by Dakota

Kathryn stood in the corner of the room watching her former crew and their friends and families dancing. It had been an eventful six months since they had established standard orbit around Earth. The furor stirred up by the press and the political tension caused by the return of the last of the Maquis had all died down. Voyager's return was ancient history in the media and the Federation Council had issued unconditional pardons to the Maquis despite (some said because of) the protests of the Cardassians. Everyone had been debriefed, briefed on the current situation in the Federation. Long overdue promotions had been given to many of the crew and they were all still staggering over the amount of back pay they had accumulated.

Tonight was a combination welcome home – farewell party for Voyager's crew. The people invited were the crew's friends and families and included many old shipmates. A few of the admiralty had shown up along with the Council President and the C in C, but they all left after an hour or so.

Kathryn had spent most of the evening meeting people she felt she knew after hearing about them for seven years. There were still nearly a hundred of them she had not managed to greet but she had managed to say at least "hello" to most of them. As she watched the dancing, it seemed to her that the early part of the evening had been the welcome home and now the mood had had drifted to farewell. There was a melancholy feel to the atmosphere as the couples on the dance floor swayed to the music. The laughter of a handful of children -- nieces, nephews, even grandchildren -- off in one corner struck a discordant note as well as a feeling of normalcy and home.

Kathryn caught sight of her sister and brother-in-law on the dance floor. Her mother was across the room holding Miral as she chatted to Owen Paris. Tuvok was at a nearby table with T'Pel and his granddaughter.

Kathryn felt him stop behind her, a familiar stranger. Seven years he had served as her first officer. He'd been her most loyal supporter and her biggest critic. When she crossed the line, he had told her; when she pushed too hard, he was the first to let her know. If she needed a shoulder to cry on or just someone to listen, he had been there. She had barely spoken to him this evening but now, just when the melancholy mood of the gathering was settling over her, he appeared.

She turned to face him. "Hi, stranger."

"Hello, Kathryn. Enjoying the party?"

A slow smile crossed her face. "Yes, I have. It's been good seeing everyone together again. It won't be easy tonight saying goodbye to so many. There are probably a lot of them I'll never see again."

"I know." He smiled at her. "I think I'll miss Tom the most. Can you believe it? At times he seemed like trouble looking for an excuse to happen."

"I know. He kept us on our toes and the crew amused."

"Not to mention, being B'Elanna's favorite target when there were major problems in engineering." He held out his hand. "Dance with me?"

"One last dance with our crew?" Kathryn smiled sadly. "It seems appropriate somehow."

Slowly they walked out on the dance floor and started dancing.

"Have you thought more about that assignment they want you to take?"

"It sounds interesting and challenging. It's isolated which at first seemed like the downside but after the last six months, being almost two months from 'fleet HQ seems like heaven." Kathryn chuckled. "I guess I don't like being too close to authority anymore."

"It's a long way to come visit."

"I know. It means I'll lose touch with just about everyone except for mail. I'll manage."

"So you think you'll accept it?"

"Yes." Kathryn eyed him curiously. "Unless there's a reason you think I shouldn't."

He shook his head gently. "No, it sounds perfect."

He pulled her closer and leaned his cheek on her hair. Kathryn relaxed and leaned into him, content to dance in his arms for a few minutes. The music stopped briefly then another slow song started. Very few of the couples even moved apart before they picked up the new rhythm.

"Why didn't we do this on Voyager?" Kathryn asked the question not really expecting an answer.

"It wasn't our time then." His voice was soft as he spoke. "You knew that better than I did."

"Well, it's our time now and I'm going to make the most of it." Her voice was soft and filled with promise.

Kathryn reached behind his head and urged his head down so she could reach his lips with her own. Their steps slowed as they prolonged the kiss, savoring the moment. Around them, their crew stopped dancing and watched as the light sparkled on matching gold bands, thankful it was finally their time to love.

Ecclesiastes 3:1- 8