MEANT TO BE
The bell above the door jingles as a middle-aged woman enters the small diner carrying a couple of data PADDs in her hand. Looking around, she proceeds to take a seat by the window in a nearby empty booth, then focuses her attention on the information in her hand.
Grabbing a carafe of fresh brewed coffee and a plate with a piece of pie on it, the waiter comes around from behind the counter and approaches his newest customer. "Coffee and pie today? It's pecan."
Kathryn Janeway startles at the voice suddenly beside her; looks up from her reading, and smiles. "Just coffee please. Black."
After pouring her coffee, he sets the carafe on the table and sits down across from her, picking up the other PADD and checking the screen. "Must be some pretty heavy reading if I startled you."
"Just a letter from a friend."
"Friend, huh?"
Letting out a sigh, she takes the PADD from his hand. "Yes Charles, a friend."
"So what's this 'friend' have to say?"
"It's personal."
"Okay fine, I can take a hint. I can tell when my company isn't wanted." He slides out of the booth with a teasing smile on his face.
The corners of Kathryn's mouth drop as she reaches and takes his hand. "Charles….."
His smile is sincere now as he faces the woman seated before him. "Relax Kathryn, I was just teasing you. I should be getting back to work anyway before I get accused of taking extended breaks. I'll check back in a little while." She expresses her appreciation for his understanding with a smile and a squeeze of his hand. "I love you, too," he replies before going back to his work.
Dinner in Indiana goes more smoothly than Kathryn thought it might. Gretchen tries to convince her daughter to stay the night but Kathryn declines. "I have a busy workload tomorrow, Mom, but I promise I will contact you when I get home so you know I made it safely. I love you."
Two hours later, Kathryn is stepping off the transport shuttle and is waiting to clear through security when she hears her name being called. "Charles, what are you doing here?" She kisses him then takes his hand and leaves the station.
"I wanted to walk you home to make sure you made it safely."
"You didn't have to do that. That's what security personnel are for."
"I missed you, too. I haven't seen you all day. How did dinner go?"
"It was fine." They walk the rest of the way back to her apartment in silence. "Do you need to come inside to ensure I am home safe, or is this okay?"
"I think I need to come inside."
"Perhaps you should check the apartment for signs of an intruder as well."
"Good idea."
"I was just kidding, Charles." While he is gone, she checks for messages and finds two from Starfleet which she decides to answer in the morning. Next, she calls her mom as promised.
"No intruders, you're safe. I want you to try something for me though." Janeway signs off with her mom and turns to Charles. "Depends on what it is, Charles."
He walks over with two glasses and a bottle. "It's a new wine I am thinking about selling at the diner. I need a taste tester first, though."
"And naturally you thought of me." She takes the glass and drinks. "Mmm, this is very good."
"You like it? Do you think it will sell well at the diner?"
"Yes I do." She finishes her glassful and reaches for more. "I should try some more, though, just to make sure."
With a chuckle, Charles fills her glass again then calls up music to play and lowers the lights. Reaching out, he brushes his hand over Kathryn's hair, tucking it over her shoulder and gently behind her ear. "Kathryn, I am sorry about my reaction over your letters this morning at the diner. I shouldn't question you when you tell me something is private."
With a soft smile, Kathryn stares into her glass then up at him and into his dark brown eyes. "Apology accepted." For a brief second her mind takes her back in time to nights in her quarters having dinner with Chakotay. He has the same dark gaze and wonderful smile as Charles does.
Giving her mind a mental shake, she pulls herself back to the present, wondering what just happened. Pushing the thought away, she smiles and leans in for the kiss that Charles is initiating, closing her eyes at the same time. His lips are soft and the wine on them tastes sweet. She can feel his hand in her hair reaching to hold her neck, pulling her closer in to him. The kiss quickly becomes more passionate as it deepens, and soon the glasses are on the end table, forgotten. The two people on the couch become lost in their passionate love for each other, which eventually finds its way into the bedroom until the wee hours of the morning.
Kathryn cringes inside as she stretches. The aching muscles remind her that her body isn't as forgiving as it used to be.
"Good morning, beautiful." Charles smiles as he reaches out to the woman in bed beside him, happy in knowing that the only thing between his hand and the places he is touching right now is the light sheet covering them.
"Mmmm, good morning," she replies groggily. Turning onto her side to face him, she runs her hand lightly along his bare arm, over his shoulder and along his chest, caressing the odd mark along her path. "Did you sleep well last night?"
"Once you finally let me go to sleep, I did."
"I don't recall you trying to stop me last night. In fact, if my memory serves me correctly, I recall hearing you asking for more and more." His hand has begun following the lead of hers and exploring different parts of her covered body. They start kissing lightly but are interrupted by the sounds of an incoming call on her communications computer.
"Ignore it".
With a sigh, she pulls away. "I can't."
"Sure you can. Just stay here in bed and let whoever is calling leave a message."
"It might be Starfleet calling again."
"So?"
"So they already had to leave a message while I was at Mom's for dinner. I haven't returned their call yet."
His hand travels down a little and rests on her breast. "Another half an hour won't kill them. Come on, Kathryn."
She is very tempted to give in to him, especially after last night, but her conscience gets the better of her. With a groan of disappointment, she gives him one last kiss and pulls away, climbing out of bed. "I'm sorry, I can't." Pulling on a robe, she goes into her living area and after replicating a cup of coffee, she sits down and listens to her missed calls. She can hear the shower running and a small part of her feels guilty for denying him a simple act of pleasure, but she quickly pushes that feeling aside. He is a businessman himself and knows the importance of not letting pleasure take over work responsibilities.
Charles had barely said two words to her this morning after he came out from his shower and before he left for the diner. Wanting to smooth things over, she decides to take a break from her work and go see him. "Hey, how are things going this morning? Has it been busy?" Kathryn asks the waitress behind the counter.
"No busier than usual. Want me to get Charles for you? He's just in the back in the office."
"Actually I'll just go back and see him. Thanks, Sarah." Kathryn goes through the swinging doors and finds Charles seated at his desk. "Hi."
"Kathryn. What are you doing here?"
"You didn't say anything when you left. Are you still mad at me for not staying in bed with you this morning?"
"No. I was going to wait to talk to you tonight but since you're here, I'll tell you now. I've been thinking about it and we should take off for a vacation. It's been months since we went away anywhere."
"Where? What about the diner?"
"Anywhere. Sarah can run the diner. We could go to Risa, or maybe somewhere a little more exotic if you want. I really don't care where."
"When would you want to go?"
"Whenever. Our schedules are open."
"Actually, mine isn't as open anymore. I have been given a new assignment. I leave for McKinley Station tomorrow morning at 1100 hours."
"New assignment? For how long?"
"Two weeks. Fourth year Academy student training. We can go when I come back."
"Can't you tell them that you aren't available for that long? You are an admiral after all."
"Vice Admiral and no I can't."
"What's the difference? You give out orders and assignments yourself."
"And I expect those under me to follow out those orders and assignments, just as I am expected to follow orders that are given to me." Kathryn checks the chronometer on the wall. "I have to get back. We'll talk more about it tonight." They kiss goodbye and Kathryn leaves.
She is so busy with preparing herself for this next mission that she doesn't even realize how late it has become until her assistant knocks on the outer door. "Admiral, I am sorry for interrupting you but there is a gentleman who has been sitting out here for the past half hour waiting for you to finish."
"What time is it, Ensign?"
"It is almost 1900 hours, Admiral. Should I let him know that you are too busy to see him and to schedule an appointment for when you return?"
"No, give me a minute then send him in. You may as well go home yourself, Miss Katstanna, you have stayed longer than required. Plus you are going to have a busy couple weeks coming up. I will make sure I leave any extra information or instructions for you to go over in the morning."
"Yes ma'am. Good evening." She steps away from the sensor so that the door closes, and turns to the man. "Admiral Janeway will see you now."
Kathryn is surprised to see who enters her office when the door opens. "Mark, what on earth are you doing here?"
"I know you're really busy so I won't take up much of your time. I was just hoping you could explain why your boyfriend came to me today asking questions about you, particularly about how you used to be in the days leading up to a mission."
Standing up, Kathryn goes over to her replicator and orders a coffee, indicating Mark should sit down on the empty couch in the office. "I don't understand."
"Charles came to me and was asking questions about how you would act; what you were like in the days before you would go off on an assigned mission. I asked him why he was asking me and he just said that I would be the only one who could explain it best, since we were engaged when you got the mission that stranded you in the Delta Quadrant."
"I don't believe this," she mutters more to herself than him. "Mark, I am so sorry he bothered you with this. Please accept my sincerest apologies."
He stands up to leave. "No need to apologize, Kath, but may I make one suggestion?"
"What's that?"
"Make sure you say goodbye to him before leaving. Sometimes it's those last few words and smile that keep you together when everything else has fallen apart."
His smile is still magic on her and she can't help but smile back. "Thanks Mark, I will."
Kathryn stops by the diner on her way home but it is already locked up so she just carries on to Charles's place. "Hey, I wondered what time you would quit for the night. Have you eaten dinner yet?" Charles asks Kathryn when he opens his apartment door.
"I'm not hungry anymore. However, I do have some questions I want answered." It is very clear by the tone of her voice that she is agitated and upset.
"Um, okay." He stands aside to let her in. "What do you want to know?"
Her hands automatically go to her hips and she looks him directly in the eye. "I want to know why the hell you bothered my ex-fiance about something that is none of his business."
"Because he would have the answers that no one else would."
"Why are you even questioning my moods and actions?"
"Because I want to know if what has gone on these past few days between us is going to be a regular occurrence in the future. I want to be prepared."
"As long as I am in Starfleet then yes, me going away on short missions will be a regular occurrence."
"Three weeks isn't short"
"It is compared to seven years. I promise you when I get back, we will have our vacation."
"We tried that last time and you ended up having to deal with an emergency regarding your ex-borg."
"Seven. Her name is Seven, and I have already apologized for that." She closes her eyes as she pinches the bridge of her nose, trying to ward off the incoming headache. "This is pointless. I leave for McKinley Station tomorrow and I need a good night's sleep. I will call you in the morning when I wake up. Good night, Charles."
2 WEEKS LATER ON THE MISSION
Kathryn is sitting in the empty mess hall of the ship when the captain comes in and sees her at the table in the corner. Going over to the replicator, he makes two drinks then approaches the table. "Care for some company, Admiral?"
"Have a seat, Chakotay."
"You seem pre-occupied. Care to talk about it?"
Kathryn sighs and takes a drink of her coffee. "You don't want to hear about my problems, Chakotay."
"That's never stopped you before."
"Well, those were different times then."
"Different how? You were out in space, alone."
"I'm not alone."
"No, you're just lonely. I can tell, Kathryn. Talk to me." For the next two hours, they sit together and talk about everything that has gone on the past few months since they've seen each other. "Sounds like a man who isn't willing to understand what it's like to make sacrifices."
"What do you mean by that?"
"He has to be willing to accept that your plans may change unexpectedly."
"Maybe I am being too hard on him."
"Kathryn, don't be ridiculous! If he can't accept that you had to put off a vacation until you come back from this mission, then he is the one with the problem and you shouldn't have any reason to apologize. And the fact he went to your ex to talk to him about past situations that aren't even any of his business? No offence, Kathryn, but you are too good for a man like this Charles person."
"If I am not right for Charles, then who am I right for, Chakotay?" You could have heard a pin drop in the silence of the room. He can feel her eyes on him. "Who am I right for?"
"Me."
"You?"
"Yes Kathryn, me. You know that I have always loved you. Why do you think I broke it off with Seven after we got back? I couldn't handle it. I wanted to tell you, but the chance never happened. Then I found out you were with someone new, and I just left you alone. I can see now that you aren't right for him, and you deserve to be with a man who knows and understands you."
"And you think that man is you?"
"I know that man is me. We have seven years together, Kathryn. Seven close, seemingly never-ending years, and I know had our situation been different we may very well have gotten together. Let's do it now."
"Chakotay, you are out of your mind."
"Then tell me that when you saw me again, your heart didn't skip a beat." She doesn't answer him, and he takes that as a positive response. "See?"
"I am with Charles though, Chakotay. I can't just stop seeing him because you love me."
"Why not?"
"Because that's not how love works, Chakotay!" Kathryn pauses for a moment and gets herself under control again. "That's not how I work. Even Mark kept trying to believe I wasn't dead for a whole year after the search for us was called off."
"Exactly. You deserve someone who cares about you that much. That man is me."
Kathryn stands up, leaving her cup on the table. "Goodnight, Captain."
That evening, Kathryn dreams about an alternate future with Charles and, as Chakotay explained, it is filled with arguments and disappointments. Jolted awake, she sits up in bed. "Could he really be right?" she asks herself as her heart returns to a normal beat again.
Getting out of bed, she goes over to the workstation in her quarters and turns on the computer. "Computer, encrypt message and send to the following co-ordinates." Taking a deep breath, she starts talking. Once she is finished and sends the message to Charles, she climbs back in bed.
The following morning she rises early enough to shower and grab a quick bite to eat before heading to the bridge. "Is the Captain in?" she asks, pointing towards the Ready Room.
"Yes Admiral, but he insisted he not be disturbed this morning."
"Lucky for me I outrank him. Thank you, Lieutenant." Without another word she goes to the door and enters.
"Good morning, Admiral."
"That was mean and dirty what you did last night, Chakotay."
"What are you talking about?"
"Our conversation in the messhall. Not backing down from me. Making me realize something I didn't want to admit."
"That I am the right man for you?"
"Yes."
"Just doing my job, Admiral, just doing my job." He flashes her a wide, dimpled grin that he knows she can't resist. "We have another week to whip these cadets into some of Starfleet's finest."
"Better get cracking. Oh and Captain? Dinner in my quarters tonight, 1800 hours. Leave the pips at the door."
"Yes, Admiral."