Tom and B'Elanna were the last to arrive in the transporter room. They had had some trouble with their new formal uniforms-well, B'Elanna had had some trouble. It seemed that formal maternity uniforms were just about as uncomfortable as the normal ones, and so she had complained all the while as Tom helped her into it. She still wasn't happy with the results, but she wasn't going to make everyone late because she was miserable.
B'Elanna felt a little better when she saw the look of discomfort on Janeway's face. Even though the Captain was smaller than her Chief Engineer, she hated the maternity uniforms just as much.
Janeway looked around at them all. "Is everyone ready?"
All five of them nodded. For this meeting, Seven and Neelix weren't needed. They would be introduced to the various admirals at a formal reception later in the evening. Only Janeway, Chakotay, Tuvok, B'Elanna, Tom, Harry, and the Doctor were attending this special debriefing.
Almost as one, they stepped onto the transporter pad. Janeway nodded to the ensign on duty.
"Ready, Yardley?" she asked.
"Aye, Captain," he answered.
B'Elanna saw the familiar blue shimmer, heard the usual hum, and then she was staring out at a veritable sea of faces. There were the admirals and captains standing at the back of the room, but in front of them was-family.
Owen Paris stepped forward first, grinning at the stunned officers. "Welcome home," he said. His eyes were fastened on Tom, standing beside her so tall and proud.
B'Elanna gave her husband a small shove toward his father. She smiled as Owen wrapped Tom in his arms and held him tightly. Tom was holding on just as hard, and B'Elanna was probably the only one who knew how important this was to him.
B'Elanna saw Harry rush past her and into the arms of an older Oriental couple. The woman was crying and saying his name over and over again in amazement, and B'Elanna felt very happy for her friend. He had finally gotten his wish, to see his parents again.
In what seemed like mere seconds, only B'Elanna, Tuvok, and the Doctor were standing apart from the reunited families. Janeway had dragged Chakotay over to meet her mother and sister, Tom's parents were still hugging him, and Harry was enjoying the presence of his parents silently.
B'Elanna felt the stare of someone to her right. She turned to see-no, it wasn't possible!
A Starfleet officer with hair that had as much gray as brown and dark brown eyes smiled at her hesitantly. He took a few steps forward, and then he stopped, as if unsure of himself.
"Hello, Belle," David Torres said quietly.
B'Elanna swallowed, trying to get rid of the lump in her throat. "Hello-Daddy," she whispered. "What-what are you doing here?"
"I came to welcome you home," her father said. He cleared his throat. "I-I got the message you sent, all those years ago. You'd already disappeared, though," he told her.
B'Elanna nodded, but she couldn't seem to say anything.
"Did-did you mean it? That you forgave me?" he asked.
B'Elanna smiled a little. "Yes. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner," she said.
David shook his head. "It's my fault, Belle. I should have taken you with me when I left Kessik. I just thought-mistakenly-that your mother would be able to raise you better," he said. He stepped a little closer. "Would you mind if-if I gave you a hug?"
B'Elanna felt a tear slide down her cheek as she shook her head. She held out her arms, and then, for the first time in more than two decades, she was being held by her father.
David pulled back a little. "Boy or girl?" he asked, patting her stomach.
"Both," B'Elanna answered with a grin for the surprised look on his face.
"And they won't even be our first," Tom said from behind her. "'Lanna?"
"Tom, this is my father, Commander David Torres," B'Elanna said. "Dad, this is my husband, Lieutenant Tom Paris."
"It's nice to meet you," David said with a smile. He held out his hand.
Tom glanced at B'Elanna, then took David's hand in his own strong grip. They stood like that for a minute, as if frozen. Owen Paris's voice behind them interrupted their concentration.
"I wish that you had brought A'Lehsen and S'Ehra with you, B'Elanna. Annalise would have been happy to look after them during the meeting," he said jovially as he came over to stand on B'Elanna's left side.
B'Elanna smiled at her father-in-law. "They have lessons right now. We're trying to keep the children's schedules as normal as possible, so that there's no culture shock," she told Owen. She noticed that her father's eyebrows had risen.
"You have other children, Belle?" he asked, as if it had just sunken in.
"Yes. A'Lehsen and S'Ehra are four," B'Elanna said proudly.
"And they're already the apples of their grandfather's eye, Commander-" Owen gave David the opportunity to introduce himself.
"David Torres, sir," he answered, standing to attention. "B'Elanna's father," he added.
Owen nodded thoughtfully. "At ease, Torres. I believe that you'll find that you have every reason to be proud of what your daughter has accomplished," he said, giving B'Elanna's shoulder an affectionate squeeze.
David smiled. "I already am. It's not every day that a man's estranged daughter comes home an honored hero," he commented.
It was B'Elanna's turn to raise her eyebrows. She exchanged a glance full of astonishment with Tom. "I didn't know we were being considered heroes," she said in a hushed voice.
"Of course you are! You managed to cross a vast amount of space, staying relatively in one piece. You have created a version of transwarp that we will be able to adapt to our own engines-which has made you very popular with the scientists and those who prefer exploring. There was a minimum of loss to your crew-barring the initial pull into the Delta Quadrant. Not only that, but the alien communications system you found encouraged many Federation scientists to work together to create something similar. All in all, I'd say you have every right to the title of hero, every one of you," Owen said sternly. A twinkle in his eyes belied his tone.
B'Elanna felt as if the world was spinning. She had left the Alpha Quadrant a criminal, and she was returning a hero? It was almost too much to comprehend.
"It sure sounds like it to me," Tom said. He looked relieved, and B'Elanna wondered what Owen had said to him. It must have been good news, whatever it was.
B'Elanna nodded. "Yeah, it does," she said softly. She was remembering the days and nights without sleep, trying to make sure that just one more critical system stayed online for a few more hours; the times when she was sure her body was so exhausted that she wouldn't be able to make it through one more day of keeping the ship together; the nights when she had headaches so painful that she couldn't even close her eyes. All of that, she had suffered through on Voyager, because she had known that one day it would be worth it. She had been right.
A shrill whistle interrupted her thoughts. Another admiral, a Trill whose white hair contrasted sharply with her olive skin and even darker spots, smiled at them all.
"Will those called for the meeting please follow me to Conference Room Two?" her fluid voice called out. B'Elanna was sure that the woman had to be joined. It would take several lifetimes to learn to perfect one's tones like that.
The Voyager's officers and ten admirals and captains, including Owen, followed in her wake. Their destination was only five or so meters down a corridor that looked just like any corridor on any starship in Starfleet.
Conference Room Two was as much a contrast to the regulation corridors as Earth was a contrast to Qo'nos. It was large and airy; the chairs had more cushioning than was usual, and they were a bright gold color; there were tall windows that let in the bright light of Earth's yellow sun at its zenith.
B'Elanna felt herself relaxing in this hospitable atmosphere. The same Trill admiral motioned for Voyager's officers to take their seats among a row of seven chairs. They chose to seat themselves according to rank. B'Elanna was pleased by the fact that that let her sit beside Tom.
The six admirals and five captains took seats opposite them. They all wore the same relaxed, slightly bemused expression, except for the two Vulcans.
The Trill cleared her throat delicately. "I am Admiral Yarnax. It is my pleasant duty to inform you, the senior members of Voyager's crew, that the Federation Council has voted in favor of the former Maquis members keeping their current commissions, if they so choose, or they may leave Starfleet and seek new lives, if that is what they wish. As for the matter of Lieutenant Thomas Paris, Starfleet has judged that he has made up for his past crimes in his exemplary behavior during the past nine years. If he wishes, he may remain in Starfleet, with full honors," she said in a carrying voice that somehow never went above a conversational level.
B'Elanna reached over and squeezed Tom's hand. He smiled at her with a joyful light in his bright blue eyes.
"As for any actions made or ordered by Captain Kathryn Janeway that stretched the Prime Directive and Starfleet regulations, Starfleet has decided that they were necessary and made in sound mind, with an eye towards protecting her crew, and they will be forgiven," Yarnax continued.
"To put it bluntly, you are all fully pardoned, and will be accepted into Starfleet again with full honors. There will be a formal reception tonight, as I'm sure you have expected. I don't wish to keep any of your crew from the homecoming they so richly deserve. Those who wish to may begin their shore leave immediately. Just try to keep a skeleton crew on board Voyager," the admiral finished with another gentle smile filled with amusement.
B'Elanna saw Janeway return the smile. "Thank you, Admiral. I'm happy to know that Starfleet agreed with my assessment of my crew," she said.
"Oh, we do," a human captain said. B'Elanna thought that he looked familiar, but she couldn't quite place him. He was bald, which made his dark eyes and long, straight nose stand out prominently.
"Captain Picard, it's wonderful to finally meet you," Janeway said. She stood up and walked over to the other captain.
That seemed to be the cue for the rest of the meeting to dissolve into little groups of three and four. B'Elanna found herself accosted by a fellow engineer, a captain, who wanted to discuss Voyager's modified warp drive. She settled happily into a discussion with him, noting that Tom and Harry were talking with Owen.
Later that day, Tom and B'Elanna changed into fresh formal uniforms. They then spent the better part of an hour helping their young daughters dress in matching jumpsuits of contrasting design. A'Lehsen's outfit was red with gold piping, and S'Ehra's was the opposite.
A'Lehsen scrunched her face as her mother braided her long, dark hair in an intricate pattern that made her want to squirm away after two minutes of trying to be patient. It took another fifteen minutes, then her mother turned her over to her father, so that B'Elanna could do S'Ehra's hair in an identical style.
A'Lehsen was allowed to sip a cup of juice while she waited for her mother and sister to be finished. She glanced up at her father through her lashes.
"Daddy," she said softly. "I want to stay up late tonight."
Tom smiled down at her. "Sweetie, by the time this party is over, I promise you that you won't be able to keep your eyes open. Federation parties can be one of two things: dull as dirt, or the most excitement in the galaxy, and both are equally exhausting," he told her as he gathered her into his arms. He reflected that she seemed to have grown overnight, again. Soon, she would probably think herself too old for a cuddle with her dad, so he was going to take advantage of every opportunity to hug her. She would remember that, someday, and it would give her comfort.
B'Elanna ushered S'Ehra into the main room then. "All done," she declared, as triumphant as if she had just saved the ship from a warp-core breach. In a way, doing the hair of two active young girls demanded just as much energy.
"Then let's get to the transporter room," Tom said.
As the small family made their way to the transporter room, they saw many other families doing the same. Thankfully, the captain had had the foresight to draw up a schedule, so that each family had to wait their turn. Since the Parises were at the top of the list, they drew several envious, yet good-natured looks from other parents who were ready and waiting.
A'Lehsen and S'Ehra had rarely had opportunities to be transported, so this was a double treat for them. They giggled as the blue light sur- rounded them.
The room where they were delivered opened into another, far larger one. It was that room that would hold the hundreds of guest expected.
The decorations were beautiful and exotic, mixes of colors that would have been gaudy in any other circumstance. There were flowers everywhere, and they gifted their perfumes to the guests unstintingly. Tom noticed a rare Delta Quadrant variety from their own hydroponics bay, and wondered when Neelix had found the time to "help" the decorators...and if he had managed to influence the caterers as well.
From the moment the musicians (live, a full orchestra) began playing a lively song that Tom recognized from the twentieth century, the party was a whirl of color and sound. He could hardly remember who he talked to, except that he knew he had been polite and kind, as protocol demanded. He tried to keep an eye on A'Lehsen and S'Ehra, until their grandparents, Owen and Annalise Paris, and David Torres, claimed them, on account of the fact that they had four years of grandparental spoiling to catch up on.
He danced with B'Elanna (although it wasn't easy, and they were nearly dying of laughter when they came to a halt), Janeway, and Seven. Those were the only faces he recognized among the sea of women he partnered that night. He was diplomatic and gracious, thanks to years of training, and he was sure that he would remember this night as one of the most magical of his life. The music was never-ending, the drinks were not synthetic, and everyone was enjoying themselves thoroughly.
Finally, sometime around 0400, he danced again with B'Elanna. He noted how tired she looked, the way her eyes closed more from fatigue than from enjoyment of the dance, and the limp way she hung in his arms when the music died.
Tom led her off of the dance floor, helping her sit in one of the comfortable chairs provided. "I think it's time to go home, B'Elanna. You're tired, and I think the only thing keeping me as awake as I am is the alcohol. We should find the girls and go," he said tenderly.
B'Elanna nodded, too overcome with weariness to argue.
"I'll go look for my parents-" Tom began.
"Too late, we've already found you," Owen said from behind him. Tom turned and smiled at his parents and B'Elanna's father. When he noticed that A'Lehsen and S'Ehra weren't with them, he frowned.
"I took the girls to our house, Tom. Our housekeeper, Genny, is watching them. We came to ask you to spend the night with us. We'd enjoy it. David is staying, too," Annalise said in her softly persuasive voice.
Tom gave in without argument. "Thanks, Mom, Dad. I just want a nice bed to lay down in for about ten hours, then I should be fine," he said with a wry grin.
B'Elanna nodded, her eyes expressing her agreement. "I'd give up engineering for good right now if I could just have a sonic shower and a mattress," she said. Tom stood up and then assisted her to stand, as well.
Owen grinned. "You can have both at our home, never fear," he told her.
The five left quietly, hoping to avoid being noticed. They succeeded, and Tom didn't even bother to keep track of how long it took the hovercar to reach his parent's home. He just let him self relax. It had been a good day, topped off by the perfect night. He looked over at his wife, already sound asleep beside him, her head cushioned on his arm. He gently shifted so that he could gather her closer, and he reveled in that closeness.
It was, indeed, a day beyond measure. Tom was sure that his life would just keep getting better. After all, they were home, safe, with their families and friends again. That was what they had been striving for all along. The feeling of "home".
A/N: There's an epilogue ahead. I'm posting it tonight because I'm nice like that! :-)