Chapter 6

Kathryn could remember with almost startling clarity the first moment that she beamed aboard Voyager almost a decade before. The ship was still in space dock then, with design and prep teams moving through her decks as construction was completed and the ship was readied for launch. At the time that Kathryn had taken command, her little ship was one of the most advanced in the fleet. The Intrepid-class ships were designed with exploration in mind, but created to be versatile tactical vessels. As Kathryn looked around at the interior of Aegeus's transporter room, she had to admit that the Sovereign-class ships that were launched later came with sleeker lines and a more stream-lined tactical feel to them.

Aegeus was not the first Sovereign-class ship that she had been aboard, but it was one of the newer vessels. The ship was launched only three years previously, the first in a series of replacement vessels that the shipyards of Utopia Planetia were creating to fill Starfleet's depleted post-war vessel manifest.

There was an almost no-nonsense feel to the ship's design, although its creators had not spared the technological advancements available to them. That line of ships certainly came with a number of bells and whistles, as the saying went, but there was beauty in the efficiency of its layout.

In the turbolift she turned her attention back to the padd in her hand, the reason she had come aboard to begin with, or at least, the excuse that she had used. The report could have been sent from her office, or she could have waited until she was settled in aboard Titan to transmit it, but she had an opening in her schedule and saw no reason not to take advantage of it. A small smile curved her lips as her thoughts drifted.

Two dinner dates in the space of just under a week; she hadn't allowed herself to spend this much time focused on personal matters in longer than she could recall. There were some that might consider starting a new relationship at the same time they were both scheduled to depart on a long and tension-filled mission was ill advised. Kathryn thought they were simply living their lives in motion. Was there any other choice for someone with a busy, successful career? The reality was, aside from subspace communications, they weren't going to see each other again for at least a few weeks. She was enjoying herself, and it was a state that she intended to allow to progress. The parameters of their mission didn't preclude the development of whatever this burgeoning relationship was going to become. Jake's assignment was clear. While he was commanding his own ship, he would be coordinating with her through Captain Grant. There was enough of a buffer to that command chain to remain true to the protocol Starfleet regulations required. She lived for seven years with the largest parts of herself buried beneath so many layers of protocol it was difficult, sometimes, to determine where she ended and the handbook began.

Kathryn had no intention of living like that again. There was just no part of her that was still capable of it, and she wasn't even the least bit sorry about that. She was relishing in the thrill and anticipation that always accompanied the start of something new, and if for no other reason than she hadn't laughed so much, or so hard, in a very long time. Jake wasn't trying to push or maneuver her in any specific direction, either. He appeared to be as content as she was to allow things to develop naturally between them.

The turbolift came to a stop and Kathryn schooled her features into a more casual, neutral expression. The doors opened and she stepped out onto the bridge. She glanced at the padd in her hand again as she strolled toward the Captain's ready room.

"Admiral on deck."

The greeting came almost immediately. It was so commonplace in her life now that Kathryn nodded a polite acknowledgement. The voice, though, was familiar enough that her eyes were drawn in the direction of the owner. She blinked and did a double take as surprised delight lit her eyes. A broad smile curved her lips at the sight of Lieutenant Ayala standing behind the tactical station. "Mike, I didn't know that you were back from Deep Space Nine."

"Yes ma'am," he stood proudly at his station. "I got back a couple of weeks ago. I was going to take a position at the Utopia base control on Mars. Captain Paris reached out a few days ago. He had an opening, and I guess my name crossed his desk." He didn't know where that recommendation might have come from, but he had his suspicions, and he was appreciative.

Kathryn had only mentioned the Lieutenant the once, but somehow she wasn't surprised that Jake had taken that into consideration when he was looking for someone to fill his open Tactical position. Ayala was a good choice. She was pleased that her impressions of the Captain's ability to be a quick and sensible judge of character had not been mistaken. "I'm glad it did," she said warmly, "how are the boys?"

His sons had grown up almost entirely without him. His wife had a new life now, and a new husband. It was hard to accept at first, but he was working on that. Mike was still building relationships with his kids, though, and he was thankful for that. "Weeds," he replied. Both of the boys were as tall as he was now, and he had a feeling that the younger of the two would grow a few more centimeters before he stopped. "They're doing good. Thinking about the Academy. Juan wants to be a pilot. I might send him to Tom first."

"He's still the best in the business, but let's not tell him that." Kathryn chuckled affectionately. Many of them had gone their separate ways, but she would always have a soft spot for those who had been part of her crew for so long. "If the boys apply, let me know." While she wouldn't pull any special favors, those from Voyager took care of their own, and she'd do what she could to make the process as smooth as possible.

"Yes ma'am," Mike nodded, "thank you."

Kathryn sighed, she affected an appropriate look of mild admonishment, "Lieutenant, I let it go the first time, but you know how I feel about that."

Ayala flashed a crooked grin at her. He was more than aware. "It's always crunch time when you're on the bridge, Admiral. It's how the security and tactical teams know to be ready for anything."

Her expression became suitably bland, but it didn't belie the mirth that was shining in her eyes. "We're still in space dock, Lieutenant."

"Yes ma'am," he quipped, and couldn't manage to suppress his knowing smile. Trouble could find her just about anywhere.

She groaned quietly. She had commanded an entire crew of comedians, it seemed. From the corner of her eye she spied movement in the direction of the Ready Room and glanced toward it. The Captain would have been informed of her arrival by the transporter room, and Jake had stepped out to find out what was keeping her. "As you were, Lieutenant." She was still smiling when she crossed the bridge. "Captain."

Jake stood to one side to let her pass into the ready room unimpeded. "Admiral. This is unexpected," but his tone did not indicate that it was unwanted. "To what do we owe the honor?"

"I had some time before I was due aboard Titan and I wanted to drop this by in person." Kathryn turned and when the doors closed, shutting them off from the rest of the bridge, she inclined her head at him. "You didn't tell me that you'd requested Mr. Ayala to join your crew?"

"Didn't I?" Jake grinned. "It must have slipped my mind." He stopped in front of her, close, but with enough distance to observe professional propriety. "I thought it would make a nice surprise. It looks like I was right." He shrugged. "Your obvious respect stayed with me, so I checked out his service record. Lieutenant Commander Tuvok left glowing remarks in his file, for a Vulcan."

"He was a good officer," she agreed. "It didn't bother you that he's never been to the Academy? His rank was provisional aboard Voyager."

"He attended the necessary training that Starfleet offered for the Maquis crew that wanted to stay in Starfleet," Jake shrugged. "If you ask me, seven years in the Delta Quadrant on Voyager is a lot more training than any of us ever got at the Academy. I read the intelligence file Starfleet put together on Captain Chakotay's Maquis cell. Lieutenant Ayala was one of the members that joined to protect the colonies in the Demilitarized Zone. I may not have agreed at the time, but hindsight allows us to see things differently, so I can respect it. Other people joined the Maquis for reasons that were a lot less noble."

"Your cousin," she noted, "for example." Kathryn took a step forward and let her hand rest against his chest. "Tom was angry. He was… adrift," she said, "and I'm sure there were others like him. I don't have the right to comment on your staffing choices, but I think that was a good one."

"I didn't do it for you," he said, because he thought that it needed to be put out in the open. She knew that, but he thought it was important that she also know that he knew that she was aware. "He is a good choice." A grin softened his expression. "I need someone in my corner that's going to let me off the ship every now and then." Before he could get lost in her eyes, Jake straightened. "You said you brought something for me to review?"

"Yes." Kathryn took a step back. She held the report out. "I had a friend of mine take a look at the algorithms we're using for the sensor analysis. She has a particular talent in that area. She supplied a few improvements that I think you'll find useful during your patrols." She had sent the data to Seven a week ago, but the report had only just reached her that afternoon. She was only sorry that Seven wouldn't be able to get away from her current duties to join them. Kathryn missed her.

Jake accepted the report and skimmed it quickly. "Yes, I think this will be helpful," he said. He moved around her as he walked toward his desk. "Can I get you something?"

"No, thank you. I don't have very long." She turned where she stood and clasped her hands in front of her.

He stopped at his desk and read through the report a second time. He would need to study it further, but on the surface it appeared they would have an advantage. It could have been sent via data transmission, however. It didn't need to be delivered in person. Jake dropped the padd onto his desk and turned. He leaned against the edge and folded his arms across his chest. "When are you due on Titan?"

"In an hour," Kathryn strolled along the edge of his office. It was bigger than her Ready Room aboard Voyager had been, but he wouldn't have the view of the stars she'd had. "I had some time to kill."

"I see." Jake watched her make a circuit of the room. "Then this isn't an official visit?"

"No," she slanted a look at him, with an expression that was almost coy. "Not entirely."

"I see." When she was close enough, Jake reached out and curled his hands around her wrist. He tugged her toward him, until she was standing close, positioned between his legs. He draped an arm loosely around her waist and pressed his hand against her lower back. "It occurs to me, and not for the first time, that it is going to be a long couple of weeks." Jake looked up at her, his voice hitched slightly, growing thicker. "Permission to kiss the Admiral."

"Granted," She said, and with no little amount of relief. She was still smiling when his other hand moved to the nape of her neck and he drew her closer. Kathryn looped her arms around his neck and leaned into him when their lips met. Technically she was in transit, and so not exactly on duty at the moment.

Jake groaned at the feel of her nails, combing through the short, salt and pepper hair at the base of his skull. He nipped playfully at her bottom lip. "I knew you were going to be trouble the first time I saw you," he rumbled.

"Is that why you yelled at me?" His mouth moved along her jaw, to her neck, and she hummed.

"That is exactly why I yelled at you." If they had more time he would free her hair from the pins holding the efficient chignon in place. They didn't, however, and his ready room was hardly the place for the thoughts that he was having. He thought about the very long evening they'd spent, just two nights before, making out like a pair of cadets on the sofa in her apartment before he finally left her for the night. She wasn't the kind of woman he intended to take to bed just for the sake of getting her there, but he was finding it harder to walk away. "Okay." Jake set her away from him and stood up. He ran a hand through his hair and pointed a finger at her. "Definitely trouble."

Kathryn chuckled as she exchanged positions with him and sat on the edge of his desk. She leaned a hand against the edge to balance herself and reached up with the other to sweep her finger along the edge of her lower lip, removing the lipstick smudge she knew would be there. "I will admit, this wasn't exactly the reason that I came by, but I did want to see you before we left."

Jake looked back at her and felt his jaw clench. With her cheeks flushed and her eyes bright, leaning as she was against his desk, she was even more alluring that she had been in her evening gown on the night of the Admirals' Ball, or in the blue dress she had worn to dinner the first night he had taken her out, and just when he thought the casual blouse and skirt she had worn two nights ago was his new favorite, he had another image that was going to fill his imagination and keep him warm for the long days to follow. "I can't decide if you're doing that on purpose, or if I'm just damned lucky." He leaned over her, and taking her face in his hands, kissed her again. Touching her was a mistake, though, so he let his hands fall to lie flat on the desk on either side of her thighs. "Starbase 343," he mumbled against her mouth. "There's a cozy little restaurant on level 14. The food is good, the lighting is dim, and the wine is decent. Have dinner with me there, and when we're done, I want to finish this conversation."

"It's a date." She gripped his chin and kissed him one more time before she pushed past him, knowing they'd passed the need for more physical distance some time ago. "I should be going. I don't want to be late."

"If you'll give me a minute to remember my own name, I'll walk you back down to the transporter room." Jake folded his arms across his chest and thought of everything he could imagine that would cool the heat coursing through his veins. He watched her straighten her uniform, make sure her hair was still in place, and shook his head. "Kathryn, do me a favor and watch your back out there. The Romulans that are resisting our attempts to provide help and peaceful resolution aren't going to give up easily." It was as close as he would come to admitting he would like to be the one keeping an eye on her. That would be crossing a line, however, and he wouldn't do that, but he had a vested interest now, even if it was all still new.

"I will," she promised. "I have every faith in Captain Riker's crew. I'm more concerned about the trouble the fleet might run into while we're otherwise occupied."

Jake nodded. "We'll all be careful." He let out a quick sigh and nodded. "Alright, let's get you back to where you're supposed to be before Decan comes looking. I'm starting to think he doesn't like me."

"Well, you did make an interesting first impression on him," she drawled. Kathryn fell in step with him as they left the ready room. "I think he just needs to get to know you."

"I'm going to take your word for it, I can feel his disdain from here." As they crossed the bridge, he nodded to the Lieutenant at Tactical. "Mr. Ayala, will you let Titan know that the Admiral has concluded her business here and will be joining them in a few minutes."

"Yes, Captain. Admiral, it was good to see you again."

"Thank you, Lieutenant. I trust you'll keep Captain Paris in line. You may find he has a penchant for trouble that you're very familiar with." She cast a crooked smile at the Captain in question.

"Absolutely, ma'am." The lieutenant's dark eyes glittered with mischief. "I have an entire file of techniques for dealing with those sorts of situations that I got from Lieutenant Commander Tuvok. You'll also be happy to know that I sent a copy of it to Lieutenant Kim aboard Voyager."

The Admiral clasped her hands behind her back and turned to the Captain beside her. "Well, I think that fully establishes that I am leaving you in very good hands, Captain. I'm familiar with most of the items in that file, and speaking from personal experience, you should probably start thinking of counter measures now."

"I'm going to take that under advisement." He shook his head. "You were so promising too," he told Ayala, but as he turned away, he winked at the man. He had a feeling they were still going to have a good deal of fun. Even the famed Mr. Tuvok couldn't be as rigid as Commander Merrin. Jake cast a look at the Admiral from the corner of his eye as they finished crossing the bridge. "Getting back to Lieutenant Decan, does he take gifts? I'm not above bribery."

Kathryn laughed as they moved into the turbolift. "I'll leave you and Decan to work that out. I don't want to get involved."

"Thanks a lot." He kept his hands clasped behind his back as the rode the lift down. "There's just one other thing I need to know. That report you brought, does Captain Grant already have a copy."

Without diverting her gaze from the doors in front of them, a small smile curved her lips. "He does." The Captain would be distributing it before they got underway.

"I see." Jake filed that away for further contemplation. She had, apparently, stopped by just for the hell of it. The lift came to a stop and he waited for her to step out before he fell in step with her again. "I think, Admiral, it would be prudent to point out that there is an overload in your forward EPS manifold."

"I wouldn't worry, Captain." Her eyes crinkled with amusement. "It's manageable. All systems are functioning within acceptable parameters."

"That's good to know. Momentary deviations, then, are to be expected on occasion?" Jake arched a brow at her.

"On occasion, yes. I wouldn't expect a regular occurrence." Once they had deployed, they would have to operate within the confines of a more formal structure, but there was a time and a place for every interaction.

He would make note of that. They moved into the transporter room and Jake dismissed the technician at the controls with a slight jerk of his head. He stepped over and laid his hands against the panel while she moved onto the pad. "Have a safe journey, Admiral."

"You too, Captain."

"Starbase 343, Kathryn." He keyed in the coordinates for Titan and looked up at her. His eyes held hers for several moments. "I'll see you in a few weeks."

"I'm going to look forward to it," she promised.

She disappeared in a shower of light and Jake sighed. It was going to be a long damn trip.

When Kathryn rematerialized aboard Titan she was not surprised to find Commander Troi waiting for her. She took a moment to reorient herself to the new ship, and felt a polite smile curve her lips as she stepped down off the transporter pad.

"Admiral," The Commander stood with her hands clasped in front of her, at the relaxed parade stance she knew the other woman appreciated, rather than being at full attention. "Welcome aboard Titan. Captain Riker is currently in a briefing with Captains Mason and Harris. He will have an update for you on their status when that has concluded. Until then, may I show you to your cabin?"

"Of course, Commander." Kathryn moved into step with her as they left the room.

"Lieutenant Decan has already arrived," Deanna explained as they walked. "You'll both be in quarters on Deck 4, the Lieutenant has made sure that your belongings arrived with him, and has seen to it that they were moved to your cabin."

"I honestly don't know what I would do without him," she admitted. They stepped into the turbolift near the transporter room and Kathryn faced the doors. There was always something just a little enigmatic about the other woman. The Admiral could never decide if it was those fathomless dark eyes that marked her heritage, or the small smile that was never far from her expression. It could be, she supposed, that she was projecting her own thoughts into her perceptions, after all with an empath there was always a part of her that felt on display. This time, however, Kathryn could almost swear she felt the Commander's amusement reflected back at her. She cast a sidelong look at her, and indeed, the corners of her mouth were twitching toward a smile she was attempting to suppress. Kathryn sighed quietly. "Okay, out with it. I think I can actually hear the wheels of your mind turning."

Deanna chuckled quietly. "The Lieutenant didn't mention that you'd be joining us from Aegeus. Can I assume that means he didn't know?" She lifted her brows, but there was a knowing glint to the look in her eyes.

"It was a last minute decision," she admitted. "My aide doesn't need to know about every second of my day." She felt immediately boxed in as the lift moved upward. Kathryn sighed. "Is this the part where you are going to tell me that you disapprove?"

The Commander's head inclined. "Should I?" She studied the other woman, the feelings she had been sensing shifted from those of anticipatory delight and contentment, with an undercurrent of desire to something more pensive, and as they stood together, she could tell the Admiral was trying to push it all back, suppress it behind a wall of indifference. "Is there something about your relationship with the Captain that you believe I would find inappropriate?" Deanna waited a few beats before she added, "or is it only that you're so used to denying what you feel that it's instinctual now? I thought we were beyond that."

"So did I," she sighed. Kathryn shook her head. "The relationship does have certain personal aspects to it. We're also friends, I think, and I've known members of his family for most of my adult life. Some of them are very important to me." She shrugged. "We aren't breaking any rules, written or not, and he doesn't seem to mind the rank disparity."

"Ah." Deanna understood now, more than she thought she had before. The lift came to a stop and the doors opened. She held out an arm, allowing the Admiral to exit before her. "I can understand where that might be an issue. We are not all built with the ability to separate our professional and personal lives, and even outside a direct chain of command, difficulties can arise. I don't think that's why you were expecting that I would disapprove, though. You were being evasive. When we spoke a few weeks ago there was a specific conflict that was in need of resolution. I don't believe that's happened yet."

"No it hasn't." There was nothing she could do about that if the two of them couldn't find the time to talk it over. "That has nothing to do with Jake."

Deanna considered that and nodded. "I believe you. It isn't that I approve or disapprove," she added, "your personal life is none of my business. The emotions, however," she smiled brightly at the other woman, "were very close to the surface when you arrived. It was difficult to ignore them."

Kathryn groaned. "Yes, I imagine they were. I'm sorry about that." She was going to have to get that under control. The issue was only that it was so new. She was going to have time to work on it, though, while they were in transit to Romulus.

They came to a stop outside a cabin on Deck 4 and Deanna keyed the door open. "Your home for the next few weeks," she said, and waved the Admiral in ahead of her.

The quarters had the usual low lighting she had come to expect aboard a starship. The rooms were spacious enough, larger than she'd had aboard Voyager, but she expected that of a starship's VIP suite. Kathryn moved to the center of the outer room and turned. There was a row of viewports along the outer wall, beneath which a sofa and chairs had been arranged. The workstation was in a corner of the room, near the door, and she could see that her bags had been left there. She knew that Decan would not have encroached upon what was to be her personal space anymore than was necessary. "Thank you, Commander, this will do nicely."

"I will pass your regards along to the Captain," she said lightly, "and let him know that you are getting settled in. His briefing with the Captains should not take much longer, I would expect that he will be contacting you in no more than half an hour."

That should give her sufficient time to get acclimated to her new quarters and get caught up on any communiqués that she had received since leaving her office. "Noted," the Admiral nodded.

Deanna clasped her hands in front of her and inclined her head. A smile appeared. "You're happy," she said, returning to their previous conversation for the moment. "It wouldn't be prudent for me to disapprove of that, especially considering my own circumstances. Despite the progress you've made this year in attending to your emotional health, there is a part of you that hasn't been happy in so long that you've forgotten that it's okay to feel that way. I would only interject myself if I felt that it was going to be detrimental to our mission. At this point in time, I can find no indication that would be possible. To be perfectly honest, if there is anyone that I trust to be able to put their personal concerns aside for the sake of a mission, she is standing in front of me. My perceptions of your current emotional state are those of a Counselor who is pleased at how far you have come since our first session together. That is all."

Kathryn folded her arms across her chest and walked over to lean against the edge of the desk. "I am," she admitted, "happy. For the first time in a very long time I am feeling both professionally and personally challenged. There is a part of me that is expecting the bottom to fall out, though. It always does, and I know that isn't rational. I am aware that I can't live my life looking over my shoulder for the next disaster, so I've chosen not to."

"And that," Deanna pointed out, "is more than I could have hoped for a year ago. Well done." She waved a hand at the room. "I'll let you get settled now."

"Thank you, Commander." The admiral straightened with a nod. Once she was alone, Kathryn picked up her travel case and carried it into the sleeping quarters. The bed was positioned under the viewport. There was a closet and a small bureau, and the door leading into the 'fresher was standing open. Kathryn dropped the bag on the bed and walked in to survey the attached room. A smile immediately lit her face. There was a sonic shower, but there was also a bathtub. Perhaps this trip wouldn't be so long after all. She turned on her heel, and with a little extra spring in her step, she got down to the business of unpacking.

Later that evening, once the ship had left dock and was on its way to Romulus, the Admiral was treated to dinner in the Captain's quarters. They had talked about the mission, and the latest intelligence reports before the conversation had turned to lighter topics.

Will had finally gotten around to asking about her time in the Delta Quadrant. He had refrained all these weeks, largely because Deanna had asked him to, but he was no longer able to ignore his own curiosity. After listening to one outlandish sounding tale after another, he couldn't decide if the Admiral was having him on or not. From having met the famed and historic Amelia Earhart, or some version of her, to fighting off giant, airborne macro viruses, and finally something he simply couldn't wrap his head around… being wooed by an omnipotent being.

"Q?" Riker stared incredulously at her. "Our Q, and he wanted you to…" He waved a hand at her. Will couldn't even say the words. He wasn't even sure that he wanted to.

"Yes." Kathryn laughed at the way he blanched. She reached for her glass of wine, but lifted her other hand. "I swear, that actually happened; he pulled out all the stops. He gave me roses, and compliments, at least as far as he was concerned they were. There was a puppy, and when all that failed, of course he used the one thing he thought I couldn't say no to, the chance to send my crew home with the snap of his annoying little fingers."

"Of course you said no," Deanna pointed out. Voyager ended up finding its own way home, and there was nothing in the Admiral's record to indicate that she had actually mothered the omnipotent being's child.

"Of course." Kathryn took a sip of her wine. "Hm. It wasn't really me that Q wanted, it was my help; he just didn't know how to ask for it. In the end, reproducing to find a way for the continuum to evolve was the best way to prevent them from tearing themselves apart, but he had another Q to help him with that. All I got out of the ordeal was a headache and an omnipotent godson."

"I'm not sure that I want to understand how that works," Will shook his head. He leaned back in his chair. "It's amazing to me that you survived out there as long as you did, much less made it home. I can't imagine some of the things you had to face, and without any support. We're headed to Romulus, fifty-two light years away from home with eight starships, and you had one ship seventy thousand light years away. I don't know that I could have done it."

"I wasn't sure that I could either, at times. There were moments." She tilted her head and smiled at him. "Don't sell yourself short, Will. I remember a very enthusiastic young man who was hell bent on leaving his mark on the galaxy." She glanced at Deanna. Her blue eyes sparkled with mirth and mischief. "Q was not the first unwanted blind date that I had ever been on."

Will groaned. He leaned forward and covered his eyes with his hand. "I was really hoping you had forgotten about that. Do you have any idea what it's going to do to my reputation if it ever gets out that I got jilted on a date by the famous Kathryn Janeway?"

"I think infamous might be more apt," she laughed at his reaction.

Deanna's brows had risen in interest. She leaned forward, and elbows resting on the table, she gave the Admiral all her attention. "I've never heard this story. How in the world did the two of you end up on a date, and when did this happen?" She cast a look at her husband, and his obvious discomfort did nothing to lessen her own curiosity, or immense amusement.

"Our fourth—no, third year at the academy," Kathryn said. "My roommate, my very kind, very social roommate, could not wrap her mind around the idea that I simply was not interested in dating, or partying, or otherwise being distracted from my studies. She thought I just hadn't met the right guy yet, so she and another friend arranged a blind date. I couldn't believe it, and it happened to be the weekend that I was working on my thesis proposal for…" Kathryn stopped and met Will's gaze again. "What did you call him?"

Riker sighed. "The Scorcher." He was resigned to his fate now. Deanna was hanging on every word and through their bond he felt her merriment at his expense. Will shook his head. Given where they were going, and the memories it would produce, he decided to let her enjoy herself. "It's what all the cadets called Admiral Paris back then. He was the worst, the hardest, the most difficult to work with. He left nothing but tears and broken dreams in his path. Or so the story went."

"Perpetuated no doubt by those who were unable to live up to his standards," Kathryn pointed out. "He was tough, but he wasn't impossible." She waved a hand through the air, because that was not the purpose of the story. "I had already seen Will around campus, and he already had something of a reputation."

"Oh, I'm sure." Deanna cast a look at her husband. She was remembering the young man she had met almost two decades before. He was ambitious and arrogant, and he pursued her with the belief that she would capitulate to his charms with ease. He was confused when she hadn't, and that only made him all the more relentless.

Will returned her look. He offered a small, sheepish smile in remembrance for the man he had been. "What the Admiral isn't telling you is that she already had a reputation too," he pointed out. "I wasn't the first guy sacrificed on the altar of her academic success."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kathryn denied. "That was the entire point of ditching the date as quickly as I could, I didn't have time for that kind of socializing. I had very big dreams, and so did you. You were going to Captain your own ship, and maybe if I was lucky I could be your Chief of Science. I was incredibly surprised to get back from the Delta Quadrant and find out that you still had not accepted a commission. The young man I knew couldn't wait."

"And he sacrificed a lot to figure out that he was chasing the wrong dream." Will leaned forward. His arm slipped across the back of Deanna's chair. "Some things we just have to learn the hard way. When the offer was right, and the time was right, I finally sat down in that big chair."

Deanna reached over and laid a hand on his leg. "I can't believe you never told me. Now I understand that comment you made when you found out that she was given Voyager." She smiled brightly and turned her attention on the Admiral. "Will found out after the fact that the two of you were in contention for the same ship, there was no indication that he would accept if he was offered command, but every few years…" She trailed off, knowing the Admiral knew very well how often he was offered a ship before he finally relented.

Laughter rumbled quietly in Will's chest. "I told Deanna that maybe I should be your Science Officer."

"You'd have had plenty to explore," Kathryn told him, "but I couldn't recommend the neighborhood or the locals."

"Well, I don't have any openings," Will drawled, "but I'm sure my current Science Officer could find another posting, if you get tired of playing with the brass."

"Oh god no," the Admiral shook her head at him. "I still love science, and I love the thought of discovering new things, but to spend all my time in a lab now? After everything I've seen? Oh no, but thank you for the offer."

"Let it never be said that I didn't make good on it," Will smiled at her, then he reached for his glass and lifted it. "To the adventures we've known and the lessons we've learned."

"Here, here." Kathryn tapped her glass against his. It was odd how their lives evolved and dreams changed. They had all lived so much already, but there was still far more on the horizon, opportunities and adventures. It would be interesting to see where it took them.

-TBC-