August 2375, Delta Quadrant

The Doctor had been on one of his ships. Tom knew that the minute he started giving descriptions of it. They were atwar,it meant his people were going nonstop. A major part of him wanted him to be back there on the front. If there was a way to get them back he would be determined to figure it out.

They would knowthe files werefound. The family could be certain that the files would remain secure. Curiosity had gotten the better of him, he had opened them and started reading. Growing up, he had heard repeatedly that he was Dan Reed reincarnated. Reading the details, it made him realize that was not who he wanted to be.

He knew it wasn't his team anymore. TheProthemus, it had been their ship, the news had come in of the lost crew just hours before her wedding. "A little engrossed are we Tom?" B'Elanna Torres slid in across from him. "You seem to be devouring the news from home."

"Okay, let's see my best friend, who at one point served under me made Captain." Tom let the disappointment show in his face. "On top of it he just married my sister, I would've never predicted that. It's an unspokenrule,you just don't go there. Everyone is still coping with the fact that my grandfather is actually dead."

"That's a lot to take in about 30seconds,I'll give you that much Tom." She smiled at him. "But at least you know your family still cares about you. It must be reassuring for your father to know you're not screwing up out here."

"As long as I'm alive and far away they can deal with it. Maura's made full Commander, they're too busy relishing in thatfact. Medical officers rarely make full Commander in under a decade—she's picking up the slack from my fall." He sighed, leaving out the news of his mother's fifth star. "I'm out here I can't be that much of an embarrassment."

"Your mother?"B'Elanna looked at him with interest. "Is she the typical Fleet spouse that believes fleet comes first and family comes second? I'm assuming a senior Admiral's wife would automatically think like that."

"I wouldn't know she went AWOL when I was a baby. I wouldn't know her if she came and sat next to me. My step-mother managed to balance fleet and family, which alone makes her an enlightened officer. But she made Admiral three years before my father, so it doesn't say much." The Commandment's son knew how to keep a straight face."She raised us so we wouldn't be constantly cracking under pressure. But, in the end she's just as bad if not worse than my father. All Admirals put the fleet first, everything else second. It comes with the promotion."

August 2375, Outer Banks

The Commander looked up when she noticed something was blocking her sun. "3 weeks, you promised me 3 freaking weeks of peace Aunt Nikki. We've been married 5 days, and Todd's already been called in."

Nikki plopped her beach chair down next to her younger cousin. "First of all, Starfleet Medical needed his expertise. If you were a family member of that poor kid, you would want Todd doing the surgery. Captain Jackson is still fully much on vacation; Dr. Jackson has a higher oath and that means saving lives. It was nothing to do with us." The Admiral smiled. "I had a free afternoon, and figured I could use the sun as much as you could. I think it's a trait we must have inherited from Pops. It's definitely not a Reed-Archer trait, I've never seen Aunt Katie or Mac go near sun."

"In other words, you wanted to brief me on what we know from the Prothemus and figured you would never actually be able to get me into headquarters?" Maura reached for her tea. "What did we get from the Voyager EMH? How many did I lose?"

"Just Scott. The op Tom didn't know about is still on board, something tells me the two of them figured it out and are scrutinizing her every move. Mike's in one piece, field commissioned 3 ranks lower than he is." Nikki sighed. "I'm so tempted to tell your parents some of what is going on. I just thank my lucky stars that your father is so clueless sometimes."

"Has he always been like that, or was it the incident?" She sighed. "From what I've heard he came back a different person."

"He was affected by it. It didn't change him massively." Nikki leaned back in her beach chair. "But, he's a mediocre officer. Any other parents and he would have never made Captain, Admiral would've been a far off dream. He knows it too. There was a reason he wanted me as his right arm, and it's the same reason I stayed loyal to him for those 13 years. I could've made Captain 8 years earlier than I did, but I had the sense of duty."

"I know. It was protection more than anything, you kept him from messing up too much." The physiatrist in her knew that her father the most insecure multiple star in the fleet. "Though, I bet even you couldn't protect him from Harlot."

"You know as much as I know that it was Pops." Nikki let a grin escape. "He wanted a grandson that he could mold in his own image. It was one of his most perfectly executed operations ever. It got him your brother, and it was the perfect back story for converting the woman who by far is the best operative of all time. Your brother deserves better than that."

"Of course, no one needs to know that their birth was a full out Section 31 operation." The Commander rolled her eyes. "How are Aunt Katie and Uncle Jake holding up?"

"They never gave up hope." Nikki smiled warmly at the joy her adoptive parents were facing. "They're coping with accepting the fact. To lose not one but both sons to the same monsters; it makes me shudder."

San Francisco, October 2375

"Would you come to bed finally?" Julia groggily stood at the door to her husband's study. "The files can wait to the morning, and you need sleep O."

"And the pot is still calling the kettle black." He looked up from the pads. "I want to at least have half an idea of what we're looking at. I mean he's still alive Jules, it's redemption for the way I reacted."

"Nothing's going to change the way we raised our kids." She plopped down onto the couch and curled her feet up. "He's a good officer- you and I both know that. I'm sure he's a trusted member of the senior staff."

"If he wasn't my son, he would've never been ousted like that. The name did it to him." Owen sighed. "At 24 he was three times the officer I could ever be. He should be sitting behind a desk as Admiral now, not flying a tin can halfway across the galaxy."

"Did the EMH make any reference to the files?" Julia yawned. "Obviously if they have Annika and they have the Raven, the files must be there."

"No, which means either they were destroyed or Tom and Tuvok secured them." He put the pads down. "They're bad aren't they?"

"That's the understatement of Federation history." She had been one of the few to see most of them. "I don't think she was ever fully stable. And having your grandfather sent her over an unheard of dark edge. They almost make me understand why Kathleen fled. I would've thought twice about my choice to be both a mother and officer if I read them before giving birth."

"Kathleen fleeing had nothing to do with you as a mother. She was angry and resentful from the time we started dating." His step-daughter had never been an easy person. "Nothing could've changed that. I mean, she didn't even acknowledge the invitation to Maura's wedding. That's just inhumane."

"I wish half the time we didn't acknowledge the invitation to Maura's wedding." Julia let a small smile escape. "It turned our sane level headed daughter into a monster. Happy and blushing, but a monster."

He stood up from his desk with a smile. "You raising her or not, there's a lot of Matilda in Maura. Makes me wonder some days what they would be like if she was around to raise them. Maybe we should at least get some sleep. What time are you out in the morning?"

"We're leaving at 0800." She pulled herself up off the couch. "Did I ever tell you how much I hate this? This one was a 31 order. I would like to find out who's in charge of those bastards one day. They freaking answer to no one, yet give me nothing but headaches. If they're going to do their job they can have their own martial."

"You know you never will. They're the best at what they do." He led his wife back to their bedroom. "To be honest, I wouldn't want to know, covert still scares the shit out of me."

"Part of me hopes that they have Tom." She sighed. "That our son did not crash and burn the way he did. I know that's just wishful thinking."

"Could be. They're system is designed so the ops don't even know each other." He watched as she fell asleep the minute her head hit the pillow. "All that matters is that he's alive and healthy Jules. That's all I care about."

Voyager, April 2376

Sitting in the brig cell, Tom wondered how much his parents had actually discovered. His sister and best friend were two of their best, by all means they were keeping whatever it was quiet.

"You know when they find out about this demotion, you're going to hear about it for all eternity." Ayala leaned back against the control panel. "Maura probably will name her first born Ensign Thomas."

"Don't you start with me either Mikey." He glared at his operative and sighed. "I know that I should've called it. I could've set the array to self destruct and had us home in a matter of days. Part of me was half tempted to laugh in Janeway's face yesterday and call rank. The look on her face would've been classic."

"You would've had to out me at the same time. You wouldn't trust her to serve as your XO, you and I both know that." The lieutenant sighed. "IT was bad enough him finding out Tuvok and Seska, could you have imagined what would've happened if he found out I was an infiltrator of infiltrators."

"You've been under way too long, I wouldn't have dreamed of outing you." Tom leaned back on the bunk in the brig. "We were still planning on how to get you out safely and quietly."

"Dying again might be fun." The Betazoid let out a crackle. "I was thinking maybe Xrillian this time. The human thing is getting boring, I'm just lucky no one has caught on yet. That or I've become way too good at disguising the telepathic ability"

"The suppressants work, we know that. Thankfully, the doctor wasn't programmed to recognize the active ingredients. And as long as you don't pull a Seska, your secret is perfectly safe." The Captain rolled his eyes. "If we make it home and we both want active duty still, I'm sure Todd will be more than happy to do the surgery. You're going to make me call you sir aren't you?"

"Of course I am Ensign." Ayala smiled widely. "Forget a court martial, I'd get killed if I don't. They're going to want some consolation that they couldn't witness the single pip themselves. Though, it might do you good to spend the usual amount of time as an Ensign. The first time it was barely 4 months, that's totally unfair."

"I won't call it because of my so called relationship." Tom sighed. "I guess I should have known better than to get too involved. There's so much she doesn't know."

"Why do you think I've kept my distance Tom? It's not like my cover was a real marriage. Your feelings for B'Elana are not what you had." He nodded knowingly at the man he still considered his commanding officer. "Mor was heartbroken about you when we first went under. I know you're still furious at Todd, but the two of them are hiding so much together. There's a reason most of us have those incestuous relationships."

"I only wish I told her earlier. The first month we were working I had already fallen hard for her." Tom sighed. "Would it have kept her out and public, probably not, but it would've been nice to have her even if it was for only a few days. She's?

"Andorian." Ayala smiled. "The plan was to get her onto Romulus to assist with the reunification efforts. I'm assuming that was the reason we had a ship out there. Hopefully."

"Hopefully." Tom took the news in with some hope. "The doctor didn't say anything about a dead Andorian or Bolian. That is unless they found a way to change her again."

Jupiter Station, May 2376

The Commander sighed as she finally walked back to her quarters. It was time for two solid weeks of sleep. They were falling apart on the front, the psychological implications were overwhelming. Maura haphazardly tossed her bags down in their living room. Her husband stood there with a big giant grin on his face. "What's wrong? I look like this and you seem way too happy to see me. I know you didn't miss me that much."

"Ensign Paris. Would you believe that there's an Ensign Thomas Eugene Paris piloting a tin can 55,000 light years away from here?" Todd picked his wife up and swung her around. "Ensign! He's been demoted to freaking Ensign! I mean that has to put a smile on your face."

"I would've killed to see Mom and Dad's faces when they heard it." She let him put her down as she burst out laughing. "Why he never called it is beyond me? I wonder if I can declare him insane and make that a permanent rank demotion."

"Don't you dare." The doctor calmed down from his hysterical laughter. "We should have files within a day or two, you up for the review?"

"As long as there are no cases of traumatic stress I'm up for it." She smiled as she walked towards the bathroom. "As soon as I take a long hot shower we need to start trying. We're so naming our first child Ensign."

"As long as it's a grandchild your mother won't be complaining." He watched her shed the uniform. "He's involved with one of the former Maquis. I didn't think he had that in him."

"It's Tom we're talking about. You know how often he brought girls home from the bars, what did you expect?" Maura called out over the water. "The poor thing probably has no clue as to what he is."

"Or who your parents are." Todd plopped onto the couch. "Could you imagine finding out that the most powerful woman in the fleet is your mother-in-law?"

Voyage, March 2377

He had crashed onto the couch with a beer and the team files. The chimes on his door rang, the life that he wanted back would have to wait. Tom was not the least bit surprised to see the former drone in front of him as pale as a ghost. "Seven, are you okay? Who said what?"

"My grandfather." Almost an hour after reading the letter, she hadn't even begun to comprehend any of it. "I mean I knew my grandparents were officers but . . ."

"You weren't expecting them, there's a reason we generally don't acknowledge it. It takes some of the pressure off." He sighed "Aunt Katie and Uncle Jake never lost hope. It's just the way they are."

"You never lost your commission Tom." Seven had an idea from the language in the letter that the prison term wasn't a prison term. "You're never going to actually disclose your actual rank are you?"

"Let's just say if I did it would mean displacing the Senior Staff. Plus, it would ruin any chance of keeping my career on its track when we return home." He smiled. "I know its driving my father crazy, and that alone makes it worth it. You obviously know from Uncle Jake's letter."

"The Borg knew the sense of irony in that one." The former drone smiled. "My grandfather's primary work is on cybernetic beings isn't it?"

"Starfleet's foremost expert. Has been and always will be. They met when he was one of Pops' students, and Aunt Katie was handling a toddler crisis." Paris smiled. "I spent a lot time around them when I was little. They were two admirals who always had time and energy for us to be around. They saw my sister and me as the grandchildren they never got the chance to spoil."

"Am I their only grandchild?" She looked at him in awe, still taking in the news. "Or did my aunts and uncle have children?"

"Melanie is the same age as my baby sister. Aunt Nikki and Uncle Brian waited until they had permanent postings to have a family. The two of them were inseparable for most of their childhood. J.P.'s sons were a few years older than I was. I never really knew them well." He paused. "You're going to need time to digest this all."

"Yes I will." Seven smiled. She watched him walk towards the replicator and order a pizza. "Should I even broach it with the rest of the ship?"

"The only one that knows is Tuvok, his mother's a Tucker. He keeps it more quiet than anyone. B'Elanna thinks I'm a random Admiral's son." Paris laughed as he brought the pizza to the table. "It would hold me to a different standard. Being an Admiral's son leads to pressure, being the Reed-Archer takes that pressure and multiplies it by 200. Even Spock never tells anyone, and he was the son that Dan Reed never really had. At least eat something real Seven, you might find the comfort in something chewy. We usually do."

"My grandfather mentioned the Archer files?" Seven paused. "Do you know anything about that? I didn't see anything in the data base, but that doesn't mean they weren't on the Raven."

"We have them secured. If you would like to see them they definitely have their merit." Paris sat down across from her. "It was sort of a deal that if any of us ever found them they would be automatically secured. If their contents ever went public, Federation History would be rewritten. That's how damaging she was in her psychotic state."

"From what I gathered Daniel Reed never married, he just kept his son and his career on an equally balanced scale." Seven sighed. "There's more to it isn't there?"

"From what I got out of Pops is that Grandpa Dan knew something wasn't right, that she was a fully different person after giving birth. Back then a baby on a ship was unheard of, and it wasn't like there were bases all over." Paris sighed. "She tucked her month old son into his crib and told her fiancée that she was off to her office to finish crew reports. Within the hour, she had disabled the warp core and was gone. It was almost 20 years before they found the shuttle. The logs basically set out that she was going to try to find the cybernetic beings that were referenced in her father's logs. The woman was psychotically driven to go on a wild goose chase."

"I'll take your word on it." Seven sighed. "I had a feeling they contained facts that were beyond classified. I'm not ready to see humanity at its worse."

"The crazy gene skips a generation." He cracked a laugh. "The psychotic part isn't the worst. It's the stuff that stayed fully classified for all these years. It's what they did, the Borg, the Ferengi, changing the genetic make-up of the Klingon upper class, faking the death of a decorated engineer so his child could grow up hidden. If anybody besides family knew, the whole UFP would be thrown into a massive upheaval."