Copyright 2000, Susan S. McCrackin  Reprinted with permission of the author.

Deanna Troi pushed the limb away, only to have it slip out of her hand and slap her in the face. Scrunching up her face, she spit softly and grabbed the limb, pushing it roughly behind her. Still blinking her eyes to clear them, she missed the root jutting out of the path and caught it with the tip of her boot. She sprawled forward onto the damp, slightly muddy ground.

Pushing herself disgustedly to her feet, she pressed through the clearing ahead of her, not realizing the path dropped quickly beneath her. She found herself sliding toward the river on her bottom, hitting the shallow edge of the water hard with her feet and ending up on all fours.

"Quiet," he whispered, "you are scaring the fish."

She looked up at him, biting back her response and rose slowly to her feet, shaking the water from her hands as she did so.

"Sorry, Admiral," she was working to control the tone of her response, "I’ll try to do better next time."

She stepped up on the dock and joined him at the end of it. He pulled a chair in her direction, "There is a pole there if you would like to fish with me. And drinks there, if you care for one."

"No thank you," she was still wiping her hands on her pants, trying to dry them, "I am fine right now." She looked up at the scene around them, "This is really pretty." When he only nodded, she tried to pick up the conversation again, "I didn’t realize you liked to fish."

"To be honest, I’ve never done it before." He pulled his line up and threw it out a little deeper in the river, "Apparently, it is something my daughter-in-law enjoys so I thought I would try it out. Hopefully, it will be something we will be able to do together."

"That is very thoughtful of you." She watched him for a few minutes, "I am surprised. From what I have studied and learned about B’Elanna, fishing does not seem like something she would be interested in."

He shrugged, "I don’t really know, but Tom is always writing that she and KB go fishing with someone named Flotter. He must be a crewmember on Captain Omarahn’s ship."

She quickly looked away, her eyes focused up and away from him, and she bit down on the corners of her mouth. Giving herself a few minutes, she finally asked, "If I remember, Admiral, you were away a lot when Tom was growing up, weren’t you?"

"Yes, I was. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason." She crossed her arms in front of her and put her hand to her face, physically holding back the smile trying to break out on it. She decided she would tell him about Flotter, but not right away. Sitting back to admire the view, she allowed herself to concentrate on the feeling she was getting from the Admiral. He wanted to talk to her. She stayed quiet and gave him time to order his thoughts.

Finally, he cleared his throat, "Not too long ago, you told me to let you know if I needed to talk to you."

"Yes, I did."

"Well, I need to talk to you."

"Okay."

"And, I need for this to be a professional conversation."

"Excuse me?"

"I need to talk to you in a counselor/patient capacity."

This surprised her. She thought about it a moment, "You need for the content of our conversation to be protected."

"Yes, I do."

The seriousness of his tone unsettled her. She allowed herself to think about the implications of what this might mean. Glancing at him, she noted the stoniness of his face and, for the first time, saw the pain in his eyes. She knew, whatever he had to say to her would be bad. Her heart started to beat faster, and the bottom of her stomach went slightly cold.

She knew she could get up and walk away, and that he would understand. But, she also knew he was a man of honor who would not involve her in something dangerous unless it was really important. 

"Our conversation will be confidential, Admiral."

"Even from the leadership of the Federation?"

She nodded, solemnly, "Even from the leadership of the Federation."

He sighed in relief, "Thank you, Counselor Troi." 

She stayed silent while he continued to fish, moving the pole absentmindedly from one place to another. Then, he started.

"I have learned something, and I must tell you that it frightens me." He turned to look at her, his eyes locked on hers. "It is something that, right now, I have chosen to keep secret from the Federation. It is a secret I do not know if I can keep, but I fear for what happens if the Federation does find out.

"As advanced as mankind has become, the idea of a controlling a great power is still too tempting."

Frowning, she gave him a questioning look, but did not speak. She kept her silence, waiting on him to continue.

"Kathryn Janeway has informed me that Seven of Nine and her daughter are genetically Borg."

"What?"

He nodded, "Seven of Nine apparently had her DNA manipulated by the Borg. Janeway says they don’t know how it was done, but she had Batair DNA…"

"Batair?"

"Yes, Ketaria Omarahn is half Batair."

"She is an empath and a telepath."

"Yes. Seven seems to have some telepathic abilities, but hers are more limited. The Borg also inserted Borg technology into her DNA."

"That is incredible."

"I know." 

"And, this was passed to Kathryn B’Elanna?"

"Yes. It seems that Kathryn B’Elanna was conceived by Captain Omarahn taking only Seven’s DNA, reconfiguring it to a genetic pattern he found in the Doctor’s program, and using that to fertilize an egg."

"Oh, my."

"Yes," he took a deep breath, "The human and Batair DNA are perfectly integrated, as is the Borg technology. She is a very powerful telepath, as well as already showing signs of being able to manipulate programs with her mind. She has been inside her father’s program and, according to Captain Janeway, has changed his program in ways they cannot even understand." He moved his pole to another spot in the water, "I guess I don’t need to tell you why I am afraid."

No, he didn’t. There was a war going on. It was not a war with the Borg, although there had been many skirmishes with them on the border between the Alpha and the Delta Quadrant. There was a war going on between the anti-Borg faction and the Borg sympathizers. There had been many losses to the Borg, and a number of people wanted to see the Borg annihilated. The Borg sympathizers saw the Borg as the next evolutionary step. This child would be sought by both sides, as well as hunted by both sides. And so would Seven. So would any more children she might have. 

The Federation would see them both as potential weapons. She knew they had been made promises, but she understood why Admiral Paris was frightened. This knowledge would change everything. Promises made would be forgotten in the name of Federation security. They would talk about the need to provide protection, but even Deanna Troi knew that would only be a convenient explanation.

She glanced at the man sitting next to her. He was an admiral with Starfleet, responsible for answering to the Federation. By not telling, he was potentially committing an act of treason. She did not have to even question why.

"What do you want me to do?"

"I assigned you to this trip so you could establish yourself as their counselor."

"Of course," she nodded, "My recommendations and findings will not be questioned."

"Right. Dr. Zimmerman will be joining us soon, and he will be given the responsibility of examining the Doctor’s program. Reg is talking to him, just as I am talking to you."

"And Seven of Nine and Kathryn B’Elanna?"

"I have a friend…a trusted friend who will examine them." He gave her a meaningful look, "She will find nothing unusual."

They stayed quiet, sitting in a place of calming beauty. Finally, Deanna spoke, "You can count on me, Admiral."

He smiled at her, "I knew I would be able to. Thank you." He checked his chronometer, "It is almost time." He gave her a worried look, "Are you ready to meet your new patients?"

"Yes. Despite everything I have just learned, I am actually anxious to meet them." They stood and started walking back down the dock, "I cannot believe they are at the border."

"I know." He was grinning broadly, "They are scheduled to cross in a couple of hours. They have to get B’Elanna transferred from Captain Omarahn’s ship and take care of some last minute arrangements. We will watch them cross into the Alpha Quadrant, then transport over to Voyager. Captain Janeway wants to bring Voyager over before we join her on her ship."

"I can certainly understand that. It has been a long journey for them. They should finish it together…and by themselves."

"Yes." He looked up, admiring the scene before commanding, "Computer, end program."

The scene around them dissolved, and he turned to lead them out of the holodeck. As they left, Deanna said, "Admiral, I do need to talk to you about something."

"Yes?" A concerned expression appeared on his face.

"Oh, it isn’t important," she assured him, "it’s just that I need to explain Flotter."

B’Elanna was lying on the bed, her head on a small pillow. Kathryn B’Elanna was sitting immediately above her head, her back to the headboard, her hands resting on either side of B’Elanna’s face. Both of them had their eyes closed.

Ketaria sat at the foot of the bed, observing carefully, a smile slowly appearing on her face. They were coming back to awareness. She resisted the impulse to reach out to assist, instead patiently waiting on Kathryn B’Elanna to bring B’Elanna safely back from their special place. 

The child opened her eyes, gave Ketaria a quick smile and leaned over B’Elanna, concentrating. B’Elanna slowly started to move and blinked her eyes open. Once her eyes were opened, Kathryn B’Elanna started giggling and patted B’Elanna softly on her cheeks, "Good, Bala."

B’Elanna reached back, took KB’s face in her hands and pulled the child closer, giving her a kiss on her cheek. Ketaria moved from the foot of the bed to sit beside them, placing her hand gently on B’Elanna’s rounded belly.

"Well?"

B’Elanna looked at her, a big grin appearing on her face, "It was good."

"Do you think you are ready?"

"Yes, I think we are ready."

"Bala good." KB patted B’Elanna’s face again and kissed her on the forehead.

Laughing, Ketaria lifted Kathryn B’Elanna into her lap, and B’Elanna pulled herself up to lean against the headboard. Ketaria hugged the child and looked at the woman on the bed, a serious expression coming over her face, "Do you really think you are ready?"

"Yes." B’Elanna’s expression also turned serious, "I really do."

"Good."

The door opened and Kahkar leaned in, speaking softly, "May I come in?"

"Kaykay." Kathryn B’Elanna pulled herself up in Ketaria’s lap and reached for Kahkar over her shoulder. 

He walked into the room, a grin starting to spread over his face. "Hello, my little one!" He allowed his normal, booming voice to fill the room. Looking at B’Elanna’s face, he started to nod his head, "I can tell it was successful."

"Absolutely," she confirmed.

"Very good."

Ketaria looked up at her husband, "Have you…?"

"No," he shook his head, "I am going to the observation deck now."

She saw the frown cross his face and went to him, putting her hand on his arm and pulling him down so she could give him a kiss on his cheek, "It is the right thing to do, Kahkar. It will be all right."

The three adults exchanged grim looks, then slowly turned to the child in Kahkar’s arms, each realizing she was reaching out to comfort them. Kahkar was the first to recover, "I guess we have been given official approval." He gave the child a lingering hug, then handed her to his wife, "I must go." He turned to B’Elanna, "We will take you to Voyager in an hour."

B’Elanna nodded, "Have you told the Captain you will not be accompanying us into the Alpha Quadrant?"

"No, not yet."

"You know she will argue with you."

"I realize that. But, hopefully, all will go well, and we will join you later."

B’Elanna gave him a hopeful look, and he leaned over to kiss Ketaria and Kathryn B’Elanna, then left the room. B’Elanna watched him, then turned to Ketaria and KB. 

KB reached up to pat Ketaria’s face, "Good, Keta. Good, Bala."

Kahkar stood looking out of his observation window at the ships in front of him, all of them stopped. Voyager was facing three Federation starships. They were waiting to accompany the ship home.

Kathryn Janeway had stopped her ship still inside the Delta Quadrant. Even though they had not discussed it, Kahkar knew she wanted to prepare to cross the invisible border. He didn’t blame her. He thought he would want to do the same thing.

He wondered what was going through her mind right now. The long journey for her was at an end. The years of isolation, fear and pressure were over, and the finish line was just meters from the bow of her ship. She was almost home. 

Against all odds, she had brought her ship and its crew home safely. And she had done it without sacrificing her commitment to duty and the Federation. He knew she had ultimate faith in Starfleet and the Federation. He wished he could share in that faith. Maybe it was because he was not from Earth that he could stand back and be more objective

He would exercise his objectivity by waiting in the Delta Quadrant while Voyager traveled to Earth. He would wait to see what happened. If all went well, he would join them on Earth and spend time with Seven, the Doctor and Kathryn B’Elanna to ensure that they were safe.

In the meantime, he planned.

The door opened behind him, and he turned to look at the figure standing in the door.

"Thank you for coming. Please, sit down."

Tom Paris was waiting nervously. It had been eight days since they had stopped last, and he had seen his wife. Even though they had been able to communicate, he was still anxious to see her. The door of the transporter room opened and the Doctor and Seven walked in. The Doctor was beaming. Tom could tell he was excited about seeing his daughter. Seven looked worn. The circles ran deep under her eyes and the crease at the corner of her right eye more pronounced. But even she looked expectantly at the transporter platform.

"It won’t be long now," Tom gave both of them a big grin. "I don’t know about you guys, but I am ready for them to come home."

"I can’t wait to see Kathryn B’Elanna." The Doctor’s voice was filled with anticipation. He pulled Seven to him, "I want my family together again."

She looked longingly at the transporter platform, "Yes, I have missed her. It will be good to have her home."

The Doctor gave Tom a quick glance, "I understand your father is waiting on us."

Tom nodded, his eyes suddenly showing his nervousness, "Yes, he is. He will be one of the first to transport over once we are in the Alpha Quadrant."

"I know he is excited about seeing you," said The Doctor reassuringly.

When Tom did not say anything, Seven said, "He will find a son he should be proud of waiting on him."

His eyes went wide in amazement at her words, but before he could respond, the crewmember at the transporter console announced that transport had begun. He turned to see figures materializing in front of him.

B’Elanna was in a wheelchair with Kahkar behind her. Ketaria was standing at her side, holding Kathryn B’Elanna.

"Mama. Dada. Mama. Dada!" Her voice was excited, and she waved her arms to them, making quick grasping motions with her hands. Seven was on the transporter platform before Ketaria could move, taking her daughter into her arms. The Doctor was immediately behind her, wrapping his arms around the two of them.

Tom reached up to help Kahkar move B’Elanna’s chair off the platform, then squatted down to give his wife a hug, "How are you two?"

"We are doing great!" She took his face in her hands and gave him a kiss on his lips, "We have never felt better." She glanced over her shoulder, "I had great caretakers. As a matter of fact, I got pretty spoiled over there."

"Well, I’m sure they will give me instructions on how to care for you. Now that you are back, I’m not letting you get away from me again." He stood, and Kahkar handed control of the chair over to him. "I’ll take her to our living quarters. Will you be checking on her?"

Kahkar nodded, "Yes. I will be there in a few minutes." He looked over at Seven, "I think we need to visit with the Doctor and Seven in sickbay first."

Tom saw the look in Kahkar’s eyes. "We’ll go on and see you soon." He turned and wheeled his wife out of the transporter room.

Kahkar walked up to Seven, "I would like to check you."

"I am all right, Kahkar."

"Humor me."

She reluctantly nodded and followed him out of the transporter room with the Doctor on one side of her and Ketaria on the other. When they entered the sickbay, Kahkar indicated the center biobed. Seven handed Kathryn B’Elanna to the Doctor and pulled herself on the bed. Kahkar looked to the Doctor who gave him an approving nod. Then, he started checking her.

"You will find that I am in good health." He did not respond. "I am only a little tired, Kahkar." He continued to check her without speaking. She gave him a frustrated sigh, "You will not find anything wrong."

He stopped and looked at her, "You are correct, Seven. I just wanted to make certain." He stepped back, "You have not taken good care of yourself. You must remember, despite the fact you have Borg implants, you are still human, and you must provide your human body with a certain amount of care."

"She has worked too hard, Kahkar," the Doctor stood by his friend, "I have tried to tell her she needed to rest more." He reached to take his wife’s hand, "But I have not been able to get her to listen to me."

She did not speak, but gave each of them a defiant look. Kahkar started to chuckle, "You are stubborn, Seven."

"You are correct, Kahkar."

He laughed, "Promise me you will rest during the rest of your journey to Earth."

"I promise."

She smiled at him, but he did not miss the look that flitted in her eyes. He did not react to it, instead turning to the Doctor, "And you, Doctor, I want to check you."

"Why?"

"I have been trying to study your program, but," he crossed to the center console of the sickbay, "it was difficult to do so without having full access to your program. So, I wanted to do so here."

He placed a small device on the console, connecting it to a data port on the console.

"What is that?" The Doctor pointed to the device.

"It is a diagnostic tool I developed." He was concentrating on his work, "I wanted to see if we could determine how your daughter has changed your program." He concentrated on the screen, then disconnected the device from the console and placed it in his pocket. "I will study this more carefully once I have returned to my ship. I will be able to let you know what I find, even after you get to Earth."

The Doctor looked up sharply, "What do you mean? You are coming with us."

"No, we are staying here."

"But, Kahkar…." The Doctor didn’t know what to say. Helplessly, he looked at his wife, the look on her face only adding to his confusion. "Seven?"

She turned to look at Kahkar, "I understand."

The Doctor looked at the faces around him, "Well, I don’t. Why are you staying? It isn’t safe for you here, either."

"Doctor," Kahkar stepped forward, "we have nothing to fear from the Borg or any of the others in the Delta Quadrant. Seven and Kathryn B’Elanna are the only ones who are at risk here. We will wait here, on the border, for Voyager to travel to Earth. After things have settled down, we will follow. We would prefer to come when the times are quieter." He reached out to put his hand on the Doctor’s shoulder, "We will be here if you need us, though. You would only have to contact us, and we will come."

Obviously outnumbered, he nodded, still not quite understanding why the Omarahns were not joining them in the last leg of the journey home. 

"Come, Doctor," Kahkar pulled on his handhold on the Doctor’s shoulder, "You and I will go check on B’Elanna. Ketaria, will you be with Seven in her quarters?"

"Yes, we will wait on you there."

The Doctor followed Kahkar, still not certain of what was going on. He glanced over his shoulder at his wife as they left the sickbay, seeing her with her head touching their daughter’s, her eyes closed, hugging her child to her.

As soon as she walked into her living quarters, Seven crossed to the rocking chair and sat down. Kathryn B’Elanna stood in her lap and wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck, and they shared grunting hugs. Ketaria laughed as she settled herself on the sofa.

"She has really missed you."

"But we have visited almost every night."

Ketaria nodded, "But it has not been the same." She looked into the eyes of the woman in front of her, noting how tired they were, "Seven, you have not taken care of yourself. We have talked about this. You must rest."

"It has been difficult for me to do so."

Ketaria was quiet, watching the two of them for a moment. Finally, she asked, "Do you think you are ready?"

Seven had her hands wrapped around Kathryn B’Elanna’s hips, holding her steady in her lap. Kathryn B’Elanna was standing, her own hands on her mother’s face, her eyes locked on her mothers. Sighing deeply, Seven slowly started nodding her head, "Yes. I am ready."

Ketaria saw that she had swallowed hard as soon as the words were out of her mouth. She watched as Kathryn B’Elanna leaned her head to touch it to her mother’s forehead, and Ketaria knew she was comforting her mother. She could not help but smile as she heard the child speak.

"Good, Mama."

"Are you certain you will not join us?"

"Yes, Kathryn, we are certain." Kahkar held her hands in his, "We will wait here, giving you time to adjust to being back on Earth. When the time is right, we will visit you."

"It doesn’t feel right, the two of you not going home with us." She freed one hand and reached for Ketaria’s, "If it wasn’t for you two, we probably wouldn’t even be here. Please reconsider."

Ketaria tightened her grip on the Captain’s hand, "You would have been here, sooner or later, Kathryn, regardless of our help." When Janeway started to shake her head, Ketaria reached up to place her hand on the Captain’s face, "We will be here if you need us. In the meantime, it is appropriate you take your ship and your crew home by yourself."

Janeway saw there was no arguing with them, so she reluctantly nodded and backed away from them, stepping down from the transporter platform. She drew herself up, looking at both of them, "Thank you."

"You are welcome, Kathryn," said Kahkar.

"We will see you again, soon," added Ketaria.

Janeway turned to the crewmember behind the console, "Begin transport." She watched as they dematerialized, already missing them. Taking a deep breath, she turned and left the transporter room.

A few minutes later, she walked out onto her bridge. Everyone, like herself, was dressed in formal Starfleet uniform. They stood as she approached her chair and turned to her. Finding it difficult to speak, she had to give herself a minute.

"Commander, Chakotay, are we ready?"

"Aye, Captain. Everything has been checked out, and all systems are go."

She raised her head, "The bridge to engineering."

Seven’s voice came back to her, "Go ahead, Captain."

"Is engineering ready?"

"Yes, Captain."

She looked around the bridge, noticing there were many more people on the bridge than normal. She took a deep breath, "Take your positions." She watched as each crewmember turned to their stations, backs straight. The tension on the ship was thick. Sitting in her chair, she lifted her head, her eyes locked on the invisible line in space on the screen in front of her "Mr. Paris, are you ready?"

"Aye, Captain."

"All ahead, thrusters only."

"All ahead, thrusters only," Tom repeated.

"Report our progress, Mr. Paris."

"We are moving forward, thrusters only. Distance to the Alpha Quadrant is five hundred meters. Four hundred meters. Three hundred meters…"

She did not look at the people around her as he called out their distance, but she knew each of them was focused on the screen, just as she was. She could feel her heart starting to beat faster and her stomach start to tighten with anxiety. She forced herself to listen as the distance was reported.

"One hundred meters, fifty meters…" he paused in his report, "we are crossing into the Alpha Quadrant." His eyes watched the readout. Then, he reported, "We are in the Alpha Quadrant." 

"All stop, Mr. Paris." Her voice was controlled, even.

"Aye, Captain. All stop."

The bridge was totally silent. All eyes were locked on the view screen. Kathryn Janeway pushed herself from her chair and walked slowly to the center of the bridge. She stood, her feet slightly apart, her hands by her side, her back straight. As she looked at the screen, the scene in front of her blurred, and she felt the tears pouring down her cheeks. She did not try to stop or hide them.

It was over. She had brought them home. All of the battles, all of the loneliness, all of the indecision and questioning – it was all over. She thought back to the crewmembers who died on the journey home, hoping that each of them knew she had carried them home in her heart. She felt a weariness overtake her and allowed her head to bow for a moment. When she raised it, she looked around to see that all of the people on the bridge were standing, facing her, standing at attention, their hands raised in salute.

She slowly turned, trying through her tears to look each of them in the face. Finally, she had to lower her face into her hands and give into the sobbing. She had seen that she was not crying alone.

In her living quarters, B’Elanna pulled Kathryn B’Elanna to her and reached for the Doctor’s hand. He leaned over and kissed his daughter, grinning at B’Elanna.

In engineering, Seven looked at the read out on the engineering screens. Her shoulders slumped slightly before she caught herself and pulled her body up straight. The Borg were behind her, and Earth was now in front of her. She closed her eyes, taking comfort in the darkness.