Chapter Two

When the blue transporter haze cleared the first thing Kathryn saw was her mother's shocked and totally disbelieving face.

"Kathryn," she whispered. "Kathryn.is it really you? But how." She cut herself off and started again. "Never mind, I don't care how you got here."

Kathryn stepped down off of the platform and into her mother's welcoming arms. They both began to cry. After a few minutes they collected themselves and walked towards the living room. They sat down on the couch and Kathryn began to explain how they got home, all the while editing out the most dangerous parts for her mother's sake.

Then she began to just talk to her mother -- she had missed her oldest confidante while she was in the Delta quadrant.

"Oh, Mom," she sighed, "You have no idea how much I've missed talking to you."

"Didn't you have anyone to talk to on Voyager?"

"Chakotay -- he is, was, my First Officer -- and I would sometimes sit up all night talking. But it's just not the same," she added with a smile.

"I'm glad you had someone, Kathryn. I was worried about you not having someone you could talk to because you were the Captain. I know how stubborn and focused you can be, and you also have a tendency not to let people in. You can't imagine what a relief it was when we were told that Voyager was still intact and you were all alive."

"I'm so sorry, Mom. It was hard enough on the crew, being stranded out there, but at least we knew that our loved ones were still alive. I can't imagine what you and the other families of the crew went through."

"Oh Kathryn, it's not your fault. You made the right decision and I'm very proud of you for making it, even with its consequences. Not many people could have made that decision, or brought their ship seventy thousand light years in only seven years." Gretchen was unable to suppress a yawn.

Kathryn glanced at the time. "Oh, Mom, I had no idea it was so late."

"I'm not as young as I used to be," Gretchen told her with a smile.

"We'll have plenty of time to talk tomorrow, Mom. It seems like it's been days since I last slept."

Gretchen led her daughter to her childhood bedroom and hugged her tightly to her chest when they reached the door.

"Welcome home, Kathryn dear."

* * *

The next morning, the Captain was the first to rise. She quietly got up and looked around her bedroom. It felt familiar to her yet strange at the same time. She opened her closet door and began looking for some appropriate civilian clothing.

When she finally found some comfortable yet not too dusty pieces of clothing, she dressed and went downstairs. The first thing she did was to walk into the kitchen to make coffee. It had been seven long years since she had tasted fresh coffee, and she was more than willing to wait for it to brew instead of using the replicator.

Once she had her mug of coffee in hand, she began to wander around the house looking at what had changed over the last seven years. When her mother finally walked downstairs she found her daughter in the living room staring at pictures of Phoebe and her family.

"Did you know she named her eldest daughter after you?" Gretchen queried.

"Mom, I didn't hear you there. Yes, she told me when Voyager first started getting transmissions from Earth. It was a shock, because Phoebe and I never really got along well. I didn't realize how much I cared about her until we were gone and I couldn't argue with her any more."

"She really missed you too, Kathryn. Now come on, let's go down to the kitchen. You look as if you could use a few good meals, and knowing your cooking skills I doubt that you've already eaten breakfast."

"You sound exactly like Chakotay. He's always trying to make me eat more or sleep more and he absolutely despises my cooking."

"Well, he is your First Officer. Isn't it his job to take care of you?"

"I suppose so. But you needn't have worried about my eating habits while I was in the Delta quadrant, Mom. Chakotay is almost as stubborn as I am."

"Amazing -- I didn't think there was a man as stubborn as you were. I think I would like to meet him someday. He sounds very interesting."

"Actually, I invited Chakotay and Seven to come and stay here for a while if it's all right with you."

"Seven? Oh, of course, that young woman you rescued from the Borg."

"I told them to come out here in a few days. They're staying in Starfleet quarters right now."

Her mother looked a bit startled at first but then spoke. "That would be wonderful, Kathryn, I would enjoy meeting Seven too. I've heard a lot about her." Gretchen paused, trying to determine the best way to approach the subject. "Kathryn...from what you've told me now and in the past...I wondered if you and Chakotay might be more than just friends."

For a moment Kathryn just stood there looking a bit stunned, then as she opened her mouth to reply there was a loud noise like a slamming from the front of the house.

"Mom!" shouted an obviously hurried Phoebe Janeway. "Is everything okay? I was on my way to Earth for an exhibition and about five hours ago Admiral Paris called me and said to." She trailed off as she walked into the kitchen and saw her sister sitting at the kitchen table.

"Oh my God! Kathryn!" she exclaimed, and then she was running forward and embracing her sister.

Phoebe pulled back and looked at her for a long moment. Her final pronouncement was, "Kathryn, you have a lot of explaining to do."

The three women talked for hours, catching up on each other's lives. Kathryn told anecdotes about her crew, while Phoebe and her mother filled her in about the lives of various family members. The previous conversation about Chakotay was soon forgotten.

Over dinner that night the discussion resurfaced in a new form. They had been discussing Phoebe's husband, whom Kathryn had never met but would be arriving the next day. As Phoebe was passing her mother dessert she asked her sister with her customary bluntness, "Well, what about you, Kathryn? Surely you must have been involved with someone over the past seven years."

Kathryn felt a bit uncomfortable with the question and couldn't manage to answer with her usual imperturbability, so her answer was a bit more snappish than she meant it to be. "Not that it's any of your business Phoebe, but yes, I did have one or two casual relationships. Nothing serious, though."

"That's not like you Kathryn," commented Gretchen. "You're not usually a casual relationship person."

"I know that Mom, but I wasn't out there to look for relationships. I was trying to get my crew home."

Sensing that this was a very sensitive subject for her sister, Phoebe began to subtly change the subject away from Kathryn's love life...although she did file it away for later.

A few hours later after their mother had gone to bed they were seated on the couch both armed with a cup of fresh brewed coffee to keep them awake. They had been sitting there in silence for a while when Phoebe started laughing softly.

"What's so funny?" asked Kathryn.

"I was just thinking that I didn't realize how much I had missed you until we almost got into an argument earlier."

Kathryn chuckled softly. "Just like old times."

Phoebe became serious. "I'm sorry about before. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. You were always so touchy about your relationships. I should have known better."

"It was nothing. I'm sorry I snapped at you."

"Oh come on, Kathryn. I know you -- you wouldn't have gotten that defensive if it was no big deal. And besides, I remember how little you like to share your emotions. It was a dead give away."

They sat there in silence for a long moment before Kathryn started to answer. In the end she decided that she should at least tell her sister. Maybe it would even make her feel better.

She began to tell Phoebe about her best friend, how they had met and all the things they had been through together, and finally about how Chakotay had started dating Seven. When she finished she merely sat there, tears flowing down her face even though she didn't remember starting to cry.

"Kathryn...I don't know what to say. I didn't realize how painful a subject it was or I wouldn't have said anything. I'm sorry I brought it up."

Kathryn squeezed her sister's hand.

"What are you going to do now?" asked Phoebe softly.

"I don't know, Phoebe. I haven't really thought about the future much past getting my crew back on Earth. Right now I think I'll just try to get through their visit without having a mental breakdown."

"I'm sure it will all go wonderfully, Kathryn."

She sighed. "I hope you're right."