Chapter One
On Earth

"So we're home," said Chad as he turned to look back at the captain's chair. "Which home is it?"

"Not the one you wished to return to, I fear," said Q. "I'm afraid I had to make a quick decision. You'll be happy here, Chad Dodds."

Chad stared at her for a few silent moments, and Jim was afraid that he would say or do something to anger her. He silently willed his friend to keep his peace. The last thing they needed was to be hurled to Andromeda all over again. She had the power to do just that and more. Chad only looked at her with an odd expression on his face. Jim looked to Q and found that she was looking back at Chad with compassion.

"So you've brought us back to the alternate Earth?" Jim asked.

"This is the same Earth that you left before you went after Voyager," she said.

"Yes," Chad said faintly. "I'll be happy here."

Jim felt sorry for him, but he couldn't feel too down. This was what he wanted after all. He'd wanted to come back to this Earth, to this timeline. Q had given him his love back and sent them back to where he wanted to be. That was all there was to it.

A starship approached, pulling Jim out of his thoughts. It was a Sovereign-class Federation starship. Jim could see the insignia on his screen. The USS Titan had come to investigate their return. How much time had passed since they'd been transported into the alternate timeline? A year? Ten years? A day? Time was a very strange thing, and Jim couldn't even begin to guess at how much of it had passed while they were gone.

"They're hailing us," said Telsia.

"On screen," replied Jim, and he was rewarded with a view of the Titan Bridge and Captain William T. Riker.

"It's good to see you again, Captain Kirk," said Will with a smile. "We've been searching for you for a little over a year."

"Sorry to have kept you waiting," Jim said with a sigh. It hadn't been ten years, but it had been at least more than one.

"Allow us to escort you to the landing site in San Francisco," said Will.

"Of course," said Jim.

"Starfleet will be happy to hear from all of you again," Will said. "Riker out."

"Chad, prepare the ship for landing," Jim said. He was still a bit stunned.

"Bridge to Engineering," said Alex. "We're going to land the ship. Take the warp core offline, vent all plasma from the nacelles and stand by to engage atmospheric thrusters."

"Captain Kirk to all hands," said Jim. "We're preparing to land the ship. Go to blue alert and report to code blue stations."

"Descent course plotted, Sir," said Chad. "Atmospheric controls at stand by, landing mechanisms are online and inertial dampers are at maximum."

"All decks report condition blue, Captain," said Annika.

"All right, Chad," he said. "Let's set her down gently."

"We're on the glide trajectory," replied Chad. "Altitude is 200 kilometers and speed is ten thousand kph."

"Prepare the landing struts and prepare to release inertial dampers," Jim said, watching the landing site come closer and closer on the view screen. "Adjust dampers to Earth's gravity."

"Landing struts down and locked, Captain," said Chad.

"Environmental controls are standing by," said Telsia.

There was a slight jerk as the ship settled onto the ground. Jim smiled as he thought about where they were. He'd been afraid he'd never get back here. Of course it had taken a Q to get them here. He smiled at her and was shocked to find her smiling back at him.

"Disengaging engines and securing thruster exhaust," said Chad. "We've landed, Captain."

It took two full hours to evacuate the entire ship. Transport vehicles and shuttle craft arrived. Admirals Hammil and Paris were waiting when Jim stepped off the ship. They smiled at him, and he felt a tension he hadn't been aware of ease as soon as he saw those smiles.

"Captain Kirk," said Admiral Paris. "It's good to see you again."

"It's good to be home, Admiral," said Jim.

They were debriefed for a solid month about the mission that had gone so wrong. Jim told Admiral Hammil all about the Borg civil war in the alternate timeline. Everyone was fascinated by that, but it was the device that had everyone's attention. It still didn't work, but Q was on hand to explain how and why she had sent them back to Earth.

Lexus had taken quite a beating during her time in the alternate timeline, and Jim was saddened to hear that she was to be decommissioned. He laughed when Admiral Paris reminded him that there was still an almost entire alphabet. Their Lexus days were far from behind them.

Admiral Janeway from the alternate timeline was taken directly to Starfleet Medical. It was there that Jim, Quinn and Chad got their reunion with their surrogate mother. This timeline's Kathryn Janeway was happy to have her boys back on Earth.

"James Kirk, you'll be the death of me one day," she said as she crushed him against her.

"It's good to see you, Admiral," he said, smiling at her once she'd let him go.

"None of that," she laughed, tears running down her face. "It's Kathryn to you three."

"We didn't think we'd ever see you again," Chad said.

"Oh I prayed and I held on to the hope that one day you three would return," she said, smiling. "I came back from the Delta Quadrant, so I had to believe that you three could come back from what I thought was the past for over a year."

Once they were released from Starfleet Command they went back to Kathryn's apartment. Jim and Quinn still owned the apartment below hers so it wasn't cramped. She told them all that had been happening while they were gone. Jim and Quinn were relieved when she told them that she'd made sure that ownership of the Alta Venus house was still in their names.

"So when are the two of you planning to head for Alta Venus?" Kathryn asked while they were having dinner in her apartment that evening.

"We hadn't discussed it so far," said Quinn.

"I'm ready to go any time Quinn is," Jim said, smiling. "After all we have a wedding to plan."

"Be sure to invite all of your fans," she said, smiling at them.

"Fans?" Jim asked.

"The three of you have become quite the legend at the Starfleet Academy," she said. "Icheb talks of no one else."

"I wasn't aware that we'd left such a lasting impression on Icheb," Jim said.

"He respects you because you spent such a short time at the academy," she said. "Be prepared. He graduates Command School this semester. He'll be applying for a post on Lexus."

"Two Ichebs on one ship?" Chad asked.

"No different than two Icheb's at the academy," Jim pointed out.

"You've got me there," Chad replied, smiling.

"What rank will he be?" Jim asked.

"Commander," she replied. "He's really quite proud."

"As he should be," said Jim. "You tell him that he has a post on Lexus as soon as we have a Lexus."

"Planning to boot Alex off the bridge?" laughed Chad.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Jim replied. "Icheb is a friend, Chad. I'll find him a position on my ship."

"Have they released Donatra?" Quinn asked Kathryn, and the other two young men grew silent.

Donatra had put her life on the line to help them. Jim hoped that Starfleet Command was treating her fairly. It was no secret that the Federation and the Romulan Empire were not friendly, but that didn't mean that they shouldn't show the former senator the respect she deserved.

"Command doesn't have her any longer," Kathryn said. "She's with Intelligence right now."

"Milking her for secrets?" Chad asked.

"Naturally," said Kathryn. "The question is, will she give them?"

"I think she will," said Jim after a moment. "She really wants to be protected from the Empire."

"And we'll protect her," said Kathryn. "Don't worry, Jim."

"I wasn't trying to imply that we wouldn't protect her," he said after a moment.

"I know," she said, smiling. "I was just trying to reassure you."

"Consider me reassured," he said, smiling back.

"There's been considerable discussion about the Arminians since you've been away," she said, eyeing him.

"I'm sure there has been," he said, laughing. "It isn't like we can get to them. There's no way to cross the galactic barrier without a Q."

"Species from Andromeda have come to our galaxy in the past," she said.

"I've read about all of that," he said, nodding. "I just don't see how we can get across the barrier after it was sealed again."

"Well they're working on a way to do it," she said. "The Barrier Gate Station has been completed as well. Starfleet has been assigning officers and crewmen to the station for the last three months."

"It was only half operational before we left," Jim said. "It would be nice to see it completed."

"Well how soon are you wanting to get back to Alta Venus?" she asked.

"As soon as we can find transport," he said.

"I'll make a few calls tomorrow," she said. "I have it on authority that the Titan is headed in that direction for her next mission."

"Well then maybe we'll be aboard the Titan soon," he said, smiling.

"I can talk to Captain Riker tomorrow if you like," she said.

"Please do," he replied.

"What about the crew of Voyager?" Quinn asked. "What's going to happen with them?"

"Well," said Kathryn, looking at each of them for a moment before continuing. "There have been a few developments concerning that crew."

"Such as?" Jim asked.

"Captain Chakotay has resigned from Starfleet," she said. "He's grieving."

"He resigned?" Chad asked, a stunned expression on his face.

"Yesterday," she said, nodding. "As for the others, they're being housed at Starfleet Command. They'll be issued assignments eventually."

"I wish there was a way to keep them with the Lexus crew," Jim said softly.

"It would be nice," sighed Chad. "But Lexus isn't big enough for two complete crews."

"We don't even have a Lexus right now," reminded Quinn.

"Don't be in such a rush to head back to space, gentlemen," said Kathryn. "There's an entire planet for you to peruse as well as a brand new space station. Live a little with your feet on the ground. They'll build you a new ship. It'll just take time."

"That's good advice," said Quinn, looking at both of them. "Jim, you and I have a house to furnish as well as two entire crews to consult with about where they want to live, what they want to do with their down time and all sorts of other things. Then there's Donatra. I'm sure she'll be wanting to talk to us when she's done with Intelligence."

* * *

"Admiral," said Julian as he revived the alternate Kathryn from stasis. The doctors at Starfleet Medical had healed her injuries. She was completely healthy, and he needed to tell her about their strange new situation.

"Doctor Bashir," she said as she opened her eyes and looked around. A frown formed on her face as she surveyed her surroundings. "Where are we?"

"We're on Earth, Admiral," he said. "At Starfleet Medical in San Francisco."

"How did we get here?" she asked.

"That's a rather long story," he said, smiling.

"The Borg?" she asked.

"We don't have to worry about Borg right now, Admiral," he said. "Please allow me to explain."

He escorted her to a private room and began to explain what had happened and how they had arrived on Earth. She listened carefully, her eyes growing large when he told her about Lexus and Captain James Kirk. She nearly interrupted him when he mentioned that they were on an alternate Earth in an alternate time. She closed her eyes and sighed when he told her about the alternate Vice Admiral Kathryn Janeway who had been guardian to Jim, Quinn and Chad for nearly two years before the Lexus had come to save them.

He told her about Donatra and the Romulan device that had made it possible for the Lexus to even find them. Then he told her about how she was injured and put into stasis. He informed her of Voyager's destruction and how they'd become the secondary crew of the Lexus. She finally looked him in the eye again when he told her that a female Q, Quinn's mother, had sent them to this Earth and that Jim, Chad and Quinn were happy to be here.

"You say they were here in this timeline for nearly two years when we thought they were trapped on the holodeck?" she asked when he finished.

"That's right," he said and went on to tell her the tale he'd been told about Q making Lexus real and sending the ship to Andromeda. He told her about all they had experienced in Andromeda and how the male Q had sent them home after making his son, Quinn human as punishment for helping them.

"It sounds like our twentieth century companions have had quite an adventure," she said after taking a few minutes to absorb the tale. "You say Starfleet commissioned Jim as Captain and Chad as Lieutenant? Quinn is a Commander and doctor?"

"That's right," he said, smiling. "They're really remarkable young men."

"The youngest commissioned officers in Starfleet history," she mumbled. "And their holo crew was made real by Q?"

"Yes," said Julian. "All of them. All of them serve under Jim's command."

"I'd like to see them," she said.

"They were taken home by your counterpart in this timeline," he said slowly. "As I said she was their guardian for a while."

"Right," she sighed. "I guess I need to meet her, too. You say Voyager was destroyed in the Borg timeline?"

"Our Voyager, yes," he said. "This timeline's Voyager is currently at Deep Space 9 patrolling the Dominion border."

"Her captain?" she asked.

"This timeline's Chakotay," he said. "The same crew that we had is on Voyager in this timeline. There are now two of every one of us."

"You said Seven was reassimilated in the Borg timeline?" she asked, wincing as she thought about it.

"That's right," he said. "There are two other Seven Of Nine's in this timeline. One is known as Annika Hanson and serves as a Science Officer on Lexus. The other is married to this timeline's Chakotay and serving as a Security Officer on Voyager."

"And the current year is 2384?"

"That's right, Admiral," he said, nodding.

She lay back on the biobed and sighed. This was worse than being stranded in the Delta Quadrant. At least there'd been a way to get home from there. Now she was in another timeline. She'd never get home from here. Yet in a way she was home. This was Earth. It wasn't her Earth, but it was Earth. She didn't know what to think about being here.

"Where is Captain Chakotay?" she asked. "From our timeline."

"He's in his temporary quarters at Starfleet Command, I believe," he said slowly. "Admiral, he isn't Captain Chakotay anymore."

"What do you mean?" she asked, looking him in the eye once again.

"He resigned this morning," he replied. "He said he wants nothing to do with Starfleet anymore."

"Is the entire crew housed at Starfleet Command?" she asked.

"What's left of the entire crew," he said softly. "Admiral, only thirty-four members of the crew survived the Borg timeline."

"You're saying that there were one hundred, twenty-four casualties?" she gasped. "Only thirty-four of the men and women we left Deep Space 9 with returned from the Borg timeline?"

"That's correct, Admiral," he said.

"Forgive me," she said, shaking her head. "That's a lot to process."

"Believe me, I know," he said gravely.

"You said I was injured," she said. "But I feel fine now."

"You've been healed," he said. "They're releasing you from Starfleet Medical. I'm here to escort you to your temporary quarters at Command."

She walked with him out of the Medical building and across the complex to the housing buildings at Starfleet Command. The entire place looked different. Of course she could tell where she was. She'd spent quite a bit of time at Starfleet Command in her own timeline, but there were changes. She told herself not to look at those changes, but it was difficult.

She paid no attention to the buildings as she passed them, paying even less attention to the building they entered. In the lift she sighed. How would she ever get used to this planet that was so like her home world and yet so different? She decided not to dwell on it that morning. She was too tired to dwell on anything. She'd been awake only a few short hours, but with everything she'd learned it felt like weeks since she'd slept.

Her quarters was exactly as she expected. Bare gray walls, standard Starfleet issue furniture and a computer console confronted her when the doors slid open. She allowed Bashir to enter with her, going straight to the couch and sitting with another sigh. So this was where she would be living. She wondered if she'd have any currency in this timeline. Did they even use a currency in the Federation in this timeline?

"The others," she said. "How are they taking all of this?"

"I haven't had much chance to talk with the others," he said, sitting down beside her on the couch. "I've been at Starfleet Medical since we arrived. Well after I was debriefed."

"Of course," she said. "Am I to be debriefed?"

"I'm sure they'll be contacting you some time today about that," he said.

They were silent for a while after that. Kathryn was still thinking about what she could possibly do in this timeline. Would the Starships be the same? She wasn't looking forward to being in space again, but could she be comfortable on Earth when it was and was not home at the same time? She didn't think so. No, she decided, a Starship would have to do. She wondered if Jim Kirk would make room for her on the Lexus.

"I'd like to see the crew that's here," she said after a while. "I want to know how they're taking being in this timeline."

"Of course," he said. "You might want to wait until after Starfleet has debriefed you."

* * *

He splashed water over his face to wash away the tears. It had been a month since she was reassimilated and he still couldn't stop crying over her. He sighed as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. In that month his hair had started to turn even more gray. His eyes were red from crying, and the dark circles under them mocked him. They came from getting next to no sleep. Every time he shut his eyes he saw her face.

Being around Annika Hanson was both comforting and like a knife in his heart. Every time he saw her his breath caught. Then he would remember that she wasn't his Seven Of Nine. She was engaged to marry Axum, and to her Chakotay had never been anything more than the First Officer of Voyager. In her reality they had never been together.

Then there was the knowledge that there was another Seven Of Nine out there at Deep Space Nine. She was married to this timeline's Chakotay. He shuddered as he thought about that. Another version of himself was in existence here and happily married to another version of the woman he loved but couldn't have. He didn't think he'd be able to stand seeing the two of them. He hoped they didn't come to Starfleet Command any time soon. Maybe he could use the new Credits the Federation had given him to get back to Dorvan V.

He laughed out loud as he thought about showing up on Dorvan V. His family lived on Dorvan V. His mother, sister and brother. What would they say about his being an alternate reality version of their son and brother? Would they accept him with open arms? Of course they wouldn't. He was sure of that. He'd make them uncomfortable and they would make him realize that he had no family here. He was alone.

He didn't want to live on Earth, and he didn't want to go back to Dorvan V. Space. He wanted to return to space, but he'd resigned from Starfleet and wasn't going back. He wondered if Jim Kirk would find him something to do on the Lexus.

* * *

0500 and he was awake. Nine years of conditioning on Voyager were responsible for his inner clock. He'd been through so much in his life. He sat up in his bed and thought about his family. His mother and father had been killed by Cardassians during the occupation of Bajor. He hadn't seen his sister and brother in twelve years. They'd been carried off by a Cardassian man. Gerron had never known his name or even how to look for his siblings.

When he turned seventeen he joined the Maquis. That was the last time he'd seen his home world. He'd told himself that he never wanted to go back. He'd told himself that his siblings were just as dead as his parents. In reality he'd always imagined he would return to Bajor and take up the very thing that his father had so wanted him to do. Yet he hadn't painted in years.

Instead of nurturing his artistic gift he'd turned sullen and quiet. Tuvok had put a stop to his anti social attitude. Ken Dalby had tried several times to spark a friendship with Gerron, but Gerron didn't care for Dalby much. He didn't like the man's temper, and he hated the fact that Dalby seemed to want to treat him like a child. He'd tried to talk him out of studying medicine, telling him that it would take up too much of his time and that he'd never be the ship's doctor.

Then when Gerron had admitted that he was gay, Ken Dalby had been the most outspoken about it. He'd told Gerron that he was young and would grow out of it. They'd had a huge argument in Sickbay, and Doctor Bashir had finally told Dalby to leave and asked Gerron to go into the office and calm down. Dalby never spoke to him after that. When he saw Dalby the man acted like they'd never met. That was fine with Gerron.

It had been Tom Paris that had finally broken through Gerron's defenses and befriended him. He worked in Sickbay part time, and he'd taken it upon himself to help Gerron study. It took a year, but Gerron finally warmed up to Tom. The problem was that he found Tom extremely attractive. He'd had to remind himself several times that Tom Paris was married to B'Elanna Torres, and she would kill him if he ever even tried to pursue Tom.

The friendship between them flourished in spite of his attraction to Tom. In time he learned to ignore it, and finally he saw Tom as nothing more than a good friend. He needed his friend now that they were on this alternate Earth where nothing was the way it was supposed to be. He was sick to death of the sympathetic smiles from those in Starfleet Command. He wanted out of the cramped quarters and back on a Starship.

He wanted a lot of things, but he was sure he wouldn't get them for a while. He wasn't so sure that Starfleet was done debriefing him. He didn't know what else he could tell them. He'd gotten his act together after Tuvok's informal "class" on Starfleet Behavior. He'd studied medicine under Julian Bashir and the EMH and slowly worked his way up on the crew until Captain Chakotay had issued the field commision of Lieutenant.

He'd fought beside his fellow crewmen on Voyager against the Borg. He'd watched so many of the people he'd known and come to respect on the ship die because of that fighting. Several were assimilated, and he thought that was worse than death. He believed that Starfleet should be actively thinking of ways to destroy the hive and eradicate the Borg. There was nothing more to tell them.

At least he could wear his earring now that he wasn't on board Voyager. He absently ran his fingertip over it as he thought about it. The earring was the only thing that he had left of his family. It had been made on Bajor by his father and given to Gerron when he was twelve. His sister and brother had matching earrings, all made by their father.

With a sigh he got out of the bed and began to get ready for the day. Admiral Hammil had said they were not confined to quarters and free to move about the city, so he wasn't going to sit in his quarters all day. He wondered what Tom and B'Elanna were up to. He smiled as he thought about maybe playing with five year old Miral and his dark day suddenly got brighter.

* * *

"Good morning, Captain Kirk," Quinn said before he kissed Jim's cheek. He snuggled closer to him in the bed as he kissed him.

"Good morning, Commander Janeway," replied Jim, smiling.

"What do you have planned for today?" Quinn asked as they both sat up and started to get out of the bed.

"I thought I'd go to Starfleet Medical and see Kathryn," he said.

"Should we tell Aunt Kathy?" Quinn asked. "Maybe she'd like to meet her alternate."

"We can," he said. "I think this meeting should be just the two of us though. I don't want to overwhelm her if she's even awake."

"Surely they've treated her by now," Quinn said. "But if you want to go alone . . . "

"I didn't say I wanted to go alone, Quinn," he said quickly. "I said just the two of us as in you and me."

"All right," said Quinn. "Why don't you jump in the shower and I'll start your coffee."

"Thanks, babe," he said, leaning back to kiss Quinn's cheek before he got out of bed and padded, naked to the bathroom.

Chad came to the door while Quinn was getting the coffee ready. He seemed happy enough. Jim had been worried about how Chad was really taking being back in this timeline. Quinn offered him a cup of coffee as he sat down at the table to wait for his turn in the shower.

"What are you guys doing today?" Chad asked.

"Going over to Starfleet Medical to see Kathryn," replied Quinn.

"I'd like to see her," he said.

"Well talk to Jim," said Quinn. "He says he doesn't want to overwhelm her if she's awake."

"I'll talk to him," said Chad just as Jim came out of the bathroom wrapped in a robe.

"Talk to who?" he asked, accepting a cup of coffee from Quinn and kissing him on the top of the head.

"You," said Chad. "Morning."

"Good morning to you, Lieutenant Dodds," Jim said, smiling. "How are you feeling about being in this timeline?"

"Better than I expected to feel about it," admitted Chad. "Being with Kathryn had a lot to do with it though. You were right. There are people who love us here."

"I told you," said Jim. "Now what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Going with you and Quinn to see the other Kathryn," he said as Jim told the replicator he wanted two plates of eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast with butter.

"Sounds like a plan to me," he said, putting the plates on the table. "Did you want some breakfast?"

"I already ate," Chad said, waving his hand at Jim's question.

"Well hopefully, the alternate Aunt Kathryn is not upset about being on this alternate Earth," said Quinn.

"I'm hoping the same thing," said Jim.

"Couldn't you call for your mother to take them all back to their timeline?" Chad asked.

"She's already told me she won't do it," he replied. "She wouldn't tell me why though."

"That kind of makes me wonder if there's something going on in that timeline that she doesn't want any of us to know about," said Chad, thinking that maybe the Borg had assimilated Earth in that timeline. The thought made him shiver. Confronting the Borg again was not high on his list of things he wanted to do.

"It does," said Jim. "She sounded like she'd made up her mind, and the fact that she didn't elaborate on her decision tells me that she won't let us know if anything is happening in that timeline."

They were silent after that. Jim and Quinn finished their breakfast, and Quinn recycled the dishes before heading to take his shower and get ready. Jim and Chad looked at each other once Quinn was out of the room. Both were wondering just what really was happening in that timeline.

Jim was so happy to be back in this timeline that he hadn't really thought about how upsetting it might be for the crew of Voyager. Chad he'd understood and was happy that he'd come around to the idea of being here, but the rest of them he hadn't really thought about. He decided to rectify that. With Chakotay resigning he felt like their Captain. A Captain should always check in with his crew to make sure that they were happy, and if they weren't then it was the Captain's job to try and make them happy.

Once Quinn was showered and dressed the three set out for Starfleet Medical. They were told there that Kathryn had been released. They had her information and gave it to Jim. They finally found her with Chakotay in the quad at Starfleet Command. The pair looked a bit startled when the saw the trio approaching them. Jim sighed as he took in the looks on their faces. This was going to be harder than he'd thought.

"Admiral Janeway," he said when they were close enough not to have to use raised voices to be heard. "It's good to see you and Chakotay again."

"If you please," she said. "Don't call me Admiral anymore."

"Yes ma'am," he said as they sat down on the bench beside the pair. "How are you feeling?"

"Physically I'm doing just fine," she said. "Emotionally . . . well that's another story."

"I understand," he said.

"I think you probably do," she said, giving him the first smile he'd seen on her face. "How did the three of you acclimate to this?"

"It wasn't easy at first," Chad said. "Jim and I wanted to go back so badly at first. Then we were at the academy."

"Yes, I've been told of how your academy time was spent," she said. "You three are legends in this timeline."

"We try not to think about that," said Jim. "We made the most of our situation and were rewarded. That's all there was to it."

"Humble," she said, smiling again. "I can see why you're so well liked here, Captain Kirk."

"Please, Kathryn, call me Jim," he said, smiling. "Let's just be informal here for now."

"That sounds good," she said.

"Chakotay, I heard about your resignation," he said. "A sad thing."

"I just can't be in Starfleet now," replied Chakotay.

"I think I can understand that," said Jim. "Hopefully you can still be our friend."

"You'll have my friendship as well as any help I can give you," vowed Chakotay. "I wanted to talk to you about a place on your ship when you receive your orders."

"There will always be a place for you on Lexus, Chakotay," he said. "When we have another, that is."

"Decommissioned?" Kathryn asked.

"She was too heavily damaged by the Borg," he replied, looking at Quinn and then swinging his eyes to his folded hands in his lap. "The . . . ah, alternate Kathryn told me last night that they're planning to build another Lexus."

"What's she like, Jim?" Kathryn asked, looking at him with a searching expression.

"Much the way I remember you," he said, smiling. "She's been a parent and friend since we arrived in this timeline."

"I'd like to meet her," she said.

"I'm sure you will," he said. "Tell me, have either of you talked with the rest of your crew?"

"Not this morning," said Chakotay. "I haven't seen anyone but Kathryn since they gave me quarters."

"I'd like to talk to each of them soon," said Jim. "I want to know how they're doing. I'm worried for them."

"Spoken like a true Captain," said Kathryn. Then she shook her head slightly. "You'll have to forgive me. It'll take a bit of time for me to get used to the fact that you're all commissioned."

"I can accept that," said Jim.

"So besides talking to the Voyager crew," she said, "what are your plans?"

"Well," he said, looking at Quinn once again. "We're planning to talk to Captain Riker about transportation to Alta Venus. Quinn and I own a house there."

"Together?" she asked, pleased that they were close.

"Yes, ma'am," he said. "I don't know how to broach this subject so I'm just going to say it out right."

"We're engaged to be married," Quinn said quickly.

Both of their gazes locked on either Jim or Quinn for a moment. Then they looked at each other. Jim was holding his breath as he thought about how homosexuality had been so frowned upon in their timeline. He hoped that Kathryn and Chakotay could at least look past that and see them for who they really were.

"That's wonderful," said Kathryn, smiling at him. "Congratulations. Quinn, I'm so sorry to hear that your father punished you."

"He won't be bothering me anymore," he said, smiling. "My mother took care of that. I'm human, and I want to remain human."

"But when he took away your powers and left you on Voyager, you wanted desperately to be a Q," she said.

"This way I have more friends than I've ever had in my life," he said, smiling. "I also have Jim."

"Yes," she said, smiling. "I can see where love might change your perspective."

They sat and talked for a long while. Kathryn informed them of her decision to resign from Starfleet and step back to allow events to continue without her involvement. Jim told her that he wished she'd reconsider but offered her a place on Lexus as well. She gladly accepted his offer. To her Earth was no longer home. Space was the only home that would be the same. She thought it a pity that Lexus wasn't Voyager. That would have really been home to her.

She and Chakotay agreed to talk to the crew of Voyager and have them meet with Jim to discuss this timeline and how they were all coping. He wanted to make sure that they were all coping. It had taken a bit of time for him and Chad to get used to the idea that this was home for them instead of their original timeline. He'd grown comfortable in this timeline and he thought that despite Chad's wanting to return to the original timeline when he thought it was possible that Chad was comfortable here as well. Quinn had been Q. The Q exist outside of all timelines so being here wasn't much of a shock for him.

It was a little more than a week before Jim got the chance to talk to the thirty-four men and women that had returned with Voyager from the Borg timeline. Most seemed to have no difficulties adjusting to life in this timeline. William Telfer and Mortimer Harren were exceptions along with Chakotay and Gerron. Tom and B'Elanna Paris were happy to be on Earth but not happy to be in this timeline. Harry Kim wasn't happy to be in this timeline at all. He was the most outspoken about how he felt.

Jim talked with Harry for a few minutes and decided that there was nothing he could do to change the man's mind about wanting to leave the timeline. He didn't think it was possible without a Q but he didn't say anything to Harry about it. Telfer and Harren both agreed that once they were in space again it would be fine. Herron told Jim that it was funny how he'd been dying to get back to Earth when Voyager was in the Delta Quadrant, but now he couldn't wait to get back to space.

Jim told them all about Alta Venus and that he, Quinn and Chad were moving there just as soon as they could gain passage to the planet. They showed everyone all of the data available on the planet via the computer consoles in the conference room they were having their little meeting in. He was happy to find that everyone seemed genuinely excited about the island. He was also happy to see that in one year real estate on Alta Venus was booming. The planet was completely developed and ready for them all.

Then he showed them Barrier Gate Station and told them that it was only half constructed when he'd been to Alta Venus before coming to rescue them from the Borg timeline. Once they saw the station Tom and B'Elanna talked excitedly about opening a billiard bar on the station. Jim thought it was a great idea. He was happy that they'd figured something out to keep them happy.

"Do you think they'd rent us space?" Tom asked him when the two of them were finished looking at the data on the station.

"I don't see why they wouldn't," he said. "You're both Starfleet, and Starfleet is in charge of the station."

"Surely they'd allow us to rent a space, Tom," B'Elanna said. "The crew loved Sandrine's. I'm sure that we could recreate it and be successful with the traffic around a space station."

"I'm sure it would be a huge success," Jim told him. "I've not seen Sandrine's, but we had a Murphy's Billiard Bar program on Lexus. It came from the Leviathan when we were in the Red Squad, we just copied the program and took it with us."

"I'd like to see this Murphy's of yours," said Tom with a smile. "I wonder how much different from Sandrine's it is."

"Well it's more Irish than Sandrine's," said Jim. "It's also a twentieth century establishment."

"Sounds like his kind of place then," said B'Elanna, nudging Tom.

"Yeah," smiled Jim, thinking about the Tom and B'Elanna from this timeline and how much Tom was fascinated by anything and everything that came from the twentieth century. "Well when Lexus is rebuilt I'm sure we'll put the program back in the ship's computer and then you can spend some time there."

They liked that idea, and the meeting broke with everyone in a better mood than they'd been in when it started. Kathryn and Chakotay were pleasantly surprised by Jim's ability to sooth people. He was a little shocked when Kathryn told him to call her Katie from now on. No more Admiral and no more Kathryn Janeway. She'd petitioned the Federation to change her name to Katie O'Claire and it had become official that very morning.

Because every male in his family was called by the name, Chakotay had decided to just drop his first name and make his last name his full name. Jim never found out what Chakotay's first name had been. He didn't want to ask the man, so he just decided to respect his wishes. It wasn't going to be hard to remember to call him Chakotay after all.

It was four days before Jim got the chance to talk to Will Riker about passage aboard the Titan. He ran into both Will and Deanna coming out of Starfleet Command as he was going in. They smiled at each other and stood to talk for a few minutes, enjoying the sun and the slight mist that came from the fountains when the wind blew.

"I heard about the meeting you had with the crew of Voyager," Will said, smiling. "That was a good idea."

"I just remembered what it was like for me to get used to being in this timeline and thought I could share that with them and maybe help," he said.

"Well it seems to have helped a great deal," said Deanna, smiling at him. "I've talked with a few of them. They seem excited now."

"Well I think that might have something to do with Alta Venus and Barrier Gate Station," he replied. "I wanted to talk to you about passage for myself and Quinn as well as Chad to Alta Venus."

"Our next mission is to Barrier Gate Station," said Will. "We found that out just a few minutes ago. I'll take the three of you to the station, and I'm sure there'll be transports back and forth between the station and the planets."

"Thank you very much," he said.

"You should know that several members of your crew as well as the Voyager crew have asked for passage," said Will. "We're going to be a full ship with everyone aboard."

"We'll manage," he said, smiling.

"It's a three month journey from Earth to the barrier," said Will. "I'm sure it'll be just fine."

Other members of the crew had arranged transport directly to Alta Venus on various starships. Jim was shocked to learn that the entire crew of both ships were planning to settle on Alta Venus. He smiled as he thought about how well he'd know his neighbors. It wasn't that he knew the entire crew of his ship by their first names or anything, but the senior staff was well acquainted. He would be among family.

"They're all moving to Alta Venus?" Quinn gasped when Jim told him later that day.

"That's what Riker told me," he said, smiling. "It's great, isn't it?"

"It sure is," laughed Quinn. "We'll practically know everyone on the planet."

"Well not everyone," Jim chuckled. "Most everyone."

"Good enough for me," said Quinn. "I've been ordering furniture and appliances for the house. The deliveries are pending. I can always contact them and let them know when we'll be on the planet to accept delivery."

"What kind of furniture and appliances have you been ordering?" Jim asked.

"Don't worry," said Quinn. "Almost everything is from the twentieth century."

"Thank you," he said, smiling.

"Oh don't thank me," Quinn said. "I like that stuff just as much as you do. It isn't every day that you run across things from that time period."

"Be sure to tell Tom Paris where you ordered from," Jim said after a moment of thought. "Both of them."

"That is getting a bit confusing," said Quinn. "How did we do this when we first arrived from Andromeda?"

"We weren't officers then," Jim reminded. "We were cadets."

"Right," said Quinn. "It just seems that this time it's worse."

"Well it won't be so confusing soon," he said. "We'll be on Alta Venus away from the duplicates."

"When do we leave?" Quinn asked, thinking of the delivery date for his orders.

"Will said that he got his orders today," he said. "I'm just waiting on him to tell me."

"Three months in space and then we'll be home," said Quinn.

"I was also thinking that since the entire crew of both ships will be there, maybe we should get married shortly after we reach Alta Venus," Jim said, watching Quinn's face as he spoke.

"Have you talked to Command about what happens when we're married and serving on the same ship?" asked Quinn, but Jim could see the excitement in his eyes.

"I have," he replied. "The rule you're thinking of doesn't exist for Commanders, Captains and above."

"Then we're getting married on Alta Venus," he said, smiling. "I can't wait to marry you, James Kirk."

"And I can't wait to marry you, Quinn Janeway," said Jim, wrapping his arms around him.

* * *

Admiral Hammil's office was spacious and extremely organized. Kathryn noticed the new additions to the office. Two potted Moncora Trees stood one on each side of his long Mahogany desk. Their fur covered trunks were moist with sap. She'd read about them when she'd studied up on Alta Venus after she'd learned that Jim, Quinn and Chad were planning to move to the planet. The trees were beautiful, and the sap was supposed to be very nutritious. They were making some kind of syrup from the sap of Moncora trees on Alta Venus. She was eager to try it when they started to sell it.

The rest of the office was decorated with modern paintings of starships and planets throughout the Federation. Even Voyager was on the wall behind the long brown leather couch against the wall adjacent to the door. There were two straight-backed black chairs that sat directing in front of the desk. A high-back stuffed brown leather chair sat behind the desk. There were photo frames across the desk and a number of data pads.

Tom Hammil sat behind the desk. He was dressed in the new Admiral uniform that was a black shirt and pants with a red high necked shirt underneath with his pips on the left. His dark brown hair was starting to gray, making him look more distinguished. His gray eyes sparkled as he smiled at her.

"Come in and have a seat, Kathryn," he said. "I wanted to discuss the Romulan device with you. There's been a breakthrough."