Okay...the characters all belong to Paramount!! There I said it. Even
if I don't like what TPTB do with the characters. I don't own the
characters, I am just playing with them, and I will return
them in the same condition I found them. (Well, maybe they will be
emotionally different.) I am making no money from doing this, but if
TPTB would ever like to buy it...Hey, I can dream.
Contains parts of the song Let's give em something to talk about
performed by Bonnie Raitt. The song was written by Shirley Eikhard.
This is my first publicly posted fanfic. Please be kind, and send any
feedback to KatherineJaneway@hotmail.com. Thanks...Wendy
People are talking,
Talking about people.
I hear the whispers,
You won't believe it!
They think were lovers,
Kept under cover....
Harry Kim and Tom Paris were looking across the mess hall at their
senior officers. The only other people in the mess hall were Captain
Kathryn Janeway and Commander Chakotay, who were eating dinner together.
They appeared to be enjoying the crew reports they were looking at WAY
too much.
"16" Tom said.
"16 what?" Harry asked.
"She has touched him 16, now 17 times since they sat down. He has
touched her hand 12 times since they got their food."
"I don't think that they are even looking at the PADDs they brought"
"If they are having that much fun with crew reports, I think that we
are in trouble tomorrow morning. 18."
"I cannot believe you are keeping track, Tom."
"And I can't believe that you don't think that something is going on
over there."
Both look up at the laughter that drifted over from the senior
officers. Tom looked at Harry and was about to speak when B'elana
Torres came and sat down. After kissing Tom hello, she asked "Did I
interrupt something?"
"No, Tom was about to begin discussing the love lives of our senior
officers."
"21"
"Tom stop that." Harry said frustrated. "If they are involved, great.
The obviously don't want everyone to know, or they could have made a
ship wide announcement. If they are just enjoying each others company
off-duty, that's fine too. Both the Captain and Chakotay have been in
such a good mood lately, I don't want to upset them because we are
bored, and have nothing else to talk about. Besides, they are not the
only couple of note on board now. Down in Stellar Cartography, they are
having a field day with you two."
"What do you mean?" B'elana queried.
"There is a pool down in stellar to see how long it is before Tom ends
up in sick bay with a broken limb."
Tom paled and B'elana's face began to show signs that she is about to
explode. Luckily for Harry, his shift was about to begin so he excused
himself.
"Tom, I can't believe that they are discussing us like that."
"Don't worry, I'll put a stop to it."
"How?"
"I'll figure something out. Look over there Be."
They watched as Chakotay gathered up both his and the Captain's dishes.
She waited for him while he took them to the refuse slot. They left the
mess together, with her hand on his shoulder, his head leaning over to
hear what she was saying. As the doors closed, Chakotay's ringing
laughter could be heard.
"We definitely are not the only couple of note on board anymore."
whispered B'elana.
They keep saying we laugh just a little too loud,
We stand just a little too close,
We stare just a little too long...
Harry was bored. There was nothing to do at his Ops console. He was
looking around the bridge when he received a message.
From: LT. Paris, Thomas
Subject: Command
Keep an eye on the Captain and Commander. They have been playing eye
tag all shift. I have caught her staring at him, and him staring at
her. Just thought that this would liven up this otherwise boring shift.
TEP
Kathryn was bored. She kept looking over at Chakotay to see if he was
as bored as she was. What she really wanted to do was throw her legs
over the arm rest and sit comfortably. But she couldn't do that because
she is the Captain. Her console showed that Lt. Paris had just sent a
message to Ensign Kim. *I wonder what they are talking about.* Her
console beeped. Chakotay had sent her a message. She looked at him and
their eyes met. She smiled and looked
down to read the message. As she did, she noticed Paris looking at her.
She sent him the "Get busy, Mister." look and opened her message.
From: CM Chakotay
Subject: I'm bored
How about you go into your ready room and I'LL follow in about 10
minutes. If we don't, Paris will strain his neck trying to pretend he
is not interested in something back here. Or maybe I will ring his neck
for being his usual inquisitive self.
C
Kathryn smiled. She arose and said "You have the bridge Commander.
I'LL be in my ready room."
I'll just ignore it, but...
Maybe they're seeing something we don't...
It took a rumor to make my wonder...
Kathryn got into her ready room and breathed a sigh of relief. It was
hard to ignore how everyone was beginning to read things into her
relationship with Chakotay. He was the best first officer she had ever
had. He was also one of the best friends she had ever had too. But
that was it, wasn't it? Is that all she wanted?
Kathryn went to the replicator and called up a pot of coffee. After
getting herself a cup, she sat on the couch. She knew that the crew was
speculating on her relationship with Chakotay. Hell, Seven had came out
and asked if the Captain if she and the Commander were "copulating."
Kathryn made up her mind about three things. 1) Seven needed to learn
some manners. She would have to read the section on tact and
appropriate conduct again. 2) Something needed to be
done to distract the crew from her personal life. 3) Well, she wasn't
quite sure about that one. Anyway, Chakotay would need to help her with
it. Knowing he would be in shortly, she stood up and looked at the
stars.
BREEP-BOOP
"Come in."
"I have those status reports you wanted," Chakotay said for the benefit
of Paris and Kim, who had all their senses straining to hear what they
were saying.
Kathryn was not paying attention. She was standing up, watching the
stars fly by. She told him to help himself to the coffee and to have a
seat. She sat down next to him, not close enough to invade his space,
but not too far away either. She looked at her mug.
"Kathryn, is something bothering you?"
"No. I mean Yes."
The look on his face was a mask, but Kathryn could tell he was dreading
what she had to say.
"I think we have a morale problem. The crew is bored, and is making up
rumors to pass the time. Chakotay, since the 4th anniversary of our
being a crew is approaching, I think that we should have a celebration."
"I agree. Do you want me to see that it is the best party this side of
the Delta Quadrant?"
"Thanks. See what Neelix thinks, and see if B'elana can spare some
rations for it."
"I'm sure Neelix will be ecstatic to be able to throw a party."
"See if you can keep Leeola root of the menu."
"I'll do my best Captain."
She looked at him intensely. "Chakotay, when we are alone, you can
call me Kathryn."
"I know, I just wanted to see your response. Is that it?"
"No, but I really don't want to discuss it on duty. Would you have
dinner with me at 20:00 hours?"
"Only if you don't cook." They both laughed, and her hand found his
arm.
Kathryn laughed. "You better watch it or I will cook. I have plenty of
rations"
"I will see you then. Are you staying here or coming back onto the
bridge?"
"I'm staying here. I have those status reports to read, remember?"
"See you later."
"Don't wear your uniform, please."
"Aye, Kathryn." He left her ready room, and left her to her thoughts.
I feel so foolish,
I've never noticed...
You're acting so nervous,
like you're falling for me.
Kathryn stepped out of her tub. She felt so uptight that she decided a
good soak would do her good. And it did. She felt so much more relaxed
and calm. She also smelled like peaches. She stood in front of the
mirror and tried to decide how to do her hair. She knew Chakotay liked
her hair down, but she remembered the pleasure of having someone take
her hair down for her. So she compromised. She curled it, pulled the
top up, and left the rest down. She fastened the top with a plain
silver clip, and as she felt her hair cascading down her back,
remembered why she kept it long. *I wear it up too much.* She dressed in
a simple forest green leggings with a cream tunic. She liked how the
colors went with her skin and her hair. She pulled on some loafers, and
began to put on her makeup. She kept it minimal, like always, but she
made her eyes more dramatic. More eyeliner and mascara. All the while
she was preparing for her date, she kept trying to shove her fear of the
unknown away. *I have faced fear before. What I need to do is turn the
fear into a strength.*
She moved into her living area, and began to set the table. She had
gotten a nice linen-like table cloth set on a recent planet stop. The
merchant loved the pips on her collar, because this planet had no gold
on it, so she traded her pips (and Ensign Kim's) for the table cloth
and napkin set. They were a pretty blue, and they reminded her of the
set that her mother used at Easter time. Earlier she had decided on a
green salad (completely from the hydroponics bay), bread from Neelix's
kitchen, and a vegetarian lasagna. She usually would have preferred a
meal with meat, but she wanted to make Chakotay comfortable, and fixing
two meals would probably not do that. And for desert, well she had
figured out her mother's brownie recipe better, and had baked them
herself. That would show him to tease her about her cooking.
"Janeway to bridge."
"Tuvock here, Captain."
"Tuvock, Commander Chakotay and I will be unavailable for the rest of
the evening, except in an emergency. I trust that you will be able to
handle anything that we come across. I will look forward to receiving a
report in the morning."
"Understood, Captain."
BREEP-BOOP
"Come in."
In walked Chakotay. He was wearing tan slacks, a white button down
shirt, and a leather vest. She had not seen him look this handsome since
New Earth. She realized that she missed
spending time with Chakotay, not the Commander. He also had his hand
behind his back.
Chakotay looked at Kathryn. She looked so beautiful, so relaxed.
He had not seen her this way since New Earth. The clothes, her hair, he
thought he had never seen a woman look so lovely. He realized that he
was staring when she asked "Inspection over?"
They both laughed, and after some teasing, he removed his hand from
behind his back. He handed her a perfect red rose with a cream center.
She took the rose, inhaled the sweet scent, and impulsively hugged him
in thanks. He savored the contact of her body, and softly squeezed her
to him. He inhaled the scent of her hair, and kissed the top of her
head. She smiled, and slowly moved to break the embrace. Taking his
hand, she led him to the table, where they sat down to eat.
"Chakotay, I want to.."
"Define parameters?" He asked, a smile on his face.
"No. Not that."
"I need to talk about something, but not yet. Let's eat."
Now I'm convinced that we're going under.
Think about you day,
Dream about you every night,
I'm hoping that you feel the same way.
So they ate. He complimented her "cooking" ability and she laughed.
They both were hungry and they enjoyed the meal. While they ate,
Chakotay told her of the plans for the anniversary party. It would be
next week, and Neelix was already headed over the deep end with
excitement. Neelix planned to use both holodecks for the party, and to
use the mess as a staging area. Neelix already had a number of the crew
involved with preparations for the party, and B'elana had been able to
spare some rations. Just as Chakotay began to beg off eating anymore,
Kathryn pulled out her mother's brownies, and proceeded to eat them with
out sharing, because of his earlier comment about her cooking ability.
After a bit, she broke him off a bite, and gave him a piece. "Kathryn,
I will never make fun of your cooking again. These are excellent." She
replied, "Flattery will get you everywhere," as she handed him a large
brownie.
The meal ended. They moved over to her couch, and sat facing one
another. The atmosphere changed from one of fun and flirting to a more
serious, more dangerous one. Chakotay looked at Kathryn, and waited for
her to speak. "I have no idea how to begin, Chakotay." She hesitated.
"Lately, you and I have been the subject of numerous rumors, and at
first I tried to ignore them. But I found that I couldn't ignore them
anymore." She put her hands on his. "Chakotay the rumors made me
examine me start to think about us, about what
might be. But when I though that I had lost you to the Vori, I had to
examine my heart. I found that somewhere along this trip, you went from
being the best first officer I ever had to being the best friend I ever
had to being..." She paused, and looked deep into his brown eyes.
There she saw acceptance, support, excitement, and love. She continued
"Somewhere along the way, you went from being my enemy, to being the
strength that allows me to get up. Somewhere along the
way, you went from being my friend to being my love."
Chakotay looked at her. She suddenly looked vulnerable, and scared.
He did exactly what he had wanted to do for years. He gathered he into
his arms and held her close. "Oh, Kathryn. How long I have waited to
hear you say that. I love you too." She looked at him questioning.
"The first time I saw your face on my view screen, I knew you were
special. Then we began to work together, I knew you were special. When
we ended up stranded together on New Earth I began to hope. Never in my
life have I felt such peace as I did there. Then we were rescued, and
the fragile relationship we had built was crushed. Everything we had
built on New Earth was lost. But I still had peace in my soul, for I
was at your side. Over time, I too have found you to be my strength,
and I have fallen in love with you too."
She looked up at him. Slowly, gently, their mouths met. It was a
slow kiss, but a kiss filled with promise. He pulled her more tightly
to him, and her arms went around his neck. He slowly moved his hands to
her hair, and removed the clip. The released hair flowed into his
hands, and he lovingly caressed the silky length. Kathryn broke the
kiss, and curled up on his lap. She sighed contently as he held her,
rocking softy. She said, "I too have never known such peace
as when I am near you. When I thought that I might have lost you, I
felt like such a fool, for being such a coward and hiding behind
protocol." Chakotay kissed her hair. "When that shuttle crashed, and I
held your lifeless body, I too felt like such a fool for to being more
open with you. I was desperately afraid that you had died, and I would
never get to tell you I love you." At that she resumed kissing him, all
the while murmuring soft words of love. She fell asleep in his arms
that night. He gently picked her up and moved her to her bed. He was
just going to tuck her in, but he did not want to leave her. He laid
her down, laid down next to her, and fell into a peaceful sleep. Both
slept soundly and deeply.
Kathryn woke up feeling like she had slept for a week. She rarely
needed her alarm to wake up, yet she always set it. She had a warm body
next to her, and she felt so peaceful. She gently turned over to watch
him sleep. He looked so calm, she did not want to wake him. She began
to have doubts in her mind about what she had said last night, when he
spoke. "Kathryn, I love you," he said without opening his eyes.
"How did you know I was awake?" she asked as she reached up to
stroke his tattoo, something she had always wanted to do.
"It's my job to know what my Captain is doing."
"Don't call me that. I'm not ready to be the Captain yet."
"Certainly Kathryn." he replied as he leaned closer to kiss her.
The kiss was beginning to turn into something more, when reality struck.
"BEEP, BEEP, BEEP" her alarm had gone off. She broke the kiss,
"Computer reset alarm for 24 hours." The computer answered with a beep.
Kathryn looked at Chakotay, "I guess we should get up. Mmmm, stop that
or we will be late for duty." she replied to his beginning to rub her
back. After kissing him again, she got up, and
began to brush her hair. He got up, put his shoes back on and said
"Join me for breakfast? My treat." She leaned over and kissed him.
"See you in 45 minutes."
Chakotay could not believe what had happened. Last night, he had
been sure that Kathryn was going to read him the riot act, but instead,
she had declared her love. As he stepped out of his
clothes to rake his shower, he smelled his shirt. It smelled of her.
He held his shirt to his nose and breathed deeply, as he thanked the
Gods of his ancestors for this miracle in his life.
Precisely 45 minutes later after he left her quarters, his door chimed.
Chakotay walked to the door and admitted Kathryn, no the Captain. Her
hair was up, her shoulders erect, her pips in
place. He waited until the door had closed before he wrapped his arms
around her, and gently kissed her forehead. *Better start getting her
used to kissing in uniform* he thought. For some reason, she began to
laugh. He backed off and looked at her. Of all the scenarios he had
played in his mind of the "morning after" this was not one of them.
Chakotay waited while she tried to calm her near hysterical laughter.
After a bit, she successfully calmed down. His face looked
confused, and a little hurt, so she began to explain.
"I'm sorry, but as you kissed me, I caught our reflection in the window.
I thought about what they would say at Starfleet Headquarters if they
could see this. A captain embracing her first officer. Never mind that
the captain was sent to capture that officer. The mental image of their
faces, well, I just found it funny." Then she reached up and removed
her pips. She set them on the table, and removed his rank bar. "Lets
promise that when we are off-duty, to be equals.
Let's leave our pips at the door, and just be Chakotay and Kathryn."
"Agreed." He smiled as his hands covered hers. She leaned over and
whispered in his ear, "Chakotay, I'm hungry, so I hope that you cooked
something, and did not just expect me to get full off of your lips."
He laughed, and led her to his table. After helping her with her chair,
he poured her a cup of french-vanilla coffee. She looked at him
gratefully and inhaled the aroma, and took a swallow, savoring the
flavor. He watched her with interest, and as he put down a breakfast of
pancakes and on her plate 2 sausages, and said "I know of your habit of
only having coffee for breakfast, and of skipping meals. Well, I am
giving you notice that those days are over. From now on," he continued,
seriously, "You will eat three balanced meals a day, even if I have to
relieve you of duty and force feed you."
She straitened "You wouldn't dare."
"Try me."
She was unsure how to take his "order." She looked at him, and saw that
his eyes were twinkling, but she could also see that he was serious
about his concern. She fired off a mock salute, and an abrupt "Yes,
sir!" They laughed and she looked at him seriously, "Chakotay, I
understand what you are trying to do, but...," she paused while she
considered how to correctly say it.
He broke in. "You don't want to be pampered and coddled in front of the
crew. Don't worry, I won't force feed you on the bridge. I also won't
treat you as anything less than my captain on duty. I will still remind
you that maybe you should stay on the ship, and I will still disagree
with you. I would like your promise that you won't bring our
professional disagreements into our personal life."
She put down her fork. "I will try to not bring our disagreements home,
if you try not to hold it against me when I overrule you."
"Deal. One more thing. I want to keep us being together private until
later. I want to be able to enjoy being in a new relationship for a
while with out hearing how rich we have made Tom Paris."
Kathryn got up, and moved closer to him. She pulled him up, and kissed
him. "How well you know me. I, too, want some time to just be us, and
not be on display. We will decide together how and when to go public."
They resumed kissing, the meal forgotten. His com badge beeped, and
reality floored them again. Chakotay talked to B'elana while Kathryn
cleared the table. Before she put her pips back on, she gave him a
long, deep kiss. She began to put her pips on her collar, but with out
a mirror, she was having a hard time doing so. He reached over and put
them on for her. She returned the favor, and with one last hand
squeeze, they left his quarters to face the day.
It had been a long day. The warp core had to be shut down for
maintenance, and Kathryn hated that feeling. She felt like a sitting
duck, because if anything happened, there was no way to run. After much
Klingon cursing, B'elana was able to complete the maintenance, and get
the core back on line. Voyager was now cruising along at warp 8, and
Kathryn began to feel like she would be able to relax, and she began to
look forward to this evening. Chakotay had spent most
of the shift in engineering, supervising the repairs. She realized she
was beginning to miss him, when her console beeped. When she saw who it
was from, she gave Tuvock the bridge, and went into her ready room. She
opened the message.
To: Janeway, Kathryn M.; Captain
From: Chakotay; Commander
Subject: Dinner
Your orders are to go to your quarters and change into something
comfortable. Then go to the mess hall and get enough dinner for 2
adults. Please get something edible, as the human digestive track has a
problem digesting the Leola Root. Then head to Holodeck 2, and wait for
further instructions. You have until 17:00 hours to complete this
assignment, or your punishment will be severe. Again do not be late.
Commander Chakotay
PS I cannot wait until I see you.
Kathryn smiled. She just might show him, and be late. But she realized
that he had a surprise in store for her, and she wanted to see what it
was. A glance at her chronometer showed that she
had one hour to complete her "task." She arose, stepped out on to the
bridge, saw that shift change was proceeding smoothly. She left the
bridge, and headed to her quarters. There she changed into a blue dress
that she had worn on New Earth. She wondered if he would remember the
dress. She pulled the top of her hair up and braided that top portion,
and let the rest hang down. She checked her makeup, and slipped on some
loafers. She left her communicator on her
desk next to a PADD that told her location, and imposed severe sanctions
if anyone bothered her for anything less than phaser fire, or a hull
breach. Sanction number one: Cleaning the exhaust
vents with your tooth brush at 0500 hours.
She went to the mess hall and got a fresh loaf of bread, and two plates
of a red vegetable mixture. It smelled reasonably good, and Neelix was
just raving about it. She smiled at him, and declined
to hear about the celebration preparations. She said she had reports to
read. The Talaxian replied with a knowing smirk "Don't have too much
fun reading those reports." Kathryn raised an eyebrow at him and left
the mess.
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