A/N: I don't own "Star Trek: Voyager."


Laura knew it was the wrong thing to do, but she was positive Tom wouldn't mind. While it was true that she'd only known him for a month and a half now, and that they'd only been dating for half that time, she'd gotten to know him well enough to learn that Tom probably wouldn't take something like this personally. She just had to know. She had to know what was in that holo-program.

"It's nothing," Tom had said when she'd tried asking him. "It's just some old project I started, years ago. I've lost interest in it." He didn't like talking about, it for some reason.

Once her shift in Engineering had ended, she'd headed straight for the holodeck. She walked briskly down the hall, realizing for the first time that she felt completely at home on Voyager. She still stood out in some ways, with her Borg implants, and that metallic silver biosuit showing underneath her gold engineering uniform (in place of the usual gray material the other crewmembers wore). But these things no more made her an oddity than Neelix's Talaxian features, the captain's tattoo.

Laura also realized that she'd completely forgotten about her arm. The Doctor had designed a holographic arm to replace the one the Borg had taken. It projected from a holo-emitter installed into the Borg covering over her stump. The arm was programmed in solid form, so Laura could pick up objects and type at PADDs and consoles, but could be switched to transparent mode if she wanted to stick her hand through a solid object (for whatever reason). Swinging her arms as she walked, she almost couldn't even tell which arm was the fake one, because the weight was so perfectly programmed.

She finally reached the holodeck, and ordered, "Computer, activate Program Paris-Five-Alpha."

The holodeck doors hissed opened, revealing a black-and-white world. She was looking at a rocky terrain, with a castle of sorts off in the distance. The rocks looked deliberately artificial, and the castle reminded her of something from an old 20th Century science fiction film. She stepped inside, and watched in amazement as her hands went straight from beige to gray, as if being dipped into the black-and-white universe.

From behind one cardboard boulder, a boxy robot came waddling forward, bellowing in a mechanical voice, "In-tru-der! In-tru-der! Prepare to be destroyed!"

Laura couldn't resist a weak laugh.

Another figure soon joined the robot. It was a tall villainous looking man, an obvious take-off on classic bad guys like Ming the Merciless, and the wicked sorcerers from the old animated films Laura had watched as a child. His costume seemed incomplete, consisting of a long shinning robe absent of designs or decorations. The man fixed his eyes on Laura, pointed dramatically, and opened his mouth. No sound came out. The man shouted at her silently, with dramatic expressions and gestures. It seemed like Tom had planned a lot for this character, but obviously he hadn't finished writing him.

"I thought I'd find you here."

Laura turned to see Tom stepping in from the hall. It was quite a sight, watching his dirty-blonde hair and red uniform switch to gray as soon as he entered the program.

"I'm sorry Tom," Laura shook her head apologetically. "I couldn't resist."

"It's alright," Tom said. "Wow, it's been so long since I've even looked at this program."

"It's fantastic!" Laura said. "I used to turn up my nose at monochrome programs. But I think I'm begging to like it." Looking around the gray canyons, she asked, "What made you scrap the project, if you don't mind my asking?"

"The, uh, 'Year of Hell,' as we all so affectionately call it." Tom grimaced. "I…was a little distracted that year. After things calmed down again, I didn't want to be reminded of it." Laura opened her mouth to apologize but he cut her off. "Before you apologize, don't. I'm glad to be here again. It feels so… nostalgic."

Laura looked down awkwardly, then resumed gazing around the program. "What's it called?"

Tom shrugged. "I told you yesterday, I never picked out a name."

"Not even a working title?"

"Well," Tom looked down at the phony rock ground. "I think, the last time I was working on this, I was debating between two names." He blinked, clearly embarrassed by how corny they'd sound. "Either 'Buck Starkiller,' or 'Captain Proton.'"

Larua's brunette eyebrows turned up. "Starkiller?"

"Inside joke. You have to be a sci-fi film-history geek to really get it."

Tom knew by now that he and Laura were both "film history geeks." But while Tom's interests leaned towards sci-fi serials and crime dramas, Laura was more inclined towards fantasy and animation.

"I think I like 'Captain Proton,'" Laura offered. "Sounds like a name for a real hero. Someone who'd," she shrugged, staring at the castle. "swing in from a space ship to rescue a moon princess, from a heard of Klingon blood walkers."

Tom laughed. "Is there any planet whose mythology you don't know?"

She gave it some thought. "I've never been able to find many fantasy creatures in Vulcan mythology. And I'm not too keen on Tarkillian creatures, they all seem to be your typical run-of-the-mill monsters and demons. Nothing really creative. But…" she came back around to the villain and the robot, who were now engaging in a half-silent argument. "…this character reminds me of a Ganara demon, from Bolian mythology. The legend is that if you eat the ganara fruit right after a relative has died, a man will emerge from the fruit's core and offer you two wishes. One wish will solve all your problems and the but the other one always comes back to bite you. For some reason, the art always depicts the demon as being really tall and slim, with robes just like that. Maybe you could work that mythology into your story. Have this guy offer people bad deals or something..." she shrugged again. "I don't know, it's just an idea."

"Like a genie," Tom said. "Yeah, Chaotica does have a genie look about him."

"Chaotica?"

"That's his name. Dr. Chaotica."

Laura shook her head. "Oh Tom, you gotta change that!"

"Like hell I will!" Tom laughed. "It's a 1930s serial, it's supposed to be cheesy. Speaking of serials," Tom stepped closer to Laura, and put his arms around her. "I was thinking we could have an evening at the cabin tonight."

Laura's face lit up. "I love your cabin!"

"The cabin" was a program that Tom and Kes had created, shortly after their marriage. Tom had programmed it as a family getaway, with something for everyone. There was a garden filled with Ocampan fruits and flowers for Kes to tend; a lake where Tom had taught his wife, daughter and grandson how to swim and canoe; and a little 1950s-styled TV set inside the house, where Tom would show family members old TV programs from the 20th century. Kes and Tom never really shared interest in the soap operas and crime shows they respectively loved, but they both could enjoy a good drama or cartoon. Linnis had grown up watching "Looney Tunes," mafia movies, and monster flicks with her father.

"Yeah," Tom said. "Let's go to the cabin. We can finish talking about Captain Proton over a cookout."

Tom ordered the computer to change the program, and the black and white planet phased out into a colorful forest. Atop a small hill sat the little red cabin. The house could easily have been something out of the early twentieth or even nineteenth century; the only modern additions that could be seen from outside were the automatic door and un-segmented windows.

"So," Tom said as they stepped inside the little house. "I'm thinking we can go for a swim, eat dinner around a campfire, and then maybe a movie?"

Laura smiled at the cute little TV set. "What kind of movie?"

"Whatever you're in the mood for. Just not one of those Disney cartoons, please. I could never get into those."

"I have a feeling women are more inclined to Disney," Laura said.

"Probably. Kes and Linnis both loved watching the princess movies together. Andrew never got into Disney too much, although he did like Robin Hood and 101 Dalmatians a lot, 'till he…" Tom's blue eyes faltered. "Till he grew out of it."

Andrew had grown out of cartoons less than three months earlier.

"I can't believe he's a teenager now," Tom said quietly. "He's probably fifteen in human years. What's Linnis gonna say when she wakes up?"

A month and a half after the Unimatrix Zero incident, Linnis Paris was still unconscious in Sickbay. If it had been anyone else in the crew—or hell, if it had been Linnis before Andrew was born—feelings wouldn't be half as tense. With all the bizarre injuries a Starfleet officer suffered, spending a few months in a coma was hardly a big deal. If it were Vorik, or Neelix, or one of the Delaney sisters, everyone would react as if they were simply on leave for a while. But with Linnis asleep, every day had the family and the entire crew on edge, as they watched Andrew age rapidly while his mother slept.

"At least he hasn't hit his eulogium yet," Laura pointed out, hoping to help.

"If he ever has one," Tom added. "The Doc still doesn't know how puberty's gonna play out for Andrew. I guess I should be relieved he at least has his dad around."

Hoping to change the subject, Laura said, "I didn't bring my swimsuit." She sighed, scratching the back of her neck. "Do you think we could just have the holodeck cook one up, holographic costume and all that?"

On the holodeck, one could have a "costume" built into the program, essentially a holographic illusion wrapped around their body. Most people however chose to replicate their own real costumes, for the sake of authenticity.

"That could be dangerous," Tom said coyly, wrapping his arms around her again. "What if Voyager gets blasted by hostile aliens, and the power goes off? Our costumes could just disappear."

"Then I guess we shouldn't even bother with them," Laura grinned mischievously.

"Just hope Harry and Andrew don't decide to come in and join us."

"We can always lock the holodeck doors."

"Dr. Van Gough to Lt. Paris!"

Tom's tone instantly changed. This was possibly the only time when Tom wouldn't mind having a romantic evening interrupted by the Doctor. "I'm here Doc."

"Linnis is awake. Get your entire family down here. I'll call the captain."

"I'll be right down!"

As Tom made for the door, Laura stood where she was, fiddling with the sleeve of her uniform. "I'll head back to the Cargo Bay," she finally said.

Tom paused to look at her.

"It'd probably be better," Laura said. "If she…got to know me when she was ready."

Tom looked away, as he considered the situation. He'd never had to tell his daughter that he was seeing someone. In fact, most of the crew didn't know about Tom and Laura yet. A lot of people would no doubt consider their relationship to be in poor taste; Tom dating again less than two months after his wife's death, and with his daughter in a coma. But Tom and Laura had both needed it. They were both lonely, and both had a lot of problems they wanted to forget about fast, and without each other they would have gone insane. He hoped that Linnis's slowed sense of time would make it seem less awful to her.

Tom nodded. "Yeah, yeah okay. I'm sorry for wrecking our date Laura."

"No Tom! She's your daughter! Go. Now!"


Linnis slowly sat up in the bed, and blinked widely, trying to make sure nothing was wrong with her eyes. She recognized her father, and her husband Harry. But her son Andrew looked warped. Stretched. He was almost as tall as Harry, and is face looked more masculine. She realized he was a teenager.

"Andrew?" she breathed.

"Mom," Andrew said, in a noticeably deeper voice than he'd had the last time they'd spoken.

After a long, tight hug, Linnis said with a cracking voice, "Oh Andrew, you're all grown up!"

"I'm only seven months old," Andrew said sheepishly. "Well, seven and a half."

The doors hissed opened, and Captain Chakotay joined them around the bed.

"Captain!"

Linnis threw off the blanket and moved around, ready to jump off the bed. But Chakotay motioned for her to remain on the bed.

"At ease, Nurse."

"Captain," Linnis said urgently. "I've just remembered something important. I spoke with aliens. Aliens that can defeat the Borg."

Chakotay's face froze.

Tom gave his daughter a look. "You were dreaming, Linnis."

Linnis chewed her lip with frustration. "Look. You all must remember when the Borg were at war with that alien race a few years back, when I was a baby. You all told me enough times, that was the only way we made it this far without getting assimilated. The Borg were too busy fighting some race, from another dimension. That's what you told me, right?"

The Doctor answered for everyone, "That's correct Linnis."

"I chose not to get us involved," Chakotay said sternly, "And I'm still standing by that decision."

"But they can help us!" Linnis urged. "They told me—"

"Slow down a little," Harry cut in. "What do you mean, you 'talked' to them? You mean they came to you, in a dream?"

"Yes! No. I wasn't in a dream… but I wasn't in their world either. I can't describe it. I can just tell you that we were connected, somehow. No," she corrected herself, "not 'somehow,' they told me how! It was," Linnis's hazel eyes squinted. "They said that the Borg technology in my brain, the neural transceiver, combined with my telepathy, was able to project my thoughts farther than any being they'd seen yet. They wanted to know if I was with the Borg. I told them I wasn't." She brought her hands up to examine them, then felt her face. "I don't have any Borg technology left inside me?"

"No," the Doctor said. "I removed it while you were unconscious. Including the transceiver."

"That must be how I got stuck," Linnis spoke slowly, her face distant. "Yes. I…was stretched from my body, by that transceiver and my telepathy…the aliens got a hold of me…then the transceiver is gone, and I'm suddenly left in their clutches. They spent forever trying to help me get back home. Trying to place my consciousness back into my body."

"Wait a minute," Tom glanced at the Doctor, then back at Linnis. "Are you saying the reason you were 'out of your body' this whole time is because the Doc took that transceiver out of your brain? So you had no way to get back?"

Linnis's eyes met the Doctor's. "It's not your fault Doctor. There's no way you could possibly have known."

"Even if I had," the Doctor said, "That Borg technology was harmful to your body, especially the parts in your brain. If I'd left it inside any of you for too long, you might have become full drones."

Tom folded his arms. "So it took these aliens a month to figure out how to send you back home?"

"Well they had to locate Voyager, and I presume you were moving." Linnis shook her head. "I didn't know. I didn't know how much time was passing. There was no time, there. I just…" She looked at Andrew again, and closed her eyes. "Well, enough about me." She began rubbing one eye. "What did I miss here, besides Andrew's growth spurt?"

Tom and Harry exchanged a glance.

Harry finally said, "A bit."


Linnis lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. Andrew was fast asleep in his bedroom. Harry was changing into his pajamas.

"I'm gone for one month, and look what I miss," Linnis said to the ceiling. "Andrew's a teenager. Two Borg drones have joined the crew. And Jenarro Gaiya is now Jenarro Xin," she brought her hand up to her forehead.

"He was supposed to have six months," Harry said. "Shardan Xin, I mean. The original host who we rescued from Unimatrix Zero. If he hadn't been regenerating right when that Hirogen ship attacked us…"

"Must've been a lot happening at once." Linnis said.

"The Trills had to make a split-second decision. None of us expected Jenarro to get the symbiont. But it wasn't safe for Mar, and no one was gonna force that on Tremony, with her being so against it."

"He's so different now." Linnis mused. "I mean I admit, I never knew Jenarro all that well. But he's nothing like that stuttering nerd we used to know. Billy says he doesn't even hang out with him or Tal anymore. He spends more time with older people, like Mar and Lt. Jackson and Tuvok…" Linnis rolled onto her side, facing Harry, who was just climbing into bed. "What's wrong with Tuvok anyway?"

Harry didn't bother to ask how Linnis knew something was wrong with Tuvok. His half-telepath wife usually caught on to secrets before anyone else onboard.

"I don't know," Harry said honestly. "Neither Chakotay or the Doctor will tell me. They say it's a personal matter for Tuvok. If you ask me though, I don't think he's sick in the sense that he has the Terillian flue. I think it's something up here," he tapped his temple.

Linnis's hazel eyes drifted in thought. "You always did tell me Commander Tuvok went crazy a lot." She shook her head. "That was an awful thing to say."

"Awful but true." Harry sighed, shutting the dresser drawer. "Seven years of getting possessed by aliens and botched mind-melds would have a bad effect on anyone. Never mind a Vulcan. I think this might wind up being one of our more hectic years on Voyager."

After a pause, Linnis said, "At least Dad's happy."

Harry eyed her. "What do you mean?"

Linnis looked over her shoulder to face him. "I know he's seeing someone." She rolled back over. "I won't ask who. But I can tell. I could sense it, back in Sickbay. That he has a partner."

Harry had learned not to even bother asking how Linnis "sensed" these things. She'd tried and failed enough times to explain it to him. It wasn't like a Betazoid, who picked up on others' emotions. Ocampans were straight-up telepaths, who could "hear" or "see" people's direct thoughts (under the right circumstances). Linnis, being only half Ocampan, "heard" and "saw" those thoughts in a "blurred, muffled" sense.

"He didn't plan it," Harry said carefully. "I think they're just both really lonely right now."

"It's fine Harry," Linnis said. "I'm happy for him. It's fine."

She didn't sound "fine."