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Kathryn Janeway stood in the middle of her bridge and looked at the faces of the officers who so loyally served with her the last seven years.  She saw looks of excitement like she had never seen before on each face.  From outside the bridge, she heard the shouts and cheers of the rest of the crew as they each looked outside the ship and realized that they made it.  They got back home. 

“Captain, Starfleet would like to talk to you privately.”

“Put them through to my ready room, ensign.”

Oh, that reminded her, she wanted to make sure that Harry Kim received the promotion he deserved.  Since exiting the Borg sphere, Kathryn’s mind has just run in a million different directions.  Reports and maintenance and promotions all needed to be taken care of.  Now undoubtedly she would be told to approach Earth slowly so that they could have a homecoming that no one would likely forget.  And then the debriefings will begin. 

“Captain,” said Admiral Paris whose face once again appeared before her.  “I thought I would never see this day.  How are you doing – really?”

“Never better, Admiral.”  How could that not be the case?  For 7 long years she has worked to accomplish this one goal – to bring her people home.  That is indeed what she did.  The shouts from the crew proved that her mission was accomplished. 

Kathryn Janeway knew Owen Paris for most of her time in Starfleet, but she never saw him like this, on the brink of tears, caught up in almost as much emotion as the members of her crew.  “And Tom is doing great.  As we came out of the sphere he learned that his daughter was born.  I was getting ready to see the new family.”

Owen did know that he would be a grandpa, but didn’t expect to meet the child until she was much older, if ever.  Kathryn thought she saw a tear come from his eye. 

“Thank you captain.  You took mighty good care of the ship and the crew.” He exhaled deeply in order to compose himself.  With his admiral’s mask firmly in place, he said, “Now then, I know that your crew is probably anxious to get home to their loved ones, however, we need to make some arrangements down here.  I want you to take a kind of “parade route” on your way home at minimal speeds.  I have enclosed the headings.  I will also send you a skeleton crew so that your crew can have some time to celebrate.”

“We will appreciate that Admiral.  I will send the route on to the conn.”

“Very well captain.  Thank you.  Your skeleton crew should arrive soon.  Try to stay in this quadrant until then.  And please let your crew know that Starfleet says ‘welcome home.’”

Kathryn and Owen shared a smile before the communication link was broken.  Immediately, Kathryn marched back to her bridge.  She wanted to address the whole crew before allowing her senior staff to celebrate. 

She asked Harry to patch her communicator to the ship wide system.  “Attention all hands, this is the captain.”  She stopped for a second to look around again at her senior staff, minus the new parents, and she beamed with pride.  “If you haven’t made it to a window yet, you may want to.  You will see familiar space that you haven’t seen in seven years.  On behalf of Starfleet and your senior staff, let me be the first to say welcome home.”  With that, the bridge was filled with more sounds of celebration.  Once it died down a little, Kathryn continued.  “Starfleet has asked us to take our time coming back home.  Tomorrow we will have more specific assignments from them, but for now, take some time to relax and celebrate.”  The crowd throughout the ship cheered loudly one more time and continued in their celebrations. 

“Conn, you have the orders from headquarters.  Maintain that route at half impulse.  Set to autopilot and go to the mess hall.  I believe that Chell has already started a Welcome Back party.  Everyone is free to attend.  I will stay on the bridge.”

“Captain, request permission to stay on the bridge,” Chakotay offered.  Kathryn saw the smile he flashed her.  She knew that he wanted to allow her time to celebrate something that he wouldn’t be able to.  Besides the associations he had made with those on this ship, no one would be on Earth for him. 

“For a little while I guess.  I would like to see Tom and B'Elanna.  Permission granted.”  She smiled to herself. 

“Captain,” Seven said, “request permission to keep the Commander company.”  The request came as a surprise to the Captain.  She turned around and noticed that Seven and Chakotay exchanged a look.  Even though her future self told her that Chakotay and Seven would get married, until this moment the thought hadn’t even occurred to her that their relationship may have started.  “There are some scans I believe would run more efficiently from here and without a lot of interruptions.”

Kathryn turned her back to them to hide the look on her face.  “Permission granted.”

The Doctor was absolutely beaming when Kathryn walked in.  He was still running tests on the newest member of the crew. 

Kathryn walked to the doctor.  “Can I hold her?”

“Well, that’s up to mom and dad over there.”  She looked over at the biobed that B’Elanna laid on.  Tom sat in a chair next to his wife with one arm around her and the other holding her hands.  Quietly she approached the exhausted couple and tapped Tom on the shoulder. 
 

“Captain!  Have you seen her?  Isn’t she –”

For the first time in seven years words failed Tom Paris. 

“She certainly is perfect, Mr.  Paris.  Now, the Doctor tells me that I need you to give me permission to hold the child.  Do I need to make it an order?”

“You are welcome to hold our child anytime,” said an exhausted B’Elanna. 

Tom added, “especially if you want to babysit.”

Kathryn laughed and took the infant from the Doctor. 

“So, have you given her a name yet?”

B’Elanna answered and said, “we were thinking about naming her Miral Kathryn Torres Paris.”

Kathryn didn’t think her smile could be any wider until she heard the name.  “That is a beautiful name.  I’m honored.”

“B’Elanna and Miral have had a long day, I think we need to let mommy and baby rest now.”  The Doctor said as he took young Miral from her godmother. 

Kathryn exited with Tom.  “Well, Mr.  Paris, I don’t know what your plans are, but there is a party in the mess hall that we are all invited to.”

Tom got a wry smile on is face.  “Oh, yeah.  Well, where’s Chakotay?”

“What?”

“Well don’t you and your first officer usually attend these types of things together to greet the crew ‘as the Command team’?” 

Tom had sensed the attraction between her and Chakotay and he knew that now that they were home, they could do something about it.

“He’s on the bridge.  Mr.  Tuvok can help me greet the crew, unless you are interested in the job.”

“Me?  No.  I have these holopictures of my daughter to show off.  I don’t want to bore you like this.”

Kathryn thought about the two options and finally decided that Tom probably wanted to pass out cigars behind her back, so she let him off the hook. 
 

On the bridge, Chakotay moved behind Seven.  “Well, now that we’re back in the Alpha Quadrant and not members of any crew, I guess we don’t have to worry about an away mission accident, do we?”

“For now that seems not to be a problem.”

“Are you still afraid of having an intimate relationship with me?”

“Commander”

“Seven, we are alone now, no one is going to bother us.  We don’t have to be professional.”

Seven smiled.  “Okay Chakotay.  I am not afraid of continuing to do research into dating rituals of humans with you.  I suggest however that we wait to finish our fourth date until after we are actually on Earth.  A quiet dinner at home would better be done if we are settled into our homes.”

Chakotay smiled and agreed.  Before he could tease her, he noticed a blip at the communication station.  Seven caught where his eyes went and immediately moved to that station as Chakotay returned to the big chair. 

“Commander, its got a Borg signature.”

“Chakotay to Jane-“

“No Commander, its for me.”

“On screen.” Chakotay had turned off his emotions concerning his and Seven’s relationship the moment that he learned of the potential danger to one of his crew members. 

Seven shook her head in acknowledgment.  On the screen before them was the face of a stranger to Chakotay.  He had his Borg components, but they looked different.  His face wasn’t the chalky white color of Borg drones, instead it was a more natural color.   He also had wavy blond hair.  He obviously was one of the drones that become free from Unimatrix Zero.   While Chakotay sized him up, he heard Seven whisper behind him, “Axum”.  Chakotay turned around and saw a look on Seven’s face that he had never seen from her.  A more “human” look than he had seen.  Her pupils dilated and her face became flush.  He turned back to the screen, trying to cover the grin he had on his face from seeing Seven so different than he ever had before. 

“Annika.  I heard you were close to Earth, I just had to see if I could find you.”

Trying to hide her obvious excitement at seeing her first love again, she responded, “It seems you have accomplished your mission.”

Chakotay could see where this was headed, so he offered, “Seven, this seems like a private call.  If you would like to take it somewhere else on the ship, you may.”

“Yes, I think I will take it in Astrometrics.”

“Very good” Chakotay flashed her his dimples as she left the bridge.  Then he touched his comm badge, “Chakotay to the Captain, can you please come to the bridge.”

Hearing her first officer’s voice was a welcome relief for the captain.  She had greeted most of the crew with Tuvok.  She knew her chief security officer well enough to know that he hated making the rounds and though she tried to make the most of it, she had difficulty keeping Tuvok entertained.  She excused herself from talking with Harry and Megan Delaney and tapped her comm badge in response.  “On my way.”

“Perhaps Captain, I should accompany you.  There may be some need for extra hands.”

“Agreed Mr.  Tuvok.”  She enjoyed the look of relief on Tuvok’s face.

Janeway and Tuvok entered the Bridge at a brisk speed.  “Commander report.”

“Seven of Nine just received a subspace call from an old friend of hers, Axum.  It seemed that it was a personal correspondence, so I told her to take it in Astrometrics.” 

“And how is Mr.  Axum doing?”  The Captain remembered Axum.  A revolutionary, he led a fight for his freedom as well as the freedom of thousands of Borg drones.  She also remembered the bond that Axum and Seven shared.  They were lovers for a time when she was a drone and then fell in love again just as the resistance movement began. 

“I don’t know, I didn’t listen very long.  I thought that maybe you might want to find out if he needs our assistance.”

“And I thought that is something you would care more about.”

The Commander was about to ask what that meant, but Tuvok sensed his captain’s  defensiveness.  “Captain, perhaps, I should go to Astrometrics and see if he will need any assistance.  As Chief Security Officer, I would most easily be able to assess our ability to help Mr.  Axum if he makes such a request.”

“I agree.  Mr.  Tuvok, go talk to Mr.  Axum.” 
 

After Tuvok left, the command team stood on the bridge looking at the blue planet in front of them.  Each lost in thought.  They stood next to each other with their hands behind their backs.  Kathryn thought that Chakotay would be hurt that Seven had reconnected with her former lover, but he didn’t seem at all disappointed.  She couldn’t read the face of her first officer, and that disturbed her quite a bit.  Chakotay looked at the view screen and thought only of what his future would hold now.  He had no family anymore, they were all killed by the Cardassians and he didn’t know whether Starfleet would accept him.  He looked over at Kathryn, who was looking at Earth wondering what was next.  What would happen after the maintenance and the reports and promotions and the debriefings?  What would the future hold for her? 

Chakotay could read his boss like a book and saw the apprehension on her face.  He took a small step over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder.  “It seems funny that a week ago we thought our destination was still years away and we thought we knew how to live life.  Now that we made it back, we have to re-learn how to live.”

“I guess that’s how Seven has felt all this time.  For as long as she could remember she had been a part of the Borg, then she joined us and had to re-learn how to live.”

Chakotay moved his arm down and extended it so that he held his friend around the waist.  “Seven is going to be fine.  The man that she loves will teach her the things that we could not.  You know seeing her look at him reminded me that a person cannot ever completely fall out of love with a person.”  Kathryn’s head was down as he said this.   She had new hope for a future with this man that she had loved for the better part of the last 7 years.  Chakotay wanted to look directly into her eyes as he said this, but her head stayed down.  “If the love is true, and I think it is, there will always be a chance.”  Kathryn looked up at him, with surprise on her face.    He smiled at her.  He re-collected himself, sure that he got his message across and said,  “And we will be fine.  This is just an adjustment.  The crew will learn with each other and learn how to go on living on Earth.”

Chakotay gave her an extra squeeze before letting go.  He didn’t look at her for the second that her disappointment showed and she said, “yeah, the crew.”  Chakotay sensed that he said something wrong and was about to say something, when the bridge got called by the party which expanded to include two holodecks and the mess hall.  Kathryn called Tuvok to relieve the command team who intended to formally address the crew. 

Kathryn and Chakotay each went to their own quarters so that they could prepare their remarks.  Kathryn changed her clothes and finished her speech before Chakotay had finished changing into his civilian clothes.  Kathryn went to his quarters and entered while he was still putting on his shirt.  She couldn’t help but notice the  ripping muscles his Starfleet uniform hid.  Once she caught her breath, she said to her first officer, “Uh, I thought maybe we should arrive together, as the command team.”

Chakotay, now fully dressed, noticed her embarrassment at seeing him as she did.  “I thought the same thing.  However I think we need to stop by Astrometrics and make sure that Seven joins the rest of the crew.”
 

Kathryn swallowed hard, not wanting her jealousy to be evident.  Chakotay looked at her and gave her a sympathetic half smile while placing his arm around her shoulder.  “Kathryn, I know that you are going to miss the ship and the people, we all will, but this crew has a bond that cannot be broken.  We have been through too much together.”

Kathryn composed herself and shook her head in agreement.  As they left his quarters Chakotay extended his arm to his captain who wrapped her arm around it.  They walked down the corridors to Astrometrics smiling and laughing. 

Seven saw Chakotay and Kathyrn before they saw her.  She saw Chakotay more at ease with the captain on his arm than he had ever been with her.  In fact, she thought that both of them seemed more relaxed with each other than with anyone else.  When the Captain and Commander saw Seven, they could tell that her conversation with Axum went well.  “So, Seven,” said a nearly giddy Kathryn, “I hear you heard from an old friend.”

Seven looked at Chakotay to see how he reacted.  He didn’t seem to have any reaction.  “Yes, the conversation was... pleasant.” 

Chakotay smiled at the look on her face that seemed to say she had just made a huge understatement.  He playfully put his arm around her and said, “It looks like it was more than ‘pleasant’.”  He believed there was an understanding between them, however, with Seven you can never be real sure.  “Captain, can you excuse us for just a minute?”

“Of course commander.”

Kathryn left, not sure what to make of the scene in Astrometrics.  As she began to think about it, her attention was taken by what a appeared to be a mob that carried first Harry, then the Doctor, then Tom holding a large holopicture of Miral.  They were coming at her and she thought several of them were asking where Seven, Chakotay and Tuvok are.  They swept her up so she had joined those taking the ride.  She asked Tom what was going on.  “Oh, it’s an ancient Earth tradition.  Heros, usually of athletic events, get a ride on the shoulders of the rest of the team.”  The mob passed by Astrometrics before the captain could tell them two of the remaining heros were inside. 

Chakotay didn’t want this to be very heavy.  They had only been on three dates and had kissed twice.  Though he liked the idea of being in a relationship, talking with Kathryn on the bridge made him very aware that there was only one person for him, and her name wasn’t a number. 

“Yes Commander.”

“Ah, so, tell me about your conversation with Axum.”
 

Seven wasn’t sure how to answer this question.  She enjoyed talking to Axum and remembered so much about them and their time in Unimatrix Zero.  She didn’t know how to explain the feelings she had when she talked to him, but she was aware that her pupils probably dilated a bit and the capillaries in her face were probably affected by him. 

“It was enjoyable to reacquaint myself to him.” She said, the quickly added, “We have a lot in common.”

“I see.”  Chakotay wasn’t sure how to go about saying what he wanted to say, so they stood looking at each other in uncomfortable silence. 

“So, do you wish to go join the party?”

“In a minute.”  He took a step closer to her and in a softer voice said, “Seven.  Do you love him?”

“Well, I am unsure –“

“Do you love him?”

“I did have certain feelings for him in Unimatrix Zero.”

“Do you love him?”

“According to the Doctor I show several symptoms of a person in love.”

Chakotay laughed a little.  “Seven, falling in love isn’t a formula.  You shouldn’t be with a man if you have to research what comes next.  There should be a naturalness to your interaction.  You should be able to just go visit the person or talk to him because you want to, not because its scripted as the best time.  Intimacy isn’t about a checklist, it’s about two people who feel drawn together by some force outside their control.  If you feel that way about Axum, I think you should go after it.”

“And what about you and the Captain?  Are you going after her?”

“I don’t know what she wants.” 

Chakotay’s arm laid across Seven’s shoulders as the mob passed by Astrometrics again.  This time they opened the door in order to grab up the last two heros of the journey.  Kathryn saw this apparently intimate moment between the two members of her crew that she loved the most.  As they sat next to each other and in front of thier captain, Kathryn’s heart broke just a little. 
 

The senior staff came into holodeck 1 and as they did “We are the Champions,” a 20th century Earth song was turned up.  Chell stood on what looked like a stage across from the door with 7 chairs behind him.  Chell took out a 20th century microphone and said, “Thank you all for coming, there a few people I would like you to greet.  The heros who have brought us back home, your senior staff.”  Everyone in both holodecks and the mess hall began cheering.  “Crewman Seven of Nine.”  Seven stood with the officers she had worked so hard with over the last several years, not sure what to do.  She noticed that the crowd seemed to be separating for her and she heard Harry tell her to run up to the stage.  As she took her first steps, the crowd erupted in cheers.  “Ensign Harry Kim.”  Harry began running while Kathryn rolled her eyes at Chakotay.  He responded with a laugh.  “A man who needs no name, The Doctor.”  The Doctor beamed as he made his slow ascent up to the stage wanting to revel in each moment. 

Chakotay laughed at the Doctor and said to Kathryn, “Don’t you think Tuvok would want to be here for this.”  Now it was Kathryn’s turn to laugh. 

“Lieutenants Tom Paris and B’Elanna Torres” Holding hands, the married couple walked up to the stage.  Tom was careful to make sure that B’Elanna didn’t do too much after giving birth. 

“Lieutenant Commander Tuvok” With this a picture of Tuvok, sitting in the captain’s chair was projected above the members of the crew.  He rolled his eyes and gave the traditional Vulcan “Live Long and Prosper” sign.  “Commander Chakotay.”  With this the music changed from the Queen song to one whose beat the crew picked up and started clapping to.  It kept on chanting “We will we will rock you.”  Seven listened to this, noise, and decided that it was definitely irrelevant, but she also realized that the crew seemed to love it. 

“And finally, Captain Kathryn Janeway.”  Kathryn didn’t think that it could get any louder on her ship until she heard the cheers from her crew.  She took a second to collect herself before running up to the stage like most of the rest of her senior staff.  When she made it to her final destination, the individuals just introduced held hands and lifted them up as Chell once again introduced them as “Your senior staff.”  Once again the crew exploded into cheers.  Chell looked at them from the side of the stage.  From left to right they were The Doctor, Harry, Seven, Chakotay, Kathryn, Tom and B’Elanna.  When the cheers died down, each took a seat.  Chell picked up his microphone again and said, “First I would like to thank Lieutenant Paris for the use of this ancient 1980s holoprogram for the festivities today.  Now I would like to have Commander Chakotay come up and say a few words.” 

Chakotay took the microphone, not real sure what to do with it.  He tried to mimic Chell as he talked into this primitive, voice-amplifying prop.  He knew it didn’t work, the holodeck was programmed to amplify his voice, but, it added to the effect. 

He began.  “In the past seven years we have dined together, fought together, laughed together, and mourned together.  Some of us have even fallen in love with each other.”  He stopped and turned toward Tom and B’Ellana and allowed the crew a collective “awwww”.  He also caught the
eye of his captain who made a slight nod in agreement and a half smile.
“In short we have become a part of each other’s lives and we have
developed a bond with each other that cannot be easily severed.  Seven
years ago we were two crews on opposite sides, unable to comprehend our
situation and how to get through it.  Through cooperation and learning,
we have figured a way to get past our differences and to achieve all our
goals.  Though eight of us were introduced today as those who led you
back here, it took the efforts of every person on this ship as well as
those who did not make it this distance.  I once told the captain a
saying of my people, ‘Even the Eagle knows when to rest.’  I was telling
her to consider settling for where she was instead of striving forward
to achieve her goal.  She would not settle, and neither did any of you.
Because of that our 70,000 light year journey has ended as a successful
mission nearly 70 years ahead of schedule.  Congratulations to each of
you.  Thank you for not resting.”

Once again the crowd broke into applause and cheering.  Chakotay turned
around and took his seat between Seven and Kathryn.  He took Kathryn’s
hand into his own and intertwined their fingers.  He then rested his
other hand on hers.  She looked at him and smiled.  She knew that most
of the crew would not be able to see this display of affection, and for
first time in seven years she didn’t care if they could.  Chakotay
noticed Tom and B’Elanna starting to snicker at their display and the
command team laughed in response.

As the cheers died down once again, Crewman Chell, wiped a tear from his
eye and said, “It is now my honor to introduce our captain, the woman
who got us this far by never backing down, Captain Kathryn Janeway.”

Kathryn let down her captain’s mask as she stood and accepted the cheers
from the crew.  She took the microphone prop and almost immediately
dropped it to her side as her tears streamed down her face.  Once she
composed herself, she took a breath and quieted her crew.  “As I look at
all the faces in this room, I can think of a dozen or more stories for
each one.” She took a step and stood next to Tom, placing a hand on his
shoulder.  “Tom Paris, the Ex-Starfleet, ex-Maquis, ex-convict, who
became best friends with a very green ensign with aspirations to be
captain.  He then became a, well, mostly responsible husband and father
and pivotal member of the crew.”  She took another step and placed a
hand on B’Elanna’s shoulder, “B’Ellana Torres, the angry woman who has
earned my respect, not just as an engineer, but also as a woman and a
friend.”  She stopped and looked at the projection of Tuvok as she said,
“Though he is on the bridge right now, Tuvok, has always maintained for
me a quiet strength and wise ear.”

As she talked about the Lieutenant Commander, she moved across the stage
to address the rest of her staff as she did the first three.  “Doctor, a
lot can be said about a hologram who can teach us about being human.
Harry, it seems like yesterday you came into my ready room to introduce
yourself and tripped over the best way to address me.  Seven, I have
watched you go from a Borg collective mind set, to embracing your
individuality as you have become like the daughter I never had.”
 

She stopped again before addressing the final person on the stage.  Then
she took a breath and reached for Chakotay’s hand.  “And you, Chakotay,
my angry warrior.  We’ve locked horns on many occasions, but I have
always known that you would protect and stand behind me in the end as my
greatest supporter.”  She allowed their hands to linger for a few
moments before moving to the front of the stage again.  “These are only
a few of the people that I have gotten to know and learned to respect in
the last seven years.   Each of you have earned my respect as well, and
it has been an honor working with each of you.  Each person on this ship
has a unique story that has created our common story.  Our story has
helped to make this crew one unique unit.  That unity has made us a
family.  Now we celebrate the attainment of our goal, and as we do, we
get to fellowship with the people who are closest to us.”  She looked at
Chakotay, who had not taken his eyes off her since they arrived on the
platform.  “It has been an honor for me to work with each of you and to
make your stories a part of mine.”

When Kathryn sat down, Chakotay again took her hand in both of his.  She
leaned her head on his shoulder.  He put his arm around her and held her
close.  Chell closed the ceremony and told the crew to enjoy the rest of
the time until they arrive on Earth.  Captain Janeway asked her senior
staff to meet in the ready room in a couple hours.  They need to get the
ship ready for Starfleet.

Once their meeting was over and the duty rosters had been handed out,
Janeway dismissed her officers.  Seven, Harry, The Doctor, Tom,
B’Elanna, and even Tuvok left quickly.  Chakotay stayed seated in his
chair, while Kathryn looked out televiewer.  Once again, they were lost
in their own thoughts.  Finally Chakotay broke the silence.  “It sure is
beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Mmm.  Yeah.”  She finally turned towards Chakotay, who had by this time
moved so that he was standing next to her.  “Were you telling the
truth?”

“What?”

“When you talked about New Earth, were you telling the truth?”

“What do you mean?”

“When you said that the eagle knows when to rest, even at the time I
thought you meant more than that I should stop wearing myself out trying
to find a cure for the virus that kept us there.”

Chakotay half-smiled, knowing where she was going with this, but wanting
to make her say it.  “Like what?”

“I thought you wanted me to accept that we would live our life together
alone on the planet.  I thought you wanted me to start our life
together.”
 

Chakotay put his arm around her and held her close.  Her head rested on
his chest so that she could hear his heart beating.  Her right arm went
behind him and she rested her hand on his shoulder and her left hand
found its way to his chest.  She closed her eyes, not wanting this
moment to end.  He moved his head so that he whispered in her left ear,
“That’s exactly what I wanted, and still do.”

With his right hand, he lifted her mouth to his, and gently laid his
lips on hers.  She moved her hand from his chest to the back of his head
and pulled his face closer to hers.  They shared a gentle but passionate
kiss before he broke it off and rested his forehead on hers.  They
warmly smiled at each other.

“So Kathryn, now that we are back here at, ah, Old Earth, what do we
do?”

Kathryn took a step back from the man that she had loved for most of the
last seven years, her captain’s mask completely gone.  She held up a
finger to tell him to wait.  “Computer, lock the doors to this meeting
room.  No one is to gain access until further notice.”

Chakotay smiled broadly and walked over to her and put his arms loosely
around her waist.  In a low voice he said, “Kathryn, I have been waiting
a long time for this, but it just doesn’t seem right for it to happen
here” He gestured to show that he meant this particular room.  He didn’t
look at her to see that she was enjoying his misreading of her command
to the computer.  Kathryn moved closer to him, then sat in the chair
next to where he stood.

“Come on, we have to talk seriously for a minute.”  Chakotay shook his
head.  Kathryn considered her next words carefully.  But Chakotay cut
her off before she could say anything.

“I had waited a long time for you to give me some hope that we would be
together, but you never did.  There was always protocols and the crew to
think about.  Today though, we made it home and all of a sudden, we
didn’t have to think about those things anymore, and the things I
thought had become important to me, weren’t anymore, because I hoped I
had another chance with you.”

Kathryn knew that he was sincere in what he just said, but wanted to
know the answer to this question.  “Had you gotten involved with a
member of the crew?”

Chakotay was ashamed.  He had never intended to get involved with
Seven.  It just happened one day.  She invited him to eat with her and
proposed that he help her research dating.  It was supposed to be
harmless and no one was supposed to “get involved”.   But the answer was
yes.  Chakotay slowly shook his head, never looking at Kathryn.

Kathryn moved so that she sat next to him.  She put her hand on his
shoulder.  “My future self told me that you married Seven in her time
line and that when she died, you were never the same.”  She looked at
Chakotay who couldn’t believe what she just said.  “Are you sure that
you are willing to give up a love that is that strong?”
 

Chakotay finally looked at Kathryn and lifted her head so that he could
look directly into her eyes.  “I don’t know what happened in a future
timeline that I haven’t lived in.  What I know is what is happening
here.  Right now in this time line.  Right now I am sitting with the
first and only woman that I have ever loved.  Right now I am finally at
peace, something I have never been at before I met and decided to follow
you.  Right now I am with the only person I want to be with.  Right now
I am asking what you want and hoping that it’s the same thing.”

“Oh, Chakotay,” Kathryn whispered.  “It is.  It is.”

Their lips found each other.  Kathryn broke away before the kiss could
get too passionate.  She held a finger to his mouth.  “We have to wait,
just a little longer.  There will be debriefings that we need to face
and I don’t want to give Starfleet any reason to suspect that we did
anything wrong that we didn’t actually do.  I made enough wrong choices
without having to add to what Starfleet can heap onto us.  Will you wait
for me.”

“A couple months seems like nothing compared to the last 7 years.”
Chakotay rested his forehead on hers and they exchanged a smile.

“Captain?  Can you come to Astrometrics please?”

Kathryn got up and composed herself a little before answering Seven’s
request.

“Do you want me to go with you?”  Kathryn shook her head.

When the command team entered Astrometrics, they saw the face of Axum on
the view screen.  It was obvious that he and Seven were having a more
than pleasant conversation.  Axum saw the captain and commander before
his Annika did.  He cleared his throat before addressing them.
“Captain, Commander.  As the leader of the Borg revolutionaries, I am
interested in learning what the destruction of the Transwarp conduit and
the cubes in the Unimatrix 1 means to my movement.  I ask for permission
to come aboard and with Annika, er ah Seven of Nine to review data.  My
early data suggests that there may not be any Borg left to fight, but I
would like to take advantage of your resources if possible.”

The captain didn’t know what to say.  If they were in the Delta
Quadrant, she wouldn’t hesitate to bring him aboard, but now she had to
remember Starfleet guidelines and preparing for giving her ship back to
the fleet.  “Mr.  Axum, I cannot allow this right now.  However, I can
talk to our admirals and see if they can help you.”  She looked at the
faces of Axum and Annika, and she added, “I am sure that when they bring
you here, they will allow the two of you to work closely together.”

Four knowing smiles spread across the faces in Astrometrics.  Chakotay
put his arm around Kathryn and Kathryn did the same.  Axum said, “I look
forward to hearing from your admiral, Captain.  Now please, take care of
Annika for me.”

“Aye sir.”