This is the 20th and final installment of the Millennium Series

Dedicated to all those who have hung around this long. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

---

Final Frontiers

G. L. Dartt

Epsilon Six was an obscure starbase orbiting an obscure world, or at least, Starfleet tried very hard to keep it that way.  Captain Janeway, currently on leave from her command of USS Millennium, stood on the bridge of USS Voyager, hands linked behind her back and a sour expression on her face as she stared at the base on the fore viewscreen. Beside her, Seven examined the gleaming silver structure dispassionately, and wondered what her spouse was thinking.

Technically, Seven shouldn’t have been there to wonder. She was vaguely surprised that she had not been left behind, forced to wait for her spouse back on the cruise ship, or even back on Earth. Epsilon Six maintained the highest security in the Federation, both for what it studied, and what it protected.

The Guardian of Forever.

Discovered by James T. Kirk over ninety years earlier, the large device was a gate to all things that were and all things that would be. In short, a time travel device that could allow someone to alter the present by going back into the past. Starfleet had wanted to destroy it immediately, of course, but it defied their best efforts. So they did the next best thing, which was to build a heavily armed starbase boasting the latest in temporal shielding to orbit the planet it was on, restrict the area of space around it, and study it closely in hopes of understanding its secrets. Once in a while, the Guardian would spit out a bit of information in a ponderous voice, whereupon the scientists would dutifully record it and send it to the Temporal Archives at Starfleet Command. One such file was recently released, instructing Janeway to present herself to the Guardian on this stardate.

Janeway, who absolutely abhorred temporal situations of all kinds, was less than pleased to receive the orders and had displayed that disgust in a shortened temper and irritable manner ever since Voyager had picked up the couple. At this point, Seven just wanted the whole thing to be over so they could resume their interrupted vacation.

Sitting in the captain’s chair, Zar Tulek glanced back over his shoulder at the two women, his craggy features inquisitive. “Shall I contact Commander Sporn?”

Janeway’s lips tightened and Seven hunched her shoulders in anticipation of an acerbic comment. That was another thorn in the starship captain’s side. The young man who had been on the cruise with them was apparently with the Starfleet Temporal Unit, going along to make sure nothing happened to Janeway that would prevent this crucial appointment. Seven wasn’t sure why Starfleet Command hadn’t simply contacted Janeway on Earth and escorted her to the Epsilon Six starbase. On the other hand, its greatest protection lay in being unseen, rather like Section 31, not drawing attention to itself or where its interest lay, which putting a lot of security on one of their premier captains would do. In retrospect, perhaps it was surprising they put as many agents around her as they did.

“Might as well,” Janeway said ungraciously. She shot a look at Seven, saw the expression on her face, and softened, smiling wryly. “By all means, let’s get this show on the road. The sooner I do what I have to do, the sooner we’ll be on our way to Risa and the beach.”

“Indeed,” Seven said, a touch dryly.

At the tone, Janeway looked even more sheepish and even mustered up a bit of a polite nod to Sporn after he arrived on the bridge. Of course, being Vulcan, he was completely oblivious to her frosty manner or her attempt to be conciliatory toward him. Or if he did take note, he would find it illogical and not worthy of comment. Seven found that slightly amusing.

“Captain, we’re being hailed,” Tarn offered from her operations console. She paused, listening intently. “We’re being instructed to beam Captain Janeway and Commander Sporn over to the Epsilon Six base.”

“And Lt. Hansen,” Seven interjected calmly.

Tarn hesitated, glanced at Zar who nodded briefly, and conveyed the alteration in plans. Another pause, and she looked up uncomfortably. “They repeat their instructions.”

Janeway smiled. “Inform them that unless my spouse is along, I'm not beaming anywhere. I fully accept the consequences of that decision.”

Taking away the only threat they had to force Janeway into complying with their wishes…court-martial proceedings…made for a longer pause. Finally, Tarn lifted her head. “They say you’re clear to beam over the three individuals in question.”

“Captain, you tend to the insubordinate,” Sporn said, without any emotional overtone, merely stating a fact.

Janeway glanced at him with a raised eyebrow, a small smile quirking the corner of her mouth. “There are certain times, Commander, where an officer just has to refuse to be pushed around. Otherwise, they’re not much of an officer.”

“As you say, Captain.”

Zar stood up. “Good luck, Kathryn.”

“Let’s hope I won’t need it.”

Seven accompanied Janeway and Sporn to the transporter room where a young blonde woman manned the console. Without speaking, they beamed over to the station. One was not supposed to notice time passing in a transport, but Seven was able to detect a perceptible delay between the time they left Voyager and the time they reappeared in the sterile confines of the station transporter room. Undoubtedly a security measure of some sort, and further security was present in the form of two burly security officers armed with phaser rifles that were immediately aimed at the trio.

Janeway shot an annoyed look at Sporn. “You are making it extremely difficult for me to be compliant in this foolishness. I’m here voluntarily, but I chose to cooperate. That can change.”

Sporn lifted a brow, but he motioned to the officers who lowered their weapons and took a step back against the bulkheads, straightening to attention. “My apologies, Captain, but the security measures this facility requires cannot be overstated. The Guardian is possibly the most dangerous device in existence.”

“Precisely why I don’t want to be here,” Janeway reminded him.

Seven scanned their surroundings with all her senses as they left the transporter room. She had not been allowed any tricorders and even their communicators had been keyed to incoming calls only. The corridor they were in seemed innocuous, bare of ornamentation or décor, steel gray walls and slate blue carpet, but her cortical implant easily detected the wealth of sensors and weaponry that lay within the walls, ready to rain annihilation down on any unfortunate deemed expendable. Outside the base, surrounding the planet, she knew thousands of heavily armed, completely automated satellites patrolled space in all directions, preventing approach by even a cloaked ship.

She moved closer to Janeway, though should anything occur, it was unlikely she would have time to even blink, let alone make an attempt to save her. Janeway detected her nervousness and took a second to reach out with her hand, putting it on her shoulder briefly in encouragement before increasing her step to keep pace with Sporn.

They entered a large, expansive room, this one filled with monitors and white-coated officers manning various consoles. Seven noted the data scrolling over the screens, absorbing the information so quickly that it appeared to be no more than a casual glance on her part. Apparently, they were studying all the various temporal anomalies that had occurred within the Alpha Quadrant, and keeping an eye on any new ones that may occur. One monitor was displaying the ancient Forever World they orbited, the focus of all the galaxy’s timelines, while another screen was tuned to the surface where in the middle of a gigantic, ruined city dated over a million years old, the Guardian waited.

It looked vaguely like a misshapen bagel or donut, sitting in the middle of a sand-swept plaza. In the 21st Century, a great deal of social upheaval had fragmented Earth’s knowledge of their history prior to establishing the Federation. The Guardian had put Humans back in touch with all the events that had happened prior to the Eugenic Wars, triggered by the actions of the genetically engineered Khan Noonien Singh, not to mention the chaotic period surrounding Sefram Cochrane's first warpdrive flight. Historians allowed access to the Guardian were able to fill the Federation databanks with information, and it was considered an invaluable research tool among those who studied such things..

 Seven stared at the image a few seconds longer and then turned her attention to Sporn and Janeway who were speaking to another individual, a snowy-haired woman with deep wrinkles around her pale blue eyes. She was small and somewhat stout, while her expression was kindly. Still, Seven found it difficult to trust anything about this place.

“Dr. Grey is in charge of this facility," Sporn told Janeway. "Her mother was one of the first Federation scientists to study the Guardian extensively, visiting the Forever World several years ago with Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock.”

“As you can imagine, we’re quite excited about this unprecedented event,” she said, beaming at Janeway. “It’s very rare that the Guardian would mention any specific incident, let alone pick out an individual within it. Individuals are usually insignificant.”

Rather what the Borg believed, Seven noted dispassionately.

“You’ll forgive me if I’m less thrilled than you,” Janeway said coolly. “I hate temporal mechanics. The past is the future, the future is the past, it gives me a headache.” She frowned, eyeing her beadily. “In any event, what are the details of this situation? Why me and why at this time?”

“That’s the wonderful thing. We don’t exactly know. We only know that twenty years ago, the Guardian spoke without being asked a question or being prompted in any way. It told us that a temporal incursion had occurred. When we asked further questions, we were able to determine that you were the cause. You had performed an action that forever altered the timeline. We need you to do that now to maintain the integrity of the temporal stream.”

“The Guardian told you I did this?” Janeway was clearly skeptical. "Why? What possible reason would I have?"

"We don't know, only that it happened and that now is the time it must be done."

Seven saw the muscle jump in Janeway’s jaw and knew she was holding back a curse with the greatest of effort. It did sound somewhat haphazard. It happened therefore it must be made to happen.

 “Why bring me here at all?” Janeway demanded, almost as if she were reading Seven’s mind. “If it’s already happened, shouldn’t it just happen on its own?”

“If the Guardian took note of it twenty years ago, we believe that it has to be involved in some way. We don’t know how or why, only that we can’t prevent it. The best we can do is to be on hand to control the conditions and study it when it does.”

Janeway seemed about to say something else, hesitated, and then shook her head fretfully, as if trying to shake off an ache. “Fine, what do I have to do?”

“Commander Sporn will escort you down to the planet and fill you in on the particulars there.”

“I will be accompanying them,” Seven said.

Grey looked at her, an expression of surprise on her face, and Seven didn’t think the scientist had noticed her until then. Her eyes took in the implants on her face, the clear indication of Borg technology, and began to frown. “I don’t think---“ she began.

“If Seven doesn’t come with me, I’m not going,” Janeway said in a bored tone, carefully calculated to indicate how unimportant she found all this and how willing she was to be contrary if the mood struck her.

Grey hesitated, glanced at Sporn who inclined his head slightly, and then nodded. Seven felt a fissure of alarm. Janeway was undoubtedly enjoying this opportunity to throw her weight around the Temporal Unit of Starfleet Command, but Seven realized how crucial they actually believed this to be. They were willing to go along with a multitude of security breaches because they dearly needed Janeway’s cooperation…far more than they would be satisfied with reprimanding her if she didn’t carry out her mission.

“But she cannot interact with the Guardian,” Grey insisted.

Seven lifted her cortical implant. “I have no desire to interact with this device. It is, as Sporn has mentioned, the most dangerous device in the universe. I am most displeased that my captain is forced to interact with it.”

Janeway smiled and put her hand on Seven’s forearm. “Come on, darling. Let’s get this done. The beach awaits.”

Seven followed her, not knowing what lay ahead but suspecting that she wouldn’t like it at all.

---

The surface of the planet was cool, almost cold, a gritty wind whipping their hair and clothing in a cloud of stinging particles. The Guardian lay ahead, looking a little smaller than Janeway had anticipated. Blinking away the sand, she studied the ancient, misshapen object, thinking it looked a lot like something out of Seven’s collection of artworks, ugly and not at all the sort of thing anyone wanted to be around for any length of time. The three of them moved closer and suddenly they were out of the wind. The pavement was bare here, as well, as if something kept it clear of debris.

“Interesting,” Seven said, peering down at the abrupt break in the pavement, the invisible line between being exposed to the elements outside and protected within this small plaza leading up to the Guardian.

Sporn put down the bag he was carrying, unsealed the fastening and drew out a white outfit. Janeway frowned as he handed it to her.

“What’s this?”

“Camouflage. We don’t believe anyone will be in the area, but it’s best that we take the proper precautions.”

Janeway looked it over, taking note of the color. Wherever she was going, it was either very sterile or very cold. She had a sinking feeling it was going to be the latter. She thought about protesting, but decided there wouldn’t be any point. This was coming down from the very top of Starfleet Command and despite her token show of resistance until now, she sincerely doubted she really had much choice in the matter. With another sigh, she started to pull it on. Once she had it sealed up the front and the hood pulled up over her hair, she turned to Sporn. "What do I have to do?"

Sporn handed her a device. "Go through the gate. Walk approximately fifty meters to a multiple rock formation. Bury the device in the snow. Return."

"That's it?" Janeway regarded the device uneasily. It was a silver cylinder, featureless but for a small control panel with two LED lights, one of which was glowing green. "What is it, a bomb?"

Lifting a brow, there might have been a glint of amusement in his dark eyes. "No, it is not an explosive device. It is not necessary that you know what it is. Only that you perform this mission."

She studied him for a long moment, drawing on her great familiarity with Vulcan facial features due to her long-term relationship with Tuvok. "You don't know what it is either, do you?" she accused finally, with a hint of triumph. "You haven't a clue why I have to do this or what will happen when I do."

Sporn did not flicker, but he did not deny it either. “We all have our orders, Captain. Some are more obscure than most. Nonetheless, we are expected to carry them out."

That wiped the smile from her face. “Yes, we are.” Janeway tucked the device in a handy pocket in her thermal suit. Despite her poking and prodding at the temporal officers just to see which way they’d jump, she knew that eventually, she’d have to do what they wanted because of her oath to Starfleet Command. But how she did it could mean a world of difference in how she felt about it afterward, and to that end, she was grateful she had managed to bring Seven along with her. Turning to her, she wrapped her arms around her waist and hugged her tightly.

“I won’t be long,” she said softly.

“Be safe, Kathryn,” Seven murmured in her ear, and then kissed her gently. Janeway kissed her back, wanting to stay in her embrace forever. Finally, she released her hold, reluctantly drawing away and feeling as if she was being torn from someplace safe and secure to be cast out to an unfeeling universe.

Stiffening her spine, Janeway strode purposefully toward the Guardian. When she was within ten feet, it began to hum, lights appearing inside the thick skin, as if it glowed from within. In the center, which had been empty before, allowing her to look through it to the ruined city beyond, a swirling fog of sparkling gray and indistinct images appeared. Startled, she stopped and peered anxiously at it.

“Uh, hello?”

Not a machine or a being, Janeway remembered from her research on the way to the starbase, but somehow both, beyond the understanding of those scientists that struggled to uncover its secrets. Still, it apparently responded to queries.

"A question. Since before your sun burned hot in space, and before your race was born, I have awaited ... a question. Greetings.”

“Actually, that wasn’t the question,” Janeway said dryly, trying to cover her sudden sense of uncertainty and wonder. Its deep voice had reverberated through her on a primal level, seeming to shake every molecule. “Do you know who I am, why I am here and where I have to go?”

“I know. I know all. I am my own beginning, my own ending. You have been here before. You will be here again.”

“Not if I can help it,” she muttered under her breath.

The swirling images solidified, revealing a white plain where the horizon blended almost indistinguishably into a pale gray sky. Janeway’s blood suddenly ran cold, though she didn’t know why, only that a primeval fear was abruptly rising like a wave within her, so strong it was almost choking.

“Captain, you must enter.”

“Kathryn, are you all right?”

Distantly, she heard the voices behind her and wondered how long she had been standing there swaying, overwhelmed by an irrational and soul shivering terror. With a great effort of will, she shook herself, reining in her wayward emotions.

“Kathryn, do you require assistance?” Seven asked, her voice becoming more urgent. She was only a few seconds away from imposing her presence on the situation, Janeway knew.

Without looking back, Janeway lifted her hand, waving at Seven and indicating she was all right. She wasn’t, but there was still a job to do and it wasn’t getting done with her standing there dithering over it.

She took a step forward and while it was one of the hardest steps she had ever had to take, though she had no idea why, she managed it. Then another step, and another, until she was finally stepping through the portal into what lay beyond. A blast of bitter cold struck her as she was abruptly standing on that snowy vista, stinging the flesh on her face and hands. Ice stretched off in all directions except several kilometers to the north, where a line of snowy, dark cliffs provided a contrast to the unending white. Grotesque shapes, ice sculptures crafted by the wind, testified to the irregularity of the ground. Glancing behind her, she saw a shimmering ripple of nothingness that indicated where the portal remained, held open by the Guardian and providing a gateway to the future. Indistinctly, she could still see the two figures of Sporn and Seven in the dusty plaza, waiting for her. Instead of plunging back through the gate, which is what she truly wanted to do, she turned, took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and moved forward.

The snow squeaked beneath her feet as she walked toward a prominent, cluster of rocks that formed an outcropping approximately fifty meters ahead, knowing this had to be the landmark Sporn had indicated. With every step, the unreasoning fear grew stronger until she could actually taste bile at the back of her throat. She stopped, frantically searching for some kind of familiar view, something that would tell her why she felt as if she had been here before, but nothing showed itself. It was empty and for all she knew, could be somewhere on Earth, or somewhere lightyears away in another quadrant. Could she have really changed history here? Was that why it felt so familiar? Why didn’t she remember that? Had it even happened yet?

God, she hated temporal mechanics.

She felt dizzy and for a moment, she had to bend over. She had eaten lightly that morning, but what little she had was fighting its way to the surface. It hovered on the edge, then finally, the nausea retreated and she swallowed hard. Breathing deeply, each breath a razor edge of cold and damp, she resumed her journey toward the outcropping.

She had only gone about twenty feet when she made a misstep, turning her foot and dropping face down into the snow. Cursing, suddenly and tremendously angry with herself that she couldn’t manage to carry out the simplest of missions without turning it into a huge drama, she rolled over, wincing from the twinge in her ankle. It was the cruise ship all over again, she thought darkly. All she had to do was wait in the lounge with the rest of the passengers and await rescue, which had eventually come in the form of Voyager. Instead, surrendering her impatience and sense of helplessness at doing nothing…at having no control over the situation…she drafted a few others to go crawling about in the bowels of the ship in some misguided attempt at a rescue. Well, her father had said that she always had to take the rocky road, that she wasn’t happy unless the path was difficult. It wasn’t worth taking otherwise. Clearly, he had been right.

But she was getting damned tired of that particular character trait and vowed that from now on, she’d at least try to take the other path. She’d made life far too difficult for herself, and for Seven, who was an integral part of that life. It was time to start taking things easy.

Gingerly, she scrambled to her hands and knees, wiping the snow away from her face, and shaking it off her hands. Rising to her feet, she tested her ankle, determining that it would hold but would remain sore until she could make a visit to the nearest sickbay. She checked her pocket, drawing out the device to look it over. The light on the LED was now glowing red, and she made a face of consternation, sneaking a glance back to see if Sporn was watching this. Shielding it with her body, she tapped the panel a couple of times, and when that didn’t work, shook it violently back and forth. She felt a distinct sense of relief when the light finally switched back to green.

Limping slightly, she started once more for the rock, now feeling as if time was slipping away from her, that she had to hurry, though she had no idea why. This area seemed timeless, a desolate, empty world without any hint of life. The wind was a steady rush in her ears and she was grateful for the thermal outfit that not only provided camouflage, but kept her warm as well.

Finally she reached the jutting collection of rocks, looking even odder up close than they had from a distance. A thick vein of lighter brown ran through the darker color, mixed with various other shades, indicating that there had been a severe geological upheaval at some time. She knelt on the leeward side of the outcropping, setting aside the device for a moment to free her hands to dig into the snow. As she dug, the sense of danger grew ever more pressing and she kept lifting her head, searching the horizon anxiously, not know what she was looking for, only that she felt an oppressive sense of imminent disaster.

It made no sense, but then, little of this mission made sense, which was part of why she hated temporal incursions so much. She wondered why she kept finding herself in the middle of them, from the leap back into the 20th Century where she had to stop a computer geek from destroying Earth by indiscriminant use of 29th Century technology to make his fortune, to Seven trying to stop Captain Braxton from destroying Voyager. Then there was the recent temporal loop where she and Seven found themselves back on Voyager for no other reason, it seemed, than to patch up the rift in their relationship. It was insane. Yet she seemed to attract them, like flies to honey.

She wished she could find some kind of temporal repellent that would ward them off forever.

Placing the device carefully at the bottom of the depression she had hollowed out, she began to brush snow back over it, hiding it from view. As she stood up, she could see that the wind would eventually wipe away any hint she had been there. Her tracks from the portal, a path that was alarmingly crooked, staggering this way and that, were already filling in, disappearing into the drifts of snow.

Still feeling an impending sense of dread and dismay, she stumbled back to the coordinates where the gateway waited. Plunging through the shimmering wall to the dry, dusty plaza beyond, she felt the terror leave her as if it had never been, and she wondered if she’d ever figure out the cause.

---

Mindful of Dr. Grey’s warning, Seven did not attempt any conversation with the Guardian, and Sporn seemed disinclined, as was natural for his species, to engage in small talk. Instead, he spent the time wandering about the nearby ruins, taking readings on his tricorder. Left to her own devices, she found the shattered remains of a pillar, similar to the architecture of ancient Greece, on which to sit. Resting her chin on her palm, she stared at the portal showing a hazy image of the world beyond, a white vista of snow and ice. Utilizing her ocular implant, she could barely make out a tiny speck in the distance, knowing it to be the figure of her spouse stumbling about in the snow.

Janeway would hate that, Seven knew. She hated cold and ice, preferring balmy temperatures and a tropical seascape, or at the very least, the warm and carefully controlled environment of a starship. Seven stood up abruptly when she saw the tiny figure fall into the snow, watching anxiously, and then finally relaxed again when she saw Janeway get up again and stumble on. It was nerve-racking standing by helplessly, limited to being only a spectator and not a participant. Uneasily, she sat down once more, her eyes glued to the hazy image.

Finally, the figure began the trip back, and Seven again rose to her feet, waiting apprehensively until Janeway finally stepped through the portal. Instantly, the image shifted, faded and disappeared behind her.

"Time has resumed its shape; all is as it was before. Many such journeys are possible. Let me be your gateway," the Guardian intoned.

“Thanks, once was enough,” Janeway threw acerbically over her shoulder. Her face altered when she saw Seven and she quickened her pace, stepping gratefully into her arms. Seven thought she detected a hint of strain around her eyes and hugged her tightly. Nearby, Sporn abandoned his scans of the ruined city and returned to the plaza.

“Did you bury the device?” His tone held the slightest hint of urgency.

“Consider it done. Can we get out of here now?”

“Of course.” He tapped his communicator. “Epsilon Six, three to beam up.”

Back on the starbase, Janeway stripped off the white suit, discarding it distastefully into a nearby replicator. Seven frowned as she looked at Janeway's uniform collar. "Kathryn, you are missing a pip."

Janeway blinked and reached up, fingering her collar and the three pips that remained. "So I have. I must have lost it when I fell down. It doesn’t matter. I'm sure as hell not going back down to look for it." Still irritable, she looked at Sporn. “Are we done here?”

“The mission is complete,” he said, lacking any offense at her tone. “According to Dr. Gray, the timeline is settling into its predicted pathway.”

“Wonderful. I trust I won’t have to see you again.”

“Actually, Captain, I’m required back in the Temporal Archives on Earth. I’ll be accompanying you on Voyager.”

“Well, at least until Risa.” She tapped her communicator, allowed to transmit now that her mission was complete. "Voyager, Janeway here. Three to beam over."

"Aye, Commander."

Seven lifted a brow at the address though Janeway didn't seem to notice, perhaps because she was still agitated from her temporal excursion. Seven was determined to get the details of what had happened as soon as possible. Janeway seemed inordinately disturbed for what had appeared to be a fairly straightforward mission. In Voyager's transporter room, the ensign manning the transporter console was not the same one who had initially beamed them over to the base, a young man with Bajoran features.

“Commander, the captain would like to see you on the bridge.”

“That’s fine because I’d like to see him.” Again, Janeway did not seem to notice the incorrect address. Frowning, Seven followed Janeway and Sporn out of the transporter room and down the corridor to the turbolift.

When they stepped out onto the bridge, Seven’s nebulous worries instantly crystallized into dismay. A complete stranger stood up from the captain’s chair, a tall man with a solid build and dark tousled hair topping a ruggedly handsome face with deep blue eyes. “Kathryn, how did it go on the planet?”

Janeway had stopped dead, an expression of complete shock on her face, the blood draining from it as if she had sustained a deep, life-sucking wound. Beyond the strange captain, an older man stood up from the first officer’s chair, wearing the insignia of the admiralty on his collar. With a thrill of complete horror, Seven did recognize him, mostly from images she had seen in Janeway’s possession. But he shouldn’t be standing on the bridge of Voyager. He had died twenty years earlier, drowned beneath the polar cap of a distant planet while testing a new fighter called the Terra Nova.

And if Admiral Edward Janeway had somehow survived the terrible accident that had taken his life on Tau Ceti Prime, that meant…

“Justin?” Janeway’s voice was a croak, a mere parody of her normally strong husky tone. “Daddy?”

Seven looked back at the captain, a sick sensation filling her chest. Justin Tighe. He had been Janeway’s fiancé, the man she was going to marry, the love of her life who had perished along with her worshipped father in the freezing water. That tragedy had profoundly shaped the woman Janeway had become. Who would she be now? Seven wondered.

Then Janeway swayed unsteadily and instantly Seven was at her side, catching her as she fell. Apparently the sight of her beloved dead brought back to life overwhelmed her, the shock simply too much even for her formidable composure. The burden of guilt she had carried all those years that she had somehow been responsible for their deaths and now, possibly for their resurrection, undoubtedly contributed to her collapse.

“Kathryn, what’s wrong?” Justin stepped forward, frowning at Seven in puzzlement. Clearly he didn’t know who she was.

“She has fainted,” Sporn noted calmly. He hesitated. “Perhaps a delayed reaction to the mission, but I can assure you there will be no lasting effects.” Seven could tell he was treading carefully, watching what he said.

Admiral Janeway frowned at him. “Who are you? Are you two from Epsilon Six?”

“Yes, Lt. Hansen and I beamed over to monitor the timeline outside the temporal zone,” Sporn said. “We had to confirm that Cap---Commander Janeway’s mission was completely successful.”

“Of course.”

Seven, gripping the slumped Janeway, offered them all a quelling look. “I need to take Kathryn to sickbay,” she snapped, and swept Janeway up in her arms. Striding purposefully to the turbolift, she didn’t look back, not caring how Sporn smoothed over their presence on board this vessel. Her only concern was the woman in her arms and how soon she would recover. Seven carefully did not think of what was going to happen beyond that. Already things were terribly wrong and she suspected they would only get worse from this point. But she was certain that as long as she and Kathryn were together, they would find a way through it.

In sickbay, she carried Janeway to the first open biobed, and looked around. From the doctor’s office came a woman she didn’t recognize. It wasn’t Alexis Spencer, who was currently chief medical officer on Zar’s Voyager, nor the Emergency Medical Hologram she had known so well. It wasn’t even Dr. Kate Pulaski, Millennium’s doctor. Instead, this was a stranger, a Trill with the fathomless gaze that indicated she was joined. Her hair was long and dark, pulled back in a ponytail, while a line of spots ran up the side of her attractive features.

“What’s happened to our first officer this time?” Her tone was a mix of amusement and exasperation. She glanced once at Seven, realized she didn’t know her, but didn’t pause in her ministrations, pulling out a medical tricorder with its accompanying scanner that she ran over Janeway, peering intently at the resulting readings scrolling past her screen. “Hmm, there’s no sign of injury or disease.”

“She fainted.”

The doctor blinked. “Fainted? Commander Kathryn Tighe fainted? That’s hard to believe. She’s tough as nails. She’s never fainted in her life!”

“Nonetheless, that is what happened, Doctor…?”

“Dax. Jadzia Dax.” She glanced at her, a thin eyebrow rising. “You’re from the Epsilon Six base?”

Seven hesitated. “Yes.”

“Well, trust me when I tell you this is very unusual behavior. Wait outside, please until I complete my diagnostic.”

Seven opened her mouth, about to refuse, and then reconsidered it, realizing that she had to be careful, even if she didn’t like it much. Reluctantly, she left sickbay, glancing back one last time at Kathryn’s still face.

Outside in the corridor, she felt herself start to shake and her cortical node immediately released a flood of nanoprobes into her system to stabilize the physcical reactions to her wayward emotions. She glanced up as the turbolift opened and Sporn, accompanied by Justin and Edward appeared.

“Lt. Hansen, what's happening? Is Kathryn all right?” Justin’s tone was brusque and presumptuous, filled with concern for his…wife? Dax had called her ‘Kathryn Tighe’. Seven, who had started to bristle at his tone, immediately felt sick and helpless.

“The Doctor requested I leave,” she managed to reply with a coolness she was far from expeiencing. She glanced away from Justin, finding it difficult to look at him for very long and focused her attention on Sporn. “Sir, I feel we should brief the cap---commander immediately after her return to consciousness. There are temporal security issues at stake.”

Sporn lifted a brow and nodded slowly. “That’s probably wise, Lieutenant.” He turned to Captain Tighe. “We need to speak with her privately, finish up a few details. There may be certain protocols that need to be clarified.”

Justin frowned. “Is that really necessary?”

Admiral Janeway stepped forward, putting a hand on his shoulder. “It probably is, son,” he said, his voice kind but firm. “Trust me when I tell you that security is at a premium whenever we’re dealing with Epsilon Six. Whatever Katie did for them, we’re not cleared to know and we may never be cleared to know.”

“It should only take a few minutes, Captain,” Sporn added delicately.

Justin didn’t like it, Seven could see that, but he nodded grudgingly. “Very well.”

Sporn exchanged a look with Seven and together, they entered sickbay. Dax looked up at their arrival, a frown twisting her comely features. “What the hell did you do to her over there? She had a sprained ankle, but I repaired that. Otherwise, she should be awake by now.”

“Doctor?”

“I don’t know why, but she’s resisting the stimulant,” Dr. Dax said. “It’s as if she’s refusing to regain consciousness.”

Seven recognized this. A great shock, particularly of this nature, sent Janeway deep into despair, and made her seek out sleep with a determined desperation. It was her refuge, her solace, but not one that she had required in years. Nudging Dax aside, she leaned over Janeway, placing her lips next to her ear.

“Kathryn, please wake up. I need you,” she whispered so that only Janeway could hear.

Immediately, there was brief flutter of eyelids, a small moan, and then Dax was shoving Seven to the end of the biobed, out of the way. There, Seven felt Sporn grip her arm and shocked at the Vulcan who, as a species, normally avoided personal touch due to their psychic abilities, she stared wildly at him. Immediately, he dropped his hand, looking the faintest bit disconcerted.

“Lieutenant, I’m not entirely sure what’s happened, but until we can determine if this is indeed, the outcome that was intended, the temporal Prime Directive is fully in effect. We must maintain it for the duration.”

"How long will that duration last?"

 "Until Voyager leaves. Then it will take care of itself."

Seven caught her breath, knowing what that meant, but all she said was, “I understand.”

Though she wished with every fiber of her being that she didn’t.

---

Janeway groaned, feeling her head throb. Dimly, she was aware of Sporn talking to Seven, the words coming as if from very far away. "The temporal Prime Directive is fully in effect. We must maintain it for the duration."

"How long will that duration last?" Seven's tone was sharp, demanding, filled with an underlying fear that Janeway recognized though she didn’t know the cause.

"Until Voyager breaks orbit. Then it will take care of itself."

Janeway opened her eyes, blearily looking at Seven and Sporn who were standing face to face at the foot of the sickbay biobed. Next to her, an attractive Trill dressed in a white coat scanned her with a medical tricorder, peering intently at the readings.

 Janeway desperately tried to catch up, not quite sure what had happened or how she had ended up sickbay. Seven's face was set in an expression that she was all too familiar with. Whatever she was hearing, she didn't like it at all, but all she said was: "I understand."

Janeway tried to say something to attract their attention, and was surprised when it came out in an inarticulate croak. Immediately, both Seven and Sporn turned to her.

The Trill shook her head. “Kathryn, I’m not sure what’s going on here, but I bet I don’t want to know, considering it involves temporal mechanics and that damned Guardian. These Epsilon Six officers need to speak with you. I’ll be in my office.”

She immediately turned and strode rapidly into the doctor’s office, sealing the door firmly behind her. Bemused, but fully in accord with the young woman’s comment, Janeway frowned at her spouse. “Seven?”

"Kathryn."

Sporn interrupted their reunion, speaking quietly but urgently. "Cap---Commander, we only have a moment before the captain and admiral insist on seeing you. You are in full Temporal Prime Directive mode. Do you understand?"

She pursed her lips, not liking it anymore than Seven apparently had, but not seeing as she had any choice. "Fine." She hesitated and reached up, feeling the three pips on her collar. "Commander?"

"In this timeline, you are the chief science officer and exec to Captain Justin Tighe." He hesitated. “Apparently he is also your husband.”

"Dear God. Then, he and daddy..."

"They did not die in this timeline," Seven said in an oddly distant tone. "Obviously, you were able to transport them to safety."

"So what I did on that planet somehow prevented them from dying?" Janeway marveled, feeling so many conflicted emotions that it was difficult to keep any of them under control. Was that why the planet had looked so familiar? Had that been Tau Ceti Prime? She hadn’t recognized it without the debris of a crashed Terra Nova scattered all over it. She glanced at Seven, seeing the coldness in her eyes and realizing why she was so upset. "Darling---" she began.

"Kathryn!"

The door hissed open to herald the arrival of Justin and Edward. Janeway closed her mouth with a snap and rose to a sitting position in time to be swept up in a strong hug by Justin. "God, I was so worried about you."

"I'm all right," she said, feeling breathless as he squeezed her. Over his shoulder, her eyes feasted on the sight of her father, so much older than she remembered, thinning gray hair even thinner, his kind features more wrinkled and craggy but undeniably his. He was smiling, reaching out to pat her hand where it rested on Justin's back.

He looked over at Sporn and Seven who had stepped back to allow the family reunion. "Has she recovered?"

"Yes, Admiral," Sporn said smoothly. "But Lt. Hansen and I will monitor the situation until Voyager breaks orbit."

“You’re sure there’s no lasting symptoms?” Justin demanded as he released her, straightening to regard him anxiously.

“There shouldn’t be.”

Edward cleared his throat and returned his focus on his daughter. “In the meantime, there's someone else here who wants to see you."
            He stepped aside and a small form who had been hidden by his bulk suddenly appeared. Head topped with deep auburn hair framing big bluish gray eyes, the little boy came forward hesitantly. His features, an unmistakable mix of Janeway and Tighe, were screwed up in a combination of unease and dismay. "Mommy, are you all right?"

Wide-eyed, Janeway shot a look at Seven who looked back at her, equally wide-eyed. "I'm fine." Somehow, she managed to make her tone comforting, indicating none of the astonishment and consternation seeping through her, threatening to send her spiraling into unconsciousness once more. Honestly, she didn't consider herself to be the frail sort, but the shocks just kept hitting her, one after another. She forced a smile. "You weren't really worried about me, were you?"
            He looked at her keenly for a moment, then his face abruptly relaxed and she could see the open, friendliness accompanied by more than a hint of mischief, that was undoubtedly his normal expression. "Naww, I knew you'd be all right." Abruptly, he threw his arms around her neck, gave her a quick and somewhat sloppy kiss on her cheek and then headed for the door. "I gotta get back to the holodeck," he threw over his shoulder. "We're having a class trip. I’ll see you later"

            The sickbay seemed to echo with emptiness after the door hissed shut behind him, despite the fact there were five people crowded into a small area. Six now that Dax chose that moment to rejoin them.

“So what happens now?” Dax asked in a practical tone.

There was a brief silence as everyone looked at Sporn and Seven, Janeway because she was terribly worried for her spouse, and the rest because they were waiting on the Epsilon Six base to give them clearance to leave.

“If possible, we would like you to remain in orbit another day,” Sporn said smoothly. Only Janeway and Seven recognized that he was making it up as he went along, trying to buy some time.

“I can’t promise anything if new orders come down from Starfleet Command,” Justin responded in a warning tone. “We were on our way to Vargus Prime when your request for my first officer’s presence diverted us here. We still need to get those medical supplies to the colony.”

“I understand, and we’ll send you on your way as soon as we’re certain everything is as it should be.”

Justin looked back and forth between them, his eyes lingering on Seven briefly, clearly taking in the Borg implants but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he nodded. “Fine. You’ll have complete access to our science department’s database. In the meantime, you can work out of our guest quarters.” He tapped his communicator. “Can I have someone sent to sickbay to escort our guests to deck three.”

Seven looked as if she wanted to protest, glancing once at Janeway, but then her lips thinned and she remained silent. Janeway wanted to protest as well, but she didn’t know what to say. Though she tried. “Are you sure you’re through briefing me?”

Sporn’s dark eyebrow lifted. “We will need to speak further, Commander, but for now, Lt. Hansen and I must go over our report to Epsilon Six.”

An ensign appeared in the doorway and with a backward look from Seven over her shoulder, the pair were escorted out of sickbay. Janeway slipped her legs over the side of the biobed, sitting up. She managed not to jump as Justin put a hand on the small of her back.

“Careful, Katie, take your time.”

She shot a glance at him, wondering at the use of a nickname that only her family had ever used. She wasn’t sure she liked hearing it from him. “I’m fine,” she said shortly, though she managed not to shrug him off.

“Nonetheless, consider yourself off duty for the rest of the day,” he said, ignoring the tone. “Go back to our quarters, get some rest.”

It sounded like an order and Janeway didn’t take orders very well from other captains. Of course, in this instance, he was the only captain present. That would definitely take some getting used to. Then she paused, horrified at the thought. Was she supposed to get used to this? Suddenly, retreating to the captain’s quarters didn’t seem like such a bad idea.

“All right.” She rose to her feet and regarded her father. “Daddy, I hope I get a chance to speak with you later.”

He looked mildly surprised. “Of course. I’ll stop by this evening.”

Feeling more than a little lost, Janeway left sickbay and headed for her quarters … their quarters. She frowned as she entered the cabin, looking around in an evaluation of this other life she had supposedly led. The decor was bland, lacking much in personality other than the images put up on the bulkheads and scattered over the various surfaces. There was a large one of her and Justin, with her looking very young in a wedding dress she couldn’t imagine ever wearing, a few of her and her father, and several of the little boy in sickbay. There were none of Phoebe or Gretchen and Janeway wondered why. Wandering around the quarters, she discovered the messy confines of what could only be the boy's bedroom behind one of the doors.

A son. She and Justin had a son. It boggled the mind. Aimlessly, she picked up a few of the clothes discarded on the deck, glanced around uncertainly, and finally put them up on a nightstand. It did not make the room look any neater. Perhaps she should let Seven loose on it.

The thought brought a bittersweet smile. This was going to be a mess in more ways than one, she realized. Aching inside, she wandered back out into the main living area. Across it was another door, undoubtedly her and Justin’s bedroom. She felt a decided twinge at that. She’d just have to deal with it when the time came, she decided uneasily.

The door hissed open, startling her, and she whirled to witness the entrance of a little ball of energy. He threw a padd on the nearby sofa and made a beeline for his bedroom. A moment later, he came out, clutching some small items that looked like figurines of some kind.

Janeway, frozen in the center of the room, regarded him uncertainly as he plopped down on the deck next to the sofa and started manipulating the figures in completely baffling ways. He seemed to be ignoring her until it finally occurred to him that perhaps his mother should not be standing there staring at him with a bemused expression on her face.

“Uh, Mom?”

“How was school?” she managed.

“Good.” He paused, his little brows drawn together, a frown on his face. He looked a lot like his father when he did that, she realized. “What’s for dinner?”

“What would you like?” she asked cautiously. Somehow, her specialty of Orion finger foods didn’t seem appropriate in this case.

He brightened. “I can choose tonight?”

Clearly, that was a rare and special occasion, but if it helped her to come up with something for dinner, she was all for it. “Of course you can,” she said with more confidence. “What would you like?”

“Mac and cheese. And hot dogs.”

That was good. She could actually manage that particular program. In fact, she and her fellow cadets had pretty much lived on the simple dishes at the Academy while cramming for exams.

“Coming right up.”

“Aren’t you going to wait for Dad?”

She turned back from the replicator. “Of course.” She paused. “Around what time will he be arriving?”

He offered her an odd look. “After his duty shift. 1730 hours.”

          The regular time, of course, she thought with a bit of a mental slap. She hesitated again, and then moved over to the chair, taking a seat next to the boy. She still didn’t know what to do next, but hopefully that wasn’t quite so apparent while she was sitting down

---

          Seven turned on Sporn as soon as they entered the VIP quarters, the door barely hissing shut behind them. “We must do something.”

“We are doing something,” he said calmly, going over to the workstation. “We are evaluating the situation and determining our next course of action.”

 It sounded suspiciously insufficient, but Seven merely shot him a glare and took her place at the other workstation, bringing up the ship’s database.

“I will contact Epsilon Six and determine what they’ve found so far,” Sporn continued as he tapped in commands. “You scan the history of the past twenty years and determine what exactly has changed.”

Seven set to work, tuning out his voice as he spoke to the starbase, and concentrating on the main historical events that had occurred since Janeway’s ‘adjustment’ of the timeline. They were considerable.

Admiral Janeway, having survived the crash on Tai Ceti Prime, had been instrumental in implementing a new peace treaty with the Cardassians, including a clause that compelled them to leave the occupied Bajor several years earlier than they had in Seven’s timeline. Because of that, Deep Space Nine had never been established, the wormhole leading to the Gamma Quadrant had never been discovered, and most importantly, the Changelings and the Jem’Hadar had not invaded. There had never been a Dominion War. Millions had not perished, worlds had not been subjugated and the Federation, the Klingons and the Romulans had not suffered massive losses in their respective fleets. Thanks to the efforts of Edward Janeway and others like him, Cardassia had become a welcome, if not especially trusted ally of the Federation. The Klingons were less allied than they had been, but still peaceful, and while the Romulans were apparently as big a mystery as they’d ever been, they had been quiet for quite some time, keeping to themselves and maintaining the Neutral Zone.

There had never been a Maquis created on the border worlds. And because of that, Voyager had never been compelled to chase them down in the Badlands. It had never been lost for seven years in the Delta Quadrant.

Without the threat of the Dominion, science and technology had not advanced to the same level. Voyager’s navigational system, her weapons and defense capabilities, were much the same now as they had been ten years earlier. Seven suspected that was the case with all the other vessels in the fleet. The Enterprise of this era was the Enterprise E, still flying with Picard at its helm, but it was not the powerful, state-of-the-art Sovereign-class vessel that had been built after the loss of the Enterprise D. There was no listing of a USS Millennium, nor any indication that a transwarp/slipstream vessel was being researched or built in the Utopia Planetia shipyards.

Further searching the database along more personal lines, Seven discovered that while there was a Lt. B’Elanna Torres and Lt. Ro Laren in Starfleet, they were posted to separate vessels in different parts of the sector. Tom Paris was serving out his sentence in a penal facility. Harry Kim was a lieutenant on board the Rutledge. Seven lifted a brow. There was a Lenara Kahn on board Voyager, apparently partnered with the chief medical officer. That was interesting, but only held Seven’s attention for a moment before she continued searching for information on the other people she knew. Captain Chakotay commanded the Ahwwahnee but he had no dependant named Icheb at Starfleet Academy. Tuvok served as a security officer on Chakotay’s ship, which held a sort of irony, Seven supposed. There was no record of a Kes or a Neelix, no mention of a sentient EMH, and Zar Tulek had never existed, either on Bajor or on Cardassia.

Most significantly, there was no indication of either a Seven of Nine or Annika Hansen working anywhere in the quadrant, not even in a civilian capacity. There was a mention of two scientists, Erin and Magnus Hansen, who went missing in a far-reaching section of Alpha Quadrant several years earlier, so undoubtedly they were all currently drones on Borg vessels in the Delta Quadrant. Did the Borg even exist at this point? Prior to Voyager’s intervention, the conflict with Species 8472 had been going very badly for the Collective. It was very possible that the Borg had actually been destroyed and Species 8472 had retreated to their region of fluidic space.

Seven found it difficult to breathe and had to forcibly regulate her respiration after assimilating all this information. Then she turned to what most concerned her, Janeway’s personnel file. Bypassing the security seals on both it and that of Voyager’s commanding officer, she brought them up on her screen.

Janeway had never been a starship captain. Seven found the concept both baffling and disturbing in a way that she could not fully explain, only felt in the deepest part of herself.

Instead, it had been Justin who had been placed on the fast track for command, and Justin who had received special notice from various admirals, including Janeway’s father. He had quickly risen through the ranks to first officer, and then captain, initially on the Icarus, before being awarded the brand new Intrepid-class Voyager. But unlike the Voyager of the other timeline, this ship’s record consisted mostly of political and diplomatic missions, not science or even of exploration. Justin was clearly being groomed for an eventual posting in Starfleet Administration.

And where had that left Kathryn? She and Justine had been married a year after the accident. It had taken that long for everyone to fully recover from their injuries. Pursuing a career in the sciences, she served out a string of postings on whichever ship Justin was assigned until finally, she became chief science officer and ship exec on Voyager. Seven was left with an aching sense of loss and an acute awareness of the utter waste of it all.

And she had a son, born a year after Justin had taken command of Icarus. Seven was still trying to adapt to the reality of the little boy in sickbay, so much of Kathryn apparent in his look and movement. It made her heart hurt even now.

Sporn looked up from his screen. “I’ve spoken with Dr. Grey. Janeway’s incursion has prevented millions from dying and created a fully restored Bajor. Apparently, the Dominion War was never supposed to happen.”

 “Are you so sure the initial timeline was the one that was in error?” Seven asked urgently. “And not this one?”

Sporn hesitated. “Dr. Grey is. Apparently, Starfleet Command has studied this for many years. They believe that the war significantly weakened the Federation. Otherwise, the Guardian would not have mentioned Janeway’s required intervention.”

But it hadn’t weakened the Federation, Seven thought, conscious of the technological and scientific advances made over the past few years. But perhaps that was merely her personal opinion, unquestionably influenced by her time in the Collective. It was clear that events had progressed so that the Alpha Quadrant was enjoying one of its safest, most stable periods in history. That was the whole purpose of Starfleet, to protect and preserve the Federation. If there was any indication that a temporal incursion would contribute to such stability...a temporal incursion that everyone assumed was destined to happen as recorded by the Guardian of Forever...then of course they would accept this new timeline and Seven could find no way to refute it. And while this may be a great personal loss to her, ultimately, millions of individuals were better off.

And most of all, Kathryn had her father back.

Seven felt tears sting her eyes and it was only with great effort that she was able to blink them back. Swallowing hard, she picked up a few padds, downloaded the crucial data into them and stood up.

“I will pursue this in my room,” she said, striving for an even tone.

Sporn stared at her, and there might even have been a bit of compassion in his gaze, supposing he was capable of it. “Seven, let me know if there is anything to indicate the Guardian or Starfleet Command are incorrect in their assessment. I will listen to any evidence you discover.”

Seven nodded briefly, appreciating the fairness of the offer, but aware that by doing so, he didn’t really think she would find anything. Once inside her room, she sat on the side of the bed and stared blankly at the bulkhead. Accessing her memory, and the specs in Voyager’s database, she knew the captain’s quarters lay just beyond the solid, titanium wall. A glance at the chronometer indicated it was nearly dinnertime.

Placing her left hand on the wall, fingers spread, she tried to detect something from beyond it. Was Kathryn eating with her family at this moment? And what of later? When it was time to retire for the evening, what would Janeway do to uphold the Temporal Prime Directive? How far would she go?

And would it be truly so difficult for her?
          Kathryn had loved Justin Tighe as much as she had ever loved Seven of Nine, Tertiary Adjunct to Unimatrix Zero One. It was only his loss that had paved the way for Seven and Janeway to eventually be together, because certainly his survival had prevented them from ever meeting. Had he not died, even if everything else had happened the same, Seven was convinced that Janeway would not love her. She would have loved Justin, first and foremost. She would undoubtedly be in love with him again. It was only a matter of time.

Seven closed her eyes, feeling her heart shatter into a million pieces.

---

The longer they were in each other’s company, the more comfortable Janeway felt with her ‘son’. She eventually slipped off the chair and became involved with his convoluted game of action figures. Afterward, he helped her set the table. When Justin arrived, they were laughing over his recounting of his field trip in the holodeck. To Janeway’s surprise, however, Justin scowled when he heard the laughter as he entered their quarters and the boy immediately went quiet as he went to his place at the table.

Janeway put out the bowl of macaroni and cheese and the stack of hot dogs on the table.

“What’s this?” Justin stared at the repast in horror.

“Dinner,” she said, with a smile at her son. “It was his turn to pick.”

Justin glanced at his son, grunted, and with what was clearly an effort, he took a couple of scoops of the cheesy pasta and started to eat.

After a few moments, her son started to tell Janeway about a picture he had drawn in class after the field trip. He was about to go retrieve it when Justin frowned.

“Eddie, you know there’s no leaving the table at dinner.” So relieved was she at finally having a name to go with her offspring, Janeway overlooked the sharpness in Justin's tone.

“Yes, Father.”

Eddie ate the rest of his meal quietly while Janeway stared at her husband. It was her first real opportunity to look at him since regaining consciousness in sickbay. He appeared tired, but since that was an occupational hazard with command, Janeway disregarded it. She supposed the real difference was in his build, a far cry from the sleek, lean panther-like grace he had enjoyed in his younger days. Middle age and perhaps even marriage had widened him, made him look softer, except around the eyes. They were the same, piercing blue they had always been. He became aware of her scrutiny, and lifted his head.

“How are you feeling?” he asked abruptly.

Janeway blinked. “I’m fine. How are you?”

He looked at her a moment. “I know you can’t tell me what went on down there, but I have to say, it seems to have changed you a little.”

“How so?”

He studied her, and then shook his head. “I’m not sure. You’re just…I don’t know, you carry yourself with more assurance somehow. I think I like it.”

Great, Janeway thought sardonically. That’s all I need.

She was surprised to find that she did not find him the slightest bit attractive. She didn’t quite understand why. She knew that his looks had altered a bit, of course, and he was unquestionably much older than the dynamic, intense thirty-year-old she had known, but still, this was the man she had fallen in love with all those years ago, and had expected to share the rest of her life with. Where was the emotion that had been so powerful and overwhelming in her twenties? She took another bite of macaroni and searched for something to say, remembering the bits and pieces of conversation from sickbay.

“Do you know where we’re going after Vargus Prime?”

He shrugged. “I think Starfleet Command want us to stop by Vulcan to pick up some dignitaries for a conference on Betazed.” He continued on without any further prompting, giving his opinion regarding the issues the conference would be addressing and what they might mean to the rest of the Federation. Eddie, clearly bored, asked to be excused and went off to his bedroom to do his homework.

Janeway, having to stay and listen to Justin’s rambling monologue, had two supremely horrifying realizations. One, Justin was a completely different type of captain than she had been, and two, he was not the sort of captain she would ever serve under had she been given any choice. It was quite odd knowing that she somehow not only managed it in this timeline, she was actually his first officer. She was quite relieved when Eddie came out of the bedroom to show her his picture, a colorful sketch of Voyager and what had to be his parents. She noted that Justin was drawn much bigger than she was.

“This is very good,” she praised him. She handed the picture over to Justin, who glanced at it briefly before putting it down on the table.

“Have you finished your homework?”

Eddie, obviously anticipating his a different reaction from his father, looked crestfallen, “No, sir,” he mumbled as he picked up the picture. “I’ll do it now.” Head bent, he returned to his room.

“Would it have killed you to say something nice about his picture?” Janeway snapped as soon as the door hissed shut behind him

Startled, Justin looked at her. “What? That bit of scribbling?”

“He created it, and he was proud of it.” Despite her best effort, Janeway couldn’t stop talking. “Why are you dismissing it?”

“Kathryn, it’s an indulgence,” Justin said in a paternal tone that immediately set her teeth on edge. “He needs to pay more attention to his math and sciences, not play around with crayons.”

“They weren’t crayons, they were pastels. I suppose you consider what Phoebe does to be useless, too.”

“So do you. At least you’ve always said so,” he responded in bewilderment. Janeway felt her head go back in surprise. Now she understood the lack of any sisterly images in her quarters. Without the shared tragedy of losing their father, they apparently had never managed to reconcile the repercussions of their youthful squabbles. “What’s going on, Kathryn? Why are you so angry?”

Janeway caught her breath. Clearly, she was acting out of character, though she was beginning to wonder if she particularly liked the character of the woman she had been in this timeline. “You’re right, I’m sorry. I suppose I’m a little on edge.”

His face cleared and he nodded as if he understood. “That’s not surprising. I know how much you dislike anything involving temporal mechanics.” He paused, a furrow appearing between his dark brows. “We’ve talked about this, Kathryn. I thought you didn’t want to encourage Eddie’s pursuit of the arts. We wanted him to concentrate more on the sciences.”

Janeway was horrified. “I’ve changed my mind,” she said quickly. “If art and design is more his calling and it makes him happy, then I’m all for it.”

“But it could be considered a bit weak. After all, if he’d grown up on Klatus Prime, he’d already be working in the mines. Besides, he’ll need all his sciences and math to get into the Academy.”

“But isn’t that why you worked so hard to get out of Klatus Prime? So that you wouldn’t have to do what your father and grandfather had to do?” Janeway retorted, abruptly furious. “Don’t expect Eddie to follow in our footsteps just because we demand it of him. And he’s not weak, for God’s sake, he’s eight years old!” Her anger was enhanced because she knew how much weak people annoyed Justin. It had been one of the first things he’d ever told her, in fact. Did Eddie annoy him and worse, did his son know it? “He’s a bright little boy who wants to make his parents, particularly his father, proud. Don’t be such a bloody ass.”

Justin, his jaw hanging open a bit, just stared at her. She firmed her chin, knowing she had said way too much, but feeling an irresistible need to protect Eddie, to stand up for him against an uncaring universe and apparently, an uncaring father.

“I uh, I have some things to do in engineering,” he said, clearly at a loss. “I’ll be back later.” When you’ve cooled down a bit and come to your senses, was unspoken but clearly implied.

He quickly made his escape and she shook her head as she picked up her plate. By the time she had finished putting away the last remains of dinner. Eddie had come out of the bedroom with his homework for her to check. As they curled up on the sofa while she went over it with him, she wondered why this part, at least, felt so right when everything else felt so completely wrong. She pointed out a couple of mistakes but patiently explained where he had gone wrong, and at one point she found she was kissing the top of his head fondly as he snuggled into her body.

After he went off to bed at 0800, she went over to her workstation. She was about to research Federation history when a chime at the door made her leap up. “Seven?” She paused, regaining her composure. “Come in.”

Her father entered, and again, she felt that odd sense of displacement. She remembered an incident in the Delta Quadrant when an alien lifeform had appeared to her in Edward’s form, trying to lure her to her death. Despite how it had turned out, and the hatred she felt at the creature for using such a precious memory in order to trick her, there had also been a part of her that had been strangely grateful, because it had given her a chance to see him again.

“Hi, Daddy.”

“Hello, sweetheart,” he said, as he came over and gave her a hug. “I ran into Justin. He says you’re feeling a bit disturbed this evening.”

Immediately, she felt a sense of old pain and disappointment. So Edward wasn’t really here for her, he was here on behalf of Justin? “Is that why you stopped by?” she snapped. “So that you two can gang up on me?”

“Katie, not at all,” he said, bewildered. “I promised I’d stop by this evening, remember? What’s going on?”

Shaken, she turned away, rubbing her forehead with her fingertips. She needed to focus. “Sorry, Dad, it’s been a rough day.”

There was a silence, and then he asked with infinite gentleness, “Was it so very bad, Goldenbird?" She turned to him, surprised both at the question and to hear his pet name for her. He held up his hand. "I know, you can't tell me any of the specifics. Even an admiral doesn't have the necessary clearance to know what goes on in that starbase or on that planet once we leave it. But I know that even being aware of other timelines...of paths chosen and not chosen...can be a heavy burden to bear."

"I'll deal with it, Dad," she said mildly. "I've dealt with much worse."

"Indeed," he said, though there wasn't a great deal of conviction in his tone.

Janeway eyed him narrowly. Perhaps he knew better than she. Perhaps in this timeline, her burdens were light indeed, those of being a part of the support personnel only, and not in command. She motioned to the sofa in invitation and sat down beside him once he had settled. “I’m sorry, Dad. I’m really glad you were able to come along on this mission.”

“Well, you know me, any chance to visit with my girl,” he said, smiling. “We don’t spend nearly as much time together as I wish we did.”

Janeway stared at him, struck again by the fact that he was there, real and solid, so very alive and vital. There were so many things she wanted to say to him, so much she needed to hear, and all of it tempered by the ever present restriction of the Temporal Prime Directive and her own lack of knowledge about her past in this timeline. Still, if she had the chance to ask anyone for advice that she could take to heart and know it was right; it would be from this man above all.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Anytime, you know that, sweetheart.”

“If I…I mean, if Justin was in a position where he had to choose between his ship and his family and chose the latter, what would you think?”

Edward blinked. “Are you trying to tell me something, Katie?”

“No, it’s just a hypothetical scenario. What would be the position of Starfleet Command on it? Not what the manual says, or what an unmarried captain would say, what would really happen?”

“Life or death?”

“As crucial as that, but not quite. More a matter of personal pressures.”

Edward rested his chin between his forefinger and thumb, elbow propped on the arm of the sofa and Janeway suddenly realized where she had picked up that particular affectation.  “I suppose that depending on the circumstances, and depending on the results, he might face a certain amount of censure from various quarters. But speaking as a father, I’d take his head off if he didn’t do right by you and Eddie.”

Janeway laughed. “Would you indeed?”

“Indeed.” He smiled. “Our captains are human, Katie, and by that, I don’t mean species, I mean possessing the same fallibilities and vulnerabilities as anyone. I know that sometimes we demand more from them, so much that occasionally we forget who we’re really dealing with, but honestly, all anyone can do is the best they can, and if they do it with integrity and honest intentions, then it’ll work itself out.”

“So you don’t think he would be unfit for command if he chose family over his ship?” Janeway held her breath.

“Hardly. If that were the case, we wouldn’t be able to keep any of our married captains. Because at some point all of them will have a crisis of command verses a crisis of family and again, depending on the circumstances, Starfleet Command just has to understand that it comes with the territory. And let’s face it, Kathryn, if a man can’t commit to do right by his loved ones, how can we believe he’ll commit to an ideal? The whole concept of Starfleet and the Federation is nothing more than a grandiose ideal. When your mother and I separated, it onl---Katie, what is it?”

Janeway had strived to maintain her composure at the revelation, but despite her best effort, she had made a small cry of astonishment. He was regarding her with an odd expression and she managed a smile. “Sorry, Dad, I guess it’s still a bit of a sore spot.” She yearned to ask for details but knew it would be impossible in the role she was playing. She was already supposed to know the details.

His face softened. “You need to forgive your mother, Kathryn. Michael makes her happy in a way I couldn’t.”

Oh, boy, she thought. What a can of worms I opened up here. Well, I suppose that explains the lack of any pictures in my quarters. Edward was still looking at her and she frantically searched for something to say.

“He’s just a commander,” she growled finally.

“Let it go, Katie.”

“I have, Dad,” she said, quite honestly.

“Does that mean you’ll call your mother the next time you’re on Earth?” he added, clearly pressing.

Janeway held up her hands, laughing. “I definitely will, Dad,” she promised, wondering just what kind of spoilt brat she had been in this timeline.

And vowing to make some changes as soon as possible.

---

Seven stood up quickly as the door to the guest quarters abruptly hissed open without any request for admittance. The sight of Kathryn in the entrance was like a draught of cool water on a blistering hot day, the sense of relief and joy so strong that it almost overwhelmed her. She took two long strides as Janeway took two of her own and then they were in each other’s arms, clinging together.

“I’m sorry, I don’t have much time,” Janeway muttered. “I had to slip away from my duties.”

Seven, knowing what Janeway apparently did not yet suspect, merely held her as close as possible, breathing in the scent of her hair and feeling the warmth of her body against her own. She cherished each and every millisecond, recording it, memorizing it, and burning it into her memory, knowing it would have to sustain her for a long time.

Sporn came out of his bedroom. “Captain…Commander, we cannot afford this.”

Janeway released Seven briefly to glare at him. “Damn it, I know we’re under protocols---“ she began hotly.

“No, it's not that,” he interrupted. “It’s time for Voyager to break orbit. We’ve kept them here as long as is prudently possible. Seven and I must return to Epsilon Six to map out our next course of action.”

Janeway stared at him, and then at Seven, searching her face, her eyes asking the question that her lips couldn’t seem to manage.

“I do not want you to leave, Kathryn,” Seven said, somehow keeping her voice low and under control. “But I have searched the Federation databanks and there is no record of an Annika Hansen existing in this timeline. If a Seven of Nine does, then it is only as a Borg drone. I have no place here or in your life.”

“Certain procedures must be followed, Commander Tighe,” Sporn added, emphasizing the name ever so slightly. “I too, must find a way to reintegrate myself into this timeline.”

“Then I’ll stay on Epsilon Six until we’re able to work out a proper background for Seven,” Janeway said immediately.

“I’m afraid that’s impossible,” Sporn said. “You hold a rather prominent place in the Federation, or rather, you hold a rather prominent place in the lives of those who do fill important roles here. You cannot simply decide that the existence you've led in this timeline is invalid and walk away from it. There will be questions, and it will be a complete violation of the Temporal Prime Directive."

"I don't give a damn about the Temporal Prime Directive," she flared, her eyes dark and stormy.

"Be that as it may," Sporn replied, unperturbed, "Starfleet Command does, and you are sworn to uphold those protocols, regardless of your personal feelings concerning them."

Janeway glared at him and then let her breath out in a huff. "Fine, I'll find a way to leave Voyager and return here in a way that makes sense to Justin and Daddy..." she faltered briefly, "and to Eddie."

“As you will. In the meantime, I’ve informed Captain Tighe that Lt. Hansen and I will be beaming back to the base.”

Stymied, Janeway turned to Seven. Things were happening too quickly for her, Seven saw, but she suspected this was a thing best done quickly. Before Janeway began to consider all the ramifications of the situation.

“At least let me beam over with you,” Janeway said, exasperated. “I need to say a few things to my wife.”

“She’s not your wife,” Sporn reminded, saw how well that went over from the expression on Janeway’s face and took a step back, both figuratively and literally. “Very well. I will tell the captain that we need to go over some last minute security details with you.”

Seven was aware of Kathryn’s worried look in her direction, but didn’t say anything. She couldn’t. Once she tried to give voice to what she was thinking and feeling, it would be impossible to stop. That would make everything far more complicated and would accomplish nothing. Fortunately, Captain Tighe didn’t seem to find it strange that they needed to debrief his first officer one final time and after receiving his permission to transport, the three of them beamed back to the base. Sporn, showing more perception and sensitivity than he had displayed before now, discreetly left the two women alone, taking the guards along with him out into the corridor.

Janeway threw her arms around Seven’s neck, holding her close. “I’m so sorry about this, darling. I hate that we have to be apart while we work this out.”

“I know, Kathryn.” Seven found it hard to swallow, and rapidly blinked her eyes, forcing back the tears. “I will attempt to expedite the process as much as possible.”

Janeway smiled faintly. “I’m sure you will. I doubt Sporn and Dr. Grey will know what hit them.” She kissed her, lips soft and sweet against Seven’s. “Try to leave some of them alive, darling. Starfleet Command needs this Unit for some reason, though I have no idea why.”

Seven held her closer. She wanted to say so many things to her, but couldn’t find the words. Janeway seemed to sense her hesitation, but misread the cause of it.

“Don’t worry, darling, there’s nothing between Justin and myself. Whatever I might have felt for him at one time, it’s definitely not there now.” She nuzzled Seven’s chin. “Last night, I pretended to have a headache and after he went to bed, I went out and slept on the sofa.”

“And tonight?” Seven managed in a dry tone.

“I’ll think of something,” Janeway promised with a small laugh that didn’t necessarily hold a great deal of humor. “Don’t I always?”

“You do, Kathryn,” Seven whispered, but did not add that it would be impossible this time, no matter how much she might wish it to be different. She took a deep breath, holding onto her composure with the last vestiges of her control. “I love you, Kathryn. I have always loved you. I will always love you. That will never change, no matter what happens.”

“Oh, Annika, please, don’t cry, it won’t take that long before we’re together again. Time will pass quickly.”

That was exactly what Seven was afraid of. She hugged her as closely as possible, not wanting to let her go and Janeway returned the embrace, snuggled into her body in that familiar way, tucked up under her chin, as if there were only the two of them in the universe and nothing else mattered.  Finally, Janeway drew back and cupped Seven’s cheek in the palm of her hand.

"We won't be apart long, my darling,” she said firmly, her eyes warm, solid with resolve. “Once I find a way to extricate myself from my situation on Voyager, I'll be on the first transport here. It might take a few weeks or even months, but I swear to you on my life, I’ll be back for you.”

“I understand, Kathryn,” Seven said. She knew that expression, the look of absolute determination that very little could stand against. It would not be enough this time.

Janeway hugged and kissed her once more, and Seven could taste the tears on her lips, uncertain if they were Kathryn’s or her own. After Janeway stepped up onto the transporter dais, Seven went over to the console and manipulated the controls. As she looked up to meet Janeway’s gaze, she managed a small smile and lifted her hand in a farewell wave. Then, inhaling deeply, Seven drew down the levers and watched as Janeway became a column of sparkling light before disappearing completely.

For long moments, Seven stared at where she had been, dimly aware of Sporn returning to the room and standing at attention next to her. His dark eyes studied her intently.

“I know she will not return for me,” she said finally, in a cold, dead voice.

Sporn lifted an eyebrow. A few seconds passed and then he finally dipped his head. “It is…unlikely. The longer and further away an individual is from the Forever World, even if they were actually witness to the time alteration, the more ‘what is’ will impose itself on ‘what was’. In this timeline, Janeway was never a starship captain, was never lost in the Delta Quadrant, and was never in the position to rescue a drone from the Borg Collective. Instead, she is the first officer on the starship Voyager. She has a husband and a child. In time, she will be fully integrated into that life and not remember you at all. And you, once leaving the temporal zone, would exist in two places at once, with the Borg as a drone and in the Federation as a person out of time and space. The temporal psychosis would drive you insane long before it killed you. That’s assuming your cortical node, adapting to the timeline, didn’t simply direct your implants to re-assimilate you and return you to the Collective.”

“How long?” Seven swallowed hard. “How long before Kathryn forgets me completely?”

“It will be relatively quick, depending on the distance from the Forever World. A week, possibly two if she realizes what's happening and really concentrates on holding on to the memories. But it’s a very subtle process, and usually not noticed by most subjects.”

Seven nodded. Somehow, she remained impassive even as the hurt shredded the last bits of her soul, leaving nothing behind but the ragged tatters of what she had been.

“As long as you remain within the sphere of the Forever World, and the special, protective shielding of this starbase, you’ll be safe. We’ll find a place for you here in the Temporal Unit, Seven,” he added, clearly attempting to reassure her of a continued existence in this timeline. “Your knowledge and abilities will be invaluable.” When she didn’t answer, he lifted his hand, gesturing toward the door. “In the meantime, I can show you to your quarters. Dr. Grey has already made the preparations.”

She did not rail at him. What would be the point? He was being true to his oath to Starfleet, and to the Temporal Laws he was sworn to uphold. The love of two women meant nothing on the larger scale of things. An entire civilization had altered its course. Millions had been saved from dying in an unnecessary war. What were the lives of two individuals compared to that?

Somehow, Seven managed to put one foot in front of the other, managed to walk the distance it took for him to leave her in quarters that were comfortably decorated if not particularly lavish. It would be her home for the foreseeable future, perhaps even for the rest of her life.

Seven didn’t wish to think about it, didn’t want to acknowledge the whole of reality that was pressing down on her. Alone, she sat down in a chair, staring blankly into the dim illumination, trying not to exist beyond the moment, knowing that once she did, it would probably destroy her mind as surely as leaving the temporal zone would.

But here, she would always remember what had been.

Drawing her legs up onto the chair, she wrapped her arms around them, hugging her knees in a suffocating grip. It was hard to catch her breath, hard to know why she should bother. The hollow inside her seem to grow, to encompass all she was, and her only comfort, scant as it was, was the belief that perhaps in this timeline, Janeway could be happy. She could be mother to her child. She could love Justin as she loved…had loved…Seven. No burden of command would weigh her down, no guilt of lost crewmembers or failed expectations would torment her dreams.

If Seven was left with nothing, well then, that had been her existence for much of her life. She would adapt. She always adapted. That was what she was best at.

She was unaware of the keening sound that issued from her throat, of her rocking back and forth on the chair, or of the tears that dripped steadily down her face. Inside, nanoprobes surged wildly through her body, trying to stem the overwhelming emotional reaction she was going through, trying to channel the rush of grief and despair that threatened to shut down her cortical implant. Eventually after several hours, they finally succeeded, but only just, leaving her silent and unmoving in the darkness, her face blank, no longer weeping helplessly, no longer crying out in a scream of agony so deep it could not find voice with mere human vocal cords.

Leaving her alone in the dark, her feelings, her useless hopes and dreams, all buried deep within her, placed rigidly under control so that she could continue to function...just as she had in the Collective.

---

The first day or so out of the Forever World, Janeway thought and worried about Seven constantly, but as time went by, duty tended to distract her and she found herself falling easily into the routine of the ship. And as she did, she discovered she absolutely detested being a first officer. It was all work, from personnel problems to ship problems, with very little reward; gobs of responsibility without any of the thrill of ultimate authority. She decided she had to find another line of work as soon as possible.

            Motherhood, though, apparently agreed with her. In an effort to avoid Justin as much as she could, she often found herself in the company of her father and her son during her off duty time and it wasn’t long before she was completely smitten with Eddie. He was unquestionably the cleverest little boy she had ever met, and funny as well, with a never ending batch of stories that he delighted in telling her, particularly once he discovered she wanted to hear them. At one point, during those early days, it occurred to her that if she did go after her own command, she’d have to take him with her. She certainly wasn’t about to leave him behind on Voyager with such a cold and judgmental father. Seven, of course, would instantly adapt and even come to adore him. Janeway was certain of that. Seven was good with kids. Wasn’t she? Janeway had to pause for a moment, trying to remember if Seven was or not, and unsure why she couldn’t, before another crisis arose in the engineering room and caused her to lose her train of thought as she hurried down to the lower decks to help fix the problem.

            As for her father, she basked in his presence, asking his advice and guidance on as many things as she could think of. If he found it odd that she was turning to him so often or making a point of seeking him out, he didn’t say anything, merely offering a ready ear, a supportive shoulder and an open mind.

Justin, meanwhile, stayed out of her way, and didn’t comment when she chose to sleep on the sofa, or came to bed long after he did, lying uncomfortably on her side of the mattress, well out of arm’s reach as she tried to catch some sleep between bouts of his snoring. It made her wonder what the state of her marriage had been prior to Voyager’s diversion to the Forever World. Of course, if she remembered correctly, until Seven, she had always insisted on distance around herself while sleeping. By the same token, Justin had never been particularly affectionate due to his upbringing and personality. Perhaps he didn’t really notice any particular change in their interaction. If that were the case, however, Janeway suspected their marriage was a rather formal and barren type of relationship. She wondered why she would have accepted that. Had she thought that was how it should be between Starfleet officers? It was hard for her to believe, but she kept discovering things in this timeline that made her realize how different she was and how much altering that single, significant event in her life could so profoundly change who she’d become.

One evening, two days out of Vargus Prime and ten days out of the Forever World, she put Eddie to bed, left Justin home to watch him, and went over to the quarters where Edward was staying. He wouldn’t be with them much longer. They were on route to rendezvous with the USS Hood. It was heading to Bajor where Edward was expected to receive an award for all his work for the planet. She would miss him, and all his sage advice.

After offering her a mug of tea, he retrieved one for himself and settled onto the sofa beside her. She smiled, warmed by his presence.

          “Dad, why do you think I never went after a command of my own?” she asked quietly.

She surprised him, she saw, but he gave the question every consideration as he sipped his steaming beverage. “I suppose because if you did, your marriage might not have survived. One captain in a relationship is hard enough. With two, it’s practically impossible.”

“But why Justin and not me? What made us decide he would make the better captain?”

“You’re in a strange mood tonight.” Edward patted her hand. “I suppose encountering the Guardian does cause one to look back over their life and wonder about the choices they make. I know it had a profound effect on me the whole time I pulled duty there.” He looked thoughtful. “So why was it Justin and not you? Well, his career was further advanced than yours when you met and I suppose, in times like these, you both decided that he would make for a better captain. You’re more of a…well, forgive me, Katie, but you’ve always wanted to go your own way…more of a James T. Kirk than a Rachel Garrett type. You probably made the right decision.”

Janeway supposed she should have been insulted, but actually, he was right, and it made her feel complimented. Still, if she intended to go after a command, she would need his support.

“Do you think I could achieve one after so long?”

For the first time, Edward looked a little alarmed at where the conversation was going. “Sweetheart, are you trying to tell me something about you and Justin? If you’re having problems---“

“We’re fine, Dad,” she said quickly, and perhaps she was even telling the truth. She wasn’t entirely sure at this point. “I just want to know if you feel I’m qualified for command.”

He looked very serious. “To be honest, I always thought it was a bit of a waste that you didn’t at least, try, but you seemed so sure that sciences was the path you wanted that I never said anything. You’re more than qualified, darling.”

Janeway nodded with a certain satisfaction. “Thanks, Dad, that’s all I wanted to know.”

They continued the conversation along other lines while they finished their tea, and after Janeway made her good-nights and wandered back to the captain’s quarters, her mind was in a whirl as she tried to figure out the best way to go about gaining a command. To her surprise, Justin was still up, sitting on the sofa, padds scattered around him and all over the coffee table as he worked. For a moment, his pose reminded her of someone, else but she couldn’t identify who.

“As soon as we finish transferring the admiral to the Hood, we’re off to Rigel Six,” he said as soon as she entered. “Starfleet Command wants us to courier a package of documents from the ruling council to the Breen peace delegation.”

Abruptly exasperated, Janeway put her hands on her hips and frowned at him. “Damn it, Justin, don’t you ever get tired of these missions? What about exploration? Discovery? Boldly going where no one’s gone before?”

Justin did not look up from his padd, though he did smile faintly. “That’s always been more your area of expertise, Katie. I know that sometimes you miss it. I promise, after this run, I’ll lobby for a few more science missions.”

As if she was a child who had to be placated with a new toy. The tone made her grit her teeth. “Maybe I should apply for a ship of my own. That way I could pursue my own missions.”

“Your own command?” It wasn’t so much that he sounded surprised, as he did dismissive.

“You don’t think I can do it?”

“It’s not a matter of whether you can do it,” he said calmly. “What makes you think Starfleet would give you a ship?”

“Excuse me?” Janeway was outraged.

 “Well, come on, Katie, there are hundreds of qualified first officers in Starfleet, execs who’ve been training for the position for years, and nowhere near the ships available for them. Hell, even the Academy is limiting its applicants right now.”

Janeway paused. In this timeline, the war had not happened. Starfleet hadn’t lost officers faster than it could replace them, while both civilian and Starfleet shipyards hadn’t worked together to produce ships faster than the Dominion could destroy them. There was no pressing demand for bodies to fill positions. In this reality, there were too many over-qualified officers doing busy work on planetary bases because the fleet just wasn’t big enough to assign them all to ships.

Momentarily stymied, Janeway crossed her arms over her chest. “Then I’ll just have to find another way,” she said with determination.

That, more than anything, seemed to yank him out of his ambivalence and for the first time, he lifted his head to look at her…to really look at her. An expression of dismay and what might even have been fright crossed his face. Quickly, he rose to his feet and went over to her, taking hold of her biceps and pulling her to him.

“Kathryn, I’ve been a fool.” His voice was suddenly very gentle. “I know that I’ve neglected you and your needs lately, and I’m so sorry. I promise I’ll do better, both for you and for Eddie.” For the first time, looking up into his eyes, Janeway saw the man that she had fallen in love with. “Let me try, darling. We’re in this together. We always have been.”

When he bent his head to kiss her, she didn't resist. Afterward, she felt vaguely guilty and didn't know why. It actually took a few moments concentration before she traced the source of her guilt and when she did, she was both confused and horrified. Justin, watching the play of emotion over her face, frowned and pulled her closer.

“What's wrong?"

"I...I guess I have another one of those headaches," she stammered, pulling away from him and moving across the living area. Putting her left hand down against the surface of her workstation to support herself, she rubbed her eyes with the other.

"That's the third one this week," he said worriedly. "Maybe you should stop by sickbay."

"I will, tomorrow," she promised. She carefully arranged her face into a smile and turned to him. "Listen, why don't you turn in. I'll be in after I finish up a couple of things out here."

"I'll wait for you," he promised softly, the implication clear as he kissed her again. And again, she didn’t resist the kiss, even going so far as to return it. When he had disappeared into the bedroom, Janeway slammed her palm against the bulkhead in a combination of anger and frustration as she realized what was happening…what she should have realized from the beginning.

"Until Voyager breaks orbit. Then it will take care of itself."

Now she fully understood what Sporn had been telling Seven, what it really meant. The timeline would assert itself, rubbing out any anomalies, such as the dual memories of a single Starfleet officer caught up in the temporal adjustment. Seven, still in the sphere of the Forever World’s influence, still part of the old timeline, would remain unaffected.

Had she known? When they were saying good-bye, did she understand that Janeway's promise meant nothing? That she would never come back for her?

Janeway felt a sob rise in her chest as a sense of helplessness pervaded every part of her, and she sank weakly down on her chair at her workstation, pressing her hand over her mouth. She sought to remember Seven, the scent of her hair, the smoothness of her skin, the sound of her voice but discovered that the details danced tantalizingly out of reach. In time, she knew, they would slip away entirely, replaced by the life she had actually lived in this reality. In the end she would not remember knowing Seven