She lied. She had told Raffi that she only knew her ex lived somewhere in Indiana. But the exact location of Chakotay and Kathryn Janeway had been sitting in a box under her bed. Invitations to birthdays, Christmas parties, Prixin celebrations, and more. They wanted her to be there, to be a part of their lives, but she never responded to their attempts to reach out. The invitations piled up over the years, and for some reason, she could never throw them away. Eventually, they stopped coming.

She picked one out of the box and turned it over.

232 Kirkwood Drive, Bloomington, IN 47567

She put on a soft blue t-shirt and her brown leather jacket with a pair of jeans and headed out the door to the transporter station. She nearly turned around three times, but each time she convinced herself that Raffi was right, she needed to put certain things to rest.

When she got to Bloomington, it was only a short walk to the Janeway residence. It was a small farm with a few acres of land. There were horses and chickens in the back and a golden retriever that sat on the large front porch, guarding his territory with a floppy tongue and a tilted head. She walked the stone pathway from the fence to the front door. Their house was beautiful and quaint. It was white with dark brown shutters and a dark red door that reminded her of Kathryn's uniform.

She looked down at the dog.

"You don't think I'm making a mistake, do you?" she asked with an arched brow.

The dog whined and got up from his spot to run around the back of the house.

She sighed and knocked on the door.

She was greeted by a young teenage girl.

"Can I help you?" the girl asked.

She had her father's brown eyes, but that gentle smile was most definitely Kathryn's. Her long brown hair was tied back in a ponytail, and a dusting of freckles ran across her nose and under her eyes.

Seven snapped back to the present and began to introduce herself.

"Hi my name is-"

"Seven?" she heard a familiar voice call out from behind the girl.

Chakotay walked forward.

"It's alright, Amelia, she's….an old friend."

Amelia noticed the strange look passing between her father and this stranger and decided it was best for her to go to her room, or rather the top of the stairs to listen to her father talk to the woman.

Chakotay was the first to break the silence.

"Please, come in," he opened the door and led her towards the living room.

She took notice of the pictures on the walls. Images of Amelia playing tennis, of their son's school graduation, and of Kathryn and Chakotay kissing underneath a sign that read "Happy Twentieth Anniversary Mom and Dad."

"Can I get you something? Water? Coffee?"

"I'm fine, thank you," she said, continuing to look around at the photos.

"Where's Kathryn?" she asked.

"She's out visiting our son in Arizona. She should be back soon," he replied.

Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the picture of Voyager's crew in celebration. She missed them all so much, and yet she'd kept herself away from everyone for so long.

"Not to be impolite, but what brings here?" he asked.

She looked back at him, his hair was longer, completely grey, and his physique was softer than she remembered. Then she took notice of his stance and nervous expression hidden behind deep brown eyes. He lightly tugged on his ear, and her lips formed a slight smile at the realization that some things never change.

"I came to talk," she said casually.

His eyes softened but held a curiosity.

"It's been over twenty years. We've invited you to every birthday party and celebration for over a decade," he said.

She nodded.

"I know. I don't think it's a secret that I've been avoiding you all these years."

She walked over to the couch and sat down, and he took a seat next to her, making sure to keep a comfortable distance.

She took a deep breath and continued.

"So why now?" he asked.

She hesitated, remembering the words that ran through her head all morning. She knew what she had to say, but these things were never easy. The Seven that Chakotay remembers wouldn't hold back or analyze her words before speaking. That Seven was brave without even realizing. Finally, her eyes caught his, and she took a note from her former self and began to explain.

"Because it's time for me to move on. I've been carrying around a lot of hurt for a long time. Not all of it has to do with you...or Kathryn, but there's still time for me to reconcile with this piece of my past."

Her eyes closed for a moment, unsure if she wanted to see his reaction to what she had to say, but then their eyes locked and all that stared back at her was warmth and care. She missed that feeling of safety that accompanied being in his presence.

"Seven, you have no idea how sorry I am for hurting you back then. I should have never started that relationship with you when my feelings for Kathryn were still so strong."

She chuckled softly.

"That's just it. I'm not mad that our relationship ended. At first I was, but that feeling passed. You taught me so much in the short time we were together, you helped me grow, and taught me how to be a partner. I'm truly grateful for that experience."

She noticed him begin to physically relax. His body sank into the couch a bit more, and his shoulders sagged as if a weight had been released. After a moment, he looked at her, and she could see an eager curiosity lurking in his expression.

"If me leaving wasn't the issue, what was?"

She smiled and reached out her hand to rest it on his shoulder.

"You and I were both seeking the same thing. Someone to love in place of the person we truly wanted. Turns out, we both wanted the same person."

He paused as the realization hit him.

"You were in love with Kathryn too," he whispered in amazement as the twenty-year confusion finally became clear.

"She brought me back. She saw something in me that no one else had. I hadn't realized how deep my feelings ran for her until shortly after you and I broke up. I was angry at you for a long time, but not because we didn't work out. It was because you and her did."

"I don't know what to say," he muttered.

"It's okay. I never could have given her-" she gestured to the house and the beautiful family pictures.

"-All of this. Your daughter is beautiful, and from what I've seen of him, your son is just as handsome as his father."

"Thank you, that means a lot."

He smiled and asked, "Does this visit mean we'll be seeing more of you?"

"I'm not sure. My life isn't quite as...settled as yours seems to be. But maybe I'll be around next Prixin...that is, if I'm invited." she smirked.

He chuckled and nodded.

"Of course you are."

The two continued talking for another hour, catching up on two decades lost. They were so deep in conversation that neither one noticed that the door opened and closed.

"Hi, Mom!" Amelia said, racing down the steps and embracing her mother.

"Hello, Darling," she replied, pausing as she heard a voice other than Chakotay's in the next room.

She looked down at her daughter and asked: "Who's here?"

Amelia shrugged.

"Dad's ex-girlfriend. I listened in on their conversation for a few minutes, but it got kinda boring. She's from Voyager, I recognized her from the picture of the crew in the living room."

Kathryn suppressed a gasp when she realized who it was.

"Why don't you go out to check on the horses for a bit? You look like you need a break from studying anyway."

Amelia's eyes widened.

"But finals are coming up soon! I can't just stop studying!" she exclaimed.

Kathryn sighed.

"I didn't say you had to stop, I just think you need some fresh air and to give your mind a rest."

Amelia rolled her eyes and audibly huffed before marching outside and walking towards the barn.

Kathryn could feel her heart rate pick up. She smoothed out the wrinkles in her shirt and ran her fingers through her hair before approaching the living room.

Seven was mid-sentence when she froze.

"Seven?" Kathryn said shakily.

Chakotay glanced between the two women and decided it was best to go check on the horses with Amelia.

Once he was gone, Seven spoke up.

"It's good to see you, Captain."

She smirked.

"It's just Kathryn now."

Seven's eyes ran over her former Captain. Kathryn's hair was well past her shoulders, and it was a blondish-grey rather than the beautiful auburn color she remembered. She, like Chakotay, had put on a few pounds in the past two decades but was still as gorgeous as ever. Her curves were more defined, and she still held herself with the same graceful elegance Seven remembered so fondly. Her heart skipped a beat when those eyes, mischievous, blue, and so full of wonder, locked onto hers.

"What are you doing here?" she asked in amazement, walking over to sit in the same spot Chakotay had occupied moments before.

"I came to...talk," Seven noticed herself tripping over her words a little more than she had when talking to Chakotay. She felt her palms begin to sweat, and her heart was beating rapidly.

There was a slightly awkward silence, which Kathryn eventually broke.

"You look well," Kathryn said with a sad smile.

"As do you," Seven replied.

Kathryn contemplated her words before she spoke again, unsure of how to talk to her old friend.

"I've missed you terribly," she confessed.

Seven caught the moment of hesitation in Kathryn's expression before placing a hand on her arm. Almost as if it proved the reality of Seven's existence, Kathryn released a small gasp and pulled her into a hug.

The two pulled away, and Kathryn cupped her cheek, taking a moment to look over Seven's features and notice the changes.

"I'm sorry for staying away as long as I did," Seven said.

Kathryn let her hand fall.

"Why did you? I sent you letters, invitations, messages for nearly fifteen years with no reply. Eventually, I gave up all hopes of ever seeing you again."

Seven noticed a few tears in Kathryn's eyes and suddenly understood how deeply her actions had hurt her.

That dreadful feeling of guilt settled in the pit of her stomach, and suddenly she found herself craving that emotionless state of her past.

"I know."

"I never meant to push you away," Kathryn said, her voice growing raspy.

Seven felt a tightening in her throat as her own tears began to build up.

"It wasn't your fault."

"Then, what was it? Why have you kept your distance for so long?"

Streaks of tears ran down Kathryn's cheeks, and she quickly broke eye contact to wipe them away.

Seven thought carefully about how to put these emotions into words, feelings that she had gotten used to keeping buried and pushing aside.

"If I had married Chakotay, and built a wonderful life with him, would you want to spend time around us? Would you want to sit and watch the love of your life be happy with someone else?"

"No. I wouldn't," Kathryn replied.

There was a pause as Seven wiped away a stray tear.

"I had no idea that you had such strong feelings for Chakotay," Kathryn said.

Seven chuckled with a sniffle and shook her head.

"I didn't," she said.

Kathryn looked at her with confusion.

"I was in love with you, Kathryn," Seven clarified.

Her eyes widened.

"Oh," she said softly.

"You honestly had no idea?" Seven asked.

Kathryn felt a few tears glide down her cheeks.

"There was a part of me that knew, or even hoped that you felt that way," she admitted.

This time it was Seven's turn to be surprised.

"Hoped? You mean you-" Seven couldn't even finish her sentence.

Kathryn nodded.

"I had feelings for you too, but I knew in my heart that it was always Chakotay. I need you to know that I don't regret choosing him, but I do regret not having you in my life," she said.

Seven released a breath and felt a weight lift off her shoulders.

"I'm glad you chose him. I see how happy he's made you," she said.

Kathryn reached out her hand to cover hers.

Seven looked into those icy blue depths and tried to maintain composure.

"I... want to thank you for giving me my life back. I don't think I can ever thank you enough for everything you did for me," she said.

Kathryn nodded with a gentle smile, one that fell as Seven began to stand up.

"Are you leaving? I was just about to make dinner."

Seven quirked her brow with a knowing look.

"Alright, so Chakotay was about to make dinner while I sip wine and put together the salad."

The two shared a laugh.

"That sounds great, but there's somewhere I have to go, someone, I need to talk to."

Kathryn stood and nodded as Seven turned to leave again, but something stopped her.

Seven turned around one last time.

Her eyes locked onto Kathryn's once more, and she realized that she could not leave without one last thing.

"Seven?" Kathryn asked, unsure why she had frozen to her spot.

Done with words, Seven quickly marched up to Kathryn and held her face gently in her hands before drawing her closer. Their lips met in a split second before Kathryn even realized what was happening.

Kathryn was tense at first, but eventually, she melted into the kiss, enjoying the soft lips pressed against hers, and craving more. Seven's hand tangled in her hair, trying to picture it as the auburn color she loved.

Seven pulled away first, resting her forehead against Kathryn's. Both were breathless, their chests heaving.

"What was that?" Kathryn asked.

"That was goodbye." Seven said.

Kathryn nearly flinched as Seven pulled away from her completely.

She walked away and opened the front door, Kathryn followed.

"Seven?"

She turned around.

"Promise me that I'll see you again soon," Kathryn's voice quivered.

"I promise," she said.