A bit meandering, but conversations can be that way. The mentions of Admiral Clancy and Picard are borrowed from Curator's "The Autobiography of Kirsten Clancy," which I heartily recommend. Most of these folks don't belong to me, but I like to get them together on a non-profit basis. Thanks for reading, and reviews are always welcome.

ooo

"Did you think you'd ever see that?" Harry asked.

"See what?" Tom glanced at B'Elanna, who shrugged. It was the fifth-year Voyager reunion, and the lawn of Kathryn's home was crowded with former crewmates and their families, plus assorted friends.

"Did you ever think you'd see those two together, but not together?" Harry tried again, this time nodding toward the house.

Tom and B'El looked over, then looked at each other and shrugged again. "I see Kathryn and her husband talking to Chakotay and his wife and sister," Tom said. "Something wrong with that?"

Harry sighed. "No, no. It's just that ... Didn't you think that once we got home, our commanding officers would get together?"

"Ah, you mean the subject of Tom's largest betting pool," B'El teased, making Tom wince. "Well, I suspect there was something once, but after seven years ..."

"And let's be honest: a lot of shit happened out there," Tom added. "Some days, it was obvious that there'd been a disagreement."

"Looks like it all worked out," B'Elanna remarked, then gave Harry an evil grin. "Which reminds me, what's happening on the Graham these days? Specifically, what's happening with that lieutenant in xenobiology … What's her name again?"

ooo

Tom slipped away, looking for a quiet spot. It was nice to see everyone, but he was tired of repeating himself: "My first hologame will be released next month. In the meantime, I do contract work for a holopublisher, and I wrangle the kids and keep the house running because B'El works crazy hours." Maybe he should have put it on a chip to hand out.

The back porch, with its impressive view of Lake Ontario, was deserted. He ambled over to the railing and gave it a gentle push. It held. "It finally got fixed," he chuckled. The house — with all its renovations and repairs — had been part of their conversations for a few years now.

"We found a house," Kathryn had announced. "It's a mess inside. But the view …"

He settled into a rocking chair and contemplated that view. It had been an interesting few years for everyone. But Kathryn's path, well, that was unexpected.

ooo

No one was surprised when Kathryn got the Vice Admiral's bars. And her first posting — to Paris — made sense, though his father furiously lobbied to keep her in San Francisco.

"We need her in Operations. It's bad enough that those Young Guns are sabotaging their careers by running off to the hinterlands," Owen grumped during lunch.

He'd heard about the Young Guns: Dominion War heroes who also made Vice Admiral in their early 40s. But rather than follow the standard path to becoming a full admiral, this group sought posts away from Headquarters — jobs that gave them the autonomy they enjoyed on ships, away from 'Fleet politics and scrutiny.

"Well, Dad," he countered, "I'm sure she'll catch up if she gets posted to Operations."

ooo

They'd fallen into the habit of talking once a week or so. He'd called one afternoon on a whim. His hologame had hit a snag, Miral was fussy, and he needed a break.

He misjudged the time difference: it was late evening in Paris, and she was in her nightclothes. She waved off his apology. "You and Miral are worth staying up for. You're the first person today who wants to talk about something other than the Delta Quadrant."

About four months in, she mentioned something that seemed innocuous at first.

"I met one of those Young Guns your father rails about," she said.

"Oh, which one?"

"Leith Sutherland. If you want to be formal, it's Vice Admiral William Leith Sutherland Jr.," she said with a grin. He's in Boston, runs one of the regional Intelligence divisions. Captained the USS Stalwart during the war."

"Ah. Does he have horns and a pitchfork?"

Kathryn laughed. "No, he seems like a nice fellow. He's read the reports, gets that Voyager wasn't a seven-year picnic, among other things. In fact," she added with a grin, "we're having dinner tomorrow night."

Three months later, her weekly call came in from New York. "Same assignment, but I've taken the circus to Ottawa," she explained.

"If she's working in Ottawa, why is she living in New York?" B'El asked when he recounted the conversation.

"She says the 'Fleet housing is better, and it's an easier commute to Indiana," he said with a grin.

B'El just laughed. "I think it's easier to visit a certain admiral in Boston. Though she's done a good job of keeping this quiet. Haven't heard a word of gossip from anyone, including your mom."

ooo

Shortly after New Year's, she sent a cryptic message. "Might want to check on your Dad. The new postings come out Monday, and he may have a stroke when he sees mine."

He quickly punched her vid code. "So where the hell are you going?" he demanded. He didn't notice until later that the call wasn't picked up in New York.

"Toronto," she said with a grin. "Actually, the eastern suburbs. I'm taking command of the new sciences facility. We'll be working with a lot of Voyager's data."

He whistled. "Yep, Dad's going to have a stroke. But Toronto's a nice city. Find a place to live?"

She shook her head. "Not yet. We're looking near the new transporter station. It's an easier commute to Boston."

His mouth dropped open, to her amusement. "We? Boston?" he finally managed. "Would we be talking about Admiral Sutherland?"

"We would," she said with that grin. "And speaking of, I need to get him out of the shower. We're meeting an agent to look at apartments. Though with all our stuff, we really need a barn." She winked at him. "I'll call you later."

And a few months later, on a perfect June afternoon in Indiana, they lifted a glass to toast Kathryn and Leith's marriage. Even his father looked happy …

ooo

He didn't hear the door creak, but he heard the "click-click" of paws moving across the floor. A Golden Retriever appeared next to his chair, and Kathryn was standing in the doorway.

"Sorry, I didn't realize you were out here," she said apologetically. "We can go back in …"

"It is your porch," he teased as he scratched the dog's head.

She chuckled as she eased into the chair next to him, taking care not to tip her wine glass. The dog retired to a rug near the door.

"Nice turnout," he offered, and she nodded. "How did you get Chakotay to show up?"

"No effort on my part. He and Sekaya are delegates to the First Nations conference in Vancouver next week, so the timing was right."

He let it go. If Chakotay crossed her mind, she wouldn't say. "I see the railing is fixed," he offered. "Uh-huh," she answered. "Now if I can keep my little gymnast off of it."

"Good luck with that; Joey tries to climb the walls," he chuckled. "You know, your adventures have put off B'El from buying a house."

"Buy a newer house; and don't fall in love with the view," she retorted with a wry grin. "I'd suggest not having kids, but it's too late for both of us," she added with a wink.

He chuckled. Kathryn announced her news a couple of months before B'Elanna left that positive pregnancy test on his holo-coding board. Joey's arrival went smoothly, outside of B'El's wicked morning sickness. Kathryn ran into complications: Lucas arrived a month early.

But it all worked out, he mused as they watched a gaggle of kids — including their sons — run by the porch.

Kathryn was silent as she kept an eye on the mob. Satisfied that they weren't heading for the lake, she settled back. "Any news on the Mars posting?" she asked quietly.

"Captain Waller got the orders rescinded, given that B'El is still on her project. Then on Friday, B'El got new orders for a three-week stint."

"Three weeks? That's an odd assignment."

"No kidding. B'El said Waller filed a complaint with Admiral Himura's office. I don't understand why they're so desperate to get her up there; it's not even her specialty. Has something changed with the Romulan evacuations? Is that supernova going to blow tomorrow?"

"Not according to the reports I see," Kathryn said quietly. "But it will happen. Given the political uproar, I suspect Picard's pushing for ships."

It was worse than 'political uproar,' she didn't add. For every world that openly threatened to leave the Federation, two others reportedly were considering it. The gossip from headquarters recounted bitter arguments between Picard and fellow admiral Kirsten Clancy — some of it confirmed by Clancy herself, who told her that security-wise, the evacuation plan was a "clusterf***."

Tom just nodded, and they fell silent for a moment.

"Well, if Tess Waller can't get her out of the three-week tour, you and the kids are welcome to come out for a weekend," she offered. "Leith wants a new golf partner; his dad keeps ranting about Romulans."

"I might take you up on that. And speaking of fathers, I hear Dad is going to Boston next week," he said to change the subject. "He meeting with Leith's staff?"

"So I'm told," Kathryn said without elaborating. "We've invited him to dinner."

"He'll try to talk you back into Operations," Tom teased.

"Not in front of Leith. And the answer would be no, at least for the next few years. We both like our jobs, and I really like being out of 'Fleet's PR loop. I do love this house, repairs and all. And Lucas starts day school next month."

"Ever wonder if the old man could be right about passing up a spot at headquarters?" A cheeky question to ask, but …

Her laugh was almost bitter. "Given the Romulan situation, I'm happy not to be at Headquarters, thank you. Unfortunately, the divisions are seeping into my command. It's no secret that we work closely with … Hell, we fund research in some of the worlds that have threatened to leave. If they go, it will halt decades of work, not to mention that it will scuttle projects and careers. I spend a lot of time playing counselor and diplomat — and too much time talking with Headquarters."

She took a sip of wine. "As for the rest of it, Leith and I agree that if the career path ends here, so be it. If necessary, we'll retire. Buy a ship and roam the galaxy, sit here and look at the lake ..."

Her tone was concerning, but he knew not to push. "Sounds like you have it planned," he offered instead.

She shrugged again. "I've learned that things can change in a nanosecond, so best to be ready."

"No kidding," Tom sighed.

She gave him a sympathetic look. "You're really worried about this Mars business," she said softly.

"She's got four months left on this posting, though Waller can extend it. She's inquired about other projects, but if something doesn't turn up soon, we'll probably be moving to Mars."

Kathryn opened her mouth, but he barreled on. "I know, it comes with the uniform. But like I said, converting ships isn't her specialty. And I have a bad feeling about this. I can't even explain why. Maybe I should turn off the news." He shook his head. "Got any openings?"

"Well, yes, but she's way overqualified," Kathryn began, and Tom's face fell. "But …" She paused, biting her lower lip as she considered. "Think she'd like to do some consulting?" she finally asked. "I have a project coming up that could use her expertise."

"I'm sure she'd love to work with you, but I don't know about moving."

"No need to move," Kathryn said. "She'd have to be here periodically, but she probably could do most of it from San Francisco."

"Wow!" Tom breathed. "Kathryn …"

"Don't thank me yet," she warned. "This has lots of moving parts. I may have to call in a favor to get her, or more accurately, share her with Waller's project. But you know, we in the hinterlands have learned to be creative," she said with a smirk.

"Hey, I'm grateful that you're willing to try," he said.

"Tell you what, let me finish my wine, then I'll talk to B'Elanna. It is her career."

He nodded, and they sat in companionable silence for a bit, just looking out at the lake.

"Did you ever think that we'd be sitting here with different jobs, different worries?" he finally asked.

She raised an eyebrow. "Exactly? No. And I admit at times I wasn't sure we'd live to see Earth again.

"But I am very, very grateful to be sitting here. Even more grateful that I have Leith and Lucas. And I'm grateful for you," she said as she reached over to squeeze Tom's arm. "Though never, in my wildest dreams, did I ever think that I'd ask you for parenting advice.

"Come on," she said as she got up. "Let's go find B'Elanna."