"... And so, Voyager, welcome home. We look forward to your safe arrival. McCormick out."

The image on the bridge screen faded. With a deep sigh, Kathryn Janeway sank back in her comm chair... her prison for the last seven years.

"ETA, Mr. Paris?" she asked the ship’s helmsman.

"Five hours, Captain. Only five more hours."

"Five more hours. Hours that will be seem longer than the entire journey," Janeway sighed.

She slowly rose from her chair, her body seemingly drained of the energy that had sustained her for seven years. She moved towards her bridgeside office, to pull together her thoughts before addressing the valiant crew... and facing the two-edged sword of Starfleet’s welcomes and debriefings. A slight hesitation, and she turned, her eyes meeting those of her first officer.

"Commander Chakotay, will you please join me?"

His movements were quicker than hers, but there was also an uncertainty in his body language. He purposefully kept several steps behind her, to trying to gain a grasp of her intentions.

A sharp "whoosh" and the doors to her ready room opened; a second sound and slight breeze, and the portal closed behind them.

Janeway went over to the wide window behind the sofa in the official room. She clasped her hands behind her back and again uttered a deep, audible sigh. Chakotay remained in the middle of the room, standing at attention awaiting her response. Her silence loomed as dark as the space voids through which they had traveled for these many years. Finally, she turned slowly, her shoulders slumping under a great uneasiness.

"Well, Chakotay, this is it. We have made it back, not too much worse for the wear. The logs from this mission... these missions... will fill Starfleet databases with material that will take years for them to interpret." A nervous titter escaped her lips. "But I guess it’s job security for us --- they’ll need us around for all the details."

She allowed a deep intake of breath, and walked over to him, stilling herself only when she was well within his personal space. The anticipation of the arrival "home" suddenly radiated a welcoming warmth from their bodies.

"So... here we are... after all these years..." she whispered, taking his face between her hands.

"Face to face..." he murmured.

"Heart to heart," she answered, moving her hand and her cheek to his chest, feeling the comforting rhythm on her skin. "And you know that I’ve loved you from the start; but I never thought that we’d be standing here, after all these years."

His arms reached out around her, drawing her closer yet. His lips welcomed the softness of her hair. "Here we are, with another bridge to cross."

She raised her head, her eyes searching the depths of his eyes for forgiveness. "All these days pass us by, as we... or I... let our live lives fly..."

He placed two fingers over her lips. "Shhhh. You know that I’m still the one to share your hopes and fears... after all these years."

She once more took his face between her hands, and lowered it, once more tasting the warm sweetness of his lips, caressing the loving, familiar dimples in his cheeks. With a sigh, she drew back. "After all these years, we still have each other... one to another..."

He took her hand, and led her back to the window, watching the starscape race by. Standing behind her, with his arms encircling her waist, he continued her thought, "After all these years, you’re still the one... and I’m still here, after all these years."

They stood in silence for several minutes, taking comfort in the last few moments of their lone togetherness, before facing the crew and finally Starfleet.

Her thoughts became those of Janeway the captain rather than Kathryn the woman. "Oh, my. What are we going to tell Starfleet? What do we not tell? I can see us now, doing our little song and dance: ‘Here we are, with a final song to sing!’... face to face with them."

His soft sensuous laughter quieted her. "Ah... but heart to heart... that’s where we are now... and I have loved you from the start." He turned her around, brushing back the hair from her face, kissing her with a deepness that she knew would have to last for quite a while. Their lips finally pulled apart, and he continued, stroking her taunt warm cheek. "But I never thought that we’d be standing here, after all these years."

"Chakotay... I’ve loved these days..."

He chuckled, "All we’ve been through? I’d just like to say..."

She stopped him from further words with a kiss and a smile and a thanks. "I’m so glad it’s been you."

"Kathryn, you have always been the one song in my heart. For all the laughter and the tears, it’s still you... after all these years."

One final embrace, seasoned with their shared laughter and tears, and then the expected summons came. Harry Kim’s voice split the calmness of the room.

"Um... Captain... Starfleet is hailing us, with arrival instructions."

The sedate couple smiled a silent knowing response to each other. One last caress of each other’s face, those faces so telling of the stories of the last seven years... and then, to enter the unknown of the known... back on Earth.

Who would have known... after all those years?

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