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Edward Janeway grinned at the woman’s image that appeared on his vid screen.

"Miral," he said happily, "how are you?"

Miral Paris' forehead ridges crinkled with her smile. "Hello, Eddie, welcome back."

Edward just smiled. Miral was the only one allowed to use that nickname.

"I still owe you a birthday dinner," she continued. "How do you like the 60th decade so far?"

"Just fine, but you know more about that than I do," he teased back.

She made a face at him, then sobered. "I'm glad you're back, but I'm afraid I have bad news."

He automatically sat forward. "You all right?"

"I'm fine. It's Uncle Lewis. His program is degrading."

He was silent for a moment. "Can't engineering fix him?" he finally asked in disbelief.

Miral shook her head. "Doesn't look like it. Marah's taken over, with Uncle Harry's help, but she says she can't upgrade some critical components in his matrix."

He sat back in shock. Mother had been gone two years now, Dad decades longer. Lewis was one of his few remaining links to them.

"Where is he?"

"Right now, at Marah's lab at the university. I was going to see him this afternoon. I was hoping you'd come along."

"To say goodbye?"

"Not yet," she said firmly.


***



The trip to Marah Kim's lab gave Edward some much-needed time to think. Uncle Lewis, Voyager's holographic doctor, had always been around, part of the mythology that surrounded his parents.

He'd heard the stories about Voyager, and how his mother fought Starfleet to have the Doctor declared a sentient being.

Her success had forced the hologram to do something he had avoided for years -- take a name. After deliberation ... and a bit of prodding from Mom ... he chose the name of his creator, Lewis Zimmerman.

Oddly enough, Mom and Dad seldom called him Lewis.

The Doctor looked surprisingly chipper. "It’s good to see you," he said as he grasped Edward's hand a bit too tightly.

"Uncle Lewis, how are you?" Edward asked as he instinctively flexed his hand.

"Well, this has been rather distressing," Lewis said, his annoyance quite clear. "I must say, Starfleet engineering has been quite the disappointment."

Uncle Lewis' personality subroutines were still intact, Edward noted. "I'm sorry. I'm still hoping Marah can find a way to help you," he said diplomatically.

"Thank you," Lewis said as sat down next to Miral. "I suppose I should be grateful. I've certainly outlived all the other Mark I models. But still ..."

"I wish Mom was here," Miral said. "We could use her insight on this."

Lewis smiled sadly. "I miss your mother ... I miss both your mothers. I was just thinking that it's too bad we holograms don't have an afterlife. I'd love to see them ... and the rest of the crew again."

"Well, Mom never put much stock in an afterlife, though Ally would disagree." Three weeks after Mom's funeral, his sister called in the middle of the night to say she'd seen their parents in a vision quest. Not that he believed it, but the idea gave him some comfort.

"Perhaps your father got the last word on that ... for once," Lewis quipped.

***

In spite of Marah's best efforts, the Doctor's matrix continued to degrade. When some of his medical subroutines glitched, he requested a leave of absence. Fortunately, his mobile emitter continued to sustain him, so he could visit friends, or play the occasional round of golf. Lately, though, he'd closeted himself in his office, refusing most company.

"What's he doing in there?" Miral asked.

"Says he's writing an opera," Marah replied as she sipped her coffee.

"I thought he'd be writing his memoirs," Edward said.

Miral laughed. "Dad once told me that he did write a book, and managed to piss off the entire crew. Aunt Kathryn had to intervene from Voyager to get the book pulled."

"Really?" Edward asked in surprise. Then again, Mom never talked a lot about Voyager. He sighed. "So, how much time does he have left?" he asked.

Marah shrugged. "I suspect another couple of months with his emitter, after that, he'll have to stay in the holographic labs."

She sighed in frustration. "Normally, we'd just overlay a new matrix, though I understand your mother did that once," she said, nodding toward Miral. "But his damn subroutines ...I've never seen anything like this; it looks like a mangrove forest. Everything has branched out and intertwined. I'm afraid that we'll lose one of them, which would ..."

"Would be like performing a lobotomy," Edward finished for her. He sighed. "So what do we do? Let him wink out on his own? Give him a ceremony, then turn him off?"

Miral winced. "Turning him off seems a bit harsh. I think it's up to Lewis to decide."

Marah nodded. "He's said that he wants to just wink out. At least at the labs, he won't be alone when the time comes. "

Miral shook her head. "I keep thinking about what he said: That he wished there was a photonic afterlife. I wish we could give him one."

"A photonic Sto-vo-kor?" Edward teased.

Marah looked at him strangely.

"What?"

"Maybe we can give him an afterlife," she whispered.


****

"So exactly what is Marah doing?" Brendan Janeway asked his father as they drove to the university.

"From what Miral has told me, she's created a holographic version of Voyager for Lewis to live in," Edward explained. "This new program would take over his power requirements and let him run for several years ... maybe long enough to repair him. Harry helped her tap into Voyager's holoprogram library, and she's pulled things from Reg Barclay's and Tom and B'Elanna's files."

Brendan shook his head. "I always thought of Uncle Lewis as being immortal."

Edward nodded. "So did I. But I realized the other day that he's really not much older than I am."

Brendan raised an eyebrow. "Think about it," his father said. "Lewis was activated at the beginning of Voyager's journey. That makes him 69, give or take a year. He's just always been an adult."

"Well, sort of an adult, anyway," Brendan quipped.

They found Miral waiting outside a holosuite.

"So?" Edward asked.

"You have to see this. Marah's did an incredible job," she replied as she punched in the code. Before she hit the last button, she turned back. "Better steady yourselves; I got emotional when I saw this."

The doors slid open, and they walked onto Voyager's bridge.

"Oh, my God," Edward exclaimed as he squeezed Miral's hand.

"I know," she whispered, her voice choked with tears.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Marah said, her voice floating over from ops. Edward realized that she was standing next to a very young Harry Kim.

"It is," Brendan breathed as he spun around to take it all in.

Frozen in time, Tuvok stood at tactical; Tom Paris sat at the helm. And in the command chair sat Kathryn Janeway.

Edward walked unsteadily toward his mother's image and perched in the first officer's chair to gaze at her. Brendan followed, getting down on one knee to get a better look.

"You know, I've seen the images ... but this isn't Nana. Not to me," Brendan finally said. He was right. This young woman, her hair twisted in a severe bun, was rigid, military spit-and-polished ... definitely not the mother and grandmother they knew.

"It is though," Marah said. "That’s how she was at the beginning of the journey ... about nine years before your father was born, to be specific."

"They are so young," Miral whispered, reaching to touch her father's image. "Daddy did have hair. I barely remember," she chuckled.

"I know," Marah said as she looked at her father. "Daddy was such a baby."

"He was," Miral said. "What was he? Twenty-two? "

"By the way, is your dad here?" Edward asked.

"Not today," Marah said. "It's been an emotional couple of weeks for him." They all fell quiet for a moment before Marah motioned them toward an inner door. There's more to see if you're interested."

"Where did this come from?" Brendan asked as they walked through the corridor.

"Part of it is from a training scenario Tuvok wrote," Marah replied. "A mutiny. Daddy wouldn't let me download the whole thing. Said it had been sabotaged, and Tom and Tuvok nearly got killed when they tried to finish the story."

"Really?" Marah asked, incredulous. "I never heard about that."

The mess hall doors opened, and they walked in to find a small, bewhiskered man in their path, frozen in place as he held a tray above his head.

"Neelix!" Edward exclaimed.

Miral laughed. "Remember how our folks made us talk to him on the vid? He was a funny little man."

"He was a nice man. It took me years to understand where he was," Edward said.

"Wow!" Brendan exclaimed. "Dad, is that Papa over there? And Aunt B'Elanna?"

Edward looked to the back of the room where a lean, dark-haired man stood near a Klingon woman, both of them dressed in leather.

Brendan circled the two images warily. This man carried a familiar tattoo. But the look in his eyes radiated an unfamiliar anger and intensity. "My God," Brendan exclaimed. "I never saw any images of Papa as a Maquis. Wouldn't have wanted to tangle with him. B'Elanna either."

Miral winked at Edward. "It's a wonder either of us was ever born, if you think about it."

Edward laughed. "I almost wasn't. Apparently, Mom was engaged to someone else when Voyager started that mission."

"Really? Nana was engaged twice before she married Papa?" Brendan asked. "I only knew about the one who got killed."

Miral shook her head. "The things you learn ...."

Marah cleared her throat. "While I wanted you to see this, this isn't really the time period I created for Uncle Lewis."

To Edward's raised eyebrow, she continued, "From what Daddy said, Lewis' relationship with the crew was rocky at the beginning. He had to learn some ... er ... social graces. And your mother considered him akin to a replicator. I picked a time a few years down the road."

As they waited for Marah to change the scene, Brendan whispered to his father. "We are talking about the same Lewis? The one who moved into Nan's house when she was sick? She thought he was a replicator?"

Edward shook his head. "You've got me ... "

The scene shifted, and they found themselves in the conference room, Voyager's senior staff gathered around the table.

Edward smiled as he looked at his mother. "That's better," he said. "That's how I remember her."

"This is the sixth year of the journey," Marah said. "Miral, your folks are newlyweds; you'll arrive in about a year. Three years before you were born, Edward." She paused. "I could start this, if you'd like."

"Won't they see us?" Miral asked.

"Nope, I can filter us out," Marah replied as she punched at the controls.

The figures came to life, and Edward wiped away the tears as his mother's long-stilled voice filled the room again.

"All right," the holographic Kathryn said, "Harry, see if you can get some more detail on that wormhole. Let's get back to work, shall we? Dismissed."

The staff filed out of the room, and Miral stepped out the door to watch her parents. The holographic Chakotay stayed behind, and Kathryn looked at him, amused.

"You do remember dinner tonight?" he asked as Edward blinked back another round of tears.

"My quarters, or yours?" Kathryn teased.

"Mine."

"I suppose you're cooking, then," she grinned.

"It's probably better that way," he smirked.

In the corner, Brendan snickered.

Kathryn playfully smacked her first officer on the arm. "Don't worry Commander, I'll get even," she said as she sailed out the door.

"Nineteen hundred," Chakotay called after her.

"Come on, now," Brendan said when the action stopped. "You programmed that on purpose."

"Actually, Daddy did," Marah said. "He said that it was pretty obvious how your grandparents felt about each other. No matter what they didn't do about it."

Brendan just smiled. "Papa certainly changed, didn't he?" he remarked. "I had forgotten how deep his voice was."

"Actually, there is something I did neglect to program in," Marah said quietly. "Edward, did your dad ever say anything about Annika Hansen?"

Edward thought a moment, then shook his head. "Just the basics; that she was a Borg, and Mom rescued her ... over his objections."

Marah raised an eyebrow. "You'd better hold on to something. According to Daddy, about this time, Annika got interested in your dad, and apparently made a play for him."

Edward's mouth dropped open. "Annika? You are kidding," he said

"Well, Dad, did you get a look at her? I mean, my God, Borg or not ...." Brendan said. "Still, I'm surprised Nana didn't throw her out an airlock."

"Oh, it gets worse," Marah said. "Daddy says they were dating when Voyager got back to Earth."

"Holy gods," Edward exclaimed. "Did Mom know?"

"I don't think so. I think she found out later ... seems Annika dumped your dad the minute they got back."

"Guess that explains why we didn't see too much of her," Edward said as Brendan shook his head in amazement.

"Yeah," Marah said quietly. "Unfortunately, when I sifted through some of Lewis' files, I found some evidence that suggested he'd been in love with Annika. Unrequited love, it seems."

"What did they ...? Never mind, I think I know what they saw in her," Edward sighed as Brendan and Miral both smirked.

Marah laughed. "Doesn't matter, I guess. I constructed the program so that she'd be more ... er ... receptive to Lewis. Figure if he's going to have an afterlife, it might as well be a happy one."


***

"I'm still not sure about this," Lewis harrumphed, tugging a bit at his old uniform, a gesture Edward found amusing.

"It's just a tryout, Lewis," he said patiently. "If you hate it, well, you can leave. Besides, you said you wanted to see my mother again. So here's your chance."

"Well, all right," he sighed. "I assume you'll be outside?"

"Actually, I can stay here. Marah can filter me out."

Lewis' answer was to raise an eyebrow. "All right then," he said, sounding somewhat resigned. "Let's give this a try."

The action started, and as sickbay's doors swished open, Edward stifled a groan. The first character would have to be Seven of Nine.

Lewis quirked an eyebrow for a moment, then recovered. "Good afternoon Seven," he said kindly.

"Doctor, I require your assistance."

"Is there a problem?"

"No ... no," came the reply. "I wish to receive another one of your social lessons."

Lewis swallowed. "I see."

The former Borg smiled brightly. "I wish to simulate a picnic on the holodeck. I would like your ... feedback ... on the proper behavior. I have reserved the holodeck for 1600 hours; would that be agreeable with you?" she asked as she casually laid her hand on Lewis' arm.

Lewis' eyebrow shot up again. "End program," he said quickly.

Voyager's sickbay shimmered away. "Marah," Lewis said firmly, "tell your father I do not appreciate his attempt at humor."

"I don't understand," Marah replied, her voice floating through the speakers.

"And just who gave you the idea to have Seven behave this way?"

Marah's sigh was audible. "You can't blame my dad for that, Lewis. It was my idea."

"And why would you do such a thing?" he asked, his voice rising.

"As I was going through the holo-records, I came across things that indicated you had feelings for Annika. I thought perhaps if she was more receptive ...."

"That I'd enjoy my afterlife?" he snapped. "Had it possibly occurred to you that you delved into something private? And that perhaps I wouldn't want to relive that portion of my life?"

"I ... I'm sorry, Lewis," Marah said quietly. "I wasn't thinking ... I didn't mean to hurt you. I'll reprogram her."

Lewis paced the holodeck distractedly as Edward watched, unsure of what to do.

He finally stopped and took a deep breath. "It's all right, Marah. I know you meant no harm. But please, understand that many years ago, I made my peace with knowing that Seven didn't return my feelings. I moved on. So did she, for that matter. But I don't want to relive that. Understand?"

"Sorry, Lewis," Edward said quietly, as sickbay shimmered back into existence, this time minus Seven.

"It was a bit of a shock," Lewis said as he perched on his desk.

"If you don't want to answer, I'll understand," Edward said as he took a chair. "Would her rejecting you have anything to do with her dating my father?"

Lewis snorted. "Hear about that, did you?"

"I just heard about that. Mom and Dad never mentioned it."

Lewis snorted again. "I'm not surprised. You haven't told Brendan all the details of your relationship with his mother, have you?"

"Er, no," Edward said, smiling thinly. His failed marriage wasn't a pleasant subject.

"The answer, actually, is no," Lewis said "That came later, from what I observed."

"What happened?"

Lewis paused. "Well, considering your parents are gone ... and that they had a long and happy marriage ....." He sighed. "Your parents were quite devoted to each other in their way, but your mother was the captain. There are good reasons for protocol, but I know your mother was very lonely." He looked sideways at Edward. "Both of them had some brief liaisons while we were out there."

He chuckled. "Your father was probably one of the few men on board who wasn't intimidated by Annika. He was lonely, too ... that kind of attention is hard to ignore."

"Did Mom know?"

Lewis nodded. "The other Admiral Janeway told her. What she didn't know at the time was that Annika broke it off with Chakotay when we got home. Fortunately, that brought your father to his senses. Unfortunately, your mother decided to go off by herself to regroup. No one knew where she was ... or they weren't telling."

"Did you know?"

"No, though I wish I had," Lewis said quickly. "Anyway, your father tracked her to Italy ...."

"This part I know," Edward interrupted. "Dad said he spent two weeks running around Italy. Apparently Mom was traveling off the grid, so to speak." He chuckled. "Must have been quite a reunion, considering they got married the day after he found her in Venice."

Lewis merely smiled, but Edward decided not to let him off easy. "So what do you mean you wish you had known where Mom was?"

Lewis paused for a moment, a faraway look in his eyes. "Actually, that's a bit of wistful thinking on my part. I wouldn't have stood a chance then. It was later, after your father died ..."

Edward cocked his head. "What are you telling me?"

Lewis cleared his throat, obviously embarrassed. "I was in Paris, at the Federation Science Academy, when your mother took that diplomatic post. We spent a good deal of time together that first year, and my admiration ... turned into something deeper. I didn't push; I knew she missed your father terribly."

He shook his head. "I made the mistake of accompanying a friend to Vienna for an opera performance. Your mother went to a diplomatic reception, and met a certain Russian jurist ... the rest is history."

Edward laughed. "I assume you mean Misha." Misha being Mikhail Volkoff, a Federation High Court justice, and his mother's companion for two decades. "You and Ally have something in common; she didn’t like him either."

"I know," Lewis sighed, "Ally took your father's death very hard."

Edward nodded. "And took her anger out on Mom. I don't think it occurred to her that Mom went to Paris because it was too painful to be here. Things were pretty rough for a couple of years."

Lewis nodded. "Your mother asked me to talk to her; I'm afraid I wasn't much help. I always wondered if Ally was the reason your mother never married her Russian."

Edward shrugged. "She once told me that she'd had a good marriage and didn't think she could top it."

They fell into silence for a moment. "You didn't exactly answer my question. Were you and Mom ... involved?"

Lewis smiled sadly. "No, Edward. When she came back after Justice Volkoff died ... let's just say we were better suited as friends. She was, and always will be very dear to me, though."


****

"Well, I guess this is it," Miral said as she hugged Lewis. It had taken him the better part of a month to decide, but he finally chose to immerse himself in the Voyager program.

"I'll be fine," Lewis said, using his usual bedside manner.

"You can end the program, you know."

"I know, Miral. Otherwise, I wouldn't have agreed to this."

Miral gave Edward a sidelong glance. "Of course. Take care Lewis, I'll be in the control lab with Marah."

Edward extended his hand. "Good luck, Lewis," he began

"I'd appreciate it if you would stay a moment," the doctor said, giving Miral a quick nod of dismissal, which she took with amusement.

"Edward," he said after Miral left. "I would appreciate it if you could do a couple of things for me."

"Certainly," he replied, puzzled.

"I would like it if you would stop by to visit occasionally. Perhaps you could bring Brendan ... just so I know how everyone's getting along."

"I'd be happy to," Edward replied. "I'll give you some time to settle in."

Lewis nodded. "There's one more thing."

"What's that?"

"That you and Miral stop dancing around each other and acknowledge your feelings."

Edward swallowed so hard he nearly choked. "What?"

"I've seen the way she looks at you," Lewis said, obviously annoyed. "And I've seen the way you look at her. Frankly, it reminds me of your parents on Voyager. At least they had a good reason. You two don't ... and haven't since Miral and Thierry divorced."

"But ... we're ..." Edward sputtered. "We're friends. We've known each other ..."

"Since you were 12 hours old," Lewis said dryly. "I was there."

"Lewis ..."

"You aren't going to deny you feel something for her?"

Edward shook his head, defeated. "I didn't think it was that obvious."

Lewis smiled benignly. "I recall that your parents didn't think so, either. Just consider it."

Edward snorted as the holographic mess hall began to materialize around them. "All right, you win. I'll think about it." He put out his hand again. "Godspeed, Lewis."

They shook hands solemnly, and Edward walked out of the mess hall. On his way out, he nearly bumped into two figures: his mother and father, who were having an animated conversation as they walked down the hall.

He stood aside ... not that they could see him ... and watched them go inside.

And for just a moment, he hoped that Ally was right about that vision quest.

***

Edward was halfway out the door when his adjutant called. "Admiral! It's Admiral Paris. She says it's urgent."

"It couldn't wait until I got there?" he muttered as he turned back.

Miral looked distressed. "Meet me at the hololabs. Lewis has bailed out of the program."

***

Marah was waiting for them outside the holosuites. "The chief engineer says the Voyager program deactivated," she said. "She found Lewis sitting in an empty holodeck. He won't respond to her."

"Are all his processes running?" Miral asked.

"Seem to be," she replied.

"Well, let's just ask him what happened," Edward said impatiently as he opened the door.

They walked into the darkness, their way lit by the faint glow of the hologrid.

Miral's call for lights revealed Lewis sitting in a corner, his forehead resting on his knees.

"Lewis," Miral called softly, walking to the still figure. "Are you all right?"

Lewis looked up at them ... he'd obviously been crying. "I suspected you would show up," he said softly.

"What's happened?" Marah asked as she tried to scan him unobtrusively.

He didn't answer until he locked eyes with Edward.

"I'm sorry. I can't do this."

"What's wrong?" Edward asked quietly as he eased himself down next to the hologram.

Lewis shook his head. "I know too much. I can't pretend that the last 62 years haven't happened yet," he said, his voice edged with despair. "I look at the crew, and I know what life holds for all of them."

He sighed and tilted his head back against the wall. "Some of it is comforting, Edward, like knowing your parents will eventually marry. But Joe Carey came into sickbay for a minor cut. He started talking about his family. I knew he'd never see them again; that in less than a year, he'd be dead."

"Oh, Lewis, I'm sorry," Marah said, "I shouldn't have programmed him in."

"Don't you think I would have noticed?" he retorted. "They were my friends."

"What do you want to do?" Miral asked softly.

Lewis sat up and straightened his shoulders. "I have decided that there's no time like the present. I would like to go back to my life."

Miral and Edward looked at each other in astonishment. "You understand what could happen, don't you?" Marah asked. "I may not be able to repair your matrix in time."

"Yes, I understand," Lewis said firmly. "Perhaps this will give me more insight on what it's like to be human. After all, you three are going to meet your demise some day; you seem to be coping well."

All three humans shifted uncomfortably, but Lewis continued, oblivious to their glares.

"Edward, your mother once told me that as long as someone remembers Voyager's crew, they'll live on. So, I'd like to use the time I have left to finish my memoirs. It seems a fitting tribute to some remarkable friends."

Edward glanced at Miral, then Marah. They both shrugged.

"Well, Lewis," he finally said. "It's your life."

The doctor smiled, obviously pleased. "Yes, well, there's one more thing."

They waited expectantly, as he looked at each of them in turn. "I would like to spend some of my remaining time with you, that is, if Marah can't rescue me." He swallowed nervously. "I considered all your parents to be my family ... and I feel the same about you."

Edward smiled. "We feel the same way, you know."

"Well, then," Lewis said enthusiastically as he got to his feet. "Perhaps a game of golf? The old St. Andrews program?"

"Er ... not tonight," Edward said as he and Miral looked at each other uneasily.

"We have tickets to a jazz concert ... in a couple of hours," Miral explained.

"Oh. Oh! Of course," Lewis said, winking at Edward. "You youngsters go and have a good time."

Marah cleared her throat. "It just so happens that I'm free tonight. And I have the new Beckett holo-mystery."

“‘The Serpent's Tooth?'" Lewis breathed. "How is it?"

"Well, why don't we head over to my lab and find out," she said, offering his emitter.

"I'd be delighted," he said as he fastened it to his sleeve, then offered his arm to Marah.

As they walked toward the door, Lewis stopped and looked over at Miral and Edward, who were gaping at him. "Don't you two have a concert to attend?"



-end-
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