Serendipity

by Andra Marie Mueller

In this sequel to "A Separate Peace", a quirk of Fate and a transporter accident bring together Erin Janeway and our universe's Tom Paris. In the midst of fighting a deadly enemy, two shattered souls will discover that true love can happen twice in a lifetime.

"Serendipity"
By
Andra Marie Mueller

Disclaimer: CBS Broadcasting Inc. and Paramount Pictures are the legal owners of the characters of "Star Trek: Voyager". I just borrow them for my own nefarious purposes and to give them real lives.

"Nothing is impossible to a willing heart." - Joan Heywood

U.S.S. VOYAGER - XALL COLONY, ALPHA QUADRANT - NEAR FUTURE

"Bridge to Transporter Room. What's your status?"

"We're going to attempt transport now, Captain," Joe Carey's voice answered, "but with all of the interference from the chronoton radiation we can only beam them aboard one at a time."

"Acknowledged."

Voyager was in orbit around Xall, a large monarchial planet on the border of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, where the crew had been enjoying Shore Leave while the Xallons celebrated their recent induction into the Federation. It also marked the two-year anniversary of the ship's return to the Alpha Quadrant and loss of B'Elanna Torres, who had been killed when a malfunction in the warp engines triggered by the slipstream drive had caused a rupture in one of the plasma conduits. The resulting explosion took the lives of the Chief Engineer, her unborn daughter and three members of her staff. Her death had sent Tom Paris into an emotional tailspin, and he had spent several months in intensive grief therapy before his heart had begun to recover.

As members of the last group to get leave, he and Harry had been planetside barely an hour when a sudden series of temporal rifts had appeared on the sensors, accompanied by lightening like flashes of chronoton radiation, and the captain had immediately issued a recall of the crew. The rifts were beginning to open more frequently and the radiation flashes were increasing in intensity, wreaking havoc with the transporters and preventing the use of a shuttlecraft to retrieve the crewmembers still planetside.

"Carey to Bridge. Lieutenant Kim is on board but we've lost Commander Paris."

"What happened?" Kathryn demanded.

"There was a particularly strong flash of the chronoton radiation just as we initiated the transport, and it scrambled his signal. By the time we stabilized the transporter buffer, his pattern was gone.''

"Keep trying, Mister Carey. Transport him directly to the Bridge when you find him."

"Aye, Captain."

Kathryn glanced at her Tactical Officer, an attractive Human woman named Sydney LaShea. "Commander, is there any chance he rematerialized on Xall?"

"It's extremely unlikely," LaShea answered, "but I'll try to adjust the sensors to compensate for the temporal interference and search for Commander Paris' signal."

"Run a scan for his bio-signature as well."

As LaShea entered the appropriate commands into her computer, Kathryn shifted her gaze to Chakotay. "I hope he's all right," she said.

The XO gave her a reassuring smile. "Knowing Tom, he's probably rematerialized in paradise and has met the next love of his life."

U.S.S. ENTERPRISE - XALL COLONY, ALPHA QUADRANT - ANOTHER TIME

In the Ten Forward Lounge, Captain Erin Janeway-Katsaros was in the midst of a friendly debate with her brother and Chief Engineer Morgan Janeway, over their current mission. Starfleet Command had ordered the Enterprise to Xall, a monarchial planet that was on the edge of Federation space on the Alpha Quadrant border. Ten years previously, Morgan and Erin's father Chakotay had negotiated the original truce between Xall and Quetal, an aggressive militaristic race that was distantly related to Cardassians and resided on the other side of the border in the Beta Quadrant. The two races had been mortal enemies for as long as anyone could remember, but King Dazan Katsaros had managed to convince the Quetalan Prefect Xilef Taceht to allow the Federation to mediate a truce between them. But five years ago, a surprise attack claimed the lives of over one hundred Xallons, including Andreas Katsaros, Erin's husband and heir to the Xallon monarchy. The assault had severed the truce and ignited another civil war between the two races. The most recent attack involved a Quetalan assault on the colony's main continent, resulting in the destruction of the capital city, Yaren, and the death of Xall's ruler, King Dazan.

Desperate to put a halt to the bloody battle, the Federation Council had sent a delegation of tacticians to assist Xall in formulating a permanent defense against Quetal. The decision to have the delegates travel aboard the Enterprise was unanimous; aside from the ship's status as the flagship of the Fleet, the Admiralty hoped that sending their most powerful starship to Xall would make it clear to the Quetalans just how seriously Starfleet Command was taking their private little war.

"I take you still think this is a bad idea," Morgan said.

Erin shrugged. "Violence begets violence," she allowed. "I thought the Federation figured that out thirty-five years ago when their conflict with the Maquis escalated into war with the Dominion."

"The Federation doesn't want this war, Erin, and they intend to stop it before it starts."

"I'm sure they used that same excuse when Starfleet persecuted the Maquis for defending their homes against the Cardassians."

"You sound like Dad," Morgan remarked.

"Compensation for inheriting mostly Mom's looks," Erin deadpanned.

Morgan smiled at the longstanding joke, as all four Janeway siblings were well known for their strong resemblance to their parents. Thirty-four-year-old Erin favored their mother, with midnight blue eyes and Kathryn's facial structure. Yet her chestnut hair and light bronze skin were a shade darker than Kathryn's, and she was 5'7" to her mother's 5'4". Her twin, Dorvan, was every inch his father's son, complete with Chakotay's temper. Thirty-one-year-old Morgan was an even blend of both parents, with Chakotay's dark eyes and Kathryn's fair skin and chestnut hair. At thirty, Royce was the youngest Janeway and the reverse of Morgan; Kathryn's dark blue eyes and Chakotay's bronze skin and black hair. The quartet also had one other thing in common: Out of respect to Chakotay's heritage, each of his offspring had chosen to mark themselves with a replica of his distinctive feather tattoo, the symbol of his father's tribe. His sons displayed it across their left temples as Chakotay did, while Erin bore it on her left shoulder.

"As long as we're on the subject of our illustrious parents, how did Mom manage to talk you into accepting this assignment?" Morgan asked. "I can't imagine it was voluntary."

"It wasn't. Mom pulled rank and made it an order."

"Ouch. I imagine you had quite a battle over that."

"Nothing more heated than usual."

"I imagine returning to Xall has resurrected old ghosts," Morgan said carefully.

"It always does," Erin allowed, "but as Mom so graciously pointed out, being a Starfleet Captain doesn't afford many opportunities for pity parties."

The siblings' conversation was interrupted by the arrival of the lounge's unofficial hostess; an El-Aurian woman named Guinan. Rumored to be over six hundred years old, Guinan had first come on board when the Enterprise-D had been under the command of Jean-Luc Picard. She had disappeared after Picard's promotion to Admiral forced him to relinquish the ship to Erin's predecessor, Evan Bradford. Yet she had mysteriously reappeared four years ago when command of the newly commissioned Enterprise-F had been granted to Erin, and was now the captain's unofficial advisor and close friend.

"Captain, Lieutenant," she greeted. "May I get either of you a refill?"

"Not for me, Guinan, thanks," Morgan demurred, and got to his feet. "I've got the early shift tomorrow, so I'm turning in. Erin, don't forget we have a hoverball match at 0600 the day after tomorrow."

"You are a glutton for punishment, aren't you, little brother?" Erin taunted.

"Hey, one of these days I will beat you," Morgan retorted affectionately. "Good night, Guinan."

"Good night, Lieutenant."

Morgan headed out of the lounge as Guinan returned her attention to Erin. "What about you, Captain? Ready to call it a night?"

"Oh, yes. Whoever came up with the theory that all little girls wanted to grow up and become princesses obviously never dealt with royalty."

Guinan smiled at the younger woman's remark. Given her personal connection to the royal family, Erin had chosen to attend that evening's welcoming reception at the Palace attired in civilian formal wear instead of her dress uniform, although protocol dictated that she wear a combadge. She was dressed in a sleeveless dark blue velvet gown that while perfectly appropriate, nonetheless did little to hide the figure beneath it. Her chestnut hair was free from its usual restriction of a ponytail or braid and fell to the middle of her back. She'd inherited "the best of both worlds" in terms of her parents' physical appearance, and was a remarkably striking woman. Yet Erin was oblivious to her looks, and was more at home in her uniform than the attire her brothers affectionately dubbed "girl clothes."

"So I take it Cinderella is ready to turn back into an ordinary woman?" Guinan prompted.

"Ordinary is underrated, and the shoes are much more comfortable," Erin answered wryly, referring to the three-inch heels adorning her feet.

Just then the voice of Erin's Chief of Security, a dark-skinned Vulcan named Sek who was the son of her mother's former Chief of Security Tuvok, filtered out of her combadge.

"Security to Janeway-Katsaros."

"Katsaros here."

"Captain, we appear to have acquired an unexpected guest," Sek told her. "Would you please come to Transporter Room Two?"

"I'm on my way." She severed the transmission and glanced at Guinan. "It's not Q, is it?"

The El-Aurian smiled. "Would I be this calm if it was?"

Erin chuckled. "Good point. I'll see you later."

The captain started for the door when Guinan suddenly called out to her. "Captain…"

The younger woman turned expectantly. "Yes, Guinan?"

"Do you believe in love at first sight?"

Surprise at the unusual question flickered across Erin's refined features. "Where did that come from?"

"Do you?" Guinan pressed.

She considered the idea for a moment before responding. "Anything's possible I suppose. Why?"

"No reason," Guinan deflected.

Erin gave her a curious glance, but knowing Sek was waiting for her prevented her from pursuing the issue. Bidding her friend farewell, the captain exited Ten Forward.

"So you're telling me that I've not only materialized on the wrong ship, but in the wrong timeline?" Tom pressed.

"That would appear to be the case," Sek allowed.

"Unbelievable."

Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Erin, and Tom felt his heart skip a beat at the sight of her.

Who are you? he wondered silently.

Feeling the power of Tom's gaze, Erin glanced in his direction and felt a rush of awareness go through her as their eyes met.

Do you believe in love at first sight?

The question Guinan had asked her only moment before passed through her mind as she held Tom's gaze. Shaking off her wayward thoughts, Erin acknowledged Sek with a brief glance before she addressed Tom. "I'm Captain Erin Janeway-Katsaros. Who are you and what are you doing on my ship?"

"Lieutenant Commander Tom Paris, at your service."

"Tom Paris?" Erin echoed, and glanced at Sek. "Let me guess; this somehow involves a temporal paradox."

"That is correct, Captain."

She rubbed her forehead in an unconscious imitation of her mother, allowing Tom a partial glimpse of the dark marking adorning her left shoulder, which he subconsciously recognized but could not immediately place.

I've seen that somewhere before, he thought.

"Mom's going to love this," Erin mumbled.

"Is your mother by chance Kathryn Janeway?" Tom asked.

"Yes. I take it you know her?"

"In my timeline, she's my commanding officer."

"So that means you're from Voyager," Erin deduced. "That explains the uniform."

"Just out of curiosity, do I have a counterpart in this timeline?"

Sek glanced questioningly at Erin, who merely shrugged, then shifted his gaze to Tom. "In this timeline, Commander Thomas Paris was a casualty of the Dominion War thirty years ago."

The younger man blanched at the revelation. "Sorry I asked," he muttered.

"What were you doing in your timeline prior to the temporal shift?" Sek asked.

Tom gave them a brief explanation of the events that had occurred, concluding with the attempt to transport him off of Xall that had resulted in his 'arrival' in their timeline. Once he was finished, Erin glanced at her security chief.

"Did our sensors detect any chronoton radiation or other temporal anomalies when he transported into our universe?" she questioned.

"Yes, Captain. Immediately prior to Commander Paris' 'arrival', Ensign Finn detected a large surge of chronoton radiation near the base of the planet's southern continent."

"I assume you contacted the Science Counsel to inquire about its source?"

"Yes, but they did not know what caused it."

The captain smiled. "That's not a very useful answer, Sek," she said dryly. "Take Commander Paris to Sickbay and have Doctor T'Pere give him a full exam to make sure the temporal shift and exposure to the radiation haven't done him any serious damage. I'm going to contact the Bridge and have Ensign Finn run a full sensor sweep of the ship and surrounding space to see if we can figure out how he got here and if there's a way to send him back."

"I've been here all of ten minutes and already you're trying to get rid of me," Tom replied. "I'm crushed, Captain."

Erin afforded him a brief glance. "Tell me, Commander; what was your position on Voyager?"

"I was the conn officer, and the best pilot on the ship."

"A flyboy. I should have known. Arrogance is part of the job description."

"What do you want me to do with our guest, Captain?" Sek interjected.

"Once Doctor T'Pere is done with him, assign him guest quarters and add him to the duty roster for helm relief until we've determined how or if we can return his to his timeline."

"Aye, Captain."

"You're going to put me to work?" Tom asked.

The captain gave him a sideways glance. "This isn't a passenger ship, Flyboy," she chided. "Alternate universe or not, you're going to earn your keep."

Bidding them farewell, Erin exited the room, and once she was gone Tom addressed Sek. "That dress the captain was wearing isn't standard Starfleet issue," he remarked.

"The captain spent the evening on Xall attending a formal function," Sek explained. "Shall we go?"

"Lead the way."

Late the following day, Erin was in her Ready Room reviewing the latest personnel reports when the door chime sounded and she bid her visitor enter. Chakotay strode into the room and settled into a chair across from Erin's desk, flashing her a smile that still sent female hearts a flutter even at eighty.

"What's this I hear about an alternate universe's Tom Paris showing up here last night?" he asked.

"He materialized out of nowhere in Transporter Room Two," Erin answered. "Apparently he was at Xall in his timeline when a sudden chronoton radiation storm hit. They were trying to transport him back to Voyager, but he somehow materialized on the wrong ship and in the wrong time."

"Voyager, huh? Is Kathryn his captain?"

"That's what he tells us."

"Well, it's nice to know some things are universally consistent," Chakotay replied.

"I've had Sek and Ensign Finn running scans all day to try and find out how he got here, but so far nothing has turned up."

"What if nothing does?"

"Then we'll take him to Starfleet Headquarters and let them figure out what to do with him," Erin answered. "If he's half the pilot he claims to be, they should have no trouble finding him an assignment."

"I suppose not. Anyway, I'm heading to Ten Forward to meet Janelle and Sheridan for lunch. If you haven't eaten yet, you're welcome to come along."

"Thanks for the invite, Dad, but if I get any further behind in my paperwork, I'm going to need warp speed to catch up with it. I'll just replicate myself a sandwich or something."

"Spoken like your mother's daughter."

"At least I don't drink coffee every hour on the hour."

"Touché. I'll see you later."

Chakotay got to his feet and started for the door. Just then the chime signaled again, prompting Erin to release a small sigh. "So much for catching up on paperwork," she muttered. "Come in."

The door slid open to admit Tom. "I apologize for disturbing you, Captain…"

He stopped in mid-sentence upon recognizing Chakotay, taking a full thirty seconds to register the differences between the friend he had left behind and the man before him. Although unable to determine his exact age, Tom could clearly see that this Chakotay was older, as evidenced by the gray hair at his temples and the abundance of crinkles around his eyes. But his tribal tattoo was still etched into his left temple, and Tom suddenly recognized it as the marking he had seen on Erin's shoulder the night before. Chakotay's her father, he deduced.

"Hello, Tom," Chakotay greeted. Physically there was no difference between the Tom Paris standing in front of him and the comrade he had lost so long ago. He only hoped that they had the same heart.

"Chakotay. What are you doing here?"

"At the moment, I'm on my way to have lunch with my granddaughter," Chakotay said.

"Ah…I assume that would be the lovely young redhead I saw with Morgan and Janelle."

"When did you meet my brother and his wife?" Erin asked.

"Commander Sek and I ran into them on the turbolift on our way to my quarters last night," Tom clarified. "Morgan and Janelle were very friendly, but Sheridan didn't seem too impressed with me."

"Don't take it personally, Tom," Chakotay said. "She's a little shy."

"A bashful Janeway? Wonders never cease."

"I heard that, Mister Paris," Erin cautioned.

"With all due respect, Captain, Janeway women are anything but 'bashful'."

"Just as Paris men are anything but modest."

"Flattery will get you anywhere."

"Not anywhere I want to go."

Chakotay smiled, amused by their banter and not unaware of the underlying attraction behind it. This could get interesting, he mused silently. Aloud he said, "You two have fun. Bye, Erin."

"Bye, Dad."

Chakotay left the room and Tom walked over to stand in front of Erin's desk. She was all business this morning, in uniform with her hair pulled back into a French braid, totally at odds with the stunning woman in the blue velvet dress who had greeted him last night. He noted idly that her turtleneck was purple in lieu of the red that symbolized command in his timeline, but otherwise the uniforms were identical.

"So Chakotay is your father," he replied. "I'll be damned."

"Of that, I have no doubt," Erin quipped. "Who is he in your timeline?"

"He's the XO on Voyager, but as far as I know he and Captain Janeway are just good friends."

"The key words in that sentence being 'as far as you know'," Erin replied. "If they are involved, I doubt they would make a public service announcement over the ship's speakers."

"I suppose not," Tom allowed. "There seems to be quite a few children on this ship. Are any of them yours?"

A shadow of remembered pain flickered across Erin's elegant features for the briefest of moments before vanishing. "No," she said. "I have no children and my husband was killed by the Quetalans five years ago."

"I'm sorry."

"So am I," Erin replied, then changed the subject. "What can I do for you, Commander?"

"I was wondering if anything had turned up in your scans that might explain how I got here, and/or present a way to send me back."

The captain shook her head. "Unfortunately not. We've run every conceivable scan of the space and sub-space surrounding the Enterprise, as well as a full diagnostic of all of the internal sensors. There is no sign of whatever brought you here."

"So where does that leave me? Assuming that my relocation to this universe is permanent, what do I do now?"

"Once our mission at Xall is complete, the Enterprise is scheduled to return to Earth to take my father home and undergo a maintenance overhaul at Earth Station McKinley. We can deposit you at Starfleet Headquarters and allow them to find you a permanent assignment."

"Oh, that will be fun; letting a group of pompous bureaucrats decide my future."

Erin permitted herself a small smile. "I understand the sentiment, Commander, but allow me to enlighten you about one minor detail. My mother is in charge of those 'pompous bureaucrats'."

"Shit," Tom muttered, then just as quickly realized what he had said and to whom. "Excuse me, Captain."

She chuckled. "I grew up with three brothers and an ex-Maquis terrorist as a father, Mister Paris; I assure you a little profanity isn't going to send me into spasms of righteous indignation."

"I imagine not." He paused then, taking a cursory visual survey of the room before his attention focused on a small bronze plaque mounted on the wall just behind Erin's desk, and he glanced at Erin. "Mind if I take a closer look at your plaque?"

"Not at all."

He walked around her desk to stand in front of the plaque, which bore the replica of a 17th century frigate ship above the following inscription:

In each ship there is one man who, in the hour of emergency of peril at sea,
can turn to no other man. There is one who alone is ultimately responsible
for the safe navigation, engineering performance, accurate gun firing
and morale of his ship. He is the commanding officer. He is the ship."

- Joseph Conrad

"Very nice," Tom remarked.

"Thank you. It was a gift from my father when I received my first command."

Their conversation was interrupted by the beep of Erin's combadge. "Janeway to Janeway-Katsaros."

"Go ahead, Morgan."

"Captain, we're ready to take the Copernicus out for a brief flight to test the new engine modifications. Would you care to tag along?"

"Not this time; I'm buried with work. However, I'm sure our guest wouldn't mind a free ride, and his piloting skills might even come in handy."

"That's fine with me; have him meet me in shuttlebay three."

"He'll be there in five, Lieutenant. Katsaros out."

She severed the transmission and glanced at Tom. "Think you're up for a joy ride with the best pilot in the fleet, Commander?"

"I'm sure I can handle it."

"Good. Take the turbolift to deck six and the computer will direct you from there to the shuttlebay."

"Got it."

Tom started for the door, then stopped when an idea suddenly popped into his head, and he turned back to face Erin. "Would you consider having dinner with me tonight, Captain?"

"I appreciate the invitation, Commander, but I don't date members of my crew."

"I'm not a member of your crew."

Damn he's good, Erin thought idly. Aloud she said, "Commander…"

"Tom," he corrected.

"Commander," she repeated pointedly. "I appreciate your interest, but pursuing a personal relationship with you is not an option."

"Because you outrank me?"

"Because I have a crew of 2000 people who depend on me to be there when I need them. I can't do that if I'm socializing with every attractive man who crosses my path."

"Well, at least you admit you find me attractive," Tom said. "That's progress."

Erin gave him an annoyed glance. "I'm not going to waste any more time debating this with you, Commander. Now you can either report to shuttlebay three where Morgan is expecting you, or I can have Sek escort you to the brig. A few hours cooling your heels in solitary should refresh your memory on protocol."

She is a cold one, he observed silently. I wonder what it would take to melt the ice.

"My apologies, Captain," Tom responded aloud. "I meant no offense."

"Apology accepted. Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to finish."

"Of course."

Tom turned and exited the Ready Room, and Erin waited until the doors were closed behind him before speaking. "It's been less than a day and he's already issued an invitation for dinner," she muttered. "I'm in deep trouble."

STARFLEET HEADQUARTERS

Fleet Admiral Kathryn Janeway was sequestered in her office reading a tactical report when her intercom buzzed and the voice of her Chief of Staff, Commander Naomi Wildman, filtered out.

"Excuse the interruption, Admiral, but there's an incoming transmission for you from the Enterprise. It's from Ambassador Chakotay."

"Thank you, Naomi. Put it through to my terminal."

"Aye, Admiral."

Kathryn turned on her monitor and her husband's smiling face filled the screen. "Hi, handsome. How's life on the Federation's flagship?"

"Decidedly more interesting today," Chakotay responded. "An alternate universe's Tom Paris materialized out of nowhere last night."

"Really? The ship's sensors didn't detect any temporal anomalies?"

"Not yet. Erin has the crew running scans but so far nothing has turned up."

"Well, I'm glad Erin's the one dealing with it," Kathryn said. "Temporal paradoxes give me a headache. Has he mentioned anything about his timeline?"

"Only that he serves under you on Voyager."

"Lucky man."

"He also seems to have taken an immediate interest in our daughter. I've seen them together and there were definite sparks."

"Sparks or no sparks, she has enough sense not to get involved with a virtual stranger, and casual affairs aren't her style."

"As I recall, we had a similar discussion about us fifty years ago," Chakotay reminded her. "And we were lovers within a week."

"That was different," Kathryn countered. "We were of equal rank and serving on the same ship. Alternate timelines notwithstanding, Erin outranks him and there's no way of knowing how long he'll be here. I don't want her to get hurt."

"Erin's been alone since Andreas died, Kathryn, but from what I've seen and heard there seems to be something between her and this Tom Paris. Knowing her as you do, are you really that certain she'll sacrifice it simply because of bad timing?"

Kathryn did not respond aloud, but her expression answered for her, and her husband flashed her a faint smile.

"She's our daughter, my love; that changes the rules no matter what the game."

"I imagine it does. Keep an eye on her?"

"I will. I love you."

"I love you, too."

Late that evening, Erin had finished with the delegates and was now in Ten Forward talking with Guinan. "I'm telling you, Guinan, if one more person had offered me to introduce me to their son or brother or third cousin, I was going to scream," she declared, and ran a hand under the collar of her dress uniform in irritation.

"They just want to see you happy," Guinan said.

"I am happy," Erin returned. "I have a wonderful family and circle of friends, and am at the pinnacle of my career."

"None of which keep you warm at night," the older woman countered. "It's been five years, Erin; let him go."

"I'm not still mourning my husband, Guinan. I loved Andreas, and I miss him, but I've moved on. I just don't need to prove it by having an affair with a stranger."

As if on cue, the doors swooshed open to admit Tom and Guinan shot the captain a knowing smile as he walked over to join them. "I wonder if his ears are burning?"

"Very funny."

"Good evening, Ladies," Tom greeted.

"Mister Paris," Erin greeted coolly.

"May I get you a drink, Commander?" Guinan offered.

"Tom," he corrected. "I'll have whatever the captain is having."

Guinan nodded. "One cinnamon tea, coming up."

The El-Aurian wandered to the other end of the bar to prepare the drink as Tom shifted his attention to Erin. "Nobody told me that we were required to dress for dinner, Captain," he remarked.

Erin afforded him a sideways glance, knowing his light gibe was an attempt to initiate a truce after their brief spat that afternoon. "I had to host a reception this evening for the Xallon Council of Ministers and the Federation delegates," she explained.

"Ah, yes; the joy that is official Starfleet functions. My father used to drag me to those at least once a week growing up, and I hated them with a passion."

"I have no more love for them than you do," Erin allowed. "But as ship's captain, the daughter of the Ambassador in charge of the negotiations and the widow of Xall's Crown Prince, I have three strikes against me. My presence was mandatory."

"You have my sympathies," Tom responded. "So how did you do?"

"Let's just say that there's a reason my father is the family diplomat and I'm not," Erin said. "You seem to be handling your relocation rather well."

He shrugged. "I learned in grief therapy that it's pointless to waste time wondering and worrying about things I can't change. Either you'll find a way to return to me to my timeline or you won't."

His casual mention of grief therapy struck Erin as odd, but she let it pass. "I find it hard to believe that the idea of never seeing your family and friends again doesn't bother you."

"My real family was already lost to me two years ago," Tom answered softly, residual grief evident in his tone. "My father and I barely speak, and my sisters have their own lives. As for my friends, Harry will take it the hardest, and Chakotay and Captain Janeway will miss me, too. The rest of them will simply go on with their lives as if nothing happened."

"What about you?"

"I've learned to live with loss."

"That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt," she pressed gently, not wanting either of them to fool themselves about his real feelings.

"No, it doesn't."

Their eyes met in silent understanding for a moment, and a flicker of attraction passed between them before Erin changed the subject. "I understand you had dinner with Morgan and his family tonight."

He smiled. "Keeping tabs on me, Captain?"

"His wife mentioned it when I called to talk to Morgan," she returned. "Janelle said you were teaching Sheridan magic tricks?"

"I'm a man of many talents," Tom quipped.

I'm not touching that with a ten-kilometer pole, Erin thought idly. Aloud she said, "Morgan told me you were full of questions about my personal life. If you wanted to know if I'm involved with someone, Flyboy, my brother wasn't the subtlest person to ask."

"Well, if it's any consolation, he didn't tell me anything."

"He wouldn't, but for the record he did say he likes you. He said you have a strong enough sense of self that you wouldn't be intimidated by my rank or my temper."

"Does this mean you'll take me up on my dinner invitation?"

She shook her head in mute exasperation. "You don't give up, do you?"

"Not when it's something worth fighting for."

One eyebrow arched upward, which Tom recognized as another mannerism she had picked up from her mother. "That sounded suspiciously like a challenge, Commander."

"What if it was?"

Erin permitted herself a small smile. "What are the stakes?"

"Winner takes all."

"Those are pretty high stakes. Rather sure of yourself, aren't you?"

"Absolutely."

Just then Guinan returned to hand Tom a steaming mug of tea. "Here's your drink, Tom."

"Thanks, Guinan."

He took a tentative sip, and smiled in appreciation. "This is delicious. Cinnamon tea, you said?"

"Yep. The captain's favorite."

Tom glanced at Erin. "I thought all Janeway women were coffee addicts?"

"Much to my mother's chagrin - and my father's amusement - I have a low tolerance for caffeine. If I drink more than half a cup of coffee, I'm wired for the rest of the day."

He smiled. "I suspect the Admiral was quite distressed to learn that her only daughter had broken the tradition."

Erin smiled. "A preference for going against the norm seems to be a prerequisite to occupy the big chair of the starship Enterprise, though Dad claims it's just a family thing. However, both my parents take cinnamon in their coffee and that is an addiction I have inherited. So I asked Guinan to create a decaffeinated flavored tea that I could drink in place of coffee."

"Thus was born 'Erin's Elixir'," Guinan said.

"Catchy name," Tom replied.

"Well as enthralling as this discussion is, I'm falling asleep on my feet so I'm going to call it a night," Erin said. "Guinan, thank you for the tea."

"Think about what I said, Captain," Guinan replied.

"I will."

"I'll walk you to your quarters," Tom said.

Erin sighed. "Fine; I'm too tired to argue about it anymore."

The duo bid farewell to Guinan and headed out of Ten Forward. Once in the hallway, Tom spoke again. "So where did you find Guinan?"

"Guinan found me," Erin corrected. "She has a history with Jean-Luc Picard and originally came on board when he was in command of the Enterprise-D. She dropped out of sight when he was promoted, but mysteriously reappeared when I got this ship four years ago. Since then she's been a friend and unofficial counselor to everyone who's crossed her path."

"Including you."

"Outside of my family, there's no one I trust more," the captain allowed. "Guinan is the only person on this ship I can confide in without having to worry if what I tell her is going to be fodder for anyone with more pips on their collar."

"Morgan mentioned that you made Captain at twenty-six. Is that some kind of record?"

"That's what they tell me."

"I imagine at the rate you're going you'll make Admiral by thirty-five."

Erin laughed at that. "I appreciate the vote of confidence, Commander, but I'm perfectly content to keep my Captain's chair," she responded.

"You said your husband was a prince. How'd you wind up married to royalty?"

"I met Andreas when I was ten years old," Erin revealed. "My mother had accepted a promotion and her last assignment as Captain of Voyager was to oversee the opening of the Federation Embassy on Xall. King Dazan invited my family to dinner at the castle and I literally crashed into Andreas while playing tag in the gardens with my brothers. It was puppy love at first sight. We kept in touch over the next several years and eventually our friendship developed into something more. His family didn't entirely approve of his involvement with a 'commoner', but nonetheless we were married shortly after my 21st birthday."

"I imagine it was hard maintaining a long-distance marriage, with him being the heir to Xall's throne and you with your career," Tom remarked.

"It was, but I made an effort to be with him as much as possible. I was at Xall for our anniversary when the Quetalans decided to break the truce and launched a surprise assault on the colony. Andreas was killed in the attack."

"I'm sorry," Tom responded quietly. "I know how difficult it is to watch someone you love be taken from you."

Something in his tone alerted Erin that he wasn't speaking metaphorically, and recalling his earlier mention of grief therapy, cast him a sideways glance. "You're speaking from personal experience, aren't you?"

"Yes. My wife was killed two years ago in an engineering accident, and at the time she was seven months pregnant."

"They couldn't save the baby, either?"

"No."

The two fell silent then, each lost in memories of love lost and hearts shattered. They remained quiet until reaching Erin's quarters, and then she turned to face him.

"Well, I certainly didn't plan on revisiting old ghosts tonight," she said, "but it was comforting to talk about it with someone who understands."

"Thank you for trusting me enough to share it," Tom responded.

She smiled. "I'll let you in on a little secret, Flyboy; I like you much better when you're sincere. Charm and innuendo have their place, but for me honesty is the most appealing trait."

"Then I'll be honest right now and tell you how badly I want to kiss you," Tom said suddenly.

Erin's smile faded. "Tom…don't do this."

Ignoring her half-hearted warning, Tom leaned over and ever so gently pressed his lips to hers. The moment they touched it was as if someone had sent an electric shock through her system, only it wasn't painful…it was erotic.

"When we made eye contact in the transporter room, I felt something similar to this," he said softly.

"Sexual attraction doesn't have to be acted upon."

"There's more to this than just sexual attraction, Erin; we both know it. I've known you less than a day, yet I feel more connected to you than anyone else I've ever met. I want to explore that."

"I don't have the time or inclination for a casual affair, Tom, and under the circumstances it can't be anything else. In ten minutes or ten days we may find a way to send you back to your own universe."

"I won't deny that the timing is terrible, but I'm not willing to spend whatever time I have here ignoring what I feel for you."

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice. Good night, Commander."

Without waiting for his response, the captain entered her access code and retreated into her quarters. Once she was inside, he spoke aloud to the empty corridor.

"You can run but you can't hide, Erin. One way or another we're going to finish what we started tonight."

Releasing a resigned sigh, he turned and headed for his own quarters.

The next morning, Erin awoke early and headed to the ship's gymnasium for her hoverball match with Morgan. They played for over an hour before Morgan conceded the match to his sister, and they replicated themselves two glasses of ice water before settling on the floor.

"It's cosmically unjust that someone who is half a foot shorter and nearly a hundred pounds lighter than me can so effectively wipe the floor with me at hoverball," Morgan said.

Erin smiled. "Well, if it's any consolation, Dorvan usually wipes the floor with me just as effectively," she admitted, and sipped at her water. "And Royce can take us all out when it comes to tennis."

"Only on those rare occasions when he isn't trying to uncover the temporal secrets of the universe," Morgan countered.

"Face it, little brother; if you had an IQ of 200 you'd be a 'brain trust' too."

"True," Morgan allowed. "So what's the deal with you and Tom Paris?"

"There is no 'deal' with me and Tom Paris."

"That's not the impression I got last night. He was asking all kinds of interesting questions about you."

"Which I happen to know you didn't answer."

"So he admitted that he's been nosing around?"

"Yes, but I told him that it was a waste of time, because I have no intention of getting involved with him."

Morgan groaned. "Please don't spout the usual rhetoric about rank and protocol."

The captain gave him the 'Janeway glare'. "It isn't rhetoric, Lieutenant, and there are other factors involved besides protocol."

"Such as?"

"Such as," Erin echoed, "he doesn't belong in this timeline."

"Uh-huh. What else?"

"I'm not interested in a casual affair."

"Too bad; it might do you some good."

Erin's blue eyes widened in surprise. "I beg your pardon?"

"Face it, Sis; ever since you lost Andreas, you've buried yourself behind your uniform and cut yourself off from personal relationships. You maintain your 'command distance' from anyone who does more than ask you the time of day and if a man so much as smiles at you, you scurry off in the opposite direction. You're the best Captain in the Fleet but when it comes to your personal life, you're a coward."

"It's easy to pass judgment when you have a wife and child to come home to every night," Erin retorted. "You have no idea what I've been through or how it feels to live with the memories I carry with me."

"I won't pretend that I do, but I do know how important it is to have someone in your life to share it with. You still have a lot of love left to give, Erin, and if you lower your shields long enough you just might find the right man to give it to."

On that note, Morgan got to his feet and left the holodeck, leaving Erin alone to think about what he had said.

* * * * *

That evening, Erin was in Ten Forward having dinner with her father, and was absently pushing her uneaten food around her plate as Chakotay watched in curious silence. The captain had been unusually quiet throughout the meal, and realizing she wasn't going to volunteer the reason for her mood, Chakotay decided to ask her about it.

"Do you want to tell me what's bothering you, or would you like me to guess?" he prompted lightly.

Erin glanced up from her plate and flashed her father an apologetic smile. "I've been pretty lousy company, haven't I?"

"You're always a little distracted during an important assignment," Chakotay deflected, "but I get the feeling that there's more to your silence than anxiety over the peace talks."

"I never could keep anything from you."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really."

"I see," Chakotay said. "Tell me something, Erin, would your mood have anything to do with a certain helmsman who materialized out of nowhere two days ago?"

Erin managed a small smile. "I take it you've been talking to Morgan."

"He mentioned that you two had a conversation after your hoverball game this morning. Obviously, whatever you discussed has given you some food for thought."

She sighed. "He says I'm a coward; that when it comes to my personal life, I'm running scared and avoiding relationships."

"Do you agree with him?"

"Forty-eight hours ago, I would have said no, but given the way I reacted to Tom last night I have to concede that he may be right."

One dark eyebrow quirked upward. "And what happened last night?"

Erin's smile widened at his tone. "At ease, Dad," she chided. "I'm two weeks away from my 35th birthday, remember? I'm a little old for you to go into paternal mode over my personal life."

"You're my only daughter, Erin, so I will continue to 'go into paternal mode' as long as there is breath in my body."

She shook her head in mute exasperation before belatedly answering his question. "Let's just say that Mister Paris made it clear he is interested in pursuing a relationship with me beyond our professional affiliation."

"He made a pass at you."

"More or less."

"And how did you respond to that?"

"I spouted the standard disclaimer about protocol and practically spit in his face before escaping into my quarters to hide like a scared rabbit."

"Being nervous about dating again doesn't make you a coward, Erin."

"Maybe not, but spending five years hiding behind Andreas' ghost and the walls I've built around myself does," Erin countered. "I'm scared, Dad. When I lost Andreas and our son, I very nearly had an emotional breakdown. I don't want to risk going through that a second time."

"You can't hide from your heart forever, Erin, and we both know Andreas wouldn't want you to. Sooner or later, you are going to have to take a chance on love again."

"So, you think I should take that chance with Tom."

"I think you should be honest with him and yourself about how you feel and go from there."

Erin nodded. "I'm due for my nightly stroll around the ship, but once I've finished, I will track down Commander Paris and we'll talk."

"Good."

They both stood, then Erin embraced her father in a brief hug. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

Bidding him farewell, Erin left the lounge. Once she was gone, Guinan approached Chakotay. "I take it Erin's feeling a little anxious about her attraction to Commander Paris," she said.

Chakotay did not bother to ask how she knew; somehow her being Guinan was answer enough. "She's admitted that there's something there," he allowed, "but she's not entirely sure if she's willing or able to do anything about it."

The El-Aurian smiled at that. "Janeway women aren't exactly known for taking the easy way out when it comes to matters of the heart, Ambassador," she remarked.

"True, but unfortunately their road to happiness comes with a price," Chakotay responded. "Kathryn's was the death of her first fiancé and the sixteen years the Starfleet/Maquis conflict kept us apart; Erin's was the murder of her family."

"Yet thirty-five years later you and the Admiral are closer than ever, and Erin seems to have found someone to help her put Prince Andreas' ghost to rest," Guinan replied. "If the Gods are kind, you will all live happily ever after."

"I hope so."

"I know so."

Chakotay glanced at her in silent inquiry, but the El-Aurian merely smiled and returned to the bar.

Having finished her nightly tour of the ship, Erin asked the computer for Tom's whereabouts, and it told her he was in shuttlebay three. She found him inside the Copernicus, reviewing the flight records from the test flight the day before. Engrossed in his work, Tom did not hear her approach, and she watched him in silence for a moment before making her presence known.

"Does Morgan know you're tinkering with his favorite toy, Commander?" she called out.

The pilot glanced up at the sound of her voice, and gave her a small smile. "Actually, it was his idea," he said. "We were supposed to recalibrate the engines based on some of the glitches that turned up during yesterday's flight. But his wife called and said that Sheridan wanted him to read her a bedtime story, so he left me to tweak at them on my own."

She nodded. "If you can spare a few minutes, I'd like to talk with you."

"Of course."

Setting his PADD on the chair beside him, Tom climbed out of the shuttle and walked over to stand in front of her. "What can I do for you, Captain?"

"I owe you an apology."

"For what?"

"My behavior yesterday, both in my Ready Room and in front of my quarters."

"No apology is necessary," Tom countered. "I shouldn't have tried to force you into something you're not ready for."

"Actually, I'm glad you did," Erin admitted. "It turned out to be a much need wake-up call."

Tom frowned. "You've lost me."

She sighed, and turned to walk a few feet away before continuing. "I had a talk with my father tonight, and he helped me to realize that I've been hiding behind Andreas' ghost in order to avoid getting involved with someone new. I've spent five years using my rank as weapon to deflect any unwanted attention, and as an excuse to ignore my feelings. But when you kissed me last night, it scared me to death."

He gave her a warm smile. "If it's any consolation, I'm just as scared as you are," he confessed. "In some ways I'm still mourning B'Elanna, so the last thing I was looking for was a new relationship. But the minute you walked into the transporter room, it was like someone had flipped a switch, and I suddenly felt alive again. And there's an odd sense of awareness, as if I can sense your presence even without knowing that you're there. I've never had that reaction to anybody, including my wife."

"So where do we go from here?" Erin asked. "I won't ignore what I feel for you, but I also can't ignore protocol. Despite what's developing between us, I'm still Captain."

"I understand. Why don't we just take it one day at a time and see what happens?"

"Sounds good to me. Now, I have a stack of reports waiting for me in my Ready Room, so I'll let you get back to your tinkering."

"How about breakfast tomorrow, around 0700 in Ten Forward?"

"No can do," Erin said. "I'm due in the gym at 0600 for my workout and my shift starts at 0800. That will give me just enough time to return to my quarters to shower and dress before I'm due on duty."

"Would you mind if I joined you for your workout?" Tom asked.

"I'd welcome the company," Erin answered.

"Excellent."

"I'll see you in the morning then."

"How about a good night kiss?" Tom requested.

Midnight met sky as Erin held his gaze for a moment before wordlessly cupping his face in her palms and pulling him down to meet her kiss. It was a warm, lingering kiss that did not end so much as gently fade away, and when it was done Erin pulled back to grace Tom with the ghost of a smile.

"Sweet dreams, Flyboy."

"Good night, Erin."

Flashing him a final smile, the captain turned and exited the shuttle bay.

The days passed, and Erin and Tom continued to grow closer. Most of their off-duty time was spent in Ten Forward or the holodeck, where casual conversation ranged from childhood adventures to Academy horror stories to the spouses they had loved and lost. The night of Tom's one-week anniversary on the Enterprise, the twosome had shared a private evening at Sandrine's, complete with a candlelight dinner and dancing and a lingering goodnight kiss, after which Tom had escorted Erin back to her quarters.

The next morning, Erin was on her way out of her cabin to meet her senior officers for their weekly meeting when she opened the door to discover Tom directly outside and reaching for the chime.

"Good morning, Captain."

Erin graced him with a faint smile. "Did you sleep in the corridor all night?" she asked lightly.

"Of course not. After I left you, I returned to my quarters and slept like a baby."

"I'm on my way to a staff meeting, so whatever you're here for, make it quick."

"Morgan and Janelle have invited me to go with them to the Harvest Festival in Byzantia today, and I was hoping I could persuade you to join me."

"I can't. After the staff meeting, I have a meeting with my father and the delegates."

"All work and no play..."

"The price I pay for occupying the big chair, Flyboy. But I'll make you a deal; if by some miracle I get finished in time for dinner, I'll join you at the festival. Deal?"

"Deal."

Erin had just finished her staff meeting when her combadge beeped. "Chakotay to Janeway-Katsaros."

"Go ahead, Dad."

"I need to speak with you for a moment if you have the time. May I come up to your Ready Room?"

"Of course."

Chakotay severed the transmission and Erin glanced at her XO. "You have the Bridge. When my father shows up send him into my Ready Room."

"Aye, Captain."

Erin retreated into the Ready Room and replicated herself a mug of tea before settling at her desk and sorting through the PADDs in front of her. She had just finished prioritizing them when the door chime signaled Chakotay's arrival, and Erin instructed him to enter.

"Morning, Dad," she greeted. "Do you want some coffee or a cup of herbal tea?"

"No, thank you."

"So what's up?"

"Minister Melorn called this morning to inform me that the Quetalans have contacted the Council of Ministers requesting permission to send an envoy to negotiate a new peace treaty."

She quirked one eyebrow in an unconscious imitation of her mother. "Really…where did that come from?"

"They didn't say, but my guess is that they heard Starfleet was planning on maintaining a permanent presence at Xall and decided it wasn't worth the effort to keep up their private little war."

"Anything's possible," Erin allowed. "What does that do to the negotiations?"

"The meeting with the Council has been postponed for forty-eight hours to allow the Quetalans time to assemble their representatives and get them here. In the meantime, I'm going to meet with the Federation delegates and draft up a preliminary treaty."

"You're welcome to use the conference room," Erin offered. "I had my weekly staff meeting this morning, so I won't be needing it. And there's a replicator so y'all can whip yourselves up some food and drinks."

Chakotay smiled in amusement. "'Y'all'?" he repeated. "I seem to remember that you grew up in California, not the South."

The captain grimaced. "Blame Ensign Burke," she said. "He spent half an hour giving me an update on the biosciences department and that drawl of his stuck in my head."

"Better a Southern accent than Centaurian profanity," Chakotay responded. "The first time your mother heard you call Dorvan by one of the 'colorful metaphors' you'd picked up from Terven Darjenko, I thought she was going to spontaneously combust."

"She certainly used a few of her own when she called him on the carpet for teaching it to me," Erin returned. "I don't think I've seen anything quite so amusing as the scourge of the Maquis rebellion being taken to task by a Starfleet Captain half his weight and a full foot shorter."

"You're confusing Darjenko with me," Chakotay corrected dryly.

She smiled. "The only reason you and Mom ever fought was because it gave you an excuse to make up. One wonders how you wound up with only four children."

"We had to eat and work at least some of the time."

"Very funny."

"I'll let you know when the meeting with Council and the Quetalans is rescheduled," Chakotay said. "Meanwhile, I have half a dozen delegates waiting for me in the observation lounge."

"Try not to work too hard, and if you need anything contact Sek or Commander Wynmore."

"Are you going somewhere?"

Erin stood up. "Yes. I have a date waiting for me at the Summer Festival."

"In that case, enjoy yourself and say hello to Tom for me."

"I will."

Tom was chatting with Morgan while Janelle and Sheridan listened to one of the local musicians perform a beautiful melody on his flute-like instrument when a familiar voice spoke from behind them.

"Should my ears be burning?"

The two men glanced over at the sound of Erin's voice, and Tom flashed her a warm smile. She was attired in civilian wear, and wore an ice blue dress that fell to just below her knees. A pair of slightly heeled matching sandals adorning her feet, emphasizing her legs, and Tom's smile widened in silent appreciation.

"This is a pleasant surprise," he said. "I thought you had a meeting this afternoon."

"It's been postponed for a couple of days," she told him. "My father received a call from Minister Melorn telling him that the Quetalans have decided they want to reinstate the treaty, so they're sending a diplomatic envoy to meet with the Council and the Federation delegates. They're supposed to arrive the day after tomorrow, so the negotiations are on hold until then. In the meantime, I decided to treat myself to a bit of Shore Leave."

"Good. You look lovely."

"Thank you."

"So have I missed anything interesting?"

"Not really," Morgan answered,"although Sheridan spotted the Xallon equivalent of a pony and spent twenty minutes riding it around the display ring. The owner offered to sell it to me at a 'very reasonable price' and both he and Sheridan were crushed when I had to refuse."

The captain chuckled. "The Admiralty got their knickers in a twist when Mom kept Penny on Voyager all those years ago," she recalled. "If I were to even consider letting you bring a pony on board, they'd probably have group apoplexy."

"Now's there's an interesting visual," Morgan said dryly.

"Who's Penny?" Tom asked.

"She was the family dog," Morgan explained. "Dad gave her to Mom as wedding gift and when they resumed command of Voyager they brought her along. She stayed on board until we relocated to Earth when Erin and Dorvan were ten."

"Kathryn Janeway kept a dog on a starship? That's something I would have paid real money to see."

"Have you eaten?" Erin inquired.

"Nothing that could qualify as an actual meal, but we have been snacking on and off since we beamed down."

At that moment Erin's sister-in-law Janelle joined them with Sheridan in tow. "Well fancy meeting you here," she greeted. "I thought you were going to be in meetings all afternoon."

"Change of plans."

"I'm tired, Mommy," Sheridan announced.

"She's had a busy day," Janelle said. "I should probably take her back to the ship and put her down for a nap."

"I'll go with you," Morgan replied. "I have a level three diagnostic to run on the warp drive so I might as well get started. Erin, Tom, you coming?"

"I just got here," Erin answered, "so I am not going anywhere."

"I'm going to hang out here a little while longer, too," Tom added.

"Okay. We'll catch up with you later."

Morgan signaled the ship and a moment later the trio disappeared in the shimmer of the transporter beam. Once they were gone, Tom addressed Erin. "I'm glad you decided to stay."

She shrugged. "It's been a while since I've gotten Shore Leave, and with the impending peace talks it's likely to be awhile before I get another chance. So, I'm going to enjoy my free time while I can."

"Sounds good to me," Tom replied, and extended his arm. "Shall we, Captain?"

Erin linked her arms through his. "Lead on, Commander."

Exchanging a smile, they faded into the crowd.

Sometime later, the two were seated near the corral where Sheridan had participated in the pony rides, drinking a spiced Xallon tea as they engaged in casual conversation. Their afternoon together had served to further strengthen the bond between them, yet it was the one topic they had avoided discussing.

"Well, I can understand why everyone wanted to come down here today," Tom said. "This place is amazing."

Erin nodded. "I've always enjoyed the Festival, but I haven't been to one since Andreas died. I didn't want to risk running into anyone who knew I was his widow. The pain was still too fresh."

"Do you still miss him?" Tom asked.

"I miss the simple things: the sound of his laugh, the way he'd frown when he was deep in thought, the feel of his hand in mine. Most of all I miss the security of knowing that wherever I went, I would always have him to come back to."

"I felt the same way after I lost B'Elanna. We used to tease one another that the only reason we stayed together was because being stranded in the Delta Quadrant gave us nowhere to run to, but when the chips were down there was no one else I wanted by my side. After her death I left Voyager because everyone and everything on the ship reminded me of her, and it was like pouring salt into an open wound."

"Yet eventually you returned."

"I missed my friends, and I enjoyed serving with Captain Janeway."

Erin smiled at that. "My mother does seem to inspire loyalty in everyone around her," she remarked.

"So do you, from what I've seen."

"I appreciate the thought, but I'm afraid it's more the ship than her captain," Erin demurred. "Everyone wants a spot on the flagship."

"The Enterprise may have an illustrious history behind its name, but no one wants to serve on a ship if they can't follow its captain."

"Thank you for saying so."

A sudden clap of thunder interrupted their conversation, and the two glanced skyward to discover the formerly sunny skies were now filled with dark clouds.

"Looks like we're in for a storm," Tom remarked.

As if to confirm his predication, a second clap of thunder and accompanying flash of lightening signaled the start of the storm, and the rain began to pour down. Tom immediately got to his feet and extended his hand to Erin.

"Come on; we'd better find some cover."

She placed her hand in his and allowed him to help her stand, but made no move to contact the Enterprise. "I'm not bothered by a little bad weather, Commander."

"You'd rather stay here and get drenched?"

"It's only water, Flyboy," she chided. "Besides, I don't melt."

Tom smiled. "Maybe I should remedy that."

Pulling her to him, Tom relinquished his hold on her hand to cup her face and lowered his mouth to hers. The ever-present flame of desire between them flared to life at the contact, and Erin wound her arms around his neck as Tom deepened the kiss. Sliding one hand to the back of her head, he wound his fist around her hair and tilted her head back to allow himself access to her throat, pressing kisses across the nape of her neck as he held her against him.

Just then another clap of thunder sounded, and the noise somehow penetrated Tom's passion fogged brain, forcing him to break off their embrace. After a moment, Tom was the first to speak.

"I'm sorry," he said. "That was…"

He paused then, unsure of what to say that would not alienate Erin, and she graced him with a faint smile.

"Amazing?" she offered.

He smiled. "Yeah. Amazing."

"We'd better get back to the ship before we catch pneumonia," Erin replied.

"Sooner or later we're going to have to finish what we started, sweetheart," Tom said.

"I know."

Flashing him another smile, she tapped her combadge to signal the ship and a moment later they disappeared in a shimmer of light.

Sometime later, Tom made his way to Erin's cabin and rang the chime. A muffled "Just a minute" came from inside, and a moment later the door opened to reveal Erin standing in the doorway, dressed in a pair of purple silk mock men's pajamas. Taking in her attire, the helmsman flashed her an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"

"No. I was just reviewing some maintenance reports."

"If you can spare a few minutes, I'd like to talk to you."

"Of course."

She stepped aside to allow him entry, and he wandered into the middle of her living room, taking a cursory survey of the room as she came over to stand beside him.

"Do you want some coffee or a cup of tea?" she offered.

"No, thank you."

"So what's on your mind?"

"I'd like you to tell me how your husband died."

Erin's midnight blue eyes widened in surprise. "Excuse me?"

"I want to know how you lost Andreas," Tom clarified.

"May I ask why?"

"I have my reasons."

Erin gave him a modified version of the 'Janeway glare'. "If you really expect me to tell you about my husband's murder, Flyboy, you're going to have to give me a better explanation than 'I have my reasons'."

The blond pilot took two steps to close the distance between them before cupping her face in hands and lowering his mouth to hers for a brief, bruising kiss. "I'm falling in love with you," he admitted honestly, "and I don't want to compete with Andreas' ghost."

The captain gave him a warm smile and lifted her hand to place her palm against his cheek. "That is a vast improvement," she said softly. "And for the record, you don't have any competition - living or dead."

"You can't deny that part of your heart still belongs to him."

"Just as part of yours still belongs to B'Elanna, but her memory is no more a threat to me than Andreas' is to you."

"Then let me help you exorcise his ghost once and for all by telling me how he was killed."

Erin held his gaze for a long moment before responding. "I want your word that what I tell you doesn't leave this room," she said evenly. "Outside of our families and the CMO of the embassy on Xall, no one knows the full details of what happened that day."

"I promise to keep your secret, Erin."

She nodded once in silent acknowledgement before walking over to stare out the window as she spoke to Tom. "How much do you know about the day Andreas died?"

"Only what you've told me, that he was killed when the Quetalans attacked Xall five years ago."

"After they decimated the capital city, a small troop of Quetalan soldiers transported to the surface and began searching through the rubble for survivors. Each time they found one, they'd kill them. I was still conscious while they made their way through the city, and I could hear the screams of the victims as they were cut off by the whine of the Quetalan disrupters. I was trapped beneath the remnants of the temple and Andreas was trying to free me when they discovered us."

She paused then, the memory of that fateful day producing a fresh wave of grief, and a single tear trickled down her cheek. Tom instinctively took a step forward, intending to put his arms around her, but she raised a hand to ward him off.

"Don't…" Erin blurted. "Please just let me finish this."

He reluctantly remained in place, and Erin continued, keeping her gaze directed away from him.

"Their leader was a man named Y'Sarl, and every time his soldiers murdered one of the Xallons he would laugh, as if their death amused him. Once they'd seen us, they instantly recognized Andreas as the Crown Prince. One of the soldiers dragged me out from under the rubble while the others began beating Andreas. I tried to escape and run out of the temple to find help, but I only got a couple of feet before Y'Sarl grabbed me by the hair and dragged me back. Then he tied me to a pillar and forced me to watch as his minions beat Andreas to death. As soon as I realized what was happening, I began screaming hysterically, but that only seemed to amuse them. By the time they were done, I had screamed myself hoarse, and was slumped against the pillar. Y'Sarl withdrew a large knife from his belt. He pressed it to my throat and said 'Tell the King that unless he surrenders Xall, the rest of his people will meet the same fate as his son'. Then he assaulted me."

"What did he do?" Tom asked in a whisper.

The captain at last turned to face him, remembered agony etched in her refined features as tears spilled down her cheeks. "I was six months pregnant, and after he raped me, he carved the baby from my womb and burned the body along with Andreas'."

"That fucking butcher…" Tom muttered, and quickly closed the distance between them to wrap his arms around Erin, tears streaming down his own face as well.

"He killed my baby, Tom…" she sobbed brokenly against his chest. "He murdered my little boy…"

"Let it out, sweetheart," he whispered against her hair. "Let it out."

He held her in silence as she continued to cry over the memory of her lost child, and after several minutes the sobs subsided. Erin stayed in the haven of his embrace for another few minutes, until at last regaining her emotional control and leaning back just far enough to meet his gaze.

"My memories are pretty fuzzy after that. After Y'Sarl...disposed…of Andreas and our son, he left me lying there in my own blood and he and his men returned to their ship. I was in so much pain and bleeding profusely, and I lost consciousness almost immediately. I don't know how long I lay there, but the next thing I remember is waking up ten days later in the infirmary at the Embassy. Apparently one of the monks at the temple had heard my screams and immediately transported me to the infirmary. Doctor Philips told me that I had lost nearly half of my body's blood supply and if the monk had arrived even five minutes later, I would have bled to death. As it was, due to the damage done by Y'Sarl's impromptu cesarean, even if I were to conceive another child, it's doubtful that I could carry it to term."

"Damn that bastard…" Tom muttered to himself. "You've been carrying this inside of you for five years?"

"I had no choice," Erin responded. "It was difficult enough mourning my husband along with six billion Xallons; my grief over my son's death was a private pain, and I wanted to keep it that way. I get that from my father. He's the most intensely private person I know."

"It does make grieving difficult when you have to do it in public. After I lost B'Elanna and our daughter I remember wishing that I could just make everyone around me go away so I could mourn them without the rest of the world watching. And I got so tired of people constantly offering their condolences, as if a few words of sympathy would somehow erase the pain I was feeling."

"My grandmother used to tell me that God has His reasons," Erin remarked. "If that's true, then I'd like the chance to ask Him what they are."

"Given that your mother is an agnostic and your father follows his tribal religious beliefs, I'm surprised to hear you that you believe in God," Tom replied.

She smiled at that. "You'd be surprised how comforting it is to believe that He's up there watching over the little people, instead of accepting that beings like the Q have the final claim on omnipotence."

He chuckled. "I suppose so."

Erin released a heavy sigh. "Well, I don't know about you but I've had enough of this pity party for one night," she declared. "Thank you for listening, and for allowing me to cry on your shoulder."

"Anytime. Would you like me to tuck you in?"

She smiled at that. "I haven't needed anyone to tuck me in since I was five, Commander, but you are welcome to spend the night."

"You're kidding?"

"Not at all. I suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and every time I return to Xall, I experience night terrors and relive the day I lost Andreas and our son. Last time it happened my screams woke up Commander Wynmore in the adjacent cabin and she called Morgan. In the process of trying to wake me up, he made the mistake of getting in striking distance and I hit him. I broke his nose and my hand, and then managed to fall through my glass coffee table and very nearly sever my left arm off. When I woke up in Sickbay the next morning, I had no memory of what had happened. Doctor T'Pere and Counselor Darjenko warned me that if the nightmares persist, they'll have me temporarily relieved of command."

"So what makes you think my being here will help?"

"Frankly I don't know that it will, but you said you wanted to help me exorcise his ghost once and for all, and I trust you enough to let you try."

He smiled at that. "Well then, Captain, let's go to bed."

"Shouldn't we rustle you up something to sleep in?"

"Umm…actually I usually don't sleep in anything at all."

She blushed ever so slightly at his confession. "Well, be that as it may, tonight you'll make an exception."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Replicate yourself whatever you need and make yourself comfortable on the couch. I'll see you in the morning."

"Sleep well, Erin."

"You too."

They exchanged a smile and a brief kiss before Erin vanished into the other room.

* * * * *

He awoke with a start, momentarily disoriented by his unfamiliar surroundings and unsure what had disturbed him. Almost immediately anxiety filled mumbling broke the silence of the cabin, and Tom realized it was coming from Erin's bedroom.

"No... no please, don't hurt my baby…"

"Son of a bitch," Tom muttered aloud.

Tossing off the blanket, he quickly made his way into the captain's bedroom and found her thrashing about in the throes of her nightmare. Her bedcovers lay in tangled heap on the floor by the bed and she was tossing restlessly back and forth as she muttered in distress.

"Leave him alone… God, please, no... Andreas…"

Tom crossed over to the bed and balanced himself on the edge with one knee as he took hold of Erin's arms. "Erin, wake up…"

"Leave him alone you bastards!" Erin shouted, and suddenly bolted upright with a loud wail. "Noooooo!"

"Erin!" Tom yelled at her, and gave her a quick shake. "You're dreaming, Erin; wake up!"

The sound of his voice at last registered on her subconscious and she came to with a slight jerk before focusing on Tom, her features rippled with confusion. "Tom?"

Residual fear was evident in her tone and he shifted his hands to gently cup her face. "Yes. I'm here with you, sweetheart; you're safe."

"I had the night terrors again, didn't I?"

He nodded. "Thankfully I managed to wake you up before you could hurt yourself."

She released a frustrated sigh and rubbed her hand along the back of her neck. "Damn," she muttered. "I was really hoping that I was past this."

"Do you want me to get you some tea?"

She shook her head.

"It's only been a couple of hours since you turned in," Tom said. "Why don't you put your head back on the pillow and try to go back to sleep?"

"I wish that I could, but more than likely I'll just have the nightmares again."

He paused. "If you're interested, I may have a way to get you back to sleep."

"Warm milk and cookies?"

He smiled. "No. While I was growing up, whenever my sisters had bad dreams, we'd all crawl into the same bed and fall asleep together. I guess the comfort of knowing someone else was there helped them relax enough to go back to sleep."

She gave him an incredulous look. "Surely you're not suggesting I let you sleep with me?"

"Do you have a better idea?"

"Well, no, but…"

He cupped her chin in his hand and tilted her head so she was forced to meet his gaze. "Earlier tonight you said that you trusted me," he reminded her. "Trust me enough to let me do this for you."

She held his gaze for a long moment before responding with a soft, "Okay."

"Okay." He gave her reassuring smile and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "C'mon, Captain; let's go to bed."

Erin slid under the covers as Tom walked around to the other side and crawled in beside her. It took a few seconds for them to get settled, then Erin scooted slightly backward so that her body was spooned against Tom's as he settled one arm possessively around her waist. The intimacy of their position was not lost on either of them, but Erin was too tired to care and knew Tom understood this was about comfort, not sex. Draping her arm over his, she linked her fingers through his and released a contented sigh.

"Better?" Tom whispered in her ear.

"Much. Good night, Tom."

"Good night, Erin."

Erin awoke to the sound of running water, and slowly opened her eyes to scan the room before spotting Tom standing over the bathroom sink, shaving. He was obviously an old-fashioned shaver, as his jaw sported the last remnants of white shaving foam. A pair of uniform slacks adorned his lower half but he was bare from the waist up and Erin allowed herself a moment to admire the view.

He's definitely easy on the eyes, she thought.

Tossing aside the covers, Erin crawled out of bed and silently padded across the room to stand in the doorway. "Good morning," she greeted softly.

Tom glanced over his shoulder and his face ceased into a smile. "Good morning, yourself," he returned. "Sleep well?"

"Very."

As Tom reached for a nearby towel to wipe the lather from his face, the captain crossed over to stand in front of him, the barely one foot of distance between them effectively trapping him against the sink. He shot her a questioning glance, but before he could voice his query she stood on tiptoe and gave him a warm kiss.

"What was that for?" he asked when she pulled back.

"A thank you, for last night."

The pilot gave her an affectionate smile and lifted his hand to lightly caress her cheek with his fingers. "I'm glad I was able to help," he said. "Do you have time for breakfast?"

"Unfortunately not," Erin answered. "I'm due on the Bridge in less than twenty minutes, which barely gives me enough time to shower and get dressed."

"Another solo breakfast. What fun."

"Price you pay for sleeping with the captain, Flyboy."

"Might be worth it if we were doing more than sleeping," Tom countered dryly.

She chuckled and stood on tiptoe to grant him another kiss. "I'll make it up to you eventually, Flyboy, I promise. In the meantime, remember that patience is a virtue."

"I'll make it my mantra."

Erin was in her Ready Room completing her latest log entry when the door chime sounded, and at her invitation to enter Sek walked into the room.

"Captain," he said. "Am I disturbing you?"

"Not at all, Commander. What can I do for you?"

"As you are aware, I have been running continuous scans of the ship's systems in an attempt to determine how Lieutenant Commander Paris materialized in this universe."

"Did you find something?"

"Yes, but not what I was looking for."

He handed her the PADD he was holding and waited in patient silence while she scanned it. When she had finished, she again met her security chief's gaze.

"Have you verified these readings with Astrophysics?"

"Aye, Captain. I asked Lieutenant K'Vez to double-check my findings before I brought them to you. I contacted the head of the Xallon Science Counsel, a Doctor Baron Prevel, but he indicated the surges were simply due to pressure changes in the ionosphere."

The captain released a heavy sigh. "Well, it seems the Xallons are being less than honest with us as well," she said. "If they have managed to get their hands on Iconian technology, they could very well be responsible for the temporal transference that brought Tom to our timeline."

"I have instructed Lieutenant K'Vez to maintain continuous scans of the region where the temporal ripples are originating from and have told him to keep the information confidential. If he should uncover any more anomalies, he will alert only one of us."

"Good. If the Quetalans get wind of the fact that the Xallons have discovered a way to manipulate the timeline, this private little war may turn into the Dominion revisited."

XALL - TEMPORAL SCIENCE STATION GAMMA - SOUTHERN CONTINENT

Baron Prevel, lead temporal scientist for the Xallon Science Council, was sequestered in his office reviewing the latest results from the previous week's temporal incursion when his assistant Korran Retsnom burst into his office.

"Doctor Prevel, we have a problem," Korran announced. "I've just checked the latest readings for the energy sensors at the compounds perimeter and they show that the compound was scanned by an unknown energy pulse early this morning."

"Don't be paranoid, Korran," Prevel chided. "Most likely it was a feedback surge from an electromagnetic shift in the planet's atmosphere."

"Or the Federation ship could have scanned us," Korran countered.

"If they had, I have no doubt Princess Erin would have sent a team to investigate."

"Perhaps, but to be safe maybe we should refrain from inducing more temporal incursions until after the Enterprise has left."

"And risk the Quetalans claiming Xall for their own before we find a way to send them through the portal? I think not."

"But sir…" Korran protested.

"But nothing!" Prevel snapped. "The tests continue. We must find a way to strengthen and enlarge the temporal rifts and exterminate the Quetalans before they destroy our world."

Dismissing his aide with a glance, Prevel returned his attention to his work.

U.S.S. ENTERPRISE

Sequestered at a table near the windows in Ten Forward, Erin was finishing the last of her lunch when Guinan approached her table.

"Care for a refill on your tea, Captain?"

"No thanks, Guinan. I'm about ready to return to the bridge."

"How was your afternoon at the Harvest Festival?" the El-Aurian asked casually.

Erin smiled. "Tom and I had a wonderful time."

"Dare I hope you're finally heeding my advice?"

"Let's just say I'm working on ensuring that something other than the devotion of family and friends will keep me warm at night."

"I'm glad to hear it. What time does the Quetalan delegation arrive?"

"They're scheduled to show up in about an hour," Erin told her. "I just hope allowing them to join the negotiations doesn't prove to be a mistake."

"Well one way or another you'll know in an hour."

Guinan made her way back to the bar just as Tom entered the room and he smiled in greeting.

"Hello, Guinan. You look lovelier than usual today."

She gave him an indulgent smile. "Your charm is wasted on me, Commander," she chided. "It does, however, seem to be working on the captain."

"Is that good or bad?" Tom asked, the question a not-so-subtle inquiry as to the older woman's opinion on his relationship with Erin.

"It's too soon to know for certain," Guinan demurred, "but for now she's happy. I'm trusting you to make sure she stays that way."

"I won't hurt her, Guinan."

"If you do, you'll answer to me."

Without waiting for a response, the El-Aurian retreated behind the bar as Tom crossed over to seat himself across from Erin. "Hi," he said simply.

Erin glanced up and graced him with a small smile. "Hi, yourself."

"Any chance I could persuade you to join me for lunch?"

"I can't. The Quetalan delegates are due here in less than an hour and I have some last-minute details to discuss with my dad. How about we make it dinner, say 2100 in holodeck two?"

"I have a better idea. How about we leave the holodeck to someone else and have dinner in my quarters?"

Erin knew instinctively that the invitation was for more than dinner, and held his gaze in silence for a long moment before saying simply, "Works for me."

Tom flashed her a wide grin. "Good."

Erin stood up and grabbed her PADD off the table, then leaned over to give him a quick kiss. "I'll see you tonight, Flyboy."

"I'll look forward to it."

Flashing him a farewell smile, Erin headed out of the Mess Hall.

"Sek to Captain Janeway-Katsaros."

"Yes, Commander?"

"Both groups of delegates are on board and in the conference room awaiting the arrival of yourself and Ambassador Chakotay."

"Acknowledged. We're on our way."

In her Ready Room, Erin glanced at her father. "I guess that's our cue."

"You're sure you're okay?" Chakotay asked, knowing that the impending encounter with the Quetalans had been weighing heavily on his daughter's mind.

"The sooner we get started, the sooner we'll be finished. Let's do it."

Exiting the Ready Room, Chakotay and Erin strode across the bridge and into the conference room. Erin took two steps inside before coming to a dead stop, her face turning ashen as she instantly recognized the leader of the Quetalan delegation.

Blood…screams…the stench of burning flesh…

"Dear God..." she muttered. "Y'Sarl…"

Y'Sarl glanced at her and his expression displayed his own recognition of her. "Your Highness," he greeted formally.

Only her years of Starfleet training prevented the captain from confiscating Sek's phaser and vaporizing the Quetalan into oblivion. As it was, her hands clenched and unclenched as she took a step toward him, her eyes and tone ice cold. "Get off my ship."

The others exchanged surprised looks at the blatant hostility in her voice as Sek asked, "Is there a problem, Captain?"

"There will be if Commandant Y'Sarl doesn't leave my sight in the next thirty seconds," Erin said through gritted teeth.

"Your Highness, I understand that my presence here is a shock for you…" Y'Sarl began, only to have Erin curt him off in mid-sentence.

"Do you understand that if I were anyone else you would be dead right now?" she snarled.

"That's enough, Captain!" Chakotay admonished.

Erin shot him a look that would have melted ice. "With all due respect, Ambassador, you have no idea who this is."

"Then why don't we adjourn to your Ready Room and you can explain it to me in a less public setting."

"Fine." She glanced at Sek. "Commander, I want you to personally escort Commandant Y'Sarl back to the transporter room and return him to his ship. And under no circumstances is he to be allowed back on the Enterprise. Is that clear?"

"Aye, Captain."

Erin shot Y'Sarl a final hateful glare before striding out of the room. Chakotay muttered an apology to the others and quickly followed her, both father and daughter remaining silent until they were within the confines of her Ready Room.

"What was that all about?" Chakotay demanded.

"Treaty or no treaty, I will not allow that murdering bastard on my ship!" Erin declared, pacing back and forth in a futile attempt to channel her anger. "If this were a Maquis ship instead of a Starfleet one, I would have killed him where he stood."

"Obviously you and Commandant Y'Sarl have met before. Who is he?"

"He's the scum who murdered Andreas and carved our son from my womb."

"Spirits above…" Chakotay mumbled. "Are you sure?"

"You don't forget the face of the person responsible for destroying your world."

Chakotay immediately recalled the images of R'Vek and Seska, his two mortal enemies from his days with the Maquis. That's truer than you know, he mused silently. Aloud he said, "Well, I certainly understand why you want to see him dead. Unfortunately murdering him isn't an option."

"Neither is allowing him to remain on my ship," Erin replied. "The meetings can be relocated to the Embassy on Xall or to another ship."

"You can't just arbitrarily relocate the negotiations, Erin, and Starfleet Command specifically gave you this assignment because of your personal connection to Xall."

"Well, it just got entirely too personal," Erin retorted. "Profanity wasn't the only thing Terven Darjenko and his friends taught me, so I'm serving notice now: if Y'Sarl comes aboard the Enterprise again I'm going to give him a taste of justice Maquis style."

"Issuing threats against anyone other than a known enemy in a directly hostile encounter is against Starfleet regulations, Erin," he reminded her quietly. "You of all people should know that."

"As far as I'm concerned, Y'Sarl is a 'known enemy': mine."

Without waiting for a response, the captain stormed out of her Ready Room.

STARFLEET HEADQUARTERS

Kathryn was in the midst of her latest round of paperwork when her intercom buzzed and Naomi's voice filtered out. "Excuse the interruption, Admiral, but there's an incoming message for you from Captain Janeway-Katsaros on the Enterprise. She says it's urgent."

"Put it through to my terminal, Naomi."

"Aye, sir."

Kathryn turned on the viewscreen of her personal computer and the image of an obviously distressed Erin filled the screen. "Erin," she greeted. "What's the matter? Has something happened to Morgan or your father?"

"No, they're fine."

"Then what's wrong?"

"The...person…in charge of the Quetalan peace delegation is the commandant that murdered Andreas and our son five years ago," Erin revealed.

The automatic reply "Are you sure?" popped into Kathryn's mind, but wisely she did not say it aloud, as her daughter's posture and tone were answer in and of themselves. "I'm sorry, sweetie," she said, empathy evident in her tone. "I know seeing him again must have been an incredible shock."

"Seeing his face triggered all of the pain and rage I felt when I first lost my family, and it ripped open wounds I thought had healed five years ago."

"Does he know who you are?" she asked.

"Oh, yes. He tried to offer me some kind of condescending explanation for his presence but I kicked him off the ship."

Kathryn immediately shifted from concerned parent to agitated Admiral. "You did what?"

"I had Commander Sek escort him off the ship," Erin clarified, "and not even a General Order from the entire Admiralty will convince me to allow him back on board."

Kathryn sighed. "Erin, I sympathize with your reasons for not wanting to be around him, but if he is an official member of the peace envoy you don't have a choice. Not even I have the authority to ban him from the negotiations."

"But you do have the authority to change the location of the proceedings from the Enterprise to the Federation Embassy on Xall," Erin countered.

"The location for the peace talks has to be held on neutral ground, Erin. In this case, that happens to be the Enterprise."

Identical pairs of midnight blue eyes met and held as the two women maintained eye contact for close to a full minute before Erin spoke again. "Then at least allow me to withdraw from the peace talks due to a conflict of interest," she pleaded. "I cannot and will not sit across a table from the man who murdered my husband and my son and pretend it's business as usual."

"I'm sorry for the distress Y'Sarl's presence causes you, but unfortunately there is nothing to be done about it. There are billions of lives hinging on what happens in these negotiations. I'm afraid your orders stand."

A shadow of restrained rage flickered across Erin's features and Janeway felt a chill go down her spine. The last time I saw that look was on Chakotay's face when he told me about killing R'Vek.

"With all due respect, Admiral, you and your orders can go to hell," came the icy reply.

Erin severed the transmission before Kathryn could respond.

Tom and Morgan were in Ten Forward engaged in casual conversation over lunch when Chakotay approached their table.

"I'm glad you're both here," he said, and settled into the empty chair between them. "I need to talk to you about Erin."

"What about her?" Morgan asked.

"It turns out that the leader of the Quetalan peace delegation is the same man who murdered Andreas Katsaros five years ago," Chakotay told them.

"Shit," Tom muttered. "Does Erin know?"

"Oh, yes. She recognized him the moment we walked into the conference room and went ballistic. She threw him off the ship and banned him from coming back on board for any reason; she tore into me in her Ready Room after I told her she couldn't ban him from the negotiations, and according to the message I just received from Kathryn, she told her mother to go to hell."

Morgan sighed. "Where's Dorvan when you need him?" he asked of no one in particular.

"Why Dorvan?" Tom asked.

"He's the only one in the family that can get through to her when she's this upset," Morgan clarified.

"Mind if I try?" Tom asked. "I have some experience dealing with mercurial females."

Chakotay shrugged. "If you think you can reach her, you're welcome to give it a shot."

Tom got to his feet. "Computer, locate Captain Janeway-Katsaros."

"Captain Janeway-Katsaros is not on board."

"Figures," Morgan muttered, and tapped his combadge. "Janeway to Bridge."

"Yes, Lieutenant?" Wynmore's voice responded.

"Commander, do know where my sister is?"

"The captain transported down to Xall about an hour ago, Morgan," Wynmore told him. "She said she'd be back tomorrow and not to disturb her unless there's an emergency."

"Okay. Thanks, Commander. Janeway out."

"Looks like I'm going planetside," Tom replied.

He started for the door as Morgan called after him. "Good luck, and keep us posted."

Stopping by his quarters only long enough to change into civilian clothes, Tom headed to the transporter room and instructed the ensign on duty to transport him to the same location where she had transported Erin.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I'm under strict orders not to divulge the captain's location," she apologized.

"I'll take full responsibility," Tom offered.

"With all due respect, Commander, I can't disobey her orders."

The helmsman walked over to stand in front of the console. "You look thirsty, Suzy," he said. "Why don't you head down the hall to the replicator and get a glass of water? I'll watch your post while you're gone."

Suzy gave him a knowing look. "And when I get back you will have conveniently disappeared?" she prompted.

"Well, you know, I'm really not from this universe, so there's no telling what will happen when I'm left alone with unfamiliar technology. I might be running a routine diagnostic of the transporter controls and accidentally beam myself off the ship."

Suzy snorted. "Right, and Santa Claus is going to hitch his sleigh of reindeer to our warp nacelles so we can take him back to Earth."

"The galaxy is a wondrous place, Ensign," Tom allowed. "Anything can happen."

"And usually does on ships named Enterprise," Suzy finished dryly. "You know, now that you mention it, a glass of Terellian mineral water would hit the spot about now. I think I will take you up on that offer, Commander."

"Excellent idea," Tom declared.

They exchanged a smile of understanding, then Suzy started out of the room as Tom walked around to assume her position behind the console. As she triggered the door, however, she glanced back at Tom.

"Do the rest of us a favor, Commander," she requested. "If you do 'accidentally' transport yourself down to where the captain is, let her know that we're all on her side."

"Consider it done."

Suzy exited the room and once the doors were closed, Tom quickly scanned the panel to locate Erin. Inputting an instruction to transport him to her beam down site, he initiated the transport on a thirty second delay, then swiftly crossed over to position himself on the pad just as the beam enveloped him. No sooner had he vanished than the doors opened to admit Suzy, and she smiled to herself as she resumed her position.

"Take care of her, Commander," she requested aloud.

QUETALAN WARSHIP TREVAXSOR

"That kar!" Y'Sarl exclaimed. "Who does she think she is to throw me off her ship like garbage?"

Eikooc attempted to calm his commander. "She is nothing, sire, and soon she will have nothing when we take over her ship."

"I should have killed her when I had the chance," Y'Sarl declared. "But that is an error of judgment I will soon rectify. It will make it all the sweeter to spill Her Highness' blood on the floor of her own vessel. What is the status of the fleet?"

"Praetor Dto contacted us while you were off ship and informed me there are two additional battle cruisers on the other side of the border, awaiting your signal to launch the attack."

"In that case, we must now devise a plan to lure the Enterprise away from Xall," Y'Sarl said. "Once Princess Erin and the flagship are out of the way, the colony will be ours for the taking. And I will mount the lovely captain's head on the wall of the Palace's main hall."

XALL

Unaware of Tom's impending arrival, Erin had secured a room at an isolated resort on the Eastern shore of Xall's main continent, hoping that distancing herself from her ship would help her regain some emotional balance. After exchanging her uniform for an oversized navy-blue silk blouse and jeans, she'd wandered onto the beach and was now watching the waves crash on the shore as she attempted to come to terms with the day's events. Her encounter with Y'Sarl and subsequent quarrels with her parents had shattered the peace she'd found after Tom had helped her ban the night terrors, and the captain found herself wondering if she would ever be free of the memory of Andreas' death.

I was certain that being with Tom would finally enable me to put Andreas' ghost to rest, but Y'Sarl's presence has resurrected it and reopened a wound that was finally starting to heal.

The familiar whine of the transporter interrupted her solitude, and she glanced around just as Tom materialized about fifty yards away. She met his gaze only briefly before returning her attention to the sea, but the look she gave him made Tom's heart ache.

She's in pain, he observed. Between her expression and her posture, she's radiating misery.

Walking over to stand behind her, Tom wordlessly slid his arms around her waist and pulled her to him, pressing a kiss to her hair. He did not speak, but merely held her in a silent gesture of comfort, willing to wait until she was ready to open up to him.

Talk to me, Erin, he pleaded silently. I can't help you if you won't tell me how.

After several minutes, Erin at last broke the silence, her tone thick with restrained pain and anger. "I almost killed him, Tom," she confessed quietly. "I came as close as I ever have to taking a phaser and vaporizing him."

"But you didn't."

He felt her suppress a chuckle. "Thirty-five years of living with Starfleet protocol is hard to erase no matter what the circumstances," she replied dryly, and shifted in his arms to face him. "But I wanted to kill him. I wanted to grant myself retribution for everything he's done to me."

"You're not a murderer, Erin," Tom told her, "and killing Y'Sarl won't bring back Andreas and your baby."

"Understanding that intellectually and accepting it emotionally are opposite sides of the fence, Flyboy. My mother won't allow me to withdraw from the negotiations, nor will she authorize relocating them to the Embassy on Xall. I've been ordered to allow him to return to my ship and attend the negotiations, and I have to share a room with him like he isn't the individual responsible for destroying my family. I don't have it in me to carry that off."

"So what are you going to do?"

She sighed. "I don't know. I'm considering resigning, but with everything else he's taken from me, I don't want to give Y'Sarl the satisfaction of adding my career to the list. But like I told my mother, I cannot and will not sit across a table from the man who murdered my husband and son and pretend it's business as usual. His face has haunted my dreams for five years, Tom. I can still hear him laugh as he raped me; still feel the blood gushing across my arms as I tried to keep my baby in my womb; still smell the stench of burning flesh as they set fire to Andreas and my son. How am I supposed to push those memories aside just to satisfy protocol?"

Tom lifted his hand to place his palm against her face, lightly caressing her cheek with his thumb. "I wish I could answer that," he said softly. "If it were in my power, I would wave a magic wand and make all of this go away. But I can't, and one way or another you have to find a way to deal with Y'Sarl."

"I know," she said simply. "I feel like I'm living my life under a microscope. Rules and regulations govern everything I say or do. I'm tired, Tom. I'm tired of living my life according to Starfleet standards and ignoring my own needs to adhere to their rules."

"Spoken like the daughter of a Maquis," Tom replied dryly.

"Maybe there is more of my father in me than anyone gives me credit for," Erin allowed. "He's never been afraid to follow his heart and cross the lines Starfleet draws in his path."

"That sounds like the Chakotay I know."

"Maybe I should follow my mother's example, when she made the decision to reconcile with my father on Cornellia," Erin remarked. "I should throw protocol aside and do something totally selfish and self-gratifying."

He flashed her a mischievous smile. "Was that an invitation, Captain?"

Erin smiled back. "I suppose that depends, Commander," she allowed.

"On what?"

"On you."

He frowned. "You've lost me."

"No, but I might, and I'm not willing to risk putting myself through that kind of pain again unless I know that you're where you want to be," Erin replied. "I care about you, Tom, and I know that you care about me. But if you were suddenly offered a chance to return to your timeline, would you go? Or would what we're building here be enough to keep you with me? Unless or until the answer to the latter question is yes, then you and I can't go forward."

"That sounds like an ultimatum," Tom said carefully.

"It's not," Erin assured him quickly. "I just don't want to risk getting hurt by starting something you can't finish, by chance or choice."

She's scared of me.

The thought popped into his head unbidden, bringing with it sudden clarity, as he realized she was using his possible disappearance as an excuse to avoid acknowledging what had developed between them.

Sorry, sweetheart, he thought wryly, but you're not getting away that easily.

"All my life, I've felt that I was second best, and I've always had to prove myself to the people around me: my family, my friends, even B'Elanna. No one ever gave me the benefit of the doubt about who I am or what I feel, until you. From the day we met, you've accepted me as I am, no questions asked. You allowed me into your crew and your life without making me prove that I deserve to be here. That unconditional acceptance is something I've never known before, Erin, and if I hadn't been brought here I may have spent the rest of my life without it. I won't lose that, sweetheart, and I won't lose you."

A myriad of emotions flickered across her elegant features at his admission - surprise, relief, and joy - and she graced him with a delighted smile. "Well, I guess I'll take that as a 'yes'," she responded softly.

Their conversation was interrupted by a sudden clap of thunder accompanied by a flash of lightening, and the couple exchanged an amused glance.

"Didn't we just leave this party?" Tom asked rhetorically.

"Come on; let's head for drier ground."

Hand in hand they dashed for Erin's bungalow and made it inside just as it began to pour. As Erin closed and locked the patio doors, Tom glanced around the room.

"Nice place you've got here," he remarked.

"It's a private resort that belongs to the royal family," Erin told him. "It's usually closed during the rainy season, but the manager is a friend of mine so he arranged to have one of the bungalows made available, along with a personal attendant."

"Did you come here a lot with Andreas?"

"Andreas never came here. He wasn't overly fond of the ocean so we either stayed at the palace or one of the inland resorts."

Tom smiled. "So there's no special memories here," he said.

Erin crossed over to stand in front of him. "Only the ones we'll make together,' she replied.

His smile widened and he bent slightly to pick her up and pull her to him for a fierce hug, the casual gesture a stark contrast to the fact that she could feel his heart pounding rapidly against his chest. They stood that way for close to a minute, reveling in the feel of one another, until Tom at last pulled back to meet Erin's gaze. Lifting his hands, he reached up to pull her hair from its braid, running his fingers through the chestnut locks as he smoothed it down her back. She closed her eyes at the sensation, and kept them closed even as she felt him ever so gently begin to trace the contours of her face. His exploration was brief, and he cupped her face in his hands as he pressed a series of light kisses across her face before brushing his lips over hers.

"Last chance to change your mind, sweetheart," he whispered. "Are you sure about this?"

"I'm sure. Make love to me, Tom."

Tom lowered his head to claim her mouth in another kiss.

That evening, the couple was sequestered on the patio adjacent to their bungalow, engaged in casual conversation as Tom sipped at a mug of coffee and Erin drank hot cocoa. Once the storm subsided, they had spent their time walking along the beach and swimming in the sea while basking in one another's company. Upon their return, Erin had placed a call to the attendant assigned to her, an elderly gentleman named Zerz Melorn, who had brought them a small feast from the main kitchens.

As they shared a chuckle over some private joke, Melorn entered from another room and discreetly approached them.

"Excuse the interruption, Your Highness, but I wanted to make certain there was nothing else you required before I retire for the evening."

"Thank you, Zerz, but I have everything I need," Erin responded, casting a pointed look at Tom.

"In that case, I will leave you both to enjoy the rest of your evening."

"Pleasant dreams, Zerz," Erin said.

Melorn half-bowed in acknowledgement. "And to you, Your Highness. Good evening, Commander."

"Good night, Zerz," Tom said.

The older man slipped out of the room as quietly as he had come and Tom waited until he was out of earshot before speaking. "He's quite a gracious man," he observed. "He carries himself with as much dignity as anyone I've ever met."

"Zerz has served the Katsaros family all his life," Erin revealed. "He was Majordomo of the King's honor guard when he was younger, and despite his retirement, most of the powers that be on Xall solicit his opinion on matters of the state."

He smiled. "You sound like a professor of Xallon politics."

She shrugged. "Old habits die hard. I was married to a member of the royal family and served at the Embassy here for a year. I was forced to keep up with current events."

"So I take it that aside from your position as Captain of the Enterprise, your knowledge of Xallon politics is another reason why you were recruited to mediate the treaty negotiations."

"Guilty as charged."

Erin took another drink of hot chocolate, and glancing at Tom over the rim of her mug, she noticed him watching her, amusement evident on his face.

"What's so funny?"

"You have a whipped cream mustache."

Her hand automatically flew to her upper lip, and sure enough she pulled away her fingers to discover the tips covered in white foam. "Great," she muttered. "Where's my napkin?"

"Let me."

Without giving Erin a chance to react, Tom reached over to gently cup her face in his hands, then covered her mouth with his. It was a relatively chaste kiss, lasting only long enough for him to lick the cream from her lip, but it enough to send a flame of desire coursing through both of them.

"Much better than a napkin," Tom said wryly.

"Much better."

Early the following morning, Tom awoke to the feel of a warm body pressed to his, and he smiled in contentment as he glanced down at Erin. She had turned toward him in her sleep, her steady breathing a tickle against his chest, and he bent over to press a gentle kiss against her temple.

I love you, he declared silently.

As if sensing his scrutiny, Erin chose that moment to awaken, exhaling heavily and blinking a few times before focusing her gaze on Tom. "Hi," she greeted sleepily.

"Hi, yourself. Sleep well?"

"Very well."

"Glad to hear it. How are you feeling?"

"I feel...complete."

His arms tightened around her. "Me too. Making love with you is like being taken apart one molecule at a time and then put back together again."

She smiled. "You either have a poet's soul or one hell of a line," she said. "But that was beautiful."

He leaned over to give her a warm kiss, after which they spent a few minutes enjoying the innocuous pleasure of merely being in one another's arms. Eventually Erin was the first to break the silence, and lifted her head to meet his gaze. "I want you to know how much yesterday and last night meant to me," she said. "You may have saved my life."

"Erin…" he began, but she pressed her hand to his mouth to silence him.

"Let me finish," she admonished. "I don't mean that I literally would have done harm to myself, but I was very definitely on the verge of returning to the same state of depression that shadowed me after I lost Andreas and our son. Yet you forced me to realize that retaliating against Y'Sarl won't undo the past, and I need to deal with his presence here and move on."

"I'm glad I was able to be here for you," Tom responded, "But you're stronger than you give yourself credit for, sweetheart. Once you'd gotten over your initial reaction, I'm sure you would have found a way to deal with Y'Sarl on your own."

"Maybe, but I might have done more emotional damage to myself or my family in the process, so thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Well, as much as I would prefer to spend another day like the one we shared yesterday, duty calls. If I don't show up for my shift on time, the rumor mill will go into overdrive."

Tom chuckled. "I imagine it's already got plenty of fuel for the fire after I followed you down here yesterday," he replied.

"Good point."

Reluctantly crawling out of their cocoon of bedcovers, the lovers made their way to the bathroom and shared an intimate shower before retrieving their clothes. They had barely finished putting on their uniforms when Erin's combadge beeped and Sek's voice filtered out. "Enterprise to Captain Janeway-Katsaros."

"Go ahead, Commander."

"Captain, we are receiving a distress call from a Xallon transport vessel located just inside Quetalan space in the Beta Quadrant," he informed her. "Apparently they were attacked by a Quetalan warship and have suffered heavy casualties."

"Acknowledged, Commander. Inform the delegates that the treaty negotiations will be relocated to the Embassy so we can respond to the distress signal. Send a contingent of guards down with the Federation representatives and I'll meet you on the Bridge in five minutes."

"Aye, Captain. Enterprise out."

Erin glanced at Tom. "Looks like it's time to get back to business, Commander."

"Ready when you are, Captain," Tom replied.

They exchanged a final smile before Erin contacted the ship for transport.

FEDERATION EMBASSY - XALL

Seated in his office, the Ambassador in charge of the Embassy Mark Bennett was reviewing personnel reports when his assistant Greg Black entered his office.

"Excuse the interruption, Ambassador, but we just received a message from Lieutenant Commander Sek on the Enterprise," he said. "Captain Janeway-Katsaros is responding to a distress call from a Xallon ship under attack in Quetalan space, so she has transported the delegates to the Assembly Hall to continue the treaty negotiations here."

Bennett frowned. "A distress call?" he repeated. "Why didn't the Xallon Defense System pick it up?"

"I don't know, sir," Black responded. "Commander Sek's message was very brief."

"Something's not right," Bennett mused. "An alleged distress signal that the Enterprise received but not us, which now leaves Xall without a starship to keep the Quetalans in check?"

"Do you want me to contact Captain Janeway-Katsaros and ask her to return to Xall?"

"Not without proof that the distress signal is a fake. But just to be safe, send out a subspace inquiry asking any starships in the area to head our way, and put the Embassy on Yellow Alert. If there is trouble brewing, I want to be ready for it."

"Aye, sir."

U.S.S. ENTERPRISE

On the Bridge, Erin was in her chair conversing with her XO about the distress call they were responding to.

"It could be a trap," Wynmore suggested.

"Wouldn't surprise me," Erin allowed. "The Quetalans may have very well sent out a false signal simply to lure us away from Xall."

"Yet we left anyway."

"We had to, because there is a chance that the distress call was genuine and somebody out here needs our help."

From his position at tactical, Sek interrupted their conversation to address Erin. "We are approaching the origination point of the distress signal, Captain."

The captain got to her feet as she addressed Tom, who was manning the helm. "Slow to impulse power, Mister Paris," she instructed. "Any signs of the Quetalan ship or their target, Mister Sek?"

Sek checked his panel. "Negative, Captain."

"What about residual energy signatures from weapons fire?"

"There has been no recent weapons discharge in this area."

"Why do I get the feeling we've been sent on a wild goose chase?" Wynmore asked rhetorically.

"The Quetalans are definitely up to something," Erin said. "Commander Paris, turn us around and lay in a return course to Xall at warp five."

"Aye, Captain."

"Captain," Finn interjected from Ops. "I'm detecting strange energy fluctuations about thirty kilometers off the port bow."

"Source?"

"Checking."

Just then Sek's panel beeped and he checked his readings before glancing at Erin. "Captain, two Quetalan warships have just dematerialized on either side of the ship," he announced. "Their weapons are on-line and trained on the Enterprise."

"Red alert," Erin barked. "Ensign Finn, open a channel to the Quetalan ships."

"Channel open, Captain."

"This is Captain Erin Janeway-Katsaros of the Federation starship Enterprise. Please respond."

Finn's panel beeped. "They're answering our hail, Captain."

"On screen."

The viewscreen flickered to life and the image of the Quetalan ship's Bridge appeared. In the center seat was a female Quetalan, who smiled coldly at the sight of Erin. "Captain," she greeted cooly. "I am Commandant Eiram Reggit. May I ask what you are doing in Quetalan space?"

"We received a distress call from an unidentified vessel claiming they were under attack by one of your warships," Erin answered.

"Really…well as you can see there is no ship in distress here."

"Obviously it was a false signal. We apologize for any inconvenience our presence here has caused. We'll depart your space immediately."

"I'm afraid I can't let you leave, Captain," Eiram said. "Given that you showed up in our space unannounced and uninvited, I have to detain your vessel until I have been able to establish that it poses no threat to us."

"I've already explained why we're here, Commandant…"

"And you expect me to believe you?" Eiram returned. "For all I know, you have been gathering tactical data to launch an attack against Quetal."

"Why would we want to do that? The Federation wants to make peace between Xall and Quetal, not jump start another war."

"So you say."

The captain allowed herself a small sigh. "This is getting us nowhere," she muttered. "If it will ease your concerns about our intentions, you're welcome to escort us back to the border. But I don't have time to play word games with you, so one way or another we're leaving. Katsaros out."

Eiram vanished as the viewscreen returned to the image of the scrolling starscape and Erin glanced at Tom. "Tom, take us out of here."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Erin glanced at Wynmore and said, "She was stalling. She was deliberately misinterpreting everything I said to prolong the conversation."

"Do you think Xall is under attack?" Wynmore asked.

"I think that's a safe assumption."

Just then the ship rocked slightly under the unmistakable impact of a missile hit, and the captain turned to Sek. "Report, Commander."

"The Quetalans launched a class four missile directly at our starboard nacelle," Sek told her. "Shields are holding and the ship is undamaged."

"Target their weapons array and send a phaser shot directly into their arsenal."

The Vulcan complied with the order and glanced at the captain. "Their weapons array has been disabled, Captain."

Just then the Enterprise dropped out of warp and a moment later came to a dead stop.

"Captain, our entire primary propulsion system just went off-line," Tom announced.

"Try initiating an emergency reboot."

"Emergency power is unavailable. We're dead in the water."

Erin tapped her combadge. "Bridge to Engineering."

"Janeway here."

"Morgan, what the hell is going on? Our propulsion system just crashed."

"I don't know, Captain," Morgan answered. "From what I can determine, someone input a bypass code into the computer's energy relay that caused the warp engines to disable themselves."

Erin glanced at her security chief. "Sek?" she prompted.

The Vulcan ran a quick scan. "He is correct, Captain. Both impulse and warp engines are off-line and the emergency power back-up systems are not responding."

"Son of a bitch!" She whirled to face Finn. "Suzanne, send out a distress call on all subspace frequencies stating the Enterprise is under attack and requires assistance. Also include a warning that Xall is very likely under attack as well. Then I want you to run a level six diagnostic on all ship's systems and find out how the hell the Quetalans infiltrated our computer systems. Mister Paris, as soon as propulsion is restored resume our course for the Alpha Quadrant at best possible speed. I'm going down to Engineering and get a report from Morgan. Commander Wynmore, you have the Bridge."

In Engineering, Morgan was desperately trying to regain control of the warp engines.

"What about the secondary power relays?" he shouted to a crewman on the upper level. "Any chance we can channel the energy from them back into the warp engines?"

"It might be enough to jump start the impulse engines, sir, but there's not enough power to reinitialize the warp drive."

"Even a slow crawl is better than standing still," Morgan returned. "Do it."

"Aye, sir."

The lieutenant crossed over to the panel controlling the warp core and ran his hand along the panel, then a moment later released a frustrated curse as he slammed a fist on the console.

"Son of a bitch!"

Just then the doors swooshed open and Morgan turned expectantly as Erin strode inside. "Give me good news, Lieutenant," she said.

"I wish I could, Captain," Morgan responded. "We're going to jump start the impulse engines by rerouting power from the secondary relays, but we can't regain our warp engines unless I can override the code that caused them to shut down in the first place."

"Can't you just create a new override code by erasing the old one?"

"The computer isn't recognizing my clearance code."

Erin walked over to the panel and input a command into the console as she said, "Computer, erase all existing command codes for Engineering functions, authorization Katsaros Gamma Three."

"Acknowledged. All command codes for Engineering functions have been erased."

"Reinstate Engineering functions only as input by Chief Engineer Janeway, authorization Katsaros Gamma Four. Confirm."

"Confirmed. All new Engineering functions are to be input by Chief Engineer Janeway only."

The captain stepped away from the console as her brother gave her a surprised glance. "How'd you do that?"

"Off the record, let's just say that profanity isn't the only thing Terven Darjenko taught me," she replied. "If push comes to shove, I have enough security clearance to make this ship do somersaults and whistle Dixie."

Morgan smiled. "Does Mom know?"

"She's our mother and the Admiral of the Fleet, Morgan. If I sneeze, it winds up as an official memo in her computer."

"Right."

"Contact me via combadge when the warp drive is back on line," Erin instructed. "I want intraship communications limited to comm links in case the Quetalans are tapped into the communications system."

"Aye, Captain."

U.S.S. VOYAGER

Seated in his chair on the Bridge, Dorvan Janeway was engaged in a casual conversation with his XO, Melissa Barrett, when the Ops officer Ian Riker addressed him.

"Captain, we're receiving an incoming message from the Federation Embassy on Xall," he said. "Commander Bennett says the Enterprise has left Xall to respond to a distress call in the Beta Quadrant, but that the origin and validity of the distress call are in doubt. She is requesting that any starship in the vicinity proceed to Xall to render assistance."

Dorvan frowned. "It's not like Erin to go on a wild goose chase," he muttered.

Just then Riker's panel beeped again and he glanced at the message before addressing Dorvan. "Sir, we've just received an emergency signal from the Enterprise," he announced. "Apparently the ship has been attacked and disabled and is stranded in the Beta Quadrant. And the addendum to the message indicates that Xall is probably under attack as well."

"Sounds like your sister is in serious trouble," Melissa mused.

"Yes, it does," Dorvan allowed, and addressed his helm officer. "Set a course for Xall at warp six, Mister Winston."

"Aye, sir."

XALL - TEMPORAL SCIENCE STATION GAMMA

Prevel was preparing to initiate another appearance of the portal when Korran burst into the room.

"Doctor Prevel," he said breathlessly. "We just received a message from the Embassy. They are under attack by the Quetalans and the Enterprise has been disabled and is stranded in the Beta Quadrant."

"Have we been detected?" Prevel asked.

"Not yet, but it is only a matter of time before the sensors on the Quetalan ships register the chronoton radiation we have stored here to manipulate the portal."

"Go to Level One security alert. That should give us enough time to secure the computers and prevent the Quetalans from accessing our data about the portal. Once the computers have been secured, evacuate all personnel through the underground tunnels to the hanger and transport them out of here in the shuttlecrafts."

"What about you?"

"I'll join you there as soon as I have downloaded the data about the portal onto the back-up disks."

Korran nodded in acknowledgement and ran from the room.

ROMULAN WARBIRD DRAPOEL

"Commander R'Zel, we are picking up a distress call from a Federation starship inside Quetalan space."

R'Zel turned in his command chair to glance at his second in command. "From which ship?" he asked.

Tarak glanced at his panel. "It is from the Enterprise," he answered.

"The flagship," R'Zel murmured. "Mayhap it is time I repay my debt to Captain Katsaros."

"Sir?"

"Initiate cloak and set a course for their location at maximum speed, Lieutenant. I look forward to teaching the Quetalans how true warriors fight."

"As you wish, sir."

U.S.S. ENTERPRISE

"Engineering to Janeway-Katsaros."

"Katsaros here."

"We have warp drive back, Captain. We're good to go as soon as you give the word."

"Thank you, Lieutenant."

Erin severed the transmission and glanced at Tom. "You heard the man, Mister Paris. Bring the warp engines online and set a course for Xall at warp six."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Just then Finn's panel suddenly beeped, and she checked the readings before addressing Erin. "Captain, we're receiving a priority message from Voyager," she said. "It's from Captain Janeway."

"Put him on screen."

Finn touched a control on her panel and the starscape on the viewscreen was replaced by the image of Dorvan. At the helm, Tom let out a low whistle at the resemblance. "He could be Chakotay's twin," he muttered.

"Actually, Commander, he's mine," Erin replied, and walked over to stand behind him as she addressed her brother. "Nice to see you, Captain. I take it you've heard about the Quetalans crashing my little party at Xall?"

"Unfortunately. What's your status?"

"We had a little engine trouble, but we're fine now. We're en route to Xall as we speak. What's your location?"

"Voyager's going to reach Xall in about two minutes," Dorvan told her, "and sensors indicate the colony is under assault by three Quetalan ships."

"Why am I not surprised that Y'Sarl lied about wanting to maintain the treaty?" Erin asked of no one in particular.

Dorvan's dark eyes widened in recognition of the name of Erin's nemesis. "Y'Sarl?" he repeated. "Don't tell me that bastard is involved in all of this?"

"He's the ringleader."

"Does he know who you are?"

"Oh, yes. We had a brief 'reunion' before I tossed his murdering ass off my ship."

"In how many pieces?" Dorvan returned wryly. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, thanks to some help from a friend," Erin replied, and casually placed a hand on Tom's shoulder. The gesture was not lost on Dorvan and he flashed his twin a warm smile.

"Well, it seems you and I need to have a little chat once we send Y'Sarl and his pals back to hell."

"I'll look forward to it."

From her place beside Dorvan, Melissa asked, "If the Quetalans had no intention of complying with the terms of the treaty, why agree to it in the first place?"

"Most likely to gain access to Xallon tactical information in order to launch a new series of attacks on the colony," Sek theorized. "The treaty would allow them to obtain information about Xall's defenses under the guise of sharing technology, then when the time was right, they could launch a major assault against the colony."

"Which they did ten days ago," Erin added. "Up until recently they've always kept the attacks limited to taking out an occasional cruiser or transport vessel. That's part of the reason why the Xallon Brigade was unprepared for the attack on Yaren."

"I find it odd that the defense perimeter didn't sound an alarm when the Quetalans got within range of the colony," Dorvan remarked.

"It was off-line for maintenance at the time of the attack," Erin told him. "Too convenient to be a coincidence."

"You think someone within the Xallon Defense Ministry is conspiring with the Quetalans?"

"The Council of Ministers does. That's why they requested that the Federation act as an intermediary and attempt to re-establish the treaty."

"What makes them think the Quetalans will abide by it a second time around?" Tom interjected.

"The alternative is going to war with the Federation," Erin answered, "and after what happened with the Dominion all those years ago, not even the Quetalans are stupid enough to risk that."

"Unfortunately, their actions say otherwise," Dorvan said.

"I'll contact you when we reach Xall and we'll coordinate our security teams from there," Erin said.

"Works for me. I'll see you shortly, Captain. Janeway out."

After Finn announced they had reached Xall, Erin strode into her Ready Room with Sek behind her and contacted Voyager to conduct a brief strategy session with her brother. Their plan of attack confirmed, Erin returned to the Bridge and addressed her crew.

"Captain Janeway and I have coordinated our strike plans. Commander Sek will head up three security teams consisting of a dozen officers each to neutralize the Quetalan troops that have taken over the Embassy, while the teams from Voyager secure the capital city. Once the Embassy is secured, one of our security teams will remain here while the other two transport to Yaren and help the Voyager teams with triage and security."

"What about you?" Wynmore prompted.

"Once Yaren and the Embassy are secured, I'm going to transport to the source of those temporal flashes in the southern continent and find out what exactly is going on down there."

"With all due respect, Captain," Sek interjected, "perhaps it would be best if you were to remain on the Enterprise. Should the Quetalans discover you while you are planetside, it may very well prove to be a fatal encounter."

"I appreciate your concern for my safety, Commander, but I have no intention of sitting up here while Y'Sarl and his soldiers murder more innocent people. Besides, my father and his Maquis friends taught my brothers and me a few tricks about hand-to-hand combat that Starfleet Academy didn't cover. Now is as good a time as any to see how well we learned them."

"Be careful Captain," Wynmore said.

"I always am."

At the helm, Tom suddenly got to his feet. "With your permission, Captain, I'd like to go with you," he requested. "I have combat experience and my medical training could be needed if we have casualties."

Erin glanced questioningly at her chief of security. "Commander?"

"His reasoning is logical," Sek allowed.

The captain allowed herself a small smile. "All right then, Mister Paris, you're with us. Ensign Finn, transfer helm control to your station."

"Aye, Captain."

"Gentlemen, let's kick some Quetalan butt," Erin declared.

Nodding to Sek and Tom, Erin crossed over to the turbolift with her officers in tow.

They materialized in the hallway just outside the office of the Embassy Ambassador, and took a moment to survey the damage. The walls that were still standing were scorched from phaser fire and the bodies of Starfleet, Xallon and Quetalan officers lay strewn amongst the rubble. In the distance, they could hear muffled shouts and phaser blasts as the Quetalans made their way through the Embassy compound.

"Mister Sek, where are the closest Quetalans soldiers?" Erin asked.

Sek ran a quick scan with his tricorder before answering. "There is a contingent of approximately one dozen soldiers five hundred yards due west of us."

"Then that's where we're headed. Lieutenant Borak, take your team and circle around through the living quarters, then intercept the Quetalans before they leave the grounds. Sek, your team will flank them from the east, preventing them from accessing the hangar and the shuttles. My team will make our way toward them from here, cutting off their escape route through the main buildings. And I don't want them to know we're coming, so maintain communications silence until you hear from me. Are we clear?"

"As crystal, Captain," Borak responded.

"Aye, Captain," Sek replied.

"Good luck, gentlemen, and be careful."

The other teams headed off in their assigned directions as Erin started down the hallway with hers. As they walked, she silently motioned for her officers to spread out, integrating themselves through the building's remains as they made their way toward the Quetalans. As they rounded the corner at the end of the hallway, Erin collided with a Quetalan soldier, causing them both to drop their weapons. The soldier wasted no time on surprise, withdrawing a knife from his boot and launching himself at Erin. She sidestepped the assault at the last moment, the dagger slicing a gash across her cheek instead of lodging in her forehead. The Quetalan quickly charged her again, but this time she landed a heavy blow to his jaw as she sidestepped him. On his third charge she half crouched and allowed him to grab her, then used his momentum and her body weight to flip him backward. He landed on the floor with an audible thud a couple of feet away, giving Erin enough time to retrieve both phaser rifles and level hers at him.

"Don't move or I'll turn you into atoms," she warned.

Just then Tom and two of her officers reached them, and the pilot gave her a concerned look upon seeing her injured face. "Are you all right, Captain?"

"I'm fine," Erin assured him, and pressed a hand to the wound to stem the flow of blood as she addressed the others. "Mister Harris, why don't you and Ensign Tyers take our friend back to the Enterprise and keep him in the brig until we can turn him over to Embassy Security?"

"Aye, Captain," Harris acknowledged.

Erin handed the Quetalan's rifle to Tyers and Harris pulled the soldier to his feet, who glanced back at Erin. "You are fighting a losing battle, Your Highness," he said. "Even if your Federation should prove victorious on this day, Y'Sarl will make certain you are amongst the casualties."

The captain closed the distance between them and met his gaze. "Y'Sarl tried to kill me once before and I'm still here to tell the tale," she countered. "And if he and I should cross paths again before this day is done, I guarantee I won't be the casualty."

She gestured for her officers to take him away, and the trio started back down the hall as Tom lifted his hand to cup Erin's chin and turn her head sideways to examine her wound. "You need to get to Sickbay and have Doctor T'Pere run a dermal regenerator over that."

"It'll keep until we've secured the Embassy. Let's keep moving."

"Yes, Ma'am."

The two continued their patrol through the Embassy and were almost at the rendezvous point when Erin's combadge beeped. "Wynmore to Captain Katsaros."

"Go ahead, Commander."

"Captain, the cavalry has arrived and the Quetalan fleet has been neutralized," Wynmore told her.

"The cavalry?" Erin echoed questioningly.

"Yes, Ma'am. A Romulan warbird is in a tandem orbit with the Enterprise and a Commander R'Zel is requesting to speak with you as soon as possible."

"R'Zel? Well I'll be damned."

"Captain?" Wynmore pressed.

"Open a channel to his ship, Commander, and reroute the signal through my combadge."

"Aye, Captain."

There was a brief pause as Wynmore did as instructed, and a moment later she said, "You're on, Captain."

"This is Captain Erin Janeway-Katsaros calling Commander R'Zel. Please respond."

"Captain Katsaros," an unmistakably Romulan voice greeted. "It is good to hear your voice."

"And yours as well, Commander," Erin returned. "I must say I am surprised that you're here. I was under the impression that Romulus and Quetal were allies."

"I answer to my own allegiances, Captain," R'Zel replied, "and mine is to you after our encounter at Terel Prime."

"Thank you."

"Do you require any additional troops?"

"Your offer is most generous, Commander, but I think it would be best if you continued to guard the colony from above. We have sufficient troops planetside to neutralize the Quetalan ground forces."

"As you wish."

"As soon as Xall is secured, I would be honored to have you aboard the Enterprise for a dinner between friends," Erin invited, and stole a glance at Tom. "There's someone I think you would enjoy meeting."

"I look forward to renewing our acquaintance, Captain."

"As do I, Commander. Katsaros out."

Erin severed the transmission as Tom gave her a questioning look. "Care to tell me what that was all about?"

"All in good time, Flyboy."

Just then Erin's combadge beeped again and Sek's voice filtered out. "Sek to Captain Janeway-Katsaros."

"Katsaros here."

"Captain, we have secured the Embassy," Sek informed her. "The majority of the Quetalan troops have returned to their ships and those remaining planet side have been taken into custody."

"What about Y'Sarl?"

"He is still at large, Captain, and apparently somewhere on the colony."

"Which means I have to track him down," Erin said. "Did we suffer any casualties?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Five of our officers and half a dozen from Voyager have been killed, and another two dozen from both ships are injured. In addition, one of the Xallon delegates and three of the Federation's have been killed or wounded."

"My father?"

"Alive, but in critical condition."

Erin closed her eyes for a moment to ward of the surge of pain at the news, then forced herself back into command mode. "Acknowledged. Contact Starfleet Command and tell them what's happened, then coordinate with Doctor T'Pere and Voyager's CMO to begin treating the survivors."

"Aye, Captain."

Sek signed off as Tom addressed Erin. "I'm sorry about Chakotay," he said simply.

"He's not dead yet, Commander," Erin responded, and contacted her XO. "Katsaros to Wynmore."

"Yes, Captain?"

"Danielle, I need a scan of the planet's surface and a location on Y'Sarl. Have the transporter chief give you his transporter records to get Y'Sarl's biological signature."

"Stand by."

As she waited for Wynmore to locate Y'Sarl, Erin addressed Tom. "You should join up with Sek's group and help with the triage. I'll meet you back on the Enterprise once I've taken care of Y'Sarl."

"Sorry, Captain, but there's no way I'm letting you go after Y'Sarl on your own," Tom said.

"This is no time to be chivalrous, Tom. You're needed to help with the wounded."

"I'm not leaving."

The captain shot him an admonishing glance as Wynmore's voice again filtered out. "We've located him on the southern continent, Captain, at the source of the temporal fluctuations we were reading earlier."

"Then that's where we're headed," Erin replied. "Lock onto Commander Paris and myself and transport us to within fifty yards of Y'Sarl's location."

"Aye, Captain. Be careful."

"I always am."

The two materialized in the center of a large laboratory, bodies scattered on the floor and debris littered across the room. They quickly made their way to the bodies, checking for signs of life, but there were no survivors. Glancing around at the computer system, Erin did not recognize the hardware as Xallon.

"Looks like Y'Sarl and his cronies have struck again," Tom observed.

"They take no prisoners, so everyone they come across becomes another corpse," Erin responded. "I doubt the Xallons even knew what hit them."

"What do you suppose they were up to in here?" Tom wondered aloud.

"I don't know, but this isn't Xallon technology," Erin answered.

"Maybe they were conspiring with the enemy."

"No; this isn't Quetalan technology, either."

She crossed over to the nearest workstation and powered up the system, and a moment later the screen flickered to life.

"Only part of this is written in Xallon," the captain said. "The rest of the text is in a language I don't recognize."

Tom walked over to stand beside her and glanced at the screen. "It's nothing I recognize, either," he said.

Erin reached over to grasp the tricorder strapped to her side and input a brief command before setting it down beside the computer. "Let's see if it's anything that the Federation language database can identify."

There was a slight chirp as the tricorder began downloading the information, then Erin turned to Tom. "This could take a while, so let's go find Y'Sarl," she said. "He's entirely too dangerous to be allowed to run loose."

"I'll second that."

Shifting their grasps on their phaser rifles to hold them steady, Tom and Erin headed out of the lab. Cautiously making their way through the corridors, the duo discovered a large room resembling a cross between a transporter room and a holodeck. A large computer panel built into the far wall consisted of the same technology they had discovered in the laboratory. At the opposite end of the room, the wall separated two corridors, leading in opposite directions.

"Welcome to the Fortress of Doom," Tom muttered.

"Fortress of Doom?" Erin echoed questioningly.

"Long story," Tom answered.

"Y'Sarl can't have gotten far. Let's split up."

"I don't think that's a good idea. The Quetalan soldier as much as told us that Y'Sarl intends to kill you on sight."

"Not if I kill him first," she quipped.

"Don't joke about this, Erin," Tom requested evenly. "If something should happen to you…"

His voice trailed off and he took a deep breath to regain his composure as Erin gave him a reassuring smile.

"I appreciate your concern, Flyboy, but I have no intention of letting Y'Sarl do any more to me than he already has. And I'm not exactly tickled pink that he could just as easily make you his target of choice. So let's save ourselves a whole lot of anxiety and worry, and just get rid of him once and for all."

Tom returned her smile. "Sounds good to me."

The captain gestured toward the left corridor. "You take that hallway, and I'll take this one," she said. "We'll keep an open comline so whoever finds Y'Sarl first won't have to waste time trying to contact the other. Once we have him in custody, we'll return to the lab and retrieve the tricorder before we transport back to the ship."

Tom nodded in acknowledgement, then he and Erin started down their respective hallways. They had been traveling for just over a minute when Erin's voice sounded over the comlink.

"Drop your weapon, Commandant!" Erin ordered curtly.

"Not likely, Your Highness," came Y'Sarl's reply.

There was the briefest of pauses before Tom heard the unmistakable sound of phaser fire, followed by physical combat. Swearing under his breath, he bolted back the way he had come, then dashed down the corridor Erin had taken. Reaching the end of the hallway, he discovered a laboratory similar to the one they had initially materialized in, and found Y'Sarl beating an unconscious Erin with his rifle. Not bothering to shout a warning, Tom lifted his rifle and shot Y'Sarl in the back. The unconscious Quetalan crumpled to the floor, and Tom crossed the room to roughly shove him off of Erin with his foot before kneeling down to examine her.

"Good God…"

Y'Sarl's brief assault had been brutally effective. The phaser blast Tom had heard had obviously found its target at Erin's throat, as it was burned almost all the way through. Her face was bruised and bloodied, and her right arm rested at an unnatural angle by her side. A large knot on her temple was now darkening with a bruise, and a slight trickle of blood from her ears indicated she had suffered a brain injury.

"Don't die on me, Erin," Tom muttered. "Please don't die."

Mentally hearing the tick of a clock as Erin died by degrees in front of him, the pilot knew he needed to get her immediate medical attention. He immediately tapped his combadge.

"Paris to Enterprise."

"Go ahead, Commander," Wynmore's voice responded.

"Captain Katsaros has been critically wounded. I need an emergency transport to Sickbay."

"Acknowledged. Stand by."

Tom kept his gaze locked on Erin as he anxiously waited for the familiar tingle that signaled transport. Yet when thirty seconds passed and they had not been beamed aboard the ship, he slapped his combadge again.

"Paris to Enterprise. What the hell is taking so long?"

"We're having trouble getting a lock on you, Commander," Wynmore replied. "There's some kind of chronoton radiation surrounding your location and it's interfering with the signal."

Tom stifled a frustrated sigh. "Not again," he muttered. "Keep trying to clear up the signal, Commander. I'm going to take the captain back to our original transport location and you can beam us up from there."

"Acknowledged."

Setting aside his rifle, Tom gathered Erin into his arms as gently as he could and carefully but swiftly started back through the building. Just as he reached the room he had dubbed the 'Fortress of Doom', he noticed that the computer panel had somehow been activated.

"What the…?"

Before he could finish his thought, he felt the tingle of the transporter beam and he and Erin dematerialized.

U.S.S. VOYAGER - XALL COLONY, ALPHA QUADRANT - NEAR FUTURE

On the Bridge, Janeway and Chakotay were engaged in casual conversation when Tom suddenly materialized on the Bridge, clutching Erin's bloodied and battered body, and he tore his gaze from her still form long enough to survey his surroundings.

"Voyager," he muttered. "Damn temporal shifts."

"Tom?" Kathryn prompted. "Who is this? And where have you been? We thought we lost you at Xall."

"I'll explain later, Captain," Tom said. "Right now, we have to get Erin to Sickbay or she's going to die."

The captain glanced at LaShea. "Beam them to Sickbay, Lieutenant."

LaShea gave a curt nod of acknowledgement and activated the transporter, and Tom and Erin disappeared in a shimmer of light.

Sometime later, Kathryn strode into Sickbay and found her CMO Julian Bashir in his office, making notations in his medical log. In the ancillary bay, Tom was fast sleep in a chair beside the biobed of the mysterious woman who had materialized with him that afternoon, his head resting on the back of the chair as he held her hand in his.

Maybe Chakotay was right after all, she mused.

The thought brought a smile to her face as Bashir left his office and walked over to greet her. "Good evening, Captain."

"Doctor," Kathryn returned. "How's the patient?"

"Alive, but barely," he answered. "She had multiple fractures in her right arm, three cracked ribs, a slight skull fracture and severe internal injuries. Not to mention a larynx and vocal cords that were all but destroyed by a phaser blast. I had to essentially reconstruct her internal physiology, and thankfully I was able to repair the damage to her throat, but due to the trauma to her system she's still critical. Whether or not she survives the next twenty-four hours is up to her."

"Was Tom able to tell you who she is?"

"Her name is Erin Katsaros, and as you suspected she is from an alternate timeline. According to Tom, along with being Captain of the Enterprise, she's also your daughter. Or rather the daughter of the Kathryn Janeway in her timeline."

Surprise briefly flickered across Kathryn's face. "Really? Well then, I imagine she and I will have quite a conversation when she comes to."

"I hope you get the chance to have that conversation," Bashir allowed. "In the meantime, perhaps you can persuade Tom to return to his quarters and get some real sleep. He refuses to leave."

"I'll see what I can do."

Bidding the doctor farewell, Kathryn made her way across the bay to stand beside the biobed, recognizing her resemblance to Erin almost immediately. She studied the younger woman for a moment, natural curiosity causing her to seek evidence of Erin's paternity in her features, but aside from her slightly darker skin tone there was none. Shifting her attention to Tom, she reached over to gently place a hand on his shoulder. "Tom," she said softly. "Tom, wake up."

The blond pilot stirred and opened his eyes to see Kathryn standing at his shoulder. "Captain?"

"Yes. You should be in your quarters, Tom."

"I won't leave Erin," Tom said. "I want to be here when she wakes up."

"You won't be of any use to her if you collapse from exhaustion."

"I appreciate your concern, Captain, but I'm not leaving."

His tone made it clear further argument would be useless, so Kathryn allowed the subject to drop. "Doctor Bashir tells me that Erin is from another timeline," she said. "I take it that's where you materialized when we tried to transport you off Xall?"

"I was transported aboard her ship," Tom confirmed. "No one was quite sure what had happened until I gave my name, and then they realized I had somehow been beamed from my timeline to theirs."

"Does Tom Paris exist in their timeline?"

"He did, but that Tom Paris was killed in the Dominion War thirty years ago."

The captain quirked one delicate eyebrow. "You materialized thirty years into the future?"

"Their future, yes. I was there for close to two weeks."

"Not very long, all things considered."

Tom glanced at Erin, agony and adoration etched in his face. "Long enough."

Kathryn smiled. "Apparently so," she replied softly. "Julian also mentioned that her mother is my counterpart."

"Yes."

"Her surname is Katsaros, which is the surname of the royal family on Xall. Did I marry into royalty?"

"No; Erin did. Her husband was the Crown Prince, but he was killed five years ago."

"Any children?"

"She lost their son the same day her husband was killed," Tom answered. "She still has night terrors about it."

"Does she know about B'Elanna?"

"Yes." He shifted his gaze to meet Kathryn's, grief flickering in his light blue eyes. "I lost the woman I love once before, Captain; I can't survive that kind of pain again."

She gave him a reassuring smile and placed a hand on his arm. "Janeway women are fighters, Commander; have faith that her Irish stubbornness will see her through this."

He returned his gaze to Erin. "It has to."

Late the next morning, Tom had reluctantly left Sickbay to shower and change so he could report for duty. Erin's condition had remained unchanged throughout the night, which Bashir had assured his friend was a positive sign.

"As long as she remains stable it means that she's fighting to stay alive," he said. "If she goes into shock or cardiac arrest, it means her body is losing the battle."

"So why won't she wake up?" Tom pressed.

"She will when she's ready, Tom. Be patient."

The brief conversation had slightly mollified the pilot's anxiety and he had given Erin a gentle kiss before leaving Sickbay. That had been two hours ago, and Bashir was sequestered in his office updating his medical files when he heard the computer monitoring Erin begin to beep. Wandering into the other room, he made his way to her biobed just as she opened her eyes. Her dark blue gaze scanned the bay before coming to rest on Bashir.

"Good morning, Captain," he greeted. "How are you feeling?"

Erin opened her mouth to respond, but her mouth was dry and her throat felt oddly heavy. On her third attempt, she managed to mutter "Everything hurts," her voice raspy and barely above a whisper.

"I'm sure it does. Do you know where you are?"

"Voyager."

"Yes."

"What's wrong with my voice?" Erin asked.

"Your larynx and vocal cords were burned through," Bashir explained. "I've repaired them, but it will be a few days before they heal completely and your voice fully returns."

Great; now I even sound like my mother. The thought passed through Erin's mind but remained unspoken and she said instead, "I'm in Tom's timeline."

It was more a statement than a question, but nonetheless Bashir said, "Yes. You and Commander Paris materialized out of nowhere on the Bridge yesterday morning."

She smiled at that. "I imagine that went over well with my moth…Captain Janeway."

"Actually, the condition you arrived in was more disturbing than your arrival. Somebody obviously tried to kill you."

"Occupational hazard," Erin quipped. "Could I please get a glass of water?"

"Certainly."

Bashir crossed the room as Erin slowly eased herself upright, unable to stifle a small groan at the discomfort even such a simple movement caused. A moment later Bashir returned and handed her the glass.

"Thank you," she said, and took a few sips before handing it back to him, and he placed it on the closest panel. "Aren't you supposed to be CMO on Deep Space Nine?"

"I was, but when Voyager returned from the Delta Quadrant, I decided I needed a change, so I applied for a transfer."

"I imagine the station's female population was crushed," Erin teased.

"Actually, I'm married," Bashir revealed. "My wife Ezri is the ship's counselor."

"Ah."

"If you're feeling up to it, the captain is quite anxious to speak with you."

"I imagine she is. Before you call her down here, though, I'd like to request a favor."

"Of course."

"It's obvious that where I come from Kathryn Janeway is my mother, and given the extent of my injuries I'm sure you have enough medical information to figure out who my father is as well. Given the possible ramifications to this timeline, I think it would be best for all concerned if we kept his identity to ourselves."

"I'm well aware of the Temporal Prime Directive, Captain, and I assure you that I won't tell Commander Chakotay or anyone else that his counterpart in your universe is your father."

"Thank you."

"May I make one suggestion?"

"Please do."

"Make sure you don't wear any sleeveless shirts while you're here," Bashir said. "The tattoo on your left shoulder is a dead giveaway."

Erin chuckled. "It is at that."

They exchanged a smile before Bashir tapped his combadge. "Bashir to Captain Janeway."

"Janeway here."

"Our guest is awake, Captain. Perhaps you and Commander Paris would like to join us in Sickbay."

"We're on our way."

Less than five minutes later the doors opened and Tom and Kathryn strolled inside. The former broke into a relieved smile upon seeing Erin sitting up and talking with Bashir while he scanned her, and quickly crossed the room.

"Thank God you're all right," he declared and enveloped her in a fierce hug before pulling back to meet her gaze, lowering his hands to clasp them in his. "You had me pretty worried for a while, sweetheart."

Erin graced him with a small smile and squeezed his hands in silent reassurance. "Have a little faith, Flyboy; Janeway women are made of sturdy stock."

Tom smiled and glanced over his shoulder at his captain. "So I've been told."

Kathryn returned the smile, mentally noting that Erin's resemblance to her was stronger now that she was awake and she recognized her own eyes looking back at her.

"Hello, Captain," Kathryn greeted. "Welcome to Voyager."

"Thank you, but please call me Erin."

"All right, Erin. How are you feeling?"

"Tired and sore, but happy to be alive," Erin responded, and glanced sideways at Bashir. "Speaking of which, thank you for saving my life."

"You're quite welcome."

She glanced back at Kathryn. "How much has Tom told you about what transpired before our arrival here?"

"As much as he could without jeopardizing the timeline," Kathryn answered. "It sounds like the Xallons in your timeline have managed to get their hands on some kind of time portal."

"It seems to be a cross between a time portal and some kind of temporal transporter," Erin clarified. "The odds are high that their manipulations of the portal are responsible for bringing Tom into my timeline and then somehow returning us to this one."

"Do you think the Xallons in this timeline have a portal of their own?" Tom asked.

"It would explain the temporal rifts and the high concentration of chronoton radiation in the atmosphere," Kathryn allowed.

"If they do have a portal, they won't admit to it," Erin said. "You'll have to scan the surface and find it yourself."

"I've set a return course for Xall," Kathryn said, "as it seems that the source of the timeline transfer originated there. But it's going to take us a week to get back there. In the meantime, I'll have Chakotay find you some quarters. Until we find this mystery portal, you're going to be our guest."

"I don't have time to set up housekeeping, Captain," Erin snapped. "I have a ship to run and a war to prevent and I can't do it if I'm thirty years out of time and in the wrong universe."

"We'll do everything we can to send you back where you came from, Erin," Kathryn allowed, clearly perturbed by the younger woman's tone. "Mister Paris, I'll see you on the Bridge."

"Aye, Captain."

Sending Tom a glance that clearly said, 'deal with her', Kathryn bid Bashir farewell and exited Sickbay. Once she was gone, Tom looked at Bashir. "Julian, would you please excuse us for a minute?"

"Certainly. Captain Katsaros, if you need anything just call out. I'll be in my office."

"Thank you, Doctor."

Bashir retreated into his office and once he was out of earshot, Tom addressed Erin. "Do you want to tell me why you were snippy with Captain Janeway just now?"

"She's acting like I'm here for a few days of Shore Leave, Tom, but I have a family and a crew of 2000 people who are wondering right now if I'm dead or alive. Not to mention that my father may already be dead."

"Erin, I understand why you're upset…"

"Don't!" she snarled, the sound no more than a harsh whisper. "Don't tell me you 'understand'. That's the same drek my mother fed me when I told her about Y'Sarl."

"Drek?" Tom echoed questioningly.

"Centaurian for bullshit."

"Ah. Well, if you're going to swear at me, Captain, I think it's only fair that you do it in Standard so I know I should be offended."

The absurdity of his remark doused Erin's anger and she permitted herself a small smile. "I'll make a note of it, Commander," she said dryly. "I'm sorry for snapping at you. I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed and frustrated, and very out of place."

He smiled back. "It's all right. Besides, you're not very intimidating when you don't have a voice."

"How gracious of you to say so," she quipped, and released a sigh. "I suppose I should apologize to Captain Janeway, too."

"That would be the right thing to do."

She nodded. "I'll talk to Doctor Bashir about springing me from this place, and once he does, I'll find Captain Janeway and apologize."

"I hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but you were as close to death as a person can get without dying less than twenty-four hours ago," Tom reminded her, his hand now holding hers. "Julian is going to make you stay here for at least another day so he can keep an eye on you."

"Even he has to agree that I'll be more useful helping your crew find a way to return me to my timeline than lying on my back in Sickbay."

"You've never dealt with Julian."

"Au contraire, Flyboy, Julian has never dealt with me."

Thirty minutes later, Tom and Erin walked into the Mess Hall. As expected, Bashir had vigorously protested Erin's request to be released, and the two had spent ten minutes arguing about it. Eventually he had relented on the condition that she return to Sickbay if she so much as sneezed funny, and that she restrict herself to minimal activities for the next twenty-four hours, which meant she was to remain off duty. She had exchanged her Sickbay blues for a replica of her uniform, which emphasized her resemblance to Kathryn, and the officers present eyed her in open curiosity as she and Tom made their way across the room.

"Maybe I should tell them to take a holo image," Erin said dryly. "It will last longer."

"You can't blame them for being curious, Erin," Tom said. "It isn't every day that the daughter of Kathryn Janeway from another timeline shows up for lunch in the Mess Hall."

They reached the replicator then, and Erin ordered a bowl of vegetable soup with ice water for herself, while Tom opted for a plate of fettuccini Alfredo. Once they had their plates, they settled at a table near the window. No sooner were they seated than Neelix approached them. "Good afternoon, Commander. Who's your friend?"

"Neelix, meet Captain Erin Janeway-Katsaros."

"Nice to meet you, Neelix," Erin greeted.

"The pleasure is all mine, Captain," Neelix returned. "And may I say you are just as lovely as your mother."

The captain refrained from pointing out that his Janeway was not her mother and merely said, "Thank you."

"I have a wonderful Terellian beet soufflé in the oven," Neelix told them. "Could I interest either of you in a sample?"

Erin forced herself not to grimace. "Thank you for the offer, Neelix, but I think the soup will be enough for me."

"I'm good with my pasta, Neelix," Tom declined.

Neelix nodded. "All right, but if you change your minds just holler."

"We will."

Neelix flashed them a farewell smile and retreated to his kitchen. Once he was out of earshot, Erin addressed Tom. "Terellian beet soufflé?" she asked warily.

"Considering some of the things he conjured up while we were in the Delta Quadrant, the soufflé sounds almost edible."

"I'm sorry I mentioned it."

"So, what's the story with you and that Romulan commander?" Tom asked. "He must owe you a pretty big favor if he's going against his government to help you."

"During my first year on the Enterprise I intercepted a distress call from a Romulan ship at Terel Prime that was under attack by two Federation starships," Erin said. "Given that Terel Prime is an unallied planet and that the Federation has no jurisdiction in their space, the Starfleet ships had launched an unprovoked attack on the Romulan ship. R'Zel was the second in command on the Romulan ship - the captain had been killed in the attack - and it was his word against the Starfleet Captains about who was responsible for initiating the attack. Once I had heard all sides and weighed the evidence, I chose to believe R'Zel. I reported the incident to Starfleet Command, who in turn sent a message to the Romulan government, and the other Captains were discharged from Starfleet. R'Zel was given a promotion and his own ship, and promised that one day he would repay the favor."

"There aren't many Starfleet officers who would have taken the word of a Romulan over two of their own," Tom remarked.

Erin shrugged. "Honesty is obvious no matter what uniform you wear," she replied. "R'Zel had no reason to lie to me about the attack; as you said, the odds were high that I wouldn't believe him."

"So why did you?"

"I'm not sure. Something just told me that he was telling the truth."

The two fell into a companionable silence as they ate their lunch. Once they were finished, they deposited their dishes in the recycler before exiting and starting down the corridor.

"I should probably track down Captain Janeway and apologize," Erin said.

"Computer, locate Captain Janeway," Tom directed at the computer.

"Captain Janeway is in the Ready Room."

Tom glanced at Erin. "I'm due back on the Bridge," he said, "so why don't you ride up with me and you can talk to the captain there."

"Sounds good to me."

The couple made their way to the nearest turbolift and rode it to the Bridge, then stepped out. Harry and LaShea glanced over expectantly at their arrival, and the latter sent Tom an admonishing glance. "Mister Paris, I wasn't aware Captain Janeway had authorized our guest for access to the Bridge."

"Relax, Commander," Erin chided. "I'm not an evil alien in disguise planning to take over the ship. I need to speak to my moth…Captain Janeway."

Without bothering to wait for permission, Erin crossed over to the Ready Room, then disappeared inside at Kathryn's invitation to enter. Once the doors were securely closed behind her, Harry let out a low whistle.

"Wow," he said. "She looks almost exactly like the captain."

Tom chuckled as he took his seat at the helm. "Harry, my friend, I assure you she is her mother's daughter in more ways than that."

Inside the Ready Room, Erin stood in front of Kathryn's desk, acknowledging Chakotay with a small smile before addressing the captain. "I owe you an apology, Captain," she said. "I was unnecessarily short with you in Sickbay and I'm sorry."

"No harm done," Kathryn assured her, "but thank you for the apology. I am surprised to see you out and about, however. I was under the impression that Doctor Bashir didn't intend to release you for another day or so."

"He didn't, but we had a little chat and I convinced him that I would be more useful helping to locate the portal than lying on a biobed in Sickbay."

"In other words, you badgered him into agreeing to let you go," Chakotay surmised.

"Guilty as charged."

Chakotay smiled. "I guess some things are universally consistent," he replied, "like Janeway women with stubborn streaks."

"And former Maquis rebels who have a soft spot for same," Erin added lightly.

Kathryn and Chakotay exchanged a look at that, then the former asked, "I don't suppose you'd care to elaborate on that remark?"

"No. Sorry."

Kathryn gave her a curious look but did not pursue it, and instead changed the subject. "How much do you remember about what happened to you before you and Tom materialized on the Bridge?"

"I discovered Y'Sarl in the Xallon laboratory and after he refused to surrender his weapon, he shot me in the throat with his phaser rifle. I nearly passed out from the pain and after I fell to the ground, he began beating me. Then Tom burst into the room and I must have lost consciousness, because that's when everything went black. I don't remember anything else until I came to in Sickbay this morning."

"Who is this Y'Sarl person and why did he try to kill you?" Chakotay asked.

A flicker of unmistakable hatred flickered across Erin's refined features for a brief moment before vanishing. "He's the Commandant of the Quetalan Fleet and the leader of their 'peace delegation'," she explained. "He's also directly responsible for the assault on Xall. As for why he tried to kill me, let's just say we have an unpleasant history."

"It must be more than 'unpleasant' for him to attempt to kill a Starfleet Captain in the midst of treaty negotiations," Kathryn remarked.

"My history with Y'Sarl is not a subject that is open for discussion, Captain."

The steel in her tone was unmistakable, and Kathryn exchanged a glance with Chakotay before responding.

"Very well, Erin. I'm sorry for touching on a sore subject."

"With your permission, I'd like to join Seven of Nine in Astrometrics and do what I can to help her locate the portal."

"Of course. I'll let her know you're coming."

"Thank you."

Bidding them farewell, Erin exited the Ready Room. Once she was gone, Chakotay glanced at Kathryn.

"Something tells me that her 'history' with Y'Sarl is covered in blood," he said. "The temperature in here dropped about twenty degrees as soon as you asked her about him."

"Tom mentioned that her husband was killed five years ago," Kathryn recalled. "Maybe this Y'Sarl had something to do with her husband's death."

"That would certainly explain her hatred of him."

"Yes, it would."

"So what do you think is going on between her and Tom?"

Kathryn smiled. "I'm not entirely sure, but he's as much as admitted to me that he's in love with her," she revealed.

"He was only in her timeline for two weeks, Kathryn."

"You don't believe in love at first sight?"

He paused. "Normally I don't, but given who she is and who she looks like I can see this being an exception to the rule."

Kathryn's smile widened. "If I didn't know better, Commander, I'd think you were speaking from personal experience."

"I'll never tell."

In Astrometrics, Seven was running a standard sensor sweep of Xall when the doors opened and Erin walked inside.

It would seem the reports of her resemblance to the captain were not exaggerated after all, Seven observed silently. "Captain Katsaros," she greeted aloud.

"Seven," Erin returned. "I assume Captain Janeway told you why I'm here?"

"Yes. She indicated that you intend to help with the search for the temporal portal."

"Assuming it even exists in this timeline."

"If it does, we will find it."

The captain smiled at that. "You seem rather certain of that."

"You would prefer that I believe our efforts will fail?" Seven asked.

"Of course not, but lately luck doesn't seem to be on my side."

"Then perhaps together we can change that."

"I hope so."

Later that afternoon, Kathryn had finished her shift and headed to Astrometrics to check on Seven and Erin's progress. Walking inside, she found only Erin present, seated on the floor against the viewscreen, sound asleep. Smiling at the sight, she crossed over to kneel in front of her.

"Erin," she said softly, and placed a hand on the younger woman's arm to give her a gentle shake. "Erin, wake up."

The familiar voice penetrated Erin's subconscious, and she awoke with a small sigh, then blinked sleepily. "Captain," she said. "I guess I fell asleep."

"I guess so. Where's Seven?"

"Lieutenant Carson was having trouble with the plasma conduits in Engineering and he asked her to come down and help him. After she left, I sat down to rest for a few minutes and apparently nodded off."

"How did you and Seven do with your scans?"

"So far we haven't uncovered anything. We reviewed scans of every square inch of the colony but there's no indication that there's a portal anywhere on Xall."

"It could be hidden by some kind of cloaking device," Kathryn suggested.

"That is a possibility," Erin allowed. "But frankly my brain is too tired to deal with any more temporal paradoxes tonight."

Kathryn smiled. "I can relate to that," she said.

The women got to their feet just as the doors opened again and Tom strolled inside. "Captains," he greeted. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Just my nap," Erin answered dryly.

"A group of us are headed to Sandrine's for dinner and a few rounds of billiards," Tom told them. "May I have the honor of escorting the two best looking women on the ship?"

Kathryn and Erin exchanged an amused look before the former replied, "You two go ahead. I have a stack of files in my Ready Room calling my name, so my evening is already accounted for."

"Okay, but if you change your mind, we'll be in holodeck two," Tom said.

Bidding Kathryn farewell, the couple headed for the holodeck.

Sometime later, Ezri and Erin were seated on a corner barstool in Sandrine's, sipping at their drinks while Harry, Tom and Julian engaged in friendly bickering as they played pool. Every so often Tom would glance in their direction, as if assuring himself Erin was still there, which earned him an amused glance from his friends.

"If you can't keep your mind on the game, Tom, you may as well surrender your replicator rations now," Julian teased.

"Sounds good to me," Harry added. "I've got a date with Janie Larson tomorrow night and the extra rations would come in handy."

"Very funny, Harry," Tom returned. "Just rack up the balls."

As the men continued with their game, Sandrine walked over to the women. "Would you like a refill on your wine, Madame Ezri?"

"No thank you, Sandrine."

"Mon capitane?"

"I'm fine with the one glass, Sandrine, thanks."

The holographic Frenchwoman gave her a small smile and cast a quick glance at Tom before saying, "You are in love with him, oui?"

Erin smiled back. "I wasn't aware I was that obvious," she said.

"Not so obvious," Sandrine demurred, "but there is something in the way you look at him. A certain sparkle that is reflected when he looks at you."

"I'd like to think so."

"Then why have I not seen you before tonight?"

Erin paused, unsure of how to explain her presence to a hologram. Finally she said simply, "I'm not from here. Tom and I met in my…homeland two weeks ago."

"Ah…the coup d foudre," Sandrine replied. "That explains it."

"What is coup d foudre?"

"It means 'the thunderbolt'," Sandrine explained. "Coup d foudre is to meet someone and in that instant, feel an attraction to them that overpowers everything else around you."

Erin flushed. "There was that," she allowed. "But what's on the inside is what matters to me."

"He is a good man," Sandrine said. "In time he will be a good husband and father."

A flicker of regret passed across Erin's elegant features. "Unfortunately, I won't be around to find out," she said sadly, and slid off the stool. "Thank you for the wine, Sandrine."

Ignoring the hologram's confused expression, Erin bid her and Ezri good night, then crossed over to the pool table and flashed the men an apologetic smile. "Excuse the interruption, Gentlemen, but I need to borrow Tom for a moment."

"Take him for as long as you want, Captain," Harry offered. "He's not much use to us anyway."

"Harry, Harry, Harry," Tom chided. "Did it ever occur to you that your lack of respect for your superior officers is why it took you seven years to make Lieutenant?"

"That's the pot calling the kettle black," Julian said dryly.

"Ouch."

Erin rolled her eyes and grasping Tom's arm, pulled him a few feet away. "I'm still not quite up to par yet, so I'm going to call it a night."

"Are you feeling okay?" Tom asked.

"Just a little tired."

"Why I don't I walk you back to your quarters and tuck you in?"

She smiled. "I appreciate the offer, Flyboy, but I need to sleep. You tucking me is almost guaranteed to ensure that I won't get any."

He smiled back. "That's not such a bad thing."

She shook her head. "I'm going to bed, alone. Stay here and finish your game. I'll see you at breakfast."

Tom gave her a concerned look. "You're sure you're okay?"

"Yes."

"All right. I'll see you in the morning."

He leaned down to give her a light kiss. "Sweet dreams, Erin."

"Good night, Tom."

They exchanged another smile, then Erin bid the others farewell and exited the holodeck. Tom watched her leave before rejoining Harry and Julian, and his friends could tell by the pilot's expression that something was wrong.

"Everything okay?" Harry asked.

"I don't know," Tom answered. "She seems a little…off."

"She's had a rough twenty-four hours," Julian reminded him. "Maybe she just needs a little time to get her bearings back."

Tom glanced at the doors. "Maybe," he echoed without conviction.

"NOOOOOOO!"

With a shout of denial muted because of her lack of voice, Erin bolted upright in bed, her heart pounding furiously against her chest and the bed covers twisted around her.

"Shit," she muttered aloud, forcing herself to slow her breathing and allow her heart rate to return to normal. "Computer, what time is it?"

"Oh one hundred hours."

Releasing a sigh, Erin untangled herself from the sheets and headed toward the closet.

"Computer, lights, one third illumination."

She stood in front of the few outfits she had replicated for almost a minute before an idea came to her, and she crossed over to the replicator.

"Computer, one standard issue Starfleet swimsuit, size 8; one pair of sweatpants and one extra-large sweatshirt."

There was a light hum as the items materialized, and Erin quickly pulled them on before grabbing a towel from the bathroom, then heading out the door.

Given the late hour, the corridors were virtually deserted, and Erin made it to the holodeck undisturbed. Walking inside, she initiated her program as she shed the sweatsuit, then walked to the edge of the pool. Twisting her hair into a ponytail, she dipped a foot in the pool to test the water temperature before diving in. She spent the next thirty minutes doing laps before feeling her body start to tire, and swimming to the edge of the pool, effortlessly pushed herself up and out of the water. She took a moment to squeeze the excess water from her hair before crossing over to claim her towel, and she wrapped it around her hair before pulling on her sweat suit. Just then the doors opened, and Kathryn walked inside.

"Hello, Erin," she greeted.

Erin turned to face her. "Captain," she responded.

"I must say I'm impressed," Kathryn replied. "For someone who almost died a day ago, you seem to be making a remarkably fast recovery."

"Good genes," Erin quipped. "What are you doing out and about at this hour?"

"I always take a stroll around the ship before bed. I sleep better knowing that everything is status quo."

Erin smiled. "I've done the same thing since I got my first command," she revealed. "It was a habit I inherited from my mother, which she says she inherited from her father."

"I guess some things are just universal constants. So, care to tell me why you're swimming laps at 1:30 in the morning instead of counting sheep in your quarters?"

"I had insomnia, and I thought a half hour or so in the pool would wear me out enough to enable me to sleep."

"I thought you were spending the evening with Tom."

"We had dinner and spent some time at Sandrine's, but I wasn't feeling quite up to par so I turned in early."

"As long as we're on the subject, I think you should know Tom's worried about you. I ran into him in the turbolift earlier and he mentioned he was concerned. He seemed to sense something was bothering you when you left Sandrine's tonight."

Her expression softened, affection for Tom evident in her face. "For an arrogant space jockey, he's sometimes too intuitive for comfort," she said.

"He cares about you."

"As I do him."

"Then maybe you should tell him what's on your mind."

"There isn't much to tell that he doesn't already know."

"Then maybe you should tell me," Kathryn offered. "I may not be your mother, but I have it on good authority that we're a lot alike."

Erin's only response was a small smile, and after a brief silence she said suddenly, "We had a fight."

"Excuse me?"

"My mother and I," Erin clarified quietly. "The day before Tom and I were transported here, she and I had a fight. It was loud and bitter…" She paused. "We may have issues between us, but I love her, and if we don't find a way to return me to my timeline the last words I ever said to her will have been in anger."

"What did you fight about?"

"Y'Sarl."

"The man who tried to kill you?"

Erin nodded. "This afternoon in your Ready Room, Commander Chakotay asked me what my history was with Y'Sarl," she began, and lifted her gaze to meet Kathryn's, pain etched in their midnight depths. "Five years ago, Y'Sarl raped me while his soldiers beat my husband to death. Afterward he carved my unborn son from my womb and burned his body along with my husband's. When I discovered that he was in charge of the peace delegation the Quetalans had sent to Xall, I asked my mother to either have the peace conference relocated or allow me to withdraw from the meetings. She refused, spouting some garbage about protocol, and I went ballistic. That was the last time I spoke with her before I realized the Quetalans were planning a surprise attack against Xall. And to make matters worse, my father was on Xall during the last attack and was in critical condition when Tom and I wound up here. He may very well be dead by now."

Kathryn remained silent for a long moment, taking a few minutes to absorb what Erin had told her. Not knowing what to say, she chose to temporarily change the subject. "So aside from the timeline transfers, how does Tom fit into all of this?" she asked.

Erin smiled. "I love him," she replied softly. "He's managed to knock down walls built by five years of pain, and anger, and fear. I was certain I would never fall in love again, but Tom changed that."

"I'm happy he's found you," Kathryn said. "He was devastated when he lost B'Elanna and their baby, and I was worried he would close himself off from loving again."

"My grandmother once said that those who have lost a loved one are the 'walking wounded'; we have no injuries to show for our pain but there's no greater agony."

"That's what my mother told me when I lost my fiancé," Kathryn recalled.

"Well since Mark Johnson is still around I am assuming you're referring to the one you served with on the Icarus," Erin replied innocently.

Kathryn smiled. "Well, it would seem strolling the ship at odd hours of the night and a fondness for coffee aren't the only things my counterpart and I share," she remarked. "I don't suppose she's ever owned an Irish setter named Molly?"

"She's had two setters, but they were named Bear and Penny. At the moment she and my father have a pair of Labrador retrievers named Java and Mocha."

Kathryn's smile widened. "She named her dogs after coffee blends?"

"Better her dogs than her children," Erin said drolly.

"So you do have siblings."

"Yes. Three brothers."

"Are they all in Starfleet?"

"Yes, and ironically enough my youngest brother teaches temporal physics at the Starfleet Science Academy."

"What about your father?"

"Dad was in Starfleet once upon a time, but he retired twenty-five years ago and is an Ambassador for the Federation Council."

Kathryn nodded in silent acknowledgement before returning to the original subject. "If Tom already knows about what you've told me, then there has to be something else bothering you that you're afraid to share with him."

Erin paused. "I don't have insomnia," she confessed quietly. "I suffer from night terrors - a lingering manifestation of the post-traumatic stress disorder I experienced after what happened on Xall. It happened almost every night for the first year, but gradually the nightmares came less and less frequently as I moved on with my life. But whenever I return to Xall the nightmares return. And in the worst ones I relive that day - I hear my screams and smell the stench as Y'Sarl and his men burn the bodies of my husband and son. But being with Tom somehow tempered the night terrors, until tonight."

"You were nearly killed less than two days ago, Erin. It's only natural that a trauma of that magnitude - especially when the same person is responsible - would trigger your nightmares."

"It was different this time," Erin explained. "In this nightmare it was Tom I saw being beaten to death in place of Andreas, and I woke up screaming." She paused. "I can't survive watching Y'Sarl murder the man I love a second time. It would destroy me."

"All the more reason for you to talk to Tom," Kathryn told her.

The younger woman managed a faint smile. "I think I will," she said. "Thank you for listening, Captain."

"I'm glad I was able to help."

Bidding Kathryn good night, Erin exited the holodeck.

After a short stop at her cabin to dry her hair and change into regular clothes, Erin made her way to Tom's quarters and rang the chime. It took a second chime before the doors opened and a groggy Tom appeared in the doorway, tying a robe around him as he yawned.

"Erin," he said sleepily.

"Hi. I'm sorry I woke you, but we need to talk."

He nodded. "Okay. Come on in."

He stepped aside to allow her entry and Erin stepped inside, taking a cursory survey of the room before settling her gaze on Tom.

"Do you want some tea?" Tom offered.

"No, thanks."

"Is whatever you want to talk about related to the odd mood you were in when you left Sandrine's?"

"Indirectly. I had the night terrors again."

That woke him up. "Are you all right?" he asked, placing a hand on her arm.

"I didn't injure myself, but it was as emotionally unsettling as it always is. And there was a slight difference this time. When I woke up from the nightmare, I realized it was you that I saw Y'Sarl beating to death, not Andreas."

Tom sighed, and pulled her to him for a brief hug. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, but I'm right here and I'm fine. Y'Sarl can't touch me."

"I know that, but it doesn't erase my underlying fears about our relationship. We both know how painful it is to lose someone you love, and I don't know that I could survive it a second time."

"I felt the same way sitting by your side in Sickbay after Y'Sarl almost killed you two days ago. It was like someone was carving my heart out of my chest one piece at a time."

"Exactly. And what do we do about the timeline issues? I don't belong in this universe, Tom; my life and my family don't exist here. So what happens ten minutes or ten days from now when we find a way to send me back? Are we supposed to just shake hands and call it at friends?"

"Could you really do that?"

"I don't know and I'm terrified to find out."

Tom ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "I'm not sure what you want me to say, Erin. Yes, the fact that you're from a different timeline is a huge issue, and I'm just as scared as you at the thought that twenty-four hours from now you might be nothing more than a memory. But I love you, and I have to believe that all of this happened for a reason, so you and I could find one another."

"Maybe that's true," Erin allowed, "and all of this temporal hopscotch was just so Fate could bring us together. But I don't know that I have the strength to walk away from you, or the courage to stay."

"Why are you here, Erin?" Tom asked. "You come here asking questions that I can't answer, knowing that we're simply postponing the inevitable and prolonging our pain. What good am I to you if we're only going to break each other's hearts?"

Her eyes glistening with unshed tears, heartache etched in her elegant features, Erin closed the distance between them and lifted her hand to place her palm against his cheek. "I'm here because I need you; I need us. Just for one night, I want you to make me forget all the reasons why this is wrong and show me all of the reasons it's right."

Tom's face creased into a smile and he lifted his hands to gently cup her face, caressing her cheekbones with his thumbs. "I think I can manage that," he said softly. "I love you."

She smiled back. "I love you, too."

Lowering his head, Tom covered her mouth with his in a kiss that she felt all the way to her toes, and she wound her arms around his neck as he pulled her to him.

The following morning, Erin awoke alone in Tom's bed. In the other room, she could hear telltale rustling that indicated Tom was already up and about. Releasing a contented sigh, Erin reluctantly crawled out of bed and spotting Tom's robe on the edge of the bed, pulled it on before wandering into the other room. Tom was seated at the small table near cabin door drinking coffee and studying a PADD, dressed in his regulation turtleneck and slacks but sans his uniform jacket. Crossing the room, Erin settled herself in his lap and lowered her head to give him a lengthy kiss.

"I like the way you say 'good morning'," Tom quipped when she pulled away.

"Thank you for last night," she said softly.

"You're very welcome. Do you want some breakfast?"

"No thanks. I'm going to head back to my quarters for a shower and change of clothes, and then I'm going to talk to Captain Janeway about talking to the Xallons. One way or another I'm going to find out if they have a portal."

"If they do, then that means you could be back in your own timeline by the end of the week."

"And if they don't, it means that I'm stranded in this timeline for the rest of my life."

Tom paused. "Would you be angry if I said that might not be such a terrible thing?" he asked carefully.

Erin sighed. "If I were the only one affected, I might agree with you," she responded. "But except for you, everything that matters to me doesn't exist here. I have to go back."

"I know."

She smiled at the resignation in his tone, and lifted her hands to cup his face. "We settled this last night, Flyboy. Unless and until we know for certain that I can be returned to my timeline, we agreed to cherish what we can have and not mourn what we can't. "

"That's easier said than done."

"I know. I love you."

"I love you, too."

She lowered her head to grant him a warm kiss, then slid off his lap and headed for the bedroom to retrieve her clothes.

True to their agreement, for the next two days Tom and Erin spoke as little as possible about the timeline issues and simply enjoyed being together. Late in the evening before they were scheduled to arrive at Xall, Tom awoke alone and after pulling on his robe, wandered into the other room in search of Erin. The cabin was empty, but a small piece of paper rested on the coffee table and the pilot walked over to pick it up.

Tom -

Off to exorcise a ghost or two. Be back in a bit.

Erin

Curiosity warred with concern over the cryptic note, and Tom addressed the computer. "Computer, what is the location of Erin Katsaros?"

"Captain Katsaros is in the Mess Hall."

Retreating back into his bedroom, Tom quickly pulled on some clothes before leaving his quarters to seek out Erin. At the end of the hallway, he waited impatiently for the arrival of the turbolift, and when the doors finally opened, he found himself face to face with his commanding officer.

"Good evening, Mister Paris," she greeted, and stepped aside to allow him entry. "Shouldn't you be in your quarters counting sheep?"

"I'm looking for Erin," Tom answered, and gave his requested destination to the computer. "She left me an odd note about exorcising ghosts and according to the computer is now in the Mess Hall."

"Exorcising ghosts?" Kathryn repeated. "Well given that the two of you have resolved the issue of her dead husband, I have to assume she means B'Elanna."

"There is no issue regarding B'Elanna."

Kathryn gave him a knowing smile. "Isn't there?" she countered gently. "This was where you shared your life with her, Tom; your entire relationship played itself out aboard this ship. On some level that has to be a bit uncomfortable for both you and Erin."

The helmsman permitted himself a faint sigh. "Maybe there is a small part of me that feels guilty because B'Elanna and our daughter are gone, while I'm here and happy with Erin," he allowed. "While I was in Erin's timeline, I felt like her husband's ghost was shadowing us, despite the fact he wasn't in Starfleet and therefore never served on the Enterprise with her."

"Then imagine how much harder it is for Erin to be here with you, knowing that Voyager is the source of your complete history with B'Elanna. With everything else the two of you have to contend with, now Fate has seen fit to place Erin in a time and place that belong to your life with another woman."

"I've never hidden my feelings about B'Elanna from Erin, Captain, but our history is just that. My future is with Erin and I don't want to lose her."

Kathryn's smile widened. "There's an old saying that if you love someone, you should set them free. If they come back to you, then they are yours. If not, then it was never meant to be. Just for tonight, give Erin and yourself that freedom."

"So you're saying that I should exorcise my own ghosts, while giving Erin the space to exorcise hers."

Kathryn answered with a simple, "Yes."

In the darkened Mess Hall, Erin sat at a table by the window, sipping a mug of cinnamon tea. Lost in thought about what the coming day would bring, she did not hear the doors open to admit another visitor, and gave a startled jump when Chakotay addressed her.

"Aren't you missing someone?" he asked, then flashed her an apologetic smile when he noticed her reaction. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sneak up on you."

Erin smiled back. "It's okay. My mind was somewhere else."

"May I join you?" Chakotay requested.

"Please do."

The XO settled himself into the chair opposite hers, his hands cradled around a mug of hot coffee. "There must be a universal law that starship captains always retreat into dark, empty rooms in the middle of the night to brood," he said dryly. "Whenever Kathryn has something weighing on her mind, she winds up here at odd hours, settles into a window seat and sips at a large mug of black coffee."

She smiled. "It must be hereditary, because I do the same thing," she admitted. "But I have zero tolerance for caffeine, so my beverage of choice is cinnamon tea."

"A Janeway woman who doesn't drink coffee?" Chakotay asked with mock astonishment. "Wonders never cease."

"My mother claims that the only reason she knows I wasn't switched at birth is because I resemble her so strongly. My father claims it's because I have the 'Janeway attitude'."

He laughed. "There is that," he allowed. "What's he like?"

"My father?" Erin prompted, and at Chakotay's nod, her smile widened. "At the risk of sounding like a bad holonovel, he's my hero. He's strong, intelligent, loyal, and is the most inherently honorable man I have ever known. His compassion for others is matched only by his devotion to his family, and he has been the best father anyone could want."

"You obviously love him very much."

The casual comment caused Erin to remember that her father could very well be dead, and her eyes welled with tears, which began trickling down her face. "Damn," she muttered, and lifted her hands to wipe away the tears. "I'm sorry. I promised myself I wasn't going to do this."

"What's wrong?"

"In my timeline, my father was on Xall when the colony was attacked and when Tom and I were transported here he was in critical condition. I don't know if he's still holding on or if he's dead."

"I'm sorry."

"Thank you," Erin replied, then changed the subject. "So what are you doing out and about at this hour?"

"I had the late shift and was going to grab a quick bite before I headed to my quarters," Chakotay said.

"And once again you got sidetracked by a moping captain," Erin added. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Chakotay responded. "Although speaking of getting sidetracked, where's your favorite time traveling helmsman?"

"Asleep in his quarters as far as I know," Erin answered. "I was feeling a little restless and didn't want to disturb him, so I came here to 'brood', as you so eloquently put it."

"Worried about tomorrow?"

"Actually, I was thinking about B'Elanna. Being here makes me feel like I'm intruding on her memory somehow."

"Why?"

"She and Tom lived out their whole relationship on this ship," Erin clarified. "They fell in love and married on Voyager; B'Elanna died here. This is their ship; I don't belong here."

Chakotay smiled. "If B'Elanna were here, she would be the first person to tell you otherwise," he said. "She would have wanted Tom to be happy, and finding you has obviously done that for him."

"I hope so."

"I know so. What you have with Tom is a rare gift, Erin; don't lose it to old ghosts, yours or Tom's."

"I'll do my best."

"So how are you feeling about tomorrow?"

"Anxious. Even if we do discover another portal on Xall, there's no guarantee the Xallons will be able to return me to my timeline."

"Well being stranded in the wrong space and separated from everyone you care about is certainly something I can relate to," Chakotay said wryly. "But in the long term, it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me."

Erin smiled at that. "Always the optimist," she remarked. "I'd forgotten how much I miss that."

The innocent comment struck Chakotay as odd, as it obviously indicated Erin knew his counterpart, and it brought to mind the exchange they'd had in the Ready Room the day after she arrived on Voyager.

Chakotay smiled. "I guess some things are universally consistent," he replied, "like Janeway women with stubborn streaks."

"And former Maquis rebels who have a soft spot for same," Erin added lightly.

He took a full minute to consider all of the possibilities inherent in that before realization hit him. "In your timeline I'm your father," he said aloud.

Surprise flickered across Erin's elegant features, but she recovered almost immediately and said simply, "Yes."

Any response from Chakotay was interrupted by the swoosh of the opening doors, and he and Erin glanced over expectantly as Kathryn entered the room with Tom. The latter immediately crossed the room to their table, while Kathryn replicated a cup of coffee before walking over to join them. "Hello you two," she greeted. "A little late for coffee talk, isn't it?"

"Actually, I was brooding here in the dark and Commander Chakotay was kind enough to take a few minutes to cheer me up," Erin replied.

Kathryn flashed Chakotay an affectionate smile. "He does seem to have a knack for crashing pity parties held by moody captains," she allowed.

"Is everything okay?" Tom asked.

Erin nodded as she got to her feet. "I'll tell you about it on the way back to your quarters," she said, and glanced at Chakotay, who also stood up. "Thanks for the pep talk. It helped."

"I'm glad. Sweet dreams, Erin."

"Good night, Commander." She shifted her gaze to Kathryn. "Good night, Captain."

"Good night, Erin."

Tom bid the senior officers farewell as Erin wandered across the room to deposit her mug into the recycler, and waited for Tom to rejoin her before exiting the Mess Hall.

"What were you and Erin discussing so intently?" Kathryn asked.

"Old ghosts."

"Let me guess; B'Elanna?"

Chakotay nodded. "She feels a little uncomfortable being on Voyager given Tom and B'Elanna's history here," he revealed.

"That's understandable. Tom and I had a discussion along those lines on our way here. So what did you tell her?"

"I just gave her a bit of paternal advice," he answered casually.

Kathryn's eyes widened in surprise. "Paternal advice?" she echoed. "She told you that your counterpart is her father?"

"Yes."

A pause. "Well, that explains it then," Kathryn said.

"Explains what?"

"She has your smile," came the reply. "Sweet dreams, Commander."

Without waiting for a response, Kathryn exited the Mess Hall.

The following morning, Voyager settled into orbit above Xall. Erin was on the Bridge, silently standing behind the command chairs, trying not to look as nervous as she felt.

"Mister Kim, open a channel to the Council of Ministers," Kathryn instructed.

"Aye, Captain."

"This is Captain Janeway on board the starship Voyager," Kathryn greeted. "Please respond."

The viewscreen flickered to life and the image of Zerz Melorn came on. "Greetings, Captain Janeway. What brings you back to Xall?"

"There's an important matter we need to discuss regarding our first visit three weeks ago," Kathryn answered. "Would it be possible for us to meet in person?"

"I wish I could accommodate you, Captain, but I am afraid…"

"We want to talk you about your temporal portal, Majet," Erin interjected, ignoring Kathryn's admonishing look.

Surprise briefly flickered across Melorn's face, but it vanished just as quickly as he said, "I have no knowledge of any temporal portal, Captain…"

At Kathryn's warning look, Erin stopped herself from supplying him with her name and instead replied, "I believe it's located in a secret laboratory on your southern continent."

The Majet scowled. "Perhaps it would be best for us to discuss this face to face," he said. "I'll meet you in the Main Hall in ten minutes."

Melorn severed the transmission and Kathryn turned to face Erin. "That was subtle," she chided.

"I apologize if I undermined your authority, Captain," Erin demurred, "but the rest of my life is at stake here. I'm not going to stand on the sidelines with my mouth shut while Melorn plays twenty questions and acts like he doesn't know what we're talking about!"

The younger captain finished her rant and fell silent, while the Bridge went dead quiet as the crew awaited Kathryn's reaction. After a long awkward silence, Chakotay was the first to speak.

"Well apparently the temper is heredity along with the eyes," he said dryly.

Kathryn gave him a glance that clearly said she was not amused before addressing Erin. "I understand your anxiety over Melorn's evasiveness, Erin, but temper tantrums and emotional outbursts aren't going to help the situation. You're a Starfleet Captain and I expect you to act accordingly."

Erin snorted. "My mother said something similar when she refused to let me withdraw from the treaty negotiations," she said. "Don't worry, Captain. I'll behave."

"I'm glad to hear it." She glanced over her shoulder. "Mister Paris, Commander LaShea, you're with us. Commander Chakotay, you have the Bridge."

Kathryn, Tom and Erin crossed the Bridge to join LaShea in the turbolift.

XALL

They materialized in the center of the Main Hall, where they found Melorn and one of his men waiting for them.

"Captain Janeway," he greeted.

"Majet Melorn," she returned. "You remember Commander LaShea and Lieutenant Commander Paris."

"Of course. I do not, however recognize the lovely young Captain on your right. I assume from the resemblance between you that she is a relative?"

"A distant relative," Erin quipped.

"Very well. Please explain what you meant by a 'temporal portal'."

Kathryn shot Erin a look that clearly meant "Be quiet" before addressing Melorn. "We have reason to believe that you are…housing…a temporal portal in a laboratory on your southern continent."

"What evidence do you have of this?" Melorn asked.

"During our original visit three weeks ago we experienced some chronoton radiation surges that were causing temporal rifts to suddenly open on the planet's surface," Kathryn explained. "While we were attempting to transport our people back to Voyager, one of my officers was somehow sent through one of these rifts and materialized in an alternate timeline."

"This is a fascinating story, Captain, but I have yet to hear anything which would indicate the existence of some mysterious portal."

"I'm from that timeline, Majet," Erin interjected, "and discovered a portal hidden in an underground laboratory on the southern continent. The Xallons have been manipulating their portal and causing temporal rifts similar to the ones Captain Janeway's crew encountered. It's our belief that the two portals somehow managed to synchronize these surges just long enough for Commander Paris to be transported from this timeline into mine."

"Assuming for the moment I believe you," Melorn replied, "that doesn't explain what you're doing here."

"We haven't been able to determine yet how Commander Paris and myself were transported back to this timeline," Erin admitted. "That's part of the reason why we're here. We're hoping that your portal may somehow hold the key to explaining how we got here and how I can get back."

Melorn frowned. "There have been some unexplained radiation surges like the ones you described, but Doctor Prevel says…"

"Prevel?" Erin interrupted to repeat. "Baron Prevel?"

"Yes. He is the scientist in charge of our Science Counsel."

"I take it he exists in your timeline as well?" Kathryn prompted.

"Yes he does," Erin confirmed. "Majet, did he tell you that the surges were simply due to pressure changes in the ionosphere?"

Melorn eyes widened in surprise. "As a matter of fact, he did."

Erin glanced at LaShea. "Commander, would you care to take an educated guess as to what this means?"

"The evidence seems to indicate that the Doctor Prevel from your timeline is the same individual as the Doctor Prevel in this timeline," LaShea theorized. "And given his obvious lies regarding the nature of the chronoton surges, he also appears to be responsible for them."

"I think it's time we had a little chat with Doctor Prevel," Kathryn said. "With your permission, Majet, I'd like to send Commander LaShea and Commander Paris to retrieve Doctor Prevel and bring him aboard Voyager for questioning."

"Of course. My assistant Eicek will show you the way to Doctor Prevel's research center."

Kathryn glanced at her officers. "Sydney, once you and Tom have Prevel in custody, return to Voyager and escort him to the conference room."

"Aye, Captain."

Melorn nodded at Eicek, and he gestured for the other men to follow him. Once they were gone, Melorn spoke again.

"If you have no objections, Captain, I would like to return to your ship with you," he requested. "I would like to be present when you question Prevel."

"Certainly."

Kathryn tapped her combadge and requested a beam out, and a moment later the trio disappeared in the shimmer of the transporter beam.

U.S.S. VOYAGER

A short time later, Prevel, Melorn, LaShea and Kathryn were sequestered in the conference room. To everyone's surprise, Prevel had been in his laboratory when the Starfleet officers arrived, but a brief search of the building had not uncovered any evidence of a portal. Kathryn and Erin had agreed that it would be better if Prevel did not immediately know of the latter's presence in this timeline, and so she was in the Ready Room with Tom, awaiting a summons from Kathryn.

Kathryn was seated at the head of the table, with Melorn seated on her left and LaShea standing guard beside the door. Prevel was seated opposite Melorn, with his back to the door.

"Doctor Prevel," Kathryn began. "It has come to our attention that you may be responsible for the chronoton radiation surges we experienced during our first visit to Xall. We believe that they are the result of your use of a secret temporal portal somewhere in your laboratory."

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Captain," Prevel replied. "I have no such portal."

"The evidence would suggest otherwise," Kathryn countered. "Three weeks ago, one of my officers was accidentally transported through one of the surges caused by your portal into an alternate timeline, and was returned here a week ago through a portal in that timeline. Apparently, you gave the same false explanation for the radiation surges in that timeline as you have in this one."

"With all due respect, Captain, you have no proof of this."

"They have a witness, Baron," Melorn told him. "Someone from that timeline who knows you and can verify Captain Janeway's theory."

"If that is true, then where is this mystery witness?" Prevel prompted. "Why is he not here to offer the proof you spoke of?"

Kathryn glanced at her Security Chief. "Commander LaShea, would please retrieve Mister Paris and our guest from the Ready Room?" she requested.

LaShea nodded in acknowledgement and exited the room.

In the Ready Room, Tom had replicated Erin a cup of tea along with coffee for himself, but neither had taken more than a few sips and were now wrapped in each other's embrace by the window, staring out the stars in anxious silence. Tom was the first to break the silence, posing a question he was afraid to have answered to Erin.

"If it turns out that Prevel can't send you back, what will you do?"

"I don't know. I imagine the first order of business will be meeting with Starfleet Command and having them decide what happens to me professionally. After that, I intend to find a way for you and I to stay together as well."

"Starfleet Command doesn't exactly encourage personal relationships between rank officers and their subordinates," Tom reminded her.

"As far as I'm concerned they have no say in the matter," Erin responded. "As long as my personal conduct doesn't interfere with my professional responsibilities, then what I do on my time is none of their concern."

They fell silent again, each lost in their own thoughts, until the doors opened to admit LaShea. "Captain Katsaros," he said. "Captain Janeway requires your presence in the conference room."

Tom met Erin's gaze. "Well, it looks like the moment of truth has arrived," he said.

"Looks like it," Erin agreed. "Tom, I…"

He lifted his hand and pressed a finger to her lips. "Don't say anything, not yet. Let's hear what Prevel has to tell us first and then we'll deal it."

"Okay."

He gestured for Erin to precede him, and they followed LaShea out of the Ready Room. As they crossed the Bridge, Chakotay flashed her a small smile of support, and she returned it before entering the conference room. Prevel was seated with his back to the door, and rose with the others when he heard the doors open.

"Doctor Prevel, I trust you recognize our other guest," Kathryn said.

Prevel turned around and promptly went ashen upon seeing Erin. "Princess Erin…"

"Doctor. Fancy meeting you here."

"Doctor Prevel, do you recognize this woman?" Melorn asked.

Prevel nodded. "Yes; she is from my timeline."

"Who is she?"

Erin glanced at Kathryn, and realizing they could no longer keep her identity a secret, answered Melorn's question before Prevel could.

"My name is Erin Janeway-Katsaros, Majet," she revealed. "In my timeline I was married to Prince Andreas."

Melorn's eyes widened in surprise. "A commoner was married to the Crown Prince?" he asked incredulously. "Impossible."

"Not any more impossible than a scientist who uses a secret temporal portal to establish lives in two separate timelines," Tom countered in Erin's defense.

"This isn't the time or place for a debate on probability," Kathryn interjected. "Doctor Prevel, given Captain Katsaros' presence here, further deception regarding your portals would be pointless."

"It would seem so," Prevel allowed.

"Manipulation of time is a highly dangerous pursuit, Baron," Melorn replied. "Why would you risk the lives of our people in both universes?"

Erin answered before Prevel could. "The Quetalans," she said simply.

Prevel gave her a brief glance. "Yes," he confirmed. "In our world they are on the verge of destroying Xall. They have slaughtered hundreds of Xallons, including King Dazan and Prince Andreas. Our only hope of survival is to find a way to permanently rid ourselves of the threat they pose and rebuild our culture."

"That's the purpose of the treaty negotiations," Erin said.

"That purpose is difficult to fulfill when traitors amongst our own Defense Ministry are conspiring with the enemy!" Prevel snapped.

"Do you have proof of this?" Melorn asked.

"Nothing that would stand up in a Court of Inquiry, but I have my suspicions," Prevel answered. "During one of my tests of the portal, I accidentally intercepted a transmission directed to the Quetalan High Command, to the attention of Commandant Y'Sarl. When I decrypted the security code it had transmitted under, it identified the sender as Nikolai Katsaros."

"Nikolai?" Erin echoed incredulously. "Well, he certainly has the motive. With Andreas dead and now King Dazan, that makes him ruler of Xall."

"Who's Nikolai?" Kathryn inquired.

"He is the second son of King Dazan," Prevel answered.

"I don't suppose you have a copy of that transmission you intercepted?" Erin prompted.

"As a matter of fact, I do. It is stored on a microchip that is locked in the safe in my private office in our timeline."

"Given the destruction we found in the lab, the odds are high that it's been damaged or destroyed," Tom interjected.

"The only way to find out is to get back to the lab," Erin responded.

"Doctor Prevel," Kathryn began, "if you have another gateway to your portal in this timeline, we need to know how to access it so we can send you and Captain Katsaros back to your own universe."

"There is a device in my laboratory here, similar to your transporter, that will open the portal," Prevel said. "It is called a temporal transponder."

"How does it work?"

"Each timeline has a unique temporal signature, which can be input into the central processor of the transponder. Once it has calculated the 'path' of the transport, it can transport a person into that timeline."

"How long will it take you to prepare it for transport?" Kathryn pressed.

"No more than an hour."

"Fine. I'm going to send one of my officers to assist you with the preparations, then once you and Captain Katsaros have return to your timeline, I'm going to have the portal and the temporal transponder dismantled."

"You cannot do that Captain!" Prevel protested. "The survival of my people is at stake."

"I can and I will," Kathryn countered. "Manipulation of the timeline is a violation of the Temporal Prime Directive, and is also incredibly dangerous. If the Quetalans or another hostile race were to obtain this technology, it could cause irreparable damage to countless timelines. That's a risk I'm not willing or able to take."

"Then the blood of the Xallon people will be on your hands," Prevel stated.

"It's on the hands of Nikolai Katsaros, Doctor," Erin corrected evenly, "and I promise you he will pay for what he's done. As will you."

Kathryn tapped her combadge. "Janeway to Seven of Nine."

"Yes, Captain?"

"Seven, report to transporter room two," Kathryn instructed. "I need you to assist the Xallons with their portal."

"Acknowledged."

Severing the transmission, Kathryn glanced at LaShea. "Commander, please escort Majet Melorn and Doctor Prevel to transporter room two. Majet, I'll contact you when we're ready to initiate the temporal transport."

"Thank you, Captain."

LaShea ushered the men out of the room, and once they were gone Kathryn addressed Erin. "It would probably be a good idea if you paid a final visit to Julian and had him inoculate you against any possible side effects from the radiation," she said. "I'll page you when it's time to beam down to Xall."

Erin nodded, and glanced at Tom. "Care to walk me to Sickbay, Commander?"

"I'll catch up with you in a few minutes," Tom answered. "There's something I need to take care of first."

Erin gave him a curious look. "Okay. I'll see you in a few minutes."

Bidding farewell to Kathryn, Erin left the room, and once they were alone Kathryn said, "Considering you've got barely an hour left with her, I would think you'd want to spend every minute you can with Erin."

"Actually, Captain, that's what I wanted to talk to you about," Tom replied. "I want to return to her timeline with her."

Surprise was evident in Kathryn's expression, but she recovered quickly and flashed Tom a small smile. "Well, I suppose I should have seen that coming," she said. "I understand your motivation, Tom, but I'm not sure that's a good idea. You have a life here, family and friends that care about you. Not to mention your responsibilities as a senior officer on this ship."

"With all due respect, Captain, none of that means as much to me as Erin does," Tom responded. "I've spent the last two years going through the motions and pretending like I'm happy with my life. But since I've found Erin, I've realized just how empty it's been. I'm not going to give her up."

"Have you discussed this with Erin?"

"Not yet. I felt that I owed it to you to tell you first."

"I appreciate that, Tom, but I think you should talk to Erin about it. As much as she loves you, I'm not entirely certain she'll be willing to let you give up your life to be with her."

"It's not her decision to make."

Kathryn sighed. "Very well. If Erin is agreeable to you returning with her, then I won't stand in your way. However, I do expect you to send a message to your family explaining what you've done and why."

"Of course, Captain. Thank you."

Tom turned and left the Ready Room just as Chakotay walked inside, and the former managed to mumble, "Excuse me, Commander" before heading for the turbolift. Chakotay watched the doors close behind him before turning to face Kathryn.

"Where's he off to in such a hurry?"

"To talk to Erin," Kathryn answered. "He intends to tell her he's returning to her timeline with her."

Surprise flickered across Chakotay's handsome face. "Really…" he said. "And you're okay with that?"

Kathryn shrugged. "I don't seem to have much of a choice," she allowed. "Short of ordering him to stay aboard Voyager, there's not much I can do about it."

"So then what's bothering you?"

"I don't think Erin is going to be as enthusiastic about the idea as he expects her to be," Kathryn explained. "He has a life here, and I don't know that she's going to approve of him giving that up for her."

"Until they materialized on the Bridge last week, they seemed to be doing just fine together in her timeline," Chakotay pointed out.

"Tom's transfer to her timeline was an accident, and at the time he expected to have to stay there for the rest of his life. Now he has the chance to reclaim everything he left behind here, but apparently intends to sacrifice that to be with her. She may not want to bear the responsibility for being the reason for his sacrifice."

"That's something for Tom and Erin to resolve between them," Chakotay replied.

"I only hope they can."

In Sickbay, Julian had just finished inoculating Erin against radiation poisoning when the doors opened to admit Tom. Smiling broadly, he crossed the room to join them, placing a hand on Erin's arm.

"Mind if I borrow your patient for a minute, Julian?" he requested.

"She's all yours," Julian answered. "Good luck, Erin."

"Thank you, Julian, for everything."

"My pleasure."

Excusing himself, the doctor retreated into his office to give Tom and Erin some privacy. Once they were alone, Erin spoke first, sliding off the biobed as she addressed him.

"You look like the cat that swallowed the canary," she remarked. "What's going on?"

"I just had a brief conversation with Captain Janeway, and she's given me her blessing to return to your timeline with you," Tom told her.

It took a few seconds for Tom's declaration to register, and when it did Erin's eyes widened in surprise. "You're coming back with me?" she asked.

The pilot's smile faded at her obvious lack of enthusiasm. "You don't have to sound so disappointed," he said. "I thought you wanted to be with me."

"Of course, I do," Erin assured him, "but there's more at stake here than my personal desires, or yours. Have you really thought about this, about what you'll be giving up?"

"I'm more interested in what, or rather whom, I'll be gaining," Tom countered. "Erin, I love you, and I want to be with you. Nothing I have here is more important than that."

"What about having a family?" Erin prompted. "I know how much you love children, and I can't give you any."

"We can adopt."

"What if I don't want to?"

"Then we won't."

"Tom…" Erin began, and paused a moment to gather her thoughts before continuing. "I love you for wanting to be with me, and under different circumstances I'd be jumping for joy that you want to come with back to my timeline. But you have a life here, family and friends and professional obligations. And there's no way to know what you'll be returning to. For all we know the Quetalans returned to Xall while we've been here and the colony now belongs to them. We could very well return to my timeline and find ourselves in the middle of a civil war. I don't want this private war between Xall and Quetal to cost me someone else I love."

"I don't understand where this is coming from," Tom returned. "Before we transferred to my timeline, you were perfectly willing have me with you. Now suddenly you're all but telling me that you don't want to be with me."

"When you materialized in my timeline, it was a quirk of fate, and yes it was one I was perfectly willing to accept. But now you're back on Voyager, and you've been given your life back. Are you really ready to give that all up? Can you look me in the eye and honestly tell me that twenty years from now you won't regret leaving behind everyone and everything you care about?"

Tom lifted his hands to cup her face, holding her steady as he met her gaze. "I'm asking for the chance to build a new life, with you. I have no doubts, and I am honestly telling you that I will have no regrets. So the choice is yours, sweetheart. Either you trust in me and my decision, and we return to your timeline together. Or you walk away from me now and out of my life, forever."

Erin held his gaze in silence for a long moment, her love for him warring with her uncertainty over what the return to her timeline would bring. I won't risk you becoming another casualty of my war with Y'Sarl, she declared silently. I can't.

Lifting her hands to cover Tom's, she gave them a gentle squeeze before lifting them off of her face. "I'm sorry, Flyboy," she said at last, her eye brimming with unshed tears. "I love you, but I can't take you with me."

"Don't do this, Erin," Tom pleaded.

"I have no choice."

Releasing her hold on his hands, Erin stepped around him and slowly exited Sickbay.

In his quarters, Tom was seated on the edge of his bed, staring down at the framed picture he clutched in his hands. It was a picture of him and B'Elanna on their wedding day, exchanging a loving smile and champagne toast in the Delta Flyer. Smiling to himself at the memory, he addressed his late wife's image.

"It's been a while since I've talked to you," he began. "But under the circumstances I thought it important that I explain to you what I'm doing. I'm leaving Voyager, permanently, to be with the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. Her name is Erin Katsaros, and she's the daughter of Chakotay and Captain Janeway from another timeline. I don't have time to explain to you the details of how we met, but I love her. Not any more or less than I loved you, just differently. She shares a personal history similar to mine, having watched her husband and son killed five years ago, and she's got both a temper and stubborn streak that could rival yours. But underneath her hard-as-nails exterior she has one of the softest hearts I've ever known. Just like you, actually. I imagine under different circumstances the two of you could have been friends."

He hesitated, unsure of what else to say, and allowed himself a moment to gather his thoughts before continuing.

"You told me once that loving someone means being willing to fight with them and for them when the going gets rough. Given Erin's fears over our relationship, that's certainly going to prove true. Yet I didn't give up on you when you tried to scare me or intimidate me into ignoring my feelings for you, and I won't give up on Erin, either. But I didn't want to leave without saying good-bye, and thanking you for everything you did for me. You taught me how to open my heart and allow myself to be loved, and that's a gift I will cherish the rest of my life. I love you, B'Elanna Torres; give 'em hell in Sto-Vo-Kor."

Replacing the picture on his nightstand, Tom got to his feet and wandered into the living room. Coming to a halt in the middle of the room, he permitted himself a final, lingering look around the cabin before leaving it for the final time.

Whistling to himself, Harry wandered into the transporter room, intent on running a brief diagnostic before heading to the bridge to spend a short shift in the command chair. Walking inside, he discovered Erin seated on the edge of the transporter platform, her head buried in her hands and despair evident in her posture.

"Captain?" he ventured.

Erin glanced up at the sound of his voice, and wiped away the tears streaming down her face. "Hi, Harry," she greeted. "Is it time to transport me down to Xall?"

He shook his head. "No. I was just going to run a diagnostic on the transporter system to make sure it's working all right."

"Ah. Well don't mind me; I'm just having a one-person pity party."

"Did you and Tom have a fight?"

"I wish we had," Erin said. "No, actually we've parted company."

"What happened?"

"He wanted to return to my timeline with me and I refused," Erin clarified. "I won't risk losing him to the Quetalans, and I'm not willing to let him give up his life here just to be a part of mine."

Harry paused. "Forgive me for saying so, Captain, but don't you think that's kind of selfish?" he asked cautiously.

"In what way?"

There was no censure in the question, only curiosity, and Harry took her lack of anger as encouragement to continue. Setting down his tools, he crossed over to the platform and sat down beside her.

"Let me give you an overview of this life you're so reluctant to let Tom give up for you," he began. "I was in Engineering the day B'Elanna was killed, and I was in Sickbay with Tom when the Doctor told him that she and the baby were dead. It was like watching a light slowly burn itself out; he went through the grief therapy and the recovery. But there was part of him that died that day with B'Elanna, and no matter how hard he tried to convince himself and the rest of us otherwise, he wasn't whole. It was as if he was dying in degrees because he couldn't heal. Yet watching the two of you together over the last week was like seeing that part of him reborn. He was happy, and enjoying his life again. You brought the light back into his life, Captain, and if you leave him behind that light is going to go out again, permanently. After everything the two of you have overcome - individually and together - don't you think that what you have deserves the chance to flourish in whatever timeline you wind up in?"

By the time Harry finished his mini speech, a fresh round of tears was streaming down Erin's face, and she flashed him a sheepish smile as she wiped them away. "There must be some sort of Starfleet regulation against making a superior officer cry," she quipped, and stood up, as did Harry.

"If there isn't I'll be happy to let you make one up," Harry responded lightly, then grew serious. "Tom's my best friend, and the closest thing I have to a brother. I won't lie and tell you that the idea of never seeing him doesn't bother me, but I know that he can be happy as long as he's with you."

Erin's smile widened. "Some woman is going to be darn lucky to win your heart, Harry Kim; you are a true romantic."

Harry smiled. "Could I get that in writing?"

The captain chuckled and impulsively leaned over to press a swift kiss on his cheek, just as the doors opened to admit Tom.

"Well, I'm sure there's something I need to be doing somewhere else, so I'd better get to it," Harry said to no one in particular. "Captain, good luck. I hope everything works out the way you want it to."

"Good-bye, Harry."

Harry turned to face Tom. "I'm not going to be around to keep an eye on you, so I expect you to be on your best behavior."

"I'll do my best," Tom assured him.

"Take care of yourself, my friend."

"You too, Harry."

The friends exchanged a brief hug, then Harry flashed Erin a farewell smile before exiting the transporter room. Once he was gone, Erin wordlessly closed the distance between them and embraced Tom in a fierce hug. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him, and they stood that way in silence for close to a full minute before Erin tilted her head back to meet his gaze.

"I am so sorry…" she began.

"No apologies," Tom interrupted, "but that is the first and last time you're going to walk away from me."

"I promise," Erin agreed. "But as Dorvan would say, I'm a 'wuss', and I'm terrified that I'm going to lose you."

"I'm not going anywhere but back to your timeline with you, and we'll face whatever that brings together, for better or worse."

She smiled at that. "Was that a proposal, Commander?"

Tom smiled back. "Would it help if I got down on one knee?"

Erin's smile widened. "Allow me," she responded, and lowered herself onto one knee as she took his hands in hers and tilted her head to meet his gaze. "I love you, Thomas Eugene Paris, and nothing would make me happier than spending the rest of my life showing you how much. Would you do me the honor of becoming my husband?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

He pulled her to her feet and into his arms, and they exchanged a hug and a brief kiss just as LaShea and Kathryn entered the room, shadowed by Joe Carey.

"Are we interrupting?" Kathryn asked dryly.

"We're done," Tom assured her.

Kathryn shook her head as Erin asked, "Is it time to go?"

"Yes. I just spoke with Seven and she says that the portal is ready."

"Then let's do it."

Kathryn glanced at Carey. "Lieutenant," she said simply.

Carey nodded and stepped onto the platform in front of the control panel as the others positioned themselves on the transporter platform.

"Energize, Mister Carey," Kathryn instructed.

Carey ran his hand across the panel and a moment later the group dematerialized.

Arriving at the portal, they found Seven and Prevel making last minute adjustments, while Melorn and his assistant watched from a few feet away. Seeing the others approach, Seven walked over to join them.

"Captains," she greeted. "The portal is ready, but due to the strain from the damage on the other side, there will only be enough power to initiate the transport one time."

"So if we don't get it right the first time than we're stuck here after all," Erin said.

"Or you may materialize in yet another timeline," Seven countered.

Erin glanced at Tom. "Last chance to change your mind, Flyboy," she cautioned.

"I go where you go," Tom declared. "Or when, as the case may be."

Prevel approached them then and handed his PADD to Seven. "These are the temporal coordinates for my timeline, along with instructions for dismantling the portal," he told her. "I recommend that you destroy this information once we have gone through."

"Of course," Seven agreed.

Crossing back over to the panel adjacent to the portal, Seven began inputting the coordinates as Tom addressed Kathryn.

"My messages for my family are entered into my personal computer in my quarters," he told her. "When you input the command to officially remove me from the ship's personnel roster, they'll automatically be forwarded to Earth."

Kathryn nodded. "I'll make certain that they reach their destination," she said. "Safe journeys, Mister Paris. Be happy."

"I will, Captain. Thank you."

They exchanged a hug, then Kathryn shifted her attention to Erin. "I'm not quite sure what to say to you," she replied. "Technically speaking you're not my daughter, but you're probably as close as I'll get."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Captain," Erin responded. "I have it on good authority that ex-Maquis rebels and Starfleet captains make as good a match personally as they do professionally."

Kathryn chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind. Take care of yourself, Erin. I hope you and your mother find a separate peace."

"So do I. Goodbye, Captain."

"Captain Katsaros," Seven called out. "You must begin the transport now."

Prevel, Tom and Erin quickly made their way over to the portal and once Seven input the final command, they vanished in a burst of bright, white light.

XALL COLONY - TEMPORAL SCIENCE STATION GAMMA - ANOTHER TIME

The trio materialized in the chamber where Y'Sarl had come so close to killing Erin, finding it in much the same semblance of destruction as they had left it.

"This is definitely where we transported from," Erin said. "The question is how long have we been gone?"

"If Ensign Hansen input the coordinates correctly, it has been a minimum of three days since you materialized in the other timeline," Prevel answered. "In order to ensure that we did not return too soon and encounter ourselves, I had to allow a small window of time between our departure and return."

"You said a 'minimum of three days'," Tom said. "What's the maximum?"

"Depending upon the time ratio, we may have been gone as long as a year," Prevel told him.

The captain sighed. "This is exactly why temporal anomalies give me migraines," she muttered. "Come on; we've got to find a way to contact the Embassy and find out what's going on."

With the men in tow, Erin made her way back through the building and to the room where she and Tom had initially materialized. It was in the same state of disarray as it had been when they left, offering a small ray of hope about the length of their transfer.

"If they haven't even begun the clean-up work yet, then we can't have been gone more than a few days," Tom surmised.

"Unless the Quetalans have not left anyone alive to be concerned with the clean-up," Prevel countered.

"Are you always such a happy camper?" Tom asked sarcastically.

"Commander," Erin said warningly. "Don't start. Doctor Prevel, this is your turf. Is there anything around here that we could salvage for communication?"

Prevel glanced around the room, and spotting a small panel on the far wall that was relatively undamaged, pointed at it. "That was our emergency relay system," he said. "If the main generator is still functional, we may be able to transmit a signal to the Embassy."

"It's worth a try."

They crossed the room to the panel, and for the next hour integrated bits and pieces of the other computers into the panel's hard drive. Once they had done all they could to get it into working order, Erin input a standard greeting.

"This is Captain Erin Janeway-Katsaros calling the Federation Embassy on Xall. Please respond."

The message was met with a burst of static, and the threesome exchanged frowns.

"That wasn't quite the response I was hoping for," Erin quipped.

"I can try switching the signal's frequency to a higher bandwidth and it may clear it up," Tom said, and punched a few buttons on the panel. "All right, Captain; try it again."

She repeated her greeting, and after a tense pause, a familiar voice filtered out of the speaker. "This is Captain Dorvan Janeway. Is that really you, Erin?"

"That depends, little brother, on whether or not you can tell me how many lumps of sugar I take in my coffee."

Dorvan chuckled. "Much to our mother's dismay you don't drink coffee," he replied. "Last time I checked your favorite drink was cinnamon tea."

"Then it's really me. I think the rest of what we have to discuss should be done in person."

"Where are you?"

"We're in the laboratory where Commander Paris and I transported to after our troops secured Xall," Erin told him.

A pause. "We're reading three of you," Dorvan said. "You, Paris and an unknown Xallon."

"That's Doctor Baron Prevel," Erin explained, "and he's in my custody. Can you transport us to the Embassy?"

"Actually I'm on Voyager, so I'll beam you on board. Stand by."

There was a brief delay before the trio felt the familiar tingle of the transporter and a moment later materialized on the bridge.

"Welcome aboard, Captain," Dorvan greeted formally.

Erin smiled. "Shut up and hug me," she ordered, and the twins exchanged a warm embrace before Dorvan addressed Tom.

"I've heard quite a bit about you, Commander," he said, and extended his hand. "It's good to finally meet you."

Tom took Dorvan's hand in his and they exchanged a handshake. "Likewise, sir."

"I take it from your presence here that you've decided to stay with Erin in this timeline?" Dorvan prompted.

"Considering we're engaged to be married, that seemed like the wisest decision," Tom responded.

Dorvan shot his sister a surprised glance. "You're engaged?"

"Yes," Erin confirmed. "I'll tell you the whole story later. How's Dad?"

"He's on the Enterprise," Dorvan told her. "Doctor T'Pere is keeping him confined to the ship while he recovers."

Relief flooded through her. "He's alive," she muttered. "Thank God. How long have we been missing?"

"You disappeared during transport five days ago," Dorvan answered. "There was another temporal surge just as the Enterprise was trying to beam you aboard and your signals vanished. We thought maybe the Quetalans had intercepted the transport signal and taken you prisoner. We sent a security team down to investigate, but all they found was your tricorder, two phaser rifles and your blood all over the floor of the lab."

"We were pulled into Tom's timeline by Doctor Prevel's portal," Erin told him. "We've been there since we 'disappeared'."

"Portal?" Dorvan echoed questioningly.

"Maybe we should continue this conversation in your Ready Room," Erin suggested, all too aware of the curious eyes and ears of the bridge crew.

"Agreed." He glanced at his Security Chief. "Mister Meown, you're with us. Commander Barrett, you have the Bridge."

The quintet crossed over to enter Dorvan's Ready Room, and once the doors closed behind them Dorvan addressed his sister. "So what exactly happened five days ago?" he asked.

"When Tom and I transported to the laboratory, we found the remnants of some highly sophisticated technology. Some of it was Xallon, but some of it we didn't recognize, so I decided to download some of the data in the computer core and see if running it through the Federation database could identify it. While the files downloaded, Tom and I went in search of Y'Sarl. Unfortunately, I found him first and he assaulted me."

"From the amount of blood that was found on the floor, he obviously did some serious damage," Dorvan replied.

"She was as close to death as a person can get without crossing over," Tom confirmed. "As it was, she went into cardiac arrest twice during surgery and spent close to eight hours on the operating table."

"Yet here you are and apparently as good as new," Dorvan said.

"Thankfully Starfleet produces the best of the medical best in any timeline," Erin said. "Along with a few medical miracles and lots of TLC, I made a remarkably fast recovery."

"Well Mom and Dad will be happy to have you home," Dorvan responded. "But how did you manage to switch timelines?"

"That's Prevel's doing," Tom told him. "It seems the good doctor here has managed to create a portal that he uses for his temporal transponder. That's why I was originally pulled into this timeline and is the reason you've been getting the chronotron radiation surges."

Dorvan gave Prevel an incredulous glance. "You've created a way to transport though time?" he prompted.

"Yes," Prevel confirmed. "The technology Princess Erin referred to is from a highly advanced race known as the Iconians. I don't know where they come from; they simply appear at will through the temporal portals. My assistant and I discovered them a decade ago, shortly after Ambassador Chakotay negotiated the first peace treaty between Xall and Quetal. They claimed that they had foreseen the destruction of our world, and were going to give us the technology necessary to save ourselves. They helped us create the portal, and instructed us on how to identify temporal signatures to transport into other timelines. Then one day they disappeared as mysteriously as they had come, but we continued to study the portal and hoped we could harness enough of its power to create a rift large enough to send the Quetalan fleet through."

"It didn't occur to you that what you were doing could have ramifications for numerous other timelines?" Erin asked. "What did you think was going to happen when their fleet 'simply appeared' in an alternate timeline? You had to know that it would cause a shift in that universe's balance of power."

"Our concern was for survival, Your Highness," Prevel snapped, "not power games."

"Watch your tone, Prevel," Tom cautioned, obviously displeased with the way the older man was speaking to Erin. Ignoring Tom's warning, the doctor continued.

"Xall's war with Quetal has cost us almost one third of our population. Our cities are in ruins; our military forces have barely half the contingent we once did. Yet the Federation would have us make peace with the monsters responsible for our downfall. That is unacceptable."

"The alternative is genocide, Doctor," Erin countered evenly, "and that is equally unacceptable."

"Need I remind you, Princess, that these people are responsible for the murder of your husband?" Prevel pressed. "Are you truly willing to allow them to wash his blood from their hands?"

Erin unconsciously flinched at the doctor's cruel question and Tom immediately went ballistic. "You son of a bitch!" he snapped, and closing the distance between them in two strides, landed a punch to Prevel's jaw that sent him staggering backward.

"Tom, don't!" Erin said.

Tom took another step toward Prevel, obviously intent on continuing the assault, but Dorvan quickly stepped in front of him as Meown restrained him from behind. "Stand down, Commander," he ordered.

Tom afforded Dorvan a brief glance before returning his angry gaze to the Xallon scientist. "Either address Captain Katsaros with the proper respect or don't address her at all," he said coldly, shrugging himself out of Meown's grip. "Got it?"

"You made your point, Commander," Dorvan interjected. "Now let it go."

"My apologies, Your Highness," Prevel directed at Erin.

"Try to remember that we're on the same side here, Doctor," Erin responded. "I assure you that I haven't forgotten what the Quetalans have done to me, or to Xall. But trying to send their fleet into another timeline isn't going to solve the problem. Eventually they will rebuild their forces and the fighting will begin all over again. The only way to ensure the survival of your people is to find a way to make peace with Quetal."

"The only way we're going to be able to do that is to neutralize the Quetalan fleet and get rid of Y'Sarl," Dorvan replied.

"Where is he?" Erin asked.

"On Xall. Shortly after you disappeared, he and his troops infiltrated the palace and took King Nikolai and the Council of Ministers hostage."

"Nikolai?" Erin echoed, and released a sigh. "This just gets better by the minute."

"Am I missing something?" Dorvan asked.

"Doctor Prevel has proof that Nikolai Katsaros has been conspiring with Y'Sarl in order to gain the throne," Tom explained.

Dorvan let out a low whistle. "He must be one ambitious and narcissistic individual to have his own family murdered for personal benefit," he replied. "However, it certainly explains how the Quetalans knew when and where to strike to do the most damage."

"We need to find Doctor Prevel's microchip and get it into the hands of the Xallon Defense Ministry," Erin declared. "And we need to get Y'Sarl into Starfleet custody."

"Sorry to disappoint you, Sis, but 'we' aren't going to do anything," Dorvan countered with a smile. "You are going to return to the Enterprise and undergo a complete medical examination before you go traipsing around on Xall or anywhere else. And don't even waste your breath arguing with me, because we both know it's standard procedure. You've been missing for close to a week, had obviously been seriously injured before you disappeared and were exposed to an unknown environment while you were gone. Starfleet Command requires you to do everything but wipe your boots on a 'Welcome' mat before they'll allow you to resume command of their favorite flagship."

Erin flashed him a small smile. "Have you always been this bossy, or is it just a side effect of your old age?" she asked.

"If memory serves, Captain, you are two minutes and twenty-six seconds older than me, so I suggest you keep the quips about old age to yourself."

"Aye, Captain. And happy belated birthday."

"Happy belated birthday to you, too."

Dorvan glanced at Prevel. "Where and what is this microchip that is your proof against King Nikolai?" he questioned.

"It was secured in a safe in my office," Prevel told him. "I do not know if it is still intact or not."

"There's only one way to find out," Dorvan replied. "Lieutenant Meown, take a security team and return to Doctor Prevel's office with him to search for the chip. If and/or when you find it, return to Voyager and we'll decide how to deliver to the Defense Ministry."

"Aye, Captain."

Prevel and Meown exited the Ready Room as Dorvan returned his attention to his sister. "I don't suppose there's any way to convince you not to go after Y'Sarl yourself?"

"I won't even dignify that with an answer," Erin responded. "One way or another this private battle between Y'Sarl and me ends here and now."

"I knew you were going to say that. Just promise me you'll be careful."

"I always am."

Dorvan glanced at Tom. "I hope you like a challenge, Commander, because life with my sister is going to be a big one," he said dryly. "Take care of her, Tom."

The helmsman placed his hands on Erin's upper arms and gave them an affectionate squeeze as he said simply, "I will."

"I don't suppose there's any chance Mom isn't going to call me on the carpet for our argument?" Erin asked.

"I honestly don't know. As worried as she was when you disappeared, she was just as furious over your attitude about the negotiations. Your only hope is if Dad's managed to calm her down while you've been gone."

"Well, I guess it's time I find out. Let me know if Prevel finds the microchip."

"Of course. Let me know if you find Y'Sarl."

"Oh, I'll find him," Erin assured him. "He and Nikolai Katsaros are going to atone for what they've done, if I have to kill them to make sure of it."

Without waiting for a response, Erin exited the Ready Room, and Tom exchanged a worried look with Dorvan before following her.

U.S.S. ENTERPRISE

They materialized in Sickbay, where they were met by Erin's XO and her father. The sight of Chakotay immediately brought tears to the captain's eyes and she quickly stepped forward to embrace him in a fierce hug.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you," she said when they pulled apart.

"Likewise," Chakotay responded. "Are you okay?"

"I am now."

He smiled at that, then glanced at Tom. "Mister Paris," he greeted. "Dorvan tells me that you and Erin are getting married, so allow me to be the first to say welcome to the family."

"Thank you."

"I hate to interrupt the family reunion," T'Pere interjected dryly, "but I need to examine Captain Katsaros before she can resume her duties."

Erin obediently climbed onto the nearest biobed and T'Pere began her scans as the captain addressed her XO. "What's our status, Danielle?"

"We managed to avoid any major damage during our last skirmish with the Quetalans," Wynmore said, "but Commandant Y'Sarl has sent for additional troops. They could arrive at any moment."

"If they intend to engage us in a full-scale battle, we're going to need more than two starships to keep Xall secured," Erin mused.

"Actually, Captain, we already have reinforcements," Wynmore told her. "The Excalibur is here, and Commander R'Zel's ship is in orbit on the opposite side of the planet."

"If we have them outnumbered four ships to one, why hasn't anyone been able to capture Y'Sarl?" Tom asked.

"He's erected some kind of force field around the palace," Wynmore explained. "We haven't been able to penetrate it to get troops inside."

"Have you tried disabling the main generator and cutting off the power?" Erin asked.

"No one can decipher the security codes. They're encrypted in some ancient Xallon dialect that no one outside the Council of Ministers and the royal family can translate."

"Zerz can," Erin said suddenly.

"Zerz?" Chakotay echoed questioningly.

"Zerz Melorn," the captain clarified. "He was Dazan Katsaros' Majordomo for close to twenty years, and aside from his wife there was no one the king trusted more. I guarantee you that he knows the code."

"Where do we find him?" Wynmore asked.

"He works at the royal family's private resort on the East coast of the main continent," Erin revealed. "Have Sek take a single guard and transport down to retrieve him."

"Aye, Captain."

Wynmore headed out of Sickbay as T'Pere addressed Erin. "I have completed my examination, Captain, and find no medical reason why you should not be allowed to resume your duties."

"Thank you, Doctor."

"I am curious, however, as to how you managed to survive your injuries. Although you appear to have completely recovered, it is apparent from my scans that you were quite severely injured. Had you been here, I do not know that I would have been able to save you."

Erin smiled, and glanced at her father. "Let's just say that my parents once again owe a debt of gratitude to a remarkable doctor who answers to the name Julian," she said.

"Lions and Quetalans and bears, oh my," Tom muttered under his breath, earning him odd looks from the others. "Never mind."

After checking in on the bridge, the captain retreated to her Ready Room and seated herself behind her desk before initiating her call to Starfleet Command. Not bothering with the formality of having the transmission routed through her mother's chief of staff, Erin input the code for a direct contact to Kathryn, and a moment later the older woman's image appeared on screen.

"Erin," she greeted. "Thank goodness you're all right. When they found your blood in the laboratory on Xall and you disappeared, we feared the worst."

"It's been a long week," Erin allowed, "but thankfully I seem to have survived without any permanent damage."

"Where have you been?"

"Tom and I were transported back to his timeline," Erin answered, and gave her a brief explanation of what had transpired, including Prevel's part in the temporal surges and her former brother-in-law's possible conspiracy with Y'Sarl.

'You'd better hope that Doctor Prevel can find this alleged microchip of his, because without it you won't be able to prove Nikolai's duplicity."

"We'll find out soon enough."

"We need to resolve the issues that arose from our last conversation," Kathryn said.

"Isn't it a moot point now that Y'Sarl has proven to be a traitor?"

"His involvement in the treaty negotiations may no longer be an issue, but your attitude is. If I weren't your mother, I would have already filed charges of insubordination against you for disobeying a direct order."

"You forced me to take the stance that I did by refusing to excuse me from the peace talks. Asking to be allowed to withdraw due to a personal conflict was a legitimate request, and you only refused because as my mother you knew the extent of the conflict. If I had presented the request to Admiral Picard or Admiral Waters, it would have been granted."

"That's not fair, Erin."

"Don't talk to me about fair, Admiral," Erin retorted. "Your husband is still alive and well after being attacked by Quetalans; my husband and son are still dead."

Kathryn sighed. "Why is it that we can't discuss this without it escalating into an argument?" she asked rhetorically.

"Maybe we should just agree to disagree and move on," Erin responded.

"Maybe we should," Kathryn allowed, and changed subjects. "So what happened to Tom Paris? Is he back in his timeline?"

"No; he's here with me."

Kathryn quirked one eyebrow. "He returned to this timeline?" she queried. "I can't imagine that went over well with my counterpart."

"She wasn't ecstatic about the idea, but she did give us her blessing. And I managed to spend some time with her Chakotay. He's an amazing man in any timeline."

"Yes, he is."

"It was weird, though, being with your counterparts when they weren't my parents. In many respects it was almost like being with you and Dad, but on another level, I felt like I was with strangers. They have a history that is just as strong as yours with Dad, but radically different, and of course they have no children."

"Are they happy?" Kathryn asked.

"They seem to be, but I think that meeting me may have made them a little wistful for what might have been. It made me appreciate you and Dad all the more, and even though we argue I love you both very much."

"Thank you, sweetheart. We love you, too."

The door chime interrupted their conversation, and Erin gave her mother an apologetic smile. "Duty calls," she said. "I'll contact you as soon as the situation here is contained."

"Be careful, Captain."

"I always am."

Erin severed the transmission, then instructed her caller to enter, and Sek walked inside with Zerz Melorn. Erin stood and walked around her desk to greet them as Melorn gave her a warm smile.

"Your Highness," he greeted. "I am pleased to see that the rumors of your death were untrue."

"Thank you, Zerz. The clock is ticking, so I'll get directly to the point. I need you to translate the override codes for the palace's main generator. Y'Sarl has commandeered the palace and is holding the Council of Ministers hostage. We need to get the security shields down and get inside the palace to capture him before he kills anyone else. Unfortunately, the codes are written in ancient Xallon, and everybody who can translate the dialect is sequestered in the palace."

"I will be happy to help in any way I can, Princess, but I cannot guarantee that my knowledge of the codes is still valid," Melorn replied. "King Nikolai may have implemented new codes for his own staff, so perhaps you should contact one of them."

"We have reason to believe that Nikolai has been conspiring with Y'Sarl to get the throne," Erin revealed, "which means that he is in no hurry to see the Quetalans removed from Xall."

"I cannot say that I am surprised," Melorn remarked sadly. "He has been jealous and resentful of his brother since childhood."

"It is imperative that we find a way to override the security system and gain access to the palace, Zerz. Even if Nikolai has created new codes, you can still translate them for us. Please give Commander Sek as much assistance as you can."

"Of course, Your Highness."

Erin glanced at Sek. "Once you have Zerz's information, assemble two strike teams to transport down to the surface once we lower the shields. I want continuous scans of the palace and as soon as we locate Y'Sarl and Nikolai, we'll beam down to their location and arrest them."

"May I respectfully remind you, Captain, that unless Doctor Prevel is able to locate his microchip, we will not have proof of King Nikolai's conspiracy with Commandant Y'Sarl," Sek said.

"Then we'll hold him on suspicion until we get proof," Erin declared. "Contact me when it's time to transport to the palace."

"Aye, Captain."

Gesturing for Melorn to precede him, Sek escorted the older man out of the room just as Erin's combadge beeped. "Finn to Captain Katsaros."

"Yes, Ensign?"

"There's an incoming transmission for you from Captain Janeway on Voyager."

"Put it through in here."

"Yes, Ma'am."

She walked back around her desk and settled in the chair before turning on her computer terminal. "Talk to me, Dorvan," Erin said.

"Melorn found the microchip," Dorvan told her. "It's been damaged, but I think we can salvage enough of the transmission to prove it was Nikolai."

"How soon can you have it ready to present to the Council of Ministers and Starfleet Command?"

"My chief engineer says he can have it cleaned up enough to submit as evidence in about half an hour."

"Excellent."

"Any news on Y'Sarl?" Dorvan asked.

"As far as we know he's still in the palace," Erin answered. "Zerz Melorn is here and is helping Sek translate the security codes. As soon as we get the shields down, we're sending in two strike teams to arrest Nikolai and Y'Sarl."

"Confronting the lion in his lair may not be the best idea," Dorvan cautioned. "For all we know Nikolai has the place booby trapped just in case the defense parameters are breached, and Spirits only know what kind of arsenal Y'Sarl has stashed in there."

"Actually, they are probably biding their time until the other Quetalan ships arrive because they arrogantly assume that we have no way of infiltrating the palace."

"Are you really up for a third round with Y'Sarl? He's nearly killed you twice, Erin. Odds are you won't survive a third attempt."

"I appreciate your concern, little brother, but I don't intend to let him get close enough to lay a finger on me."

Their conversation was interrupted by the beep of Erin's combadge, and she gave it a quick tap. "Katsaros here."

"Captain, we've got company," Finn told her. "Two Quetalan battle cruisers just dematerialized off the port bow."

Erin sighed. "I hate party crashers."

Just then Dorvan's combadge beeped as well and the voice of his XO filtered out to announce the arrival of the other Quetalan ships.

"When it rains it pours," Dorvan said.

"Shall we flip a coin to see who gets to chat with the newcomers?" Erin asked wryly.

"I'll deal with the Quetalans," Dorvan replied. "You just find a way to get those shields down and get Nikolai and Y'Sarl."

"Will do. In the meantime, I'll contact Commander R'Zel and ask him to head back to this side of the planet."

"It certainly wouldn't hurt to even the odds," Dorvan allowed.

"I'll contact you when I have Nikolai and Y'Sarl in custody."

"Happy hunting."

Both captains severed the transmission, then Erin opened a channel to the Romulan ship. "This is Captain Erin Janeway-Katsaros calling Commander R'Zel. Please respond."

There was a slight delay before the image of her Romulan counterpart came on screen. "Captain Katsaros," he greeted. "You look quite well for a dead woman."

She smiled. "It will take more than a petty slime like Y'Sarl to take me out," she assured him. "In any event, I need your help. Two more Quetalan battle cruisers have shown up, and I'd like you to bring your ship back to this side of the colony so they know you're here. They're less likely to engage Voyager or the Enterprise if they know they'll have to deal with you, too."

"Indeed. I'll be there in a few minutes, Captain."

"Thank you, Commander."

Erin severed the transmission just as Sek's voice came over the intercom. "Captain Katsaros to the bridge."

Stifling a tired sigh, Erin stood up and strode out of her Ready Room and onto the bridge. "You rang, Mister Sek?" she prompted, and crossed over to stand in front of his station, where he and Melorn were hovering over the console.

"Yes, Captain," the Vulcan confirmed. "I believe Major Melorn and I have been able to determine the override codes for the security shields surrounding the palace."

The captain gave them a grateful smile. "Excellent work, Gentlemen. Are the strike teams ready to go, Commander?"

"Affirmative. They are waiting for us in transporter room two."

Erin glanced at her Ops officer. "Ensign Finn, when Major Melorn gives you the signal, transmit the override code into the energy relays for the palace."

"Aye, Captain."

She turned to her XO. "Commander Wynmore, your priority is ensuring the survival of the officers and civilians aboard this ship," she said. "If this backfires and the Quetalans manage to gain control of the Enterprise, initiate emergency transports for our people and set the ship to auto destruct."

"Understood, Captain. Good luck."

"Thank you, Danielle. We're going to need it. Commander Sek, let's go get the bad guys."

Relinquishing command to Wynmore, Erin crossed over to the turbolift with Sek and stepped inside.

XALL

Inside his private chambers, Nikolai Katsaros was engaged in a heated argument with his fellow conspirator, Y'Sarl.

"I'm telling you this isn't going to work!" he snapped. "The longer you keep the Council hostage, the more likely they are to realize my part in this. We need to get off this planet before Starfleet sends more ships to defend Xall."

"Calm down, Katsaros," Y'Sarl chided. "Your paranoia is beginning to wear on my nerves. I assure you that I have everything under control."

"Like you were in control when you murdered my father and my sister-in-law?" Nikolai shot back. "In case it's slipped your memory, Commandant, Erin was the daughter of Starfleet's highest-ranking officer and the captain of their flagship. By killing her you signed your own death warrant."

"Starfleet doesn't practice capital punishment," Y'Sarl countered calmly. "And in any event, they have no proof. Princess Erin's paramour confiscated her body and disappeared before your soldiers discovered me in the laboratory. The Federation will not jeopardize their precious treaty over the death of one woman, regardless of who her parents are."

"The Maquis will," Nikolai retorted. "To borrow a phrase the Terrans are so fond of, Ambassador Chakotay may 'talk the talk, but he doesn't walk the walk'. Once upon a time he was a very dangerous man with equally dangerous friends, and I assure you that their loyalty extends to the next generation."

Y'Sarl gave him a knowing look. "After all that you have done to secure your place on the throne, Your Majesty, are you truly willing to abandon now?"

"Maybe he should have thought of that before he sold his soul to the devil," interjected a familiar voice.

Both men whirled around to see Erin standing just inside the doorway, flanked by half a dozen armed security guards, and she flashed them an icy smile.

"I hate to interrupt your little tete a tete, Gentlemen, but there are a whole lot of people who have a whole lot of questions for you two," she said. "I think it's time they got some answers."

"How the hell did you get in here?" Nikolai demanded. "I know for a fact your transporters cannot penetrate the security shields."

"They didn't have to," Erin told him. "We decrypted the security codes and disabled the main generator."

"You have a nasty habit of interfering in matters that don't concern you, Princess," Y'Sarl replied. "Why can't you just leave well enough alone?"

"Because I swore over my husband's grave that I would live to see the man who murdered him and our son brought to justice," Erin declared, and glanced at Nikolai. "You were there the day the monks brought me to the Embassy infirmary; you know what he did to me, and to Andreas and our son. You were also in the palace the day your father was killed. Yet even knowing that you were as responsible for their deaths as the Quetalans, you stood over their caskets and played the part of a grieving brother and son."

"I admit that I wanted Andreas dead so I could inherit the throne," Nikolai confessed, "but my father's death was an accident."

"There are no accidents in war, Nikolai; only innocent casualties."

"Do not preach to me about the rules of war, Captain," Nikolai snapped. "You grew up as Starfleet's golden child, the only daughter of one of the Federation's most prestigious families. What do you know of the pain and suffering my people have endured for generations?"

"I know the pain and suffering I have endured because of your ambitions and selfishness," Erin responded. "And that is something I would not wish on even you."

She glanced over her shoulder and gestured for two of her officers to take him into custody before returning her gaze to his. "Nikolai Terevye Katsaros, under Section Six in Article Twelve of the Federation Legal Charter, you are under arrest on suspicion of treason, espionage and conspiracy to commit murder. You will remain in custody until such time as the Federation Council and the Xallon Council of Ministers can agree upon your punishment."

"You may have won this battle, Captain, but you will lose the war," Nikolai replied.

"Don't count on it," Erin returned. "Lieutenant Gray, Ensign Burke; please escort Mister Katsaros back to the Enterprise and place him in the brig. I want a guard stationed outside his cell at all times and no one other than Commander Sek or myself is to be allowed access to him."

"Aye, Captain," Gray acknowledged, and he and Burke grasped Nikolai by the arms and escorted him out of the room. Once they were gone, Erin took a few steps closer to Y'Sarl but still remained out of striking distance.

"If I weren't wearing this uniform, I'd kill you where you stand," she said icily.

"Am I supposed to be intimidated by that?" Y'Sarl asked idly. "It is easy to make threats when you have four armed officers standing behind you."

"Considering how close you came to killing me the last two times I confronted you without anyone to watch my back, I think I prefer it this way," Erin responded dryly. "I would, however, like an honest answer to a question."

"Ask away."

"Why did you kill my baby that day in Yaren? Wasn't Andreas' murder enough to send your message to King Dazan?"

"The child you carried was the heir to the throne, Your Highness, and would someday have grown into a man who would be the mortal enemy of my sons. I chose to protect their lives by taking his."

"Abiding by the peace treaty would have done the same thing."

Y'Sarl flashed her a cold smile. "Do not expect sympathy from me, Princess, or remorse for my actions. I am a soldier, and I will protect what is mine at any cost."

"As will I."

Motioning for the guards to take him away, Erin turned and started for the door. It proved to be a tactical error. No sooner had she turned her back on Y'Sarl then he swiftly bent down to withdraw a large dagger from his boot and closed the distance between them. Before the guards could react, he grabbed Erin by the hair and pulled her to him, then sliced her combadge off of her uniform and smashed it under his boot heel before pressing the dagger to her throat.

"Drop your weapons, or I'll cut your captain's lovely head from her shoulders," he warned, and nicked her throat with the blade to emphasize his point.

"Do it," Erin instructed.

The officers carefully lowered their rifles to the ground as Y'Sarl gestured at the door. "Now all of you walk slowly out of this room and close the door behind you," he ordered.

Casting concerned glances at their commanding officer, the four men did as instructed and carefully exited the room, the last one to leave closing the door behind him.

"Now then, Your Highness," Y'Sarl snarled in Erin's ear, "let's see how many pieces I can cut you into before you die."

"Let's not."

Erin shifted her head and bit down on Y'Sarl's hand. Letting out a howl of pain and rage, he shoved her away from him and dropped the dagger as he shook his hand back and forth. The captain immediately dropped to the ground to confiscate it and held it out in front of her to ward him off. Realizing his error, Y'Sarl slowly started backing toward the door and the four phaser rifles lying on the floor in front of it.

"Don't even think about it, Y'Sarl," Erin cautioned, and shifted her grip on the dagger to position it to be thrown at him.

"You won't kill me, Princess," the Quetalan taunted. "You don't have the guts."

Midnight blue met black as she held his gaze for a brief second, and Y'Sarl took advantage of her hesitation to make a lunge for the nearest rifle. Letting out a furious howl, Erin charged him just as he turned back toward her with the rifle, and Y'Sarl barely had time to look surprised before she shoved the dagger into his throat.

"That's justice Maquis style, Commandant," she muttered. "For my son."

Alarmed by her shout, Erin's officers burst back into the room just as Y'Sarl crumpled to the floor, dead before he hit the ground.

"Are you all right, Captain?" one of her officers asked.

"I'm fine. Take Commandant Y'Sarl's body and have it transported aboard one of the Quetalan ships. Let them dispose of their own trash."

Without waiting for a response, Erin exited the room and made her way to the main hall, where the rest of her officers and the Council of Ministers were sequestered. Sek was the first to see her arrive and walked over to greet her.

"Captain. I assume that Commandant Y'Sarl has been apprehended?"

"Actually, he's dead, Commander. I killed him."

"In self-defense," Sek added.

"More or less."

One eyebrow quirked upward in silent inquiry. "More or less?" he echoed questioningly.

"The details will be in my formal report to the Council and Starfleet Command. In the meantime, I need to return to the Enterprise and find out what the status is on the Quetalan ships in orbit. You stay here and help round up the rest of the Quetalans."

"Of course, Captain."

Erin took a step backward and contacted the ship for transport.

U.S.S. VOYAGER

Unaware of the events that had unfolded on the planet, Dorvan was playing a game of cat and mouse with the leader of the Quetalan fleet, Praetor Lyan Dto.

"He's itching for a fight but he's not foolish enough to strike first," he remarked.

"Why not?" his XO asked. "They certainly didn't have any reservations about launching an unprovoked attack against the colony."

"Which is exactly why he's not going to do it again," Dorvan responded. "If he can provoke us into striking first, he can always claim that we were retaliating against the initial attack and Dto reacted in self-defense."

Melissa sighed. "It's a shame this isn't a Maquis ship," she replied. "We could just blow them out of the sky and be done with it."

Dorvan gave her an amused smile. "You have been spending way too much time with my sister," he chided.

Melissa smiled back. "Her reputation does seem to precede her," she allowed. "Even when we were still roommates at the Academy, everyone used to say that Erin Janeway had a Starfleet brain but a Maquis soul. She has yet to prove them wrong."

"Maybe, but it's gotten her into more trouble over the years than my brothers and I combined," Dorvan replied. "If she weren't the best officer ever to wear a Starfleet uniform, the Admiralty undoubtedly would have drummed her of out the service or assigned her to desk duty at some deep space station in the middle of nowhere."

"I imagine she still would have managed to make a name for herself even then."

"Knowing Erin, there's no doubt of it."

As if to speak of the devil, there was a beep from the Ops panel and Ian Riker glanced at Dorvan. "Captain Katsaros is hailing us, sir."

Dorvan rose to his feet as he instructed, "Put her on screen."

Ian did as instructed, and a moment later Erin's image flickered into focus on the viewscreen.

"Captain," he greeted formally. "I assume that King Nikolai and Y'Sarl are in custody?"

"Nikolai is," Erin confirmed. "Y'Sarl is dead."

Surprise briefly flickered across Dorvan's handsome face. "Well, I suppose I should have expected that," he replied. "In light of your history it was almost a given that your private little war would only end when one of you was dead. I'm glad it's him."

"What's the status of the Quetalan ships?"

"At the moment they're doing a whole lot of nothing," Dorvan told her. "Dto has been demanding to speak with you and has been making all kinds of interesting threats. None of which he's acted on. At least so far."

"I'll put a call into him and tell him to expect Y'Sarl's body, and make a final attempt to reason with him."

"And if he doesn't listen?"

His twin flashed him a small smile. "Then he's going to find out the hard way that I am my father's daughter after all," she answered. "Katsaros out."

U.S.S. ENTERPRISE

Severing the transmission with her brother, Erin glanced over at her Ops officer. "Ensign Finn, open a channel to the lead Quetalan ship."

Finn ran a hand along her panel before glancing at Erin. "Channel open, Captain."

"This is Captain Erin Janeway-Katsaros of the Federation starship Enterprise calling Praetor Dto. Please respond."

There was a brief pause before Finn said, "He's answering our hail, Captain."

"On screen."

The starscape on the viewscreen was replaced with the image of the Quetalan ship, and Dto sat in a large seat centered on a small platform in the middle of the bridge. His resemblance to his Cardassian 'cousins' was more pronounced than Y'Sarl's had been, and his black eyes were barely visible in the ebony darkness of his face.

"All he needs is a scythe," Tom muttered under his breath.

"Captain Katsaros," Dto greeted. "I am pleased to at last make your acquaintance, even if it is merely on a viewscreen."

"Given the circumstances you'll forgive me if I say that I prefer it this way," Erin responded.

"I am not Y'Sarl, Captain," Dto returned. "Personal vendettas have no place in my command."

"I hope you mean that, Praetor, because as we speak, I am having the commandant's body transported aboard your ship," the captain revealed.

"He's dead?"

"Quite."

A pause. "By your hand no doubt."

"Yes, as a matter of fact, but it was self-defense."

"So you say," Dto countered. "For all I know you killed him as vengeance for the killing of your husband in self-defense."

Astonishment immediately registered in Erin's elegant features. "Self-defense"? she echoed incredulously. "Is that what he told you?"

"Yes. Y'Sarl told me how he and his men had transported into Yaren in an effort to try and find the soldiers responsible for violating the treaty. He says that you were injured in the attack, and when Prince Andreas found him trying to help you, he went berserk and attacked him. Y'Sarl's men tried to stop him, but they were not able to and Y'Sarl was forced to kill him in self-defense."

Disbelief turned to fury as the captain slowly absorbed what Dto was telling her. From his position at the helm, Tom was watching Erin with concern, knowing all too well how far from the truth Y'Sarl's version of Andreas' death was. After taking close to full minute to reign in the emotions threatening to boil over, Erin again addressed Dto.

"I don't know why Y'Sarl concocted that fairy tale," she said tightly, "but let me give you the real story about what happened that day. Y'Sarl and his men did transport into Yaren, but they were the soldiers responsible for attacking Xall. I was trapped in the ruins of one of the temples and Andreas was attempting to free me when Y'Sarl and his men discovered us. After instructing his men to restrain me, Y'Sarl proceeded to beat Andreas to death, simply because he was the Crown Prince. After he killed him, he sexually assaulted me and then carved my unborn son from my womb. He placed the body on top of Andreas' and using his phaser rifle set them both on fire. The last memory I have of my husband is the stench of his body as it burned to ashes."

Erin finished her tale and fell silent, all too aware of the eyes of the bridge crew upon her after her revelation of what had really happened the day Andreas died. Releasing a heavy sigh, she stole a glance at Tom, and he flashed her an encouraging smile. She smiled back ever so briefly before returning her attention to Dto. He was obviously considering her words and remained silent for a full minute before responding.

"I am tempted to disbelieve you on principle, Captain, but I do not think even you would invent such a brutal story," he remarked.

"My point is that although I certainly had the motivation to murder Y'Sarl, I didn't. And while I have no love for your people, Praetor, I will abide by my oath a Starfleet officer and do everything in my power to ensure these negotiations are completed successfully."

"You still believe there is a way for Xall and Quetal to make peace?" Dto prompted.

"I have to, because the alternative is war. Are your people really prepared for that?"

"We are soldiers, Captain; to die in battle as heroes is an honorable death."

"When the Maquis conflict with the Cardassians evolved into the Federation's war with the Dominion, it took eight hundred million casualties before both sides realized that there could be no victor. Five years later when the fighting was done - it made no difference whether or not those people had died as heroes. All the parents and children and lovers gone - they were still dead. This was Y'Sarl's battle, Praetor, not Quetal's. He made the choice to conspire with Nikolai Katsaros and violate the treaty, five years ago and five days ago. Let this fight die with him."

Dto paused before offering Erin a faint smile. "You present an eloquent argument, Captain, and a passionate one. As a father of three sons and six daughters, I have no desire to have them become names on another list of eight hundred million casualties. As the Praetor of the Quetalan Fleet, I also cannot ignore what has happened. Y'Sarl and his soldiers have done immense damage here, and a few carefully worded treaties will not be sufficient to undo that."

"I am open to suggestions, Praetor," Erin said.

"Your people have a saying, Captain; 'time heals all wounds'. Perhaps it would be best if we allowed Xall and Quetal some time to recover before we return to business as usual."

"What about the treaty negotiations?"

"They can be resumed when the wounds of this war aren't so fresh. In the meantime, however, I give you my word that there will be no further attacks on Xall."

"The soldiers currently in my custody will be detained until they can be presented to the Xallon Council of Ministers for punishment."

"Fair enough."

Their conversation was interrupted by a sudden series of loud beeps from behind Erin, and the officer manning Tactical in Sek's absence, a Bolian named Onyas, gave Erin a concerned glance when she turned to face him.

"The other Quetalan ship is powering its weapons, Captain," he announced.

Erin whirled back around to face the viewscreen. "Is this your idea of a truce, Praetor?" she asked angrily. "Making false promises while your comrades prepare to launch an assault?"

"I assure you this is not my doing, Captain," Dto protested.

The captain turned to Finn. "Can the other ship hear me?"

Fin checked her panel. "Aye, Captain. They are on the same frequency as Praetor Dto's ship."

"This is Captain Janeway-Katsaros on the Enterprise. Power down your weapons immediately or I will be forced to take defensive action."

Silence.

"This is your final warning. Power down your weapons or I will take defensive action."

There was no response from the second Quetalan ship, and just as Erin prepared to give the order to fire, Onyas said, "The Quetalan ship has fired a missile directly at the palace."

"Take them out, Lieutenant," Erin ordered.

Onyas did as instructed and a moment later announced, "The ship has been destroyed, Captain."

Erin glanced at Wynmore. "Contact Commander Sek and get a casualty report."

The XO nodded in confirmation and Erin shifted her attention to the viewscreen.

"In the interest of establishing a legitimate truce, Praetor, I am going to take you at your word that you weren't a party to this latest attack," Erin replied. "However, I want you to withdraw from Xallon space immediately."

"Of course," Dto demurred. "Please inform the Council that they may contact me on Quetal when they are ready to resume the negotiations."

"I'll do that."

The captain severed the transmission and turned to Onyas. "Track his ship until it crosses the border," she instructed. "I've had enough surprise attacks for one day."

"Aye, Captain."

"Sek says there have been several casualties, Captain," Wynmore informed her. "All but two of the Ministers are dead or injured, and three members of our security team were killed. They are still awaiting reports from the living quarters."

Erin rose to her feet. "Katsaros to Sickbay."

"This is Doctor T'Pere."

"Doctor, there has been another assault on Xall. Do we have any room in Sickbay to admit the injured?"

"We are still boarding the survivors of the attack of five days ago, Captain," T'Pere told her. "We can accept at most a half dozen casualties, no more."

"Acknowledged. Give two triage kits to one of your assistants and tell them to meet me in transporter room three. I'm going to have five of the most seriously injured people beamed aboard, so do what you can to prepare for the new arrivals. Katsaros out." She glanced at Wynmore. "Danielle, contact Sek again and tell him to have the five most critically injured people transported to Sickbay. I'm going down with a medical team to assess the damage."

"What if Dto comes back?" Wynmore asked.

"Blow him out of the sky," Erin answered curtly. "Commander Paris, you're with me. Danielle, you have the bridge."

"Aye, Captain."

Erin crossed over to enter the turbolift with Tom a step behind her, and as soon as the doors closed behind them, she leaned against the wall and released a heavy sigh. "It's days like this I wish I drank," she said dryly.

Tom gave her a sympathetic smile and placed a hand on her arm. "How are you holding up?" he asked. "I can't imagine having to tell the truth about Andreas in front of the entire bridge crew did any wonders for your emotional state."

"I certainly would have preferred not having to make it public knowledge," Erin allowed, "but if it genuinely swayed Dto against continuing the assaults against Xall, then it was worth it."

"I suppose only time will tell."

"Well, I guarantee you that Starfleet Command isn't going to bully me into hosting the negotiations next time around," she declared. "After everything that's happened over the last couple of weeks, I have more than earned at least a month's worth of personal leave."

"A month-long honeymoon," Tom remarked. "I can live with that."

She smiled at that. "After all of this nonsense with the Xallons and the Quetalans, you still want to spend your life with a Starfleet Captain?"

Tom scoffed. "Are you kidding?" he asked rhetorically. "After almost seven years in the Delta Quadrant playing hide and go seek with Kazon, Hirogen and Borg, these guys are just kid's stuff."

Erin's smile widened. "Have I mentioned lately that I love you?"

"Yes. And I love you, too."

They materialized in the center of what remained of the Main Hall, the stately marble columns now piles of rubble on the ground. Bodies were scattered amongst the ruins, the dead covered with blankets while the survivors huddled together for comfort. Standing beside one of the groups, Sek saw Erin and the others arrive and walked over to join them.

"Captain," he greeted.

"Commander. Has everyone that was in the palace when it was attacked been accounted for?"

"There are still half a dozen servants that we have yet to locate," Sek told her. "Their quarters were located on the lower level in the east wing. That section took the most damage and the tricorders are unable to penetrate the debris."

The captain tapped her combadge. "Katsaros to Lieutenant Borak."

"Borak here."

"Mister Borak, I need you to retrieve a compression grenade from the weapons locker and meet me in the east wing of the palace."

"Acknowledged. Borak out."

Erin glanced at Sek. "Contact Dorvan on Voyager and find out how many of the injured they can accommodate," she instructed. "Once all of the survivors have been tended to, start compiling a list of the casualties and bring it to me when you're finished."

"Aye, Captain."

She glanced at the medic. "Ensign Toyashi, take one of those kits and help Commander Sek treat the wounded. Mister Paris, you take the other kit and come with me."

Tom nodded in silent acknowledgement and confiscated the second triage kit from Toyashi, then hurried to catch up with Erin, who had already started toward the east wing. By the time they arrived, Borak was waiting for them, stoically silent in typical Klingon fashion despite the bodies littering the floor around him.

"Mister Borak," she greeted. "You have the grenade?"

"Yes, Captain," Borak confirmed, and withdrew a small metal sphere from the pack he was holding.

"Good. Place it on top of the toppled columns and set for a charge of 200 gigawatts. That should be sufficient to clear the debris without further injuring anyone trapped underneath."

Borak nodded and carefully made his way around the debris to position the grenade, while Erin motioned for Tom to follow her as she retreated several feet away. A moment later the grenade was in place and Borak walked over to join them.

"It is ready, Captain."

"Detonate the charge, Lieutenant."

Borak glanced down at the small silver box he held in his hand, and used his free had to input the detonation code. Instantly there was loud whooshing sound, followed by a concussion wave that sounded like a milder version of a sonic boom. The pile of debris was crushed under the pressure and reduced to small chunks of marble. Once the dust had cleared, the trio crossed over to see what the explosion had uncovered. To Erin's immense relief, there were no bodies, but the tricorder Tom was using to scan the debris suddenly emitted a loud chirp.

"Are you picking up a life sign, Commander?" Erin asked.

"Yeah, but it's not Human."

"Is it Quetalan?" Borak asked, his hand already starting to reach for another grenade.

"No, actually, it's canine."

Hooking the tricorder back onto his belt, Tom reached over and carefully pushed aside a large marble block to reveal a small, black puppy trembling amidst the debris.

"Hey there, little fellow," he said, and gently picked up the frightened animal.

"Is he hurt?" Erin asked.

"I don't think so; just scared."

"He looks more like a tribble than a dog," Borak observed with obvious distaste.

The captain cast him an admonishing glance. "Thank you for that astute observation, Lieutenant," she said dryly. "Tom, why don't you and Mister Borak take our furry little friend back to the ship? Replicate him some food and water and sequester him in my quarters. I'll check in on him after I've helped Sek evacuate the wounded."

"Did you hear that little guy?" Tom asked the puppy. "You get to hang out in the captain's quarters."

"I'll see you gentlemen back on the Enterprise."

Bidding them farewell, Erin turned and started back toward the Main Hall.

Sometime later, Erin had overseen the transport of the final victims and was now determined to take care of a final piece of personal business before returning to her ship. She made her way across the palace grounds and into the family cemetery. Having been there only once before, it took her a few minutes to find the grave she was looking for, but she at last found the black marble headstone she had been seeking.

ANDREAS MIKEL KATSAROS
2369-2401
Royalty by Birth - Nobility by Spirit

After reading the inscription, she bowed her head in silent prayer for a moment before addressing her dead husband.

"Hello, Andreas," she greeted. "I hope somehow you can hear me, because it's important that I know you're listening. I suppose I should begin by telling you that I finally managed to fulfill the promise I made to you five years ago; Y'Sarl is dead. It turns out he and Nikolai had been conspiring together to forge their own version of a Xallon/Quetalan alliance, and they nearly succeeded in reinstating the civil war. But thanks to the help from some unexpected sources, their plans were thwarted and the good guys prevailed. Nikolai is in the brig aboard my ship and I killed Y'Sarl in self-defense. I only wish he could have been dealt with before he managed to kill your father and hundreds more innocent victims."

She paused then, feeling the weight of the lost lives resting on her shoulders, and took a deep breath before continuing.

"On a lighter note, I am still a Captain in Starfleet, and am now in command of the Enterprise. She's a hell of a ship, and my crew is equally amazing. Morgan is my Chief Engineer, and he and Janelle have a beautiful daughter named Sheridan. Royce is still on Earth, teaching temporal science at Starfleet Academy, and Dorvan is captain of Voyager. Both of them are still enjoying the single life, although I have a sneaking suspicion Dorvan has feelings for his First Officer, Melissa Barrett. And my parents are still going strong after 35 years, which leaves only my own love life to tell you about. I'm engaged to be married, Andreas. His name is Tom Paris and is actually from an alternate timeline. I don't have time to explain the details of how he got here, but suffice it to say he has changed my life in a way no one has since you. He's no stranger to the pain I felt when I lost you; he lost his wife and daughter prematurely two years ago. Somehow the common bond of grief and isolation bonded us together. We've been through more in our three weeks together than you and I experienced in almost ten years, and not all of it was sunshine and roses. But I love him very much, and I know he loves me. My only regret is that other people we loved had to be taken away in order for us to find each other."

She paused again to wipe away the tears streaming down her face, and took a moment to regain her composure before speaking again.

"This is the last time I'll come here, my love. While duty may someday return me to Xall, my life is with Tom now. But I wanted to pay my respects one last time, and thank you for sharing your life with me for the few years we were granted. You were the first man I ever loved, and you will always hold a place of honor in my heart. Good-bye, Andreas; rest in peace."

Casting a final, pained glance at the headstone, Erin turned and walked away.

Upon returning to the Enterprise, Erin's first stop was in Sickbay to get an update on the status of the survivors. T'Pere's assurance that there would be no more deaths eased some of the weight off of her heart, and she commended her CMO on a job well done before making her way to the bridge. As soon as she stepped off the turbolift, however, the crew all turned to face her and immediately burst into applause as they rose to their feet. Surprise and confusion flickered across her face and she glanced questioningly at her XO.

"What's with the standing ovation, Commander?" she asked.

"Two reasons, Captain," Wynmore answered. "First, for rising above your own pain and anger to successfully put a stop to the battle between Xall and Quetal."

"For now, anyway," Erin demurred.

"And second, it's our way of congratulating you on your engagement to Commander Paris."

There had been neither time nor an appropriate opportunity for Tom and Erin to publicly announce their engagement, and the captain gave Wynmore a curious look.

"How did you find out about that?"

"Well, apparently Tom was in Sickbay helping T'Pere treat the wounded and Borak strode in and handed him a bat'leth," Wynmore revealed. "He said it was a wedding present."

Erin smiled and shook her head. "I don't even want to know," she muttered, and addressed her crew. "Thank you all for your support. I appreciate it very much and know Tom will as well."

Just then the turbolift doors opened again and Sek strode onto the bridge, carrying a PADD. Seeing Erin standing beside her chair, he crossed over to hand her the PADD.

"This is the final casualty list you requested, Captain," he informed her.

"What was the final death toll?" Erin asked.

"One hundred and nine," Sek said with grim simplicity.

The captain took a moment to absorb that figure before speaking. "Ensign Finn, please put me on ship wide speakers."

Finn ran a hand along her panel. "You're on, Captain."

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the captain. Although we seem to have established a truce between Xall and Quetal at least temporarily, it was not accomplished without a price. The attacks of the last few days have claimed the lives of one hundred and nine people, all of whom were victims of a battle that never should have happened. Out of respect for those they loved and have left behind, I ask you to join me in a moment of silence and offer a prayer that they will find the peace in death they fought so hard for in life."

Erin paused then, her thoughts drifting a final time to Andreas and their son, and waited a full sixty seconds before resuming her remarks.

"I thank you all for compassion, and for your efforts in helping the cease fire to come about. A memorial service for our fallen comrades will take place after their families have been notified. Katsaros out."

Severing the transmission, the captain turned the bridge over to Wynmore and headed for her quarters, which she now shared with Tom. Walking inside she discovered Tom seated on the couch reading a data PADD, the rescued puppy sleeping soundly beside him. The pilot glanced up at her entrance, and they exchanged a warm smile as he rose to his feet to greet her.

"Hey," he said softly.

"Hey, yourself," Erin responded, and walked over to give him a light kiss. "How's our new roommate?"

"He's just fine. He didn't eat much, but he drank quite a bit of water and has been sound asleep for several hours."

She gave the puppy an affectionate glance. "Poor little guy was probably traumatized after being buried alive," she mused.

"You've had a hell of a day yourself," Tom remarked. "How are you holding up?"

"Actually, I could use a hug about now," came the weary reply.

Tom wordlessly wrapped his arms around her and pulled Erin to him for a fierce hug. Safe in the haven of his embrace, she allowed the day's events to hit her at last and began to sob. He refrained from offering empty condolences and simply held her as she cried out her grief and anger. After several minutes, she regained her emotional control and the sobs subsided.

"Do you want to talk about it?" the helmsman asked.

Erin shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it and I don't want to think about it," she said, and tilted her head back to meet his gaze, agony reflected in the midnight depths of her eyes. "I want you to make me forget it; the fear, the pain, the stench of death. I want you to make it all go away."

Tom flashed her a sympathetic smile and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, before bending down to slide an arm behind her knees and carry her into the bedroom.

Just before dawn, Erin awoke and decided to check on the puppy that had been rescued from Xall. Carefully withdrawing from Tom's embrace, she pulled on a robe and wandered into the other room. The puppy lay in the middle of the living room, chewing contentedly on one of Tom's boots, and Erin crossed the room to kneel beside him.

"This is not a chew toy," she admonished, and pulled the boot away from the puppy. "I don't think Tom will appreciate having teeth marks and slobber stains on his boots."

The puppy responded by licking her face, and she gave him an affectionate pat before standing again. Walking over to the replicator, she called up some fresh food and water for the puppy and set it on the floor before ordering herself a cup of cinnamon tea. Mug in hand, she wandered over to the window and began sipping at the tea as she stared out at Xall. Unbidden her thoughts strayed to the day she and Tom had returned to her timeline, and of how close she had come to losing him forever. The memory caused a brief pang in her heart, and she sent a silent prayer heavenward that Tom's stubbornness and the grace of God had kept them together.

Thank You, she said silently. I owe You one.

Her musings were interrupted by the arrival of Tom, who came up to stand beside her and slid his arms around her waist to pull her against him, then pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Good morning."

"Good morning, yourself."

Erin turned to face him and they exchanged a smile, then Erin glanced around Tom and spotted the puppy once again attempting to devour Tom's boot. "Hey! Stop that!"

Setting her mug down on the coffee table, she walked around the couch and once again confiscated the boot. "You're going to get your furry self into a lot of trouble, little dog," she scolded. Picking him up, Erin sat down on the couch and Tom settled himself beside her.

"Have you decided what you're going to do with him?" Tom asked.

"I'm going to keep him," Erin told him. "I think he'll make a good ship's mascot."

"Not to mention that keeping a dog on board the flagship will annoy the hell out of Starfleet Command."

"That too."

"Well, if you're going to keep him, sweetheart, he needs a name."

"I'm open to suggestions."

"How about Tribble?" Tom suggested, but at the glare he received from his future wife, quickly added, "Or not."

"Given the circumstances under which we found him, we could call him Lucky," Erin said.

"Totally unoriginal." He paused. "If you really want to aggravate the Admiralty, you could call him Protocol."

She chuckled. "I like that idea. Protocol it is."

"Since you're in such an agreeable mood, we need to discuss our wedding."

"Yes, we do."

"Have you given any thought to what kind of wedding you want?"

"I'd prefer something simple and low-key," Erin replied. "When I married Andreas, it was a ridiculously huge affair and the reception was open to the public. I have no wish to repeat that fiasco."

"That's fine with me. What about getting married on Earth?"

"I'd like that. Most of the other details can be worked out as we go along, so the only major issue to be resolved is setting a date."

"How about 1100 hours the day after tomorrow?"

"I appreciate the thought, but unfortunately it can't happen right away. It's going to take another few days to get the mess on Xall sorted out, and then it's a three week trip back to Earth."

"Then we can make it a month from today."

"A month from today," Erin repeated. "I can live with that."

"I'm glad to hear it," Tom responded. "Now, as much as I would prefer to spend the entire day sequestered in our quarters, man cannot live on love alone."

"Time for breakfast?"

"A very big one."

The captain smiled, and setting Protocol onto the floor, got to her feet. "Well, if you intend to eat such a large meal, it might be prudent to work up a hearty appetite," she suggested casually. "And I happen to know that the shower is big enough for two."

Tom smiled and stood up as well. "Are you propositioning me, Captain?"

"Absolutely."

In the Ten Forward Lounge, Chakotay was enjoying a quiet breakfast with Morgan, his first morning out and about since he had been injured on Xall. After engaging in general small talk, the conversation shifted to Erin and Tom.

"So I assume Dorvan told you that Erin and Tom are engaged?" Morgan asked.

"He did," Chakotay confirmed. "I'm happy for them."

"You saw it coming from the start, didn't you?"

Chakotay shrugged. "I had some idea, but given the timeline issues I wasn't sure they could make it work. I'm glad they did."

Tom and Erin chose that moment to make their appearance, settling themselves at the table and trying unsuccessfully not to look like they had just spent the better part of an hour making love in the shower.

"Hi, guys," Erin greeted cheerfully.

"Good morning you two," Chakotay returned. "I'm glad you decided to rejoin the rest of the world."

Erin flushed and quickly changed the subject. "I'm glad to see Doctor T'Pere has released you," she said.

"So am I. She's an excellent doctor but her bedside manner leaves a lot to be desired."

"Congratulations on your engagement," Morgan interjected. "Have you set a date?"

"The wedding will be on Earth one month from today," Tom told him.

"Only a month?" Chakotay queried. "Not much time to plan."

"We agreed to keep the ceremony small and simple," Erin explained.

Chakotay smiled. "Good luck with that," he replied. "Between your mother, Phoebe, my sisters and your cousins, you may be better off eloping and conceding to a large reception when you get home."

Although the suggestion was meant as a joke, the couple nonetheless exchanged a thoughtful look.

"He does have a point," Erin said. "We'd still have to postpone the honeymoon, but the ceremony can certainly take place now."

"What about your mother and Royce?" Tom asked. "I can't imagine you'd want to get married without your entire immediate family there."

"I'm sure they'll understand."

"Who's going to officiate?" Morgan asked. "Erin can't perform her own wedding and she's the highest-ranking officer on the ship."

"I can ask one of the monks from the temple on Xall," Erin said.

"Assuming you intend to have the ceremony on the Enterprise, that leaves just the matter of a Best Man and Maid or Matron of Honor to be settled," Chakotay replied.

"Well, the Best Man position can be filled right now, if Morgan is willing to do the honors," Tom said.

Morgan's surprise was obvious, but he recovered quickly and flashed Tom a grateful smile. "I'd be glad to, Tom. Thank you."

"One down, one to go," Erin muttered, and rose to her feet. "Excuse me."

Crossing the room, Erin approached the bar and smiled at Guinan. "Good morning, Guinan," she greeted.

"Captain," Guinan returned. "I heard through the grapevine that you and Commander Paris are getting married. Congratulations."

"Thanks. That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. In order to spare ourselves the shenanigans of allowing my family to plan a three-ring circus masquerading as a wedding, Tom and I have decided to get married right away."

"No time like the present," Guinan agreed.

"In any event, I was hoping you would do me the honor of standing up for me," Erin requested.

The older woman gave her a warm smile. "It would be a privilege, Erin."

"Thanks, Guinan. I'll let you know where and where in a little while."

"I'll be here."

Erin flashed her a grateful smile before returning to the table and resuming her seat next to Tom. "Okay. Now that we've settled the when and who and how, we need to decide where."

"One of the holodecks would be the obvious choice," Tom said. "We would just need to agree on what program to run for the ceremony."

"If you two have no objections, I have a program that should work," Chakotay offered.

The captain glanced at her husband-to-be. "Tom?"

"That's fine with me."

"Good. How soon can you two be ready?"

"I'm meeting with the Council of Ministers this morning to testify against Baron Prevel and Nikolai Katsaros," Erin revealed. "That shouldn't take more than a couple of hours, and when I'm done, I can go to the temple and talk to the monks."

"I'll contact Dorvan and let him know what's going on," Morgan said. "I assume it's all right if he brings Melissa?"

"He's not allowed to come if he doesn't," Erin responded.

Chakotay chuckled. "You know better than to interfere with your brother's love life, Erin," he chided.

"After all the years he spent harassing my boyfriends, he's got it coming."

"Just to be safe, let's set the ceremony for 0900 hours tomorrow morning in holodeck four," Chakotay suggested. "That will give you plenty of time to round up your officiator and your guests."

"Oh nine hundred tomorrow morning it is."

Chakotay nodded in confirmation as he rose to his feet. "Then I will see you at 0845," he said to Erin. "Mister Paris, as tradition requires the bride and groom to spend the evening before their wedding apart, you will be sleeping on my couch tonight. I'd appreciate it if you could make an effort to be at my quarters before midnight."

"Of course."

"Morgan, come with me. You can help me implement the holodeck program."

"Right behind you, Dad."

Father and son bid the couple farewell and exited the lounge, leaving Tom and Erin alone to ponder their coming nuptials and Erin repositioned herself in the seat across from Tom.

"How did we go from one month to one day in less than half an hour?" Tom wondered aloud.

Erin chuckled. "I have no idea."

"And what was that crack about 'all of your boyfriends'?" Tom queried.

"It's a little late to be worried about my sordid past, Flyboy," she teased.

"Depends on how sordid it is," Tom countered.

She shrugged. "Not very; with three brothers and two very public parents, I was lucky I didn't get stuck in a convent."

He smiled at that. "Even in a habit, you would have given every male over thirteen cause for a cold shower."

She laughed. "I don't know if I should thank you or slap your face."

"How about giving me a kiss while you decide?"

Erin shot him an exasperated look but nonetheless leaned across the table to grant him a brief kiss.

That evening, Erin had returned from her meetings on Xall and after an early dinner with Tom, R'Zel and his mate, and brief subspace conversations with her mother and Royce, she was now sequestered in her quarters pondering over what to wear to her wedding. Standing in front of her closet, she spoke aloud to herself as she reviewed her choices.

"A dress uniform is definitely out of the question," she said. "Too formal. And the blue dress I wore to the reception the night I met Tom isn't appropriate as a wedding dress."

The door chime interrupted her conversation with herself, and Erin walked out of her bedroom and across the living room to open the door and discovered Chakotay standing in the hallway. "Hello, Erin," he greeted. "Am I disturbing you?"

"Not at all."

"Do you have a few minutes to spare for your old man?"

"Of course. Come on in."

The captain stepped aside to allow her father entry and Chakotay wandered into the middle of the room. Spotting the sleeping puppy on the couch, he gave his daughter an amused smile. "That must be Protocol," he said.

"Yep."

He walked over to give the slumbering puppy a gentle pet. "He reminds me of Ebony," the ambassador remarked quietly.

"Ebony?" Erin echoed questioningly.

"It's a long story," Chakotay demurred, and changed the subject. "Anyway, we haven't really had a chance to talk since you and Tom returned from his timeline. I wanted to drop by and see how you're doing."

"I'm a little anxious to get the details of the truce hammered out so I can leave Xall, but otherwise I'm just fine."

"No pre-wedding jitters?"

"None."

Chakotay smiled. "You weren't quite so composed the first time you went through this," he reminded her. "You were getting yourself so worked up Kathryn had to threaten to have you sedated."

"I was barely twenty-one and marrying a Prince in front of six billion people, Dad," Erin countered. "I had a right to be nervous."

"I stand corrected. So no last minute doubts about marrying Tom?"

"None. I love him, and I can't imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone else."

"I'm glad. Tom's a good man, Erin. Be proud, and be happy."

"I am. Thank you."

"Sleep well, honey. I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, Dad."

Father and daughter exchanged a hug, then Chakotay exited Erin's quarters.

Unaware he was the topic of discussion elsewhere on the ship, Tom strolled into Ten Forward and wandered over to settle himself at the bar. Guinan was clearing a table by the window when he entered, and made her way across the room.

"Evening, Commander," she greeted, and returned to her usual position behind the bar. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for your wedding?"

"I've been ready since the minute I laid eyes on Erin," Tom responded.

The El-Aurian smiled. "Well, her initial resistance notwithstanding, I'm fairly certain Erin feels the same way about you," she said. "The two of you have traveled a long, painful road to get to where you are now. Whatever your future holds, don't lose sight of that."

'We won't."

"Good. So what can I get for you?"

"I would love a cup of Erin's Elixir," Tom requested.

"Coming right up."

Guinan began preparing the tea just as the doors opened and Chakotay walked into the room. Spotting Tom at the bar, he walked over to join him. "Tom," he greeted. "Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all."

The older man settled himself on a chair next to his future son-in-law. "I just came from seeing Erin," he said. "She seems to be as calm as you are."

"You sound surprised."

"Isn't there some universal law that brides and grooms are supposed to be nervous wrecks the night before their wedding?"

"Were you?"

"No. I was completely confident that I was making the right decision and I loved Kathryn more than my life. I had nothing to be nervous about."

"Neither do I."

Their conversation was interrupted by the return of Guinan, who handed Tom his tea and a second mug of steaming liquid to Chakotay.

"Good evening, Ambassador," she greeted. "I took the liberty of making you a mug of spice tea."

Chakotay gave her grateful smile. "Thank you, Guinan."

"Enjoy your drinks, Gentlemen. I'll see you in the morning."

The El-Aurian wandered off to tend to her other customers as Tom returned his attention to Chakotay.

"I love Erin, Chakotay, with all that I am. I promise you that as long as there is breath in my body, she will wake up every morning for the rest of her life knowing that."

Chakotay smiled. "I'll drink to that," he said, and they clinked glasses.

Late the following morning, a newly married Erin and Tom were in Ten Forward, accepting the congratulatory wishes from the rest of the crew at a surprise reception arranged by Guinan. The ceremony had gone perfectly, with the couple exchanging traditional vows and identical gold bands, each bearing the inscription 'For My Love'. Tom had worn his white and gold dress uniform, while Erin had replicated herself a sleeveless light aqua blue gown made of silk lace, with a scoop neck, and her hair was down but pulled off her face by a headband a shade darker than her dress. As for the holodeck program provided by Chakotay, it was of a shoreline on Cornellia, the Eden like colony once occupied by the Maquis and the place where Erin and Dorvan had been conceived.

While the couple had agreed not to exchange gifts, Erin did have a small surprise planned for Tom, which would be revealed as soon as she officially returned to duty. In the meantime, she was sipping her champagne and basking in the joy of the day. Sensing a familiar presence, she glanced sideways just as Dorvan appeared at her side.

"Not bad for a party that was less than twenty-four hours in the making," he remarked.

"Somehow I think Guinan had this planned all along," Erin responded. "She knew before I did that Tom and I were meant to be together. She was just biding her time until we figured it out, too."

"It wouldn't surprise me," her twin allowed. "Guinan seems to know a lot of things before everyone else does."

The captain laughed. "It must be a parental thing, because Mom and Dad are the same way," she replied. "Every time one of us got into trouble, they called us on it before we even had time to invent an excuse."

Dorvan smiled at the shared memory before changing the subject. "I don't know the next time you and I will have the chance to talk privately," he began, "so I want to tell you now how proud I am of you. Watching you over the years, and seeing you overcome the personal and professional obstacles Fate placed in your way, has been an inspiration to me. You're my hero, Sis, and it's a privilege to be your brother."

Her eyes welling with tears, Erin flashed her brother an affectionate smile. "You have always been my harshest critic and my strongest supporter," she replied. "But from the time I was five years old and you punched Bradley Tyson for putting a frog down my pants, you have always been the first person to come to my rescue when the going got tough. Knowing you were there for me, and that I had someone I could count on no matter what, gave me the strength to keep going. I love you, Dorvan, and it's a privilege to be your sister."

The twins exchanged a hug, and spotting the embrace from across the room, Morgan nudged Chakotay and he glanced over at his eldest children. Seeing their hug, he exchanged a smile with Morgan just as Tom reclaimed Erin from Dorvan.

"Excuse me, Dorvan, but it's time for me and my lovely bride to make a not so discreet exit," he said.

Erin gave Tom a curious look. "Are we going somewhere?" she asked.

"You'll find out soon enough," the pilot evaded.

Without giving her a chance to respond, Tom wrapped an arm around Erin's waist and steered her out of the lounge. As they headed down the corridor toward the turbolift, the captain posed another question to her husband. "Are you going to tell me where we're going before or after we get there?"

Tom smiled. "Right now we are going back to our quarters to change into more comfortable clothes," he answered. "Beyond that you'll just have to wait and see."

"I could order you to tell me," Erin replied.

"No, you can't. You're officially off-duty for the next forty-eight hours."

She stifled a frustrated sigh. "As if I haven't had enough surprises over the last three weeks," she muttered.

"You'll like this one. I promise."

Shaking her head, Erin silently allowed Tom to escort her to their quarters. Walking inside, she saw two small suitcases positioned by the door, and gave Tom an inquiring look.

"I take it those are part of the surprise?" she asked.

"Yep."

"So we are going somewhere off ship."

"Nope."

She shook her head. "You've lost me."

"I know that the situation with the Quetalans is still too volatile for you to leave the ship for an extended period of time, but that doesn't mean that we can't allow ourselves a couple of days to enjoy a mini honeymoon. I talked to Commander Wynmore and she's agreed to rearrange the duty rosters so you and I can have some time alone. And your dad has agreed to baby-sit Protocol. So I created a new holoprogram and we'll be spending the next two days in paradise. Consider it a wedding gift."

Erin graced him with an adoring smile. "Have I mentioned lately that I love you?"

"I love you, too," Tom responded, and gave her a quick kiss.

QUETAL

The echo of his boot heels on the stone floor rang in T'Resk's ears as he made his way down the corridor to the reception chamber belonging to Dto. The oldest of Y'Sarl's three sons, T'Resk had been summoned to the Praetor's chambers upon Dto's return to Quetal, and given his father's conspicuous absence, he knew with reasonable certainty that Dto's news would not be good. Stepping inside the large room, he discovered Dto and one of his guards engaged in conversation. Clearing his throat to make his presence known, T'Resk greeted Dto with a faint smile.

"Praetor Dto," he said. "Welcome home."

"Thank you, T'Resk," Dto said. "I assume you know why I have asked you here."

"You have news of my father," T'Resk replied.

"Y'Sarl is dead," Dto replied bluntly. "He met his death during the rescue of the Xallon Ministers in the royal palace."

"Then his death was an honorable one," T'Resk responded.

"That depends on your point of view. He died in battle, but one of his own making."

T'Resk frowned. "I don't understand."

Dto met his gaze. "Your father was killed by Erin Katsaros."

T'Resk's confusion turned to rage. "The Terran bitch murdered my father?" he snarled. "I will cut her liver out of her body and feed it to my men for breakfast!"

"No you will not," Dto returned. "Captain Katsaros was forced to defend herself after your father made a third attempt to kill her. Under Quetalan law she has done nothing wrong."

"How can you say that to me and still call yourself my father's friend?"

"Mind your tongue, T'Resk," Dto cautioned, "or I will cut it from your throat. I am your father's friend, but unlike his sons I was not blind to his faults. I spoke with Captain Katsaros just before leaving Xall and she gave me her version of what happened the day her husband was killed."

"Whatever she told you is a lie!" T'Resk declared.

"I think not. While I may have been inclined to doubt her story about Prince Andreas' death, the revelation of Y'Sarl's assault on her and murder of her unborn son is not something even a Terran would fabricate. Do not forget that I have been to battle with your father and fought at his side. I have seen the carnage he left in his wake, and the victims he left behind. Captain Katsaros' tale was an all too familiar one."

"She was married to a Xallon," T'Resk said. "Whatever was done to her as a result of that is her doing."

"I have no intention of debating this with you. The fact remains that you and your father lied to me about what happened that day, and that cannot go unanswered. Y'Sarl has met his Fate at the hands of Captain Katsaros; you mill meet yours at mine."

"Are you going to kill me?"

"No, but I am going to do the next best thing. As of this moment, you are hereby relieved of your duties as a Lieutenant in the Quetalan army and permanently banned from serving in our fleet. In addition, you and your brothers are forbidden from seeking any vengeance against Captain Katsaros or her family, as well as the Federation. The war with Xall is over."

"You cannot do this, Dto!" T'Resk pleaded. "My father is dead; justice must be served."

"Justice has been served," Dto retorted. "Do not think to defy me on this, T'Resk. I know you believe me to be a softhearted old fool, but I am still Praetor. I have eyes and ears everywhere, and if you or your brothers attempt to go behind my back and seek revenge, I will know about it. If that happens, there will not be a place for you to hide in any corner of any quadrant of this galaxy."

Seething with barely restrained fury, T'Resk gritted his teeth and muttered a simple, "Yes, sire."

"I am glad we understand one another. You are dismissed."

Half-bowing, T'Resk turned on his heel and strode from the room. Once he was gone, Dto's guard spoke for the first time. "You are aware, sire, that he has no intention of heeding your edict."

"I never harbored any delusion that he would, Mortok," Dto allowed. "Make certain he is watched 27 hours a day. If T'Resk so much as sneezes too loud, I want to know about it."

"Of course, sire."

Half-bowing, Mortok turned and left the chamber.

STARFLEET HEADQUARTERS - SAN FRANCISCO

Inside her office overlooking the bay, Kathryn was working her way through the various PADDs stacked on her desk when her intercom buzzed.

"Excuse the interruption, Admiral," Naomi apologized, "but there's an incoming transmission for Ambassador Chakotay that was rerouted to you."

Kathryn frowned, curious as to why the message had not been rerouted to Chakotay on the Enterprise. "Who is it from, Naomi?"

"It's from a B'Elanna Torres on Kevek Three."

The Admiral's eyes widened in surprise. That's a name I haven't heard in a while, she mused silently. The half-Klingon had been part of Chakotay's crew during his tenure with the Maquis, but his return to Starfleet had cast a shadow over their friendship. They had maintained contact over the years, but until now Kathryn herself had not spoken with the younger woman since the month she had spent on Cornellia thirty-six years ago. To Naomi she said, "Put it through, Commander."

"Aye, Admiral."

Kathryn turned on her private terminal and the image of decidedly grayer but still lovely B'Elanna Torres flickered into focus. "Hello, Admiral," she greeted with quiet formality.

"B'Elanna," Kathryn returned. "What can I do for you?"

"I was trying to reach Chakotay, but when I contacted the Federation Consulate, they redirected my message to you."

"Chakotay is on the Enterprise trying to renegotiate the peace treaty between Xall and Quetal," Kathryn explained.

B'Elanna smiled at that. "He always did have a knack for diplomacy," she allowed. "I used to tell him that he was better at making peace than war."

"I don't expect him back on Earth for another couple of weeks," Kathryn told her, "so if it's something important perhaps you should contact him on the ship."

The ex-Maquis released a small sigh. "I don't think that's such a good idea," she said. "It indirectly involves Erin and I don't want to ruffle any feathers."

Kathryn's curiosity kicked in at the mention of her daughter's name. "Is it anything I can help you with?"

B'Elanna paused. While she and Kathryn had never been friends, they had maintained an uneasy truce during the Admiral's time on Cornellia, and she had never given B'Elanna cause to distrust her.

"I was hoping Chakotay could shed some light on a rumor I heard," she said at last. "I spoke with my husband on board the Excalibur a little while ago and he said that there's a Tom Paris on board the Enterprise who was transported here through some kind of temporal portal on Xall. Goran also mentioned that he's involved with Erin."

Now it was Kathryn's turn to hesitate. While the news of Tom's relocation was hardly classified, neither Starfleet nor the Xallon Council of Ministers was eager for the knowledge of the portal to become public. Yet thirty-six years ago B'Elanna had loved this universe's Tom Paris, and Kathryn felt she was entitled to know the truth.

"Your husband is correct," the Admiral admitted. "I'm not at liberty to give you the specifics, but there is a Tom Paris on the Enterprise who is from another timeline. And yes, he and Erin are involved. They were married yesterday."

B'Elanna's eyes widened in surprise at the news, but otherwise she displayed no visible reaction. Instead, she asked, "What's he like?"

"Tom?" Kathryn prompted, and at B'Elanna's nod said, "I actually haven't had the chance to meet him yet, but from what Chakotay tells me he's very similar to the Tom we knew. They have the same family background, and he served on Voyager under my counterpart."

"I don't suppose he happened to mention if he knew my counterpart?"

The Admiral hesitated for the briefest of moments before deciding on a half-truth. "He mentioned that they served together on Voyager," she allowed.

Kathryn's answer seemed to satisfy B'Elanna. "Well that's something I suppose," she replied. "Thank you for talking to me, Admiral. When you speak with Chakotay, please tell him I said hello."

"I will."

The former Maquis ended the transmission and Kathryn stared at the blank screen for a moment, wondering if she had done the right thing by telling B'Elanna as much as she had.

Maybe it would have been kinder to tell her that this Tom never knew her counterpart, she mused. At least that way she wouldn't reopen old wounds by wondering about the what if's.

Knowing there was nothing to be done about it now, Kathryn made a mental note to discuss it with Chakotay and returned her attention to her work.

U.S.S. ENTERPRISE

Having returned from their mini-honeymoon, Erin and Tom were back in uniform and in their quarters enjoying a quiet breakfast before resuming duty. They had stopped by Chakotay's cabin to retrieve Protocol, and the puppy now lay on the floor in the middle of the living room, happily gnawing away on a replicated chew toy courtesy of Chakotay. It was one half a dozen doggie treats he had created for the young dog, and was a source of great amusement for his new son-in-law.

"If your dad is that indulgent with just a puppy, I imagine he spoils his grandkids beyond reason," Tom remarked.

"Well, he only has one so far, but Sheridan is certainly the apple of his eye," Erin allowed.

"She is a little angel."

Taking a final sip of tea, Erin suddenly grew serious as she met Tom's gaze. "As long as we're on the subject, you and I haven't had a real discussion regarding children."

Tom set down his coffee mug and reached across the table to take her hand in his. "I meant what I said on Voyager, sweetheart," he replied. "If you want children, then we'll adopt half a dozen of them. If you don't, then that's fine, too."

"What about what you want?" Erin pressed.

He paused. "B'Elanna and I wanted children because we both had unresolved issues from our own childhoods and were convinced that we could somehow resolve them by doing right by our own children. But now that I'm a little older and wiser, I realize having children isn't a magic cure-all."

"But do you still want them?"

"To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure. A part of me would like to experience fatherhood, but even if by some miracle you were to get pregnant, we both know that the odds are high you would miscarry or die in childbirth. I'm not willing to risk your life simply so you can give me a child. And given the dangers inherent in what we do, I'm also not willing to risk another innocent life by bringing a child into our world through adoption. Does that make me selfish? Maybe, but I'll be the first person to admit it."

"It doesn't make you selfish, Tom; it makes you honest."

"What about you?" he pressed.

She sighed. "When I married Andreas, I expected that eventually I would have to bear him an heir, and had our son lived I would have cherished every moment with him. But after Y'Sarl's attack left me virtually incapable of conceiving, I resigned myself to the fact that I would never have children, at least not the old-fashioned way. But I'm honest enough to admit that maybe that's a good thing. I adore children, but I don't necessarily want them. And it certainly wouldn't be fair to force a child to share me with a crew of 2000 people."

"Then it's settled; no children. We have each other, and that's more than enough for me."

"And for me."

They exchanged a smile just as Erin's combadge beeped. "Bridge to Captain Paris."

"Paris here."

"My apologies for disturbing you, Captain," Sek replied, "but there is an incoming message for you from Queen Alexa on Xall."

Alexa was the younger sister of Andreas and Nikolai Katsaros, and was now the reigning monarch of Xall.

"Route it through to the terminal in my quarters, Commander."

"Aye, Captain."

Severing the transmission, Erin stood up to cross over to the computer, but suddenly noticed that her husband was staring at her, surprise etched in his face.

"What?"

"Captain Paris?"

She smiled. "I am your wife, Flyboy; is it really so surprising that I took your name?"

"Frankly, yes; you've been Erin Janeway-Katsaros your entire career."

Her smile widened and she walked around the table to give him a gentle kiss. "I appreciate your highly evolved concern for my identity, but who I am in my personal life is what matters to me. So as of 1100 hours two days ago, my personnel file and official Starfleet records have been changed to reflect I am now Erin Marie Janeway-Paris."

"You could have at least told me," he chided.

"And miss the expression on your face just now? Not a chance."

Tom shook his head as Erin crossed over to the computer and turned on the monitor. Her former sister-in-law was a strikingly beautiful woman, with honey blonde hair and olive skin that accentuated her emerald green eyes. Seven years Erin's junior, Alexa had been the sole member of her family to approve of Erin and Andreas' marriage, and the two women had developed a strong friendship during Erin's time on Xall, but had not seen each other since Erin left Xall five years earlier.

"Hello, Captain," Alexa greeted. "It's been a long time."

"Too long, Your Majesty."

"Shall we dispense with the formalities?" Alexa requested. "It gets rather tedious, and despite everything I would hope we are still friends."

"We are," Erin assured her. "You look well."

"As do you. Your new marriage obviously agrees with you. I'm pleased you've found someone who makes you happy."

"Thank you, but you didn't contact me just to extend congratulations."

"No, I didn't," Alexa admitted. "The Council rendered their decision yesterday regarding Nikolai's fate; he's to be executed for his part in the murders of Andreas, our father and all of the victims of the Quetalan attack."

The standard response of "I'm sorry" died on Erin's lips, as both women knew it would be an empty sentiment. Instead, the captain said evenly, "I don't know what you expect me to say, Alexa. I know how much this must hurt you, but Nikolai made his choice the day he allied himself with Y'Sarl."

"I know. I also know that it wasn't easy for you to return to Xall for the treaty negotiations, and on behalf of my people I thank you for all you have done. I only wish we could have reached the resolution with Quetal at a less bloody price."

"So do I."

"Doctor Prevel has dismantled his temporal portal and the technology has been turned over to the Council," Alexa told her. "They've contacted Starfleet Command and the Admiralty is selecting a team of specialists to begin the search for the Iconians."

"I hope they find them. I shudder to think what kind of damage they're wreaking in other timelines."

"Well, I know you have a starship to run so I'll let you go. I hope that you and your husband are very happy together, Erin, and I wish you a life of peace."

"I wish you and your people the same."

"Have a safe journey home, Erin."

"Take care, Alexa."

The captain severed the transmission just as Tom came over to stand beside her.

"I heard what Queen Alexa said about Nikolai," he said, and gently pulled her into his arms. "Are you okay?"

Erin sighed. "I'm not sure. For the last five years I carried the conviction that if I could make Y'Sarl pay for what he did, it would somehow make everything all right. Now he's dead, and his co-conspirator soon will be, but instead of relief, I feel sadness. So many people died, Tom; so many innocent lives were lost. I can't help but feel that if I could have found a way to stop Y'Sarl and expose Nikolai sooner, some of those people could have been saved."

"You did as much as you could as soon as you could," Tom assured her. "Think of all the lives you saved by uncovering Y'Sarl's conspiracy with Nikolai; think of the children who will grow up in peace because you convinced Dto to stop the fighting. That's what you should dwell on, and be proud of what you've done."

Erin smiled back. "Actually, there is one recent accomplishment of mine that I am quite proud of," she allowed.

"That being?"

"Somehow I made you love me."

His smile faded and was replaced by an expression of affection and pride. "Have I mentioned lately that I adore you?" he asked softly.

Erin slid her arms around his neck. "Yes, but I'd rather have you prove it."

His smile returned. "We'll be late for our duty shift," he pointed out.

"Rank has its privileges, Flyboy," she responded, and pulled him down to meet her kiss.

EPILOGUE: STARFLEET HEADQUARTERS, SAN FRANCISCO - FIVE YEARS LATER

Fleet Admiral Evan Waters was in his office reviewing the latest status report on the new starships being built at Planetia Utopia when his intercom buzzed.

"Excuse the interruption, Admiral," his assistant's voice said, "but Captain and Commander Paris have arrived."

"Send them in," he instructed.

"Aye, sir."

Waters rose to his feet as the doors swooshed open and Erin walked into the room accompanied by Tom.

"Good afternoon, Captain, Commander," he greeted formally.

"Good afternoon, sir," Tom replied.

"Admiral," Erin said.

Now known simply as Erin Paris, at forty the captain was essentially the mirror image of her famous mother. They had first met thirty years earlier, when he had succeeded Kathryn Janeway as Captain of the Voyager-A, and in the years since Waters had maintained a friendship with the Janeway family. Last year he had succeeded Kathryn again - this time as Admiral of the Fleet, and he was now Erin's strongest ally. The Admiral had been serving at HQ when the news of Tom Paris' relocation to this timeline and eventual marriage to Erin trickled through the Federation grapevine, and he was privately pleased that she had found happiness again.

The couple served together on the Enterprise, and two years ago Tom had been promoted to full Commander and appointed Erin's XO. They had built quite a reputation for themselves over the last five years, in part because they kept a 150-pound dog on the ship with them. The one and only time Erin had been called on it, her response had been, "Unlike some of my humanoid officers, Protocol has never done anything to contradict the definition and symbolism of his name, nor given me any reason to regret having him on board."

In honor of their recent wedding anniversary, the Paris' had taken a week-long second honeymoon on the island of Fiji, and now sported matching tans to evidence their time in the tropical sunshine. Observing them as they stood side by side in front of the desk, with Tom's hand lightly resting on the small of Erin's back in an unconscious gesture of intimate possessiveness, Waters permitted himself a faint smile at the picture they presented.

They're a living advertisement for the benefits of wedded bliss, he thought idly. "You two look well rested," he remarked aloud. "I'm glad to see you enjoyed your vacation."

"Thank you," Erin responded politely.

"With all due respect, Admiral, you didn't ask us here to make small talk," Tom interjected.

Waters smiled. "Perceptive as ever, aren't you, Mister Paris?" he asked rhetorically. "I asked you here because I have a proposition for the two of you."

Husband and wife exchanged a look before Erin said, "We're listening."

"How much do you know about Project Nova?"

"According to Starfleet scuttlebutt, it's the code name for the mission that is sending a new Nova-class starship into the Gamma Quadrant to explore the space beyond the territory formerly claimed by the Dominion," Tom answered. "Rumor has it that it's going to be a ten-year mission."

"Yes," Waters confirmed. "We've developed specially enhanced communications relays so you will be able to send and receive messages from Starfleet Command, and the ship itself is equipped with the most advanced technology available. The ship has been named the U.S.S. Explorer, and the crew compliment will be slightly larger than that of a Galaxy-class starship, somewhere between 2200-2300. It will be a Starfleet vessel, but the crew will consist of civilian specialists as well as commissioned officers, although the CO will have the final say. It's taken almost two years to complete the personnel roster, but the Admiralty has finally assembled a crew that they feel is capable of handling such a long-term assignment. The only positions left to be filled are that of the First Officer and CO, who will be granted the rank of Commodore for the mission, with an automatic promotion to Admiral upon his or her return to the Alpha Quadrant."

"Do I need three guesses to determine who Starfleet Command has selected to fill those positions?" Erin asked dryly.

"You and Tom are ideally suited for this assignment, Erin," Waters replied. "You have proven yourself more than capable of maintaining protocol under extenuating or challenging circumstances, and Tom's tenure in the Delta Quadrant gives him unparalleled experience in exploring unknown space. We also need a command team that not only has proven their ability to function well together, but also is already married or life partners. It is the only way to avoid issues down the road if they were to pursue a personal relationship with one another or a member of their crew."

"We appreciate your confidence in us, Admiral," Erin demurred, "but to point out the obvious, Tom and I aren't the only married command team in Starfleet."

"No, but you are the best command team in Starfleet, married or otherwise."

"I think Dorvan and Melissa might disagree," Erin returned lightly, as her brother had recently married his First Officer.

Waters smiled. "Apparently falling in love with senior crew members works well for your family."

"Can't argue with that," Tom quipped.

"Admiral, would you please give us a few minutes alone to discuss this?" Erin requested.

"Of course."

Waters exited his office, and once they were alone, Erin turned to Tom. "Well, this certainly isn't what I expected when we got the summons to come here today," she said

"It sounds like an incredible opportunity," Tom replied.

"Yes, but are we really ready to spend the next decade on a starship in the middle of nowhere?"

"I've done it before," Tom reminded her, "give or take a few years."

"Then knowing what you know now, are you willing to do it again?" she pressed.

"It's a different situation this time," he answered. "The ship is larger and better equipped to deal with whatever we encounter, and we'll be in contact with Starfleet Command. And we'll have each other to lean on when the going gets rough."

Erin sighed. "All of that's true, and as you said it's an incredible opportunity," she allowed. "But I don't know if I'm willing to spend the next ten years away from my family."

Tom gave her a small smile. "Knowing them as well as you do, do you really think they'd want you to sacrifice the chance to lead this mission simply because you'll miss them?" he asked gently.

She smiled back. "No."

"My only tie to this universe is standing in front of me, sweetheart, so whether we're in the Alpha Quadrant or the Gamma Quadrant makes no difference to me as long as we're together. I will abide by whatever decision you make."

Erin's smile widened. "What did I ever do to deserve you?"

"I haven't the foggiest idea, but next time you talk to God you can ask Him."

"I'll do that. I love you."

"I love you, too."

The End