Ever After
"There is a house built out of stone.
Wooden floors, walls and window sills.
Tables and chairs worn by all of the dust.
This is a place where I don't feel alone.
This is a place where I feel at home.
And I built a home.
For you.
For me."
- Jason Angus Stoddart Swinscoe, Patrick Watson, Philip Jonathan France, and Stella Page
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A speeder hover bike travels down a dirt road. Turns and turns down roads lined with acres of produce. Golden wheat passes by her quickly. A few trees line the road.
The rider switches gears and turns slowly into a lane.
A single oak tree stands on the property's front yard. Tall, having seen many years pass by it. Bolts hold it together, much like herself.
She brings the bike to a stop. A red haired Irish Setter greets her happily. She barks a warning. Sniffs the air as the rider removes her helmet. Blond hair cascades down her neck.
A hand painted with Borg technology reaches out as the dog approaches and does not shy away, and accepts the dog's happy greeting. She watches as the dog happily returns to their spot on the front porch of the large stone house.
A barn is to the right and she pads across the freshly cut grass to reach the wooden door. It opens with a creak and she enters inside.
Housed on the walls are signs from different areas. A canoe hangs from the roof of the barn, held up across wooden beams. Like the oak out front, it has seen many years.
She moves to her right, as something draws her attention. A plaque sits on the wall of the barn. She runs fingers over the embossed metal.
U.S.S. Voyager
"I thought I heard someone pull up," a voice behind her says. "My apologies. I didn't know I had an appointment."
She turns.
"Seven?" Chakotay exclaims.
He takes a few steps toward her, drops the towel in his hands.
His hair is long, and silver now, pulled back in a low ponytail. He is dressed in a brown tee, a woodworking leather apron wraps around his waist.
She turns fully, and he takes a few more steps to meet her at the plaque. "It's Annika now," she tells him.
"Annika," he smiles. "It has always suited you better."
She smiles and turns back to the plaque. "For I dipt into the future, far as human eye could see, Saw the Vision of the World, and all the wonder that would be..."
"Alfred Tennyson," he continues reading.
She turns. "That's what this is about." She inhales deeply, cocks her head to the side. "Is she here?"
He leads the way through the barn, out a rear door that opens to a small garden surrounded by wheat fields. The sun is warm. The air is still and smells of earth.
"Kathryn," he begins.
"Yes, what is it?" a voice from below tall green plants calls out. "I heard the dog barking."
When no one answers, she raises her head. Her hair is a silver blond and is pulled back from her face, long strands drop past her shoulders. She walks slowly from the tall Talaxian tomato plants she is tending. She carries a bowl of freshly ripened produce. Her eyes squint in the near distance, to the figure standing with Chakotay.
She drops the bowl carelessly to the ground and moves toward them.
"Seven?"
"Annika," Chakotay corrects gently.
"Of course, Annika." Her voice lowers, barely a whisper. "Where have you been?"
New lines grace the former Admiral's face, altered by time and experience. Tight lips turn into a smile as her brow raises lovingly. Kathryn Janeway reaches out to take Annika's face in her hands.
She smells of earth, of home, and the former Borg drone closes her eyes, and lets her former Captain take her into her arms. She lowers her head to Kathryn's shoulder and releases a heavy breath, letting years of longing drain from her body. And for a moment, she forgets the pressure of the moment, the uncertainty of the future.
Finally, she pulls away from her, and lowers her eyes. "Unfortunately, I don't have much time."
"What is it?" Concern spreads across Kathryn's face.
"I need your help."
THANKS:
I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for reading this, for continuing through this journey with me. It was scary coming to a well-established fandom like Voyager, and I want to say that all your kind words have made me feel so welcome.
It was also scary writing fanfiction again after being away from it for 10ish years. And in diving into these new characters, I felt I had a duty to treat them with utmost respect – like I do every time I write.
But Voyager was special.
Your comments and kudos have kept me going when I thought that I was writing complete rubbish, so thank you for liking and commenting. It was a hard thing getting used to this new fanfiction writing/posting. Fandoms have truly changed over the years.
I want to thank and some Memory-Beta for those names that weren't in the show, just to keep it feeling real for you novel readers. To for providing me with the scripts. And of course, all the artists and their lyrics that helped to convey the tone of each chapter.
I only hope I did some justice with these characters, and that maybe, perchance, you may want more.
-DMK
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