Chapter 12

"Mr Paris, engage the alpha drive."

Tom's fingers danced over the helm and within seconds, they were traveling through the stream of space that the new drive produced. It was like traveling through a fast moving stream of water or as Tom liked to say it was like traveling through Earth's jet stream. They were only able to engage the alpha drive for an hour each week as it took so much power to run that they needed to disengage it so they would not waste precious resources.

Voyager smoothly rode the stream and Tom was proud of her. He gently ran his fingers over the consul and softly said

"Good girl."

Behind him, Captain Janeway smiled at this and then said

"I take it we are not having any problems with the drive."

Tom turned around and said

"No ma'am everything is working as it should."

He smiled and then turned back to the front screen. He was proud of B'Elanna and her team for finding a way to make this work and he was proud of his daughter Joy for the name of the drive. Joy had been, in the last year, inhaling all the information she could get on the alpha quadrant and she was quite excited to get there. She had spent many an hour after her studies getting all she could on the federation and how it worked. She had many late night discussions with her parents on the history of Starfleet and never tired of the stories of her parents lives. It had become a twice a week ritual for the whole family to sit down and for Tom and B'Elanna to tell stories of their childhood and early life. The kids loved it.

Tom was brought out of his musings when the captain said

"Maintain speed and course for one hour and then disengage the drive and hold position till we can analyze how well the drive did."

She stood and continued

"I'm be in my ready room."

She moved off and all on the bridge turned back to there duties.

Once the hour was up, Tom disengaged the drive and Voyager seemed to shake a bit and then steady. Tom then brought the great ship to a stand still and maintained position. Within moments, the Captain's ready room door opened and she strolled back onto the bridge. As she passed Tuvok's station, she said

"Harry, put me on ship wide com."

Harry said

"Yes Captain."

Once he had done so, he nodded to the captain and she straightened her shoulders and said

"This is the captain, as you know, we have just tested our new alpha drive and it worked perfectly. What we don't know yet is how well it worked. We will analyze the data and once we know the results I will make a ship wide announcement. Senior staff not on the bridge will report to the conference room in fifteen minuets. Captain out."

Harry cut the com link and the captain turned to Tom and said

"Mr Paris, what is our position in regards to where we began this?"

He looked down at his instruments and, after a moment, he said

"We have traveled exactly 2 light years from where we started."

Tom turned in his chair and smiled

"We've taken 2 years off our return trip home."

Kathryn let out a breath she wasn't aware she had been holding and then let a grin spread over her face. They were finally going home and bar any conflict or battle, the rest of the crew would all be here to see the alpha quadrant again.

The Turbo lift doors opened and out came B'Elanna and the doctor. Tom turned and grinned widely at his wife and she smiled back. It was clear she was happy at the way the drive had preformed. The Captain stood and said

"Gentleman, shall we adjourn to the conference room?"

And they all stood and relinquished their posts to there backups and followed the captain.

Tom entered his code and the door to their quarters slide open. He walked in and was immediately tackled by his youngest son, Tommy

"Daddy you're home!"

Tommy was hugging him around his legs and he had to pick him up to keep from falling over.

"Whoa there, and how's my little munchkin?"

B'Elanna's voice said as she entered their main living space

"Your little munchkin has been driving me crazy, asking when you'd be home."

B'Elanna gave Tom a peck on the cheek and then she gave her youngest son some tickling and said

"He's been asking when you would come home every five minuets since I got home."

She ticked his cheeks and Tommy laughed. He was now squirming in his father's arms who now set him down at his feet.

"Daddy, did you run the drive today? How fast did we go? Are we home yet?"

He was breathless after his questions, but his bright eyes were dancing. All the Paris children were caught up in reaching the Alpha quadrant and were forever asking questions on what it was like. Tom looked at his youngest son and said

"Why don't you get your brother and sisters and I'll only have to tell you once."

Tommy nodded and race off to get his siblings. Tom turned to B'Elanna and let out a sigh as he took her into his arms.

"Well never let it be said our little Tommy isn't enthusiastic!"

He nuzzled her cheek and she said

"He's been after me to tell him all about the test and I wanted you to be here to tell him. He hasn't given me a break since I got home."

Now Tom was nibbling her neck and for a moment she let him but as they heard the running feet of their brood approaching, with a sigh they quit their loving and became parents again.

The Paris children all trooped into the main living area with Tommy leading the way. Joy, who was almost eighteen, brought up the rear and was less inclined to run as Tommy was. She smiled at her father and gave him a big kiss.

"Hello daddy"

She said as he gave her a bear hug

"And how's my little sweet pea tonight?"

She returned his bear hug and said

"I've been studying those flight specs you gave me!"

She was turning out to be a fair pilot and Tom was proud of her. With the right training she could be a good pilot. And he felt it was his duty to teach her. Tom sat down on their warn out couch and she settled down next to him. Tommy jumped up on the other side and breathlessly said

"Daddy, tell us about the test!"

Tom looked first at Tommy and then at his twins, Michael and Katie who had sat on the floor and were right at his feet. B'Elanna had moved off to the kitchen area to start dinner but she smiled at the picture of her husband and their children gathered together. There was a look of contentment on Tom's face as he looked at his children, but also a look of pride. He dearly loved his brood and she was so glad that his father had not stamped him in his own image. From what she had heard of Admiral Paris, he was a cold and unforgiving father while Tom was just the opposite, loving,kind, and always ready to be there for their children. She watched as his expression turned to one of teasing as he said

"Awe, you really don't want to hear about that do you?"

The Paris children all protested with that statement as he looked at them with an incredulous expression on his face. B'Elanna had to laugh at his teasing and said from the kitchen

"You're right Tom, they really don't want to hear about that."

She had pulled out last night's leftovers and was now warming them up for tonight. She returned to the main living area and sat in the chair opposite her husband and they both had a look of amazement on their faces.

"Please daddy, please! We do want to know!"

Tommy pleaded. He still wasn't sure that his father wasn't serious, however his older siblings knew their father was teasing.

"You really want to hear all the boring details?"

He said this to Tommy and he answered

"Yes,yes,yes."

Tommy's eyes were shining and his cheeks were glowing.

Tom looked into his face and finally said

"Okay I'll tell you all the boring details, but remember you asked for it."

So for the next twenty minuets, Tom told of all the mornings activities. He especially made it exciting for his youngest boy as he told of how the drive had performed. And Tommy took it in with glowing eyes. He was full of questions and wanted to know everything. And Tom obliged him with every detail.

"Daddy when will we be in the alpha quadrant?"

Tom looked at his youngest and said

"Well at this rate and if nothing goes wrong with the drive, Mr Tuvok estimates we will be within normal sub space communications in four months and then home by seven."

"Wow."

Tommy was thinking hard on this. His brow was set in a thoughtful frown. Then he brightened and said

"Just in time for my birthday!"

They all laughed at that announcement and B'Elanna said as she got up

"Okay, guys its time for dinner so go wash up."

The Paris children all trooped off to clean up, talking excitedly about what lay ahead of them in the AQ.

"Come on Mr Paris, lets get the table set and dinner over with and then after we get the kids to bed we can finish what we were doing."

Tom waggled his eyebrows at her and took on a sly smile as he said

"Lead the way Mrs Paris."

So they went into the kitchen area both anticipating their evening.

TBC

A/N I had planned this to be the last chapter, but it took on a life of its own and I need one more chapter. I, like many fans, thought that Endgame wrapped up to quickly and would have liked to see the homecoming so it needs more. Please be patient with me as I still have two sessions of Chemo ahead of me and I really need to figure out how each will interact with being home. I will try not to be so long in updating this. I may even take my laptop to Chemo next time and write. It can get boring and I have a five hour session. As always thank you all for reading and reviewing this story.