Disclaimer: The Ferengi, er, the Borg, I mean Paramount/Viacom own the names of characters, places and all that other spiffy stuff we see and hear and drool over (like Seven... mmm, yummy!) on Star Trek. They say as much in the credits, and on their website, and on the packaging of the videos, and... I digress... No copyright and/or trademark infringement intended.

Part One

Stardate 214794.8

Voyager sat docked to the upper pylon of starbase Deep Space Nine, shuttles and auxiliary craft flitting around nearby on their various tasks.

Inside the station, at a table in Quark's bar, sat Dr. Danielle Marcus, deep in conversation with fellow physician Julian Bashir.

"So, I ran a simple diagnostic scan," Marcus said, "and it immediately said that she was pregnant. I was just floored. I knew she and Kim had been in a relationship since just after Voyager found the Challenger, but Dr. Zimmerman had her on a regimen to inhibit the distribution of nanoprobes in her sexual organs. As an added precaution, he'd prescribed that Kim use condoms to block the nanoprobes."

"Condoms?" Bashir asked, surprised. "Seems a little archaic, if you ask me."

"I thought so, too," Marcus admitted. "I was also concerned the nanoprobes would get through the pores in the latex, but Dr. Zimmerman insisted they were too large for that. Archaic as birth control, perhaps, but effective for repelling the Borg."

"Fire latex torpedoes," Bashir quipped, eliciting a stifled laugh from Marcus. "So, tell me about your family. I understand your grandfather is James Kirk; I met him once."

"You met him?" Marcus asked, confused. "How did you meet him? He's been dead since 2293!"

"The Defiant was acidentally sent back in time," Bashir explained. "I was picked up with a group of Enterprise officers he reprimanded after a fight on Space Station K-7. Oh, and he _didn't_ die in 2293. Didn't you know about that?"

"No," Marcus said. "What?"

"The energy ribbon everyone thought he died at," Bashir said, "was actually a doorway to a temporal Nexus. Captain Picard from the Enterprise-E pulled him out, and he later died while helping Picard stop a madman named Soran, who was trying to get _into_ the Nexus. I'm surprised you didn't hear about it."

"I thought he was dead," Marcus said. "I didn't think there would _be_ anything new written about him."

Marcus walked into her quarters on Voyager and sat at the table after pulling a PADD from the closet.

"Computer," she said, "access Memory Alpha and display all information regarding James T. Kirk and the Nexus, then display it on this PADD."

"The requested operation will require fifteen minutes to complete," the computer's synthesized voice said.

"Proceed," Marcus said.

Fifteen minutes later, the computer beeped and a list of document titles appeared on the screen of the PADD.

"Search complete," the computer said.

Marcus keyed through the list, which was composed primarily of James T. Kirk's service record, scholarly articles concerning the Nexus, and Captain Jean-Luc Picard's report on the incident at Veridian III. She read the latter first.

At the design labs of Starfleet R&D in San Francisco on Earth, Lieutenant B'Elanna Paris was opening a new job file for her team - composed of her husband Lieutenant Tom Paris, Lieutenant Harry Kim, and his wife Annika.

"OK, here's the deal," B'Elanna said. "For the past four months, we've been trying to explain all the technology we found in the Delta Quadrant to half the Federation."

"Not to mention talk show appearances," Tom muttered.

"Now," B'Elanna continued, ignoring her husband, "Starfleet wants something more concrete. They want us to design a ship utlizing this technology."

"Just the four of us?" Tom asked. "They're crazy!"

"We can do it," Harry said. "We've got some experience from the Delta Flyer series."

"That's the spirit, Harry," B'Elanna said.

"What type of ship does Starfleet want," Annika asked, "cruiser, scout, scientific, battleship, or something else?"

"They didn't say," B'Elanna said, "but Admiral Quinteros implied that he wanted a new cruiser."

"How many nacelles do we want?" Tom asked. "Two? Four?"

"Do we even _need_ nacelles?" Harry asked. "We've got the Quantum Slipstream drive."

"But wouldn't you want to have warp drive installed in case the slipstream drive fails for some reason?" Tom replied.

"What about the Sikarian Spatial Projector?" B'Elanna asked. "Do we want to haul that out again and try to get it working?"

"We should stick to what we've already got working," Harry said. "If we get it to work later, we can use it then."

Annika moaned, clutching her womb, a grimace on her face.

"Seven, are you OK?" Harry asked.

"I believe I am entering childbirth," Annika said.

"We've got to get you to the Infirmary," Harry said, taking Annika's arm. He tapped his communicator. "Kim to Infirmary. Seven's going into labor. We're coming over."

"Acknowledged, Harry," came the reply. "We'll be ready when you get here."

Several hours later, Harry walked into the Infirmary's waiting room, where Tom and B'Elanna were sitting.

"Harry," Tom began.

"It's a boy," Harry answered, the question unasked.

Harry and the Parises walked back through the door and into the delivery room, where Annika lay in bed, the infant resting on her chest. Annika noted their entry and smiled at them.

Part Two

"Request denied," Chakotay said, leaning back in the desk chair of his Ready Room.

"Captain, please," Marcus said. "Let me explain. I'm _convinced_ my grandfather is still alive, inside the Nexus."

"I'm not," Chakotay said, "and I won't have you run off and risk your life trying to prove it."

"Let me take one of the Delta Flyers," Marcus pleaded. "They've got Slipstream now, and we could get to the ribbon in two days. Baytart's a good pilot - he won't get caught in the ribbon. He can beam me into it with an environmental suit. The risk is minimal."

"Doctor," Chakotay said, "I know what this means to you. Really, I do. But your request is still denied. I can't afford to lose either Baytart or yourself."

Marcus turned and exited the Ready Room.

Marcus entered Voyager's shuttlebay, noting with relief that not only was the Kes still in the main hangar, but the bay doors were open, as Voyager had support craft moving in and out of the shuttlebay.

Marcus pulled a phaser from the weapons locker near the shuttle control booth. She walked briskly to the Kes and stepped inside.

"Everybody out," Marcus ordered, waving the phaser at everyone in the Kes' cockpit. Not wanting to be shot - especially not knowing the phaser's setting - the engineering techs quickly fled into the shuttlebay. As soon as they were all off, Marcus sealed the shuttle's hatch.

"Captain," Dyson's voice came over the comm system moments later, "we've just had an unauthorized shuttle launch. Somebody's taken the Kes."

"Damn," Chakotay said, making his way to the Bridge. As he stepped from his Ready Room, he said, "Clear an emergency departure with Ops. Pursuit course."

Nearly a half-dozen doctors from Starfleet Medical were crowded into the recovery room with Annika, Harry and the baby, and they'd been asking questions and running tests all day. Tom and B'Elanna stepped through the door.

"Harry, Seven," Tom greeted his friends.

"Tom," Harry said warmly.

"How's the baby?" B'Elanna asked.

"He's doing fine," Harry said. "All these doctors are quite interested in him, though. Apparently, he was born with Borg hardware, but it's like nothing anyone's seen before; it's completely one with his system, flawlessly connected to the organic parts of his body."

"Have you decided on a name?" B'Elanna asked.

"Yeah," Harry said. "Thomas Magnus Kim." Tom's eyebrows perked up. "That's right, Tom. We named him after you."

"I'm honored," Tom said honestly.

"His middle name is for Seven's father," Kim explained.

"So," B'Elanna said, "you said his Borg components are one with the rest of his body. What Borg components?"

"Well, they're all sub-dermal," Kim said. "Actually, that's a good thing. It'll help him blend in better while he grows up. He's got - well, I guess implants isn't the best word, but it'll have to do - he's got implants along his bones that seem to strengthen them and simultaneously enhance his musculature. He's three times stronger than a normal infant his age."

"That could be a problem in the next few years," Tom quipped.

"It's already becoming a problem," Harry said. "He doesn't have fine motor control yet, so he's breaking a lot of what he gets his hands on."

"What other enhancements does he have?" B'Elanna asked.

"His retinas are lined with a sensor net similar to Seven's ocular implant," Harry said. "He's got something similar on his eardrums. Plus, he has an unusual transceiver assembly in his brain."

"He's not trying to contact the Collective, is he?" B'Elanna asked.

"No," Harry said. "That's what's unusual. It's strictly short- range. We're not sure _how_ it works, or what it's for. He's got a lot of implants we just can't classify yet."

"I am hungry," Annika said suddenly. "Wait, no, _I_ am not hungry. I just ate. Yet, I feel intense hunger."

Harry and B'Elanna looked at one another. "The transciever!" they said, simultaneously.

"Seven," Harry said, excitedly, as he came to his wife's side. "It's not _you_ that's hungry, it's Tommy!"

"That would seem to make sense," Annika said. "The sensation I now feel is similar to when I would receive data from the Collective. I must now be receiving images, emotions and sensations from our son."

"If he's hungry," Harry said, "then you should feed him."

Annika opened the front of her hospital gown and brought the infant's head near her breast. Tommy immediately began making a suckling gesture with his mouth, then found Annika's nipple and began to drink. Annika gasped.

"This is a curious sensation," Annika said. "Not entirely uncomfortable, yet somehow pleasing. I am also receiving a sensation of satisfaction from Tommy."

Part Three

Marcus brought the Kes out of slipstream, the energy ribbon of the Nexus a few kilometers ahead of her. She punched in the autopilot on the shuttle, instructing it to keep its distance.

Marcus made her way to the rear compartment of the Kes and pulled an environmental suit from the locker. As she began putting the garment on, the communications system came to life.

"Voyager to Kes," Chakotay's voice came over the speakers. "Dr. Marcus, respond, please."

Marcus ignored her commanding officer's voice as she locked her helmet into place. She pressed a button on a nearby control panel and disappeared in the shimmering glow of a transporter beam.

"She's beamed herself into the ribbon," Ensign Marla Gilmore said from the Ops position. "She's phasing in and out of reality. I'm having trouble getting a lock on her."

"Keep trying," Chakotay said.

"Damn it," Gilmore growled, pounding a fist on her console. "I've lost her, sir. She's gone."

Marcus stood, disoriented. she thought.

"Danielle?" a voice asked. Marcus turned.

"Mom?" Marcus asked, shocked. "You're dead!" Marcus looked around the room, noticing the other occupants. "Grandma? Dad? You're all _dead_! What's happening?"

"You're home," Marcus' mother said. "We're all together, forever."

"But where's my grandfather?" Marcus asked, her memories of her mission resurfacing. "Where's Jim Kirk?"

"He's around here, somewhere," Marcus' father, and Kirk's son, David, said.

"I've got to find him," Marcus said. She turned and, as she stepped through a doorway, she found herself inside Kirk's home on Earth, standing before a Great Dane. Marcus extended her hand, which the dog sniffed, then began licking.

"It seems he likes you," came the voice of Jim Kirk from behind Marcus. She stood, spinning to see him. "I take it you're from Starfleet, too," Kirk said, indicating her uniform.

"That's right," Marcus said. "Lieutenant Danielle Marcus, M.D. I'm here from 2376."

"Just don't tell me you're here because you need me to save the universe," Kirk said.

"No," Marcus said. "I'm here to get you out of here. Do you remember Veridian III?"

"Never been there," Kirk said. "Which is odd, because I remember leaving with Picard, but I also remember _watching_ myself leave with Picard."

"That's what I thought," Marcus said. "A part of you always remains in the Nexus. It's almost like being doubled by a transporter beam." Kirk winced. "Sorry, best analogy I could think of."

"So, if you don't want me to save the universe," Kirk said, "then why are you here?"

"You're my grandfather," Marcus said. Kirk looked dubiously at her. "No, really. My father is David Marcus, your son."

"David died in 2285," Kirk said. "You said you're from 2376."

"I was born in 2283," Marcus explained. "My mom never told David about me. She didn't even tell me until I was 18. I took his name, joined Starfleet and became a doctor. My first posting was the Challenger, and we were caught in an unstable wormhole after a fight with a Gorn ship. It deposited us in 2375. Only fifty of us survived."

"Carol was right," Kirk muttered.

"Right about what?" Marcus asked.

"She said David was a lot like me," Kirk said. "I guess she was more right than either of us knew."

"Come on," Marcus said. "I've got a shuttle waiting for us outside the ribbon."

"How do you know we'll actually leave?" Kirk asked.

"We will," Marcus assured him. "You left with Picard, but were killed during the ensuing fight. Be glad that part of you stays behind; you're now, essentially, immortal."

"Now I'm really glad I don't remember Veridian III," Kirk said.

"Just stay with me," Marcus said. "I'm following Picard's report on how he got out of the Nexus with you the first time. I'll take us to my shuttle at the same time as I was beaming myself into the ribbon."

Part Four

Harry Kim held the door to the apartment open as Annika walked through, holding their infant son, Tommy.

"He is confused," Annika said. "But he likes the bright colors." Harry grinned.

"I had all his toys reinforced with tritanium," Harry said as they entered Tommy's room. "He should have a harder time breaking them now. I just hope he doesn't try to squeeze my fingers too hard."

Annika placed Tommy in his crib and the infant looked around, taking in his new surroundings. He looked to his parents for comfort.

"Does he know who we are?" Harry asked.

"He felt a closeness to me from the start," Annika said. "I had to provide him with the necessary data for him to recognize you."

"So the link is two-way," Harry said. "That could make his education interesting."

"I will augment his classroom education as he grows," Annika said, "but I will do so in moderation, as the doctors requested."

"Voyager to Kes," Chakotay's voice came over the speakers. "Dr. Marcus, respond, please."

Marcus ignored her commanding officer's voice as she locked her helmet into place. She pressed a button on a nearby control panel and disappeared in the shimmering glow of a transporter beam.

Kirk and Marcus appeared a few feet away from the past Marcus moments after the transport began, but the past Marcus didn't notice them. The pair made their way to the shuttle's cockpit, where Marcus keyed the communications.

"Kes to Voyager," Marcus said.

"Dr. Marcus?" Chakotay asked. "We're reading you as having just beamed yourself into the ribbon."

"I did," Marcus said, "but I'm also on the shuttle. It has to do with a lot of temporal physics that I really don't want to think about. I did it, sir. My grandfather is also aboard with me, and I'm requesting permission to land."

"Permission granted," Chakotay said. "I'll meet you in the shuttlebay. Oh, and doctor, don't think this absolves you of violating regulations." Chakotay cut the transmission, and Marcus instructed the shuttle to head for Voyager's main shuttlebay.

"It seems David isn't the only one who took after me," Kirk said.

Marcus and Kirk stepped out of the Kes and into Voyager's shuttlebay, where Chakotay and Dyson stood, waiting.

"Permission to come aboard," Kirk said as he reached Chakotay.

"Permission granted, Captain," Chakotay said. "It's an honor to meet you, sir."

"Doctor," Chakotay said, turning to Marcus, "it seems you were right. That doesn't change the fact that you stole the Kes to get here."

"Sir," Marcus said, "it seemed like the only way that I would get my grandfather out of the Nexus."

"Nevertheless," Chakotay continued, "I still have to punish you. You're confined to quarters while off-duty until we get back to Deep Space Nine, although you are permitted visitors. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," Marcus said. "I understand."

"Captain Kirk," Dr. Julian Bashir said, extending his hand to the legendary space captain. "Dr. Julian Bashir. It's a pleasure to meet you again."

"Again?" Kirk asked.

"Time travel accident," Bashir explained. "I was on Space Station K-7 in 2269."

"Ah," Kirk said.

"Gentlebeings," said Quark as he walked over to the table occupied by Kirk, Bashir and Marcus, "can I get you anything?"

"I'll have a raktajino, Quark," Bashir said.

"Synthale," Marcus said.

"The same," Kirk said, indicating his granddaughter.

"Well, I'll be damned," a voice breathed from the entry to Quark's. Kirk turned, the voice familiar.

"Bones!" Kirk exclaimed. "Spock, Scotty, it's good to see all of you again."

"Why is it I'm the only one of this group who looks like he's aged a damned bit?" Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy asked.

"Doctor," Spock said, "aside from myself, you _are_ the only one in this group who has aged."

"Eighty years and he hasn't changed a damned bit," McCoy muttered. "And how are you, young lady? I'm pleased to finally be able to meet you in person."

"I'm fine, thank you," Marcus said. "Please, have a seat, all of you."

"So you're David's daughter," Montgomery "Scotty" Scott said, unable to stop looking at the young woman.

"That's right," Marcus said. "I didn't know that until 2301, though."

"Carol mentioned you to me once," McCoy said. "I kept in touch with her for around ten years after we thought you died, Jim."

"Is she...?" Kirk asked, hopeful.

"I'm sorry, no," Marcus said. "I tried to find her when I got back to Earth four months ago. She died in 2315, five years after my disappearance."

"What happened to everyone else?" Kirk asked.

"Well," McCoy began, "you know that Chekov finally made Captain just before the commissioning of the Enterprise-B. He got her from Harriman two years later. Uhura was his first officer. Sulu stayed on the Excelsior until he retired."

Two days later, the Kes departed Voyager, with Marcus, Kirk, Scott, McCoy and Spock aboard. Marcus set course for Earth and engaged the slipstream drive.

end