in the room stood and raised her hand to indicate Kathryn should remain silent. "I am T'Pel. I am an attorney and your mother has engaged my services to assist in your defense, Ms Janeway. Guard, please remove her handcuffs, I require that she be able to use a PADD."

"This one is violent, Ma'am. As you can see, she fights. It would be safer to keep her chained up."

"I shall assume the risk. I will call you if I need your assistance, Guard."

"Suit yourself," mumbled the guard as he removed the handcuffs and left. T'Pel again raised her hand to indicate that Kathryn should continue to remain silent and took her recording/dampening device from her briefcase and activated it.

"Forgive me, Captain. I understand that these rooms are most likely illegally monitored. This device emits a dampening field which will prevent monitoring, to insure our privacy, and it will also record our conversation. I also thought it best that I not reveal my connections to Starfleet or my personal connection to you. It is agreeable to see you again, although you do not look well."

"Oh, T'Pel, it's so good to see you!" A huge sense of relief washed over Kathryn. For the first time since her arrival, the possibility of getting out of Van Dieman was real. "What's going on, T'Pel, what can you tell me? I know I was set up, the evidence against me is bogus, Voyager's logs and data were altered."

"We are well aware of that, Captain. Admiral Paris, Commander Chakotay and Tuvok have come to the same conclusion, however they have been unable to provide any scientific evidence to substantiate the claim. They asked me to ask you about Voyager's command codes. Do you have reason to believe that someone other than those authorized had knowledge of them?"

Kathryn shook her head. "No, absolutely not."

"They also asked me to ask your about your experience with an Admiral Lanro."

Kathryn stood, unzipped her jumpsuit and retrieved her PADD. "Here, we figured it out, how the data was changed. Everything that they will need to prove it is on this PADD. Lanro was undoubtedly the one that masterminded this."

T'Pel quickly drew in a breath as she saw Kathryn's injuries. "Captain, your shoulder is bleeding , you appear to have multiple injuries."

"Yes, this place is a nightmare, the guards abuse the prisoners horribly. That guard is lying, I haven't been in any fights, this is all from them, not other prisoners. That's on the PADD too and I have a letter that Admiral Paris needs to send for me, it's very very important."

"I shall deliver it to him personally. Have you received medical attention for your injuries, Captain?"

"No."

"Please allow me to observe and make images of your injuries to document them; this evidence is important. I can testify that I saw the guard intentionally injure you." Kathryn lowered her jumpsuit to her waist. "You appear to be malnourished as well, do you not receive adequate nutrition?"

"They feed us, but the food is contaminated, it makes me sick. I don't care about that, I'll live. Oh, T'Pel, how long do you think it will take to get me out of here and get this cleared up?"

"I shall leave immediately. Assuming the information on your PADD is sufficient, the only delay will be the length of time it takes to verify that the data was altered and submit the proof to Starfleet. If your JAG attorney contacts you, it would be advisable not to share any information as we have reason to believe his or her integrity may be compromised. I have a PADD for you with information from Admiral Paris and also personal messages from your mother, sister and Commander Chakotay. Do you have any verbal messages that you would like me to give them?"

"Yes, please tell them that I love them." Said Kathryn as she caught a tear before it fell from her eye.

"I shall do so. I shall send you a message as soon as I have some news."

Kathryn was taken back to her solitary confinement cell and she settled on her bunk to read the PADD T'Pel had left for her. She was interrupted by the delivery of her dinner tray. She sat it on the table, not intending to eat it, but the delicious aroma soon drew her back to it. She lifted the cover and saw that the food looked surprisingly good. A small piece of paper stuck out from under her slice of bread.

This food is safe to eat, one of Mell's

friends sent it and I will see that you

get decent food while you are in solitary.

I'm sorry our plan didn't work out, but I heard you got a visit from a civilian

attorney today so I hope your message got out.

I'm sorry I was so rude to you, you didn't deserve

it - good luck Captain Janeway!

----Andrea

------------------------------------

"Chakotay, there you are, I've been looking all over for you!" exclaimed Phoebe as she plopped down on the ground beside him.

"I'm sorry, I just needed to get away for awhile and talk to my spirit guide. Kathryn told me she went and sat under a tree when she needed to think, her 'thinking tree' she called it, so I thought I'd try it. Do you know which tree she used; is it still here?"

"You're sitting under it! C'mon back to the house, T'Pel just called, she'll be here in less than an hour. Mom has lunch ready. You have to eat something, you didn't have any breakfast."

"I'm not really hungry," Chakotay replied as he gathered his medicine bundle together.

Phoebe offered him a hand up. "You WILL eat…….and I thought Kath was the stubborn one! Face it, Chakotay, one way or another you're going to get ordered around by a Janeway woman for the rest of your life!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" he said as he put his arm around her and they walked back to the house.

T'Pel returned with Kathryn's PADD; the information on it was divided up and tasks assigned. Tuvok set to work on using Valeris' theories to prove that the logs and data had been altered. He felt certain they would work, however it would take time. Tuvok dispatched a trusted former colleague at the space station where Voyager was still docked to scan Voyager's isolinear chips for residual DNA. Hopefully, she would find Lanro's or at least that of someone other than Voyager personnel.

Admiral Paris was shocked to learn all the details about Lanro, he certainly was not aware of her connection to Cavit, but he did recall that she had personally requested that he be assigned to Voyager and was rather adamant about it. He felt Cavit wasn't qualified and wanted another officer, but she won out in the end. A check of her service records revealed that she was in fact an encryption specialist in her earlier days, however there were no records to indicate that she had been aboard Voyager since its return. Paris read Valeris' letter for Spock and found it hard to believe, but he also found it unlikely a Vulcan would make up such an unbelievable story; if a Vulcan were to lie, they would be certain to do it well. He also knew that, if Kathryn had taken the trouble to send the message as she did, she must be convinced of the merit of Valeris' claim. He immediately dispatched the message over a secure diplomatic channel to Ambassador Spock in Paris.

Chakotay reviewed the allegations of abuse at the prison and prepared a report. It was unimaginable that conditions could be so bad at a Starfleet facility, but Kathryn was certainly not one to exaggerate or make false accusations. Thinking of his Kathryn in a place like that was more than he could bear, but he knew Tuvok was the key to getting her out and he wouldn't stop until he found the proof they needed. He included the letter from T'Pel regarding what she had witnessed while there in his report and, although T'Pel had suggested that it would be better if he didn't, he looked at the images she had taken of Kathryn's injuries. The angry warrior in him returned and he felt the need to lash out at something, anything, to release the bile in his heart. He went upstairs to Kathryn's room and laid on the bed, knowing that the room made him feel close to her. After a few minutes there was a knock on the door, but he ignored it. T'Pel entered anyway.

"Commander Chakotay, forgive my intrusion, but I wish to speak with you. I am quite confident that we will be able to prove Captain Janeway's innocence; my husband will not stop working until he is able to do so nor will I. Tuvok has told me much of Captain Janeway since his return and I have a great respect for her, she is a most remarkable individual. I have spent most of my life on Vulcan and do not know much of human emotions, but I do know of the bonds between a man and a woman, the bonds that Tuvok and I share, and I can see those bonds between yourself and Captain Janeway. Please forgive me if this is too personal an observation to make, but I thought it important to say. Her body is injured, but her katra, 'soul' I believe you would call it, is strong. She asked me to give you a verbal message. The Captain asked me to tell you that 'she loves you'. Please, let us return and continue our work, we must be strong also."

Chakotay rose from the bed and wiped his face. "Yes, thank you, T'Pel, thank you so much. You said you didn't know much about human emotions, but you were wrong, you understand them quite well."

The team worked through the night, Valeris' theories proved correct and it was possible to identify altered logs and data. The process was painstaking, but they had to be thorough. The DNA analysis from the space station came through and it revealed only the DNA of Admiral Lanro on some of the chips, none from anyone aboard Voyager, yet other chips only showed DNA from Voyager personnel. No record of Lanro visiting Voyager could be found, but she certainly had the capability to alter records and it wasn't that hard to travel with a false identity; this was a minor problem. Tuvok presented his final report to Admiral Paris at 04:58 hours.

Paris transported immediately to Starfleet HQ and began making calls, getting the brass out of bed early. They were shocked at his allegations, but the evidence he presented was so solid they had little option but to agree. Starfleet experts examined Tuvok's work and came to the same conclusion, Voyager's records had been tampered with, there was no doubt about it. The C in C signed an order to have Admiral Lanro brought in for questioning and issued a warrant to have her home and office searched.

Lanro was totally irate and belligerent when brought in, steadfastly maintaining her innocence, denying that she had ever even met Kathryn Janeway. She insisted that she had done nothing beyond issuing a warrant that was routine given her job and the evidence in the case that she had been ordered to examine. Lanro maintained that she was just an innocent victim and insisted someone must have set her up- Janeway must have had friends. She denied ever having been aboard Voyager, yet she could offer no explanation as to why her residual DNA was there. When a maintenance worker Mell had identified was brought in and began to relate a rather graphic account of what he had witnessed while cleaning the exterior of Lanro's office windows one evening, she relented and confessed her relationship to Cavit, but said it proved nothing, merely two consenting adults after hours. It looked like she was actually making some headway until a security officer came in and presented the C in C with an evidence bag of isolinear chips, recovered from Lanro's home. The chips, the original chips from Voyager, contained the DNA and fingerprints of either Torres or Vorik and Lanro's DNA and fingerprints as well. She had been careful not to touch the chips she substituted, but not so careful with the ones she had removed. Knowing she was cornered with such overwhelming evidence, she finally confessed and was taken into custody. The C in C sent the original chips to the lab so that the actual data could be downloaded and he signed an order releasing Janeway into Admiral Paris' custody. He also assembled an inspection team and medical personnel to investigate the prison and arranged a shuttle to depart for Van Dieman within the hour.

Admiral Paris immediately went to his office and contacted Chakotay. "Good news, Lanro confessed!" Cheers and applause could be heard, obviously Chakotay was not alone. "They searched her house and found the original chips and are downloading the data now. I am departing for Van Dieman within the hour, along with medical and inspection teams. I am sure Kathryn will want a fresh uniform, so please get together what she'll need and beam it here to my office as soon as possible and I'll see that she gets it. As soon as we get back they are going to hear her case and I have no doubt she'll be released, especially in view of what has happened, so expect Kathryn home for dinner tomorrow night!"

"Oh, Admiral, that is such wonderful news, thank you so much." said Chakotay.

The joy in the Janeway household was contagious, a marathon group hug ensued and even Tuvok and T'Pel were caught up in it, Gretchen and Phoebe gave them no choice.

"All right, everyone, into the kitchen…………NOW!" Gretchen ordered as she breezed off, walking like a woman half her age.

Tuvok stopped Chakotay. "Commander, I believe I now fully understand your comment that you 'know where the Captain gets it from.' "

"Indeed, Tuvok!" replied Chakotay with a grin.

Gretchen was positively beaming as she handed Phoebe a plate of brownies. "Here, pass the brownies around and I'll get the tea and coffee, we have a celebration to plan! Chakotay, I want you to call B'Elanna and Tom and see if they can come, and tell them to bring the baby too; I know Mrs. Paris is off visiting her sister. Oh, call that sweet boy Harry Kim and see if he can come, call all Kathryn's friends from Voyager! Phoebe, we need to plan the menu and make a shopping list and we have to get out the good china and silverware, this has to be special. We'll have dinner tonight as soon as I can get it ready and we'll get up bright and early and get to work on tomorrow's celebration."

The next morning everyone awoke to a wonderful Vulcan style breakfast that T'Pel had prepared as best she could with Terran ingredients. Phoebe and Chakotay set off for the market and made a stop on the way home for more champagne and a bouquet of roses. Phoebe spied a lovely deep topaz blue nightgown and robe in the window of the shop next to the florist and insisted that Chakotay get it for Kathryn. He thought it a bit too extravagant for her tastes, but Phoebe insisted that she would love it and she needed a new robe anyhow. Gretchen set out the good china, silverware, crystal and accessories and T'Pel created an amazingly elegant and unique table setting of traditional antique pieces laid out in the Vulcan manner. Tuvok was dispatched to the gardens and soon returned with armloads of flowers that he arranged so that they complimented T'Pel's table setting.

Tom, B'Elanna, Miral and Harry Kim would be able to attend, but unfortunately no one else was able to on such short notice. Everyone helped in the kitchen and the meal was ready save for a few last minute touches; the Janeway household operated as efficiently as a starship. Admiral Paris signaled that they would be arriving in an hour and the guests would be arriving together in thirty minutes, so everyone went upstairs to dress for dinner. Chakotay surveyed his few civilian clothes and realized he should have bought something in town earlier as he did not have anything appropriate to wear. Since he knew Admiral Paris and Kathryn would be in uniform, he put his on, thinking it would make her feel more comfortable.

Kathryn and Admiral Paris beamed onto the end of the sidewalk and Chakotay went out to meet them, roses in hand. Owen carried Kathryn's bag inside, knowing they would want a few minutes alone. Chakotay took Kathryn into his arms, but she winced and drew back from the pain.

"Sorry, I have some sore ribs and a few bumps and bruises. Oh, Chakotay, I've missed you so much, oh gods I love you, it's so good to be home!" She kissed him and did her best to hug him, but her shoulder the guard had slammed into the doorway was still sore.

"I love you too, Kathryn, how can I hug you so it doesn't hurt? How are you, are you OK?" He could see that, despite the joy in her face, she was in pain. Although she had tried to cover them with makeup, there were traces of bruises on her face and her left cheek and eye were a bit swollen, but she was still the most beautiful woman in the galaxy.

"I'm fine, just a little sore, prison life doesn't agree with me I guess. I have some residual muscle damage that needs to be left to heal on its own. There were others that needed medical treatment more than I did and I just wanted to get out of there as fast as possible. I'll be fine, really."

"Well, the hearing at Starfleet, what happened?" Chakotay asked as he smoothed her hair.

"I'll tell you all about it later, let's just say I won't be making admiral anytime soon, but I do have two months leave and I don't intend to spend them standing here in the front yard, so let's get in the house. What are you doing in your uniform, is there something going on here?"

"Uh…….no, nothing Kathryn. I just thought I might have to go into Starfleet to pick you up, that's all. C'mon, let's get you inside."

"SURPRISE!!!"

"Oh my, I didn't expect this! Oh, Mom, Phoebe, Tuvok, Tom, B'Elanna, Harry ……, oh my goodness, is the whole bridge crew here? Chakotay! You liar, you said there wasn't anything going on here! I'll get you for this!" she said as she shook her finger at him.

"Don't blame me, your mother was at the helm."

"Well, thank you all so much, this really is a wonderful surprise. I don't know about you, but I'm famished and dinner smells wonderful and is never late at the Janeway house, so please, let's eat!"

"Aye aye, Captain!" said Tom as he bounced his giggling daughter in his arms.

Dinner was probably the most amazing meal to have ever graced the Janeway dining room. The conversation was spirited as everyone got caught up on what they had done since they had been home. Owen doted on his granddaughter relentlessly, she was the most brilliant child in the galaxy after all. Harry had wonderful news, he and his old girlfriend Libby were dating again. Phoebe brought in dessert and Owen did the honors of serving the champagne. Gretchen got up to start serving the tea and coffee from the sideboard, but Chakotay insisted that she sit back down and rest. He brought Kathryn's and his coffee last and sat back down beside her.

Kathryn glared at Chakotay. "Chakotay, what's a spoon doing in my coffee? You know I take it black!"

"Sorry, I must have forgotten." he replied with a sheepish grin on his face.

"Humph! How could you forget a thing like that?" Kathryn removed the offending spoon from her cup. "What the devil is this around the spoon?" Everyone leaned towards Kathryn to see what she had just extracted from her coffee. "It's……a ring!"

Chakotay got up and knelt beside her. "Let me see." He examined the ring and took her left hand and slid it onto her ring finger. "Kathryn Elizabeth, will you marry me?"

Tears came to Kathryn's eyes as she looked at the ring, still warm and dripping coffee, and then she looked into Chakotay's eyes. "Yes, oh yes, I'll marry you, Chakotay!" Applause erupted as Kathryn and Chakotay kissed.

Owen rose from his seat and raised his glass. "It is a tradition in the Paris family that each person makes their own toast to the happy couple and I would like to do that here, with your permission. To Kathryn and Chakotay, two of the finest officers in the fleet, I offer my wish for happiness. I would also like to point out Captain Janeway's steadfast dedication to duty, I ordered her go out and capture Chakotay and she most certainly did! Here, here! Gretchen?

"Nothing brings greater joy to a mother than to see her children happy and I can't imagine a happier couple than these two. I only met Chakotay a short time ago, but I love him like a son already and it is easy to see what Kathryn sees in him. I give my daughter to you knowing that you love her and will always be by her side and take care of her. I think I'm going to cry, I'm so happy! Phoebe?

"Well, I was with Chakotay when he bought the ring, so I knew about this and it almost killed me to keep the secret. I can't believe my big sister is finally getting married, it's about time, Kathryn, and, as for you Chakotay, I hope you know what you are getting into! Fate may have brought the two of you together, but it is friendship and love that have kept you together and will give you a wonderful life. I would like to compliment you, Chakotay, for the way you chose to give Kathryn the ring as it shows me that you know the secret to keeping her happy…………. coffee! Tuvok, would you care to say something?

"Yes, thank you. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve with you both, Captain Janeway ……….. Kathryn, and Chakotay. It is with great satisfaction that I have observed your relationship develop and flourish and I am certain that it will continue to do so. May your journey together be long and prosperous. My wife?"

"May the bonds between you grow stronger each day. Live long and prosper, Kathryn and Chakotay. Lieutenant Paris?"

"Well, thanks a lot you two! I hope you realize that, if you had done this BEFORE we got back, I'd be the richest guy in the galaxy right now! Unfortunately, we shut down all the betting pools when we got back to the Alpha Quadrant. As for future betting pools, I'd say that you being very happy together is a sure thing, so here's to you Captain Janeway and Chakotay! B'Elanna?"

"You danced at our wedding and I'm so glad that I'll get the chance to dance at yours! I don't know if you two getting stuck in the turbolift together for two hours after the Prixin party last year had anything to do with this, but if it did, you can thank me. I'm not good at all that mushy stuff, so I'll just say congratulations and Qapla'! I'm sure Miral here would say the same thing, but you'll just have to wait until she learns to talk. Harry?"

"Captain, Commander, serving with you for the past seven years has been an honor and I thank you both for making me a better officer and a better human being. I feel very honored that I was invited here tonight and could share this moment with you. Congratulations and may you enjoy much happiness, prosperity and good luck."

Admiral Paris rose again "To Kathryn and Chakotay! Well, after all that I see I need to refill everyone's glass. As for permission to get married? Granted. In fact, make that an order!"

-------------------------------------

Chakotay held Kathryn's hands, admiring the ring, and then kissed her so soundly her toes curled and she melted helplessly into his embrace. "C'mon, let's go upstairs and I'll run a hot bath for you, I'm sure it will make you feel much better." Kathryn started up the steps, but it was clearly uncomfortable for her, so Chakotay picked her up and carried her. He sat her down on the foot of the bed and went to start her bath and came back, sitting beside her. "Phoebe bought you some kind of bubble bath today, she said it's your favorite. I got you something too, here, I hope you like it."

"Oh, Chakotay, it's lovely!"

"I thought the color would go with your eyes and you do need a new bathrobe."

"Yes, I guess I do, but I did so love that old pink robe that Nana gave me. I also love this ring, Chakotay, it's perfect, it looks just like a rose made of diamonds. You took me completely by surprise, you know."

"That was the idea, but all I really cared about was that you would say yes. I've wanted to ask you to marry me for a long time, you know."

"Well, I'm glad you finally got up your nerve, Chakotay! Did you think I wouldn't say yes?"

"Well, we never really talked about getting married, so honestly, I wasn't sure, but I am sure that I want to wake up next to you every day for the rest of my life."

"Me too! In case you're wondering, there wasn't a chance in hell that I would have said no, you're stuck with me now!"

"Well, get in there and take your bath; I can't wait to see you in that new nightgown."

"Chakotay, I can't wear it tonight; it, well …….. it shows too much."

"Kathryn, I know you're shy, but it isn't that skimpy and, after all, we are engaged now! Don't I get to see a little more of you?"

"It isn't that, Chakotay, I've lost a lot of weight; I couldn't eat the food there, it came right back up. I'm all bony and I have bruises all over me, I don't want you to see me like this, I look terrible."

"Kathryn, I saw the images T'Pel took, I know what you look like and I don't care, I still think you're beautiful. You could only ever be beautiful to me; I love you. I know you're sore and I can tell you're in a lot of pain. I only want to hold you tonight, if that's what you're afraid of, we have the rest of our lives." He took her left hand and gently kissed her ring.

"Oh, Chakotay, I love you!"

-----------------------------------------------------

"Who wants another mushroom omelet?" Gretchen asked as she cracked eggs into a bowl.

"Me, Mom!" Kathryn replied. "I'm starving! Please pass the muffins. Chakotay, are you going to finish your hash browns?"

"No, help yourself. Greatest diet secret in the galaxy, fill your plate, sit next to Kathryn Janeway and she'll pick half the food off your plate before you get a chance to eat it."

"I do not!" She protested.

"YOU DO TOO!" replied everyone in unison.

Kathryn looked out the window to avoid the gaze of her accusers. "Hey, Mom, who's that in the yard out by the birdbath?"

"What, who?" Gretchen nearly dropped her omelet pan. "Oh my gosh, he has a camera, it's a reporter, it's an army of reporters! There's an Intergalactic Enquirer truck out there and some cars and vans too, the lawn is crawling with reporters! The press must have picked up on what happened at Starfleet, oh god, they're even up in the trees! Quick, close all the curtains and don't anyone open any doors, they're sure as hell not getting a picture of me in my bathrobe! I'm going to call Owen, we ought to be entitled to some Starfleet Security protection and I'm not taking no for an answer!"

"Oh, this is my fault, they're here because of me; listen, they're yelling my name." Kathryn lamented as she buried her face in her hands.

"Kath, it isn't your fault, they're the press, they're a bunch of maggots; we'll deal with it." Phoebe assured her.

"It's OK, Kathryn." said Chakotay as he put his arm around her. "Starfleet Security will run them off. Ignore them, just relax and finish your eggs before they get cold."

"Oh, OK, I guess you're right. You gonna finish that bacon, Phoebe?"

"Good news, bad news." said Gretchen. "I just spoke to Owen and he's beaming in a security team to run them off and keep them off, but they can only run them off the farm, if they want to stay on the road they can because it's public property. The Bloomington Police said the same thing, but they're sending some officers out to keep them under control. Apparently they're hovering over the house too, but they can't stop that. You were right and somehow word leaked out overnight and the 'Starfleet Scandal' is causing a media sensation. Owen suggested that it might be best if the two of you beam out of here- once they realize you're not here, they'll go away. He's arranged a site to site for you."

"Oh, Mom, I don't want to leave!" Kathryn protested.

"It will only be for a few days, you know how these things are, we went through it with your father a couple of times, Starfleet PR will handle it and it will blow over fast. I bet the two of you would enjoy some time alone anyhow and Phoebe and I know just the place!"

"Where? Oh no, no way, absolutely not, not at Nana's!"

"Of course not, it's a surprise, now you and Chakotay go upstairs and pack your things and get down here as soon as you can and leave the rest to me."

--------------------------------

"Is that everything, Chakotay?"

"Yes, Mom, we didn't have much. Can't you tell us where we're going?" Chakotay asked as he arranged their bags in the foyer.

"No, I said it's a surprise. Kathryn will know where you are when you get there. Here's a note that explains everything, but don't open it until you're there. I packed up some leftovers from last night for you, here you go. Now give Phoebe and me a hug, I'll call you later and I can send anything you forgot. I love you both, goodbye for now!"

Kathryn hugged her mother. "Mom, I don't like transporting when I don't know where I'll be materializing! Can't you at least give me a hint?"

"No, for the last time, it's a surprise! Now hold hands and close your eyes. ENERGIZE!

Part Three

HOME SWEET HOME

"Kathryn, where are we?"

"Oh my gosh, I don't believe it, Chakotay, it's just the same. This is my house in San Francisco!"

"Are you sure?"

"What do you mean am I sure? Don't you think I don't know my own house when I see it! I'd forgotten about it, I just assumed, well, when Voyager was lost, they would have sold it or something. Everything looks just the same. Well, OK, it's a lot neater and cleaner, but it's like I never left!"

"The note, Kathryn, read the note." Chakotay prompted as Kathryn opened the old fashioned paper envelope and took out her mother's hand written note and began reading aloud:

"Dear Kathryn,

SURPRISE! Not long after Voyager was lost Mrs. Patel called me and asked if I could help her son Mujibur find a house in San Francisco as he had been accepted to the San Francisco Art Institute. We rented him your house and he enjoyed it very much and, as you can see, he took very good care of it. Mujibur got married and moved out a few days after you got back. We had packed up your personal belongings and stored them here in the attic for the past seven years because we knew you would be back some day. Phoebe and Cousin Earl brought them all back and, hopefully, got everything in the right place. Phoebe has been working hard to fix everything up and have it just the way you did. She'd hoped to get more done, but obviously we had to rush the surprise a bit due to the paparazzi plague. Your car is in the garage, we kept it here in the barn, but Earl looked at it and said it's good as new and works fine, so he brought it back.

If you decide you don't want to keep the house, we will understand, but I know how much you loved it and how hard you worked for it, so I hope maybe it can be a happy home for you and Chakotay.

Love,

Mom

PS- The replicator is broken, they had to order the parts to fix it because it's so old and it may take a week or two, but you have Chakotay, so I know you won't starve."

Kathryn put down the note and twirled around the room.

"Oh, Chakotay, I can't believe it! C'mon, let me give you the grand tour!" She took his hand and led him through the house. "Here's the dining room, it's kind of small, I think it was originally just a sitting room or something, but I put the chandelier up and christened it a dining room. Down the hall here is a little guest bedroom, a bathroom and the master bedroom. This is the utility closet and this is, of course, the kitchen and through here is the living room. There's another bathroom here and this is the office. Let's go out on the deck and I'll show you the back yard. Oh, wow, the trees have really grown and it seems Mujibur was a much better gardener than I was, look at what he's done!" Kathryn surveyed the yard and admired the beautiful flowers in pots on the deck.

"Kathryn, this is lovely, you can even see the bay from here! I really like your house." said Chakotay as they stood arm in arm and enjoyed the view.

"Our house, Chakotay, this is our house, if you want it to be."

"Our house. And you know what, since this is our house, I can grab you and hug you and kiss you any time I feel like it! Come here, Kathryn, I've waited years to be able to do this!"

"Well, not that I'm not having a good time, but let's get that food put away before it spoils and I guess we'll have to go to the grocery to stock the kitchen and pick up whatever else we need; we can't live on love alone. You make a list, you're the expert in the kitchen."

"Item one: coffee." Chakotay jotted down on an imaginary PADD.

"I think I'm going to like being married to you!" Kathryn exclaimed as she kissed him soundly.

-----------------------------------------

"Wow, Kathryn, your car is nice- looks brand new! How far is the grocery store?"

"The car is new, well, it was when I left. The store I like is about twelve kilometers away, they have everything you'd ever want and, most importantly, a couple dozen different kinds of coffee."

"Well, I guess that is important. Watch out, Kathryn, you almost backed over that old man!"

"No I didn't, I saw him, he should have just gotten out of my way! See, he's waving now."

"I guess his cane just wouldn't go fast enough? He's only waving with one finger, Kathryn. Are you sure you know how to drive, aren't you supposed to stay on the right side of the road here?"

"Hush, of course I know how to drive, Chakotay, I'm just a little out of practice. If I can fly a starship, I can most certainly drive a car!"

"I dunno, there aren't any pedestrians in space, Kathryn." Chakotay commented as he shook his head and tightened his seat belt.

"Uh oh…………. Yes, Officer, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize I was going that fast or that my license and registration are expired. You see, I'm a Starfleet officer. I've been out in the Delta Quadrant for seven years and haven't quite had a chance to renew them, but I do have a valid Starfleet shuttle pilot's license, and a starship master's license, and a transporter pass and, here, look, I have a phaser permit too!"

"That's nice, Ma'am, too bad you're not driving a starship. As fast as you were going, I'm surprised it took you seven years to get back from the Delta Quadrant. Sign here."

"You're giving me a citation?"

"No, Ma'am, I'm giving you three. Sign here."

"Officer, please, I'm Captain Janeway from the Starship Voyager, I'm sure you've heard about us! I just got back, I won't drive so fast again, I promise." Kathryn smiled as she batted her lashes.

"I'm Officer Spiletta, so nice to meet you too. Now, if you don't want to take a ride downtown in the back of my 'starship', I suggest you sign here."

"Yes, Officer ……………. Humph! Not a word, Chakotay, not a word!"

----------------------------------------

CRASH!

"Whoops, why do they always put displays of precariously stacked containers that defy gravity right out in the aisles where you can't help but ram your shopping cart right into them? I hate that! Oh, leave them alone, don't pick them up. Chakotay, don't you know anything about grocery shopping?" Kathryn tossed her chin in the air as she moved on with her shopping cart. "You just pretend like you're not the one that knocked them over and nonchalantly walk away. Oh, jeez, the check out lines in here are just as long as I remember! CLEAN UP IN AISLE SIX, CLEAN UP IN AISLE SIX, AND BRING A ROBOMOP, CHARLIE! Did you see the prices? It's insane, coffee shouldn't cost that much!" Kathryn tossed six packages of coffee into the cart. "They must have sold out to Ferengi or something. Help me push this cart, Chakotay! Why is it I always get one where the antigravs are out of alignment and the whole damn thing wobbles and darts around at will?"

"You mean, kinda like your driving, Kathryn?"

"Ohhhhh! If I had a hen house, you'd be sleeping in it tonight!" Chakotay ducked as Kathryn threw a package of tea at him. "I didn't actually hit anything with the car except for that bush. Oops, I forgot to get ice cream, you stay here and keep unloading and I'll run and get it and be right back before you're done."

Chakotay began unloading the contents of the shopping cart, amazed at how much Kathryn had bought for just two people.

"Mister, this won't scan, do you remember how much it is?" The clerk asked as she popped her gum.

"No, sorry." Chakotay shook his head and kept unloading.

PRICE CHECK TERMINAL THREE! HEY, CHARLIE, THIS GUY'S GOT A BOX OF 36 TAMPAX SUPER MAX TAMPONS, HOW MUCH ARE THEY?

IS THAT THE REGULAR SUPER MAX TAMPONS, THE JUMBO SUPER MAX TAMPONS OR THE SUPER MAX TAMPONS WITH THE PETAL SOFT SCENT?

THEY'RE THE PETAL SOFT SCENT TAMPONS.

OK, TELL HIM THE TAMPONS ARE ON SALE FOR 5.29, HE CAN GET ANOTHER BOX OF TAMPONS FOR HALF PRICE, BUT IT HAS TO BE THE PETAL SOFT SCENT TAMPONS !

HEY, MISTER, HE SAY'S THE TAMPONS ARE ON SALE, DO YOU WANT TO GO GET MORE TAMPONS?

"Noooooo! Oh, please, shut that damn PA off! I don't care how much they cost, just put them in a bag, people are staring! They're not for me!" exclaimed Chakotay as his face turned from bronze to beet red.

TAKE IT EASY, MISTER, DO YOU THINK YOU'RE THE ONLY GUY WHO EVER BOUGHT A BOX OF TAMPONS?

Kathryn returned with her arms full of food. "I'm back, here's the ice cream and I got some cookies and chips too and grabbed a Vulcan marsh melon. Chakotay, why's your face so red?"

"Didn't you hear all that?"

"Hear what? Help me put this stuff up here so we can get out of here, I forgot how exasperating shopping can be…………….. What do you mean my card is invalid? It's a Federation Express card, scan it again! What do you mean no credits?" Kathryn rummaged through her purse and sheepishly grinned. "Uh, Chakotay, do you have your card with you? Thanks, try this one! I'll check when we get home, with all the mess they didn't pay me for the last seven years. Well, they were supposed to get it straightened out, but obviously they didn't, so until they do I'm broke."

"Here's your card and your receipt, thanks for shopping at Nagus Mart. HEY, HEY, MISTER, YOU FORGOT A BAG!"

"How sweet of her to remind you, what's in it?"

"Your tampons!" He muttered as he shoved the bag into the cart.

"Chakotay, why are all those people pointing and staring at you and laughing?"

"I wouldn't have the slightest idea, Kathryn. Let's just get this in the car and get out of here and go home without getting pulled over, hitting anything or getting humiliated by a teenage girl and a guy named Charlie."

"Fine, but since I don't 'technically' have a license, you'd better drive."

"I can't."

"You don't have a license either?"

"No."

"So, then, what's the difference? You drive."

"I can't, Kathryn. I …… well …… I don't know how to drive."

"What do you mean you don't know how to drive?"

"Well, I don't; I never had a car, never learned how."

"C'mon, then, I'll teach you. It's easy………and, if you don't even know how to drive, how come you made fun of my driving?"

Chakotay put his hands on his hips. "Well, you're right, Kathryn, I was just going on the opinion of that poor old man you almost killed who gave you the finger, the cop that gave you three citations and that bush back there that looks like a tossed salad now. I'll learn to drive if you want, but I'll take the classes at Starfleet, thank you."

Kathryn threw her hands into the air. "I can't believe I let someone who can't even drive a car fly my starship!"

"I bet Starfleet will be saying the same thing about you when they find out about those tickets. Don't bother, Kathryn, your 'death glare' doesn't work on me in civilian life."

-----------------------------------------

"Oh, Chakotay, I'm not feeling too well, I think I overdid it; they told me to take it easy and rest. I'm going to go and take a nap, can you see to putting the groceries away? I never really used the kitchen much and I don't know where anything goes, so just organize things like you want."

"Of course I'll take care of it. Don't you want some lunch first? We have all those leftovers so it's no trouble. You really do need to eat, I'm sure the doctor told you that."

"Yes, there was a little lecture about needing to gain some weight. I'm not very hungry, but maybe you could heat up the roast chicken and the mashed potatoes, dressing and gravy and some of that broccoli casserole and the green beans and maybe just a little macaroni and cheese, stewed tomatoes and a couple slices of that mushroom quiche. Would it be too much trouble to make a salad?"

"No, I suppose not." Chakotay laid out a banquet large enough for an army and Kathryn ate with a vengeance, cleaning her plate and half of his. Everyone thought Chakotay was a big eater, but, truth be known, he long ago learned that the way to get Kathryn to eat was to fill his plate and sit next to her, for she'd eat most of his food.

"I guess you were hungry after all! Just how much weight did the doctor tell you to gain?"

"Oh, at least five or six kilos."

"Well, I think you just did! Do you have room for a caramel brownie?"

"I'll assume that's a rhetorical question, and could you put some ice cream on it too?"

"Anything for you! Well, after all that I'm tired too. What do you say we both curl up in bed for awhile and maybe I can make you glad you're going to marry me?" Kathryn nodded and Chakotay picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. She was still sore and bruised, but he was able to work his way around that and soon heavy breathing, moans and giggles drifted out of the bedroom door.

"Ohhhhhh, Chakotaaaaaaaaaay! Ahhhhhh! What …… what are you doing here? Ever heard of knocking?" Kathryn gasped as she pulled the sheet up around her.

"Well a howdy do to you too, is that any way to greet your favorite cousin? I did knock, but y'all musta been too busy spoonin' to hear me."

"Cousin Earl, how……how did you get in?"

"Well, shoot, I got the access code to yer door Kathryn! Now c'mon, you and Chakotay get outta there and quit neckin' and let's have us a nice visit. I brought y'all some sweet patater pie and some nice fresh possum stew, made 'em myself. You make yourselves decent and I'll just go and warm up that stew."

Chakotay was in shock. "Kathryn, what's he doing in our house? No offense, I like your family, I really do, but I was hoping not to have to see Cousin Earl again for a few years, maybe forever."

"Me too, but he's been lonely and suffering from depression since Cousin Edna died a couple months ago. He means well, Chakotay, he's just, well……….."

"Obnoxious, annoying, crude, rude, lewd and socially unacceptable?"

"You could say that. Come on, let's just get put back together and we can spend some time with him and get him out of here. He'll go home soon, I promise, and then we can change the access code to the door and get back to 'neckin'." She smiled as she wiggled her hips suggestively.

"OK, Kathryn, I'll see how much Earl I can stand, but somehow I'd be happier if we had a kitchen full of Kazons. Remind me to get a lock for the bedroom door next time we're out. Oh no, look there by the front door, he brought luggage! Do you keep a phaser in the house, compression phaser rifle, Klingon disruptor, anything?"

"Hello, Cousin Earl, so ………. nice of you to drop by." said Kathryn as she walked into the kitchen with Chakotay and mustered her best fake smile.

"Y'all sit down, I'm warmin' up the stew, brung ya some fresh crawdaddys too, they're in a box by the door, go git 'em Chakotay."

"Uh, there's a box here, Earl, but there's nothing in it."

"Oh no, little varmints musta clawed their way out, just hunt around the house, you'll find 'em! I don't know about you, but I'm real thirsty! Y'all got any beer, Kath? Here's some, mmmmm, tasty!" Earl burped his approval said as he slurped the expensive imported beer they had bought for invited guests.

Kathryn plastered on a fake smile. "We were saving that, but just help yourself. This is so nice of you, Earl, but we just ate and we really did have plans for the rest of the day."

"Well, now you got new plans, first we'll git us some more beer and I got three tickets for the Ferengi rasslin' match, the women are nekid ya' know! Hee hee hee, bet you like that Chakotay?"

"Well, Earl, I'm really more the art museum type and I don't think Kathryn is into Ferengi wrestling either. Just how many 'things' were in that box?"

"I dunno, coupla dozen. There!, there goes one down the hall now, git 'em! Fast little buggars ain't they?" Chakotay took off down the hall chasing the errant crawdad with a pair of tongs.

After a "delightful" day of Ferengi mud wrestling, a trip to the liquor store for beer and an evening at Dabo Delights, Kathryn and Chakotay finally settled into bed. Cousin Earl, full of beer and possum stew, was snoring in the guest room across the hall, too drunk to possibly send home. The crawdads had also turned in for the night.

"Oh, Chakotay, I think I want to go back to prison or the Delta Quadrant at least! I swear, I don't know when I've had a worse day, we have got to get him out of here……….and those damn crawdads too!" She snuggled closer.

"I tried, Kathryn, but they're too fast and they bite! Maybe we can get Earl to have a crawdad roundup in the morning since he's so fond of them?"

"I'll call an exterminator in the morning."

"Exterminator? We need an exorcist, Kathryn!" He moved closer and whispered into her ear, "So, are you in the mood for a little neckin' tonight?"

She looked at Chakotay with sad puppy dog eyes. "I'm sorry, but with Earl making all that racket just across the hall, the day we've had and knowing that he might barge in here, I'm just not in the mood for anything but sleeping with a fully charged phaser under my pillow. I hope you understand." He answered her with a tender kiss.

Cousin Earl stayed for five days, perhaps the five longest and most trying days of Kathryn and Chakotay's life. They tried to get rid of him, but every time they did he would break into tears over his late wife Edna and they would feel sorry for him and let him stay for "just another day". The house was a shambles: smelly old socks, take out food containers, empty beer cans and dead crawdads everywhere. Earl had a unique talent for creating domestic chaos and invading privacy, however he had inspired Kathryn to pursue some new research…………into ancient Andorian poisons that worked quickly but left no traces. In desperation Chakotay called Kathryn's mother and she had mercy and dispatched Uncle Mike to finally exorcise Earl from the Janeway-Chakotay household with the promise of going to the Orion Slave Girl Holo Museum on Wrigley's Pleasure Planet …… and more beer.

"Oh, Chakotay, thank goodness he's gone! How does he control me like that? Every time I was ready to put my foot down and toss him out, he would make me feel sorry for him and I'd give in. I may have defeated the Borg, but I was taken prisoner and held hostage for five days by my crazy redneck cousin!" Kathryn slumped onto the sofa. "Would you look at the house, it looks like Voyager did when she took a hit with the inertial dampeners offline. Ouch! Damn, one of those things just crawled out from under the couch and bit me; I thought they were all dead."

"Smells like they are, but apparently not; the gift that keeps on giving! There must still be some around, I'll keep looking." He joined her on the sofa.

"I think the stench is just from the leftover possum stew. Please take it out back and phaser it and, while you're up, change the access codes on all the doors. I'm going to start cleaning up and open the windows and try to air out that smell. When I get done I'll start dinner, I want to make you a home cooked meal, Chakotay."

He jumped up. "Uh, Kathryn, how about I take you out to dinner? I'm sure you're too tired to cook!"

"Nonsense, I want to cook for you, sweetheart!" Kathryn exclaimed as she went to the kitchen and started rattling pots and pans.

Chakotay carried the possum stew out to the back yard as instructed. As he gave it one last whiff he wondered which was worse, the stew or what Kathryn would make for dinner. Yes, he loved her and had sworn he would die for her, but did that oath also include eating her cooking?

---------------------------

"Well, Kathryn, that was an ……………. interesting dinner. Maybe before you cook again you could try to get some of your mother's recipes?" Chakotay said as he cleared the table.

Kathryn sighed. "Those were Mom's recipes, I think they just tasted different because she has a newer stove or different kind of pots or something or maybe it's the water?"

"Yeah, that must be it. Why don't you go sit on the deck and enjoy the evening and I'll clean up and be right out with the coffee and some of these um ……….. chocolate chip cookies you baked."

"They're cinnamon raisin muffins, Chakotay! They just didn't turn out quite as tall as Mom's, that's all."

"Oh, sorry. Someone's knocking at the door, are we expecting anyone?"

"NO! If it's Earl, get a phaser; shoot first, ask questions later! If it's a reporter and they somehow found me, don't speak English and they'll think they have the wrong house and go away. If it's Starfleet, tell them I went to Risa or something." Kathryn ran out on the deck and hid behind a large potted plant.

"Will do." Chakotay cautiously answered the door and showed the guest to the backyard deck. "Kathryn, you have company and it's someone you will want to see!"

"Valeris!" she exclaimed as she peeked through the doorway. "Oh my, please come in, how nice to see you again! Would you like to sit out here on the deck? Please sit down, Chakotay will be right out with some tea and dessert for you."

"Thank you. Captain, you have a lovely home." Valeris said as she admired the plants and the evening view.

"Thank you, Valeris, it's so good to see you, I take it your message got to Ambassador Spock and everything worked out?"

"Indeed, Captain. He traveled to Van Dieman shortly after receiving it and brought a Vulcan Master who was able to substantiate my claim. Additionally, Nanclus admitted his guilt and I have been fully cleared of all charges. I did not mean to intrude upon your privacy, but I felt the need to thank you in person."

"Not at all, Valeris, I am just glad I could help, neither of us deserved to be in that place."

"Agreed." Valeris said as Chakotay served the tea and coffee and joined them. She sipped her tea. "Thank you, Commander. This tea is excellent."

"Please call me Chakotay. The tea is from Vulcan, it was a gift from our Tactical Officer Commander Tuvok. Thanks to you, he was the one who uncovered Lanro's scheme and got Kathryn released. I owe both of you a debt of gratitude." He smiled warmly at her and then at Kathryn.

"Uncovering the truth is always the logical course of action." Valeris replied as she bowed her head slightly.

"Would you care for a……………………muffin?" Chakotay passed Valeris the plate.

"Uh………..thank you." Valeris took a bite and a strange expression came across her face. "Interesting, I recently had a similar …….. 'muffin'; did you get the recipe from the cook at Van Dieman.?"

"Not exactly." replied Kathryn. "So, what have you been doing since you returned, are you staying here on Earth; have you made any plans?"

"Yes, Captain, I am staying at the residence of Ambassador Spock in Paris. I find the arrangement most suitable. We have not yet made a decision regarding future plans."

"Oh, that's lovely Valeris, care for another muffin?"

"No, no, no thank you, one was quite …… sufficient. I regret that I must leave, I spent the day at Starfleet and I am unaccustomed to so much activity and find myself fatigued."

"Well, thank you so much for stopping by and I hope the next time you, and of course Ambassador Spock, are at Starfleet you will be able to visit us again. We would very much enjoy having you for dinner. Please give my regards to Ambassador Spock and keep in touch via the com link."

"Thank you so much, Captain, I shall do so. It was an honor to meet you, Chakotay." She bowed politely.

"And you as well, Valeris, and thank you again. Goodbye."

"Good evening, Captain, Commander." Kathryn showed Valeris to the door and she and Chakotay returned to the deck.

"Well, that was a surprise, Chakotay, but a pleasant one at least. She's obviously had some medical procedures done on her face, she looks much better now, you should have seen her before. I was meaning to check into what happened to her, but I got so busy, I hadn't had time. We will have to invite them for dinner, I would really like to meet Ambassador Spock, but I suppose you should do the cooking so that I don't end up back in prison for poisoning a Federation Ambassador!"

"Oh, Kathryn, dinner wasn't that bad; you tried and I love you for it. Maybe we can cook together from now on?" Chakotay flashed her his trademark dimpled smile. "I can think of something else that maybe we could finally do together! I know it's still early, but what do you say we go to bed and we can take up where we left off when Cousin Earl showed up and ruined to mood for five days straight?"

"I'd say that's a definite yes and I bet it turns out a lot better than dinner did! Do you want me to put on the blue nightgown that you gave me?"

"No, I don't think you'll be needing a night gown, Kathryn."

"Oh, Chakotay, what did you have in mind?" said Kathryn as she put her arms around him and flashed a coy smile as they headed off chasing one another towards the bedroom.

"Oh, a little 'neckin and spoonin' then maybe we could git nekid and redefine some of your parameters. I think it's about time, Kathryn."

"Come here!" Kathryn pushed Chakotay down onto the bed, "and let me show you just how I want to redefine those parameters, Chakotay! Damn! Who the hell could that be at the door? Mmmmmmm, let's just ignore them and they'll go away."

Unfortunately, they did not go away and the knocking became louder and louder and more persistent. Chakotay and Kathryn reluctantly rose, made themselves presentable, went to the door and opened it.

Kathryn let out a gasp and nearly swallowed her tongue as she stared down a sight that terrified her more than anything she had ever encountered in space. "Nana Janeway!"

"Took you long enough! Were you going to leave me standing out here on the porch all night or what? Give your Nana a hug, Kathryn, it's good to see you again, Sweetheart. What happened to you? You're a bag of bones, you poor dear thing! I'll have to fatten you up or you'll blow away and let's see if I can do something with your hair, what happened to it?" Nana spit on her hand and began trying to fix Kathryn's hair as only a grandma can.

"IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU TOO,NANA, BUT THIS IS QUITE A SURPRISE! NANA, I WOULD LIKE YOU TO MEET MY FIANCE CHAKOTAY. CHAKOTAY, THIS IS NANA JANEWAY."

"Pleased to meet you, Ma'am, I've heard a lot about you." He said as he offered her his hand.

"What?" Nana said as she moved closer to examine Chakotay and poked at him with her cane.

"Nana doesn't hear to well, Chakotay, you'll have to speak up. Oh my god, she brought luggage!"

"NICE TO MEET YOU NANA JANEWAY!"

"Well, don't just stand there, Chartay, bring in my bags and be careful with Fekhlar's carrier, he doesn't like to be jostled! C'mon, Kathryn, let me look at you, let's sit down and you can tell me all about, what's his name?"

"CHAKOTAY, NANA, HIS NAME IS CHAKOTAY! Oh no, Chakotay, that dog from hell is still alive and she brought it! Be careful, he bites, Denebian slime devil with fur. Take him out in the back yard and I'll see if I can get Nana to stay at Mom's. NANA, I'M SO SORRY, BUT I DON'T HAVE ANY ROOM HERE. UH……….. CHAKOTAY IS STAYING IN THE GUEST ROOM, WHY DON'T YOU GO TO MOM'S AND STAY THERE? SHE HAS PLENTY OF ROOM AND WE'LL COME VISIT YOU TOMORROW!" Nana sat on the sofa and pulled Kathryn with her, still fusing with her hair.

"He is? Well, that's what's proper, dear! Your mother might not have taught you anything about how to dress, cook or keep a clean house, but at least she taught you some morals- no hanky panky before the wedding! He hasn't had his way with you, Kathryn, has he?"

"NO, NANA, unfortunately not, thanks to you and Cousin Earl. WOULD YOU LIKE SOME COFFEE BEFORE YOU LEAVE?"

"Leave? I'm not leaving, dear, just have Henry put my bags in your room and I'll share with you."

"CHAKOTAY, NANA, HIS NAME IS CHA-KO-TAY!"

"What kind of name is that? Did you find him out in the Delta Quadrant someplace? Is he a good Catholic boy? Oh, Kathryn, please don't tell me you're marrying a Protestant!"

"NO, NANA, HE'S NOT A PROTESTANT, not that that should be important, CHAKOTAY IS HUMAN, HE'S DESCENDED FROM NATIVE AMERICANS- INDIANS."

"Indian? Why didn't you tell me he's from India? Does he speak any English?"

"YES, NANA, HE SPEAKS ENGLISH! HE'S A WONDERFUL MAN AND I LOVE HIM VERY MUCH AND I'M SURE YOU WILL LOVE HIM TOO. HERE HE IS WITH FEKHLAR. SEE, THEY'RE ALREADY FRIENDS!" Nana played with her dog, which looked like a cross between a Poodle and a wildebeest, and proceeded to conduct a white glove inspection of the house as Kathryn took Chakotay aside to give him the bad news.

"I told you he bites! Chakotay, get something to stop the bleeding and go find the dermal regenerator. I tried, but she's staying here tonight, so hurry and gather your things and put them in the guest room and take her bags to the master bedroom. She's very old fashioned, I had to tell her we aren't sleeping together- she'd have a fit. She's 95 years old, we'll just have to humor her. I'm so sorry, but it will be for only one night!"

"Only one night, do you promise, Kathryn?" He asked as he hugged her.

"Well, no, she's a Janeway after all. I'd prefer to take on the Borg Queen again over Nana any day! Trust me, I'd much rather be sleeping with you than with her; she snores and she'll insist that fetid beast sleep on the bed too! Just be charming so she will like you, I KNOW you know how to do that! Now give me a kiss and I'll see what I can do about her."

"Kathryn, what are you two whispering about? Shaquille, get your hands off my granddaughter! What kind of girl do you think she is? I'll not have you ruin her before the wedding!" Nana poked and prodded at Chakotay with her cane until he moved away. "Kathryn, dear, When was the last time you cleaned; what is that awful smell in here?"

"CHAKOTAY WAS JUST SAYING HOW GLAD HE IS YOU CAME TO VISIT, NANA! I'M SORRY ABOUT THE SMELL, COUSIN EARL JUST LEFT A LITTLE WHILE AGO."

"Earl? Well, that explains it! Where did Charlie go? I want to get a good look at him. Is he a Hindu?"

"IT'S CHAKOTAY, NANA! HE WENT TO TAKE YOUR BAGS TO MY ROOM, HE'LL BE RIGHT BACK. FEKHLAR, DON'T DO THAT IN HERE, YOU WERE JUST OUTSIDE! Damn you, you disgusting beast from hell!"

"What, dear?"

"I SAID I'LL GET SOMETHING TO GET RID OF THE SMELL! Chakotay, go sit with Nana and keep her company, that demon spawn of hers just crapped on the good oriental rug, I'll go get something to clean it up and be right back. Remember to speak up, she's practically deaf but won't do anything about it because she doesn't think she has a problem."

"HELLO, NANA! WOULD YOU LIKE A …. MUFFIN?" Chakotay shouted as he offered her the plate and smiled.

"Thank you, Ray. Oh, my, ugh, Kathryn made these didn't she?" asked Nana as she invaded Chakotay's personal space in order to get a good look at him.

"YES, MA'AM. THEY'RE A LITTLE DRY AND CHEWY, BUT THEY'RE NOT TOO BAD REALLY. HERE, TAKE A SIP OF COFFEE, IT HELPS TO GET THEM DOWN."

"Thank you. Are you sure you know what you're getting yourself into marrying my granddaughter? You seem like a nice young man, as long as you don't touch her! What part of India are you from?"

"I'M NOT FROM INDIA, MA'AM. I LOVE YOUR GRANDDAUGHTER, I PROMISE YOU I WILL TAKE GOOD CARE OF HER."

"If she doesn't poison you before the wedding! See, Fekhlar won't even eat this! Kathryn, come in and sit by me. When Gretchen told me you got engaged to Herman I made all these plans for the wedding for you; let me show you dear. You won't have to do a thing, I'll take care of everything for you!" Nana proudly said as she pinched Kathryn's cheek and took a notebook from her bag.

"THANK YOU SO MUCH, BUT WE HAVEN'T EVEN SET A DATE YET LET ALONE THOUGHT ABOUT ANY PLANS. OH, NANA, THIS IS SWEET, BUT I REALLY DON'T THINK A MARCHING BAGPIPE BAND AND AN ICE SCUPLTURE SHAPED LIKE VOYAGER ARE WHAT WE HAD IN MIND AND I DEFINITLELY DON'T WANT EARL TO SING OR FEKHLAR TO BE THE RING BEARER!" Kathryn smiled at Nana and flashed Chakotay a look of horror.

That wasn't all Nana had in mind. She had planned the tackiest wedding in history right down to the glittery pink Scarlett O'Hara bridesmaid dresses with matching parasols and the singing Bolian waiters at the reception. Kathryn giggled and rolled her eyes as she tried to picture B'Elanna in one of those lovely bridesmaid dresses. Chakotay must have had the same vision as he was trying very hard to stifle a laugh, or was it nausea, and not insult his future grandmother-in-law.

"Oh, I knew you would like them! Here, Kathryn, I spent days working on this and I have designed the perfect wedding gown for you! What do you think?" Nana reached into her giant purse to pull out a sketchpad with the pièce de resistance. All those years of Starfleet training and exploring the unknown did not prepare Kathryn for what Nana showed her and she had to struggle hard to keep the contents of her stomach down as she saw her worst nightmare come to life in living color. "I knew you'd love it!" Nana exclaimed as she hugged Kathryn. "You're too choked up to speak, aren't you?"

"YES, NANA, SPEECHLESS IS RIGHT. I CAN SEE YOU WORKED HARD ON THIS, BUT DON'T YOU THINK I AM A LITTLE TOO SHORT TO LOOK GOOD IN A HOOP SKIRT WITH A BUSTLE AND ALL THOSE RUFFLES AND POUFY THINGS? I DON'T KNOW ABOUT ALL THESE BIG BOWS, BEADS, POM POMS AND STREAMERS EITHER. I HAD SOMETHING A LITTLE MORE UM …… SIMPLE IN MIND AND I DON'T THINK I'D BE COMFORTABLE SHOWING SO MUCH CLEAVAGE. WHAT ARE THESE THINGS COMING OFF THE SHOULDERS?"

"Feathers, dear, they'll make you look like an angel! Look at how the feathers and the netting coming out of the tiara look like a halo, a perfect heavenly waterfall. We can put little lights in it for a sparkly effect, just like the bridesmaid dresses ….. or maybe I could find a way to use real water? Don't worry about the cleavage, dearie, we'll stick some socks in your corset and make some; we had to do that with Aunt Eleanor's daughter you know. What do you think, Herman?"

Tears were streaming down Chakotay's face, but he composed himself and un-bit his tongue long enough to speak. "WHATEVER KATHRYN WANTS IS FINE WITH ME, NANA. Kathryn, if you show up in that whipped cream gone bad monstrosity, I swear I'll leave you at the altar. Heck, even Neelix would leave you at the altar in that thing!"

-----------------------------

Nana insisted on staying , Fekhlar insisted on using the oriental rug for a toilet and poor Kathryn and Chakotay were at their wits' ends by the morning of the fifth day.

"Oh, Chakotay, I don't think I can take any more of this! She snores and so does Fekhlar and I've hardly slept for four nights now and I miss you so much. She's such a vigilant prude, I think you touched me more often on Voyager's bridge than you have here in our own home since she arrived. I know she's my grandma and I love her, but we have got to find a way to get her out of here!"

"You'll get no argument from me, she still hasn't gotten my name right once, she hits me with her cane every time I try to touch you and that damn dog has just about chewed off all the skin on my ankles and I'm sure we'll have to throw out that rug now. I think the only good thing is that hound from hell found all the dead crawdads and ate them."

"Yeah, and it was a real treat when he threw them up in the dining room during dinner night before last. What are we going to do? I'd call Cousin Earl because I know he's lonely and he'd love her to visit, but I'm afraid he might come to pick her up and decide to stay." Kathryn shook her head and buried her face in her palms.

"No, no way! What about your mother, Kathryn, do you think she would have pity on us and take her?"

"Well, Phoebe has gone back home so she is all alone now. I suppose I could ask her, but she and Nana have never gotten along too well; Nana always criticized every little thing Mom did. She'll be up soon, why don't you start making breakfast and I'll go call Mom and beg for mercy?"

"OK, just show her the sketch of that atrocious wedding dress, that ought to elicit enough sympathy for her to rescue us." said Chakotay as he gave Kathryn one of the few hugs he'd been able to since Nana's arrival.

Kathryn came running into the kitchen. "Good news, Mom said she'd be here by lunch and she's going to take Nana to Earl's for a visit and then she's going to have her neighbor Mr. Patel call and say there's an emergency on the farm so she'll have to rush right back. Nana loves Earl and he's usually so drunk he doesn't even notice she's there and she can cook and clean for him; they'll both be happy!"

"Come here, Kathryn, and let me kiss you before she comes in and smacks me for it!"

True to her word, Gretchen arrived, got Nana and Fekhlar packed up and headed off to Cousin Earl's. Kathryn and Chakotay hauled out all the rugs the dog had ruined and flopped down on the sofa, totally exhausted, and fell asleep together.

They awoke feeling refreshed and decided to walk down to the bay together and have dinner in one of the waterfront cafes and watch the sun set. It was their first chance for an intimate romantic dinner in well over a week and they took full advantage of the opportunity, hanging on each other like a pair of love struck teenagers. When they returned home they found a large package sitting on the doorstep. Kathryn picked it up.

"What's this? It's addressed to me, but there's no return address."

"Well, unless you open it, Kathryn, we'll never know!" They took the package into the living room and sat down on the sofa and opened it. Kathryn removed the note on top and read:

"Dear Kathryn,

We were so glad to receive your message and we wanted to write to say thank you and congratulations on being cleared and on your engagement. You didn't tell us his name, but we know it's Chakotay because you talk in your sleep! Sorry, we couldn't help overhearing you, but we know you obviously loved him and missed him very much while you were here and we're so happy for you and hope you send us pictures from your wedding.

Things here are much better now, thanks to you. They replaced the commandant, the doctor and almost all the guards and we are treated pretty fairly and we can now have visitors. We know you probably don't ever want to come back here, but we would love to see you again some day. We have arts and crafts supplies now, so we made you this, it's not much, but we hope you like it. Thank you again for all you did for us and we wish you all the best.

Sincerely,

Andrea and Mell

PS You left something behind, so we enclosed that too.

Oh, I can't believe this! It's wrapped, my hands are shaking! Chakotay, you open it."

Chakotay tore off the paper to reveal a lovely hand lettered plaque in a wooden frame that read HOME SWEET HOME. Kathryn cried as she held it to her chest and then got up and placed it on the mantle above the fire place.

"It looks wonderful Kathryn, we'll always keep it there. What else is in the box?" Kathryn looked and closed the box back up quickly and giggled as she ran off down the hall towards the bedroom. Chakotay waited a few minutes, but when she didn't return, he went after her. The bedroom door was closed, so he knocked.

"Come in." Kathryn purred.

"Oh no!" Chakotay gasped as he halted in the doorway.

"Oh yes!" she replied as she walked up to him. "So, do you want to open your gift now?" Chakotay smiled and the fuzzy pink bathrobe slid off her bare shoulders and fell to the floor as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. "I'll take that as a yes!"

THE END