Disclamer: As us I don't any of this it belongs to Paramount. And obviously I'm making no money off of it.

Author's note: I'm really sorry that this chapter took me so long to write. I hope you guys enjoy it and I'll try to get chapter six up quicker.

_______________________________________________________________________
Irene Hansen smiled at her blonde-haired niece's perplexed expression. She and Seven had been talking over lunch, and Seven had slowly begun opening up to her aunt about her private life. It was difficult for Seven to open up to people, especially a virtual stranger like Irene, but she needed someone to talk to and her aunt appeared to be very wise in the area of human relationships. They had begun by discussing how Seven was adjusting to being on Earth and had led up to how odd Chakotay and the Captain had been acting recently.

"I do not understand their behavior. They are good friends but of late they have been acting strangely around one another."

"How has their behavior been strange, Annika? Could they simply be adjusting to being back on Earth again?"

"I do not believe that this is the cause for their unease. The Captain has been acting almost awkward around the Commander and myself which is unusual because the Captain is known for her calm and poise under any circumstance."

"What about Chakotay? You still have to bring him around for dinner sometime dear. you said he was acting strangely too?"

"Chakotay has been very distant. This behavior only began recently, but has become more pronounced especially since Captain Janeway left for Starfleet Headquarters a few days ago."

"Well, dear, I don't know him personally so I don't really know what could be bothering him. However, if you're that worried about him why don't you talk to him about it? That's what people in successful relationships do."

Seven paused before replying, glancing down at the remains of lunch, still on the table before them. As she began clearing the table, she turned back to her aunt to finish their conversation.

"Thank you for your advice. I am still unsure of many human customs, especially those involving relationships. I will talk to Chakotay about this." She smiled. "As much as I have enjoyed this meeting I must return to Indiana. Chakotay and I have made plans for this evening."

"That's wonderful. Where are you two going?"

"The Captain's mother told me about a restaurant the other day that I believe will be the perfect place for our next date."

"Well I'm glad that you're going out tonight, but I'm sorry that you have to leave so soon," said Irene as she walked Seven to the door. She watched with a smile as her niece moved confidently towards the nearest public transportation stop.

* * *

Chakotay paced aimlessly in the Janeway living room as he waited for Seven, who was upstairs getting ready for dinner. The past week and a half had been hard on him and he knew the stress was beginning to show. In fact, he was surprised no one had commented on his odd behavior. He had been moody and stressed since Kathryn had left. He wasn't certain what had happened the afternoon that she left -- Phoebe wouldn't say -- but he was certain that it had something to do with him, especially when the Captain hadn't returned his calls.

However, he thought, as Seven walked down the stairs in a gorgeous, red, spaghetti-strapped dress, he could do nothing about it now, so he would just take Seven out for a nice evening. Maybe he would even call Kathryn again later. She had probably just been busy earlier.

He was jolted out of his reverie as Seven asked him if he was ready to leave. He nodded in acknowledgement and offered her his arm as they left the house.

The restaurant was only a short distance away and they arrived there quickly. As soon as they were seated, Seven noticed that Chakotay once again didn't appear to be focusing on the present and for some reason that disturbed her. Soon the silence had become uncomfortable and Seven began searching for a subject to break the silence. They were both just beginning to speak when the waitress interrupted them, asking for their orders.

When the waitress left, he spoke up. "Why don't you go first?"

"I was merely going to ask what you did today while I was gone."

"Well, before she left Kathryn and I had made plans to go see an archaeological dig up in Alaska today, but she forgot to tell me where it was and then she wouldn't answer my calls so I could never find out where it was. So I ended up just not going."

"That's unfortunate. I know that you enjoy archaeology."

"Yes, I think I would have really liked it...but there's no since in worrying about it now. How was your lunch date with your aunt?"

"It went well. We discussed many things. She told me more about my parents and showed me some old photographs of them and even a few of me from when I was just a small child. I must admit it was interesting to see my parents."

Noticing her obvious desire to continue, yet also seeing her seeming hesitation to discuss them further, Chakotay tried to draw her out.

"Tell me about them. What they were like," he said quietly.

"They were your average humans, although according to my aunt I resemble my father greatly."

Seven paused for a moment, as if she were uncertain and trying to collect her thoughts. Chakotay, taking advantage of her momentary silence and trying to comfort her, reached across the table for her hand. He brought it to his lips and gently kissed her knuckles.

When he looked back up at her he began to speak, but Seven noticed he didn't quite meet her eyes.

"I would like to see those pictures someday. I would especially like to see the parents of such a talented and wonderful woman."

Seven looked slightly uncomfortable by his obvious flattery, but was saved from replying by the reappearance of the waitress with their food.

After they had began to eat Seven suddenly looked up from her food as if just remembering something.

"You said earlier that the Captain was not responding to your calls. Do you know if she is well? Her recent behavior has been strange and I am worried about her."

Chakotay froze for a moment then looked up at her again not quite meeting her eyes.

"I'm not sure, Seven. I talked to Phoebe yesterday and she said she hasn't spoken to Kathryn for a few days, but when they last spoke Kathryn was doing fine."

"It is somewhat unusual for the Captain to be this reclusive especially now that she has returned to Earth and her family. I wonder if something is upsetting her or if she is merely concerned with doing her duty to the best of her abilities."

"I'm not sure, Seven. I." He trailed off as if he was unsure what to say. "I don't know. She probably just wanted some space to think and readjust."

He cocked his head as if listening then stood and held out his hand to her.

"Why don't we dance, this song sounds perfect."

Seven looked up at him for a moment startled, but then took his hand and they walked out onto the dance floor. As they danced Chakotay noticed Seven occasionally glancing at him peculiarly.

He finally grew curious and asked after a moment.

"What?"

She delicately raised a questioning eyebrow at him.

"You were looking at me oddly," he explained.

"I was considering your recent behavior. You have been acting strangely. Are you all right?"

He paused as if considering his answer. His reply, when it came, was at first serious, but then took on a more mischievous tone.

"Oh, I'm fine. I've just been wondering how the crew is adjusting...and I was also thinking about my beautiful girlfriend."

With that he gave her his most charming smile and pulled her in for a kiss. This tactic managed to distract Seven for the moment.

However, later that evening when Seven was thinking back on the events of that night she realized that Chakotay had never really answered her question.

* * *

The next morning when Seven had finished regenerating, she walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. As soon as she entered she was greeted by Gretchen Janeway.

"Good morning, dear. Would you like some breakfast?"

"Yes, thank you, Mrs. Janeway."

"What would you like? I'm cooking this morning, and please call me Gretchen."

"Very well, Gretchen, I believe that Chakotay recommended your pancakes."

"Yes, he really seemed to like them."

She turned her back to Seven as she began to fix the pancakes.

"Speaking of the Chakotay," said Gretchen as she worked, "He asked me to tell you that he wasn't going to be able to be here this morning. He said he had a few things that he had to take care of at Starfleet Headquarters, but that he would see you this afternoon while you were at you aunt's."

When Seven finished her pancakes a few minutes later, she turned to Gretchen.

"With you permission, may I use your communication console? I must contact Tom Paris, I need to locate a former colleague of ours."

"Go ahead, dear. I hope nothing is the matter."

"Not at all. I merely wish to speak to him...he is a close friend."

"Well, that's good, I hope you can get a hold of him. Go on, I'll take care of the dishes."

"Thank you."

Seven walked into the living room and activated the communication console. Soon the ever-mischievous face of Tom Paris appeared.

"Seven, what a surprise. How is everyone? Is the Captain enjoying her vacation?"

"I am unsure about the Captain's current activities, I have not seen her recently. However the Commander and I are well. How is Miral?"

Seven asked this with only polite interest, but at this topic Tom's face lit up with an ear-to-ear grin.

"She's great. She has her mother's fiery nature, but she isn't teething so badly right now. But, I could talk about Miral all day, is there something I can do for you?"

"I was wondering if you knew where to find the Doctor?"

* * *

"Seven! Please come in."

"Thank you, Doctor."

As she entered she took in his eternally unchanging features, and yet, she noticed something different about him. Something she couldn't quite define, or perhaps, she thought, it was just the light. She glanced around quickly taking it all in. The standard Starfleet quarters that the doctor was staying in had been modified with special holo emmiters for the Doctor. They were not cluttered with much furniture and were very large and spacious, with just a few works of replicated art hanging on the neutral tone walls.

"It's wonderful to see you Seven, you must have come to congratulate me on my newest paper. It's about one of the Vidiians numerous --"

"Doctor."

He looked up startled at her harsh tone, but grew immediately concerned when he was her distressed expression.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I did not mean to speak so harshly, but I need your opinion."

"Well, of course you came to me. I am qualified to offer expert opinion in many areas. What seems to be the dilemma?"

Seven stood for a moment in her customary pose with her hands behind her back and then slowly began to speak.

"I am worried about Commander Chakotay and by extension our relationship."

At this the Doctor's expression darkened slightly but this went unnoticed by Seven, who was still speaking.

".have both been acting oddly lately, especially when they are around one another. I am concerned about their behavior."

She paused and cocked her head slightly almost glaring at the Doctor.

"Are you listening, Doctor? You appear to be distracted."

The Doctor's quick reply was both indignant and defensive. "Of course I'm listening. My auditory subroutines are functioning perfectly."

He paused for a moment, for the first time really noticing Seven's appearance. It was flawless as usual, but behind the perfect exterior he could see a very worried individual. He stepped forward with concern in his eyes.

"Are you all right, Seven? Did something happen?"

"Chakotay has been acting very distant and evasive since the Captain departed for Starfleet Headquarters."

A flicker of worry passed across the Doctor's face before he replied. "He's probably just worried about the Captain and the outcome of the debriefings. Everyone knows that the Captain works to much."

"I am not sure that is the complete problem."

"What do you think the problem is then, Seven?"

She paused for a moment then straightened slightly. As she faced the Doctor she looked a bit unsure, as if she was gathering her determination.

"To your knowledge, Doctor, have the Captain and Commander Chakotay ever been in a romantic relationship?"

The Doctor's quick and decisive reply was very unexpected. "Well of course they have. They are both adults and both have pursued several relationships."

"That is not what I meant and you are aware of that. Please answer the question, Doctor."

The Doctor slumped slightly and turned away from Seven, cursing her intelligence and her observational skills as well as the fact he was the person she had picked to have this discussion with. As much as he hated the fact that she was involved with Chakotay he still did not want her to be hurt. Finally he turned back to her.

"There have been rumors about them over the years...however, it has never been proven with certainty."

"But in your personal opinion?"

"It is possible that they were in a relationship or at least had feelings for one another."

Seven considered this for a minute looking more that a bit lost and unsure. "I am uncertain what to do in this situation."

The Doctor took the opportunity to quickly try to console her. "In all likelihood they were never involved. There could be many other explanations for their odd behavior."

"I do not believe that Doctor, and I doubt you do. It is obvious to everyone that they have a very strong connection. I was just not aware of the depth of that connection."

"Perhaps you should ask Commander Chakotay about it. Better yet, why don't you just get away for a few days, you could spend a few days here with me. Just so you would have plenty of room to sort things out." He chuckled slightly and gestured at himself. "Obviously I don't take up much space or create a large distraction in the room."

His attempt at humor, meant to distract her, did not work. Her expression was distant, a mask behind which she was hiding, but it softened slightly as she acknowledged her attempt at humor.

"Thank you for your offer, Doctor, but I will return to the Janeway residence for now. I am unsure how to proceed but I will let you know whatever the outcome. I have appreciated what you have told me and I will consider everything you have said."

"Very well, Seven. It was good to see you, no matter the circumstances."

"You too, Doctor." And with that she walked out of his apartment and stood stiffly waiting for the oblivion of the beam out that she had just requested.

A few moments later she slowly, yet precisely walked into the Janeway house with an air of weariness. She was surprised when she found the house deserted, although she had known it would be empty when she returned. Gretchen, she knew, was seeing Phoebe and her family off at the departing space dock. They were returning to their off-planet home after spending almost a month on Earth.

She walked into the living room, the silence hanging like a heavy weight on her shoulders. She slowly sat down on the couch and waited patiently for Chakotay to return from Starfleet Headquarters.

It was nearly an hour before the front door opened and she heard his footsteps in the hallway.

He stopped abruptly when he entered the room and saw her sitting there waiting.

"Seven," he said after a few seconds. "Did you get my message earlier?"

"Yes, Gretchen told me."

She said it a bit stiffly and was not surprised when he noticed her tone.

"Is everything all right, Seven?"

Ignoring his questions she calmly replied, "We need to talk."

"About what? Is there a problem?"

"The problem is us, Chakotay."

He sat down next to her and reached out to grasp her hands, trying to make her look at him, but she refused and rose from her seat, stepping away from him. He looked stunned for a moment, but then found his voice.

"Why are you acting this way, Seven? What happened?"

She paused, then turned around slowly with an incredulous expression on her face. "You don't know?"

At his blank look, she plunged forward. "You have been acting oddly for days and although I have been trying to talk to you about it you will not respond."

He was unable to hide his guilty expression. "It's nothing really, I've just been under some stress lately and."

She cut him off. "Perhaps you could tell me the cause of this 'stress'?"

He immediately froze, knowing better than to tell Seven another woman was in love with him and that he might be in love with that woman too.

"Precisely," she remarked, but it was said without any real anger or malice in her voice. "Chakotay, I know these last few days have been hard and I have decided to, for many reasons, terminate our relationship."

He sat there, once again stunned. Finally when he spoke it was just one word.

"Why?"

"As I said I have more than one reason. The principle reason is that, through my own observations as well as those of others, I have concluded that you have feelings for someone else, specifically the Captain. I am not certain if she feels the same about you...but I do not wish to be involved with someone who wishes he was elsewhere."

He was silent for a minute after she finished speaking then opened his mouth as if to refute what she had said, but then slowly closed his mouth in grim acceptance. They both sat there for a moment before Chakotay broke the uncomfortable silence.

"What are you going to do now?"

"I am uncertain. I have not thought about it yet."

"Well," Chakotay said in a neutral voice, "don't worry about accommodations. I'll be leaving for Starfleet Headquarters tonight to get settled in before the briefings begin so you're free to remain here."

"That is unnecessary. I will be accepting an invitation from the Doctor to stay with him."

"That's good." He let out a deep breath. "Seven...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you and I hope this causes no hard feelings. It wasn't because of you. I shouldn't have gotten involved with you in the first place, it wasn't fair to you really." He paused and looked away. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry.'

"I'm sorry as well...however if I had to lose you to another woman Captain Janeway is the only person who I would accept losing to. And I wish you both luck and happiness."

And with that Seven of Nine walked out of the room and back up the stairs. From her room she called for a direct transport to the Doctor's quarters. When she arrived he immediately glanced at her with an expression of surprise that quickly turned to concern as he noticed the tears running down her face. Without thinking he moved over to her and began to console the emotionally overloaded former borg drone as best as he could.

* * *

"Captain Janeway, Commander Chakotay, please be seated. You both know why you are here?"

The comment from Admiral Ross was both a statement and a question, which caused both members of the command team to answer quickly while remaining stiffly at attention. Seeing their positive response the admiral resumed speaking.

"You may now be seated."

When both the command team and the review board were seated he continued.

"We have reviewed all of your logs, however we wanted to discuss certain incidents with you personally. When we are finished we will determine how to best proceed. Admiral Paris, would you begin please?"

With that the seemingly endless onslaught of questioning began. Four hours later when a lunch recess was finally called, both the Captain and the Commander were exhausted. As they stood and exited the drab conference room, Chakotay turned to the Captain.

"Would you care to join me for lunch, Captain? I know of a restaurant nearby."

The Captain quickly interrupted him. "No thank you, Commander, I have some crew evaluations that I have to finish before the rest of the crew comes before the review board."

"Well in that case, Kathryn, would you like some help?"

"Thank you for the offer, but that won't be necessary."

She turned and quickly began to walk in the opposite direction down the corridor. He sighed as she walked off, knowing her well enough to realize that her crew always came first and devoutly hoping that her beloved crew was not being used as an excuse to avoid him, as he feared.

* * *

Several days later the command team looked even worse. Chakotay was frustrated by the Captain's continuing reluctance to talk to him in a private situation. The Captain was emotionally exhausted just from being around Chakotay and trying not to break down in front of him. Both were having a difficult time trying to keep their disagreement from affecting how they acted around the debriefing committee.

Finally, a week into the debriefings, after the last meeting of the day, Chakotay decided that he couldn't take not knowing anymore. He had no plan, he just began walking through the crowds surrounding Kathryn. However, as he approached he immediately saw his opportunity, at least to get her to go to lunch with him. She was being harassed by Admiral Alynna Nechayev, famous for her disagreeable nature and her rumored involvement in many black ops.

So when he walked up behind Kathryn, lightly touching her arm to get her attention, he immediately noticed the flicker of relief in her clear blue eyes instead of the trapped expression that had recently been in them when she was around him. However as he started speaking her enthusiasm faded slightly.

"Captain, Admiral. I'm sorry for the interruption, but I was just wondering if you would like to join me for lunch, Captain. There's a little restaurant very near here that I think you would enjoy."

Her famed death glare played across her face for a moment as the full implication of the situation hit her. She was flanked by the Admiral and would not risk showing her a split in the ranks. Besides, she would accept any excuse to escape Nechayev. So pulling her Captain's mask into place she smiled graciously and accepted his invitation with an expression that was almost too sweet, and excused herself from the presence of the Admiral.

After they had walked a short distance down the corridor she glanced up at him and sighed.

"Don't think I don't know your motive, Chakotay."

"It was nothing, Kathryn, I was just doing my best to rescue my commanding officer from a dangerous situation."

This time her glare was enough to silence him and they continued that way on their way to the restaurant and well into their meal, speaking only when spoken to by the waiters. By the time they were halfway through with the meal Chakotay was growing frustrated with her. She was refusing to let him in by merely being the courteous Captain and he couldn't stand it any longer.

He set his fork down loudly. "Stop it, Kathryn. Please just stop."

She looked up at him in surprise, and her lips parted slightly.

"Why won't you tell me what's the matter?" he continued. "You weren't this standoffish when I first came aboard Voyager and I know you've been avoiding me ever since I got here. And now that we're sitting across from each other you're still avoiding telling me what's really bothering you."

"What do you mean, Chakotay? I haven't been avoiding you and I've been talking to you all week."

"Don't try to fool me with that one, Kathryn. We both know that the only time you've talked to me since I got here was on a professional basis."

"Oh," she countered her soft tone of voice a deliberate counterpoint to his loud confrontational tone. "So now I'm lying."

"No," he sighed, frustrated. "I just.I don't know, Kathryn. I guess I just feel like you've been shutting me out lately.'

She sighed and leaned back in her chair. "I'm sorry, Chakotay. The last thing I wanted was for our friendship to be hurt like this."

"Then talk to me," he said, urgently leaning forwards in his seat, "Tell me why you're so upset with me."

"I guess I was just...well, I was afraid."

"Afraid? Afraid of what?"

She paused as if gathering her courage and he realized how hard this really was for her. Just as she began to speak again his commbadge chirped.

Paris to Chakotay.

"Chakotay here. What can I do for you, Tom?"

I was wondering where to find Seven. I need --

Chakotay didn't hear the rest of what Tom said, all he saw was the Captain's face freeze and immediately close down completely.

"I don't know, Tom. Chakotay out."

He ruthlessly cut Tom off, only concerned with the fact that Kathryn looked as if she was preparing to leave.

"I'm sorry, Chakotay. I can't do this."

"Kathryn, wait. Seven and I aren't together anymore."

He had planned to wait until later to tell her, but all he thought was that he had to get her to stop even if was just for a moment.

"What?" was her shocked reply and, for one split second he had hoped that she would at least listen to him and let him explain, but his hopes were dashed when she continued. "What happened?"

Knowing it might not be the wisest course he still chose to be brutally truthful. "She realized something that even I hadn't realized. I'm still in love with you."

"No," she said, squeezing the bridge of her nose between her fingers. "No. Don't do this, Chakotay. Please don't. Don't say that."

"Kathryn."

"No," she said hoarsely.

She turned around and left the restaurant before he had a chance to react, heading for the relative safety of her quarters.

Once he recovered from the shock of her abrupt departure, Chakotay rose from his seat and followed her quickly out of the restaurant. He refused to allow the conversation to end there.

He stepped out onto the street, and looked for her among the crowd outside the restaurant. He could just barely see her, pushing her way down the street towards where he knew she was staying.

He followed her down the street, unable to catch up to her and losing sight of her from time to time. He finally saw her turn into her apartment building and he reached it a few minutes later. He took the stairs two at a time and opened the door to the third floor. When he turned into the hallway, he found himself staring at the shocked and enraged face of Kathryn Janeway.

"You followed me here?" was her incredulous greeting.

"I needed to talk to you," was his calm yet urgent rejoinder.

"What could we possibly have to talk about Chakotay?"

"How about our feelings for each other? How about everything that has happened since Admiral Janeway came on board Voyager?"

When she merely looked at him saying nothing he plowed on.

"Phoebe told me how you feel about me, Kathryn."

"I know," she said slowly, her calm voice betraying her turbulent emotions. "I was very upset about that. Especially now that you've told me about you and Seven. I'm sorry that I had something do with that."

"I'm not," he said simply. "It wasn't the right choice for either of us."

"So what happens now?"

"I don't know, Kathryn. You know what I want. You always have. The question is, what do you want?"

As he uttered these words he saw the semi-calm in her eyes change to a turbulent blue. "I.I don't know, Chakotay."

He sat there stunned and then his numb calm morphed into uncontrollable fury. "You don't know. For seven years you pushed me away and put the crew first. For seven years we've waited for this chance, and you don't know?"

She flinched more from shock than from the sting of the barrage. Even at his angriest he had never lashed out at her like that. However, his remarks had also made her furious and she quickly verbally lashed back at him.

"That's right. I don't know. You know, I'm tired of this. Having to put up with you blaming me for the way things were. I had responsibilities, and you never seemed to understand that. As if it wasn't enough being stranded out there, you had to lay that on me on top of everything else."

"Don't blame this on me, any of this. You're the one who decided that nothing could happen between us. You're the one who stranded us out there in the first place."

At this the Captain's face went pale and she began to shake with rage and hurt.

When she spoke again her voice was icy calm and very cold. "Get out."

After she spoke they were both silent for a moment staring at one another. Finally he turned and walked back towards the stairwell. As he opened the door he turned back to her.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Kathryn. I shouldn't have come...I guess I hadn't realized that you had changed, changed into to someone I don't recognize."

And with that he turned and started down the stairs.

However, had he stayed he would have seen Kathryn lean back against the wall and heard her racking sobs as she realized the full impact of the fight and the consequences of what had been said.

* * *

The next morning Kathryn went about her usual morning rituals but with a weariness and resignation that had only rarely been present, even during some of the worst times in her life. So, when the chime rang signaling that someone was outside her quarters, she answered without much enthusiasm. When the doors hissed open they revealed the smiling face of her former mentor, Admiral Owen Paris.

"Admiral. It's certainly a surprise to see you. Please come in."

"I normally wouldn't have come to bother you so early, Kathryn. In fact, Tom advised me against it. I believe he mumbled something about 'not before the Captain's first cup of coffee' or something like that."

"Well, Tom has certainly gotten wise over the years. He knows most of my quirks."

They both laughed at that for a moment but then the Admiral began eagerly talking again.

"The truth is, Kathryn, this news could have waited until later but I just wanted to be the one to tell you and I felt that you should be told as soon as possible."

"Well, please don't keep me in suspense any longer. Or didn't Tom also tell you that I hate surprises?"

"He did at that. Captain, I would like to officially inform you that the former Maquis on your crew have been cleared of all previous charges and most have even been given the appropriate medals for their conduct. Concerning you personally, you will not be court martialed. For now you will keep the rank of Captain and within a few years if nothing detrimental happens you will most likely be promoted to the rank of Admiral."

The Captain stood there trying to absorb all that the Admiral had said through the not quite lifted fog of sleep and the painful emotions still fresh from the previous evening.

"I.don't quite know what to say Admiral, except thank you. I was hoping that Starfleet would look past some of my crew's more detrimental attributes and see how exceptional a crew that they truly are. It appears that they did."

The Admiral shook his head slightly before speaking. "That certainly sounds familiar, Kathryn. You're always thinking about your crew first. I have one more piece of news for you personally. You're being assigned to a refitted and updated Voyager. You will be given your new mission in a few days and you may requisition what ever of your former crew that you wish to have."

"Again, all I can say is thank you, Admiral. That is much more than I had hoped for. When will we leave?"

"Your official orders will come through for you in a few hours. Right now there's a shortage of ships in the Fleet, so Voyager will leave as soon as all of her crew are on board, probably in about three days." He smiled at her amazed and grateful expression. "I suppose I should leave you to your coffee. I suspect you'll be busy for the next few days."

"Yes, sir. Thank you again, Admiral."

* * *

Tom Paris strode down the corridor with a small travel bag over his shoulder. After seven years history was once again repeating itself and he would soon be reboarding Voyager. However, this time it would be quite different. He would be joining Voyager because he wanted to, not because it would get him out of the prison colony sooner. He also had a loving wife and a beautiful daughter. He wouldn't be an outcast.

As he turned the corner he was jolted out of his reverie as he bumped into someone.

"Tom!" exclaimed Harry Kim. "It's great to see you. I thought you and B'Elanna had boarded yesterday."

"It's great to see you too Harry, but I thought your parents were going to be here to see you off?" The young ensign groaned at his parent's exuberance was all the answer Tom needed as they fell into step with one another.

They continued walking down the corridor without talking, just absorbing the familiar surroundings of the ship that had been their only home and safe haven for the last seven years. As they both turned to go their separate ways to their respective quarters, Harry stopped and turned back to Tom.

"Before I forget, Tom, the Captain said that she wanted to see us as soon as we got our gear stowed. B'Elanna too."

"Thanks, Harry. I'll be sure to tell B'Elanna."

* * *

Ten minutes later the threesome stood outside the Captain's ready room waiting for the Captain to open the door. Finally she called quietly.

"Come."

They entered quietly and instead of finding the Captain in her usual chair behind her desk they found her standing in front of her couch staring at the familiar stars of the Alpha Quadrant.

"Well, B'Elanna," she said at last, "How do you like your new engines?"

"They appear to be in good condition, Captain."

"Good." She turned around to face them. "You're probably all wondering why I called you here. I'm sorry I couldn't have done this when we had more time but I felt that I should do it now. Ensign Kim."

She had said all of this with a very serious expression and in a very formal manner. When Harry stepped forward she looked at him for a moment, and then started speaking again.

"At ease, Ensign. While I'm glad you're back on board I do believe that you are out of uniform."

Harry's expression became one of bewilderment while behind him Tom and B'Elanna smiles grew earsplitting and even the captain began to have a hard time keeping a straight face as Harry let out an unsure, "Ma'am?"

"I believe that you are missing this."

And without further ado she reached up and handed him another pip signifying the rank of Lieutenant.

After Tom and B'Elanna had finished congratulating him he turned back to the Captain. She raised her hand, momentarily forestalling Harry before he began to thank her.

"No time for that, Lieutenant. We have to get under way. I believe that you and Tom were the last two crewmembers to board, so as soon as you take your posts we'll be ready to go."

They left the ready room, followed by the Captain, and took their positions on the bridge. After a few seconds, they noticed that there was one noticeable absence -- the First Officer's seat was empty.

Just as Tom was about to comment on this fact the turbolift doors hissed open and a hurried looking young woman stepped out. Harry and B'Elanna exchanged questioning glances at the back of the bridge.

The woman descended towards the Captain's chair, stopping when she was facing it.

"Sorry I'm late Captain, I had a hard time convincing the transporter operator that I was on the right ship."

"That's all right just this once, Commander."

Captain Janeway stood up and offered her hand to the young woman. "Welcome aboard."

"Thank you, Captain."

Captain Janeway turned slowly around the bridge.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Commander Alyssa Fielding, our new First Officer."