"Where are we?" Janeway shielded her eyes and looked around the meadow Tuvok had beamed both her and Commander Chakotay to for their survival training exercise. "Paris said he and B'Elanna were in an ice cave."
Chakotay scanned the dense forest in the distance. "This didn't register on our initial planetary scans. He's making this easy for me. It's almost like home."
"Or the holodeck?"
Chakotay looked down at his tricorder readings and shook his head. "According to this, we're not on Voyager anymore."
Janeway placed her hands on her hips. "Then he's transported us to a different planet. Obviously one with nicer weather."
Chakotay grinned. "He still respects the fact that you are the Captain. Remind me to thank him for pairing me with you. I hate the cold."
Janeway scanned the beautiful but desolate landscape. "Tuvok isn't this easy on anyone. Especially me. It's not his style. And he wouldn't change locations without telling me."
"An element of surprise?" Chakotay asked.
The transporter beam swirled and their Chief Engineer, B'Elanna Torres, appeared.
"B'Elanna?" Chakotay said. "Back for round two?"
"Actually, no, I'm here on your orders, Commander."
Chakotay exchanged looks with the Captain. "What orders?" he said.
B'Elanna smiled. "Voyager is ours."
"What are you talking about?" he said.
B'Elanna cocked her head. "You and I both know she wouldn't approve of using the wormhole we found last week. But we would."
"We? That wormhole belongs to the Ganians," Janeway said. "They declined their permission to investigate it."
"Yes but I overruled them especially since our long range scans proved more than promising," B'Elanna answered. "We can be home tomorrow, Commander."
Janeway turned to Chakotay. "Obviously, part of the exercise."
"No, part of the original plan." B'Elanna said. With a flick of her arm, the Klingon backhanded her sending Janeway flying into the grass several yards away.
Chakotay sprinted over and kneeled by the captain's still form. Pressing his finger to her throat, he breathed a sigh of relief at her pulse. Smacking his combadge, he called, "Tuvok, the Captain is down and needs medical attention now."
"Why, Commander. You sound pretty good to me."
"Ayala? What the hell is going on?"
B'Elanna walked over and put her hand on his shoulder. "We've done it, Chakotay. We've finally taken the ship. We said we would if a real opportunity to get home presented itself. It did and Voyager is ours. Congratulations. Our next stop: the Alpha Quadrant."
Chakotay felt for a pulse one more time before he rose. "You're sure about the wormhole?"
B'Elanna nodded.
"Then well done, Lieutenant. Let's get her back to the ship and then we'll figure out how to keep the Ganians out of our face while we make those calculations."
"Aye, Captain." She pressed her combadge. "Ayala, three to beam up."
Janeway stirred and her eyes fluttered open. As her vision came into focus, she recognized her quarters and tried to sit up but was rewarded with pain and stiffness. Her dry mouth was covered in a silk fabric wound around her head. A second one bound her wrists back in an unnatural position.
"Welcome back, Kathryn."
She saw Chakotay sitting at her personal desk. He stood up and walked over and dragged the fabric down to her chin.
She tried to speak but couldn't form any words.
Patting her cheek, he walked over to the sink. Wetting a cloth, he brought it back and gently brushed over her cracked lips. Her tongue snaked out to taste the cool wetness and he squeezed some of the moisture into her mouth.
"Chakotay," she whispered in a husky voice.
"Ssshhhh." Chakotay put a finger to his lips and bent down to her ear. "You are not in control of Voyager any longer. This is a Maquis vessel now."
"Maquis?" she croaked.
"B'Elanna is working on the final calculations and by tomorrow evening you and I will be home."
She tried to lick her lips. "Please."
"Of course." Chakotay cupped her chin and pressed his lips against hers. She stiffened but he held her tight as his tongue moistened her mouth. After a few seconds, he pulled back. "Better?"
Janeway blinked and tried to catch her breath as his hands went around her back. She felt him loosen her constraints and stared up into his eyes, silently challenging him.
He chuckled. "Warrior spirit. I've always liked that about you. I've liked a lot of things about you."
Janeway tried to shrug him off but she was still held tight. "This hurts."
He resumed freeing her until her arms dropped from their own weight. She tried to move them but they were heavy and hurt. "What is all this?"
He lifted her into a sitting position and felt her flinch as he slid his hands down her body. She managed a small nudge and moved away.
He walked back to his chair and sat down. Picking a small carrot up from a plate, he popped it into his mouth. "Hungry?"
"Yes."
"Computer, one coffee and one bowl of tomato soup."
"Specify kind and temperature."
He did and a few minutes later he placed a steaming cup and bowl on a tray in front of her. "Dinner is served."
"Thank you." She took a sip of her coffee and let the hot liquid burn her dry throat before doing the same with her soup until she devoured every bit of it.
"Still hungry?"
She pushed the tray away. "No, thank you." She looked around and said, "So I am about to lose all of this?"
"You've already lost it. I'm the Captain now and you are merely a guest."
She looked at his Maquis dress. "So I see. Thank you for your hospitality."
Chakotay's eyes narrowed. "Don't patronize me."
"Your captaincy will be short lived if we are going to be home so soon."
"Voyager will be a welcome addition to the Maquis front."
"Chakotay, it's been over a year. How do you even know the Maquis…"
His dark eyes bored into hers and she fell silent and put her head down. Picking at her bed linen, she said, "And what are you going to do with me and our crew when we get home?"
Chakotay picked up her tray and his plate and placed them in the recycler. "I've been pressed back into service with Starfleet for over a year now. You'll do the same for me and then I don't care where you go."
"Yes you do. You care very much about me and our crew, Commander." She watched his eyes soften a bit before the door slid open and B'Elanna walked in, padd in hand.
"Don't you chime first?" Chakotay snapped.
"Why?" B'Elanna said. "You're both clothed."
He snatched the padd out of her hands and scanned it. "You're certain about this?"
She snatched it back. "You do realize who you're talking to?"
"What about the Ganians?"
"Tom has destroyed every ship that's tried to challenge us. They won't be a threat come show time."
"He did what?" Janeway said.
"Tom's all about being on the winning team," B'Elanna said. "And that's us."
"For now," Janeway replied.
"Would you not like to go home?" Chakotay said. "Maybe the Ganians would like a prisoner to try for our recent actions?"
Janeway raised her chin. "You wouldn't do that to me."
Chakotay stepped forward. "You don't give the orders around here anymore, Kathryn. I do. And if you're going to cause me trouble, I'd just as well leave all my troubles here in the Delta Quadrant."
She studied his face. "I'd like to go home."
"I say we leave her here." B'Elanna crossed her arms. "You've passed up a lot of opportunities to get us home including destroying the array which was unforgivable. Leave her, Chakotay. Let her get herself home the way she wanted too."
Chakotay turned to B'Elanna. "I said I give the orders around here now, not you. You still have some work to do before we can make the jump. Go do it!"
B'Elanna's lip snarled.
"Don't," he said. "Dismissed, Lieutenant."
B'Elanna backed down and exited the room.
Chakotay sat down on the bed and ran a hand up her arm. "Does it still hurt?"
She waited until he reached her shoulders and then stopped him. "I'm fine."
"No, you're not. I can tell your muscles are sore. I'm sorry but I had to keep up appearances just in case she walked in and she did."
Janeway caught her breath. "Appearances? Then this is all…You're…?"
He shushed her and moved closer bringing his lips to her cheek. She stiffened again as he slowly moved to suckle her neck and run his hands up and down her arms.
"Ch-Chakotay, please."
"Please what?" he murmured.
"Why are you doing this?"
"Because you want me to and I'll have my hands full once we get back home. We need to take advantage of our quiet times."
She let his mouth tickle her skin for a few more seconds before she pushed him away. "You're not you. Remind me to have a talk with Tuvok about his training scenarios when we are done."
Chakotay's forehead wrinkled. "What?"
She patted his cheek. "This may be Tom Paris' idea of a training exercise but….Paris…"
"What are you talking about?"
She gave him a curt nod. Slapping her combadge, she called, "Mr. Paris, you are in very big trouble. End this program. Now!"
Tom's voice came over the channel. "Captain?"
"Captain is right," Janeway said. "And you're going to feel every bit of it when you visit me in my ready room, Mister. At once!"
"You've decided to play a game," Chakotay said.
She shook her head. "Not this one. This 'game' is over."
She tried to move off her bed but Chakotay caught her arm. "It's not over until I say it's over!" He yanked her back and she tumbled backwards underneath him. Her sore arms screamed in pain once again. "The only thing that's over is you if you don't play nicely. Paris answers to me and you will answer to me." His hand slid to her neck and he squeezed.
Janeway choked and clawed at his fingers. "Chakotay, please. Please, don't do this."
His grip slackened. "Then don't play games with me, Kathryn. It's beneath you."
She rubbed her bruised neck as he walked back to the desk and called for Engineering. "Estimated time to jump, B'Elanna?"
"The Maquis should welcome us back at around 1600 hours."
Chakotay's stern eyes met Kathryn's questioning ones. "Make it 1500. Chakotay, out."