Returning to the 'Present'

I gasped for air, suddenly able to breathe once again. I had used every ounce of energy that I had left on L'Naan and could feel my heartbeat slowing. I knew that I had been moments away from death, yet I was now perfectly healed and sitting in Janeway's Ready Room with a cup of tea in my hand.

"Rebecca? Are you okay?" Janeway asked with concern, noticing the chance.

"I… I'm sorry. I… I… I had a vision… of sorts," I stuttered.

"What happened?" she asked with concern, setting her coffee on the small table in front of us.

"Bridge to Janeway. There is an alien ship approaching, hailing us," Chakotay said through the comm system.

The convenient timing made Janeway raise an eyebrow and look at me. While I knew what she was asking silently, I just shook my head, not wanting to discuss it at the moment. She took it as though my vision had no relation to the approaching aliens.

"I'll be right there, Commander," Janeway replied, tapping her badge and standing up. "Are you okay, Rebecca?"

"I need a few moments, if possible," I responded honestly.

"Of course," she agreed and then headed for the door.

After she left the room, I touched my chest where the Death Knight General's attack had landed. There was no pain or signs of damage, of course, since I had likely returned to the 'past' when the Voyager 'first' makes contact with the Kremin, which ends peacefully with Voyager going around their space, ending the episode. My thoughts went to L'Naan and Echo since they had been heavily injured as well, especially L'Naan. I was not sure how much I was able to heal her before I passed out, but I doubted it was much.

I tapped my badge and said, "Rebecca to Fae Dragon. I want to know the members of my crew."

::Rebecca Cox, Katye Starens, Raven Reyes, Echo kom Azgeda, and L'Naan, daughter of Miral.::

"She's alive," I breathed out a sigh of relief.

I contemplated calling all three of them and ordering them back to our ship, but I knew that I could do it properly if I waited for Janeway to return. It did not take long for her to walk back into the room and rejoined me on the couch.

"Have you recovered?" Janeway asked.

"Yes, my apologies, Kathryn," I replied.

"You did nothing wrong. Can you tell me about what you saw?"

"Perhaps; could you tell me if the aliens were the Krenim and asking you to not enter their space?"

"They did announce themselves as the Kremin Imperium and warned us that the territory is in dispute, so we altered course around it," she replied with a hint of surprise.

"Then it was not a vision, but rather, it was similar to the Time Paradox, in which I acquired the Doctor's mobile emitter. We were drawn into a battle with a Krenim Time Ship that had the ability to erase things from the Timeline, as if they never existed. Voyager was lost in the scuffle and my ship was heavily damaged by the Time Ripple as it could resist the effects to an extent. It took my crew over four years before we managed to destroy the Time Ship and undo all of the damage that they had caused, and it was a hard-fought battle… If possible, I would like for my crew to take leave for a week or two, and we may even choose to leave Voyager for a short period. We underwent a significant period of growth, fighting against the… 'Krenim'… and I am unsure of how much of it has remained, so we need to isolate ourselves for some time," I said.

Janeway looked troubled by my statement but agreed to my request. I did not wait around long after that and excused myself almost immediately. I called the three members of my crew and ordered them to the ship. I was still part-Borg, so I knew that Raven was still gone. Everyone sounded as shaken up as I had been, with L'Naan the most troubled. I did not question it since I remembered the state that she had been in before we returned to Voyager.

Echo and I made it back to the ship at the same time while L'Naan was already onboard. We headed inside and upstairs, where L'Naan was standing with her back to us as she drank out of the bottle of Spirit Wine. What made both of us freeze mid-step was her left side, more specifically, what was missing from her side. Her left shoulder, and all below, was gone; the arm that she lost to the Death Knight General had not been restored.

"There's a design for a prosthetic arm that Raven made since she would have if I had joined you from the beginning of Voyager. Parts can be replicated, but Katye will need to do the enchanting work. I'd appreciate it if that can be a priority," L'Naan said gruffly, not looking back at us.

"Of course, I'll talk to her; I doubt that she would refuse," I promised. "How… are you?"

L'Naan downed the last of the bottle in her hand then tossed it behind her. I had not expected her to react in such a way, but I was still able to 'catch' the bottle with my Wind Domain. She did not care as she opened the fridge and pulled out a new bottle.

"Wonderfully, petaQ," she huffed as she pulled the stopper out with her teeth. "I'm a one-armed warrior and I just found out that my entire life, and this universe, is nothing more than a television show."

"Join the club," Echo retorted.

"I wanted to tell you, but its not the easiest thing to accept," I sighed.

"Even after watching 'Voyager' all the way through, I still have difficulties accepting it. Tom Paris, really? What the hell is B'Elanna thinking?" L'Naan complained.

I chuckled and retorted, "You should have seen who Echo was destined to end up with, if Katye and I had never appeared."

"I never would have been with that Natrona (traitor)," Echo spat.

"He had his…" my words trailed off as I sensed Katye enter the ship.

While all of us had grown stronger during the Trial, even our combined effort could not match the change that she had undergone. Her mana reserves were nearly double my own, when before, she had about three-fourths of my full amount. Her aura had shifted from intelligent and quizzical playfulness to more aloof and withdrawn, while still feeling extremely intelligent.

"Well, you three have grown stronger, especially you, L'Naan. Sancu didn't mention that you were going to become a Vazukuru. I wonder what powers you were given," Katye remarked as she came up the stairs.

The statement was innocent enough, but there was a strange detachment in her tone.

L'Naan smirked, holding out her hand and flaring her mana as her eyes shut. A burnt sienna colored mass of light formed in front of her fingertips and took the shape of a bat'leth; Soul Power was infused into the mana, and the bat'leth became a solid crystal weapon. When she opened her eyes, one was now dyed the color of her mana.

"A Soul-Weapon and the 'Eye of Warcraft'. The Soul-Weapon can take the shape of any weapon that I can use Weapon-Force with, and it will grow stronger along side the power of my own Soul. My 'Eye of Combat' allows me to analyze the attacks and defenses of my opponent," L'Naan explained with a light smile. "It will take some time for me to catch up to Echo, but every time that I use my weapon, it will nourish my Soul, closing the distance slowly."

"We'll see about that," Echo snorted.

"Now that we are all here," I said, since Echo did not seem suspicious of the changes in Katye, "I got us two weeks off from our duties, and we can even leave Voyager. How about I go look for a nice planet for all of us to relax on and get used to living in a safe environment again?"

"I'm not against it," Katye remarked.

Echo shrugged, not caring either way as long as we were off duty, while L'Naan nodded and said, "I don't mind, but I'd like a replacement arm as soon as possible, if I can trouble you, Katye, for assistance with the enchanting process."

"Of course, I'll get started on it after I cook us a nice meal. You two wash up, Rebecca can plot a course then join you. I know you haven't had it easy while we were separated," Katye suggested.

"Alright," Echo agreed while L'Naan nodded her head.

The two of them moved towards the bedroom, but I stayed still and looked at Katye. She smiled at me though it did not quite reach her eyes. While they were tranquil, there was a tiredness that I had not seen before.

"How long has it been since you had a proper sleep, not just replacing it with meditation?" I asked.

"It's been a while," she replied with a light smirk.

"Katye," I sighed.

"I didn't sleep the entire time we were separated," she replied.

"Which was how long for you exactly?" I questioned.

"How long was the trial to you?"

"Katye…" I started with some annoyance.

"My task was related to the Time element and, surprisingly, that makes it harder to estimate the amount of time I spent on it. I just know the conversion," she cut me off.

"Which is?"

Katye let out a heavy sigh and replied, "One day of your time was equal to twenty-five for me."

"Over eighty-five years?!? What the hell were you doing? Why weren't you taking proper care of yourself?!?"

She chuckled, which actually reached her eyes this time, and closed the distance between us as she said, "I've missed you, my fussy Dragon."

She placed a hand on my cheek, and despite my concern and worry for her, I could not resist the urge to just melt into her arms as she slid them around me. She smiled and rested her head against my forehead, tracing my jawline with a finger.

"We aren't human anymore, my little Dragon, so stop holding the same limitations to us. The sheer reason why there are no signs of aging despite the long time that I was gone is because my body is in the initial stages of a Telo transformation. Unlike you, I simply take a lot of time to build up my strength to fuel the change. Eighty-five years is nothing compared to the future ahead of us," Katye chided gently.

I sighed as I pushed her away gently, knowing that what she said was true, but she was also trying to distract me from my point. "Katye, you haven't even been with all of us for a fourth of that time… and you were alone for that whole time, weren't you?"

"I was training, Rebecca; I didn't want to waste any time on solving Sancu's seals while the three of you were fighting for your lives. I did what I needed to do to get the most out of this opportunity for all of us," she defended, ready for a fight.

"I don't doubt that, but that's not the problem! Your aura has changed, which means a clear shift in your personality! Echo may not have noticed it, but I certainly can! We're practically strangers to you, and I doubt that you'd be able to step back into your role on Voyager without worrying those close to you, even with the weeks that I've requested off. I'm not mad that you did it; I've done stupider things in the past… It's just… If you keep training like this, separating for years of time, even if only to yourself… Do you really think that things will stay the same between all of us?"

Katye sighed and walked into the kitchen. "You're right, and I've already thought of that, but…" she replied softly, flexing her aura to show its full strength, "even after eighty-five years of studying, I only have a one out of six chance in stopping you if you rampage like you did against the lich that changed your strategy against the undead and, if you manage to be able to resist my Time spells, the chances drop to one out of twenty. This is the sacrifice that my power requires, just like the danger that yours hold."

"I'm sorry," I sighed, knowing that she was sacrificing her time and happiness just to have a chance of keeping me under control.

"I'm not," she replied honestly with a soft smile over her shoulder. "Just like you; I had a normal life once, and I wouldn't go back for anything. Everything that I have ever wanted, truly, is right here at my fingertips. I have you, Echo, L'Naan, Filigree, my magic…"

"Raven… you forgot to say Raven," I said with a hint of coldness.

There was a flash of confusion before the realization set in and she covered her mouth in shock.

"I'm going to set a course," I huffed, wanting to stop the fight that was bubbling.

"Rebecca, I didn't mean…"

"I know, Katye, but that's my point. I don't want to fight about this. I've got no right to criticize what you think is the best for your power; I'm just scared of the 'price' you have to pay."

"The 'loss of our Egos' is the danger that we both face; swept up in one storm or eroded away, bit by bit, by the waves of Time."

"That doesn't make me worry about you any less," I retorted with a weak smile before walking down the stairs.

For nearly four years, I had not thought about the impending danger that my strength represented. My whole task had been to make sure that Echo and L'Naan grew stronger while I held back the horde. It was a simple task, a simple goal, which I excelled in... Until something changed and I tripped up, with someone losing an arm.

Twisted as it was, I found it refreshing to see her struggle with something. While she may not be stronger than me, there was never a time that I saw her truly struggle when I was not in a similar state. There was always this weight on my shoulders, reminding me to not lose control, which I never saw with her... because she did not have that. Who knew how long Alkatyenia had trained versus Dystina, who avoided most forms of Time-Zones by instinct? Hundreds of years, thousands, tens of thousands? How could someone dip into and out of daily life between long stints of isolated training? I certainly could not do it.

I made my way to the bridge and used Fae's sensors to scan the planets along Voyager's projected course. There were several planets that I found, but I chose one that was uninhabited. I transmitted a flight plan to Voyager along with my request to disembark. They granted me permission to leave quickly, no doubt Janeway had already expected it to happen. Flying away from Voyager, I set a course for the world and looked at scans of the surface, searching for a nice place to land.

[What's wrong?] Echo's voice rang through my head.

[Nothing.] I replied, dismissively.

[You've put up the wall that hides your emotions. You only do that when you are going into Moody-Dragon mode.]

I chuckled. [I don't know what you are talking about... but, I think you need to have a private conversation with Katye sooner rather than later.]

She let the topic go, understanding that it had to do with Katye, and I was respecting her privacy. I did not want to taint her opinion when Katye explained her side of training her power, so it was better to keep my thoughts to myself. In fact, I had my own questions about it and was willing to risk one of the few times that I could call upon her Wisp of Consciousness.

My mind sunk into my Inner Realm, slightly different from when I meditated on my Soul Realm. The galaxy that I had been forming in my Soul Realm was the backdrop of my Inner Realm. The size of my Inner Realm was smaller than a ten-by-ten room, but it was enough for me to sit in the space while Dystina manifested herself within my Soul Realm.

{I gave you five chances to call upon me, and the first time you want to use it is on relationship advice?} Dystina mocked, with a laugh.

 {I don't need you to fight my battles. If I die, I die, and the next Inheritor can deal with this legacy of yours.} I retorted.

Dystina chuckled. {If you aren't me then I don't know who is.}

{Shut up!} I huffed, since I still did not like comparing myself to her. {Answer my question.}

{Is that really all you want to know? You have barely tapped into the potential of your Chaos magic; the only thing holding you...}

{...Back is me. I get it, but the others aren't ready. I'm already so much stronger than them, and even the setting of this universe, yet I can't just rush to the end. My answer to Lincoln's question has never changed; I want this power so that I can protect those that I care about, nothing more, nothing less.}

Dystina smiled and shifted into her humanoid form, sitting across from me. {You may hate it, but we truly are alike. I understand your concerns with Katye; Alkatyenia and I faced similar difficulties in the beginning of our relationship. It's doubtful that she can have long training periods like she just had; the bare minimum to power the conversion that Katye said requires an Elder God of Time to fuel it. While Istar has the strength to negate that loss of power, his students that he's delegated to watching you certainly pulled something special out for this event that you've experienced. This isn't something that will happen regularly, but Katye is bound to take whatever chance that she can get. She needs these opportunities to be able to grow alongside us.}

{I get that, but she literally forgot about someone we have been intimate with for ten years because of her last training session.} I snapped.

{It happens, but that's part of the dynamic of our relationship. Alkatyenia is the outgoing one, pulling people into our group, while I would lock onto certain ones who became those that we could rely on no matter what we were facing. We had dozens of lovers because she would often get distracted by some goal, just like most Immortals, so she could not be together with me for long periods of time. I would shift between our lovers, fight some random battle, overthrow a nation or two... but whenever Alkatyenia returned, despite being Chaos itself, I was the rock that grounded her. What she needs most is a secure place to come back to, one that will 'check' her when she has spent too much time away.}

I sighed, looking out into the cosmic scene around me.

{Let me go, and you can have a second question like this at no cost. You already know what to do about Katye, so stop worrying; it won't change anything.}

I smirked at her then woke myself up. Despite her bravado, there was a significant restriction on what help Dystina could give me. If she was forced to step in and suppress the Chaos within me, my Ego would likely be consumed in the process. She could teach me certain techniques, which was what she meant for the five chances to call on her, but without something specific to ask about, I would rather rely on myself and the dreams of her life to help me create my path forward. She might tease me for wanting some relationship advice, there was no denying that Katye was my rock at most points, so I needed to know how she had dealt with it.

The doors to the bridge opened, and L'Naan walked in with a plate of food. She looked surprised when she saw me and said, "Echo said that you were meditating."

"I just woke up. Was I unresponsive for that long?" I asked.

"Over an hour. We finished our shower and dinner," she replied, placing the plate on the console next to me.

"Damn, it didn't seem even a quarter of that. Thanks for the food."

L'Naan huffed and started for the door. Glancing at the connection to Echo, I knew that she had just started her conversation with Katye. 

"Wait, I would like to talk to you," I said, hoping to stop her.

"About what?"

{Aside from the chip on your missing shoulder,} I thought to myself then said aloud, "You were expecting to have to wait for me to wake up, right? You got asked to check on me, so that Katye and Echo could talk. We had three and half years in that hell hole while Katye spent eighty-five in whatever prison that Sancu created for her. She's not really herself right now, so they need some time together to figure things out between them."

L'Naan huffed but turned around and walked back over to me. "What planet did you find?"

I smiled and turned back to the helm console, tapping a few buttons. The front window with streaking stars was covered with the image of a blue and green planet with three moons. 

"It's uninhabited and very temperamental, with storms that constantly lash across the surface. I found a beautiful spot on the coast with a giant waterfall coming down the cliffs that are ringed in by a small jungle and a beach. With my Storm Domain, I can break up any storm that wants to ruin our day. There are plenty of animals for Echo to hunt. I can sun on the beach. Katye can read, swim, relax, and do whatever else she wants to do. I just don't know what you like to do when you're on vacation, or I'd guess that as well."

I switched to pictures of the site that I had chosen as I spoke. She smiled at me and turned her attention to the images. The place I had chosen was an eight-hundred-foot radius section of beach and jungle, with steep cliffs acting as a block to the rest of the land. The center point of the space was the waterfall that I had mentioned. It was a gorgeous blue and white waterfall, splashed against red cliffs, into red sands that led directly out to the ocean.

"Beautiful," she remarked.

"I thought so," I remarked with a smile. "Honestly, whatever you want to do when we land, you can. I'm going to create some kind of structure near the base of the waterfall and down on the beach. If you have any requests, we can make it happen if it's within our capabilities."

"I'm sure," she retorted, never looking at me until the end of the pictures. "How am I supposed to fit into your group again? I was barely a member before all of this and now I have been thrust into the middle of your relationship with my Soul bound to you and Katye. No one but the group knows that I am, was, B'Elanna. I even have tech over my shoulder to make it easier for the prosthetic arm to attach and function, so there are three years of a life that I don't remember."

I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck, and replied, "Things will not have changed too much if Tori did not give us the 'memories' or some script, so that should be the least of your worries. As for the B'Elanna side of things, isn't that what you wanted?"

"I just don't know who I am anymore," she said softly.

I closed the distance between us and slid an arm around her waist while I placed my other hand on her cheek. "You are L'Naan, daughter of Miral, and you are loved by me, Echo, Raven, and Katye. The rest only matters if you want it to matter. We will always support you and your decisions, so long as you don't go too crazy; there are lines that should not be crossed."

She chuckled and leaned closer, kissing me. "Fine, I'll look at it that way, but I want to spar against you with no powers, except my 'eye'. I want to see what it's capable of."

"As you wish," I chuckled.

A/N: Hey, readers, I'm back... more or less. I've been dealing with a lot of medical issues between my wife and I, plus battling some heavy depression after losing my grandmother. Chapter releases may be a little disjointed for the next few weeks until I'm back into my usual groove, but I wanted to release this one, so that no one loses hope in me and the story. Thank you all because I can see that the number of library additions grow every day which is a great motivation to keep going.