It hadn't been a long day. In fact for Voyager it had been a pretty slow day, with the only things of interest being the collection of dilithum crystals and the arrival of the young Zanta woman. The lack of excitement in the workday didn't make Janeway's desire to go home to her quarters any less strong then it was after a twenty-two hour day. The pull to go home was strong no matter what her day held. It was still such a new and odd sensation. Before Seven, before Gretchen there hadn't been this need to go back to her quarters. Sure she escaped there to relax, to curl up with a book or soak in the tub, but it had never felt like this before. She could already feel the mask she wore slipping away as she approached her quarters and when she stepped inside it had quickly been replaced by a smile.

They had to do a little redesign of the Captain's quarters in order to fit in a small area for the baby, but Janeway had been more then willing to give up the extra footage so that she and Seven could reclaim their bedroom for themselves. It was a small room that would need to be enlarged as Gretchen grew, but for now it was just perfect for her. There was a sound coming from that little room that made Janeway's smile brighten.

"You are my sunshine my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. Do you know dear how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away."

It astonished Kathryn every time she heard Seven singing so softly, so gently, so lovingly to their daughter. Seven would be the first to explain away her voice saying that it was because of her Borg implants, but Kathryn was so sure about that. She had a feeling that the vocal sub processor had just enhanced what was naturally there. Kathryn stood there listening, smiling, as she watched Gretchen dozing off to sleep for the night. She walked in a little further when she saw Seven stand and head for the crib.

"You were listening again, Kathryn." Seven said coolly as she placed the child in the crib and covered her with the tiny pink comforter since her body suit blanket was gripped firmly in her tiny fist. Reaching down Seven gently brushed at her daughter's golden red curls as she watched her steady rhythmic breathing.

Kathryn smiled as she walked over to stand close to Seven. She put one hand on the crib and the other on the small of Seven's back. It was cute how Seven blushed when she'd been overheard. "Indeed I was."

The baby had grown so much over the last couple of months. She was also much more comfortable with her surroundings and even allowed people other then Neelix or the Doctor to look after her. Kathryn reached down and caressed her daughter's cheek and smiled. "Good night sweetheart." She whispered. "Sweet dreams."

"Did you speak with the woman in sick bay?" Seven asked as she followed Janeway out of the baby's sleeping area and into the living area.

Janeway nodded as she flopped down on the couch with a sigh. "She's a nice girl. Tuvok checked out her shuttle and the information she gave me, and it all came out clear. I've extended an offer to stay for as long as it takes to get her shuttle fix."

"Do you think that is wise?" Seven asked as took the uniform jacket her lover discarded and placed it on the back of a near by chair before settling beside her on the couch.

Kathryn shrugged at first but then answered. "She's a wayward traveler a long way from home. She's also offered to trade with us and that could lead to further trade in the long run."

Seven nodded. The two spoke of work a little more before getting lost in one of Seven's philosophical conversations.

It was late and the hallways reflected it, but that's just how Llennodo wanted it. She had asked Neelix if she could get a few things from her shuttle, but she really didn't need anyone walking in while she was working. She checked the shuttle bay carefully before entering the shuttle. After placing the fingertip of her left index finger on what appeared to be a red control button, Llennodo activated the computer. "Computer, security confirmation."

The shuttle's computer suddenly began to hum lightly. "Voice and cellular recognition conformed. Welcome back, Captain. How do you wish to proceed?"

With a slight nod of approval Llennodo went on. "Access Voyager's computer and maintain a secure undetectable link."

The computer beeped before replying. "Link established."

Llennodo kept her voice low while she gathered the things she was going to take back with her. "What is Voyager's current status?"

The computer hummed softly before reporting, "Voyager stands currently at green. All priority systems working at or above peak efficacy."

The young listened carefully to the computer's report on Voyager's status and then cut in with more orders once she was sure everything was fine. "Maintain a constant watch on the ship's status. I want to know if anything goes wrong. Also, search records and logs to see if there have been any other visitors to the ship within the two weeks."

Bruening could have come on as any number of Delta aliens. He was gifted at surgical alteration, which had only added to his usefulness as her chief of security, but made him a major pain in the ass as her target. The man had many skills that would prove a pain in the ass if she didn't catch him sooner rather then later.

"There have been no other visitors on board Voyager within that frame of time." The computer finally replied.

A long slow sigh escaped Llennodo's lungs. "Of course it wouldn't be that easy and of course he wouldn't come on as an alien. That would take to much time. He would need to gain enough trust to get near anything that could be used to destroy the ship." She paused a moment to think. "Computer, scan Voyager for anything with a temporal marker that's different from it's own."

"There are no temporal anomalies aboard the ship." The computer reported several minutes later.

'Other then us.' Llennodo thought as she stood in the middle of the shuttle with her hands planted firmly on her hips. She'd known it was a long shot. Bruening would have hidden his markers the way she'd hidden her own. Her mind desperately tried to come up with an idea, and finally she settled on a Hail Mary for now. "Computer, begin bio scans on all of Voyager's crew looking for a match to bio file gamma three three zero two."

"Those scans will take seventy eight point five hours to complete." The computer warned.

Llennodo moaned. "I don't care how long it'll take. Until I come up with a better idea this is what we're doing. And since we're keeping such a close eye on things, monitor ship's communications."

"Acknowledged."

"Good. Now go back into secure mode." She ordered. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

The gentle hum of the computer died out and Llennodo grabbed the small bag she'd packed and headed back to her quarters where she dropped it off before going to the mess hall. She was hungry and could really use a cup of coffee. There were only a few people in the mess hall when Llennodo entered and for a moment she'd wished she'd brought her tri-corder to scan who was there. The more she thought about it the more she was sure that Bruening would make his move as a crewmember. But who? And how?

"Ahh, Llennodo, you came. How are you feeling?" Neelix asked as he came out of the kitchen.

She couldn't help but smile. The simply sight of the fuzzy little man relaxed her, and that helped to clear her head a little. "Tired, but I thought I would come down to see what you had. You made everything sound so tempting."

Neelix couldn't help but beam. "How about some hlaka soup and a bit of traggle nectar."

"That sounds very nice, Mister Neelix, thank you." Llennodo said, trying hard to keep the delight out of her voice. She couldn't recall the last time she'd had hlaka soup and the thought of tasting the sweet berry nectar once again had driven out her need for coffee.

Neelix pointed the young woman towards a table and then quickly left to fetch her meal. When he returned she was looking longingly out the window, so lost in her thoughts that he hated to disturb her, especially since for the briefest of moments he'd thought he'd seen a great sadness flash in her pretty blue eyes.

"Here you are." He finally said as he placed the tray in front of her. The smile and sparkle in the young woman's eyes made Neelix smile. "It's a beautiful view isn't it?" He asked as he sat across from her.

Llennodo looked once more out the window and nodded. "Unlike anything I've seen in a very long time, Mister Neelix." She then dipped her spoon into the bowl and carefully tasted the soup. It was a struggle to keep the moan of pleasure she felt in her throat from being heard. "It's wonderful."

"I'm so glad you like it." Neelix said as he studied the woman. It almost seemed to him as if she looked like a child come home somehow. "The Captain says that you're from Zanta Minor." The young woman nodded. "Then you are quite a ways from home."

She wanted to tell him that she was closer to home then he could ever imagine but instead said, "You have no idea, Mister Neelix."

"You must miss your family." Neelix went on as he did his best to get to know the young woman and make her feel at ease. "Your home."

Llennodo suddenly stopped eating but she didn't look up from her bowl. She sat like that until she noticed that her reaction had bothered the Talaxian. "My parents and I stay in contact with each other, and we see each other when we can. They're travelers as well. But home," She paused and looked towards the window again. She had thought she'd gotten past the feelings that were threatening to bring tears to her eyes years ago, but here they were again. "Home I miss more then even I had realized."

Neelix studied her and the way she looked out the window. "Home isn't Zanta Minor, is it?"

Bright blue eyes twitched in a surprise. Llennodo looked at Neelix, unsure what to say, but then she figured the best undercover stories had an element of truth in them. "No, not really. Like I said, my parents are explorers, they always have been. I was born in space and spent the better part of my childhood there. I took my first steps on the deck of my mother's ship. My first day of school was in a mess hall much like this one." She laughed softly. "My first crush was an alien boy whose entire species is annoying and it drove my mother insane."

Neelix gave the young woman a warm and reassuring smile as he listened to her. He could tell just by looking at the way she beamed that she loved that life, and that she adored her parents. "Then something sad happened?"

Llennodo sighed. She looked back down at her soup as she sloshed the spoon around. When she looked back up at Neelix she said, "They went home; back to their home world."

"You mean your home world?" Neelix asked carefully.

The young woman shook her head. "No, my home, my whole world, was my mother's ship. Their home world was just another planet."

Neelix's look of concern changed a little as he admitted. "There are those among us here on Voyager that I worry will feel the same as you do."

Llennodo reached out and put her hand on top of his and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Don't worry, Mister Neelix, even if they do they'll still have the love and support of their family. I get the feeling that Voyager is much more a community then most ships' crews. They're much more then just crewmates, they're neighbors, friends, and even family."

Neelix brighten at that. "How right you are young lady."