Chapter 2 – Welcome to Earth

Chakotay stared idly out the window towards San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. To the west, the sun was behind clouds that hung over the Pacific and colored the clouds' edges as it neared the horizon. He sat at a booth in a small café, having just finished a light dinner. The place was nearly empty. All of San Francisco, or at least what little he had seen of it, seemed the same way. As it happened, Voyager and her crew had stumbled back to the Alpha Quadrant only to find the quadrant still embroiled in the war with The Dominion. They had learned of the war during their brief contact with Star Fleet using the Hirogen's sensor array. It had been a rough two years for the Federation but things were beginning to look better with both the Klingons and Romulans joining forces against the Dominion alliance. Starfleet, Earth, and the Federation were all on edge and it felt as if everyone was holding their breath, cautiously optimistic.

Chakotay sighed heavily. He had been up for forty-two hours straight. The welcome, the meetings, the debriefings. Starfleet Headquarters was located a short walk away and this meal was the first chance he had time by himself since arriving on Earth. Actually, he wasn't quite alone. A special agent from Star Fleet Security sat in a nearby booth still eating. Alex was his first name. Chakotay didn't know his last name and decided not to ask since it was never offered. Alex had been shadowing him the past hour since he left Star Fleet Headquarters after the debriefings. Chakotay had been told to expect an escort and that it was for his own safety. With tensions high and things as they were in the Federation, Star Fleet was taking no chances with creating a confrontation. There were some who still blamed the Maquis for escalating tensions with the Cardassians.

At least they weren't being detained. The debriefing had been long and intense, although perhaps it would be more appropriate to call it an interrogation? Neither seemed right. One too kind, but not as bad as the other implied. He had spoken to some of the others and it was the same all around. Even Kathryn felt uneasy. Kathryn… It was just forty eight hours before when they shared a late dinner in her quarters. Her grandmother's vegetable biryani. They had spoken of risks and her decision to go with Harry's plan. 'Are you with me?' she had asked, and he had replied, 'Always.' In the back of his mind, there was a vague notion of being close with Kathryn when they finally got home. At the time, it was always far off. Now that it was here… He didn't know what to think. There were so many other things to think about. So many other obligations. Perhaps there were some barriers that would never be crossed. And with this war…

He didn't blame Star Fleet for the interrogations. The war had inflicted a great toll on the Federation. Recent successes were tempered by uncertainty and they were grasping at anything and everything. The Quantum Slipstream technology, the Borg enhanced shields and sensors. As it turned out, Voyager might have a lot to offer. And with what happened to the Maquis…

Chakotay cringed and clenched his fists. It was still an open wound. He knew of it, or course, but it seemed more real now. The slaughter of the Maquis by the Dominion. All the friends he had left behind. Nearly all of them…

He shook his head to clear the thought out of his mind. Of course not all of his Maquis friends. He had to now think of those who remained. Those of the Maquis who had returned with him on Voyager. That had to be his priority now. He would start in the morning, however, for he was exhausted and needed sleep. Alex seemed to be finishing up and could escort him to the apartment assigned to him which was nearby. Voyager was now off limits to everyone, including Kathryn and the rest of the Star Fleet personnel. Funny how he and Alex hadn't eaten together, but Chakotay was in no mood to talk and perhaps Alex had sensed that. Yes. In the morning he would start reassembling the Val Jean crew and figure out what they were going to do next. Would some rejoin Star Fleet to fight the Dominion? Would he?

Chakotay was pushing himself back from the table when his comm badge chirped. He might not be in Star Fleet, but they still wanted to keep him on call and so had issued him a communicator.

"Star Fleet Security to Commander Chakotay."

Chakotay eyed Alex in the booth near him before responding. Alex shrugged, indicating he didn't know what the call was about either. Interesting that whoever it was who was calling had included his Star Fleet rank.

"Chakotay here."

There was a pause. "Ah… sir, this is Chief Reynolds at the Presidio Detention Center. Could you please report here at once and take over responsibility for one of your crewmembers who was involved in an incident."

Chakotay sighed heavily, imagining one of the Maquis causing a problem. Cathal came to mind immediately. He was none too happy when last he saw him. Cathal's brother Liam was on Earth and they learned from him of the death of Cathal's parents and destruction of their colony by the Cardassians soon after the Maquis were eliminated. It was a piece of information not contained in Star Fleet's messages to Voyager. Their colony had been near the Demilitarized Zone, although well inside Federation space. Chakotay knew exactly how Cathal felt. Helpless and impotent. Despite the happiness of finally making it home, the reality of the Universe was unavoidable, and the anger that went along with it. "Which one of the Maquis is it?" Chakotay asked.

There was hesitation. "Not Maquis sir."

Chakotay was confused. Why was Reynolds calling him? "If it's someone else from Voyager, Captain Janeway or another Star Fleet officer would be more appropriate. My official status with Star Fleet is still in limbo Chief."

"Captain Janeway is still in meetings at Headquarters and is not available."

"Then someone else," Chakotay repeated impatiently. "Commander Tuvok, Lieutenant Rollins. Hell, even Ensign Kim would work." Besides, Star Fleet could take care of themselves now. He was more concerned with getting the Val Jean crew organized.

"All other Voyager officers are also not available."

Chakotay frowned. Where the hell was everyone? He glanced over to Alex who was now looking at him with a questioning look. "I'll be right there Chief. I don't think there's anything I can legally do, but I'll bring someone from Star Fleet Security who might be able to stand in to take charge of another Star Fleet member."

Again there was a pause. "The, ah, person in question is not in Star Fleet. We're actually not quite sure what to do with her." Chakotay suddenly heard the nervousness and trepidation in Chief Reynold's voice. Who was he talking about? And then it occurred to him… Seven of Nine was at the detention center.

Chakotay frowned again and felt bad he hesitated in the first place. He had almost forgotten about Seven. Maquis, Star Fleet or not, he still had a responsibility to his crewmates. To his friends. They had grown into an extended family aboard Voyager during the nearly five years they had been in the Delta Quadrant. He nodded slowly and moved to the door of the café. Alex stood quickly to join him. "I'll be right there," he finally responded and closed the comm link.

"Where we headed?" Alex asked, a step behind.

"Presidio," Chakotay replied. "The detention center there. Someone from Voyager."

Alex didn't reply, but kept a few steps behind. It wasn't a long walk up to the Presidio, and in about ten minutes, they arrived at the detention center.

"I'll wait for you here," Alex said at the entrance.

Chakotay was about to protest, but shrugged and went in alone. The detention center was much like a ship's brig, sterile and uninviting. The room was empty with a single door leading to the cells and glowing with an active force field. Chief Reynolds was behind a small desk and stood when Chakotay neared. "I appreciate you coming sir."

Chakotay looked about, but Seven of Nine wasn't there. "Where's Seven?" he asked.

Reynolds shifted nervously. "I have her in a holding cell," he said. He turned suddenly, apparently to avoid having to explain further, and moved towards a closed door. The force field deactivated. "Right this way." The door opened and the two of them stepped through.

There were ten cells in all. All were empty and dark except the furthest one from the door. Seven stood in the last one glaring at the two of them. Chakotay glanced back at the other cells. "Chief, where are the others who were involved in the incident you spoke of?"

"They were released earlier to their commanding officer," Reynolds replied.

Chakotay was about to ask Reynolds to describe the details of the incident, but decided he'd rather hear what happened directly from Seven. "Deactivate the force field. I'd like to speak to Seven alone."

Reynolds hesitated for a moment, but then moved forward and entered a code on the panel by the cell opening. The force field deactivated. He nodded to Chakotay, and then moved swiftly down the hall and back out into the entryway to the detention area. Chakotay heard the door lock and the force field activate behind him.

"Thank you for coming Commander," Seven said quietly. She appeared less aggressive now that Chief Reynolds was gone.

"Not a problem," Chakotay replied absently. Inside the cell there was a small table and two chairs. Chakotay was tired and moved over and sat down in one of them and motioned for Seven to sit down in the other. "The Voyager family needs to stick together," he said, remembering his thoughts on the way over. "Now tell me what happened."

Seven frowned noticeably. "I am in no way related to you or anyone from Voyager," she retorted.

"A figure of speech," Chakotay said. Seven did sometimes take things too literal. "Meant to convey a closeness more substantial than just being friends and colleagues."

Seven seemed to consider this for a moment. "Words lose their meaning if used incorrectly," she commented and then moved forward to take her seat across the small table from Chakotay.

"As long as the original meaning remains intact," Chakotay responded, "I think we can allow for some leeway. Now tell me what happened."

Seven paused and gathered her thoughts. "After my interrogation at Star Fleet Headquarters, I was walking to the address assigned to me and was attacked by five men. They called Star Fleet Security and we were all brought here and detained."

Chakotay waited, but nothing more was offered. "Do you know who these five men were?" he asked.

"Not at the time," Seven replied. "I later learned they were junior officers from the starship Excelsior which is currently in orbit."

Again Chakotay waited for more information, but Seven remained silent. Something clearly simmered under the surface. "Was it your escort who called Star Fleet Security?"

"I did not have an escort, or if I did, they did not make themselves known or aide me in any way. After I incapacitated three of the assailants, the remaining two called Security."

"No escort?" Chakotay replied in shock. If they were escorting the Maquis about for safety, surely they would have thought to provide the same for an ex-Borg drone. He would think that would be an even greater priority given the fact that the Maquis were all but exterminated.

"I showed great restraint," Seven offered.

"What started the confrontation?"

"I believe they were intoxicated," Seven replied. "They asked about my ocular implant and discovered I was Borg. This appeared to upset them greatly and two of them began to threaten me. They accused me of all sorts of horrors and atrocities."

"You are not Borg," Chakotay interrupted. For some reason, he felt compelled to remind her of that.

"It mattered little to them," Seven replied evenly. She then frowned and her eyes blazed. "Given Earth's history, the vitriol hatred of the Borg they displayed struck me as ironic. The World Wars, the genocides, the killing of infants in their mother's womb while much of the human population ignored the murder of millions. The blatant hypocrisy. The Borg may assimilate, but humans exterminate." There was venom in her voice. It had been a long time since Chakotay had heard Seven talk in this way. It reminded him of the first few weeks she was aboard Voyager. 'I will betray you,' she had said then with much the same tone. He had taken her at her word and was never as comfortable as Kathryn was with her aboard. As it turned out, she had instead grown to become an exemplary member of the crew. In fact, without her, the Quantum Slipstream drive would never have been built and Voyager would still be in the Delta Quadrant.

"We've learned from past mistakes," Chakotay offered.

"Apparently not everyone," Seven countered. "Prejudice and ignorance and hypocrisy are still rampant among humans by my estimation. Those who profess tolerance are often the most intolerant. I ignored them and attempted to go on my way, and then the encounter became violent." She stopped and looked away. "I showed great restraint," she repeated. When she turned, Chakotay noticed a bruise on her skin beside her ocular implant. Otherwise, she appeared unharmed.

"I'm sure you did," Chakotay replied with a frown. Those five bit off more than they could chew when they messed with Seven. Her Borg-enhanced strength and agility combined with their intoxication made the fight less one-sided. With what little she had told him, it sounded more like an assault with Seven the victim, regardless of the outcome. It bothered Chakotay that Seven was being held at all. "Why are you still here and the others were released?"

"The Captain of the Excelsior arrived and signed for the others. I overheard they were to be confined to quarters."

"Were charges filed?"

"Not that I'm aware of."

Chakotay now understood. It was likely nothing was filed and that everyone involved would prefer it that way. Chakotay frowned again. He didn't like the idea of those five getting away with assault. "Would you like to file charges?"

"I would like to get out of here," Seven snapped, showing her intense displeasure again. She seemed to regret her anger as soon as it was out of her mouth and turned away. Chakotay didn't blame her for the anger. What a way to be welcomed back to Earth and humanity.

Chakotay nodded. "Agreed. Let's get you to your assigned quarters. You must need to regenerate as much as I need to sleep." They both stood and then Chakotay said, "Chief, I'm ready to sign for Seven and have her released." He assumed their entire conversation had been monitored.

"Please come to the front desk for processing," Reynolds voice came over the open comm.

When they arrived, Reynolds had the orders ready on a PADD for Chakotay's signature. Chakotay was about to sign when he noticed something in the wording. He looked up to Reynolds. "We no longer have access to Voyager. It says here that Seven needs to be confined to quarters with ship's security notified."

"As long as you maintain continuous accountability," Reynolds replied, "that should be fine."

"Continuous accountability?" Chakotay asked.

Reynolds nodded. "You'll have to ensure continuous accountability or I can't release her into your custody."

"No charges have been filed," Chakotay snapped back.

"I'm sorry sir, its standard procedure in cases like this involving Star Fleet personnel, with or without formal charges."

"She is not in Star Fleet!" Chakotay was getting frustrated. "I'm not in Star Fleet," he added as an afterthought.

Reynolds shook his head. "I suppose we could transfer her to the City's detention center and you could process this through them."

"How long would that take?"

"We could make the transfer first thing in the morning," Reynolds replied.

"That's unacceptable," Chakotay fumed.

"It's fine Commander…" Seven began, but Chakotay put up his hand to stop her.

"No it's not." Whether it was lack of sleep or a growing anger over Seven's mistreatment, he wasn't going to let this go. He turned back to Reynolds. "If Seven were to remain with me, would that be acceptable for continuous accountability?"

Reynolds appeared uncertain. "You might be right that it would be more appropriate for the civilian authorities to handle this."

Chakotay quickly signed the release and pushed the PADD back towards Reynolds. "No," he said and stepped away. "We're good. Thank you Chief."

He turned to make his way quickly to the door and heard Seven follow behind him. When they got outside, it was already dark. Alex was waiting on a bench. Chakotay went up to him. "Alex, this is Seven of Nine. A crewmember from Voyager. Could you see about authorizing a site to site transport for us? I'm not going to risk travel in the streets at night."

A flash of surprise crossed Alex's face but quickly vanished. If Chakotay had been looking, Seven had had a similar reaction.

Chakotay turned to Seven. "Where did they move your alcove?"

"As far as I know, the Borg alcoves are still aboard Voyager," Seven replied. "As with the rest of the crew, my personal items were transferred to quarters here in San Francisco soon after we arrived."

"How long can you go without regenerating?"

"Several days."

Chakotay snorted. "That's another thing we'll have to take care of in the morning. I'm also going to contact Star Fleet Security and press charges against those officers from the Excelsior who attacked you."

Seven didn't object, although Chakotay wouldn't have listened if she had. Perhaps Seven realized this. Chakotay's assigned quarters were small, but probably a little larger than those assigned to Seven. He turned to Alex. "My assigned quarters down in the Marina district then."

Alex nodded and touched his communicator. "Base. Initiate site to site transport for the two signals in front of me to Commander Chakotay's assigned quarters."

"Understood. Stand by."

"See you in the morning then," Alex said to the two of them.

"Thanks Alex," Chakotay responded just before the transporter beam initiated.

They arrived in the dark, but as soon as the sensors detected their presence, the lights flickered on. The quarters were no bigger than those Chakotay had on Voyager. Chakotay's personal items from Voyager lay in piles near the couch in the living room. There had been no time to do much of anything with them in the past two days.

Chakotay motioned to the only bedroom. "You can take the bedroom, Seven. I'll stay out here on the couch." He realized it wasn't late, but he was tired and planned to go to sleep as soon as he could.

"No Commander," Seven replied. "You appear fatigued and should retire immediately. I do not wish to inconvenience you further."

"There is no inconvenience Seven."

"I insist," Seven said firmly.

He glanced longingly at the bedroom door and sighed heavily. "Fine, we'll get this sorted out tomorrow."

"Good night Commander."

Chakotay nodded, and moved into the bedroom. There was a washroom off to one side and a view of San Francisco Bay on the other. He was going to wash up and change, but decided to lay down for just a short time first to clear his head. He fell asleep immediately. He dreamed of the Maquis. He dreamed he was with them on a colony in the Demilitarized Zone. The Cardassians with their Jem'Hadar allies from the Dominion were attacking, and they had no chance. B'Elanna, Cathal, Ayala, Jor, and the rest of the Val Jean crew were with him. Even Kathryn and Tom and others in Star Fleet fought by his side. And Seven was there as well…

What finally woke him was the smell of something cooking. He sat up and realized he had not only slept in his clothes, but also on top of the covers. It was just past 7:30am local time. He opened the bedroom door to see Seven in the kitchen. She appeared as she had been the night before and he wondered if she had slept at all.

"Good morning," he said to announce his presence.

"Good morning Commander," Seven replied and turned to greet him, "did you sleep well?"

Chakotay took a breath and nodded as he let it out. "Extremely well. Thank you. I was exhausted."

Seven nodded in confirmation and returned to the stove. She was cooking something on the heating element and not using a replicator. "Please take a seat," she then said. "I have made enough for both of us. Our breakfast is almost complete."

Whatever it was, it was familiar and made the quarters smell wonderful. Something you never get with replicated food no matter how good the food tasted. Chakotay suddenly realized he was famished, and as if on cue, his stomach growled loudly.

Seven turned with one eyebrow raised and then they both moved to the small table that was already set for two. As it turned out, Seven had made his favorite, fried eggs in toast and seasoned with hollandaise and paprika. Chakotay sat down with a smile. This was unexpected. "This happens to be my favorite breakfast," he said.

"I know," Seven replied.

How could she know? Chakotay thought, and then with a start he realized how. The neural link from when they disconnected Seven from the Hive Mind. They never spoke of it. He didn't think of it often, but she perhaps knew more about him than most, and he her.

"I apologize Commander," Seven said, picking up on his discomfort.

He had never had a great deal of interaction with Seven on Voyager apart from ship's duties. With regard to integrating Seven into the crew and helping her claim back her humanity, he had left that to Kathryn. He thought of something from the night before. Had he really been waiting for Seven to betray them? Seeing her now, his trepidations about having her on the crew seemed irrelevant. "It's fine," he finally said. What could he say?

"I wish to also apologize for my behavior last night," Seven said as she placed the plates down and sat down herself. "I was under a great deal of stress. I was not intending to defend the Borg when we were speaking in the detention center. The Borg is deplorable and its actions inexcusable."

"And many actions perpetrated by humans in Earth's history are inexcusable as well," Chakotay added, intending to convey he understood Seven's motivation and did not begrudge her in the least.

Seven nodded. They ate in silence for a time. Chakotay savored every bite. He wondered where she had learned how to cook so well.

"I have been covertly experimenting on my own," Seven commented, apparently anticipating or guessing Chakotay's unspoken question. "Neelix's cooking was never satisfactory to me."

"Sometimes, to me as well," Chakotay replied with a laugh.

"I believe I have an aunt who still lives here on Earth," Seven said. "With my parents dead or assimilated, that is the extent of my family that remains."

Chakotay was confused for a moment, but then realized Seven was simply picking up on another thread of the conversation from the previous night. When she objected to his referring to the former crew of Voyager as a family.

"A more appropriate appellation might be an alliance," Seven continued. "One definition being a close association of people formed to advance common interests or causes."

Chakotay chuckled. The Voyager Alliance just didn't seem to have the same ring to it. He was about to state as much when there was a flash out the window. Both Chakotay and Seven looked, and then the building shook. It was an explosion. Nearby and in the direction of Star Fleet Headquarters. Chakotay and Seven stood.

Suddenly sirens began to wail throughout the building. "Prepare for emergency beam out," the computer voice intoned over speakers.

Several things flashed through Chakotay's mind, and then he stepped over quickly and wrapped his arms around Seven. He wasn't sure if her biosignature had been recorded the night before by the building's automated system, or the system's prioritization protocols, or if Seven's Borg components would hamper transporter lock. Better to be safe. The two of them beamed out together seconds before another photon torpedo hit and took out the entire block.

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Author's note: Thank you to those who followed, favorited and/or reviewed. You know, I'm not necessarily opposed to J/C, but I do like C/7 so much more. Besides, the canon episode "Shattered" pretty much ended J/C as a romantic couple and firmly established a strong friendship between them (and that's just fine – I think it works well too). In this AU, it's just happening a little sooner…