A/N: While a fan of Voyager, I've not seen it recently and memory does fade. (Faster all the time it seems!) Anyway, if something with the canon characters seems off, I'd appreciate the feedback. For that matter, I'd appreciate any feedback! I'm working on the next chapter but won't have it ready for bit due to the pesky demands on my time from my job and family. Anyway, thank you for reading my story. I hope you're finding it enjoyable!

A/N2: I'm re-posting the first nine chapters with some typos corrected. There are no major changes so there isn't any pressing need to re-read them, not that I'd be upset if you did!

Time Enough Chapter 1

"Sector 135-7A complete, Ma'am."

"Thank you, Ensign Cavanaugh," Seven of Nine replied, pleased with the Ensign's efficiency. Seven decided to reward the Ensign with a compliment. "Your work is of satisfactory efficiency and quality," she declared. She had not taken her eyes from her screens.

Cavanaugh had worked with Seven long enough to recognize the remark for praise. "Thank you, Ma'am." She too kept her eyes on her readouts. She busied herself with the next sector's scans.

Seven approved of Cavanaugh. The woman did her work competently and with a refreshing lack of extraneous conversation. She had selected Cavanaugh for assignment to Astrometrics from the pool of officers with specialties unsuited to their current situation. Cavanaugh was an artist who had joined Starfleet to study ancient alien art. Her original orders had her leaving the ship at a scheduled refueling on Seneca-5 to join the expedition there. The find of art from the now-extinct species that once lived there was said to be the most significant find of the century. Seven had no opinion on the artwork nor, since they had never been assimilated, the native species. While she lacked a background in astrophysics, Seven found Cavanaugh to be more than capable of performing the necessary tasks for her duties in Astrometrics.

Seven considered. She had of course read Cavanaugh's file. Apparently, Cavanaugh had been assigned to quarters with a botanist who died on a mission just over two months before she had arrived on Voyager. Perhaps this accounted for the aura of melancholy that seemed to surround Cavanaugh. Still, it did not impair her attention to her duties. If Cavanaugh had a fault, it was her tendency to skirt regulations on appearance. She did not keep her uniform pressed to a razor crease and she bound her long hair in a haphazard ponytail and only while on duty. At all other times, her hair was loose, falling over her face like a blonde shroud. Seven gave herself a mental kick. She had been watching too many old holos with The Doctor of late. She was sounding as melodramatic as the over-wrought actresses.

"Seven," Captain Janeway's voice squawked through intercom, "we're getting some odd readings off the starboard side. Please align your sensors there, from the hull and out for ten thousand kilometers."

"Yes, Captain," Seven acknowledged. She heard Cavanaugh working feverishly. The Ensign hit a last button, saving the position of their current scan so that returning to it would faster. Seven saw her lift her hands and took her cue to move the sensors. "Feeding data to you now, Captain," Seven reported. She smiled slightly at their mutual efficiency.

Janeway turned to Harry Kim. "So what is it, Harry?"

Harry shook his head. "Not sure yet, Ma'am. It's very faint, like a ghost. Whatever it is, it's hugging our side." Janeway ordered a series of course corrections. "No effect," Harry reported. He chewed his lip in frustration. "It's like it's out of phase," he muttered. He fiddled with the sensors. "Captain, I'm detecting chronotons. I think the anomaly is a temporal distortion."

"Terrific," Janeway grumbled. "A temporal distortion and it's stuck to us like glue. Tell me something good, Harry."

"Wish I could, Ma'am. Whatever it is, it's moving into phase with us. It will be 'here and now' in just over three minutes."

"Of course it will," Janeway sighed. She had been planning on a long, hot bath and a quiet evening reading. "Let's get the deflectors and weapons systems online and targeted. Tom, prepare for evasive maneuvers." She patched in the department heads and gave them a brief update.

"Almost," Harry said as the countdown neared zero. "Got it!" He did a double-take at the readout. "Ma'am? It's sending a Federation signal. It's.. Ma'am, it's The VS-4."

"Voyager Shuttle 4?" Janeway said incredulously. "That ship was lost over two years ago. Life signs?" Harry reported five. "That would be all of them. If it's them," she amended. "Hail them."

"Ensign, return to mapping," Seven ordered. "The anomaly has been resolved." Cavanaugh was busily setting the sensors. "It appears to be a shuttlecraft, designation VS-4." She turned when she heard Cavanaugh stumble against the console. "Ensign, are you in distress? You are disturbingly pale."

"Are they.. are there survivors?" Cavanaugh choked out.

Seven frowned slightly. Cavanaugh was uncharacteristically distressed. "The report confirms five life signs." Something occurred to Seven, a mention in her file. Yes, that was it, the botanist had been on VS-4. She sighed inwardly. Clearly Cavanaugh would be of no further use today. She resigned herself to the realization that her favorite Ensign was not so efficient after all. "You are dismissed, Ensign." She recalled her lessons with The Doctor. "I hope your friend is undamaged." He would be proud of her.

"Thank you, Ma'am," Cavanaugh mumbled as she all but sprinted out the door.

Janice Cavanaugh concentrated on not hyperventilating as she rode the lift. It couldn't be. It had been so long. The lift door opened and she rushed to the shuttle bay. A line of security officers brought her up short. The shuttle had docked and was being secured. She felt light-headed. It occurred to her breathing might help with that. The doors opened and Lieutenant Wilson walked out. His beard was scraggly and his uniform unkempt. He seemed too thin. He was followed out by two crewman who held a third between them. Behind them was Mio.

Janice had no memory of moving to the wall. A security officer was staring at her, asking her if she was okay. Janice nodded. "Where are they being taken?" She already knew the answer and felt foolish for asking. Sickbay, of course. "When.."

The guard smiled sympathetically. A close friend back from the dead. It was more than enough to shake a person up. "I think they'll have to be checked out and debriefed first," he said, not unkindly. "You should try to rest. I'm sure the Captain will make notifications."

She would. Janeway had approved the move to couples quarters over Chakotay's objections and later had given her condolences personally. She nodded to the guard. "Yes, of course. Thank you."

Janice let her feet take her where they would. She could not bear being alone in her quarters and she would be worthless in Astrometrics. She found that in her own way, Seven of Nine was a very tolerant superior but not when it came to job performance. She wound up in the cafeteria.

Neelix noticed Ensign Cavanaugh standing just inside the area looking lost. Neelix tried to get to know the crew but there were so many and the Ensign was not outgoing. In fact, she rarely took meals in the cafeteria. He recalled a small kerfuffle a long time ago over quartering. The Ensign, Janice, that was her name, she wanted to move into married crew quarters. Chakotay had objected but ultimately, Janeway approved the request. Janice had moved back to single quarters not long after.

Neelix slapped his head. Now he remembered. Janice was living with Mio, the botanist who had been trying to cultivate Talaxian tea for him. Mio had been on the shuttle that disappeared in a flash of light a couple of years ago. And had mysteriously reappeared just today. The grapevine said the crew was alive and currently in sickbay. They would be hungry. He scanned the kitchen, planning a suitable meal. He recalled the hopelessness as a month passed with no sign. They only had provisions for about a week and there were no habitable planets within range. The Captain had reluctantly abandoned the search and turned for home. No wonder Janice looked as if she'd seen a ghost.

"Have a seat, Janice," Neelix said gently. "Here's some tea." He guided her to a table and set a mug in front of her. "Be patient. I'm sure the Captain will call after The Doctor checks them over."

Janice smiled faintly. "Thank you. It all seems so unreal." She took a sip of tea. She didn't really want it, but Neelix was being so kind.

"I can only imagine," he replied. "I've got a pot of soup working. I think I'll have some sent to sickbay. A nice bowl of soup is just the right medicine after an ordeal, don't you think?" He patted Janice on the shoulder. "Just sit here for now. It's a lot to take in and a lot to think about." He hurried off to ready the food. Rumor had it the survivors looked half-starved and he had just the cure simmering away.

"You all need a Vitamin supplement," The Doctor declared. He pressed a hypospray against each of them. "And food. Start slowly and eat a lot of small meals at first. Drink a lot of water and avoid synthahol. Other than that, you're all in good shape. Except for Crewman Nels," The Doctor said, with a pointed look at Nels' bruised and swollen face. "Your nose is broken. I'll have to re-break it and set it properly."

"I'd be happy to break it again," Lieutenant Wilson growled.

"Lieutenant," Janeway admonished with a growl. Wilson desisted.

"I want to press charges against him," Nels snarled. He attacked me. All of them, they locked me in a storage compartment and didn't give me any food."

"None of us had food," Wilson shouted.

"Stand down!" Janeway barked. She had heard bits and pieces of the story and honestly didn't blame Wilson, but she could not have this. "I want a detailed report from each of you. And I don't want anything discussed with anyone until I've read your report and debriefed you myself. Are we clear?" The shuttle crew nodded. "Until then, finish your soup and report to.." Janeway stopped herself. Their quarters weren't theirs any longer. "Belay that. Stay here."

Mio sighed. She wanted to take a shower and lay down in the comfort of Janice's arms. She swore she had caught a glimpse of Janice as she got off the shuttle but she must have been mistaken. The woman she saw had long hair. She must want to see her so much that her mind saw her everywhere. She took the PADD offered to her. The sooner she finished he report, the sooner she could get to her quarters. It had been a long two weeks.

Two hours later Janeway returned to sickbay. The shuttle crew had sent in their reports and was eating another small meal sent by Neelix. "First off, I'm glad to have you all back. I'd like to send you to your quarters to rest, but I can't. There's no good way to say this. You were trapped in a temporal anomaly that was undetectable to us until today when you reappeared. We left the area were you disappeared after searching for a month, never knowing you were right beside us."

Mio's eyes widened. The hair. "How long?" she croaked.

"A little over two years," Janeway said quietly. Mio closed her eyes. The long-haired woman had been Janice after all. She wondered what else had changed. "We've prepared quarters for each of you. You are on leave for the next week, after which we will assign you to your duty stations. Until then, rest, regain your strength, and, well, catch up." She turned to Nels. "Crewman, you are confined to quarters until further notice. Dismissed." She ignored Nels' protest.

Janice fidgeted. She wanted to leave but had no idea where to go. Mio wouldn't know where her quarters were. She ached to just stand outside of sickbay but Neelix had dissuaded her. "I sent a message to The Doctor. She'll expect you here." Janice had forced back tears at his thoughtfulness. She closed her eyes and thought back.

"Jan, come on," Carol wheedled. "You broke up with Holly weeks ago. You'll like Mio. She's sweet and funny and, best of all, she's not a super-controlling bitch!" Janice laughed in spite of herself. "It's just dinner. John and I went to a lot of trouble setting this up, and Mio's already said yes."

"After you browbeat her into submission." Janice grimaced. "Fine. Just dinner. After all, how uncomfortable can a double date be?"

"Hmm, well, you see.."

"You suck, Carol." Janice nonetheless arrived at the hydroponics bay as Carol had arranged. She carried the basket Carol had prepared and felt like an idiot. She took a breath and went inside.

Ensign Mio Sato smiled. Janice was cute, just as John had said. She agreed to the date after John swore his finance would skewer him if he failed in Operation Blind Date. Besides, it was just dinner. "Hi. You must be Janice. I'm Mio. Come on in. I set up a table in the ornamentals area." She'd fought hard to keep the non-edible plants and she felt a surge of pride in being able to show them off to her date.

Janice found herself immediately drawn to Mio's smile. She trailed behind her and admired the view. Mio had short, black hair and dark eyes with porcelain skin. Janice's blonde hair was similarly short, going with the current no-muss, no-fuss trend on the ship. Her eyes were green and her skinned tanned from a childhood spent out of doors.

The two women ate the meal Carol had designed, laughing over the blatant choices of oysters and chocolate. As they got to know one another, Janice conceded that she owed Carol big time. This was working out well.

Very well. The remains of the picnic had been put away and the table and chairs returned to a storage compartment. They stood facing each other, each unsure how to proceed when Mio huffed and said, "This is just silly." With that, she took a step in and kissed Janice decisively. Janice was startled but it was quite a kiss. She returned it and before they knew it, they were entwined in an increasingly heated embrace. Her hands had just found the way under Mio's shirt when a comm badge beeped.

"Sato," Mio responded, her voice husky.

"Next shift arrives in five," John's voice replied. "Thought you might want to know." Mio could hear the knowing smile in his voice.

Thanks, John." Mio tapped her comm badge off. "I'm afraid we're about to have company," she said apologetically. "If you'd like, we could go somewhere else and talk some more." She sounded like a damned teenager.

Janice grinned. "That sounds nice." They decided on Janice's quarters because hers were closer. Any worry that the interruption would dim their passion were quickly put to rest. As she drifted off to sleep entwined with Mio, she had the thought that they fit together well.

Janice opened her eyes to see Mio's sleeping face. "I can't believe I slept with her on the first date," she thought with a grimace. It just wasn't like her. And worse, she really liked Mio. "I hope I didn't screw this up," she thought. She carefully slipped out of bed and pulled on a robe. "My God, she's beautiful."

Janice quietly set to readying tea. She glanced back and saw Mio sitting up watching her. "Hi," Janice said nervously. "Want some tea?"

"I'd kill for some coffee," Mio replied. Janice programmed the replicator and mentally kicked herself. "Let me get you something to wear." She had a nightshirt that should fit the slightly smaller woman just fine. She handed it to Mio and self-consciously turned away to fetch their steaming mugs. She was fairly certain she heard Mio snickering.

Mio Looked adorable in the nightshirt. She took her coffee and sipped it. "Thanks, Jan. For everything." It was decidedly awkward.

Janice jumped when her comm badge buzzed. It was Carol on the other end. "So how did it go?" Janice was still fumbling for an answer when Mio's badge went off. "Busted!" Carol yelled delightedly.

Janice dimly heard John saying something about it all being Carol's idea. "You suck, Carol," Janice said and disconnected. She saw that Mio had as well. They stared at each other for a moment then burst out laughing.

Janice smiled to herself. That morning went from awkward to something of a disaster. Their desires got the best of them and they ended up being interrupted by John calling to ask Mio if she intended on reporting for her duty shift any time soon. Janice was late and had her ass chewed when she came running in. Still, it was worth it. They'd resolved to see each other only when the next day was an off or late shift, a resolve that lasted all of one duty cycle.

Janeway walked into the cafeteria and saw Ensign Cavanaugh nursing a cup of tea. "Ensign, please come with me." Janeway put a hand on Cavanaugh's shoulder. "I'm taking you to see Ensign Sato," she said gently. "There are a few things we need to discuss." She put a hand on Cavanaugh's shoulder and guided her to her office. Janeway was relieved that Cavanaugh was too shell-shocked to ask any questions.

Janeway took pains to keep her temper in check. She was a little ashamed of herself for wishing the crew had turned out to be some sort of deception. The Doctor's scans had proven that wasn't the case. They also proved that the crew had aged only two weeks relatively to Voyager's two years.

Janeway still wasn't sure how, but the shuttle had hit a temporal distortion that effectively glued them to the side of Voyager. The shuttle could see Voyager but their propulsion systems were out and they barely coaxed enough power for life support out of the engines. They had emergency supplies for a week but, thanks to Lieutenant Wilson's foresight, they went into rationing immediately. They had gone without food for only a couple of days.

The door to her office slid open. Janeway steeled herself for the unpleasantness to come. She hated to do it, but she had to get in front of the matter. Lieutenant Wilson's outburst in sickbay could not be a harbinger of things to come.

Mio stood as the door opened. She smiled tremulously at Janice. She looked so different. Her hair was midway down her back. She looked faded. "Jan," she said, then again just because it sounded so real. Janice took a few steps and stopped. She looked dazed. "Well, this is just silly," Mio said. She closed the distance and enveloped Janice in a hug. She felt Janice hesitate then grab on for dear life. Mio stroked her hair and murmured soothing endearments while Janice's body was wracked with sobs. Mio forced herself not to react to the odd feel of long hair.

"Honey, it's okay," she pleaded. Mio was afraid Janice was going to pass out. Her eyes sought out Janeway. With the Captain's help, they got her seated on the small couch and a glass of water in her hand. "Jan, the Captain told me how long it's been. I understand how hard this is. We'll take things slowly, okay?"

Once Janice had regained her composure, Mio cleared her throat nervously and said, "Jan, there was an incident on the shuttle. Nels, he got a little crazy." She shivered slightly. She'd had a shower not long ago but suddenly wanted another. "He, well, he locked the two of us in the storage compartment and attacked me. Wilson heard me banging and managed to force the door open before he could do too much." He'd done quite a lot, but Janice didn't need to hear about it. Thankfully he had been stopped before he could penetrate her with anything more than his fingers.

Mio hurried on to avoid any questions. "It happened but it's over. It's over," she repeated forcefully. If she said it enough times, it would be true. "We don't have the resources to keep him locked up. The Captain has promised that Nels will have to keep his comm badge on at all times and that an alarm will go off if he gets anywhere near me. I'm okay with this, and I need for you to be okay too."

Janice looked as if she were trying to remember how to speak. "He won't bother you, either." Mio hesitated. "I mean, if you still want to be with me. I know it's been a long time, Jan. I know you thought I was dead. I promise, I won't be mad." No, she'd be heartbroken. Shattered. Utterly destroyed.

Janice gave her a weak smile. "Now, that's just silly." Mio pulled her into another hug. She found herself the one crying this time. "I'm so sorry he tried to hurt you. We'll make sure he never does it again." Janice looked over at Janeway. "This won't ever happen again." Janeway nodded slightly.

Mio had to assure Janice a few more times that she was in fact okay. Janeway knew Mio was minimizing. She'd seen The Doctor's report. The bruises were gone now thanks to modern medicine but they had been extensive and disturbing. She wondered if she would protect a lover from the ugly truth as Mio was doing.

Janeway smiled. A happy reunion, despite everything. "Thank you, ladies. I expect both of you to turn around and walk away if you see Crewman Nels. I promise his duty schedule will keep him far from you." She had told Chakotay to put him on graveyard doing maintenance in waste processing. It wasn't the punishment he deserved but it would have to do. Ensign Cavanaugh, I've spoken with Seven and arranged for you to have a couple of days off. If you two wish to make another request for larger quarters in the future, let me know and I'll do what I can."

Mio nodded. "Thank you, ma'am." Dismissed, she walked with Janice. "I was assigned new quarters. They put some uniforms and some generic clothes in there for me. It's weird. It's like being in a stranger's quarters." Mio knew she was babbling but couldn't stop.

Janeway's smile vanished as her door closed. She would have a talk with Tuvok. It wouldn't hurt to have a security officer conveniently around when Nels returned to duty, at least for a while. She hoped the women would pick up where they'd left off. It made her feel good to see a happy couple. She felt a stab of loneliness. "It's just a part of the job," she told herself. As if this mission were ordinary. Still, the alternative she wanted simply was not available.