Disclaimer: Paramount clearly owns all the characters. Copyright:Paramount
Written for VAMB Secret Summer Story Exchange. The request from Sibs was 'Janeway and Marla Gilmore have a long overdue chat.'
It turned into two chats and a load of other stuff.
Thanks go to northernexposure for her beta-read and for her encouragement.
Set Season Six: Episode Coda to 'Live Fast and Prosper'
One Step Forward
Chapter One
This was one of those precious days when life in the Delta Quadrant had put a smile on the face of Voyager's captain. The successful conclusion to their dealings with the three impersonators meant that she felt confident that, once again, she was the only Captain Kathryn Janeway representing Starfleet in this sector. The smile was still there at 21.30 hrs as she made her way towards the mess hall.
As she strolled in, the Doctor passed her at considerable speed, offering only a cursory nod in acknowledgment. Unlike his captain, he didn't seem to be in a particularly good mood. Once he had gone by, Janeway cocked her head to one side and indulged in a small smirk at his expense. Only the Doctor could find something to be annoyed about on a day like today.
Before choosing her meal, she paused at the serving hatch to take in the other late diners. Tom Paris and Neelix were seated near the centre of the room, engaged in a game involving three upturned cups and a terra nut. Janeway watched Neelix lift one of the cups to reveal the nut and chuckle; Paris rolled his eyes and threw up his hands in mock exasperation. The Captain smiled again. The success of their ambitious plan to con the con artists had been satisfying for all of the members of Voyager's crew involved, but there was no doubt it must have been particularly sweet a victory for these two. Both Neelix and Tom had been devastated a few days before when Janeway had been obliged to break the news to them about Sister's Dala's deception,
"Gentlemen, I believe you've been had."
Watching Neelix laugh reminded Janeway of earlier in the day when he had requested a few minutes with herself and her first officer. In the course of their investigations into how the impersonators had managed to acquire vessels from seven different worlds, several of the aggrieved parties had provided Voyager's command team with recordings of the three con artists at work. Neelix had asked if he could include a short extract from one of these recordings in a special edition of 'A Briefing with Neelix.' The command team had sat with him and watched the extract in question. When they had finally regained their composure, neither of them could deny Neelix's assertion that it was so exceptionally entertaining that it was guaranteed to enhance crew morale. Janeway hadn't hesitated to grant him permission to use it. This glimpse into the version of Federation diplomacy improvised by the strangely flirtatious 'Captain Kathryn Janeway' and her two diminutive sidekicks was something the crew should be allowed to enjoy in all its ridiculousness. They hadn't consulted Tuvok.
Neelix's broadcast had gone out at the end of Alpha shift and Janeway had watched it while she finished up a report. Even though it was her second viewing and she was alone in her ready room, she had ended up snorting with laughter again. It had raised her already good spirits a little further, and now, a few hours later, her mood still buoyant, rather than retiring to her quarters to eat alone she found herself actively seeking out company for her evening meal.
Despite the lateness of the hour, almost every table in the mess hall had occupants. Some were still finishing their meals and others were lingering to socialise with the latecomers. It had been an eventful day and, like Janeway, many members of the crew had worked past the end of the shift in order to tie up the ends of the away mission.
She took in Chakotay, seated at their usual table under the viewport and found that he was already watching her. He immediately nodded a greeting. She smiled in return and her gaze came to rest on the blonde hair of the person seated opposite him. She could only see the back of the woman's head, but Janeway instantly identified her.
Turning back to the serving hatch, Kathryn filled a plate with salad and took a few more moments to select a slice of the hearty looking bread Neelix had left out, her high spirits beginning to drain slowly away. She could feel Chakotay's eyes on her back. She picked up her plate and simply stood there for a moment, her gaze straying over to the doors leading out of the mess hall.
A few seconds later she turned back again, and with the appearance of composure, she started towards Chakotay and his dinner companion, her eyes sweeping over the other crewmembers present. As she passed she acknowledged the greetings offered by Neelix, her pilot and several others. The fixed smile now plastered firmly on her face no longer reached her eyes.
"Good evening, Captain," Chakotay said warmly.
The woman sitting opposite him looked up immediately, clearly startled by Janeway's arrival. "Captain, I... I presumed you'd already… Please, here…" Marla Gilmore faltered, half rising awkwardly, looking as if she wished she could dematerialize instantly so she would no longer be occupying the Captain's usual seat.
"Please, as you were." Janeway raised a hand in protest, causing the other woman to immediately sit back down. "I'm fine here." Janeway settled herself into the seat next to her first officer.
There could be little doubt that two of the three occupants of this table were in the process of speculating that this might well be the first interaction, other than the issuing and receiving of orders, that Voyager's captain had had with any of the 'Equinox five'- a term still used by some - although seven months had now elapsed since they came aboard. The third occupant knew for certain that it was.
The colour gradually crept up Marla Gilmore's neck and face as she struggled to compose herself.
Chakotay turned to address his captain. "Marla was just telling me how much she enjoyed Neelix's broadcast this evening. Apparently, the consensus in engineering is that we could learn something from our impersonators about how to create a more lasting first impression."
"Really." Janeway replied, attempting to summon up a genial expression.
"I only meant… it was just a joke, Captain, I-" Gilmore flushed a little more.
"Of course. I presumed as much." Janeway's eyes flickered up from her plate to the engineer's face briefly as she loaded a forkful of salad. "The Commander and I were just as entertained, I assure you." She turned to Chakotay and a real smile graced her lips for the first time since she'd left the serving hatch.
His expression matched hers. "We certainly were. I may just have to learn the traditional blessing that the first officer seemed intent on offering every five minutes."
Gilmore seemed unable to share in their amusement and took another mouthful of her dinner. Only then did Janeway notice that Chakotay had already finished his meal. He glanced between the two women and then addressed them again.
"Well, if you'll excuse me, I have holodeck time booked for hoverball and I don't want to be late. It's never a good idea to give my opponent a reason to get mad before the game's even started." He rose from his seat and picked up his plate. "See you in the morning."
"Enjoy your game, Commander," the Captain offered neutrally. "See you tomorrow."
Gilmore looked up, "Good evening, Sir."
Chakotay acknowledged her with a brief nod and a small smile and turned to walk away.