June 2384

San Francisco

Starfleet Academy Gardens

Chakotay stood off to the side, watching the guests mingle, and second-guessed his decision to attend the Delaney sisters' wedding. Or was that weddings? Twin sisters getting married in a double ceremony had to be plural, right?

He'd been a bit late and sat in the back, so he couldn't tell how many of Voyager's former crew made it to the ceremony. At the moment, he only knew Megan and Jenny … and two other people.

That would be Kathryn and a man he assumed was Tom, talking with someone near the rose garden. Kathryn did look wonderful in her multicolored dress — flowers, perhaps? Her hair was still short, though he did note a few streaks of white. Not that he could talk.

"Ah, there you are." He jumped, then turned as B'Elanna took a quick step back. "Easy there," she said. "It's just me."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Glad to see you; I was beginning to wonder if there was anyone else I knew here."

B'Elanna refrained from throwing a pointed glance toward her ex and his partner. "Well, I ran into Sam and Naomi in the bathroom, I saw Rollins somewhere, and the Doctor is off taking holo-images; says he's sending them to Harry."

"Where is Harry?"

"Still on the Wallace — doing his part to keep the Beta Quadrant safe," she said, making Chakotay chuckle.

So," she said, changing the subject, "how's life at the Academy?"

"Not bad," he said. "My summer class has more questions about Voyager than Delta Quadrant anthropology, though. Are you still at Jupiter Station?"

"Yes and no. I was at Proxima, then DS5, and I've been here this week for meetings. But I head back to Jupiter tomorrow; we're starting the next round of tests on the new warp drives."

"I was sorry to hear about the dissolution. Do you have Miral?" he asked, looking around. She shook her head. "I had her this week, but she's with Tom's parents today. Actually, he has primary custody, so she goes home with them tonight."

"Is that what you wanted?"

She shrugged. "It's best for Miri. She needs stability, and my job bounces me around a lot. I miss her, but this works, and she's happy. They're in upstate New York, and I have a place in the northern Floridas, so I see her when I'm working on Earth or can commute."

"I'm sorry."

"It's all right. We all get along much better than I expected. It doesn't hurt that Kathryn and I have to deal with each other professionally."

She took a sip of her drink and snorted softly. "Honestly, she's a better match for Tom than I ever was; she's willing to put up with his juvenile behavior. On the other hand, he's matured quite a bit. Whether that's Kathryn's doing or being a father, I don't know. Maybe both."

"I'm missing something," he interrupted. "New York?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Kahless, you are out of touch," she teased. "Though that did happen a few years ago. For some reason, 'Fleet decided to move the sector's Tech Headquarters to a new facility in Montreal. And Kathryn was tapped to run it. It's easier to live in New York, they say, so …"

"Hey, there ..."

Chakotay turned toward the voice and did a double take: It sounded like Tom Paris, but this wasn't the Tom he remembered. This version was a bit heavier; his hair was longer and darker, with a neatly trimmed beard of the same color. And B'Elanna was right; he looked more mature. Maybe it was the beard or perhaps, the blue suit coat and gray trousers.

If Tom noticed his surprise, he paid it no mind. "Chakota ..." he began, then quickly stifled a yawn.

"Time change get to you?" B'Elanna teased.

"Sorry; Yes, it did," he said. "Kate's been at Headquarters this week for meetings," he explained, "so she took the boys to my folks. I had work commitments, so I flew out late last night," he finished, neglecting to mention that he'd arrived at Kate's hotel room around midnight, and considering they hadn't seen each other for a week, well …

"I'm sorry, boys?" Chakotay asked. B'Elanna laughed out loud. "He knows nothing," she said.

"Then again, he didn't get an announcement," Tom privately mused. "Yeah, twin boys. They just turned three," he said with a grin. "And Miri's good with them until they get into her stuff."

"You should tell him what you're doing; save him the trouble of asking," B'Elanna suggested, which made Tom chuckle.

"Well, I'm part owner of a company that does shuttle restorations and repairs," he said, opting for the short version. "We recently picked up a couple of contracts with racing teams, so, we're looking at expanding."

"That's impressive," Chakotay allowed.

"Thank you," Tom said sincerely, then turned back to B'Elanna. "We're going to take off; Mom sounded frazzled in her last message."

"It sounded like a madhouse when I dropped Miri off," B'Elanna allowed.

"Yeah, she has Moira's kids, too," he remarked. They segued into a discussion of soccer game vids, upcoming school schedules, and call times until a very familiar, smoky laugh echoed across the grounds. Something was extremely funny, for Kathryn and the group she was with were laughing uproariously.

B'Elanna noted Tom's look: He was beaming, chucking a bit as he watched his wife enjoying herself. He obviously adored Kathryn, and she couldn't quite smother that pang of regret: Once upon a time, he looked at her like that ...

Interestingly enough, Chakotay's look was adoring, too. But his look had a very obvious undertone of wistfulness — and regret.

"I've got to go," Tom announced. "Chakotay, congrats on the Academy post. And we'll talk to you Monday night," he said to B'Elanna.

"Safe travels, Flyboy. Get some sleep," she said.

"Just a reminder," B'Elanna said softly as Chakotay watched Tom jog toward his wife, "the Admiral is taken."

Chakotay just sighed. "I don't need a reminder," he said quietly as he watched the pair depart hand-in-hand. "So," he said as he straightened, "want to get some dinner?"

"Sorry, maybe next time I'm in town. I'm expected tonight."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh, something else I don't know?"

"Someone I know from Jupiter Station. He's here for the meetings, too. We've been seeing each other for a while, but we're not at the point where I want to bring him to a wedding. Though he did meet Miral this week."

She leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Give me, or someone a call, will you? It's a lot easier than having to catch you up on everything," she admonished. "And you should talk to Sam and Naomi over there; that kid has grown up on us."

ooo

"Did you want to talk to Chakotay?" Tom asked as he and Kate walked to the hovercar.

"You talked to him, right?" Tom nodded. "That's fine then," she said. "We should get the kids before Julia loses her mind."

"I'm more worried about Moira's kids teaching the boys how to pick locks or something," he said. "Anyway, Chakotay is far, far behind on everyone's lives. B'Elanna was filling him in, though I picked up a bit of … oh, snark on her part."

Kate just nodded, and he decided to let it be. "Well, I apparently missed something. What had your group laughing so hard?"

Kate chuckled. "One of the best jokes I've ever heard," she said conspiratorially. "It's a bit on the risque side; I'll tell you once the kids are in bed."

"Hmm. There is a sound dampener in the bedroom, right?"

"Yes, I turned it on last night. Since the neighbors didn't pound on the walls, I assume it works."

"Good to know," he said as he leaned over to whisper in her ear. "Because after you tell me your risque joke, I'm thinking we should, oh, continue to catch up after our week apart."