First of all, I wanted to say I really loved writing this story.  Sometimes I felt like I would go crazy if I had to write another sentence, but that always passed.  I really enjoyed the character development I was able to do due to the length.  Thanks go to CIRCE, who was the first to write me about my stories and has helped me out immeasurably since.  To NODA, for all her help reading this and giving suggestions.  To AW for all her help when I was learning HTML and for her love of STV.  To CD for being my closest friend since grade school and for putting up with all my 'net talk and finally to everyone who reads my stories and who believes in J/C!  Thanks for everything - I couldn't have done it without any one of you.

Disclaimer: What isn't owned by Paramount and Jeri Taylor (Mosaic) is a pitiful amount and I can't see either of them wanting it.

VOYAGER - THE 'LUCKY STAR' SHIP
Prayers Answered
By Amanda Darling
adarling@geocities.com

Nine years.  Nine years and we're home.  By god.

Captain Kathryn Janeway had had more experiences in those nine years than all her experiences before-hand put-together.  As she watched Earth increase on the viewscreen, her heart was bursting with pride.  Now, if only Starfleet knew they were back.  The ship was cloaked - technology they'd purchased three years ago.  The wormhole had been a god-send, she knew it.  They had snuck into Federation territory, passing right through the borders as if they weren't there.  Everyone would have a hell of a surprise.  Crewmembers had taken shuttles to their homes from the closest point of Voyager's course to Earth.  Since the majority of the crew was from the capital planet, and Starfleet would probably want to see the ship, that was the heading.  They had agreed not to contact anyone until they were all ready.  Then, at HT (home time) they would all simultaneously show up on the doorsteps of those closest to them.  It was approaching that time.  They had five hours left, flying right above Earth.  Neelix decided to throw a party.  On the bridge.  Janeway didn't mind much.

Everyone got the address of the person they were going to visit and beam-down times were arranged.  Janeway couldn't find her mother's address, but had located her sister, Phoebe Janeway.  Tom would be beaming to his favorite sister's house, because he wasn't quite ready to face his father, though he did promise all his friends that he would go visit him the next day.  Kathryn was the most persistent.

"Alright, alright, KJ, I'll go!  Christ, you never give up do you!"

"No!" She said with a laugh.  He and most of the other officers had adopted calling her by her initials when she was off-duty several years ago.  At first they hadn't been comfortable with her first name, and since then it had just become the usual.

Janeway had written a message to Starfleet, cued to appear on every console at Headquarters in one hour.  That would give them at least a little bit of time to be with their families.  Kathryn would have liked longer, but knew many officers had parents or loved ones in the 'Fleet.

She had met her sister.  Phoebe had shrieked, ushered her in and introduced her to the family.  Phoebe and Mark had married six years ago, in a private wedding with just the two of them and some witnesses to whom they sent a Christmas card to every year.  They'd gotten married on Earth, in Los Vegas.  Gretchen Janeway was still upset with her daughter for getting married without her, but there was little she could do about it, so she had forgiven her.  The children had been born one and three years after the wedding, Sarah and little Kathryn, who looked exactly like her namesake.

Kathryn (the Captain, not the baby) had nearly cried when little Kathryn had hugged her and told her welcome back.  After that, Phoebe had insisted on going to visit their mother.

While Kathryn loved her mother and sister, she wanted to move back into this life more slowly.  She felt out of place, and more than a little sick to her stomach.  After nine years of living and sleeping in space, solid ground beneath her was somehow making her nauseous, however she went.  She owed it to her mother, and she did want to see her.  They beamed to the condominium complex where Gretchen and her new husband were living, a delightful man who had lost his wife three years ago.  That explained why Kathryn had not been able to locate her mother.

At the huge complex, Kathryn saw two familiar figures heading into one of the buildings.  "Paris!  B'Elanna!"

They turned, surprised to see her.  "So what brings you here, KJ?"

She jogged over to them.  "My mother.  She lives here."

"Really?  So does my Dad.  He remarried after my mother died three years ago."

Janeway's eyes grew wide.  "Tell me you're joking."

"Why?  What is it?"

"My mother remarried someone who had lost his wife three years ago."

They quickly entered the building, glancing at the residence directory.  Sure enough, Condo 134 was held by Owen and Gretchen Paris.  "Ohmygod!" Janeway and Paris exclaimed, then all three of them burst into laughter.  Phoebe and Paris' sister, Kimberly, were puzzled.  Why was this so funny?  Janeway and Paris explained how they knew each other, and the history of their connection.

It was hard to simply fall back into the home routine after what they'd experienced.  Kathryn felt distanced from her mother and her sister as she had dinner with Paris, B'Elanna, their children, Kimberly, her family, Phoebe, Mark and their children, and Owen and Gretchen, who made the feast with Kimberly and Phoebe.  The children played together, Sarana loving being the oldest by two months and taking care of the 'little kids'.  The adults found the four-year-old grown-up Sarana very amusing.

Janeway, Paris and B'Elanna were quiet, wanting some time to get used to what had once been their homes, but their families wanted to hear everything about Voyager and Paris and Janeway told all the stories for them.  The conversation had eventually turned away from Voyager and into what had been going on with the families at home.  The adults stayed up very late, catching up on the past nine years.  When everyone had finally said goodbye and Phoebe and Mark had woken their children and walked with Kimberly and her family to the transport, Kathryn, Tom and B'Elanna were shown where they would sleep.  Gretchen had insisted that they stay with them that evening because she wanted to be able to look in on them and know she wasn't dreaming.  She had warned them though, that the sleeping arrangements would be a little weird.

They hadn't had the heart to turn her down.  Now they weren't so sure.  The children were asleep in the family room, Kaeori in a blanketed laundry basket that substituted for a crib and Sarana and Palmer on opposite ends of the couch.  The guest room was nearby, so B'Elanna had no qualms about leaving her children alone.  She didn't want to wake the baby either because it was terrible getting her back to sleep in the middle of the night.  Gretchen showed them the guestroom.  One guest room.  She offered the room she and Owen occupied, but all three declined.  The guestroom had a single bed and pullout couch.  They would be fine.  After many apologies, and hugs and kisses for all of them, especially Kathryn, Gretchen left the room.

Tom was the first one to speak.  "Well, this is an experience.  Maybe we could call Chakotay and Harry and Seven and have a pajama party." Both Kathryn and B'Elanna laughed, easing the slight tension they felt.

"You know, why don't I just use the other couch in the family room-"

"And have Sarana and Palmer wake you at the crack of dawn?" B'Elanna asked.  "It's fine, KJ, please don't feel uncomfortable."

"Alright.  I'll stay.  I'm really sorry, and I don't mean to intrude, but I will stay."

"Don't worry about it.  Compared to three children, you're a welcome roommate."

Kathryn found that, as tired as she was, she couldn't fall asleep.  She listened to the sound of Tom and B'Elanna's even breathing and told herself she was stupid.  She never got much sleep, she really should take it whenever she had the chance.  However, her stomach still felt awful and it had increased as she tried to fall asleep.  Finally she had decided it was futile.  She eventually gave up, left the room silently and wrote her mother a note, saying she'd forgotten something on the ship and would be back in the morning.  She went to the ship and curled up in her ready room chair.

Chakotay also found it impossible to sleep that night, in Ohio.  He didn't want to admit it, but he missed her.  Missed her like crazy, just knowing where she was, what she was doing, he missed being a part of her life, even if they had never become more than the closest of friends.  He eventually beamed back to the ship, needing to be in a place where he felt right.  Earth held too much of Starfleet, but on Voyager, it was somehow outside the boundaries of Starfleet and into a category of its own.

Something caused him to ask the computer if there was anyone else on board the ship.  He needed company, someone who understood what it was like, getting home and how strange it felt.  There was one person on the ship.  He moved unhesitatingly to her Ready Room, palming his override when he got there.

She raised her head, pulling herself out of her trance-like state and said, "Hello, Chakotay," before opening her eyes.

"How did you know it was me?"

"You're the only one who would override my codes, without first calling at least."

He smiled faintly, "You know me that well."

She smiled back, a sleepy smile, once again resting her head on her knees, waving lazily to her couch, inviting him to sit.

He watched her eyes flutter shut and instead of moving to the couch, he went to stand behind her, brushing her hair aside and massaging her shoulders.

She hadn't realized she was tense until his hands touched her, and then she tensed slightly at the contact, but then relaxed.  She trusted him more than she had ever trusted anyone.

"Long day?"

"Tiring.  You?"

"Enjoyable.  I saw my cousin and uncle."

"Mmm, that sounds nice.... It was strange, wasn't it?  Being with them all again." She knew for certain that he had experienced the same thing she had, without needing to ask.

"It was odd.  After all we've seen.  Some of Alpha Quadrant life seems... irrelevant."

"Exactly.  It didn't matter.  All the things I'd thought mattered, no longer seem to."

"So what matters to you now?"

"The people in my life, my morals, my heart.  They will guide me better than any regulations and guidelines ever will."

His hands stilled their motion on her shoulders, sensing there was more.

She stood, facing him as an equal.  "I finally understand what means the most to me in my life."

"And what's that?"

"You, your friendship, the love you offered me time and again, the love I never took," her lip trembled and then her words rushed forward, "until now, if it is still offered.  Chakotay, I have been such a fool all these ye-"

"Shh," he said, running a hand along the side of her face.  "The journey's over now.  And at the end, we meet as one.  Kathryn...." He pulled her into his arms and held her for what seemed like an eternity.

"I love you."

"I've always loved you.  You've known that, right?"

"I think so."

It was quiet on the ship, but peaceful.  The power of the ship thrummed beneath them, reminding them of the meld of power and beauty that could be created by man in his finest moments.  They felt the strength and agility and determination and devotion of a ship that matched her crew in every aspect.  Equal.  Partners.  Unable to survive without each other.

Chakotay nearly stumbled back when he realized both of his legs had fallen asleep while he'd been standing on them.  He heard Kathryn's deep breathing and tried to steady himself without moving too much, thinking she was asleep.  She raised her head slightly, brushing his nose with her hair.  "Time to go back?"

"No, but time to find somewhere to sleep."

She pulled away and moved towards her Ready Room door, slowly, waiting for him to follow, his hand falling to rest on her lower back, guiding her, even though he was half a step behind her.  It was a gesture of affection, devotion that warmed her heart.  At the door to her quarters, she invited him in, unable to explain why she couldn't have him out of her sight for even a moment.  "Stay here, tonight, please.  The ship seems too big and too impersonal-" She said, trying to think up good reasons to have him stay.

Once again he interrupted her.  "I'll stay.  I understand, Kathryn.  I understand you."

"Yes.  You do."

She changed into her favorite cotton nightgown as he transported nightclothes from his quarters to hers.  She rested against him, her head on his chest, falling asleep to the steady beat of his heart as they talked before drifting off to sleep. 

They woke shortly after the sun rose.  Kathryn woke first, stretching unconsciously, rousing him from sleep.  Though she hadn't slept long, she felt totally refreshed and ready to face the day.  "Sorry!" she whispered when she'd woken Chakotay, her voice sounding too loud even with its quiet volume.

"That's alright.  I should probably get back to my cousin's.  He'll be getting up soon, and I don't want him to find me gone."

"I should get back to my mother.  We have a lot of catching up to do." She said, more out of moral duty than any desire to leave just yet.  She made no move to get up, her eyes once again closing as if she was about to doze off.

"Kathryn." She turned her face up to him in acknowledgement.  "Your mother."

"You call her; tell her I'll see her in a few hours."

"She'd love that.  'Who's this?' 'It's Chakotay, the Maquis Captain your daughter was sent to chase.  I'm calling to tell you your daughter's decided to sleep in late today.' Oh, yeah, Monkey, that would go over really well."

She laughed softly.  He hadn't called her that in years.  She could remember the last time clearly.  It had been after the Borg incident.  Their relationship had been progressing very slowly, they'd gone on a few dates, but hadn't even kissed yet, but the Borg experience had brought their whole relationship to a grinding halt.  She had told him it could no longer continue.  She would be his closest friend, his friend forever, but 'right now, Chakotay, I can't be more than that yet, maybe never.' He had accepted it, but she knew she had hurt him very deeply.  He had hugged her tight and whispered goodbye, adding the nickname one final time.  That had been the most painful, but she didn't want to relive that.  She had only the present and future to worry about.  "Maybe not," she heard herself say.  "Okay, I'm getting up.  Really," she added, when she didn't move.

He had a wicked gleam in his eye that she would have seen had she not had her eyes closed.  His hands moved closer to her sides.  He knew he was an excellent tickler.

She jolted up with a shriek that could probably be heard in the Delta Quadrant at the first contact and exclaimed, "Why, you little!" She began retaliation immediately and they both were laughing so hard their sides ached when they finally called a truce and laid their hands to rest.

"I think we need some coffee, and strawberries and cream," she announced and Chakotay thought it sounded sexy and inviting without meaning to.  She hopped out of bed and called to Chakotay to stay there, that she was coming back to eat breakfast in bed because it had been so long since she's done that.

She returned with the meal on a tray, a mushroom omelet and two knives and forks along with strawberries and cream, yogurt and coffee.  She grinned evilly.  "No need to save rations!  We can waste as much as we like," she accentuated the last four words into luscious, almost unspoken promises.  Chakotay wondered if she was doing it on purpose or if he was just noticing it more than he used to.

They ate breakfast and Kathryn suddenly remembered she hadn't told him about her mother and Paris' father.  "Chakotay!"

"What?!"

"Oh, sorry, nothing terrible.  Just you won't believe it!  Paris is my step-brother, and B'Elanna, my step-sister-in-law!  My mother married Paris' father!  Isn't that a riot?"

He agreed, laughing.  The situation was perfect.  "I don't think you or Paris are destined to have a life that in any way resembles normal," he teased her.

"Oh, thanks a lot!  Next time I just won't tell you!"

They continued teasing each other until Chakotay knew they had to confront the issue that was on both of their minds.  "Kathryn, I think we need to-"

"No." She said abruptly.  "No talking yet.  Once this is all over, I will owe you big time, and I will happily pay up," she said with a wicked smile, "But please wait, just a little longer.  After the conference today, and after all the bureaucratic BS, then we need to talk about a future.  Not yet, please.  Only the present, and for just a little while longer I have to belong to everyone.  Then I can be yours alone.  I think we should both take a vacation for a few months and go explore the universe together."

"Didn't we already do that?" He asked her fondly.

Her gaze was distant, remembering all they'd shared, all the experiences that had happened to them since they'd met.  "I guess we did."

"I'll wait, Kathryn.  I'll wait for however long it takes."

"Thank you." She rested against him a moment, breakfast dishes pushed aside, then she regretfully got out of bed.  "I've got to get back and give my apologies to my mother."

"And I should drop in on one of my old friends.  Did you want to get together sometime this week?"

"I'd like that.  How about before the interview?"

"Tell you what, meet me at the gazebo that's in the West Park at the Academy - the one that's covered with roses - day after tomorrow at 1230hrs."

"Is the arbor still there?"

"We'll find out."

"I'll be there." 

 She entered her home, finding her mother and Paris and B'Elanna still asleep, but she found Tom's father drinking coffee in the breakfast room, and he invited her to join him.  "You're up early, Kathryn.  I would have thought you'd have slept until noon." He passed her a cup of coffee.  "Find what you left on your ship?" He asked the question with the intent gaze that always made her feel transparent.

She felt her cheeks go warm.

"I thought as much," he said, taking a sip of coffee.  "Breakfast?"

"I already ate," she said, not finding it odd how he switched topics so rapidly.  She decided not to question her good fortune-

"It's the Maquis Captain, isn't it?"

Her jaw dropped.

He chuckled, asking the question that was on her mind.  "How did I know, Kathryn?" She nodded dumbly.  "The way you spoke of him last night, the look you got."

"Now I know where Tom picked up his talent for reading people like books," she grumbled into her cup, eyes slanted away from meeting his.

"Don't feel bad.  Nothing surprises me.  I spent years watching every move the Cardassians, and any alien, really, made.  I got pretty good at watching individuals as well.  Your mother doesn't know."

"Then I would prefer if you wouldn't tell her just yet."

"Alright," he agreed gamely.  "But you have six weeks.  I'm not going to let you do to yourself what I did to myself." Conversation ended, leaving her expecting more, Owen got up and returned to the bedroom.  He liked reading in bed, knowing that Gretchen was near him.

 Later that day, B'Elanna and Tom rented a hotel room close by, because there really wasn't room for them in the condominium, but they promised to come over every day.  They returned, as good as their word, an hour after leaving the condo, having checked in at the hotel and done a little unpacking.  They spent most of the afternoon at the complex' swimming pool, Gretchen and B'Elanna and Kathryn talking together as Tom and Owen played with the children in the water.

 The first formal interview was the third day at 1400.  It would go on for hours, Janeway knew.  They'd arrived home fifty hours prior, but there had been a media blackout for Starfleet to take care of several matters privately.  The ship had been orbiting Earth cloaked for that time.  Starfleet would be getting back to Janeway about her cloaking device later.  Along with the other four hundred and eight-three mostly minor but a few major infractions of Starfleet rules and regulations she'd have to answer to at a later date.  The good news was she was free, they were free, they were home and it really was home.  It would not have been home had Starfleet insisted on charging Chakotay and Torres and all the other Maquis for their past crimes.  There was no promise as to whether they would be granted positions on Voyager, or that her field promotions would be granted, but all that would sort itself out.  Janeway was hoping to gain sympathy from the public through the media.  She knew she could get the field promotions.  Because she knew it would all work out, she had agreed to do almost anything for Starfleet, including the press release.  For most people, it would be the first time they heard that the crew of Voyager was now home.  They had been told, five years ago, that Voyager had not been killed, but few had expected Voyager to return home in their lifetime.

Most of the senior officers would be at the interview.  Tuvok had gone to Vulcan and would not be making it back in time, but Tom and B'Elanna would be there, obviously, and Chakotay had stayed because his mother had died shortly after he'd disappeared and he didn't know how to contact his sister; she'd moved years ago.  He'd visited his cousin and a few other relatives who lived on Earth.  Harry had seen his parents and visited Libby's gravesite, and Kathryn had returned to visit her sister and mother.

The Doctor would not be in attendance at the interview.  He had requested not to take part and Starfleet had acknowledged that, because they were still uncertain about declaring him sentient and deserving of the same rights as humanoids.  The case would hopefully end up as had the case many years ago with Captain Data, then Lieutenant Commander Data, being declared sentient, however, only in the Doctor's special case.  Janeway was worried.  Five years ago, Starfleet had ended the EMH and the EEH programs because they were deemed to be more like drones and slaves than people.  They had decided to recall all holographic programs and delete them.  Janeway was hoping their unique circumstances would help win the case.  Some of the top public lawyers were on the case, and reassured her they could win this case.

For reasons no one but Chakotay knew, Kathryn was staying away from one of the three lawyers.  Chakotay only recognized the name, remembered hearing it from her late one night on New Earth.  She had not mentioned it here on the real thing.  She had met with this one lawyer only once, speaking more often with the other two, if given the choice.  Chakotay had been slightly surprised when he and Janeway had 'met' the lawyers.

This man had gone right up to Kathryn and hugged her, lightly kissing her cheek.  She pulled away, and he'd replied, "Come, now, Kathryn, what's a little affection between old lovers?"

Her eyes had flashed and she hissed, "We were never lovers Cheb Packer, and you know it.  Let me guess, you've been saying that all over town."

He gave her a winning, enigmatic smile.

This was the man Kathryn had dated in high school?  What lousy taste!  Chakotay thought, though I'm hardly one to talk.  Remember Seska, old boy?

The meeting had not gone exceptionally well.  The only reason Kathryn had asked Cheb to take the case was because he was one of the best lawyers in the Federation, and she didn't want to risk the Doctor's existence for her convenience.

Kathryn beamed to the Academy grounds half an hour before the conference was scheduled to begin.  She and her mother had watched the five-minute Starfleet presentation, shocking the Federation when they announced that Voyager's crew was home, and that a press conference had been scheduled for three hours after the announcement.  She was sure that had thrown more than a few newsjournals for a loop.  Starfleet was guessing there would be between ten and twelve reporting stations that would come to the press conference.

She came with nothing but herself, in uniform, as Starfleet had requested.  She was already nervous about what they were going to ask.  She wondered if she could make the media understand what life in the Delta Quadrant had been like.  She wasn't sure she could.  It was difficult for people to understand if they had not been there themselves.

She arrived a little early to meet Chakotay at the rose arbor, finding it still there.  She fingered some of the rose petals on the flowers lightly, more at peace here than anywhere else on Earth.  Roses seemed to be a constant in her universe, always representing happiness.  Chakotay had always given her a rose for her birthday, along with another birthday present, but the rose had been a constant.  Her rose, her peace rose, always.  Each of them were dried and she kept them in a vase on her bedside table, the only adornment there, contrasting the impersonal Starfleet padds and tricorder.  Chakotay had seen those roses for the first time several nights ago, though had not commented on them.  He must have known, she decided.  The number was right; seven, one for each birthday after the ship had returned to pick them up from New Earth.  All identical roses, all varying shades of decay.  She intended to keep them until they turned to dust.  If she had to pick her most valuable possession, it would probably be those roses, or maybe the watch Chakotay had given her several years ago, a replica of Cray's timepiece.  How had he always known her so perfectly?

"Hello, Monkey!" He called and she turned, a smile spreading over her face.

"Hello, yourself, what kept you?"

"My friend's granddaughter.  She's four and wouldn't let me leave.  She called me a hero." He smiled.

"She's right."

"I wouldn't know about that."

"You rescued me, from myself, many nights." She said, turning serious as he came to stand by her side.

"How...?"

"Because I knew you loved me.  That helped me keep going."

"I'm glad, Kathryn," he told her, pulling her closer and nuzzling her face.  "I'll be your hero whenever you need me." He let her go, because he knew before she said anything that she would be uncomfortable hugging him here, where anyone could find them.

They wandered the grounds for a short time, then headed towards the main building where the conference was being held.

No one had planned further than today, which was something that greatly surprised Kathryn Janeway.  She had not thought Starfleet would be lax about anything.  She had always thought they needed everything planned out ahead of time.  Maybe her perceptions of Starfleet had been overblown in the Delta Quadrant, maybe they were just giving her a break.  She was still waiting to see if Starfleet was going to grant all her promotions.

The media was packed outside Starfleet's main doors.  The senior officers of Voyager were being admitted early so they could be prepped by Starfleet.  Once they were all in attendance, they doors would be opened to the media.  Kathryn felt lightbulbs from cameras flash from all directions.  She was beginning to feel that need for peace and reality amid the chaos that seemed to reign everywhere but her ship and the rose arbor in the West park.  Going in with Chakotay would not look great - would it give them additional meat to their stories?  Even with that possibility, she longed for contact with him; proof of reality.  She heard voices calling her name, her title actually, along with her last name, but she ignored them.  They'd have the chance to ask questions soon enough, and Starfleet wanted all questions to be answered inside, where they could jump in if a problem arose.  Janeway was not intending on relying on them, she preferred to get herself out of an uncomfortable situation if one arose.  She would be going alone before the press for half an hour, but the senior officers would be there, in the wings, listening in.

They met up with B'Elanna, Tom and Harry just out of the views of the media, waiting for them.  Her smile was sincere when she greeted three of her closest friends.  A cadet opened the door and showed them inside, telling them where they would sit when they came on stage.  He gave them glasses of water and placed a pitcher on the main table.  There was a huge half-moon desk facing the rest of the room, and five identical chairs with five identical microphones.  Janeway would be in the center, Chakotay to her immediate left, Harry after him, Tom to her right, B'Elanna on his other side.  Janeway wondered if that was random seating or if they knew more than were letting on, especially in Tom and B'Elanna's case.  Owen Paris would have known, but Janeway doubted he'd done the seating.  He'd taken the days off to get to know his son, his daughter-in-law and his grandchildren.

An aide brushed some makeup over Kathryn's face so she would not appear pale in front of the camera, doing the same with all the officers.  Janeway asked Tom and B'Elanna where the children were, and was not surprised to hear that her mother and his father had them.  Her mother loved children, and she had already seen that Owen had a soft spot for his grandchildren.

"Dad's taking Sarana and Palmer to an aquarium.  Your mother's watching Kaeori.  She's a bit young for the aquarium, and I doubt my father could handle the whole bunch!" The baby would be turning one in three months.  "Dad wants to watch the recording tonight, though."

The rest of them traded stories until they heard the press enter the room.  When everyone was seated, Admiral Picard, Assistant head of Starfleet, went to the podium off to the side of the room and addressed the media, welcoming them, telling them a little about the role Headquarters had played in the game, then turned the discussion over to Janeway who came out of the wings, thanked Picard, shook his hand and took the center seat in the half-moon desk arrangement.  She told them about what had pulled them out into the Delta Quadrant, explained the situation and why she had made the decision to stay on the other side of the galaxy.  Then she opened the floor to questions.

The first question was about the Maquis.  "What made you decide to ask the Maquis to become part of your crew?  What made you trust them that they would not overthrow your ship?"

She laughed.  "I didn't know, not at first.  I had to trust on pure faith.  The Maquis Captain, Chakotay, gave me his word.  I asked them to be a part of my crew because survival was more important than the politics of the Alpha Quadrant out there.  Without them and their help, I doubt anyone of us would have survived."

"Why did you choose to make the Maquis Captain your First Officer?  Is it not true that you were planning on promoting Lieutenant Tuvok once he was rescued from the Maquis?"

She disliked the impersonal 'Maquis Captain', 'rescued'.  "There was no need to 'rescue' Tuvok from the Maquis.  They were not holding him in any way.  He has said on many occasions that he was rarely worried about his safety with them.  Even if they had found out he was a spy, he did not think they would have caused him serious harm." Slight exaggeration, and she knew it, but close enough to the truth that if Tuvok heard it, he would not contradict her.  It was also a good plug for the Maquis.  "I promoted Chakotay to the role of First Officer as a gesture of faith, a demonstration of equality.  I wanted to show the Maquis that I was going to treat them as equals, or near there.  I wasn't quite willing to promote Chakotay to Captain." She heard a few laughs and saw many smiles.  She was starting to relax.

"What made you promote B'Elanna Torres to chief engineer, considering she dropped out of Starfleet?"

"You've certainly done your homework.  She was, and I quote 'the best engineer I've ever known.  She could teach at the Academy' end quote."

"Who gave that quote, Captain?"

"Commander Chakotay, while trying to convince me to promote her.  She is exceptional.  Many times she has proved that statement." She glanced at the chronometer on the wall.  "And with that, I'd like to welcome them to the stage.  Commander Chakotay, Lieutenant Commander Paris, Lieutenant Commander Torres and Lieutenant Kim."

The four of them moved out of the wings and took their assigned seat.  There were nameplates spelling full names in front of where they had each been assigned to sit.  Harry glanced at his.  Harold?  He hated Harold.  His parents had never even called him that.

Janeway saw the look on his face and glanced at the nameplate, then at Tom's.  His read Thomas.  A quick look at him told him he'd rather be called Tom.  "For the press, I'd like to clarify.  Any mention of Lieutenant Kim, please refer to his first name as Harry, not Harold, and Lieutenant Commander Paris would prefer to be Tom.  Thank you.  Any questions for my marvelous senior officers?"

"Commander Chakotay, what made you decide to sacrifice your ship for Voyager?  Did the Captain tell you you would be members of her crew?"

"She did not.  I just knew that if we both wanted to get out of the situation alive, we would need to sacrifice one of the ships.  Mine was the obvious choice.  I had met the Captain, and knew she was considerate and practical.  I hoped we would be allowed to be members of her crew.  We wanted to get back as much as any of the 'Fleeters.  - Sorry, one of our short forms."

"This question is for anyone to answer.  Did any of you ever feel there was a distinction between the Starfleet and the Maquis, once Captain Janeway had accepted the Maquis as crewmembers?"

They glanced at each other - who wanted to speak?  "I think that there was a distinction, at first.  The Maquis mistrusted the Federation and Starfleet.  Starfleet officers felt a dislike of the Maquis, seeing the Maquis as rebels." Tom said.  "But we all tried hard to get along, because it was a long journey we had ahead of us."

"At first there was that distinction, and there will always be a feeling of 'my' heritage, so there will always be a distinction like that.  I think it would be wrong to forget that part of our past.  We became one crew, not always following Maquis rules and preferences, not always following Starfleet guidelines.  Voyager, I think, became more our ship, and less Starfleet's as the years passed, in our minds." Chakotay spoke to the group of reporters.

Kathryn did not quite cringe, but came close.  Chakotay, what are you thinking??  Starfleet would not be pleased with that, and she would have to do a lot of reassuring to soothe the anxious Starfleet executives.

"There was always a distinction, we all knew who had been Starfleet and Maquis, but didn't really let it bother us.  There were a lot of activities planned for us by Neelix and Kes, and Tom wrote a holoprogram for everyone.  We started a hydroponics garden and there were team games set up by Commander Chakotay and Captain Janeway on the Holodeck.  Beach Volleyball was a favorite." The five of them laughed at the inside joke.  It had been more beach and less volleyball, scrounging up a few players to have informal tournaments.  The program itself had been a hit, though.

"What was the most important thing each of you learned?"

B'Elanna answered first.  "I learned to open my eyes.  I hated Starfleet, at first, but I guess I had never really understood or accepted the procedures and guidelines.  I now see why they are in place, and learned how to work without losing my temper."

"Legendary temper, you mean?" Tom asked quietly, hand over the mike so only the senior officers heard.

The media saw, through this gesture and others, that they really cared for each other, had developed a friendship.  To that effect, Janeway spoke.  Ah, well, what the hell.  I'm already in enough trouble, might as well speak the truth.  "I guess mine would be learning to become friends with my officers.  I was taught in command school that there is a certain distance necessary for a Captain, and I understand perfectly why those rules are taught.  In the Alpha Quadrant, a Captain isn't nearly as isolated.  In the DQ," she said, then clarified, "Sorry, Delta Quadrant, I was alone.  If I wanted friends, I was," she grinned at her officers, "Stuck with the bunch of you!"

They ribbed her back until she said to the reporters, "Seriously, though, I learned that developing friendships with members of my crew has its benefits.  You really learn their strengths, see them as people more than numbers.  They see you as a person as well as a Captain and it becomes easier to take orders from a person, easier to understand orders from that person."

"I learned how to have faith in people, and to let people have faith in me.  I was a bit of an upshot to Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay at first, but she had faith in me and trusted me.  I'd never trusted people before, looked for the bad and the catches, refusing to see people as they were.  I learned otherwise on Voyager."

"I learned that the world isn't always peachy-keen," Harry grinned.  "I was just out of the Academy when I joined Voyager, so I was pretty new to the whole thing.  I don't know if I would have learned this to the extent I did in the Alpha Quadrant, but I doubt it.  I learned that being in charge on a Starfleet vessel doesn't always mean following every order to the letter.  There are a lot of situations that don't fit the expectations or simply are so strange there is no precedent or guideline.  I can think of a dozen examples in the first few months alone."

"I learned something close to what Harry said.  I learned that not everything is as it seems.  You have to look deeper, listen to your gut and your heart, and sometimes even they are fooled.  Near the beginning of our 'mission', or as we jokingly called it, 'our kidnapping', we entered a space nebula to collect supplies.  Once inside, B'Elanna did some scans and we found out the nebula was actually a space dwelling organism that we'd severely wounded while trying to collect supplies.  I've always watched everything more closely since then," Chakotay said.

They waited for further questions.  They came, most of the questions about decisions and relations with alien races, a few about technology, supplies, survival and exactly how many times the ship had been taken over by aliens.

"Fourteen," Janeway answered and there were many questions on how they'd recovered their ship each time, which led to detailed answers and explanations.

There were questions about each of their backgrounds - specific questions that couldn't be answered by the short biographies the Federation archivers had made based on career, family history and personal accomplishments.

Janeway glanced at the clock.  The questions had gone on for four hours already and showed no sign of letting up any time soon.  Starfleet execs had told her she could call a short recess if she or any of her crew needed it.  She decided to call one.  "I'd like to call a brief recess.  My senior officers and I will return in twenty minutes.  Cadets," she called and three of them came forward to invite the press into a meeting room where they could have refreshments.  Drained, Janeway, Chakotay, B'Elanna, Tom and Harry left the room to the small adjoining lounge.  There were snacks there for them and they munched on cookies as they dropped tiredly into chairs.  It wasn't that they were tired physically, but emotionally it wasn't always easy, and mentally, to remember accurately the past nine years was difficult.  B'Elanna roamed the room several times, restless of sitting.  "How long does this go on?" She asked.  "How many more questions can they have?"

"Nine years' worth," Tom groaned.

"It won't be that bad," Chakotay said.  "Aren't any of you enjoying this?" Unimpressed looks met his query.  "Seriously, it's not too bad.  Remembering all our successes, how far we've come, I was impressed with us, myself!"

"You're right, Chakotay.  It is interesting and worthwhile, but nerve-wracking.  Whatever is said gets around the Federation reasonably quickly.  I'm afraid something's going to come out wrong and the media will interpret it the wrong way.  Very stressful."

"The legendary Kathryn Janeway being defeated by a bunch of reporters?" Chakotay asked.  "Unthinkable."

She smiled tiredly at him.  "I'll get back to you when I'm more on top of everything."

"My point?"

She didn't answer.

Tom glanced at the clock.  "Think we could just sneak out?  Would anyone notice?"

"Nah, they'd just chase us down and we'd never get any peace," Chakotay offered.  "Might as well just tough it out."

"Aren't you the life of the party," Paris said dryly.  "It would be fun."

"Fun, but embarrassing," Janeway corrected.  "I'm a real Captain again," she said.  "Can't go running off to play pool on the Holodeck if there's some weird alien to greet."

"You never did that," B'Elanna admonished, supportive at the same time.

"Damn close," Janeway muttered.  "Couldn't we have something a little stronger than apple juice?" She asked, making a face at her glass.

"Something like wine?" Tom asked with a smile, not expecting her to drink anything harder than that.

"I was thinking whiskey, or vodka, or maybe some good, old-fashioned scotch," she deadpanned, then at their surprised looks, added, "I'm kidding!  What I wouldn't give for a good cup of coffee right now," she declared.

"Think you're out of luck," Harry told her.

"Hey, can we put a time limit on this?  Say, another hour, hour and a half and that's it?"

"Sounds good to me.  Do you all want to go out for dinner afterwards?"

A chorus of affirmations met his question.

They vegged a bit longer before getting up.  They really should get back to the torture.  They returned to the conference room and the press filed in quickly.

The questions continued.  Now the focus was on crew interaction and relationships.  Quite a few questions were directed at Janeway concerning her responses to crew romances, her decision to authorize marriage and agree to children.  It was drawing closer to 1930hrs and Janeway said the next question would be the last for today.  "What was the final thing that made you decide to consent to marriage?"

She looked up thoughtfully.  "Tom," she said, nodding her head at Paris, "is somewhat of an officianado on the twentieth century.  He once showed us a movie - an ancient form of non-interactive visual entertainment - and there was a line I never forgot.  'It's only the people in our lives that make the loneliness bearable.' (Contact) In the Delta Quadrant, every one of my officers had already given up so much, I didn't want to punish them further by forbidding them to try and 'make the loneliness bearable'."

She closed the discussion, thanking them for coming and the Starfleet recorders were turned off.  Everyone was getting to their feet, as were the senior officers when a voice called out one final question above the din.  "Captain Janeway, it has been rumored you had a relationship with Commander Chakotay.  What is your response to that?"

Janeway sat back down and the crowd silenced.  Here was the question none of them had dared to ask.  Starfleet scrambled to get their cameras going and to rescue Janeway, but they were momentarily stunned.  Few journalists infringed on personal information like that, though they all longed for it.  She stared for a long moment at Chakotay, who'd turned to look at her.  The reporters grabbed out their microphones immediately and switched them back on in a hurry.  "For the record, that is no one's business but our own, but no, Chakotay and I are close friends but there was never more than that between us.  Anything that was misinterpreted as a relationship is simply a deep friendship we both cherish, a friendship many of us shared."

The press got to their feet.  They had their story.  Too late for the 1800hrs news but all would have it up for tomorrow and a few might have a short segment later that evening.  All had well-researched the event and had stories out, but not yet of the conference.  Janeway was impressed with their abilities.  Starfleet had informed them only a few hours before the press conference that one had been arranged.

Photos were snapped constantly as they left to return to their conference room.  Janeway found a steaming pot of coffee and pounced on it almost immediately.  She seemed to rejuvinate with the drink as soon as the caffeine reached her system.  They discussed going out for dinner again and decided pretty much against it.  The media would be all over them and the general public would probably ask for autographs.  "We're celebrities now," Tom said with a contented sigh as he settled back on a deep, plush chair, resting his feet on the coffee table and placing his hands behind his head.

"If your mother and Dad are willing," B'Elanna said, indicating Kathryn's mother "maybe we can get them to watch the children and we can all go to Tom's and my hotel suite and feast ourselves on replicated food and maybe find a pool table somewhere." That suggestion was met with warm approval.

In the hotel, they stuffed themselves with Alpha Quadrant favorites.  After that they played a game of twister, the standard game for the senior officers - when they were alone of course.

They left B'Elanna and Tom late that evening.  Harry went first, he and his parents were leaving early morning to visit some of his relatives who lived on Oriarum, the second planet of the next solar system over.  "Poker?" Paris asked once Harry was gone.  The general consensus was that they were too tired to think and they just stayed and talked for another hour before Janeway decided she really should get back home.  She and Chakotay left together, telling Tom and B'Elanna they'd see them in a week when Starfleet would begin the debriefing for the Voyager crew.  They'd be leaving for Kilnar III, the planet where B'Elanna's mother lived, late tomorrow evening and would be returning a day prior to to the meetings.

"So how are you going to contact your sister?" Kathryn asked Chakotay as they walked to the transport site.

"I can't.  None of my relatives know exactly where she is.  I'm hoping she'll see the broadcast and contact Starfleet.  My cousin said she's changed a lot.  He was not very close to her, and just lost contact."

"Changed how?"

"She really hates Starfleet - according to her, her brothers, sister and father were killed due to the Federation/Cardassian Peace Treaty.  My mother never really recovered after my disappearance, apparently.  Her family, us, meant everything to her, and she had never been really close to Tokari.  She never got over all the deaths.  My uncle said she just stopped fighting."

"I'm so sorry."

"It happens."

"But it shouldn't." Once again she cursed the Caretaker.  How many other lives had he ruined for his own selfish purposes?  True, it was for the Ocompa, but he had had no right to do what he had done.

"No, it shouldn't," he agreed quietly.  They walked some time in silence.  They were nearing the transport site - they had to travel further than normal because it was so late in the evening.

"Did you want to come tour Paris with me tomorrow?" Janeway invited Chakotay.  "Mom's teaching a seminar and I asked her not to get out of it.  I don't know how to tell her I can't spend every hour with her just yet.  It's still too strange after all the years."

"I'd love to come, but are you sure it's a good idea?  We'll be seen together, most likely."

"Then we're seen together," she said with a shrug.  "If Starfleet can't accept our friendship then they're the ones with the problem."

"Did you want me to bring anything?"

"Just your charming personality, Commander."

"As you wish, Captain," he teased, using her title in full formality.

"Ill meet you on the Alexander bridge over the Seine at 1000hrs." Impulsively she leaned up and kissed his cheek before running into the light beam of the transport shelter.  "See you tomorrow.  Don't be late." She slipped inside the shelter before he could reply.

He found a bench to sit on and waited there, watching the stars for an hour before he entered the transporter and asked the officer to beam him to Voyager.  He could have returned to his cousin's house, but didn't have access to the house and didn't think Reykoch would be up this late.

Kathryn, on the other hand, had to explain to her very upset mother why she'd be gone most of the next day.  She had woken early and called up the teleprompter, reading the story in the Terran Daily Telegraph, one of Earth's most acclaimed journals.  They led many other news groups because they found record-breaking news before most other journals.  There was a photo of the crew titled 'Voyageurs home after nine years' and the two-inch title of the front-page article was "Voyager - The 'Lucky Star' Ship".

The article explained their situation, trials, pointing out how lucky the ship really was, and by the end of the article, Janeway found herself believing that Voyager had indeed been created under a lucky star.  She almost laughed.  She had never once thought of them as lucky in the Delta Quadrant.

The story was very well written and she read a few more articles in the journal before she heard her mother get up.  Her stepfather had left earlier to get to his early class at the Academy.  He had complained to Kathryn that he had no sympathy for cadets having to get up early in the morning.  They were still young and strong - "I'd just love to see them trying it at seventy-five." He had decided that this would be his last year of teaching.

Kathryn told her mother she would be away for the day, knowing she was in for either the third degree or a guilt trip.  She got her mother's favorite: a combination of both.

"My seminar's only two hours and you want to go off for the whole day?" The tone was less accusing than hurt.  "Kathryn, you got home only a few days ago.  Can't you wait another day?"

"Mom, I made plans.  I'll be home in the evening and all day tomorrow.  Besides, this will give you a chance to really get to know Tom and B'Elanna and their kids.  Okay?"

"But what I don't understand is why today?  Where are you going?"

"I'm going to France to meet a friend."

"Who?"

"No one you know." She glanced at the chronometer on the wall.  "Look, I've got to go.  I have to be on the bridge by 1000 hrs."

"The bridge?  I didn't think this was work-related."

"No, the bridge in Paris.  I gotta hustle.  Have a good lecture, Mom."

She hurried upstairs, taking a quick shower, putting her hair up and dressing in the blue-gray dress from New Earth.  It took her a moment to realize the unconscious symbolism of the gesture.  She had not worn the dress since the time she and Chakotay had been on the planet.  This was the first time, since then, that she would be with Chakotay and there would be no crew involved.  No ship, only the media and Starfleet.  But she doubted people would recognize her in the dress and pair of sunglasses, hair long on her back.  Most people would know her in the uniform only.

"Seen any paparazzi?" The voice asked her and she turned.  She loved his voice.  The cadence, the hinted laughter when he said anything, as if he was teasing her without her knowing it.

"Hello, Chakotay." She turned back to the Seine river.  "Isn't it perfect?" The water sparkled in the warm sunlight as she watched it ripple and flow.

"It is," he agreed.

She stepped down from the base of the railing and they walked along the street of artists overlooking the river.  They toured Notre Dame and the Arc de Triomphe, climbing the Eiffel Tower later that day.  They'd had lunch at a small sidewalk cafe after Notre Dame.  With regret they parted - she really had to get back to her mother - and he invited her to come with him on a special trip two days from then.

Janeway and her mother transported to Indiana and took a long walk through the cornfields near her old house later that evening, watching the sun set and walking among the budding cornstalks.  The next day her mother had to cover another professor's classes all day when the professor had suddenly caught ill.  She was upset not to get to spend time with her daughter.  Kathryn had promised her she was back to stay and that they had plenty of time.  She spent the morning lounging around the house, then called Chakotay, unable to believe she couldn't handle a day without him.  She had tons of work to do, but was totally uninspired to do it.  "Janeway to Chakotay." She still wore her combadge out of old habit.  She had the house to herself.  Paris and B'Elanna were visiting some of his and her old friends who were on Earth and Owen was fishing with two of his friends.

"Chakotay here."

"Hi, it's me.  What are you doing?"

"Wishing I was with you," he said easily, a smile in his voice.

"Want to bump up that trip to wherever we're going tomorrow?"

"Nope, I have special plans for the whole day."

"Sounds mysterious.  Do I get any hints?"

"Not a chance.  I'm going to enjoy watching you squirm and beg tomorrow."

"Just what exactly will I be squirming and begging for?"

"You'll find out," he said sensually, with undertones of humor.  He was planning something innocent, really, Kathryn.

"I'm starting to think going with you is not a good idea."

"Don't you trust me?"

"Of course not!"

"And just a few days ago you were saying you had faith in me, that you trusted me.  The formidable Kathryn Janeway is a liar?"

"When it suits me, yes.  I have a whole bunch of reports to do, and betting you have the same.  Want to come over and do them together?"

"Is your mother there?"

"Are you crazy?  I wouldn't invite you over if she was here."

"Ashamed of me?" He asked with a grin.

"No, just not wanting to submit you to the tortures of my mother's inquisition."

"Reykoch's at a meeting for the rest of the afternoon and early evening.  Do you want to come over and I'll cook you some dinner?"

"My mother's going to kill me, but I'd love to.  I'll leave her a note and be there in half an hour." She tapped out a note while talking with Chakotay.  In the note she told her mother she could have a nice dinner with Owen without her interrupting, but both knew it wasn't true, so Kathryn wasn't sure why she even bothered to say that.  Oh well.  Her mother would forgive her.

Chakotay gave her the address in Ohio and she packed a bag, scooping up her padds by the armful and dumping them in, counting them as they fell.  Nineteen... twenty... twenty-one.  She doubted she'd get through these before her deadline.  The part that she didn't really care was another factor in it.  She had no patience for Starfleet make-work, which is exactly what the mandatory reports were.  She had grown cynical in the Delta Quadrant.  Before she had never questioned Starfleet policies, aside from those concerning tactical (hence Tuvok), until now.  The standard weekly reports were trivial now - and while Starfleet had relented on weekly reports, she was still expected to hand in a report formulated from her official logs for each month.  She found the task huge.  She had finished the first three years already, and was halfway through the fourth.

There was a mild wind in Ohio, she noted, when she stepped out of the transporter shelter in Ohio.  She walked the two blocks to Chakotay's cousin's house and knocked on the door.  Chakotay greeted her with a warm grin, welcoming her in, giving her the grand tour.  The house was tiny, but warm and comfortable, reminding her of the house she'd always wanted as a child.  There were two bedrooms on the top floor, a kitchen and living room/dining room on the main floor and in the basement an office and storage section.

They settled down in the living room, on the floor, resting against the couch, pushing the coffee table aside and laying all their reports around them, creating cocoons around where they sat.  They talked occasionally as they worked, but spent most of the time in silence.  It was the sign of perfect friendship - the moment when both friends can work separately, but together, neither feeling the need to talk.  Amazingly, Kathryn finished the last year (so the reports were in point form - anyone really interested could read her public logs) and stretched.  She looked out the window.  "It's dark!" She exclaimed with surprise.  "How long have I been here?" She glanced at the chrono on the wall.  "Seven hours?  I don't believe it."

"Time flies when you're having fun.  Can you stay for the promised dinner, or do I bear the shame of returning you unfed?"

"I'll stay.  So what's on the menu?"

"As appetizer I was thinking of-"

He leaned closer and kissed her for the first time.

When they both pulled apart, the words Kathryn had always imagined she'd say at this moment left for an irresistible comment.  "I'm not staying for the main course," she murmured and he laughed out loud.  He had been expecting many things, but not this.

"I won't serve you anything you don't like, or aren't ready to try - though I'm sure you were told as a child to try everything offered to you."

"Maybe.  I was also told to eat everything on my plate, but that depends what you dish out." 

"Kathryn Janeway, your parents should be appalled by your manners!"

"On the contrary, in this case, they might appreciate lousy table manners." Her voice was pristine and her hands folded crisply in her lap.

He stood and offered her his hand.  They made dinner together, sitting down to eat in front of the fireplace where Chakotay had lit a fire.  Janeway decided Chakotay was much better at starting fires with matches.  She teased him about his ability to start one by rubbing two sticks together.  "My cousin can do that.  My skill was finding the sticks for marshmallows."

"Where is your cousin?  Isn't it awfully late?"

"I... lied to you.  He's not at a meeting.  He went to his fiancée's house after work, and will be back tomorrow.  They're getting married in two months and still have to finalize details."

"Why'd you do that?"

"I thought the truth might change things.  I didn't want you saying no for that reason.  Was I right?"

She thought for a moment, feeling a tightening in her stomach, as though he had just given her a tantalizing caress.  The fact that they had all night, there was no time-limit aside from that, did twitter her nerves, but she forced calm, and truth.  "A little.  It would have been harder to say yes, I think."

"Then maybe it was the right thing to do.  Do you regret coming?"

"Not at all."

"I'm glad."

They finished dinner and sat staring into the fire for a long time, talking.  

Kathryn was slightly jittery, though she relaxed as time passed.  They eventually moved out onto the back deck, looking at some of the constellations, pointing them out to each other - Orion, the Pegasus, the rose, the big and little dippers.  The night air was cool and Kathryn rubbed her arms slightly to warm them.  She hadn't thought to bring a sweater.  "Cold?" Chakotay guessed.

"A bit."

"Want to go inside?"

"No; I love looking at the stars."

He moved to stand behind her, putting his arms around hers as they both stared up at the night sky.  "Better?"

"Mmmhmm."

Neither one wanted to leave this moment.  So they remained there, talking softly about the future until they could no longer stand the cold.  Once inside, Chakotay offered coffee or hot chocolate, not wanting her to go back to Indiana yet, though it was very late - or very early depending on how it was perceived.

"No, I really should go," she said with regret, "Or else I'm going to fall asleep on you tomorrow wherever we go.... Won't you please tell me?"

"Nope.  Don't even try.  But stay for some hot chocolate, please.  I make it even better than Harry," he told her.

"Better than Harry?" She asked inquisitively, wishing he didn't know her as well as he did, and loving it at the same time.  "Alright, you've sold me.  I have got to try this." Harry had made the best hot chocolate of the Voyager crew.  It was fantastic, but he refused to share his secret.

"Well, maybe not better than Harry," he needled and she laughed.

"Persistence and humor do find their way to my heart, Commander.  I'll stay and share a mug of your less-perfect-than-Harry's hot chocolate."

Chakotay lent her a warm fleece top, navy blue, for the return to her house.  It was nearly pitch-black outside the artificial light sources that shone exactly circular patterns of light on the ground eight meters apart.  He walked her to her transport site and kissed her goodnight.  "I'll pick you up at 1100hrs."

"I'll be waiting."

Kathryn was ready at 1059hrs.  Chakotay had told her the temperature where they were going was warm and balmy, with lots of sunshine, so she'd chosen a light sundress.  He'd told her nothing more.  She hated surprises.  Actually that wasn't true.  She hated surprises from him.  She didn't trust him.  No, that wasn't true either.  She didn't trust herself with him.  He had a personality to match her own.  Owen Paris had once called her 'Spitfire' and the name had stuck with all her teachers at the Academy for the remainder of her two years.  The name also fit Chakotay.  The only reason Chakotay seemed to be letting her lead was because at first he knew she wasn't ready, and that cupid had shot him first.  She knew he loved her, had said he would wait forever for her, but she knew that wasn't true.  He knew she loved him as well.  She'd never told him, but he knew.  She had been certain that at one point during their mission, he would have confronted her about it, seized her, kissed her, whispered a caress, and she would have been gone, burning like a discarded Christmas tree, bursting into flames that neither would have wanted to quench-... but that had never happened.  If it had, she didn't know what she would have done.  There was no one time with Chakotay.  She was much more relaxed about it now, surrounded by Starfleet so there was no way she could forget it, nor that she would want to forget it.  She was no longer that same Christmas tree that could ignite.  It was still possible, of course, but not unless she was totally willing.

Chakotay picked her up, carrying a picnic basket and wearing a short-sleeved silk shirt and off-white pants.  She tried to peak into the picnic basket, to get some clue of where they were going, but he hid it from her, shifting the basket to his other hand.  On the way to the transport site, he refused to tell her where they were going; wouldn't even tell her when they reached the site.  He ordered the officer on duty to transport them to coordinates 1478380465, the second way to classify locations.  It was simpler to state the place, but this was the equivalent of an address, which was often used for personal homes or buildings that were not particularly well-known.

Great, Janeway thought, You could be taking me directly to a hotel room for all I know.  And what exactly is in that picnic basket, Cowboy?

The tingle of the transporter faded and Janeway looked around.  There were no hotels in her immediate line of vision, but there were plenty of people.  There was a merry-go-round with young children laughing and parents standing by.  Kathryn and Chakotay walked through the park, though Kathryn still couldn't place where they were.  It was obviously North America, but she could pinpoint it no further than that.

"Alright, I give.  Where are we?"

"Central Park, New York, New York, America.  Ever been here before?"

"The name rings a bell.  No, I haven't been in over twenty years.  My parents used to bring my sister and me here on occasion."

They walked through the park, winding up at a place where small rowboats could be rented to drift along the river that wound through the park.  Once they were in the boat, Chakotay smiled as she settled in the bow.  "Since we never got to explore that river on New Earth, I thought we could explore one on the real thing," he told her as he tugged once on the oars, sending them floating along the still waters.  They passed by a family of ducks on their route, Chakotay asking Kathryn to open the picnic basket and take out the two pieces of slightly stale bread for them.  She was enchanted.  She had always loved feeding the ducks as a child, and it didn't feel a mite silly doing so now, at forty, with Chakotay.  She loved that about him, the way she could be silly and young and childish with him, and he understood her.  That was probably what meant the most to her, what made him so endearing.  He understood her, always.

His face held a look of total enchantment as she leaned over in the boat, careful not to tip it, tossing the bread to the ducks.  She watched the mother feed it to her young, then the other duck, a little stronger and larger than the first, probably the male, eat a bite, then gave one to the female duck.  Kathryn was reminded of something her mother once told her.  Ducks and geese mated for life.  The sudden thought popped into her mind of telling Chakotay he was a goose, but she refrained herself.  Though her smug little smile delighted Chakotay.

He asked what she was smiling about and she replied, "Oh - nothing.  Just thinking."

He allowed her to keep her secret.  He rowed a little more until they came to an area where the river wasn't too wide.  One side of the bank had a willow tree, the other a thick covering of delicate pink-tipped, white flowers.  He anchored the boat and opened up the picnic basket.  He pulled out all kinds of picnic foods, coleslaw, potato salad, deviled eggs, fruit salad, chocolate chip cookies, and strawberries and cream for dessert.  She pounced on those immediately.  "Uh, uh, uh," Chakotay said, wagging a finger at her.  "First lunch, then dessert."

"Aye, sir."

"And don't you forget it," he teased, handing her a plate.  There was peach iced-tea for lunch and he told her he would have brought iced coffee, but they had yet to invent it.  Maybe he could ask Neelix....

"Don't you dare!  I will not let that man ruin the finest substance ever produced from this earth while I still have a breath in my body!"

He chuckled.  "Sorry, sorry.  My apologies.  I did not mean to insult the coffee."

She accepted his apology on the condition that he would go home and brew a pot in reverence after he'd dropped her off that evening.  "How will you know unless you watch me brew it, and share it with me?  After all, revered coffee cannot be thrown out, and I can't drink a whole pot by myself.

"Alright, you win.  I'll come share a pot of this coffee."

"That was a hard sell," he said with his typical sarcasm.

"I could retract that offer.  I do have plenty of work to do."

"No, I've changed my mind.  Not an easy sell at all."

She reached out to take a strawberry from the container, dipping it in the whipped cream and popping it in her mouth.  "Were you never taught how to eat a strawberry properly?" He asked her, and she thought he was serious.

"Um... I don't know." Her expression was puzzled.

"I'll teach you.  Close your eyes, and keep them closed." She obeyed and he scooted closer to her, repositioning her, resting her head on his raised knees, her body flat on the boat behind him.  She didn't protest his actions remaining silent with her eyes closed.  He dipped the strawberry in the cream, swirled it a little and ran it along her face in a line just below her eyebrows, then down a path to her nose, then to each of her ears and down along her jaw bone.  He then rested the strawberry against her lips, allowing her a small bite.  The rest of the berry he traced just lightly over the cream, then gave her the rest of the strawberry.  She still hadn't uttered a word; it was a difficult feat for Captain Kathryn Janeway.

His tongue then followed the sweet trail, brushing over her eyelids, down to her nose, along to her ears where he whispered seductive promises then nibbled lightly on the lobe, dropping kisses along her jaw, making little love bites where her neck met her shoulders before returning to the other side of her face, starting with her nose to her ear.  When he was finished, and not until then, he kissed her lightly, pulling back just as she opened her mouth.  He teased her with another kiss, once again drawing away, maintaining a distance from her she longed to close.  The third time his lips touched hers, her hands stole to his face, then around his neck, holding him to her.

The photographer silently packed up his camera and left the storybook setting.  He had his photo for the day, not to mention his cover story.  His editor would be very pleased.  He covered Starfleet issues for his paper, The Terran Daily Telegraph.  Mawn Gray had had a suspicion about those two, the Captain and Commander of Voyager, and his suspicions were rarely wrong.  He had checked the transport log journals for the day, searching for the Voyager senior officers, and had found them together, seeing them at Central Park.  This certainly was news.  If the Commander was to return to Voyager as an officer serving with the Captain, it would be a Starfleet first.  Starfleet had even been leery of the Captain, now Admiral, Picard and Doctor Crusher, now Captain Picard, relationship, even though during their joint missions they had had a celibate relationship between two officers in different departments.  Mawn beamed back to his office and wrote the story for that day's teleprompt.  He wired the story to some of his friends at other papers, telling them they could print the article if they left his name and the name of his news journal on the file.  Just as Mawn had suspected, his editor was very pleased.