And here we go with the last part. It's shorter than the others, more like an epilog. I hope you like the conclusion.

Thanks to all of you who've read, reviewed and favorited.

August 2380

Their return was everything but glorious. At least to them. Of course they were celebrated, and wherever they appeared, if official occasions or just on the street, they were cheered at and sometimes even hugged. Voyager's fate had kept a whole planet, if not quadrant, in suspense; millions of people had waited for them to finally return from their long journey. They were heroes. And they didn't understand why.

In some way, it all felt wrong. They had found a wormhole by mere chance, and what initially seemed to be far too easy had turned out to be the solution. After securing everything, making sure that this wasn't trap, dream, fantasy, imagination, hell, even holo-image in open space, if that was possible, they maneuvered into the phenomenon. And it brought them back to the Alpha Quadrant within seconds.

Nine years after their journey had begun, they were home. Or at least they were where they had always seen home in. But for the crew of Voyager, a family of almost 160 men, women and children - many newborns among them whose home was indeed Voyager - it felt like a substitute for something they had found a lot more in than just the vessel that housed them for nearly a decade.

Debriefings were a quick affair, much to everyone's surprise. The admiralty reserved themselves the option to question one or the other, and especially Captain Janeway, later on, but other than that, they recognized that the crew had a lot to catch up on. In no time, those who used to be a family were strewn across the quadrant, visiting relatives, old home worlds, or simply places they had missed.

But as quickly as they had left, they came back again, seeking company of those they had become so close to in nine years of sharing every laugh and tear. And so the majority of Voyager's former crew settled down on Earth - always in transporter range to their friends, their makeshift family.

Even Chakotay, for whom returning to Trebus had been among his possible next steps, came to buy a cabin on the North American continent in the end.

And this was where Janeway found him after they hadn't seen each other in over two months - for two truly bonded ones an awfully long time.

The cabin reminded her a lot of their shelter they had lived in on the planet they had dubbed 'New Earth' and spent more than two months on, two years into their journey. But she could see that he had already begun to reconstruct the building, forming it after his ideas, making a home of it. In her, it woke fond memories of a long-past time.

She was confused that no one answered the door when she knocked. She knew he was there; since their Valeriji bonding ritual, she was always able to sense when he was around. Or maybe it was simply their close emotional connection.

The door wasn't locked when she tried the handle, and without hesitation, she walked inside - only to stop dead in her tracks the moment she entered the main room. This looked so familiar, but for reasons she couldn't fathom. Of course all his personal things were there, on the walls, the shelves, the furniture; every blanket and pillow that was carefully knitted or stitched, every wood carving he'd made and every stone he'd collected during their visits to countless Delta Quadrant planets, all the symbols of his native heritage. But that wasn't it. It was a feeling of home that overcame her, something she hadn't felt once since they'd left Voyager.

And even more so, it was a feeling of - them. Her and him. Kathryn and Chakotay. A unity. One.

She felt like she belonged here; like she was part of this house, his home. Their home.

"I heard you retired." The voice from behind her startled her, as well-known as it ever was. She whirled around to face him as he stood in the doorway to what was supposedly the kitchen, clad in loose-fitting pants and a short-sleeved shirt, a construction data PADD in his hands.

"That I did. It was about time I did something for myself." Her fingers thrummed nervously against her legs, he noticed.

"Kathryn Janeway, you never cease to amaze me."

"And I hope it will stay like this for a very long time." He raised his eyebrows at her words, but decided not to address it for now.

"I'm happy you are here," he said instead, and put the PADD away, but still kept his distance, curious to know what had brought her here - because he knew her well enough to see that there was something weighing on her mind.

"Do you remember what happened, to the day, six years ago?" He tilted his head, regarding her carefully.

"How could I forget?"

"It changed a lot."

"It changed everything." So few words, and yet they spoke volumes, told whole tales. Kathryn briefly closed her eyes; then, spreading her arms, like she was a bird spreading its wings to fly, she looked at him again.

"I'm free, Chakotay." It was all she said. Whispered. Breathless from expectation and anticipation she stood in the middle of the room, upright and proud; and still there was anxiety marring her beautiful features. Anxiety that, after all this time, he might just have given up waiting.

Not that she had anything to fear. She had come to him willingly - and it was all he needed to know. All he had ever waited for, never given up waiting for.

He shook his head.

"No, you're not," he disagreed with her declaration and slowly walked towards her. She stared at him with bewilderment.

When he reached her, he walked her back against one corner of the room, and his one hand went to her hip while the other cupped her cheek.

"You're mine." Heat spread along their shoulders and down their arms when she smiled in recognition and nodded.

"I'm yours."

And they sealed it with a kiss.

END

And I'll be dreaming of the future / And hoping you'll be by my side
And in the morning I'll be longing / For the night, for the night