Part One

Bryce shifted from one foot to another. She hadn’t been so nervous for quite a while.

"Eve, stop that. You’re making me nervous. More nervous, that is." Her second scolded.

"Sorry." She muttered, stopping. Eve now tapped her nails on the wall.

Kamii elbowed him to shut up, accompanied by a roll of Talon’s eyes. Eve had lifted the restriction only hours earlier.

"Took long enough." Eve said, with some irritation.

"It’s not like you’re meeting the Queen or anything. You know these people." Arik smiled at her.

"Daddy!" Eve yelled, running to her father, and throwing her arms around him. "Oh. And

Alexis." She added, after a moment, glancing at the woman.

"Hello, dear." She smiled sweetly, and Eve held back a glare.

"Well, it’s most certainly not Harry’s mother." Eve giggled.

"Dad, I-I- uh, wasn’t expecting you." Paris stuttered.

Tom’s eldest sister hugged him. "We missed you, Tommy. It’s been a long time."

Several feet away stood Talon and Kamii. After a moment of watching the events, they turned and left. Neither had any family. Any that would show up, anyway.

Amber Gibson hugged her son. "Arik," she said, slightly tearfully, "I was worried I'd never see you again!"

He returned the hug, and them embraced his father.

"Yeah, well, you know me. Anything for you." he grinned at his mother.

"Did you bring my clothes?" Eve asked, and her father laughed.

"Eve! Come over here, meet my family." Harry called over.

"Alright." She grabbed her fathers wrist, and proceeded to pull him to where the Kim family stood. Alexis followed behind them.

"Eve, this is my mother; my father-" Harry began.

"John." Interrupted Mr. Kim, shaking hands with Eve.

"Right. And well, these are my grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins." Harry smiled.

"Nice to meet you." Eve paused. "My dad, Garrett, and his wife, Alexis." She mentioned Alexis with somewhat less enthusiasm.

After abandoning his parents, who were now talking to the Truans, Arik came up behind Eve, kissing her neck. "Hi there."

"Arik!" She exclaimed. "This is not the time." She paused. "Or the place, for that matter. But we’ve already had that discussion."

Eve’s face turned a bit pink, making Arik laugh.

"Uh, um. Well, how about a tour of the Eclipse?" Eve changed subjects.

"Alright then, let’s go." Harry announced, leading the group.

"Eve, Starfleet has a surprise for you guys." Garrett said quietly.

"If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise, now would it?"

"Eve…" said her father, in his ‘don’t be rude to Alexis, young lady’ tone.

"Don’t Eve me!" she snapped. "I’m an adult, you can’t go punishing me every time I say something you don’t find nice."

"Eve Harmony Bryce, do not take that tone with me. You maybe be 21, but you are still my daughter." He said calmly. "We’ll discuss this later." Then smiled, and spoke louder so everyone could hear. "So, where does this tour start?"

"Garrett, honey," Alexis whispered to her husband. "When are you going to tell her?"

"No. The other thing." She nodded toward her stomach.

Captain Janeway sighed. A week had passed since the disappearance of the Eclipse.

"Kathryn, you have to realize, we may not see them again." Chakotay said, gently.

"We’re going to find them." She looked up at him from the desk. "We’ll probably hear all about their return in the next sub-space transmission."

"You have to accept that they may not have made it."

"I can’t. A captain doesn’t give up on her crew- ever. And something tells me they’re out there."

"This is our bridge. It has been fully upgraded with the newest technology." Eve smiled, opening her mouth to continue, when…

"Captain on the bridge!" Chandler announced from his post. Immediately all the officers seated stood.

"As you were. You know, you don’t have to do that every time."

"Aw, you know you like it, Evey." Arik said, putting his arm around her waist. She removed his arm.

"I’m still annoyed at you about that kiss thing. In private I don’t mind at all, but my father was present! Moreover, Admiral Paris! Sometimes I wonder if you ever use your head to think."

"Well, is anybody hungry?" Harry asked, spotting the argument. "This would be a great time to visit the mess hall."

"Alright, you can meet several other members of our crew there.." Ensign Kim continued, leading the group off the bridge.

"Well now, just what were you saying about me?" Arik asked, glaring at his best friend/girlfriend.

"I was about to say that you’re always doing things like that! I thought we talked about how to act while on duty."

"Okay, I’m sorry." He forced a smiled. "Let’s go eat."

"Hey, look, your cousin’s flirting with Zeke." Tom pointed out to Harry. "Alright Zeke."

Tom shrugged. "Zeke’s a good guy. She’ll be fine." He eyes wondered across the room ,

spotting an unhappy looking couple walking through the door. "Uh-oh."

"Things should get very interesting…." He walked toward the food line. "Come one, I want to hear this."

"What’s wrong with you today, anyway?" Arik asked.

"Oh, I see, ‘nothing’ is what makes you all edgy. I guess it was just ‘nothing’ back there on the bridge, huh? And with Alexis? You act like she’s ‘El diablo.’"

"Ooh, he’s in for in now…" Tom muttered to Harry. "Watch, you might learn something about what not to say to women."

"The Devil?" Eve laughed sharply. "No. She’s just… she isn’t… I…"

"She’s not Carrie. Not your birth mother. Oooh big offense! Better hate her, better yet, burn her at the stake. Seeing what a witch she is, you know, treating you like her own daughter. Just where does she get off? How dare she care about you."

"What of it?" she flipped hair over her shoulder, like she did when she got really annoyed.

"You’re jealous aren’t you?" Arik demanded. "Spoiled brat. You’ve got no reason to be this bitchy to everyone."

"Words of death." noted Tom. "She’ll probably slap him."

"I am not jealous, and I am not a brat, and I’m not being bitchy. Honestly, sometimes I don’t know how I put up with you."

"In front of everyone! What don’t you understand? It’s embarrassing."

"Oh, so I’m embarrassing, and you’re jealous of your stepmother."

"Mad that you have to share your father’s attention, are you? Is that it?"

"No, and don’t be a jackass. They’ve been married since I was 14. I’m over the attention thing. Like 6 years over!"

"Then what is it? Why are you treating everyone like crap?"

Eve slapped him across the face, then stood there, looking at him, slightly stunned at her own actions.

"Hey! Eve, you know what? Suddenly, I’ve lost my appetite. And my desire to see you again." He pushed past her, heading for the door.

"Told you she’d slap him." Tom shook his head. "Bad word choice on his part. Very bad word choice."

"Eve, uh-" Harry began, trying to decide what to say.

"I was going to ask if you like to join Tom and I later. We were going to head down to the holodeck."

"Sure." She smiled. "Sorry for snapping at you, Harry. I’m not in the best of moods."

He nodded. "It’s fine. It’s been a stressful time for everyone."