=/\=

"Hey."

Natalie leaned against the banister of the upstairs balcony. She turned around at the sound of Naomi's voice. Natalie smiled.

"Hey stranger."

Naomi chuckled. "The past two weeks have gone by really fast, haven't they?"

"Yeah, they have," Natalie replied. "I feel like my whole life has been turned upside down." Natalie sat down in one of the balcony chairs and stared out over the Indiana cornfields. In the distance she could see the tree her mother used to sit in when she was younger. It was very beautiful. In the background, she could hear the laughter of the party that was going on downstairs. Her parents had thrown together a little bash for the senior staff and had invited the kids, as well as Joe and Sam, to come.

"Are you planning on staying here?" Naomi asked.

"No, I think I'll go downstairs in a few minutes," Natalie replied.

Naomi laughed. "No, I meant are you planning on staying in Indiana. You know, living here?" Natalie didn't lift her gaze, but her lips formed a sly smile.

"I think so," Natalie answered. She sighed and leaned back. "I'm not entirely sure right now. Mom wants to stay here. I think Dad wants to go somewhere else, but he'll go wherever Mom goes."

"He always has," Naomi added.

"As for me…" Natalie began. "I suppose this is as good as any. And in some ways I think this will be the best because there are a lot of things here that are family and I think right now I need that."

"That's good," Naomi replied.

Natalie looked up. "What about you and your family? Where are you guys headed?" Naomi laughed and sat down in the chair next to Natalie. She rested her head on her hand and looked out over the cornfields.

"Mom, Joe, and Seth are moving to Sa Luca," Naomi replied. "Believe me, it took some coaxing for my mom to finally give in but I think she'll be happy. I guess she realized that if I am going to get to know my father, well, I'm going to have to do it on my own." Natalie nodded.

"True. Have you heard about anyone else?" Natalie asked.

"Well, rumor has it that Tom and B'Elanna bought a house about a kilometer away from Admiral Paris in San Francisco," Naomi replied. "Joe told me that Seven and Harry have bought a house in Monterey."

"Isn't that where Harry grew up?" Natalie asked.

"Yeah it is," Naomi answered. "Seems like everyone is going home again. Tuvok has already moved back to Vulcan. The Doctor is living in an apartment in San Francisco, but I think he's planning on moving. Neelix has settled in New Orleans."

"How is Neelix, by the way?" Natalie asked. "I didn't see him downstairs."

"No, he's in Louisiana," Naomi informed her. "He's working on opening a new restaurant and said he was sorry he couldn't make it, but had too much work to do. Guess what he's naming the restaurant?"

Natalie shrugged. "I don't know. What?"

Naomi laughed. "I don't think so. Come on, guess!"

"Uh…" Natalie searched her mind for some kind of name. "The…the…The Voyager? I don't know!" Naomi cracked up.

"Nope!"

"Oh come on, Naomi, just tell me," Natalie ordered.

Naomi grinned. "Ok, ok. Neelix is planning on naming it…Kes' Garden. Isn't that the sweetest thing you ever heard?" Natalie laughed. It was just like Neelix to bring nostalgia into everything.

"We'll have to go to the opening, now won't we?" Natalie replied. "Do you know what kind of restaurant it's going to be?"

"I think he's planning on specializing in Delta Quadrant gourmet," Naomi replied. "I can't wait to see how patrons react. Imagine the face on Admiral Paris when he tastes leola root!" Natalie and Naomi busted out laughing. Natalie covered her face with her hands in attempt to smother her laughter but she only cracked up more.

"Knock, knock," came a voice from behind. Natalie and Naomi turned to see Tom Paris in Natalie's doorway. "May I enter the legendary Janeway bedroom?"

Natalie chuckled. "Sure, Tom. Were we being too noisy?"

Tom shook his head. "Nah, with all the talking downstairs, not a chance. You guys are doing anything evil now are you?" Natalie and Naomi exchanged glances.

"Of course not, Tom," Natalie grinned.

"Uh huh," Tom replied sarcastically. "I was a teenager once, you know."

Naomi gave a mock gasp. "No way! You were?"

"Ha ha," Tom retorted. "Very funny, Naomi."

"I thought so," Naomi smiled.

"Well, as much as I'd love to join in on the girl-talk, your mother wants you two downstairs," Tom said to Natalie.

"Ok, we'll be down in a minute," Natalie replied, with a quick wink.

Tom nodded his head knowingly. "All right. Not too long."

=/\=

Downstairs, Tom joined Harry and Seven in the wet bar. Seven was wearing a short, sleeve-length red dress and had her haired pulled back into a French braid. If you had told Tom fifteen years earlier that Seven would be wearing a cocktail dress, he would have laughed. But Tom was now accustomed to seeing the friendly, cheerful face of Seven, with whom he had shared many adventures. Harry was a lucky man.

"Are the girls coming downstairs?" Seven asked.

"Yeah, they'll be down in a minute," Tom replied.

"Maybe I should fix them a drink while I'm at it," Harry joked. Harry and Seven laughed, and Tom smiled along with them. But inside he knew that the little girls who he had watched grow up while piloting the only home they ever knew weren't little girls anymore. They were mature, independent, and intelligent young women and he knew they would make sure everyone in the Delta Quadrant knew the names Natalie Janeway and Naomi Wildman.

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