"It'll all be in my report Admiral."

The crew on the bridge were quiet and contemplative. Home. The Alpha Quadrant. They'd made it. Most of them didn't think they'd live to see the day.

"Engineering to the bridge."

The Captain shook herself out of her reverie.

"Go ahead, Vorik."

"Captain, a number of key systems have been adversely affected during the trip through the conduit. I would recommend that we reduce speed to at least warp three."

"Understood. Chakotay, you heard the man. Harry, what's our new ETA to Earth orbit?"

"Six hours, forty eight minutes."

"Oh well, we've waited seven years, seven hours can't hurt us."

"Yes Captain." Harry replied quietly.

"Open a channel to the Admiral's ship."

"Open"

"Janeway to Admiral Paris."

"Yes, Katie?"

"Admiral, we've had to substantially reduce speed due to a bit of damage sustained coming through the Borg hub. Why don't you beam over to Voyager for the last few hours home, there's a couple of people I'd like you to meet?"

"I'll be over in a couple of minutes."

"Aye, Sir. And Admiral, Lieutenant Commander Tuvok is in urgent need of transport to Vulcan for a medical procedure. Are any ships available?"

"Actually, the Nairobi was just about to leave for Vulcan when you came through the…the whatever it was. Have him ready in ten minutes and he can be on his way immediately."

"Acknowledged Admiral. Janeway out. Tuvok, pack your bag and get down to the transporter room."

"Thank you Captain."

"I'll walk with you to your quarters."

They entered the turbo lift in silence. As they walked towards his room, she asked him the question she'd been wondering since they'd emerged through the conduit.

"Do you think I … she did the right thing Tuvok?"

"I have never known you to not do the right thing for your crew Captain."

"I hope you're right. Thank you Tuvok. For today and the last seven years."

"It has been an honor Captain."

Tuvok had quickly and efficiently packed and bag and they were on their way to the transporter room.

"Janeway to Chakotay."

"Chakotay here."

"Chakotay, let someone else do the driving and let's go check on my newest crew-member. I'll be there in about five minutes."

"Great idea, I'll meet you there." He hadn't heard that smile in her voice for it seemed a very long time.

Janeway entered the transporter room with Tuvok.

"The Admiral will arrive in a few minutes, Captain." said the young ensign manning the console "And Commander Tuvok will be beamed to the Nairobi after that."

"Thank you Ensign." she shared a smile with the young woman. "Janeway to Paris."

"Paris here, Captain"

"Tom meet me in the Transporter Room. Sorry to drag you away, but it's important."

"On my way."

It was only a minute before he came through the door.

"Thanks for joining us Tom."

"Energizing."

The large figure of Admiral Paris appeared on the transporter pad. He immediately advanced on Janeway with his hand outstretched when he spotted his son who had almost timidly fallen in behind Tuvok.

"Tom! Thank god you're all right!" He brushed aside Tom's hand and embraced the younger man in a bear hug.

"It's good to see you too, Dad."

The Admiral released Tom after a few seconds. He then pulled himself together and took the Captain's hand in both of his, then embraced her and kissed her on the cheek.

"Welcome home Katie." he said sincerely, and then to Tuvok "You too, Commander."

Tuvok nodded to the Admiral.

"Excuse me Captain, but the Nairobi is asking for Commander Tuvok to join them."

"Thank you Ensign." she left Tom and his father and turned to Tuvok "Good luck Tuvok. Let me know as soon as possible how things are going. And give my regards to T'Pel."

"I will, Captain." he extended his hand which she took readily.

"I'll see you soon, old friend."

Tuvok disappeared in a blue shimmer.

"So Admiral, want to meet someone even more special than Tom?"

"I'd love to Katie. Who'd you have in mind?"

She met Tom's eye. "It's a surprise."

"Well, they'd better be pretty surprising, as your arrival was fairly spectacular and unexpected - it'll take a lot of beating."

They started to make their way to sickbay. They arrived at the door at the same time as Chakotay.

"Admiral Paris, may I present my first officer, Commander Chakotay." there was a hint of challenge in her voice.

"Pleased to meet you, son. Welcome home."

"Thank you, sir."

The three Voyager officers stood aside as the Admiral lead them into Sick Bay. Their eyes met in silent surprise and delight. This was going very well.

"So who's my surprise? Are they sick?"

Tom took over, leading his father towards where B'Elanna and the Doctor were with their backs to the newly arrived group.

"Ahem. Admiral Paris, um, Sir, er, Dad, I'd like to introduce my wife Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres and our daughter, Miral." he looked sheepishly from wife to father almost dreading the coming reaction.

"Oh my." the Admiral managed. "This is, without doubt, one of the best days of my life." relief was clearly visible on all the Voyager faces. "Now, may I hold my grand daughter?" he gently took the baby from her mother "Welcome to the Paris clan, B'Elanna, it's an honor to meet you." kissing the stunned B'Elanna on the cheek. "She's as beautiful as her mother." he added to the now completely amazed group.

"Actually, as Miral's commanding officer, I would have thought I'd get first cuddle." teased a happy looking Janeway. "'Lanna, she's beautiful. And perfect."

"Thank you Captain. I'd have to agree." B'Elanna looked radiant and Tom was wavering between delight and surprise at his usually dour father's behavior.

"So how much damage did you do to my ship?" asked B'Elanna of the Captain.

"Quite a bit actually." said Janeway cheerfully "Vorik sounded almost frazzled earlier. For a Vulcan. Nothing that you can't fix. And we've now got shipyards, so stop worrying, B'Elanna. That's an order."

"Vorik to Captain Janeway."

"Right on cue." laughed Chakotay as he sat next to B'Elanna on the bed.

"Janeway here, Vorik."

"Captain, we are experiencing some further difficulties with the some of the ships systems. There have been failures in the EPS systems. Also, our shields have raised and we are unable to lower them at this time. We are investigating the cause."

"Are these serious problems at this stage, Ensign?"

"Not as yet Captain, but we may need to further reduce speed if we cannot repair them promptly."

"Understood."

The Captain turned back to B'Elanna and Tom.

"Well, I'd better get back to work. Please let me know when I can get a booking to hold the baby." she smiled warmly at the happy couple, watching the Admiral holding Miral. "Commander, care to join me?"

"Yes, Captain. I'll have to make a booking too, it seems."

No one noticed them leaving. All eyes were on Miral.

"Chakotay," she said quietly as they walked back to the bridge. "I'd like you to get the ex-Maquis crew together before we arrive on Earth. I think we've got some things to discuss."

"Of course, Captain. Are you worried about our reception?"

"Not exactly. But I'd like an informal chat while we've got the chance. Who knows what sort of a circus it'll be when we arrive. Do you think you could get them in Holodeck One in about thirty minutes?"

"We'll be there."

They entered the bridge together.

"Thanks. I'll be in my ready room."

She looked around the room. So many memories. Some good, some not. She wondered when would be the next time, if ever, she saw this room once they arrived home. Rousing herself, she read the communiqué just received from Starfleet.

"Janeway to Crewman Gilmore."

"Gilmore here, Captain."

"Marla could you get James, Brian and Angelo and come to my ready room as soon as possible please?"

"We're on our way Captain."

Marla sounded worried. Janeway was worried. Of all her crew, the ex-Equinox crewmembers faced the most uncertain future, she thought. She hoped and even in her most optimistic times, believed, that Starfleet and the Federation would at least pardon the Maquis. But the Equinox was a troublesome situation.

The door chime alerted her that they had arrived.

"Come."

The four remaining Equinox crew entered her ready room. They lined up at attention, much as they had, how long ago now she wondered. But now very much part of the crew. Her crew.

"At ease." She looked up and smiled at the group as much to help herself relax as for them. "In a very short time we'll be arriving back on Earth. I don't really know what to expect when we get there, so I'll tell you what I'm going to tell our ex-Maquis…"

The meeting had been short. Chakotay watched as the four crewmembers filed out of the Captain's ready room. He wondered whether Janeway was preparing them for the worst. Is that what she wanted to meet with the Maquis about? He noticed that the time had come for his own meeting, with his old crew. Was the news bad? Admiral Paris didn't seem to have been the bearer of bad tidings.

The ready room door opened and Janeway again entered the bridge.

"All ready Commander?"

"Yes Captain."

"OK Harry, you've got the bridge. Again." The young ensign replied with a blazing smile.

As the Captain and the Commander approached the holodeck doors, Chakotay spoke.

"This reminds me of when we were on the planet of the 37's."

"Really? Why?"

"Because this time, I don't know what's going to be waiting for me once we enter."

"Trust me." She smiled trying to lighten the mood.

"Always."

She was taken aback by his tone and how serious he looked. He was watching her intently.

As they entered the holodeck, the occupants of the room snapped to attention. She smiled at their reaction. How could anyone ever think of these people as anything other than Starfleet?

"At ease everyone. Thank you for joining me." Her eyes swept the room. Some looked worried. Some defiant. Some just plain happy. "I just wanted to talk to you before we arrive on Earth." She took a deep breath. "Firstly, I wanted to thank each and every one of you for your exemplary efforts during this long voyage. Without you, this ship wouldn't have got home. Each of you have contributed to the success of this mission. You are as important as any of the so-called official Starfleet crew. I just wanted you to know that when we arrive, I will be expecting… no, I will be demanding, that you are treated as such. You will not be abandoned now that we're back in the Alpha Quadrant, on this, you have my word."

She waited to see if there was any comment and then continued.

"I don't know what to expect from the powers that be on arrival, except that all crew are to be given three days leave immediately. I take this as a very good sign. After that, the inevitable debriefings will begin. I have, as yet, no inkling of awaits us all after them, so I will promise you this now," she paused as stood even straighter "you will always have the support of myself and the rest of the crew of Voyager. Have no doubt. Whatever may happen, you will not be alone."

She looked straight at Chakotay for an instant. He didn't miss the significance of her words.

"Even if I am not, um, available, you can be assured that Commander Tuvok and Ensign Kim will be working for you."

At this point there was a murmur from the group.

"Why would you not be available Captain?" came the concerned enquiry.

"Well, Mr Gerron, to be honest, it's entirely possible that I could have some charges of my own to answer on my return."

The reaction from the group was outraged and vocal. The Captain raised her hands to quiet the group.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves people. We're not even on Earth yet." The noise reduced. "Now, I realize that not all of you may have relatives or friends on Earth, so please ensure that each of you have somewhere to go on arrival and that you won't be on your own. Talk to the rest of the crew. They will be in the same boat. I don't want any members of our family to be on their own at this time. Is that understood?"

A chorus of "Yes, Captains" filled the holodeck.

"Thank you all, again. Dismissed."

She waited, with Chakotay, until they were alone on the holodeck.

"Thank you, Kathryn." He said softly.

"No thank you Chakotay." She looked him straight in the eye. "I meant what I said. We wouldn't have made it without all of you. I wouldn't have made it without you. I'll take the opportunity now, before the madness takes over – I give thanks every day that I was fortunate enough to have your help and guidance over these years. You have been the finest officer I have ever worked with and the best friend I've ever had. It has been an honor serving with you."

"Permission to give the Captain a hug?"

"Granted."

For the first time in seven long years, they allowed themselves the luxury of just being friends and they embraced for several minutes. They each held to the other fiercely as years of pain, sadness and happiness was shared.

"Well, as much as I'm enjoying this, we have things to do." she smiled at him and patted his chest as he smiled back.

"Yes, I'd better get back to the bridge before Harry puts Voyager in the Kim's garage." said Chakotay.

"And I've got to have a little chat with Seven."

He looked up sharply.

"It's OK Chakotay, I know about you and Seven." At his questioning glance she added, touching his arm "From the Admiral." She clarified. "I just want to assure her that I'll be there for her now that we're home. Of all the crew, I think it'll a bit overwhelming for Seven, really. The concerns she and Icheb have are unique."

"Of course. I was going to tell you, Kathryn. When the Admiral turned up, things got a little out of hand."

"Hey, that's OK. I'm your friend, not your, um… Anyway, we'd better get back."

"Sure. Are you going back on the bridge?"

"Eventually. I've still got some people to see. I may even see if the Admiral will let me hold Miral yet, if I get the chance."

"See you back there."

She watched his retreating back. At least she'd managed to talk about him and Seven. Today was certainly an emotional one. First she sent a future version of herself to her death (although now the future had changed, did she even exist?) and now she had for all intents and purposes, wished her best friend well with his future wife, who she considered to be almost like her own daughter. Nothing small ever happens in the Delta Quadrant, it seemed.

"Janeway to Seven of Nine."

"Yes Captain?"

"Seven, can you meet me in Astrometrics in five minutes please?"

"On my way."

"Seven I've got a few things to discuss with you before we get home."

"Of course."

The young woman faced her confidently with her hands behind her back. Janeway wasn't fooled. She knew Seven enough to know when she was uncomfortable or anxious. Not that Seven got anxious very often.

"Well, first off, I want you to know that even though we'll be on Earth and perhaps the crew split up, neither this crew or myself will abandon you. I'll make sure of that. Whatever happens, don't forget you have rights. You're an individual now and those rights must be respected. Don't settle for less.

"That's the main thing, but I also wanted to ask you and Chakotay to come home with me. At least for the first couple of days, until… "

At that point the ship lurched and the two women staggered, Seven grabbing one of the stools and the Captain almost fell to the floor. Janeway leant on the nearest console.

"Janeway to the bridge. What the hell just happened?"

"Captain we've just had a EPS bl.." and there was silence.

"Sorry Harry, I missed that."

The ship lurched again, this time more severely. Seven was still hanging on to the chair but the Captain was thrown against the console and knocked unconscious. Seven was just about to go to her assistance when she suddenly began to feel light on her feet. She realized that they had just lost artificial gravity.

"Captain, Captain." She tried to reach out and grab Janeway's arm but the other woman was just out of reach. As the ship again lurched, Seven reflexively renewed her grasp on the chair, as her Captain floated further away.

Suddenly, gravity returned and Seven watched in horror as Janeway fell back onto the corner of the console with a sickening thud, her midsection taking the brunt of the fall, finally crumpling to the deck and remaining still.

"Seven to sickbay." Nothing. "Seven to the bridge." Nothing. "Seven to any crewmember." Still nothing.

"We've just lost internal communications. And we lost artificial gravity of Decks 8 & 9 for about thirty seconds"

"Any casualties?"

"Unknown until we get communications up again."

"Have we got external comms?"

"Yes sir. Also, our shields still are malfunctioning and are at maximum strength."

"Let the escorts know that we're having more problems." He turned to the officer at Tactical. "Ayala get down to Engineering and see if we can get comms up as soon as possible and maybe find out if we should just pull up and get towed home."

"I don't think the Captain would like that very much, Chakotay." Ayala smiled as he left the bridge.

"That's an understatement, Mike."

Seven was getting worried. The Captain was still unconscious and she hadn't been able to contact anyone outside Astrometrics. She had tried the main doors again for the fourth time only a couple of minutes ago, but wasn't able to budge them. She had briefly considered leaving the Captain and using the Jeffries tubes to get help but she had detected the very strong odor of a plasma leak before she'd even entered, realizing she would be overcome before she even got close to help.

"Phoebe?"

Seven swung her gaze down to where the Captain lay.

"Phoebe?"

"No, it's Seven, Captain. Please lie still. You are badly hurt."

Janeway blinked at Seven and looked at her uncertainly.

"Have I been shot again, Phoebs?"

It seemed that the Captain was able to hear her but wasn't really processing information at optimum efficiency.

"No Captain, you've had an accident. Please try to be still."

"She doesn't like me very much."

"Who?"

"Seven hates me."

"That's not true!" Seven was shocked that the Captain could think such a thing. "You told me yourself that you're my Captain and that means you can't always be my friend." She wasn't sure that she should be having the conversation at all. If it could be called a conversation.

"I…been avoiding me…defies me…she…."

Janeway moaned, her body writhing and tensing.

"Shit, Phoebe…" she almost whimpered through her gritted teeth.

"Please," begged Seven "try to remain still. You may cause further damage if you move."

Seven couldn't remember ever hearing the Captain swear like that. It seemed to frighten her even more. Seven wasn't used to being frightened and she didn't like it.

The spasm seemed to ease, leaving Janeway's face flushed, with beads of sweat now appearing on her brow. She stared intently at Seven, as if trying to recognize her face.

Seven reflected that the Doctor had not fully explained all the emotions she would experience when the failsafe of her cortical node was disabled. And she certainly didn't appreciate that she could feel so many at once. Worry. Fear. Confusion. Grief. Sadness.

While Seven gently tucked the emergency blanket around her, the Captain seemed to resume her conversation with her 'sister'.

"She's so young. I mean emotionally. Chakotay is old enough to be her father. God, what is he thinking… but I've been pushing him away for seven years, who would have thought he'd eventually not come back." She made an attempt at laughing. "Damn him and his blondes."

And add jealousy to that list.

Seven was now completely at a loss and fighting against something that she failed to recognize as panic.

"Seven to the bridge". Silence. "Seven to any crewmember" Silence.

"Please Captain, remain still." This was very unsettling. Seven was reeling from all the emotions swirling around her. Maybe she was malfunctioning. Surely no one could cope with feeling like this. It was almost debilitating. She was beginning to think that having the fail safe disabled was a bad idea.

"Still, as long as they're both happy, I'll be, um, OK." Another spasm crossed the injured woman's face. "Hurts…." Janeway's eyes rolled back and she lost consciousness.

"Captain. Captain." Seven sat back on her haunches and tears silently made their way down her cheeks.

"Bridge to Janeway." Communications were back!

"Seven to the transporter room. Medical emergency. Beam the Captain directly to Sick Bay. Now!"

"Sorry Seven, transporters are off line again." Came the reply.

"Seven to the Doctor."

"Yes, Seven?"

"Doctor, please come to Astrometrics. The Captain is badly injured. Transporters are not functioning." Her voice had a hysterical edge to it that the Doctor had never heard before.

"On my way!" The Doctor, slapped on his emitter and grabbed a med kit as he ran out of Sick Bay. "Tom, I may need your help."

"Doctor to Chakotay."

"Chakotay here."

"Commander, the Captain has been injured. I'm on my way now to Astrometrics. We need transporters as soon as possible."

"Understood. I'll contact Engineering and get back to you."

On the Bridge, the happy atmosphere had been replaced by one of concern for their Captain.

Chakotay rubbed his face. "Harry are our shields still up?"

"Yes sir."

"So the escort ships couldn't beam through them?"

"Negative, sir. Vorik estimated that it will be ninety minutes before they're lowered."

The doctor arrived at the door of Astrometrics as four crewman were forcing the door open.

He rushed through the opening and dropped to his knees next to Janeway and started his scans.

"How long has she been unconscious?"

"This time about ten minutes. She was initially rendered unconscious when the ship lurched approximately forty minutes ago. We then lost artificial gravity and she fell onto the console without being able to protect herself. She has been speaking to me, but she thought I was her sister." Seven was kneeling, holding tightly to Janeway's hand. She changed positions to allow the Doctor access but kept hold of the hand. "Is she going to be all right?"

The Doctor administered a number of hyposprays and again scanned his patient.

"I've got the stretcher, Doc." Tom had just arrived with his father.

"How is she?" Admiral Paris looked worriedly at Janeway.

"Stabilized now. She has exacerbated some last month's internal injuries and has a nasty concussion, but she'll be fine. I'll need you to help when we get her to sickbay Tom."

"Last month's injuries?"

"I'll tell you later, Dad."

"Chakotay to the Doctor.

"Yes, Commander."

"Doc, Vorik says he'll have transporters for you in about two to three minutes. How's the Captain?" his concern was apparent even over the comm system.

"She'll be fine once we get her to sickbay. We were going to stretcher her, but I'll wait for the transporters. Please transport myself, Seven and the Captain as soon as they're available."

"Acknowledged."

"Thank you Doctor." said Seven so quietly that only the Doctor heard.

"Tom, go back to sickbay and start preparing one of the surgical beds."

"Aye sir." Tom immediately made his way out of the room.

The Admiral looked at the Doctor with a quizzical expression.

"Tom is my medical assistant. We lost all the medical personnel seven years ago. If you ever tell him this, I'll deny it, but he is invaluable to the sickbay and I couldn't do without him." He smiled at Tom's father who looked even prouder than he did when he saw his grand daughter for the first time.

Seven had never been so relieved in her whole life. Within an hour of getting to sickbay with the Captain and the Doctor, Janeway was awake and arguing with the Doctor. She wasn't aware that the sound of bickering could be so pleasant.

B'Elanna and Admiral Paris had returned to her quarters to prepare for arriving home and Tom decided to join them, once he'd made sure his Captain was in no danger. He was also only too happy to get away from the battle that he was sure was about to ensue.

Seven decided to also make a tactical withdrawal. The combatants didn't notice her leave.

"Captain, you've still got extensive bruising and muscle tissue damage. Not to mention the remnants of your concussion. You haven't got any hostile aliens to get you out of staying here this time."

"Doctor, in a very short time this ship will be home for the first time in seven years and if you think I'm going to sit here while that's going on, you're more demented than I thought."

Neither looked as if they were going to back down.

Janeway took another tack.

"Look, Doctor…." She ran her fingers through her hair and softened her tone. Suddenly she looked tired "I don't want perhaps my last minutes on Voyager to be in sick bay. I want to be on the bridge, then walk through the corridors, join the crew in the cargo bay and then walk off the ship with them."

His expression softened. He was about to speak when she continued.

"And Doctor, I'd like you to come home with my family. I've already asked Seven. I'm hoping Chakotay will join us too. Unless you've got other plans. I don't want anyone to be on their own when we get home."

The Doctor looked shocked and Janeway thought he'd never looked so emotional. She thought he might cry, if that was even possible.

"You could finish my patch up job as soon as we get home to Indiana. Please. What do you say?"

"Captain, I would be honored, as long as it wouldn't be an imposition."

"Doctor, you're family. How could you impose?"

"Then, thank you. I accept." She beamed at him "And I'll be on the bridge when we land to give you something to manage the, um, discomfort."

"Thank you Doctor."

She carefully got off the biobed and moved towards the privacy shield to change into a fresh uniform. She returned to the main sickbay area a few minutes later brushing off invisible bits of lint from her shoulders and sleeves.

Straightening up, she looked at the Doctor.

"How do I look?"

"Like the Captain of Voyager."

"Thank you again. I'll see you on the bridge."