Disclaimer: I don't own Voyager or the characters. They belong to Paramount, but I can dream, right?
QUITE A RIDE
She took one last look at the ship that had been hers for the last seven years. They had got through so much on this ship. "Thank you, Voyager."
"This vessel has done nothing, Captain."
"Tuvok! I thought that everyone else had left the ship."
"You may require security protection from the crowd."
She laughed. He was so bad at disguising his loyalty! She let the subject drop, since she didn't want to embarrass him. "I think you're wrong, Tuvok. About Voyager. It's hard to describe, but wait until you make captain. You'll feel it too."
"I find that difficult to believe."
She looked around, knowing they were waiting for her out there, but not ready to leave yet. They had survived so much on this ship. Every time they had been pushed down, they bounced back up, higher than before. She knew that the ship was more than it appeared to be.
"We've waited for so long for this moment. And yet, now that it's here, I find myself wanting just a few more minutes with them." She gestured towards the exit. "To make one more memory."
Tuvok was silent. She didn't think he'd have anything to add.
"We've shared so much, this crew, this ship. We've made it through good times and bad times." She paused for a moment, then continued. "'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.' Dickens. Somehow that seems appropriate."
Smoothing her hand over a bulkhead, she smiled. "It's been quite a ride, hasn't it?"
"Indeed."
And they walked out.