More Than a Lifetime #2: Homecoming

Chapter 1

19 year-old Dani Janeway looked around her quarters. It was hard to believe that it wouldn't be long until she would be back in her bed on Earth. Her old bed. At home. For some reason, that phrase felt foreign now. She was at home. Voyager had been her home for seven years, the whole last half of her childhood. Just like everyone else on board Voyager, she was overjoyed at the thought of knowing that they had finally made it back to Earth, but part of her wished she could stay on the ship. She would miss her time on Voyager and the excitement of not knowing what the day was going to bring. But then again, she was happy that her family wouldn't have to face danger every time they turned the corner.

The whole latter part of her childhood. In a few weeks she would be turning 20. Officially, she would be an adult, although unofficially, she had been one for years. Her experiences on Voyager had forced her to grow up much faster than others her age had. She didn't regret it, though. She was a better person for it.

But what if she wasn't ready to enter the world? After all, she had only been twelve when she'd been catapulted from the Alpha Quadrant. Had things changed much? Even if they hadn't, she hadn't ever lived as an adult before she'd left. How was she to know what to expect?

That's where her parents came in. They'd help her. She thanked her lucky stars that they hadn't been lost in the Delta Quadrant, though there had been many times when she was sure they were goners. There'd been plenty of times when she thought she'd been a goner, herself. But they'd all made it through, and now it was time to move on. Her next step: Starfleet Academy. If everything went as planned, she'd enter in the fall and begin her studies at the Academy with an emphasis on medicine. But she couldn't get ahead of herself. She hadn't taken the first entrance exam, yet. It was March, now. The written exam wouldn't be given until May. In all truth, it wasn't passing the exams that she was worried about. She knew she would pass the written exam, and the interview wouldn't be a problem. She just wanted to make sure that she would get in on her own merit, and not because of who her mother or father or grandfather were.

Dani took one last look around the barren room before finally leaving. She looked around the living room as she passed through, and a thousand nostalgic memories flooded her consciousness. She didn't dare reminisce for too long, however, because she knew that if she did, she would never leave. She walked out the doors of the quarters, abandoning one life for another.

xxx

The next night, Starfleet threw a celebratory ball for Voyager's crew. Even though it was a formal event, the purpose for the occasion was so unique that all officers were permitted to dress in attire other than their dress uniforms, and most did. Most of the women, including Dani's mother, Kathryn Janeway, wore formal gowns. Dani wore a sleeveless two-piece made of white satin. Most of the men wore formal suits. Like some of the women, some of the male officers opted for the formal dress uniform. A few even wore old-fashioned tuxedos, one of those few being Tom Paris. That was expected of him, he was such a history buff. The surprise of the evening was that Tom had talked Chakotay into sporting the traditional black and white outfit, too.

Despite all the friends she'd made while she was on Voyager, there wasn't really anyone here she could talk to tonight. She looked around the room. She didn't really know anyone here, except those from Voyager, and they had already integrated into the party, mixing and mingling with old Starfleet buddies or long lost family members whom they hadn't seen in seven years. This was one of the few times she wished her mother would take command and start dragging her to different groups. As if it were an answer to her prayer, Dani saw her mother walking toward her. She watched the long dress flow about her as she glided across the room. The royal blue gown she was wearing really brought out her eyes.