To someone unfamiliar with the unspoken status quo, the etiquette, of Voyager's Briefing Room, nothing would've seemed amiss that moment Chakotay and Seven of Nine walked in together, but Seven, whose sense of security was almost entirely built on habit and routine, was instantly on guard as she observed the space. Normally the large table was the room's anchor, with the senior officers perching either eagerly or apprehensively on the seats they'd staked a claim to over a seven year period, their expectant gazes awaiting the Captain's orders, or perhaps an explanation from herself standing patiently by the console set into the wall, but today something had shifted. The cast was the same as always, but her fellow officers avoided the table, milling around uneasily like a herd pushed in an unexpected direction. The Captain's back was to the door, turned in towards the bigger group, but Seven could see her own confusion, and maybe a little curiosity which she did not share, on the faces of Harry Kim, Tom and B'Elanna. Even Tuvok appeared pensive to her eyes.

As if she had heard Seven's slight, bracing, intake of breath, the Captain turned swiftly to face the new arrivals. There was no surprised flicker in her eyes to see them together, as had been the case before; her mind was obviously on other things. Those same eyes were glistening and red rimmed even as her face stretched into a wide smile. "Good, we're all here now." There was a thickness to her voice even as satisfaction and relief glowed in her tone, and the disconcerting mix of happiness and grief she could see on her Captain's face made an irrational wave of unease come over her and only Chakotay's hand, the muscles tight with his own tension, pressing briefly into the small of her back, stopped her as she began to unconsciously step back from her mentor.

"All here for what Captain?" Chakotay asked quickly as he subtly dropped his hand back to his side, his voice calm but his brow furrowing into a frown.

"It's nothing to worry about." The Captain replied warmly, addressing them all, but as she continued her forcibly relaxed expression wavered with emotion and she began to blink rapidly, "Mr Neelix…has something very important to tell us." She took a deep breath, her steps hugging close to the table as she headed resolutely for her place at its head, "Please, let's all sit down."

Several throats were cleared to fill the silence, Tom purposefully scraping chairs loudly across the carpet as he pulled out one for his wife and another for himself. Seven's commitment to habit folded and she sank awkwardly into the chair in front of 'her' wall console, her legs for once unwilling to stand there like a martinet awaiting commands. Chakotay sat wordlessly down beside her, ignoring the established ranking that normally placed him nearer the Captain, disregarding Tom's gentle smirk to instead give Seven the most reassuring smile he could muster at that moment. Seven couldn't quite bring herself to return it, unsettled as she was by watching the Captain try and fail to collect herself, but she did let her hand settle gratefully on Chakotay's knee for a moment, really only half surprised when Chakotay swiftly moved his hand over hers to hold it in place, shielded as the intimacy was by the table. Tom, showing then just how much his upfront nature could be appreciated as well as tolerated, was the first to try to prod things forward, "So Neelix…" He began lightly, "What was it you called us all here to share?" A flicker of regret passed over his handsome face as the words sounded flippant to his own ears, though he tried his best not to frown as he added uncertainly, "Some happy news I hope?"

Neelix, who was sitting right beside the Captain, let his golden eyes move to her for an instant, taking in her smooth nod and genuine smile, before he stood up shakily to face the core of his crew, his friends. "I think its happy Tom, truly, which is why I asked the Captain to call you all here." He paused to take a long, shuddering breath, but as he watched their familiar, beloved faces relax, his own face settled into a calm, beatific smile. "I've decided to stay here on the asteroid, be a partner to Dexa and a father to Brax."

A myriad of emotions flooded the faces of his audience as this declaration sunk in. Shock, hurt, grief, but above all understanding and happiness for their friend, much as Captain Janeway had experienced herself and expected to see in her loyal crew. Slowly, she stood up next to her Morale Officer, her first real friend in the Delta Quadrant, and rested a supportive hand on his round shoulder. "I know that this news will be a shock to you and…" She swallowed hard, "…a real loss for our crew, but I like to think that on our long journey home, we've managed to find Neelix his home. I hope we can all support his decision gladly."

There was a split second of awkwardness, no one wanted to come across as judgemental, or worse, disapproving. Finally, representative to his complex but deep relationship with Neelix, it was Tuvok who broke the stunned silence, "Are you certain Mr Neelix?" he asked levelly, with none of the bittersweet emotions that would have tainted the question from another's mouth.

Neelix's face crumpled for a moment upon meeting the Vulcan's steady, piercing gaze, the difficult wrench of his decision returning full force, but the composure and conviction that quickly followed told him he'd made the right choice. "Yes, I am." He answered softly, "But I want you all to understand just how much these past seven years as part of this crew have meant to me…how much they've changed me for the better." He sniffed loudly even as he smiled at them all, "Before I came on board that day I was alone, a refugee. I lost my home, my family, my everything. Then I was welcomed here, it didn't matter that none of you had met a Talaxian before, I was accepted. This ship became my home, my new family and I'll always treasure that as long as I live…" The tears rolled freely down his spotted face, "I would've been accepted in the Alpha Quadrant, I know that from knowing all of you, so I don't want you to think that fear played a part in this decision. Really, I chose this because I hope now that I can teach my people the lessons I learned here, that our home on that asteroid can become as warm as Voyager was…" His voice began to crack, "I hope you understand why I…"

"Of course we do Neelix." B'Elanna cut in, with more gentleness than many people would've thought a half-Klingon capable of.

"Yes Neelix, the Captain's right, we more than anyone can understand what it means to find 'home'." Chakotay added sincerely.

"Don't you worry about us…" Tom started, trying to be jovial even as his voice wobbled with tears, "…except of course maybe in the culinary department. The Mess Hall will never be the same."

Harry was equally overcome. "As long as we're able to stay in contact then…" His voice trailed off as he realised just how tenuous and short-lived a comm. link would be, they'd be out of range within weeks.

The Captain jumped in for the rescue as she saw many brave faces waver as reality hit. "I think we will be able to stay in contact Harry, once we're back home as well as along the rest of our journey. Originally the idea was to keep contact with the settlement for Neelix's sake, but now…" She turned to Seven, ushering her to stand up with a hand gesture, "Seven, why don't you explain?"

Seven started, although she'd half-expected this spotlight to be shone on her yet to be proved idea, the pressure of its success was more than even she was accustomed too. "Yes Captain." She acquiesced on autopilot, calmed by Chakotay giving her hand an empathic squeeze before he was forced to let go as she stood up shakily. "I had come to the conclusion days ago that we could enhance the Talaxian settlement's long range communication system to Starfleet standards before we departed, giving us several weeks of comm. contact with them…" She began to report, taking her standard position by the console to pull up the supporting data, and plan, for such simple enhancements, "But I have also come to the conclusion that, with some alterations to our comm. system as well as theirs, we could use the array to provide us, and Starfleet, with a permanent comm. link to the asteroid."

She was reassured by B'Elanna's continual, eager nods of understanding throughout this explanation. "You're suggesting that we hook the asteroid up to the array's comm. system. When we're out of conventional comm. range, the Talaxians would use the array to 'bounce' their comm. signal back to us, and they could also contact Starfleet directly, just as we can." Her grin widened as the idea solidified in her engineer's mind, "It should definitely be feasible Captain, with some work. It should even be simpler than maintaining our link to the array, since the asteroid doesn't move at warp like Voyager does."

"But will Starfleet approve of this?" Harry asked tentatively, shooting Neelix an apologetic look, "Not that we wouldn't just do it anyway for you Neelix…"

"That's blasphemy Ensign." Janeway teased lightly, before becoming serious again, "To answer that, I don't think Starfleet will have any problem with having a permanent Ambassador in the Delta Quadrant, as Neelix has agreed to be. I'll talk to the powers-at-be on the comm. link tomorrow, but I'm certain enough of their answer to authorise Seven's plan right now, since the Talaxians have already agreed."

Neelix's amber eyes glittered gold as they filled with tears once more, glowing with relief and hope as a weight was lifted off his shoulders, he didn't want to abandon Voyager. "Thank you." He whispered, with such true sincerity and gratitude that both Seven and B'Elanna blushed at being on the receiving end. As for the Captain, any painful emotions marring her happiness for Neelix disappeared from her face.

Tom, too, now looked more relaxed about the situation, a conspiratorial smile curving his lips. "Now, the big problem is, how do we hold a big enough farewell bash for the king of parties? Neelix is, and always will be as far as I'm concerned, our Morale Officer."

Janeway chuckled, "Well, the usual Federation and Starfleet procedure to celebrate a new Ambassador's successful posting is a formal state dinner with chosen dignitaries, I'm sure we could make Voyager fit for…" She trailed off as she saw her crewmates' faces fall comically. For their part, Chakotay and Seven grimaced in tandem, both recalling the torturous diplomatic dinner with the Ledosians. Tuvok was as stoic as ever, but Janeway sensed he was even less likely to show enthusiasm than he was dismay at the idea. "Unless that is, anyone has a less conventional idea?" she asked, indulging them.

"I say we just have the biggest party we can, one that'll make even that night in Sandrine's look low-key." Tom pressed, "Dedicate the whole Mess Hall to it, have all the Talaxians join us as well as all the crew, maybe even take over that whole deck and make it a night to remember."

"I second that!" Harry agreed impulsively.

The Captain was beginning to feel a bit dazed at the logistics that proposal posed, and exchanged a glance saying as much with Chakotay, but he just shrugged it off good-naturedly and one look at Neelix told her that the prospect was already making him starry eyed. She owed him this much. "Alright, I think that would be fitting, as big an undertaking as it would be." She skimmed over the gleeful grins of Tom and Harry to address Neelix, "Do you think the Talaxians would agree Neelix?"

"Of course Captain!" Neelix boomed delightedly, "Most Talaxians relish a party even more than I do!" His friends all smiled at that, finding that assertion improbable. "If I may mention one thing Captain…" He said in a more careful tone, "I think the people on the asteroid would prefer if you didn't wear your uniforms, not the dress ones at least. Uniforms have a negative connotation with some Talaxians, after the war you see, and after what this settlement has been through too… All I'm saying is that for the crew to be casual, like the Talaxians, would go a long way to showing them that you consider them your equals."

The Captain's lips turned down slightly for an instant, and her officers knew part of her was offended at the suggestion on behalf of her beloved Starfleet, but she soon revealed an easy smile. "In your position as Ambassador Neelix, if you think that's the case then I'll even release more replicator rations so everyone can replicate a new outfit for the occasion." She assured him graciously.

Tom poked Harry in the ribs as he winked his way, "That'll give some people a way to see prospective dates out of uniform for once!" he teased jokingly, only to get a harder elbow in his own ribs from B'Elanna.

"Will you have the Talaxian comm. system ready for tomorrow night Seven?" The Captain queried, dismissing the subject of dress code for now, "I'd like to be able to make the party a double celebration."

Seven gulped slowly, but was otherwise careful to keep her face if not confident, then at least impassive. "I…I believe so Captain."

"Wonderful, it's settled then." Janeway announced, "Neelix, go and let your people know that we're throwing a farewell party for you tomorrow and that they're all welcome." She turned swiftly to the others, "Anyone who is not able to assist Seven with her plan should be helping with the party, it's all hands on deck as far as I'm concerned."

"Yes Captain." That familiar chorus from her senior officers echoed around the room.

"Dismissed." She told them smoothly before unhurriedly leaving herself.

Seven hung back as the room began to empty, pensively studying the data about her plan she'd entered into her console. She was so distracted that she jumped violently when she turned to leave and saw that Chakotay was waiting for her by the door. "You did not need to wait for me; we have both been given duties to perform…"

"I know." Chakotay interrupted, quietly but firmly, as he stepped towards her and gently grasped her elbow. "I'm just checking that you know that the success or failure of this comm. system project isn't your sole responsibility."

Seven blanched, surprised, and even a little frightened, that he'd pinpointed the source of her preoccupation so accurately. Automatically, she went on the defensive, "I am not so egotistical as to believe that the outcome of this plan depends solely on my actions…"

Chakotay's lips twisted sadly as he sighed. If only Seven understood that, in his experience, she was probably the least 'egotistical' person he'd met in his life, especially when balanced with her undisputed abilities. "I'm only reminding you not to put too much pressure on yourself Seven." He told her softly, his hands gripping her shoulders in an attempt to hold her absolute attention, "You're forgetting that one thing I've learned about you by now is that you take on far too much responsibility for things which are out of your control, and the guilt along with that."

Seven sighed heavily, her shoulders sinking under his hands. She couldn't exactly deny what he said, not entirely anyway. His warm, mildly calloused fingers brushed her chin and she obligingly lifted her face back up to his. "Thank you for your concern." She murmured honestly, gratefully, but still moved away awkwardly as she tried to shift the mood of the conversation. "If you have disguised your skill at engineering comm. systems from me during our acquaintance, perhaps you reveal it and assist me."

Chakotay laughed, his worried face breaking into a real, if sheepish smile. "Unfortunately, I've never 'disguised' any such particular skill from you or anyone else, B'Elanna will back me up on that." He sighed again, suddenly tired, "No, I'll be most likely be pulling diplomat duty with the Captain and Neelix while you're working…" He winced slightly, "Actually, on second thought, I'd be willing to be your apprentice as a comm. engineer to get out of that…"

Seven tapped his arm lightly, "Diplomacy is a skill you and I do not share, you had better use yours for the good of Voyager." Her gaze lowered shyly, her eyes huge and studying his feet, as she murmured, "Perhaps you could...teach me diplomacy at the party?"

From any other woman, the veiled question, so different from her usual bluntness, would've seemed a little coy, after all did she really expect him to refuse be with her at the party, but the nerves that had drained her face of colour made Chakotay's heart clench and he hugged her to his chest. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

A/n: PLEASE REVIEW! :D