Family Affairs
by R. F. Sexton
Captain Janeway sat across the desk from Admiral Owen
Paris. They were discussing Voyager's upcoming mission.
"These Vaadwaur are peaceful, Kathyrn," Owen explained.
"They branched off from the others many years ago. The
Vaadwaur want to become a part of the Federation. They
have been observing us for years. Those Subspace
Corridors that they developed can be a great benefit to the
Federation. It is technology unlike anything we have ever
seen."
Janeway finished sipping her coffee and put the cup down
before she replied. "I just find it hard to trust these aliens
after our experience with their counterparts in the Delta
Quadrant, Admiral. They were deadly."
"I've reviewed your logs, Kathyrn," answered Admiral Paris.
"These Vaadwaur took a different path than the ones in the
Delta Quadrant. They will make good allies if the Delta
Quadrant Vaadwaur ever invade the Alpha Quadrant."
"If the Vaadwaur from the Delta Quadrant come here, we'll
need all the help we can get," answered Janeway.
"You'll be taking some ambassadors and Admiral Nechayev
along on this mission," began Paris.
Captain Janeway groaned. "Admiral Nechayev...what did I
do to deserve having her on this mission?"
Owen sighed in sympathy. Pushing away from the
desk he walked over to the window in his office and gazed outside. "She insists on going. I bet what she really wants is to observe Voyager's crew in action. Try not to let her get on your nerves. The "PitBull" is a Fleet Admiral, so she
generally gets what she wants. Everyone at Starfleet
Command is delighted that she is going to be gone for such
a long mission."
"Who will the other ambassadors be?" she asked, joining
him at the window. Looking down on the Starfleet grounds
had always impressed her, but never more so than now.
"From the Klingon Empire, you'll be taking Ambassador
Bartag, son of Dakra. You will also have Ambassador Reis
from Tellar."
Captain Janeway frowned, "They are both pompous pains in
the butt."
Admiral Paris chuckled, "Which is undoubtedly why their
governments are so eager to get rid of them." He turned
away from the view and grinned wickedly at her, "Just like
those of us in Starfleet are eager to be rid of the "Pit Bull"
for a while."
"Commander Tuvok's wife, T'Pel will also be accompanying
him on this mission as his condition may still require close
monitoring and additional treatments. Normally he would
have been left back on Vulcan, but Starfleet wants him on
Voyager for this mission. The Vulcan healers assure us he
will be in no danger as long as a family member is with him.
Since T'Pel is a Xeno-Psychologist, she might also prove
invaluable on this mission. She will be going as a civilian
of course."
"T'Pel is a wonderful woman. It will be an honor to have
her on this mission," replied Janeway softly. She
remembered an evening years ago when Tuvok had invited
her to his home. She had dined and shared tea with his
family. T'Pel had been a gracious hostess. She was also a
very calming person. Janeway had liked her almost
immediately.
She looked at Owen Paris solemnly. "I just hope these
Vaadwaur are as peaceful as everyone seems to think."
*************************************************
With a groan, B'Elanna pulled off her high heeled pump and
rubbed her foot. She had Tom had accompanied his parents
to yet another "black tie" affair. These celebrations seemed
so cold and stuffy compared to the parties and celebrations
that had been held on Voyager.
Tom came out of the bathroom in his shorts and a tee-shirt.
He saw his wife rubbing her feet and came over to the bed.
"Here, let me do that for you," he whispered. He kneeled
beside her and took her feet into his lap and began rubbing
them with practiced ease.
"If we keep attending functions like this one with your
parents, they are going to be the death of me," moaned
B'Elanna. "Or at least the death of my feet."
"I had to attend them all the time when I was growing up. I
can't remember a time I did not own a tux while I was living
at home," said Tom as he continued to work on B'Elanna's
feet.
"I prefer the quiet evenings we spend at home with your
parents," said B'Elanna. "That 'black tie' affair was dull and
cold compared to the celebrations we had on Voyager. I
miss Voyager's family atmosphere during our celebrations."
"I know what you mean. The formality of functions like
this one have always driven me nuts. You may not have
noticed, but Dad gets fidgety at them too, but he knows they
go with the territory," said Tom.
"I'm glad the two of you are getting along so well," B'Elanna
said with a smile. She pulled her feet from Tom's hands.
"Let me take a shower. Miral will have us up at 0200 for
her feeding, and I want some sleep before then."
Tom grinned as she walked into the bathroom. So far, the
Doctor had been unsuccessful in finding a way to transport
the breast milk from her body for the baby. He had gotten
into the habit of waking up for the 0200 feeding. He
changed Miral's diaper and brought her to B'Elanna. When
she finished nursing, he took her back to bed. He was
beginning to have his doubts that the doctor would be
successful in transporting the milk. To him it had seemed a
dubious idea, but Doc loved challenges. He was at a loss for
how to solve the problem. He really wanted to be able to
feed his daughter, but he also wanted what was best for Miral
and B'Elanna. The only way he could feed her was with a
bottle. Miral was thriving on breast milk, so B'Elanna was
determined to keep nursing.
B'Elanna walked back into the bedroom, and flopped down
on the bed. "As soon as the Doctor releases me to go back
on duty, I am going to be explaining all the modifications on
Voyager to Starfleet engineers. They're really curious about
all the changes and improvements that were made while we
were in the Delta Quadrant."
"We did a lot of things that had never been done before,"
answered Tom as he joined his wife on their bed. "A lot of
them were thanks to you."
"And Seven," B'Elanna reminded him.
"And Harry, and the Captain, and thanks to a lot of other
people on that ship, but you played a very major role," Tom
reminded her.
B'Elanna nodded.
Crawling into bed, Tom and spooned up next to his wife and
they drifted off to sleep.
**************************************************
Seven watched as Chakotay shimmered out of sight. He
was off to Arizona to visit his family. They had both been
rather uneasy the past few days. Both of them had decided
it might be best to visit their families alone-deciding that
maybe some time apart would be good for their relationship.
Seven didn't see how it would help, but she was willing to
do what Chakotay had asked. Their relationship had
become quite strained of late.
She slowly went to the location where she would board the
shuttle that would take her to Minnesota to visit her Aunt
Irene. She had not seen her aunt since her initial visit during after Voyager's arrival and the subsequent celebration. She was uneasy about going to her aunt's home. This visit would bring her closer to her humanity than any of her previous experiences, her relationship with Chakotay included.
Aunt Irene was the only person who used the ex-Borg's
human name. It felt strange to Seven to be called Annika.
She had very dim memories of her aunt from her all too
brief childhood. While she waited for her transport, she
used the time to think, and she recalled eating strawberries
at her aunt's house. She had remembered her aunt and uncle as happy laughing people who had loved her. During her initial visit with her aunt after Voyager's landing, she
learned her uncle had been killed in the Dominion War. In
spite of the Doctor reconfiguring the micro circuitry of her
Borg implant that inhibited her emotional response, she
could feel no grief over her uncle's death. Perhaps, it was
not as humans said, that absence made one's heart grow
fonder. If this were true what did it mean for her
floundering relationship with Chakotay? In the days since
their return to Earth, they had become distant.
When she had finally arrived in Minnesota, her Aunt Irene
was at the transport site to meet her. Seven approached her aunt hesitantly. She stiffened for a few moments as Irene Hansen embraced her, then awkwardly put her arms around her the older woman. Irene held her close for a few minutes then released her.
"Well, let me look at you," said Irene in a quivery voice full
of emotion.
Seven stood still, uncomfortable with her aunt's scrutiny.
She had been stared at often since returning to Earth.
Despite Admiral Paris' declaration that she should be treated
as any other member of the Voyager crew she was not accepted by everyone. The few morbidly curious or intensely hostile people she had encountered since returning to Earth had shaken her after the acceptance she had come to know on Voyager.
Irene Hansen smiled and took both of Seven's hands in her
own. "You look so much like Magnus."
"I have little memory of my father or mother," explained
Seven softly.
"I know," replied her aunt a little sadly, but with a smile on
her face. "Let's get home. The house has been so lonely
since your uncle passed on. It'll be good to have family
around me again."
Seven nodded her assent, and followed her aunt. A new
dimension in embracing humanity was about to begin for
her.
**************************************************
Chakotay's sister, Wenona hugged him warmly. "It is good
to see you, Chakotay. I was so happy when we got word
that Voyager had made it home."
"It's good to be home," he answered. A broad grin spread
across his tanned face. "How are my nieces and nephew?"
"Excited...eager to see their long lost uncle. They also
want to 'show you off' to their friends. I told them that
family time came first," said Wenona.
He smiled down at her. She looked a little older than the
last time he had seen her. She had a few more laugh lines
around her lips and a line or two across her forehead that he
didn't recall seeing before. "I can't wait to see them. I bet
they've grown a lot, it's been seven long years since I've been gone."
"And longer than that since you last saw them," she
answered.
"I know," he replied with a nod. "I'm ready to go if you are."
She smiled at him and led the way to her waiting air car.
**************************************************
Janeway poured over the information on her PADD. This
mission was riskier than Starfleet thought. She snorted at
the idea that these peaceful Vaadwaur could be trusted.
However, the mission was one of the things that would keep
her crew together and had caused all of the charges to be
dropped. After their experiences with the Vaadwaur, it was
hard to give them the benefit of the doubt. She picked up
her cup and took another swallow of coffee enjoying the
taste of a fresh Columbia blend instead of a replicated
variety. It had surprised her that her future self had given up coffee for tea. Not bloody likely she thought grimly.
Coffee had seen her through seven long years in the Delta
Quadrant. She was not about to give it up now. Before
long, she would journey with her sister to visit her mother.
Hopefully the Doctor, with his vast database and experience
could come up with a cure for the debilitating illness her
mother had contracted.
Right now, her crew was scattering to spend time with their
families. She was surprised that Seven and Chakotay were
not visiting their families together. Things did not seem as
cozy between the two as they had been since the celebration
welcoming them all home. She attributed it to Seven's stress of adjusting to so many diverse humans. Sadly not all of Earth had welcomed and accepted Seven. It angered her that prejudice still ruled some people's minds.
She was not happy that her crew would be called into duty
so soon after finally making it home. Their leaves would be
cut short. B'Elanna's would be even shorter. Starfleet was
very interested in all the modifications she had made on
Voyager. They wanted her to explain her modifications and
later on to be on hand for the refit at Utopia Planitia. There
seemed to be only a short rest for her weary crew before
they would all be called to duty again. It was not fair, but
then life was seldom fair.
A soft smile brightened her face when she thought of the
promotions that would be handed out shortly. She looked
forward to seeing the expressions on the faces of the crew
that had worked so hard without any formal recognition.
Tom and B'Elanna were going to be made full Lieutenants,
and Harry would be presented with his long desired second
pip making him a Lieutenants j.g. Seven would be offered a
commission at the rank of lieutenant jg. If she accepted the
commission, she would be required to take Academy tests as a formality. The toughest test she would have to take was the Kobayashi Maru. It would be interesting to see how
Seven and her Borg efficiency would react to a "no win"
situation, Janeway mused.
Janeway hoped Seven's visit with her aunt was going well.
She knew that Seven was having a really difficult time
adjusting to all the sudden changes in her life. Of all of her
crew, the return had been hardest on Seven. For the rest of
the crew, it was only a seven-year absence from Earth. For
Seven, it had been a lot longer. She had no one on Earth she truly remembered, only an elderly widowed aunt. Upon
Voyager's return, Seven visited with her briefly, but actually
spending time with the woman in her home might be
difficult for the young woman.
**************************************************
Tom Paris walked into his father's study. After dinner,
Owen had asked him if they could have a private talk.
They had been staying with his parents for about a month
now. He and his dad were getting along fine at least on the
surface, but neither had broached any painful topics. It
seemed, according to the elder Paris, the time had arrived
for a heart-to-heart talk. As Tom sat uneasily in a chair near his father and looked at him expectantly, he knew that this was going to be difficult, but it would not be nearly as hard as B'Elanna's discussion with John Torres would be.
With trembling fingers he hoped would go unnoticed by his
son, Owen picked up a picture of Tom, B'Elanna, and the
baby. "You certainly have a beautiful family," he said
softly.
Tom smiled, "I think I'm the luckiest man in the world to
have them."
"Well," began Owen. "They're lucky to have you too."
"The day B'Elanna married me was the happiest day of my
life. Miral's birth is the only thing that comes close.
"I remember the day you were born, Tom..." Owen's eyes got distant and dreamy recalling that memorable day. "You let out a hearty wail when the doctor slapped your behind. I was so thrilled to have a son. With all three of you, your mom was a traditionalist, not wanting to know the gender of her children before they were born."
"B'Elanna wanted to be surprised, but the Doctor
accidentally let it slip. He was embarrassed and tried to
cover, but it was obvious from his faux paux that B'Elanna
was carrying a girl," said Tom.
Owen stared at his desk silently, wondering if he had the
courage to mend fences with son. They were getting along
so well, dare he broach the subject?
"Becoming a parent was scarier than anything I faced in the
Delta Quadrant, the Borg included," said Tom. "I love my
daughter so much. I am trying my best to be a good parent."
"Son," began the older man. "I know we haven't always
gotten along, but I never stopped loving you." His eyes
misted up with unshed tears.
"I know, Dad," Tom answered awkwardly. He had never
seen his dad tear up before. His father had always
considered tears to be a weakness.
"Surprised to see your dad crying?" he asked as he wiped the wetness from his eyes. "I think we've both changed in the seven years you've been gone."
Tom reached over and took his father's hands. "I found
myself wanting to be able to tell you whenever I had
accomplished something on Voyager. I wanted you to
know. I desperately wanted you to be proud of me. When
you told us via Pathfinder that you missed me and were
proud of me..." Tom paused and swallowed down a
lump in his throat, "...it meant so much to me." replied
Tom.
His dad smiled at him. "I was overjoyed just to know you
were okay. After you went missing, I did a lot of thinking. I
know I was hard on you in a lot of ways, but it was because
I wanted you to live up to your potential. I set high
expectations, and you met them most of the time. I only
wish I had let you know how pleased I was."
"I think I am beginning to understand you more, now that
I'm a parent too. Every time I look at Miral, I think of all
the great things she might be able to do," answered Tom.
"There are some things I did that cannot be excused
though," said Owen Paris. "When you came forward and
admitted you lied about the accident, instead of being there
for you, I let my anger rule me. I turned you away when you really needed me. I said terrible things to you; things I
should have never said, things that I will always regret
saying. Then when you were caught flying for the Maquis,
instead of learning from my mistakes, I repeated them and
made an even bigger mess of our relationship. I'm so sorry,
Tom."
He looked at Tom, whose own eyes were now filling with
tears.
"You know, Dad, in spite of all of that, I never stopped
loving you either. I was angry of course, but I never stopped loving you. I just didn't know how to fix things," said Tom.
"Neither did I, and my damnable pride certainly didn't help
matters either," answered his father.
"I think we both let pride get in our way. We're more alike
than either of us will admit," said Tom. "Let's leave the past
in the past. What matters now is that we both know we've
made mistakes, and we have learned from them."
Tom's dad stood and he followed suit. They hugged each
other tightly. After a few moments they pulled apart.
"Let's go see what our wives and my granddaughter are up
to, shall we?" asked Owen.
"Sounds like a good idea," replied Tom.
In the family room, B'Elanna sat discreetly nursing Miral as
she visited with Addie. The baby was a month old, and
B'Elanna had given up on the Doctor finding a way to
transport her breast milk. She planned on breast feeding
Miral till she was at least six months old. The Doctor had
suggested she start her on cereal at two months as a
supplement to the breast milk. Her Abuela had mentioned
she would be bringing something to help her feed Miral
more effectively. B'Elanna wondered what it would be. She
and her father would be coming tomorrow for a visit.
B'Elanna had so many questions for her father. She did not
know where to begin. She looked up as Tom and Owen
entered the room.
Tom came and sat down beside her, while Owen sat in his
huge oak rocking chair next to his wife's smaller one. They
both looked a little red eyed, but otherwise fine. Tom slid
his arm around her and a nodded to assure her he was fine.
"I'm sorry we won't be able to be here for your father and
grandmother's visit, B'Elanna," began Owen. "But Addie
and I have to be at a dinner at the Vulcan Embassy."
"That's okay, Dad," she answered. Secretly, she was happy
to have an excuse to miss that function. Based on what Tom told her, Owen probably wished he had an equally valid
excuse to miss it. Vulcan dinner parties were not known as being very enjoyable.
Miral finished nursing, and B'Elanna sealed her shirt and
lifted the infant to her shoulder to burp her. She let out a
hearty burp that made all of them laugh.
"She's definitely a Klingon baby," B'Elanna said with a grin.
Owen rose and held out his arms. "May I," he asked as he
always did.
B'Elanna nodded and handed the sleepy baby to him. Owen
had fallen in love with his granddaughter from the first day
he had held her in sickbay. He could not get enough of
rocking her and holding her.
Owen looked down at Miral. He knew that his days of
holding her were numbered. In a month, Tom, B'Elanna and
Miral would be headed to Utopia Planitia so B'Elanna could
oversee the refit of Voyager. Then, Miral would be going
on the mission with her parents. He had pulled every string
and called in every favor he could to make sure Miral and
her parents would not be separated from each other. He
would miss them all so much. Now was the time to build as
many memories as possible. There was so little time.
**************************************************
Later that evening, after having retired to their suite of
rooms, Tom and B'Elanna had time to talk privately.
"How did the heart-to-heart chat with you dad go?" she
asked gently.
"There was a lot of emotion flying, but it wasn't as bad as I
thought it was going to be," said Tom. "We both know we
screwed up in a lot of ways. Neither of us ever stopped
loving the other. Both of us are stubborn, and we both let
our pride get in the way of common sense." He bent down
and kissed her tenderly. "I'm glad you decided to stay here
for a while."
"I'm glad you and your dad are getting along, Tom. I hope
my dad and I..." her voice trailed off, and Tom pulled
her into his arms.
"Both of you need to do what Dad and I did. Sitting down
and talking it out helps," said Tom.
"I know, but I'm scared...I don't know what he'll say or what I'll say," she answered.
"You'll never know till you talk to him, B'Elanna," Tom
replied. He knew B'Elanna feared her Klingon side could
jeopardize any attempt at reconciliation.
"I'll speak with him tomorrow. You faced your problems
with your dad, now it's time for me to do the same thing."
B'Elanna rose to her feet stretching and yawing. "Let's go to
bed. Miral will have us up for a feeding around 0230.
Abuela says she is bringing something to help out with the
feedings. I can't wait to see what it is. You may be doing
the early morning feeding before long." Her eyes twinkled
mischievously.
"I won't mind. I have been waiting to give her a bottle. I
love the fact that you're breast feeding her, but I had hoped
the Doctor would have come up with a way to use the
transporter to extract the breast milk," answered Tom.
**************************************************
Seven stared at the picture of her Uncle Sean. It was
surrounded with dried flowers and two candles burned
before it. They had lost crew members on Voyager, but no
one to Seven's knowledge had memorialized them in this
manner, at least not on the ship. She wondered what the
meaning of all of these trappings were.
Irene Hansen came to stand beside her. She gently and
loving touched the dried flowers, then the picture. "It's been more than a year now, and I still miss him. There are
moments during the day when I'll hear the wind whistle or
the cat make a noise, and I'll look up expecting to see him
with me again."
Seven watched Irene wipe tears from her eyes. Unsure of
what to do, she put a hand on her aunt's shoulder. Irene
reached up and covered it with her own. They stood staring
at the picture in silence for a few minutes.
"Well," Irene began, patting Seven's hand. "Enough of this
sadness, did you get settled in your room?"
"Yes," answered Seven.
"Good, now let's have some supper. I fixed all your
favorites...at least they used to be your favorites when you were a little girl," said Irene nervously.
"Perhaps they are still favorites. I only began experimenting
with eating food A few years ago. It will be interesting to
see how 'old favorites' appeal to me today," answered Seven.
They both walked to the kitchen. Irene quickly sat the table
and brought dishes from the warmer. Seven watched her in
silence. So far her visit was going much as she had
expected. Both she and her aunt seemed nervous around
each other. Seven hoped things would improve during her
stay.
"You loved spaghetti and meatballs when you were a little
girl. I remember you would make such a mess with them,"
said Irene.
"I shall endeavor not to make a mess of myself tonight,"
answered Seven in a mortified tone.
"There's no need to be embarrassed, Annika. You were only
six at the time. You loved it, but you had hard time
pronouncing it. You called it pah sghetti." The elderly
woman's face glowed with memories of a happier time.
Seven ponder this for a few moments. "Can you tell me
more about my childhood? My memories of it are very
faint. I would really like to know more."
"I would love to, Annika. I have lots of picture albums and
home vids I can show you too. When you and your parents
left on their mission, they left all of those things with me for
safe keeping. They are the only things I had left to
remember you by when you all disappeared," answered
Irene.
"I shall look forward to seeing them, Aunt Irene," answered
Seven winding her spaghetti around her fork as she observed her aunt doing.
She cautiously put the saucy pasta in her mouth. It was
surprising good. She chewed and swallowed the bite.
"This is quite good, thank you for preparing it for me," said
Seven sincerely.
"I'm glad you still like it. I was not certain what to make for
you. Try the cheesy garlic bread, you really liked that too.
It surprised everyone that you liked something that spicy,"
urged Irene.
Seven cautiously bit into the slice of bread. She found it to
her liking as well. Smiling at her aunt, she put it back on
the plate. "It would seem that you know me very well.
Perhaps better than I know myself."
Irene smiled back. "It's good to have you home, Annika."
Seven busied herself with her food, uncertain what to say.
She was not accustomed to dealing with anyone other than
the Voyager crew.
Irene sensed her discomfort and was dismayed that she had
made her niece feel that way. She was not sure how to fix
this situation. If only Sean was here. He was using to
dealing with aliens. Not that Seven was an alien, but her
life with the Borg had undeniably changed her.
"When you finish your dinner, there are strawberry tarts for
dessert."
Seven gave her aunt a grateful glance. "I shall look forward
to tasting them as well." It was good to know that some
things never changed, thought Seven.
**************************************************
Chakotay sat in his sister's living room visiting with her
family. He could not believe how much the kids had grown.
The twins, Amy and Rachel were twelve now. David was
ten. They were all clustered around him asking him
questions about life on Voyager. They had already
extracted promises from him to visit their classes at school.
His sister and brother-in-law, Rick seemed to enjoy
watching their children get reacquainted with their uncle.
The household com system chirped announcing an incoming
message. Kevin went to answer it. He came back with a
solemn look on his face.
"It's for you, Chakotay. It's Captain Janeway," said Kevin.
"Awwwwwwww," chorused the kids, disappointed that their
uncle's attention had been diverted from his audience.
"I hope they aren't cutting your leave short, Uncle
Chakotay," said Amy.
"I'm sure that Captain Janeway only needs to touch base
with me on the status of the crew," he said carefully trying
to reassure them.
He walked into the study and took the call. Captain
Janeway's face filled the screen.
"Hello, Chakotay," she said. "I have news for you, I hope
you won't be upset. Our leave time has been shortened."
"Why is that?" asked Chakotay.
"I was hoping we would all be able to stay on Earth longer,
but that isn't the case. In three more months, we are going
to be undertaking a mission that Starfleet feels we are the
only ones qualified to handle," her voice sounded weary.
He frowned, "What makes us more qualified than anyone
else?"
"The Federation has encountered the group that split off
from the Vaadwaur we met in the Delta Quadrant. They
say these Vaadwaur are peaceful." At the incredulous
expression on his face, she nodded. "I feel the same way
you do. I don't think they are to be trusted, but since we
have had prior contact with their race, we are stuck with the
mission," said Janeway. "They also think with Voyager's
added technology it'll be the safest ship for the mission."
"When do I have to report back?" he asked resignedly.
"You don't mind being sent out so soon?"
"Kathyrn, my place has been at your side for the past seven
years. I can't think of any other assignment I would rather
draw," replied Chakotay.
"We won't be leaving until Voyager's refit is finished. You'll
be getting mission information from me as I get it. For now,
concentrate on enjoying the visit with sister and her family."
"Have you seen your mother yet?" he asked.
"Not yet, and I'm taking the Doctor with me when I go to see her. Hopefully, he will be able to find a treatment to cure her," replied Janeway.
"All my hopes are with you, Kathyrn. Be sure to take time
from yourself. I know Starfleet is still running you ragged,"
said Chakotay.
"Thanks, Chakotay, I'll keep you informed, bye."
"Good-bye, Kathyrn," he responded.
The com channel went dead, and he returned to the living
room. Everyone looked at him expectantly.
"I'm not a liberty to share details, but I still have some time
before I have to report back," he told them.
"Hurray!" shouted the children. They charged over to
where he stood and flung their arms around him.
"Group hug!" shouted David.
They all broke into gales of laughter. Chakotay laughed the
loudest. It was good to be home, if only for a little while.
**************************************************
B'Elanna followed three Starfleet engineers into a turbolift.
They were going to have her explain all the modifications
that had been made on Voyager over the years. She was a
little nervous. While she recovered from the birth of her
child, they had taken the opportunity to examine Voyager
from stem to stern. From what she had heard they were
impressed-very impressed, but one could never be certain
of second-hand information.
Her confidence grew as she easily answered their inquiries.
Considering all she had been through, Voyager was in great
shape. The engineers kept making notes on their
PADDs as they asked questions and scanned with their
tricorders. She hoped it would not take much longer, her
father and abuela were coming this afternoon, and she
wanted time to prepare for their visit.
They snapped their tricorders shut. The Commodore smiled
at her.
"Well, Lt. Torres, this ship is in fine shape. The
modifications you have made over the years are incredible.
A lot of them will be a vast improvement on our current
technology."
B'Elanna smiled proudly, "Thank you, sir."
"We'll be in touch with you soon on the refit. Personally, I
don't want anyone to do anything without your supervision.
The refit is scheduled to be performed at Utopia Planitia. A
skeleton crew will fly the ship there. We'll arrange to have
suitable quarters prepared for you and your family at the
station. "
B'Elanna nodded as they all walked out of Engineering. She
was pleased she would be in charge of the refit, even if it
meant spending less time with Miral than she had been
doing.
**************************************************
Seven stood at the back door with a basket in her hands.
She was going to pick some fresh strawberries.
"Now, Annika," her aunt began. "Be careful of the poison
ivy near the plants. You were really allergic to it when you
were a child. I remember once when you went out to pick
strawberries, you were covered with it. You may not
remember it, but you were miserable."
"My Borg nanoprobes will protect me now," said Seven
confidently.
"Are you sure?" asked her aunt.
"They are highly efficient at protecting me from any number
of things," answered Seven as she walked out the door and
down the steps.
From a window, Irene Hansen watched her niece walk to the
strawberry patch and begin picking strawberries. She
hoped her niece was right. Poison ivy was a miserable
affliction.
Later that evening, after her berry picking expedition,
Seven began feeling an uncomfortable itching sensation.
She pulled back her sleeve and discovered a blotchy red rash on her arm. A memory from her childhood sprang
forth...a young Annika Hansen covered with poison
ivy... She was stunned how could her Borg nanoprobes
have allowed this to happen?
Irene noticed Seven staring incredulously at her arm and
came over to her. "Oh dear, Annika, I was afraid of this. I
think we need to contact a doctor."
"I would prefer to contact the EMH from voyager. He is
currently stationed at Starfleet Command," said Seven.
"That would be even better, he knows more about your
current medical history," answered Aunt Irene.
Together they went to the study to place the call.
"Well hello Seven," said the Doctor. "What can I do for you
today?"
"Hello, Doctor, it would seem I have been affected by
poison ivy. I assumed my Borg nanoprobes would protect
me. Clearly they did not," replied Seven in an embarrassed
tone.
"Seven, I have told you many times, you can't rely as much
on your Borg components. How bad is the rash?" asked the
Doctor.
"My arms, legs, and upper torso are covered with itchy red
blotches. It is quite irritating," she reported. She held up
her arm to the viewer so the EMH could observe.
"Well, Seven, I will arrange for some prescriptions for you
to treat the symptoms and ease your discomfort. I will have
it delivered to your aunt's house. If they don't help, contact
me again," said the Doctor. "If there is nothing else, I'm
scheduled to attend a concert this evening. They're even
asked me to sing." He looked very pleased with himself.
All ready in a short period of time, he was the toast of not
only the Federation medical staff, but of the San Francisco's
cultural community as well.
"Goodbye, Doctor," said Seven softly. "I hope you have a
good experience tonight."
With a nod of his balding head, Voyager's EMH terminated
the conversation.
It did not take long for the medications to be delivered.
Seven used them according the directions, and soon felt
much better.
Sitting in the living room with her aunt later that evening,
Seven and her aunt sat looking at an old album of family
pictures.
"You had just turned five," said her aunt, pointing to a
picture of a blonde haired little girl in front of a big birthday
cake. You got your first bicycle that day. It took you a
while but you finally learned to ride it."
Seven turned the page, and saw a picture of herself with a
younger looking version of her uncle, recognizing him from
the picture her aunt had made a shrine with. She was sitting in his lap while he read to her.
"You loved being read to, and Sean was always delighted to
take you in his lap and read to you for hours at a time," said
her aunt.
Seven wondered if now was the time to broach the subject.
"What happened to my uncle," she asked quietly.
"He was in San Francisco when the Dominion attacked,"
Aunt Irene answered, her voice tight with emotion. "It's
been several years, but I still miss him so much..." Tears
flooded her eyes and she began to cry.
Seven immediately regretted asking her aunt. She had not
meant to upset her. Awkwardly, she took her aunt into her
arms. "I'm sorry, Aunt Irene, I did not mean to upset you."
Irene pulled away after a few moments. "It's all right,
Annika. I know you meant no harm." The older woman
wiped away the fallen tears with a fine lace handkerchief.
"Sean would have been so excited to know you were alive
and well. You see, I wasn't able to have children. Sean and
I were your godparents. We were both devastated when you and your parents went missing and were presumed dead."
"Aunt Irene, how does one know if they are in love?" asked
Seven, hoping her aunt could provide an answer to a
question that had been plaguing her for weeks.
"Oh, is there someone from Voyager who you like?" asked
Irene with a knowing smile.
Seven nodded, "Before we got back to the Alpha Quadrant, I
had begun seeing Commander Chakotay. As things were
set into motion for us to come home, I was told some things
that made me question the relationship," replied Seven.
"Well, how do you feel about Chakotay? Did what you were told make you feel differently?" asked her aunt.
"I was pleased with the attention he gave me. However,
since coming back to Earth, we both seem to have drawn
apart somewhat. I am not certain why I became more
hesitant about our relationship after we got home," admitted
Seven.
"Changes are always harder to deal with, Annika," answered
Irene.
"I worry what would happen if one of us lost the other. I
know you are still grieving Uncle Sean. I am not sure if..."
"Yes, Annika, I do miss him. I miss him dreadfully, but if
you go by fear of losing someone, you will never have a
relationship," explained her aunt.
"It's more than that, I have observed couples since coming
back to Earth...I think...I think...I lack the emotional maturity to have a serious relationship at this point." Embarrassed to have admitted to this truth, Seven stared at the floor.
"Annika, you were a assimilated as a child. Captain
Janeway removed your link to the Borg three years ago. In a sense, you are still a child in many ways. If you don't want to have a serious relationship, then that is understandable. In time, as you rediscover more of your humanity, you will grow emotionally and be ready. There is no need to rush," said Irene.
"It will hurt Chakotay when I break off the relationship.
However, since our return, he has been a little more distant
as well," Seven said thoughtfully.
"Yes, but it will not hurt him as much if you continue and
break off the relationship later down the line," explained her
Aunt.
Seven nodded thoughtfully, and then turned her attention
back to the album, turning to the next page.
**************************************************
B'Elanna paced nervously in the living room. Her father and
abuela were due to arrive at any moment. Today she
planned to have a 'heart to heart' with him much as Tom had done with his dad. She was also curious about what her
abuela was bringing to help with breast feeding.
Noticing her distress, Tom came to her side. "I know your
nervous. It's going to be hard, but I'll be here for you," he
assured her. "Come out to the kitchen with me. I think we
both could use a cold drink."
In the kitchen, Tom handed her a glass of decaffeinated tea,
taking one for himself as well. They walked back out to the
living room and sat on the couch sipping beverage.
"Part of me wants to know why he left us, another part of
me doesn't want to know," she murmured softly. Sounds
pretty cowardly for a Klingon doesn't it?"
You're also half-Human, B'Elanna. Your father wants to
make amends. I know it doesn't excuse what he did years
ago, but you need to give him a chance," Tom answered.
"People change, I know I did, thanks to you."
The doorbell sounded, causing B'Elanna to jump almost
spilling her drink. "They're here now," she gasped.
She and Tom went to answer the door. On the other side stood John Torres and B'Elanna's irrepressible grandmother. After everyone had hugged, they all went to the living room.
"Well, B'Elanna, I have the solution I promised you," said
Teresa. She reached into her bag and pulled out a box.
Pictured on it was a breast pump. "Transporting the milk,"
scoffed Teresa. That just wouldn't work. Come on, nieta,
let's go to your bedroom and I'll show you how to use this."
B'Elanna smiled. "Well, Tom, looks like you'll be doing the
0200 feeding this time." Her eyes twinkled mischievously.
"Hey, I don't mind. I've been waiting for a chance to feed
Miral," he answered with a grin.
B'Elanna and her Grandmother left the room laughing all the
way. Tom turned to his father-in-law.
"Well, Mr. Torres, I thought I'd warn you, B'Elanna wants to
talk to you," said Tom softly.
"I knew it was coming," he said with a sigh. "I just hope
when it's all over, she'll still be speaking to me. By the way,
Tom, please call me John. Mr. Torres is way too formal,
makes me feel like an old man."
Tom chuckled, "All right, John, can I get you something to
drink?"
"No thanks, I'm fine," answered John.
"I hope that breast pump works like Abuela thinks it will,"
began Tom. "I can't wait to feed Miral. In another month
she'll also be eating baby cereal."
"I remember when B'Elanna was born. Mom was there too.
She was a feisty baby. She definitely had a mind of her
own," said John with a grin at the fond memory.
"She still does," replied Tom with a laugh. "I wouldn't have
her any other way."
"From what I've heard, she has really impressed the
engineers at Starfleet. She performed a lot of modifications
over the years," said John.
"She was with them earlier today, answering their questions.
They are insisting that she oversee the refit personally, which was what she wanted to do anyway. She saved our butts over and over again in the Delta Quadrant," replied Tom proudly. "In a way, Voyager was her first baby."
"I hear you saved the ship and your shipmates several times
yourself, Tom," answered John.
"Just doin' my job," answered Tom modestly. "Just like
everyone else did."
Meanwhile, in the bedroom, Teresa Torres was instructing
her granddaughter in using a breast pump. It wasn't as easy as it looked, but with a little patience, B'Elanna soon had it operating smoothly. With a little effort, she filled an
eight- ounce bottle with breast milk.
"That's enough for now, B'Elanna. If you do it too much at
first, your breasts will be even more sore than they were
when you first started nursing," said Teresa.
"Okay, I sure don't want painful breasts again. That was
murder." She examined the bottle of breast milk. "Tom
gets to do the 0200 feeding this time," she said with a
chuckle.
"Ah, my nieta, that is the beauty of breast pumps. We
pump the milk out ahead of time, and then our men can do those early morning feedings," said Teresa with a broad grin.
"I need to put this in the refrigeration unit," said B'Elanna.
"You also need to clean up the breast pump. You should
always clean it right away," instructed Teresa.
"Okay, Abuela, I'll do both right now. Then, I want to talk
to father privately." B'Elanna's face was somber. She was
dreading this chat, but knew it was best to get it over with.
"It will be all right, nieta. You will both talk it out. I love
my hijo, but he made a huge mess of things. You two need
to make peace with each other over this," said Teresa.
After storing the bottle of breast milk and cleaning the
breast pump, they went back to the living room and sat
down.
"I got eight ounces, Tom. Tonight, when the 0200 feeding
rolls around guess who gets to get up and feed Miral?" Her
eyes twinkled at him.
"Let's see, I'd say that's going to be my job," said Tom.
"You've got that right, flyboy," quipped B'Elanna.
"Well, I've been wanting to feed her, and I've been up at
each 0200 feeding, so this shouldn't be too hard," said Tom
confidently.
Teresa Torres giggled, "Tom have you ever tried to get a
breast fed baby to take a bottle for the first time?"
"Uh no," said Tom.
"It may not be as easy as you think it will be. It will require
a great deal of patience," replied Teresa.
Tom smiled, "I'll remember that, Abuela."
"Father," said B'Elanna softly. "I'd like to speak with you
privately."
"Okay, B'Elanna," said John.
Teresa Torres looked at Tom. "I understand your family has
horses. I am quite an equestrian myself. Why don't we give
them privacy to talk while you show me the horses."
"That's a good idea, Abuela," he said. After he kissed
B'Elanna, he offered his arm to Teresa and led her off to see
the horses.
Moving toward the window, B'Elanna watched her husband
and her grandmother walking towards the paddock. All
ready Tom and her abuela seemed to be hitting it off; she
hoped she'd have as much luck with getting along her father. Feeling her father approach her, she clutched at the window sill tightly for support. An uncomfortable silence ensued for several moments.
Finally, B'Elanna found the courage to speak and turned
toward John Torres. "I still remember that camping
trip...how we argued...I said 'If you can't stand living
with us then why don't you just leave?' and twelve days later,
you left...and never came back. I felt horrible. I cried for
days. Why did you leave us? Why did you leave me?"
John Torres looked at his daughter, whose eyes were filled
with tears. He felt deep regret for the pain B'Elanna was
still feeling to this day from his abandonment. He wanted to
hold her, let her know how much he loved her, but she
deserved answers first.
"B'Elanna," he began in a gentle tone. "I didn't leave
because you told me to. I want to make sure you understand that first. That is not why I left. Your mother and I were having problems. We were fighting constantly. I could not take it anymore, so I left. It was wrong of me to leave the way I did. I left your mom a note. I sent you letters, but they all came back refused. Your mother filed for divorce and asked the courts to grant her sole custody of you. I fought it, but in the end, because I had left without a legal separation the courts granted her request. I wasn't given any visitation rights. I pleaded with Miral, but she said my human ways had harmed you enough. I didn't know what else to do. I was despondent, so I signed on for a deep space mission that kept me away from Earth for five years. When I came back, I tried to see you again, but your mother refused. She thought she was looking out for your best interests."
"All these years, I thought you left because of what I said,"
whispered B'Elanna. "I thought you didn't love me anymore.
That you didn't want me because I was too Klingon."
"I never stopped loving you, B'Elanna. I wish I had fought
harder to see you. After we heard that you were alive and
on Voyager, your mother and I were reunited in the
'Voyager Family and Friends Group.' We were both so
happy to know you were still alive. After talking things
over, we kept in contact. About six months later, we
decided to get married again. We had a few years of
happiness, then the Federation went to war with the
Dominion." His voice broke, but he swallowed hard and
continued. Your mother was in San Francisco when they
attacked Earth. She was barely alive when they found her in
the rubble. I got there as fast as I could. She died later that night. She never regained consciousness in the hospital."
B'Elanna looked at her father. His eyes were brimming with
tears. They had both lost so much. "Father," she gasped and hugged him tightly.
"B'Elanna, I ...I...hope you can forgive me," said John.
She pulled back, wiping her eyes. "I do, Dad. One thing I
learned during the years in the Delta Quadrant, is to never
assume you have more time to make things right. We lost
so many friends out there." She smiled weakly. "Why don't
you go see what Abuela and Tom are up to while I go look
in on Miral?"
Realizing his daughter needed some time to absorb all the
information she had been told, he agreed.
**************************************************
Seven sat with her Aunt. The medications had soothed the
itching and pain of the poison ivy rash. They were watching
home vids from her childhood. She felt a sense of loss for
the years she spent as a Borg. She was seven when she was assimilated. So many years lost...a childhood lost...
"Annika," said her Aunt. "All you all right, is this too much
for you?"
"I am beginning to realize how much I have missed in my
life," she said softly. "I wonder if I will ever completely
reclaim my humanity."
"I understand, Annika. I wish you had never had to suffer
this. I will never be able to thank Captain Janeway enough
for liberating you," replied Irene.
"In three days, I will see her again. Starfleet wants to give
me a rank and leave me in charge of Astrometrics. I will be
required to take some tests for Starfleet," said Seven, who
wished to change the subject.
"You'll do fine on those tests, Annika. You were always
bright and smart beyond your years," Irene assured her.
"The test I am concerned about is the 'Kobyashi Maru.' It is
Starfleet's infamous no win scenario exam. I am not sure
how I will handle certain defeat," said Seven doubtfully.
"That is something we all have to face at one time or
another," said her Aunt.
***********************************************
Chakotay settled down in a comfortable recliner. He had
just finished telling his nieces and nephew a bedtime story.
They could not hear enough about his seven years in the
Delta Quadrant. His last message from Seven had been very brief. He had a feeling that she was having more second thoughts about their relationship. He was having them too. Seeing his sister and her husband, he was beginning to realize that Seven was not mature enough to have a serious relationship. Loneliness had driven him to seek her out.
His sister smiled at him. "I hope the kids aren't wearing you
out too much, Chakotay."
"They're not," he assured her. "I want to spend as much
time with them as I can. This next mission is going to be a
long one."
"Just as long as it's not seven years again," quipped Wenona.
He made a face. "Let's hope not. This mission will take us
to the far reaches of the Beta Quadrant. We were chosen
due to our familiarity with another branch of this same
species from the Delta Quadrant."
"We'll just keep lighting candles and hoping for the best,
Chakotay," said Kevin.
"We'll take all the help we can get," answered Chakotay.
**************************************************
Seven stepped out of the holodeck. She had not been able
to find a solution to the no win scenario. Defeat was a
strange and unaccustomed emotion for her. She met
Captain Janeway's eyes cautiously. "I failed to save the
ship," she said softly.
"You can't save the ship on this one, Seven. The only
person to beat was James Kirk, and he reprogrammed the
test to make it possible to save the ship," replied Janeway.
"He cheated," answered Seven.
"It doesn't matter, Seven. All of your results are in. You
will be given the rank of ensign, and you'll still be in
charge of Astrometrics," said the Captain.
"Thank you," said Seven.
"You'll be going to Utopia Planitia to help with the refit of
Astrometrics. B'Elanna will be overseeing the entire refit of
Voyager," said Janeway.
Seven nodded. "When will you be leaving to see your
mother?"
"In a few more weeks," answered Janeway. "First, I want to
take care of presenting all the promotion pips myself." She
smiled as she thought of the excitement the new pips would
bring, especially to one particular Ensign.
**************************************************
Tom, B'Elanna, and Miral had finally arrived at Utopia
Planitia. The shuttle ride seemed to have taken forever.
The good-byes they had each shared with their families had
been tearful. Crewmen had been assigned to take their
belongings to their quarters.
Once they were settled, B'Elanna gave Tom a quick kiss and
headed for the door. "I'll be back later, Lieutenant," she said with a smile, unconsciously fingering her new pips as she said it. They had both been delighted when Captain
Janeway had presented them with their new pips raising their rank from junior grade to full Lieutenant.
As she strode down the corridor, she chuckled as she
recalled Harry's reaction to finally getting his long coveted
second pip.
As she entered Voyager, she stared at the ship that had been her home for seven years. Getting the ship ready so quickly would be a challenge. Seeing Chakotay, she smiled and walked over to him.
"Hey, stranger, fancy meeting you here," she said teasingly.
"Hello, B'Elanna," he said.
She was struck by the melancholy expression on his face.
"What's wrong, Chakotay?"
"It's personal," he muttered.
"Since when is anything so personal you can't tell me?" she
asked.
"Seven and I broke off our relationship," he answered.
B'Elanna sighed. She had feared this would happen. As
much progress as Seven had made, there was no way she
was ready for the type of relationship Chakotay wanted.
"I'm sorry, Chakotay," she said softly.
He shrugged it off. "We'd better get busy, we have a lot of
work to do. We need to be ready to leave when the Captain
gets back."