DISCLAIMER: Paramount owns Janeway et al; LeAnne Womack owns the lyrics I borrowed.
RATING: G
I hope you dance
Janeway looked up from her desk to gaze at San Francisco Bay. It had been too many years since she had seen this place. The real Bay, not some fake one created on the Holodeck or by 8472. The Bay meant, to her, that she was truly home.
Sadly, she turned her eyes back to her desk and saw what she was trying to avoid-Seven of Nine's reassignment. The Borg woman had learned much since she had been severed from the hive mind four years ago. But she still had far to go.
Janeway smiled at the memory of Seven's reaction to Earth. Of course, Seven knew a lot about Earth from the computer and from her time in the Collective, but that didn't substitute seeing it for herself. From the Bridge of Voyager, Janeway had been transfixed on seeing the blue marble, but had dragged her eyes away to look above her.
I hope you never lose your sense of wonder,
You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger,
Seven's mouth had been slightly open as she finally laid eyes on the destination she had ended up acquiring because of the crew. Her hands had gripped her console tightly, turning the knuckles white under the Borg implants.
"Earth," she had muttered quietly under her breath, but Janeway had heard her. Immediately, Seven had gone back to her job of scanning Earth to update the ship's database, but Janeway knew that the Borg woman would now be as infatuated with the planet as the rest of her crew.
When they had arrived on the planet, Seven was one of the last people to get off the ship. Her cat-suit clad body had finally appeared after a few tense moments of wondering, and Janeway had watched her blink at the sunlight as she passed from underneath the shadow of the ship. Tentatively, Seven had taken a breath of air and, when she didn't cough, continued on her way to join the crew. Janeway had noticed she stood beside Harry Kim.
May you never take one single breath for granted,
God forbid love ever leave you empty-handed.
The door to Janeway's new office chimed, startling the Starfleet captain out of her memories.
"Come in," she called and was startled to see that Seven of Nine was walking in. "What can I do for you, Seven?"
"Captain, Iwould just like to thank you." Seven, uncharacteristically, stared at her feet and not at the woman she was speaking to.
"For what, Seven?"
"For bringing me to Earth. It is a mostcomplex planet."
Janeway smiled. "What have you done so far to bring you to this conclusion, Seven?"
The Borg woman stood a little taller. "Ensign Kim brought me to the beach."
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean.
Janeway found herself smiling again. "And what did you think, Seven?"
Seven's face did not change. "It was much larger that I had expected."
The captain chuckled and then turned her desktop console around. "I was just writing up your reassignment, Seven; any preferences?"
"You are asking my opinion?" Seven queried, raising any eyebrow.
Janeway seemed confused. "Yes, of course. This is your life I'm messing with, after all."
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens.
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.
I hope you dance...I hope you dance.
Later, after all the ceremonies and promotions and commendations, Janeway had time once again to reflect on the woman-child she had brought to Earth. The captain wondered sometimes if she had done the right thing, bringing a fully-grown woman to a place she'd never been and telling her to "adapt" like she had to Voyager.
But Seven had looked as comfortable as any of the crew as they sat through the official welcome home banquet. Seated with the rest of the command crew even though she held no official rank, let alone an unofficial one, Seven had chatted quietly with Harry and the Doctor, mostly about official etiquette during the current situation, but occasionally about other, more pleasant things as well.
I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance,
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Livin' might mean takin' chances but they're worth takin',
Lovin' might be a mistake but it's worth makin'.
Months after their return, Janeway was once again sitting in her office, staring at Seven of Nine's picture. She was progressing well, and rumors even suggested that she might have had a date or two since she began working for the Academy. Apparently, the men at Starfleet didn't fear a former Borg drone as much as anyone had assumed.
Don't let some hell bent heart leave you bitter,
When you come close to sellin' out reconsider,
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.
I hope you dance...I hope you dance. I hope you dance...I hope you dance.
(Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along.
Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder where those years have gone.)
Standing abruptly, Janeway exited her quarters, locked them, and took the lift down to the bottom floor of her office building. Once there, she made the short walk to the place she had been staring at for so long-San Francisco Bay.
Cautiously, the Voyager captain stuck her hand in the cold water. She could feel the tiny bubbles collecting around her fingers and smiled at the tickling, yet calming sensation.
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean,
She remembered a time when she had first done this with Mark, on their first trip to the beach together. He had laughed at her and said she was a perpetual child. Idly, she wondered what Chakotay would have to tell her about the spirits that dwelled within this ageless bay.
Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens.
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance,
Removing her hand from the water, Janeway looked around to see if anyone else was near. Seeing that no one was around to stop her, she made a mental note to send Chakotay a message and then dove into the water.
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.
Dance...I hope you dance. I hope you dance...I hope you dance. I hope you dance...I hope you dance.
(Time is a wheel in constant motion always rolling us along.
Tell me who wants to look back on their years and wonder where those years have gone