*15*
Cobh, County Cork, Ireland
May 23
The baby's fretful wail penetrated Joe's sleep-fogged brain and he sat up in bed, immediately alert. One thing about all those years of serving in Starfleet, one developed the ability to come awake instantly. He checked the chronometer. 0245. Beside him, Annie stirred slightly.
"Shh, go back to sleep," he said as he swung his legs out of bed and groped for his slippers. "I'll get her."
"I fed her less than an hour ago," Annie said, her last few words partially obscured by a giant yawn. "She can't possibly be hungry again."
"But for whatever reason, she's not ready to settle down just yet," Joe answered. He paused by the door. "Go back to sleep, love," he said again.
There was no answer. Annie had fallen back asleep so quickly - small wonder that she had; between the demands of a busy household, their other children, and a colicky newborn, Annie wasn't getting very much rest these days. He didn't want to think what it would be like when she finished her maternity leave and went back to her hectic schedule at the University.
He padded down the hall quietly, though if the baby's crying hadn't woken JJ and Patrick by now, he doubted his own footsteps would. He stepped into the nursery. In the glow of the nightlight, the holographic images of bunnies and bears stood out starkly on the walls, and threw the face of the red-faced baby in the crib into high relief.
"Easy, easy, Caitlyn," he murmured, scooping her up and cradling her on his shoulder. "Shh, Daddy's here. It's all right."
The baby's cries gradually faded into a series of hiccuping sobs. "That's my girl," he said. He patted her back soothingly. "There's nothing to cry about." He stiffened as his hand made contact with wet cloth. "So that's your problem?" The baby started fussing again when he laid her on the changing table. Joe swiftly put on a fresh diaper and one-piece coverall, then picked up the baby again. "Your brothers were both sleeping through the night by six weeks," he informed her. Caitlyn did not appear to be impressed by this information. "Ready to go back to bed now?" But the baby protested when he tried to return her to the crib. With a sigh, Joe headed downstairs, his stubbornly wide awake daughter on his shoulder.
A full moon rode high in the sky, easily visible from the window in his study. Joe leaned on the sill, breathing in the unseasonably warm fresh air, enjoying the utter stillness. At this hour, nothing was stirring outside, no sounds could be heard. The stars shone brightly. He shifted the baby in his arms. "See that, Caitlyn? Those three stars in a row? That's Orion's belt. And that star over there, that's Sirius. In another couple of months, it'll be one of the brightest objects in the sky."
A loud burp was his only response.
Joe chuckled but continued the lesson. "The stars look like they're twinkling when you see them from a planetary surface, because of temperature differences in the atmosphere, distortions from nearby city lights. But out in space they hold steady. Unless you're going at warp and then you get the distortion streaks."
He fell silent for a moment, thinking of the delicate white lattice framework of the slipstream conduit, the faster-than-warp drive which had brought them home, which had now been surpassed by the new transwarp technology. "And in the Delta Quadrant, the constellations are very different. Even though there are times now when I think they'd be more familiar than the ones I see in Earth's night sky..."
He turned around at the sound of footsteps. To his surprise, Annie stood in the doorway. "I thought you were asleep," he said. "Aren't you tired?"
"Oh, I'm definitely tired," Annie said as she joined him at the window. "Just like you are. I'll take the baby, Joe. You can go back to bed."
"You're busy with Caitlyn all day long," he protested. "You need a break. Not to mention, a good night's sleep."
"And you don't? You're putting in such long days over at UP. You'll be so tired tomorrow."
"I can catch a nap on the commuter shuttle," he reminded her. He smiled. "You wouldn't begrudge me some quality time alone with my daughter, now would you?"
Annie smiled as well, though her gaze remained fixed on his face. "Trying to turn her into an Astrometrics specialist? I'm surprised-I would've thought you were grooming her for Engineering."
Joe laughed. "JJ already decided that Engineering's going to be his major field of study at the Academy next year." He added, "If he gets in."
"He'll get in," Annie said confidently. "His grades have improved a lot over the past six months. The tutoring has helped."
"He's in for a tough time, though, once he starts as a cadet. Do you have any idea of how heavy his courseload is going to be?"
"Which is why he's enrolled in one of the best Starfleet prep schools in the country," Annie said, laying her head against Joe's chest.
He slipped his free arm around her, careful to still support the baby on his other shoulder. "You're right. It's a good academic environment for him to be in." He repeated, "A good environment."
"I heard you talking about the Delta Quadrant, Joe." She hesitated. "Do you still think about it a lot?"
"Yes," he admitted.
"About the fact that your former captain and crew mates are going back there?"
"Yes."
She pulled away from him a bit till she was looking him in the face once more. "Do you have any regrets about turning down a spot on the mission?"
"No," he said immediately.
"Really?" she persisted.
"I like my work at Utopia Planitia-it's challenging, working on cutting edge technology. My hands are pretty full at the moment, love," he said with a grin, tightening his grip around her waist to prove his point.
She refused to make a joke of it. "I mean it, Joe-any regrets?"
He thought carefully for a long moment. Images of the slipstream conduit flashed through his mind once more, coupled with the looks of triumph on B'Elanna's and Geordi La Forge's faces when they solved the problems of the transwarp drive. He saw the first pinpoint of light at the end of a starless Void, as Voyager emerged from the darkness and beheld strange new nebulae and star clusters never seen before by Human eyes. He heard the bustle of the crew in Voyager's Mess Hall, the clicking of cues on the pool table in Sandrine's. He felt the throbbing of the deck beneath his feet, the shudder of the ship while under attack, and heard the sound of the red alert klaxon.
"Yes," he answered slowly. "There are times I wish I was going as well, to be a part of the next new adventure. But it's not practical for us now, Annie, not at this stage of our lives. I don't want to be separated from you or the children again, even for just a year or two."
"There's a colony ship going as well," Annie reminded him. "Filled with families. We wouldn't have to be apart."
"Are you seriously considering packing up and going?" he asked her, astonished, but careful to keep his voice down. Caitlyn's steady breathing indicated that she had fallen asleep at last. "Uproot the boys from their home and school at this critical time in their lives? And what about your own career?" he reminded her. "You've just gotten tenure at the University."
"I didn't say I would be ready to leave next month," she said calmly. "I agree with you-the timing isn't right for us to go now." She smiled suddenly. "And you forgot to mention a newborn baby in your reasons of why this wouldn't be a good idea."
"This little one would be the easiest of the children to deal with," he said wryly. "Much easier than her brothers, at least until she learns to walk. Or talk back."
Annie rolled her eyes. "But what I'm trying to say, love, is don't rule out going back some time in the future. Maybe in a few years when the boys are in University-"
"Or the Academy," he put in.
"And Caitlyn is older-"
"-and keeping to a more normal sleeping schedule-"
"-we might think of spending some time at the colony on New Earth. It's going to be around for a good long while." She put her hand over his against her waist and squeezed. "Just keep your options open for someday."
"Someday," he agreed. Careful not to disturb Caitlyn, he leaned over and kissed his wife gently. "But right now, I've got everything I need here with me."
*16*
San Francisco,
May 24
"I don't believe it." Chakotay tossed the PADD he'd been reading onto his desk, pushed his chair back and stood up.
"I just don't believe it," he repeated.
"What?"
Kathryn, who was deeply engrossed in the latest set of engineering reports B'Elanna had forwarded to her that afternoon, didn't look up until Chakotay's shadow fell across the PADD she was studying.
They had, after some discussion, decided to try setting up a shared office in their apartment and the experiment was going well. In fact they found there were many advantages to the arrangement, not the least of which was being able to bounce ideas off one another at a moment's notice. But they often worked together for hours in easy silence, each of them able concentrate completely on his or her own task, yet each comfortably aware of the other.
"What?" She asked him again, and pushed aside the schematics she had been studying to focus her attention on her obviously agitated companion.
"Take a look." He retrieved the PADD from his desk, activated it and scrolled through it until he found the page he sought, and gave it to her.
"I take it there's something or someone on this list you're not too happy about, Chakotay," she said, after she'd looked it over for a moment.
"Dr. Sakar's second assistant," he replied.
"Ah...yes..." she said, and handed him the PADD. "Your favorite student, right?"
"Amado was the bane of my existence on the Sherman's Planet expedition," Chakotay recalled. "I can't remember ever being so relieved to be rid of a student. It's not that he's unintelligent," he continued, "but it's his attitude. There's enthusiasm, and then there's bravado...and carelessness. Amado definitely falls into the latter categories."
Kathryn nodded. "I remember you mentioning him."
"Arrogant too. How he got himself onto Sakar's staff I'll never know," Chakotay took the PADD from her and stared down at the offending name again, as if willing it to disappear.
Kathryn couldn't help grinning at him. "Chakotay, maybe the young man has matured a bit since he's joined Dr. Sakar's staff. And he'll be Sakar's responsibility, anyhow. You probably won't have to have much to do with him at all."
"I know, but somehow he got under my skin," he replied with a reluctant smile. "You're right, of course. I'll leave him to Sakar. Hopefully he'll keep the boy so busy with scut work I won't run across him very often."
Chakotay deactivated the PADD and tossed it back onto his desk. "The rest of the team looks good, though, doesn't it? T'Pel has been a great help to me. She was the one who suggested I contact the Fareledon Society on Tarken Prime. Her contacts there were invaluable. We've got some of the foremost archaeologists, sociologists and anthropologists in the quadrant on our roster. And of course Kimani Zaji was wonderful too. She's the one who convinced Debling to join us."
"Even I'm impressed, Chakotay," Kathryn teased him. "Debling is quite a coup. I remember reading a paper he wrote refuting Professor Harding's theory of diffusionism and acculturation among the Benari tribes after three independent studies corroborated his findings. And Debling was right."
"I'm a bit worried about him, though," Chakotay mused, "I've heard he's a bit of a prima donna. But I'm really looking forward to working with Benda Avika," he continued. "I've never actually met her, but I've watched all the vids of the lecture series she did on the origins of tribal rituals in the Marqu'at sector. I believe her methodology is very similar to mine."
"Perhaps you should ask her to instruct Adamo on acceptable conduct and attitude during excavations."
Chakotay stared at her for a moment and then laughed. "Kathryn, sometimes you amaze me."
She grinned. "And why is that?"
"Because you've come up with a brilliant idea. A series of short seminars for the entire team might just be the way to go here. Getting them all them all together a few times before we leave will be beneficial on so many levels. They're all experts in their respective fields, but the Delta Quadrant is going to be filled with challenges they haven't met before - probably never even imagined - and as you and I both know, cohesive team-work is essential to any successes we hope to achieve. Egos don't work in the Delta Quadrant. I can ask each one of them to prepare brief presentations on their areas of expertise and what they hope to achieve on this mission. And can remind them that they - no we" he corrected himself, "are a team. We can discuss protocols, procedures, sharing information, working together..."
"Not to mention acceptable conduct and attitude during excavations" Kathryn interrupted him.
"Oh, absolutely," he replied, as he sat down again. "I'm going to start getting this organized right away."
An hour and a half later Chakotay pushed himself away from his desk once more with a satisfied grunt. "Done." He exclaimed. "I've sent out the invitations along with a tentative agenda."
"Good timing," Kathryn said. "I've just sent my report back to B'Elanna, How about a cup of coffee?"
"Sounds good," he said, I'll get it."
"I was hoping you'd say that," she replied and stood up, stretching. "Ouch...I've got a crick..."
"Perhaps I can be of assistance?" He grinned and stepped behind her. Kathryn bent her head forward, and he dropped a light kiss on the back of her neck just before he began his gentle massage, expertly attacking the muscles he knew from experience were cramped and sore.
"Soooo good," she sighed, and he felt her relax against him.
"Come on," he said, "Let's get that coffee now."
"More?" she asked, referring to his ministrations, as he tugged at her hand, pulling her towards the kitchen.
"Later," he replied with another grin and she responded in kind.
While Chakotay prepared the coffee, Kathryn arranged a tray and brought it into the living room. It was only after the coffee was poured and both of them had had their first sip, that Chakotay spoke again.
"Kathryn, have you given any more thought to the dedication ceremonies," he asked her. "I believe Star Fleet wants to give us a real send off."
"And I'm not exactly thrilled about it," she replied. "But at least they asked for my input. What I'd like to do is to just leave - with no fuss and bother, but I know they've got so much invested in this mission that's not an option. I've had a couple of discussions," Chakotay smiled at the word, "with Admiral Hayes about it. I'm afraid they're all adamant the press be involved. It's going to be a free for all," she sighed.
"Which is why we're going to have our own ceremony, after the brass and the press and the rest of the circus has gone," he reminded her. "And that one's going to be just the way we want it. Speaking of which, I spoke to your mother this morning, and she said to tell you she and Phoebe will be there with bells on. I admit that conjured up quite an image," he added.
"It's an old expression from my childhood," Kathryn explained. "My father used it all the time."
She took his now empty coffee cup and placed it, along with her own on the table in front of them, stood up and reached for his hand.
"I seem to remember you promised me a back rub a little while ago," she said, as she pulled him up and off the couch.
"Ah yes," he replied, "I do remember that. And you know I always keep my promises..."