SINNERS AND SAINTS
By Rocky

Act 1
County Cook, Ireland

"It's so nice that you could stop by," Anne Carey said over an afternoon tea tray at her home in County Cork, Ireland. She lifted the teapot and poured for her guest.

"Well, I was practically in the neighborhood anyway-not like I beamed over from Seattle," Kaylyn Richardson answered, accepting a cup with a smile. She bore little resemblance to her more famous sister, Ensign Marla Gilmore, formerly of the U.S.S. Equinox, now stationed aboard Voyager. She held up a hand. "No milk, please, just sugar."

Anne passed her the sugar bowl. "How long will you be staying in London?"

"The conference runs until the end of the week. Five days total, though honestly, it could just as easily been consolidated into three. They've really spread out the sessions-we have a lot of free time built in."

"Like as not people want to do some touring while they're at it, I suppose." Anne broke off as the boys came into the room.

"Mum, can we have some cake?" JJ asked, eyeing the pastries and scones.

"Yes, you may," Anne said. "Just one piece each, though." She turned back to her guest. "Kaylyn, these are my boys. JJ is the redheaded lad currently showing an abysmal lack of manners-" she pulled a mock-frown at her oldest son who had taken a mouthful large enough to render himself speechless, "and that's Patrick-" she nodded at the smallest boy who grinned impishly in return. She draped her arm around the shoulders of the third boy, who was much swarthier than the others. "And this is Luis Ayala, Michael's son, who's staying with us." Luis smiled shyly and then ducked his head. "Boys, this is Mrs. Richardson."

"Please, no need to be so formal. Just 'Kaylyn' is fine."

"Nice to meet you," JJ said, clearly the spokesman. "Come on, let's go," he ordered the others, and they darted out quickly, their hands and mouths full.

Anne shook her head. "These boys..."

Kaylyn laughed. "I'm sure they keep you busy."

"Oh, that they do. Still, I wouldn't have it any other way," Anne said with a smile that quickly faded. It hadn't been easy being a single parent all these years. When Voyager disappeared, JJ had been seven years old, Patrick only three. Seven long years had since passed, the majority of the children's lives, and it would still be a long time until they'd see their father again, until the family would be complete once more. There had been times that only the necessity of being there for her children had given her the strength to keep going. She mentally shook herself and focused her attention on her guest once more. "I'm really glad you could visit, Kaylyn."

"Likewise." Kaylyn looked around the peaceful sitting room and smiled at her hostess, very much at ease. Although they'd only met in person once before, at the Voyager Family Association picnic almost a year earlier, they'd since kept up a lively correspondence on an almost daily basis and had developed a close friendship.

"I confess," said Anne, playing with the tea cozy, "I have an ulterior motive in bringing you over here this afternoon." At Kaylyn's questioning look, she added, "I need your help."

"Sounds serious," Kaylyn said, putting her cup down on the saucer. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, nothing's wrong," Anne said quickly. "The news from Voyager this month was good, and in fact, Joe's letter was especially-" she stopped for a moment. "Did Marla mention anything 'unusual' in her last letter?"

Kaylyn shook her head. "Nothing out of the ordinary. She said that everyone was looking forward to getting back in space once more, also mentioned something about a special gift that Lieutenant Kim had gotten her..." her voice trailed off. She took a sip of her tea. "I have to say that every month when I see the Voyager security code attached to an incoming transmission, my heart is always in my mouth, wondering if something has happened to Marla." She forced a smile. "Maybe I'm just paranoid, but after having received that official 'we are very sorry to inform you of the loss' *once* already, I guess I'm just a little spooked."

"I don't think you're paranoid at all," Anne said, patting her hand. "I feel the same way. I worry about Joe a lot-in fact, a few months ago I had this recurring nightmare that he'd been taken hostage and killed on an away mission." She gave a shaky laugh. "I don't think I relaxed until I heard from him in the next datastream."

Kaylyn gave her a sympathetic smile. "And was he all right?"

"Yes, he was fine. Well, they had a small explosion in engineering, something to do with the Prixin preparations, I believe. But aside from a broken wrist, he was all right."

"Thank goodness for that," Kaylyn said. "Marla suffered *another* concussion a few months back as well." She sighed. "Never a dull moment."

"Not when you've got loved ones in Starfleet," Anne agreed.

"Back to your ulterior motive," Kaylyn said, buttering herself another scone. "What's up?"

"I was thinking, every month we, namely the families, get a letter from our people on Voyager. We hear all the personal news, but not much about the ship as a whole." She took a sip of her own rapidly cooling tea. "Joe does mention every now and then what's happening with some of the other people in his department, or general news of major importance, but that's about it."

"Marla's pretty much the same," Kaylyn said. "I didn't even know that the chief engineer had had a baby until I saw it on the newsvids."

"Yes, the they run a monthly 'Voyager update' feature," Anne said. "And occasionally Admiral Paris, or more often his wife Alicia, sends along a little more general information."

"Not to everyone," Kaylyn said. "I don't think my family has ever heard directly from the Parises."

"He only contacted me once, actually. Well, the Admiral is very busy with the overall Pathfinder project," Anne said, smoothing out her napkin. "It's really not fair or realistic to expect him to find time to communicate personally with each and every family." She paused. "Which is why I think we need to put something together on our own."

"Like a family newsletter?" Kaylyn suggested.

"Exactly," Anne said, leaning forward. "Even before the picnic last year, there was an informal network between various families to share news and information. As soon as someone heard anything, they'd call some of the others, and they'd pass it on and so on." She fell silent for a moment, remembering how it had begun. At the beginning, when Voyager was first reported missing, there was no sense of solidarity among the families. Even after the memorial service two years later there had been little or no contact between any of the newly bereaved. But a few years later, when word first came that Voyager had survived, Starfleet had held a special briefing for the families. Afterwards, some, like Anne, had made a point of meeting and talking with the others. That was when she first became acquainted with Gretchen Janeway, Phoebe Robbins, Alicia Paris, and Lieutenant Greskendrtregk, to name a few. It had been a major turning point for them all. Up to then, they'd all been grieving by themselves, bearing the burden of their loss alone. Anne had attended some Starfleet support groups but nothing on a regular basis. Now finding others in the exact same situation as she was herself was very comforting, and she was eager to pursue the connection.

Unlike some of the other Starfleet relatives, she had made a point of reaching out to some of the Maquis families as well. They were equally affected after all, and after hearing about the fusion of the two crews into one unified whole, Anne considered it foolish to maintain any degree of separation. Since the start of the Pathfinder project, she had gone out of her way to meet and become acquainted with family members of the former Equinox crew as well.

Kaylyn reached out and squeezed her hand. "I never really told you how much I appreciated your including the 'E5' in your network, Anne. Everybody else has held us at arms length-it wasn't until much later that Starfleet ever told us the full story about what happened with Captain Ransom, and how and why Marla and the others were the only survivors."

Anne looked away, embarrassed. "I'm really sorry about that, Kaylyn. If it were up to me-"

"Yes, I know. But unfortunately, it wasn't. And like it or not, your attitude is still a rarity." Kaylyn took a deep breath. "I don't know what's going to happen when Voyager get back. My husband is a lawyer, and he's been quietly sounding out a few people about Marla's situation-it doesn't look good. Still, I know I'd rather have her back safe and sound, even if she does get drummed out of the service." She dabbed at her eyes. "But it's foolish to worry about that now, as it's going to be a long time before Voyager gets back. A lot can happen in a decade or so."

"True," said Anne, "But it's not going to take that long-that's what I wanted to tell you. Joe and some of the others have been working on a slipstream drive, all those months they were stuck on that planet, and they think they've succeeded. Joe says not to get our hopes up too much, but if all goes well-and he's sure it will-they may very well be home within the year!"

"That would be wonderful!" Kaylyn said. "Oh, Anne..." She stopped suddenly. "Why wasn't this mentioned on the newsvids? Or in an official announcement from Starfleet?"

"I don't know," Anne said slowly. "Unless they don't want to get our hopes up. Remember what happened with transwarp, after all."

"They'll have to break the news eventually," Kaylyn pointed out, "especially as Voyager gets closer."

"You won't get any argument from me," Anne shrugged. "Regardless, that's the sort of thing I thought the newsletter would be perfect for. To make sure *everyone* is kept apprised of all new developments, and not have to depend on the official PR people for it."

Kaylyn considered. "It's a great idea, Anne, but were you considering handling this yourself?"

"Of course," Anne said in surprise. "Why wouldn't I? With some other volunteers, that is."

"Don't you have enough on your plate already? I mean, I know you've been doing some work with the Federation Relief Agency, and you've got your own career. On top of all that you're raising your boys on your own, plus you've taken in Luis Ayala as well-are you sure you can handle the responsibility of running a newsletter?"

Anne smiled. "It really shouldn't be too much different that what I'm already doing. As I said, we've already had an informal information sharing network-now it's just a question of streamlining the process." She paused. "But I could use some help."

"Ah, that's where I come in," Kaylyn said knowingly.

"You and a few of the others." Anne walked over to the desk in the corner and switched on the computer. "I've already been in touch with Greskendrtregk a number of times-in fact, he's been the one who's been getting the word out about various Voyager Family Association events to those people who are located offworld. Like Commander Tuvok's wife on Vulcan, Ensign Chell's sister on Bolarus IX, Lieutenant Torres' uncle on Qo'noS." Anne touched a few controls. "It was really convenient when he was stationed on Deep Space Nine, but he was transferred a few months ago. Now he's on the U.S.S. Halcyon."

Kaylyn leaned over. "Actually, sending it out isn't going to be a problem-once you have the newsletter, you just need a database of addresses and it's taken care of. What's going to be time consuming will be gathering all the items each month and putting it together." She straightened up. "Would you want it to come out more often than once a month?"

"No, that should be enough, especially since we only have a datastream transmission once a month at present, though that may be subject to change as they get closer." Anne brought up another file. "Here's the list of friends and family for each member of the crew."

"Where did you get these from?" Kaylyn asked. "You've got a lot more than just the standard 'emergency contact' addresses here."

"I've got those as well, but basically, these are the names of all the people who have been writing to Voyager since regular communication was established. Pathfinder was keeping very strict records, making sure that no one sent any messages who wasn't on the approved communication list."

"Some have undoubtedly changed over the years," said Kaylyn as she started reading. "I don't even recognize some of these names. Who's this?" she asked, pointing to a particular name near the top of the list. "Mark Johnson? Is he a relative of the captain's?"

"He was engaged to Captain Janeway seven years ago, before the ship was lost," Anne said quietly. "That's the older list you're looking at; I'm pretty sure he's not on the current one." She tapped a few controls. "Here, this is more accurate and up-to-date."

"I wouldn't be surprised if a number of 'significant others' have moved on," Kaylyn said as she continued reading.

Anne nodded. "Harry Kim's fiancé, Noah Lessing's wife. .." She fell silent, wondering if maybe these weren't the healthy ones, the people who were able to move on instead of clinging to the past, living on hope.

Echoing her own thoughts, Kaylyn asked, "I was wondering, Anne-you don't have to answer this if you don't feel comfortable-but after Voyager was officially declared lost, did you ever think about marrying again?"

"Not really," Anne hedged, "I had young children to think of, and when you come down to it, I just wasn't ready yet. The boys were so very little-Patrick hadn't even started school when Voyager disappeared."

"But other spouses also had young children, like Noah Lessing's wife-" Kaylyn pulled herself up short. "I'm sorry. This really isn't any of my business, and the last thing I want to do is look like I'm passing judgment on someone for-"

"We're friends, Kaylyn, and it's OK for you to ask me this. I wish I had an answer for you, but I just don't." Anne sighed. "I guess it depends on the individual. I just know I wasn't ready to give up on Joe, and in hindsight I'm really glad I didn't. Though Joe did, well, 'scold' is not quite the appropriate word. He said he wouldn't want me to spend the rest of my life alone, out of some misplaced sense of loyalty and duty. If he really were dead, that is. And being that he's not, he was damn glad I waited!" Anne smiled, despite the tears she felt threatening. "You might also ask what about those relatives who still cling stubbornly to hope, even after getting definitive word that their loved one is dead. Look at Mitch Dalby, for example."

"Dalby-"

"The twin brother of Ken, one of the Voyager Maquis. Ken was killed during one of the battles with the Borg last year. Mitch was also a Maquis, and was involved with Mariah Henley, maybe even engaged once, I think. He was not on the Liberty for that mission in the Badlands-he'd sustained severe wounds in a previous raid and had been left at the base camp to recuperate."

"I take it he was one of the refugees from the first waves of Jem'Hadar attacks?"

Anne nodded. "He spent the majority of the war years in a Federation prison."

"I still don't know many of the family members," Kaylyn commented. "Heck, I'm still not as familiar with the names of the Voyager crew themselves."

"Give it time," Anne said. "All right, let's go through this in some type of order. Commander Daeja Thev. She's a regular correspondent for Captain Janeway. "

"Is that a relative?" Kaylyn asked.

"No," Anne replied, "I think just a good friend."

"On the list?"

Anne hesitated and then said, "Should we keep this to just family members, or not?"

"Any one who's writing on a regular basis should be included," Kaylyn said decisively. "After all, there are some members of the crew who don't have any close relatives, or else a friend of the family is acting as the relay or contact person."

"Good point. Other family members for Captain Janeway include her mother and sister. " Anne checked off those names. "Commander Chakotay has a sister, Maya, married to Esteban Lupes and living on Dorvan V. Also a cousin, Terven, in Ohio."

For some time they worked their way through the list of crew, in some cases making a note to check for more current addresses.

"Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres," said Anne. "An uncle, K'Nar, on Qo'noS, plus a cousin, Elizabeth Torres Steinbach who lives in Geneva."

"What about parents? I've got a John Torres listed here," said Kaylyn.

Anne hesitated. "I don't know the whole story, but apparently the lieutenant was estranged from her father and her mother is dead. Stick with the cousin as her primary contact-we'll let Elizabeth decide how much information to pass on to him and how much contact there should be."

"I'm sorry, Anne, but I don't agree. Let John Torres make the decision if he wants to be involved or not."

Anne sighed. "You're probably right." She stretched. "Last in this section is the Paris family."

"You think the Admiral needs a newsletter?" Kaylyn said. "He's in charge of the whole Pathfinder project! There's probably nothing going on that concerns Voyager that he doesn't know about."

"True, but I'm sure his wife and daughters would still appreciate it," Anne said. Alicia Paris, like Gretchen Janeway, had been very reticent about getting involved in Voyager Family Association doings from the outset. They'd been happy to attend the various events that had been organized over the year, but had both shied away from any type of leadership role.

Anne had been worried about stepping on toes, and had made a point of contacting Mrs. Janeway when she first conceived of the newsletter. Gretchen's reaction had not been quite what she expected.

"Good Lord, no," Gretchen had said emphatically. She quickly added, "I think your idea is a marvelous one, Anne, but I personally don't have any desire to be involved, other than in the role of interested family member."

"But Mrs. Janeway, you're a relative of the captain-"

"And because of that I should be the one in charge?" Gretchen shook her head. "I'm aware that a lot of military spouses more or less 'assume the rank' of their husbands or wives when it comes to interactions with the other families. But I think in the case of Voyager, whose circumstances are so exceptional to begin with, we shouldn't be so hidebound. Better for those who have the interest and ideas to be the ones in a position of authority."

"But are you sure you don't mind?" Anne pressed.

"I've lived the Starfleet life for close to sixty years, Anne. I've been married to a Starfleet Admiral, and have raised one of my children to be a Starfleet officer as well. I've had more than my share of pain and loss, I sometimes feel. It would probably be better to have someone else, someone more energetic take on the job."

"What about your other daughter?"

Gretchen said, "You can ask her, but I'm sure Phoebe would say the same thing, beg off from any leadership role." Gretchen grinned. "Besides, Phoebe doesn't really have the time-and between you and me, nor the people skills either-to undertake something like this."

Kaylyn broke into Anne's reverie. "Oh, one more name I almost overlooked. Who is Dr. Lewis Zimmerman?"

"Oh, he's the 'contact' for Voyager's Doctor-his 'father', if you will."

"But he's just a hologram," Kaylyn said, a hint of amusement in her eyes.

"Yes, he is, but a sentient one," Anne answered, "and as such is a full member of the crew. And he deserves the same rights as any other."