Disclaimer: I don't own the ship, the characters or anything at all.

Chapter 2 – The Reunion

The reunion was in full swing when she arrived, she smiled acknowledgment at old faces from a much loved and missed past. Walking across the crowded room to a man standing alone at the back, she took a glass of sparkling champagne from a tray. He stepped forward as he saw her approach, "Ahh Miss Janeway. Long time no see."

She smiled back, "Reg, I haven't seen you since…um last week."

They both laughed at this, but then he grew sombre seeing the change in her.

"How are things holding up?" he asked, knowing it wouldn't be long now before she lost the last member of her close family.

"Fine. Are you making the speech tonight?" she asked, changing the subject. He took the hint, and followed her line of talk.

"No, as a matter of fact. There was a last minute request", he replied.

"Oh, who by?" she asked surprised; Reg always did the speech, it was a tradition.

"Captain Chakotay", he replied innocently, but she saw the unmistakable shine of intrigue in his eyes.

"I see, well lets see what he has to say, shall we", she smiled and moved on.

Tom and B'Elanna approached her, hauling six-year-old Miral behind them. She smiled, trying to remember the last time she had seen them, it must have been at last year's reunion. At first everyone had kept in touch, not wanting to loose the family ties that had been developed over the fourteen years they had spent together in the delta quadrant. Of course, at the time she had done very little for anyone, and had cared for nothing.

"Cass, its great to see you again", Tom greeted her.

She merely smiled, "You too Tom."

It was those that she had been closest to on voyager that stirred up memories better left in the past, and old heartache it had taken years to overcome. After several months of counselling on their return she had tried her best to separate herself and move on with her life, leaving voyager and everything that came with it far behind. Those she had been closest to respected her decision, although she knew that they had been disappointed by it.

Miral grinned at her, "Your captain Janeways daughter, aren't you? We learnt about her at school."

Cassie knew that Miral hadn't meant anything by it, she didn't know. Cassie felt sick to the bottom of her stomach; blinking the tears away she attempted a smile and a nod before making a hasty retreat to the balcony of the suite.

Tom watched her go, wondering whether he should go after her. He walked onto the balcony, hearing a sob from the shadows he headed towards it. As he got closer he could make out Cassie's outline; her body hunched over the stonewall, head in hands, and a small white handkerchief hanging delicately from one of her hands. He walked up slowly.

"Cass, I'm sorry, I didn't know she was going to.." he began.

"You don't have to apologise, I should have got over it", she said. He noticed the anger in her voice, anger directed towards herself. He sighed, she was punishing herself for caring about someone, and it was tragic.

"We all miss her you know, no one could not miss the captain for a minute. Especially today", he said gently, slipping his arm around her shoulders.

"I miss her, her voice, her smile, her hugs, everything" she sobbed, her whole body shaking with the force of them.

He didn't know what to say, so he stayed silent deciding she probably just needed someone to listen. He had never thought a great deal about the Captains personal life, although he had seen the strain on Cassie when her mother did outrageous and dangerous things. He felt tears stinging his own eyes; it was so tragic, just as Cassie thought all her worries about losing her mother were over so was her mother's life.

"Cass, you know B'Elanna and I are always here if you need anything or anyone. We would love to have you stay sometime" he smiled.

"So you know then", she said sadly, although she was no longer crying.

"Yeah, I'm sorry."

"I don't know what to do, Tom. They say she only has a few weeks, and…" she broke off sobbing again.

"Shhh come on, it's going to be okay", he said. Tom gently turned her to face him, and pulled her into a hug.

Suddenly she pulled back, wiped the tears from her face, as though fighting a battle with her emotions.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have burdened you with that", she whispered.

"Its okay, if you ever want to do that again you know where I am", he said gently. He knew she restrained herself, tried not to let go like that, like her mother she was afraid of losing control. Yet, he remembered the day nearly seven years ago, when Cassie and the doctor had been taken prisoner by a species that liked to torture their prisoners. He would never forget the look of pure devastation and helplessness on captain Janeways face, never. He also remembered the time he had seen that look on her daughters face. It was three years ago, three long, and miserable years for Cassie. She had been knelt beside her mother's dead body; he also remembered her refusal to let go of her mother's body.

The captain's death had had a deep impact amongst the crew, it overshadowed their homecoming, and instead of celebrations there were memorial services. Everybody was hurting, but no one more so than Cassie, she went through endless counselling sessions until she finally walked out and tried to put voyager behind her. She had joined the academy, living for her work, but she wasn't the Cassie he had known on voyager not anymore. She had changed, distancing herself from her friends, suffering from bouts of depression and guilt trips. Three years ago to the day he wouldn't have betted she would end up like this, but then she had her mother, best friend, confidant and captain. Now, in her eyes she had no one.

He shook his head, and followed her back into the main room. Captain Chakotay was about to begin his speech, so he rejoined his family, taking a glass of champagne from B'Elanna.

Chakotay tapped his wine glass, and stepped forward on the stage, Reg was stood just behind him.

"Firstly, I would like to thank you all for coming tonight. Its good to see you all again. We've been through a lot as a crew and we've stood by each other, holding strong at times when even I came to doubt whether we would survive. That was in the beginning, but as time went on I grew to trust the leadership of our captain, and my best friend. Without her determination and her tragic sacrifice none of us would be here today."

Chakotay glanced in Cassie's direction, as though asking approval to carry on. Cassie nodded, but once his gaze left her she sighed, and slipped out of the door. It was always the same, she knew what was coming next, the crew would observe a two minute silence in honour of the woman who had brought them home at the cost of her own life. Cassie blinked away the tears, as she strolled down the corridor and out of the building.

-Fin-

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