October 2409

"When you're done being angry and bitter, you're more than welcome to join me for dinner." Chris Paris leaned on the doorway of his older sister's room. "Amy has the monopoly of the hormonal mood swings in this house, you are not entitled to infringe on the princesses' right to be a mopey teenager."

"I'm still the oldest child in this family. Watch me." The former officer shot back at her younger brother. "What the fuck am I going to do with the rest of my life Chris?"

"Get into real clothes and start searching for some meaning." He stared down his sister. "You have talent that extends beyond being blindly loyal to a deranged love sick woman."

"Fine I'll get dressed if that will shut you up." She attempted a smile. "I can take over handling Dad; it doesn't seem to be that difficult of a job."

"Do you think it's my choice to be living here?" The young man shot his sister a look. "The man is more than driven when it comes to his writing. He needs an editor that can deal with him 24-7 and trust me that is not an easy task. I know you're still angry at everything, but it's just not healthy."

"How can I not be?" She sighed. "You didn't spend two years in jail. You didn't see your mentor defeated as she began her sentence."

"I stopped believing in the mythic figure of Kathryn Janeway the day Dad published his first novel. You are aware that you aren't fully Klingon Miral? Are you?" He reached up to rub his hand on the faint ridges of his forehead. "You don't need to live for the honor bullshit. Let you human side persevere for once."

"I'll try. It's just not been easy." She sighed. "You know Amy's too much like Jon. I mean she'll probably have the ridge surgery too, won't she?"

"The day after she turns sixteen, it's already scheduled." He smiled. "Give her a few more weeks and she'll be living at Jon's. I think if they let her, she would actually undergo a genetic resequencing."

June 2411

"I'm moving in to your place when you're out in the field Jon." Amy Paris looked at her brother. "The two of them are driving me insane."

"You're starting the academy in six weeks; you don't need a home base." The older brother shook his head and smiled. "Who's worse?"

"Miral. Miral and Miral." She sighed as she punched her fist into the counter. "It's like she's going to be bitter and angry the rest of her life. Chris just fluctuates with Dad."

"You know what he can be like. Mom being sick is probably only making the situation worse." He sighed. "Just don't fully expect to make this your permanent base; I spent too much getting the work done on it to give it to you."

"You're about to leave on a six year research project, if I move in here, you won't have to worry about your pristine retreat falling apart." She looked out her brother's picture window. "It's not like you don't have enough space for another person around here. Plus would you want your precious baby to fall apart with a renter."

"I made the renovations for a reason." He rolled his eyes. "I'll end up settled down with a family one day. Having a house to raise one in just will make the transition easier."

"Don't tell me you're still pining for Kori." She knew her older brother too well. "It would never work. For starters your both way beyond career centric. Secondly, sure you've had a thing for her since you were twelve, but it's not like there haven't been options. Jon, most women pine for you. Trust me screw your academic reputation, any human female would marry solely based on your looks."

"You just don't get it Amy." The doctor smiled. "There's just something about her that draws people in. She just has that aura about her."

"Uh-huh. You are aware she's also the one who sent our darling moody irrational sister to prison. Yes it's Miral, and she probably would've killed someone and gotten there on her own eventually. But still, Kori really did betray the family with her doing it." She smiled. "Plus, do you not think Ben would kill you if he found out you were in love with his little sister? He's more overprotective of her then Chris is of me."

"They grew up differently." He poured his sister a drink. "Commander Chakotay wasn't Dad and Mom. He basically had raised Mom and Dr. Henley. He was widowed with a premature newborn and a difficult toddler. You know Mom went missing on her first away mission after I was born."

"She was different before she got sick wasn't she?" The ambassador's illness had reflected toughest on her youngest child. "I mean I don't remember her ever really being fully healthy."

"She was a firecracker, I wish you could've known the old her." Hr sighed. "I mean don't ask how many times she almost lost a battle with the warp corp. She's not the same person she was when I was little. But then again, people can change."

November 2413

"So, is there a reason you called me up here Sir." Zuxia smiled at Hansen as she slid into the booth at the Utopia officer's club. "Who is he?"

"Quit being such a yenta, I get it enough from Aunt Riah, I don't need it from you either." Hansen removed her jacket; she waited to see the Doctor go quiet. "Officially next week, but it is the reason I hauled your ass up here."

"How soon do we have it?" Zuxia knew exactly what her reasoning was. "I'm assuming you're bringing me with you."

"That's my goal; it's not going to be a ship with family privileges." Hansen slipped her tea. "I figured I needed to give you a heads up on that."

"I've allowed Mettus to convince me that he needs a tradition Denobulan marriage, I have no problem with that." The doctor smiled. "It's one of those odd concessions I didn't expect to make."

"Neither was marrying a Denonbulan." The Captain shot back. "Bit if you're happy with how it's working, I'm not going to comment on it."

"I'll turn you into a mensch eventually Kor. I can make it my mission." Zuxia laughed. "So what's the complement looking like?"

"It's an Apollo class. 350 give or take." Hansen let the smile spread across her face. "We're looking for an April launch date."

"So we'll be on Terra for the 20th then. You are going to go to this one?" She looked over her coffee mug. "Or are you going to run away again?"

"I haven't decided yet. I told Aunt Riah I would let her know with plenty of time to spare." The Captain looked concerned. "Even with what's been released, there's still a lot of resentment towards me."

"It's pretty bad isn't it?" The Doctor had heard talk, but part of her never wanted to know. "Dad figured that most of it didn't actually come out during her trial."

"Ninety percent was missing from the trial." The perfect officer nodded. "It's tough to be in a room of her crew when I know far more than it even seems imaginable. It stretched way back before her little stunt. Hell it stretched way back into their tenure in the Delta."

"You were really serious when you said stopping her saved both our lives, weren't you?" Zuxia raised an eyebrow at her commanding officer. "I know you wouldn't joke about that Kori."

"I'll leave it at that. Me stopping her saved countless lives including ours." Hansen put on a smile. "We are here to celebrate that I made it up in under a decade. I'm just going to need you around to keep me grounded."

"And to talk you out of doing anything stupid whenever we come within several light years of Tau Theta." The Doctor smiled. "You know his sister would be very happy sending you straight into a Borg cube."

"She would probably send you along to keep me company on my journey." The two burst out laughing. "It couldn't be that hard for the Borg to reassimilate you. But then again, it's you we're talking about; you'd probably overload your assimilators."