Author's Notes: I would like to think that even into the 24th Century, the celebration would still be held the same way in New York's Time Square, as it has for … well since 1907. With the ball drop at One Time Square. I personally have not been there myself, maybe someday.

No C/7 mentioned in this. In my own little world the subplot to Endgame was a figment of someone's bad imagination (sorry to those who 'ship that pairing, it honestly never made any sense to me no matter how they spun it). I would have been happy with just the main plot of getting them home without it, tbh!

This has NOT been beta read. So, any and all mistakes are mine (I really need to find at least two permanent betas).

Adult themed, and I must warn, I haven't written smut in ages and I tried to keep this more romance novel-ish then graphic and I hope I pulled it off.

Disclaimer: Paramount/CBS owns Star Trek Voyager and the characters. I just didn't like how they teased us with a possible romance and then threw it in the recycler and shoved a cannon pairing at us that made no sense! So, I (like others) decided to fix it.

Enjoy!

Admiral Kathryn Janeway gazed out over the bustling city below her, taking in all the lights and the people mulling about in the square. With a quiet sigh, she pushed off from the window ledge and turned to the table set for two. Several selections of wine and a chilled bottle of champagne, along with candlelight, had all the setting for romance.

'Unfortunately, the one I would like to share this with isn't here.'

She picked up the wine she had poured once she had settled into the room and quickly downed all the liquid in one drink. She began to enjoy the lush surroundings of her hotel room.

When she first received the PADD with the reservations and instructions to pack for cold weather for seven days, she nearly wept and then grew slightly suspicious as there was no information on who had sent it to her.

It seemed that her schedule was always filled since the crew and herself had blasted back into the Alpha Quadrant, by way of the Borg hub and the sphere. She – along with her entire crew – had received promotions and at first, she had been wary of taking the promotion to Admiral, as she felt she still had a lot to give being a captain on a ship. But her mother, Gretchen, and Chakotay had both pointed out that she could do just as much as an Admiral. She only had to stipulate that she didn't want a desk job, but to be out working.

The Brass accepted her proposal and she was quickly swept away in the grind that was Starfleet. One assignment after another that had her traveling just as much as if she was back on Voyager and traversing the Delta Quadrant again.

With no real break, other than two weeks she had taken to visit her mother after the debriefings and before the promotion, she was tired and worn. The PADD had seemed to be a godsend but with the lack of who wanted her to travel to New York City, the week of New Year's Eve, had her going directly to Admiral Owen Paris.

When Kathryn entered his office, unannounced, Owen had looked up quickly prepared to give a reprimand for interrupting his call with his son, Tom Paris and his granddaughter, Miral, until he saw how pale she was and the way her shoulder sagged even as she walked brusquely towards his desk.

She shoved the PADD towards him, given no mind to whom he might have been talking to on the viewer, and asked, "Do you know anything about this?"

Owen glanced quickly at the contents and gave her a confused look, then muttered, "New York?"

Tom heard the quiet words and remembered Chakotay talking about how Janeway needed some rest and relaxation. This had to be his doing and he was trying to do it without her knowledge, otherwise she would dig her heels in and refuse.

Owen caught Tom's frantic wave and focused on the screen to read his lips. 'Get-away, Chakotay set it up.' Then Tom gave him a dazzling smile and nod, which meant, 'go along with it, she needs it!'

Owen focused back on Kathryn as she plopped down in the chair in front of his desk. Something she would never have done if she was not overly stressed, worn and he could now see, in need of some time away from HQ.

"Ah yes, I'm sorry, Katie. I sent this to you." He glanced at his son still on the view screen and gave him a wink. It was time to show the lad who he learned all his tricks from.

At Kathryn's glare that clearly spoke, 'I don't believe you.' He continued. "You see. It was supposed to be a surprise for April, but I had to change our plans when Tom cornered me and asked if we could watch Miral this week." He chuckled. "Seems he had the same idea of taking B'Elanna out for the holiday and I just couldn't pass up the chance to get some grandkid time and I know April will enjoy it just as much as me." He smiled brightly, put on the charm and hoped he wasn't over doing it.

"Oh."

Owen pressed on. "I know you have been working non-stop and I didn't want the hotel to go to waste for the whole week. Although the room will be set as, well, with romance in mind I think you would still enjoy it." He shook his head and held up his hand when she started to speak. "I won't take no for an answer, Katie. You need a break and to get away from Headquarters. Just go, enjoy some quiet time and relax."

Kathryn huffed and rolled her eyes. She knew she was getting wrangled but at this point, she was too tired to fight it and the more she thought about it, the more she agreed. She really could use a few days away from the PADDs and the bureaucrats. "Fine, I guess it couldn't hurt to get-away for the week."

"That's the spirit." He took her elbow and helped her to stand, directing her to door. "Now, get out of here, get packed, and go enjoy yourself."

After the door closed behind her, Owen returned to his seat and the viewer.

Tom whistled and said, "Wow, very nicely done, Dad!"

"All in a day's work, my son," Owen laughed. "Now, where is that sweet granddaughter of mine?"

Bags packed and with a quick check of her apartment before making her departure from San Francisco to New York, she headed for the door. Before she opened it a thought popped in her head. She dropped her bag at the door and moved to her COMM system, quickly pulling up Chakotay's.

She knew he had been working just as hard as she had, probably even more, since he had been promoted to Captain. The surprise on his face when he was told that Voyager was his, made him quickly glance in her direction. "Kathryn?"

She pointed to her new rank bars on her collar, "Admirals normally fly desks, not ships."

She hoped that he might be willing to join her on her impromptu get-away. She had enjoyed the time they had been spending together and was ready to move their relationship onto … something more than the friendship that had kept her sane for the last seven years.

When the screen told her he was unavailable, her heart dropped. She left a message for him, letting him know where she was going and how to contact her. Quickly shutting the COMM back off, she made her way to the door and her bag and headed out with heaviness in her chest.

Kathryn placed the empty glass down on the table with a sigh and made her way to the doors that lead to the bedroom, which housed a king size bed covered by black satin sheets trimmed in deep red. More candles littered the room to give off a soft glow. She turned to the right and made her way to the bathroom. As she stepped into the soft white room, her gaze landed on the tub. 'Perfect.'

A few moments later and settled in the warm water, Kathryn relaxed and then dozed off.

When the hotel room door opened and closed, she didn't move. She smiled when she felt that familiar presence. She always knew when he entered a room.

Chakotay folded his arms across his chest and leaned into the door jam. When he didn't find her in the main area of the hotel room, he was sure he would find her in the large tub. It was one of the many things he loved about her, even her coffee obsession.

"Enjoying the view?"

"Immensely, I could never grow tired of it." He said with a laugh.

"I should have known this get-away had your signature all over it. One of your Maquis tricks to get me here?"

He gave her a dimpled smile. "One of the reasons I did this for you. I could see how worn you were, especially these last few weeks."

Kathryn huffed and then laughed, "If I wasn't so tired, probably would have caught on faster. You know, you're not my First Officer anymore, you are not required to 'take care of the captain'."

"Ah, but, you see, I'm not doing it for 'the captain' or for 'the admiral', I'm doing it for Kathryn."

She sighed and began to rise, without thought of her nudity. "Okay, I will admit I needed the get-away."

He pushed off the door jam and pulled the towel from the rack as she stood up. He didn't bother to hide the hungry and heated look in his eyes at her naked body.

The last few months they had begun to spend their off-duty time together, meals or just sitting on a bench in the quad at Headquarters, when their schedules allowed. It had felt like they had gone back in time, to those first few years in the Delta Quadrant on Voyager, when they flirted constantly, when each gaze was heated with the spark that flared between them. It was a welcome change to the lukewarm friendship they had fallen into those last few years before making it home. He had feared their friendship would vanish completely.

He wrapped the towel around her body and secured it just above the swell of her breast. His hands brushed the outside edge of her breast as they slide down her sides and came to rest on her hips and the heat in his eyes made her stomach flutter and clinch.

"Thanks." She said softly as he helped her to step out of the tub.

When her feet met the cool tile, Chakotay pulled her flush against him.

Her hands landed on his chest. "Chakotay?"

One hand slide from her hip to her lower back, while the other he lifted and slide into her hair, his thumb caressed her along her jaw, "Kathryn, I really want to kiss you right now."

She gave him a crooked smile as her hands slide up his chest to circle behind his neck. She leaned into him, pressing her stomach into his growing erection.

She had wondered how long they could keep going with the teasing and flirting with no command structure or anything else standing in the way of the attraction that had reignited. She knew that it was only a matter of time and that she would never deny him now, she had no excuses to keep them apart, no protocol, nothing. She would not push him away again. It was their time to be happy together.

"What's stopping you?"

He dipped his head and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss had started as sweet and tender but quickly turned heated as they changed angles and tongues met.

They slowly made their way into the bedroom without breaking contact. When the back of her knees met the bed, her hands slide into the collar of his shirt, then down to the top button. She pulled back for some much needed air and looked up into his eyes. "You have way too many clothes on for this," she said breathlessly, as she moved up on the bed to her knees.

He laughed when she pulled him by the front of his shirt to the edge of the bed. He then moaned when she began to nibble along his jaw to his ear lobe as she undid the buttons of his shirt. His hands glided down her back and at the last button, he quickly shrugged out of the shirt and helped to remove the rest of his clothing. Her towel quickly joined his clothing and shoes on the floor.

He captured her mouth in another heated kiss, as their hands explored each other, taking in each gasp and moaned they made from where they touched.

She pulled away again just long enough to climb to the middle of the bed. Her eyes sparkled as she crooked her finger. "Come here."

He laughed as he made his way to her on his knees. "Yes ma'am."

"Oh, it is indeed crunch time, Mister!" When he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her flush against his body, they fell to the bed facing each other with a laugh.

Their mouths met again in a heated dance of gentle nips and tugs. When their tongues met, their hands began to caress. While hers moved down from his chest to the trail of thin black hair below his navel and slowly wrapped around his engorged member, sliding her hand along the velvet skin and eliciting a deep moan from them both, him from her touch and her at his wonderful length and thickness.

The tips of his fingers slid along the outside of her breast and then underneath, he continued around and then moved towards the center until he reached her nipple, gently pinching it between his fingers before cupping it in the palm of his hand. After a few gentle squeezes, his hand traveled to the swell of her hip bone and along her stomach to her auburn curls at the apex of her thighs.

Her legs parted as his hand cupped her mound. His finger moved over her sensitive nub and circled a few times before moving over the inner lips at her center and then slowly pushed into her heat. She pulled away from his mouth. "Oh… yes!"

She gave him a few more pumps, before her hands moved to wrap around his head, as she moved to lie on her back.

Chakotay kissed down her throat, to her chest to take a rosy nipple into his mouth, gently tugging on it with his lips and teeth as his finger began to pump in and out in a slow steady rhythm.

She slid her hands through his raven hair and arched into his mouth with each tug and movement of his hand. She was in exquisite torture and never wanted it to stop.

The feel of her slick warm heat that surrounded his finger was making his arousal heighten and he wanted nothing more than to be buried deeply within.

He released her nipple and began to kiss his way down her body until he lay in the cradle of her thighs. His tongue moved over the bundle of nerves and her pelvis rose to meet his mouth as her back arched off the bed, one hand fisting the sheets, while the other gripped his hair as lightning ignited along ever nerve in her body.

Her orgasm surprised her when his tongue moved over her, lapping every inch as his finger and a then second joined to pump in and out of her willing body.

He slowly removed his fingers from her clinching body and kissed is way up her body. Braced on his arms on each side of her head, he gazed into her blue eyes. "I love you."

She gave him crooked grin, admiring the deep brown of his eyes and rubbed her hands down to grab his ass. She could feel the tip of his arousal at her entrance. "I love you too."

He bent and kissed her with everything he had as he slowly pushed his way in. Once full encased in her heat he didn't move, just enjoyed the feel of her heat and allowing her to adjust to the intrusion. When her legs wrapped around his hips, they slowly began to move against each other.

Her nails made red trails along his skin as they moved from his lower back and up to his shoulders and back down again.

He broke the kiss and began to nip along her jaw and down to her neck where he began to suck the skin along the tendon where her shoulder met.

Kathryn clutched his shoulders, her nails digging into his skin as stars exploded behind her eyes as her passion was released for a second time. "Oh… god!..."

As her inner muscle squeezed him, he knew he couldn't hold back anymore. He lifted himself up and pulled her left leg up over his shoulder. The new angle allowed him to push even further into her welcoming heat and his thrust grew faster. With a few more thrust and Kathryn again rippling around his length, his name floating from her lips, he emptied himself completely with her name flowing from his lips.

Spent he made to move off her, afraid his weight was too much on her, when she held him tightly, "Stay".

His head came to rest on her shoulder as she made lazy circles with the pads of her fingers on his back. He could feel her heart beating just as fast as his at her pulse point. He gave it an open mouth kiss. "That was well worth the wait."

Kathryn laughed, which caused his softened length to fall from her. "Yes, I wholeheartedly agree."

Chakotay rose above her again and kissed her deeply. When he pulled back, he brushed her hair back from her face, holding her with both hands. "I've loved you for a long time and I'm glad I can finally say it out loud and not hidden in an 'ancient legend'."

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "I rather liked the 'ancient legend' but yes, it's nice to be able to say and show you how much I love you too." A frown began to form on her face.

"What?"

"I hated that we had to push our feelings for each other away. But I knew I needed your friendship and guidance as my XO out there, more than a lover. Otherwise, we probably would have never made it home."

He kissed her again before he spoke. "I understood. I might not have liked it, but I understood and I knew I had to keep my promise to lighten your burden and not add to it."

She smiled and began to trace the lines of the tattoo over his left eye. "I know and you did, when I let you. If not for your friendship and saving me from myself those last few years…"

"Let's not dwell on the past, let's just enjoy the here and now. Okay?"

She pulled him down and before claiming his lips in another soul shattering kiss, she said with a laugh, "Aye Captain."

They spent the rest of the week enjoying all the city had to offer and each other when they returned to the room. Just saying the words, 'I love you', making love several times and enjoying the ability to do so freely had been what they needed to feel human again.

As the ten count was shouted by all the people in streets of New York and the ball made the decent to ring in the New Year at One Time Square, Chakotay and Kathryn paid it no mind, as they celebrated with heated and loving kisses and passion that had been denied for too many years and was never to be repressed between them again in the years to follow.

Fin

01/01/2014