CHAPTER SIX:
Amelia piloted the Seeker deftly, as she guided her ship through the atmosphere. "We're nearly there." She said to the six other's squashed behind her.
"Good." Tom groaned. "I think I've broken something."
"I can assure you that you are fine." The Doctor said, but Tom ignored him.
"Will you stop doing that!" B'Elanna snapped, as Harry moved for the hundredth time.
"Sorry." Harry muttered.
Amelia suppressed a grin as she engaged the landing controls. "You all did want to come down with me." She reminded them.
"We thought it would be a surprise." Neelix said.
"Oh, it will be." Amelia agreed, as she landed. "My parents definitely won't be expecting you."
She was still grinning as she opened the hatch and stepped out into the New Earth sunshine.
* * *
Kathryn was working in her garden, when she spotted the sleek shape of her daughter's shuttle in the sky. She smiled and wiped the dirt from her hands. "Chakotay." She called. "Our daughter is home."
Chakotay looked up from where he worked. Sawdust and wood shavings clung to his white shirt that hung slightly open. He looked across at the woman that meant so much to him. She stood in the sunshine, her dark red hair hanging to her waist, a radiant smile on her face.
He smiled in return. "Then let's go and greet her."
The couple made their way to the clearing that Amelia often used as a landing pad, and followed the progress of the ship with their eyes. They still stood there, with their arms around each other's waists, when Amelia leapt out of the Seeker and ran over to them. Hugging them, she could not suppress a grin as radiant as her mother's. "I home!" she laughed happily. "And you'll never guess who I found!"
"Who?" Chakotay asked, chuckling at his daughter's excitement. She was nearly jumping up and down. "Who did you find?"
His smile disappeared as a look of absolute shock came over his face. He felt Kathryn tense beside him. Turning, Amelia followed their gaze to the Seeker, where Harry Kim, Tom Paris, B'Elanna, the Doctor (Bob), Tuvok and Neelix were slowly climbing out of the shuttle. Then tears began to glisten in their eyes, as they looked at the friends they had not seen in twenty years.
"I can't - " Kathryn said, swallowing back her tears. "Chakotay, they - "
"I know, Katie." He whispered. "I know. They came back."
Hesitantly, Harry stepped forward and approached the pair. Amelia moved away, content to just watch the reunion before her. "Captain - " the rank slipped automatically off his tongue, as if no time had past, and the silence was broken.
"Harry." Kathryn cried, as she stepped forward and hugged him tightly. She looked up. "Tom, B'Elanna, Tuvok, Neelix and Doctor." She said. "You came back."
She released Harry, only to embrace the others. Chakotay slapped Harry on the back, before he, too, gave him a hug. The hugs continued and tears fell, as the crew assured each other that they were really there.
Even Tuvok got a hug, and Amelia was surprised to see tears glistening in his dark eyes. "Tuvok, my old friend." Kathryn said. "I missed you." She turned to the others. "I missed you all."
"We missed you all." Chakotay corrected.
There was silence for a moment as everyone gazed at each other, noticing the changes. "Your hair's gone grey." Tom told Chakotay.
"So yours." He retorted.
"And Harry," Kathryn said surprised. "Are those Captain's pips I see on your collar?"
"Yes." Harry said proudly.
"I'm so happy for you."
"That is not the only change in rank amongst us, Captain." Said Tuvok. "Tom Paris is now a Captain, Neelix has become the Talaxian Ambassador and I have become an Admiral."
"Congratulations, all of you." Kathryn said.
"I'm sorry we couldn't be there." Chakotay added.
"I also decided on a name, Captain." The Doctor added. "I couldn't stand being called Doctor or EMH anymore, so I changed my name to Bob."
Chakotay raised an eyebrow. "Bob?" he asked.
"Yes." The Doctor nodded firmly. "Bob."
"Well, Bob." Kathryn said. "Welcome to New Earth."
"Thank you Captain." He said.
"That's another thing." Kathryn said, turning to face them all. "I'm not your Captain anymore, so you can just call me Kathryn."
"Very well - Kathryn." Tuvok said.
"Good." Chakotay smiled. "Now that we've got that out the way, how would you like to see our humble home?"
Everyone agreed, and they made their way back to the house.
* * *
"I still can't believe you made all this." Tom said, as Kathryn handed him a cup of tea.
"Yes, he's quite talented isn't he?" Kathryn said.
"No more than you and your garden." Chakotay told her, slightly embarrassed.
"I saw that on the way in. You even had Talaxian tomatoes." Neelix said dreamily.
"I like to grow things." Kathryn said softly.
"Who'd have thought?" Tom said.
"Tom!" B'Elanna scolded.
"What?" he asked.
"This is - "
Harry quickly cut her off. "They turned Voyager into a museum in Seattle. As a tribute to all those crew who did not make it. There's even a public holiday on the anniversary of our arrival."
"How long did it take you?" Chakotay asked, touched.
"A further thirteen years." Tuvok answered.
"Thirteen years?" Kathryn asked puzzled. "But how did you get back here so fast? In fact, how did you get here at all?"
"Starfleet began developing wormhole technology after we returned, and they came up with a useable method of transportation." Tuvok stated.
"It took six years." Harry said. "But we made it."
Kathryn looked at her loyal crew. "You came back." She said softly. "You came back."
"We couldn't just leave you out here after we developed a cure!" The Doctor - Bob - said fiercely. "It took me ten years, but I did it!"
"You have a cure?" Chakotay asked.
Everyone could see the hope in his eyes, and in Kathryn's. "Yes Comman - Chakotay. You can come home." B'Elanna said.
They continued to talk for hours, telling each other about the last twenty years and the joy the felt for being reunited. Both Kathryn and Chakotay were surprised to learn that Tom and B'Elanna had married, but were happy for them.
As dawn light crept in through the window, Tom yawned and looked surprised. "Is it morning already?" he asked.
"I seems to be." Neelix agreed.
"Kathryn, may I invite you and Chakotay to come aboard my ship, the Voyager 2?" Harry asked.
"We would be honored." Kathryn replied.
Amelia piloted the Seeker deftly, as she guided her ship through the atmosphere. "We're nearly there." She said to the six other's squashed behind her.
"Good." Tom groaned. "I think I've broken something."
"I can assure you that you are fine." The Doctor said, but Tom ignored him.
"Will you stop doing that!" B'Elanna snapped, as Harry moved for the hundredth time.
"Sorry." Harry muttered.
Amelia suppressed a grin as she engaged the landing controls. "You all did want to come down with me." She reminded them.
"We thought it would be a surprise." Neelix said.
"Oh, it will be." Amelia agreed, as she landed. "My parents definitely won't be expecting you."
She was still grinning as she opened the hatch and stepped out into the New Earth sunshine.
* * *
Kathryn was working in her garden, when she spotted the sleek shape of her daughter's shuttle in the sky. She smiled and wiped the dirt from her hands. "Chakotay." She called. "Our daughter is home."
Chakotay looked up from where he worked. Sawdust and wood shavings clung to his white shirt that hung slightly open. He looked across at the woman that meant so much to him. She stood in the sunshine, her dark red hair hanging to her waist, a radiant smile on her face.
He smiled in return. "Then let's go and greet her."
The couple made their way to the clearing that Amelia often used as a landing pad, and followed the progress of the ship with their eyes. They still stood there, with their arms around each other's waists, when Amelia leapt out of the Seeker and ran over to them. Hugging them, she could not suppress a grin as radiant as her mother's. "I home!" she laughed happily. "And you'll never guess who I found!"
"Who?" Chakotay asked, chuckling at his daughter's excitement. She was nearly jumping up and down. "Who did you find?"
His smile disappeared as a look of absolute shock came over his face. He felt Kathryn tense beside him. Turning, Amelia followed their gaze to the Seeker, where Harry Kim, Tom Paris, B'Elanna, the Doctor (Bob), Tuvok and Neelix were slowly climbing out of the shuttle. Then tears began to glisten in their eyes, as they looked at the friends they had not seen in twenty years.
"I can't - " Kathryn said, swallowing back her tears. "Chakotay, they - "
"I know, Katie." He whispered. "I know. They came back."
Hesitantly, Harry stepped forward and approached the pair. Amelia moved away, content to just watch the reunion before her. "Captain - " the rank slipped automatically off his tongue, as if no time had past, and the silence was broken.
"Harry." Kathryn cried, as she stepped forward and hugged him tightly. She looked up. "Tom, B'Elanna, Tuvok, Neelix and Doctor." She said. "You came back."
She released Harry, only to embrace the others. Chakotay slapped Harry on the back, before he, too, gave him a hug. The hugs continued and tears fell, as the crew assured each other that they were really there.
Even Tuvok got a hug, and Amelia was surprised to see tears glistening in his dark eyes. "Tuvok, my old friend." Kathryn said. "I missed you." She turned to the others. "I missed you all."
"We missed you all." Chakotay corrected.
There was silence for a moment as everyone gazed at each other, noticing the changes. "Your hair's gone grey." Tom told Chakotay.
"So yours." He retorted.
"And Harry," Kathryn said surprised. "Are those Captain's pips I see on your collar?"
"Yes." Harry said proudly.
"I'm so happy for you."
"That is not the only change in rank amongst us, Captain." Said Tuvok. "Tom Paris is now a Captain, Neelix has become the Talaxian Ambassador and I have become an Admiral."
"Congratulations, all of you." Kathryn said.
"I'm sorry we couldn't be there." Chakotay added.
"I also decided on a name, Captain." The Doctor added. "I couldn't stand being called Doctor or EMH anymore, so I changed my name to Bob."
Chakotay raised an eyebrow. "Bob?" he asked.
"Yes." The Doctor nodded firmly. "Bob."
"Well, Bob." Kathryn said. "Welcome to New Earth."
"Thank you Captain." He said.
"That's another thing." Kathryn said, turning to face them all. "I'm not your Captain anymore, so you can just call me Kathryn."
"Very well - Kathryn." Tuvok said.
"Good." Chakotay smiled. "Now that we've got that out the way, how would you like to see our humble home?"
Everyone agreed, and they made their way back to the house.
* * *
"I still can't believe you made all this." Tom said, as Kathryn handed him a cup of tea.
"Yes, he's quite talented isn't he?" Kathryn said.
"No more than you and your garden." Chakotay told her, slightly embarrassed.
"I saw that on the way in. You even had Talaxian tomatoes." Neelix said dreamily.
"I like to grow things." Kathryn said softly.
"Who'd have thought?" Tom said.
"Tom!" B'Elanna scolded.
"What?" he asked.
"This is - "
Harry quickly cut her off. "They turned Voyager into a museum in Seattle. As a tribute to all those crew who did not make it. There's even a public holiday on the anniversary of our arrival."
"How long did it take you?" Chakotay asked, touched.
"A further thirteen years." Tuvok answered.
"Thirteen years?" Kathryn asked puzzled. "But how did you get back here so fast? In fact, how did you get here at all?"
"Starfleet began developing wormhole technology after we returned, and they came up with a useable method of transportation." Tuvok stated.
"It took six years." Harry said. "But we made it."
Kathryn looked at her loyal crew. "You came back." She said softly. "You came back."
"We couldn't just leave you out here after we developed a cure!" The Doctor - Bob - said fiercely. "It took me ten years, but I did it!"
"You have a cure?" Chakotay asked.
Everyone could see the hope in his eyes, and in Kathryn's. "Yes Comman - Chakotay. You can come home." B'Elanna said.
They continued to talk for hours, telling each other about the last twenty years and the joy the felt for being reunited. Both Kathryn and Chakotay were surprised to learn that Tom and B'Elanna had married, but were happy for them.
As dawn light crept in through the window, Tom yawned and looked surprised. "Is it morning already?" he asked.
"I seems to be." Neelix agreed.
"Kathryn, may I invite you and Chakotay to come aboard my ship, the Voyager 2?" Harry asked.
"We would be honored." Kathryn replied.