Summary: Post Endgame, Captain Janeway deals with the challenge as the new Golden Girl of the Federation. A J/C friendship one-shot fic.
Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek Voyager and The Next Generation, Paramount does. Though I wish they'd invite me to write for them, even one little Voyager story or novel, or a movie version. I'm sure I can come up with something if they ask.
The Distinction Among the Flowers
Captain Kathryn Janeway stepped inside her small flat and gave a deep sigh at the sight that greeted her.
On the coffee table of her little sitting room lay a large bouquet of red roses elegantly tied with string, bows, and ribbons. She checked the card and saw that it was from Admiral Piller. She took the card and put it on her inbox on her desk so she could thank him later. Then she grabbed the roses, tossed it into the replicator bin and ordered the computer to recycle.
She resisted the urge to hurl the box of chocolates that came with it. It was a rare variety and she figured Naomi Wildman would appreciate it. She was about to get coffee from the replicator when the a familiar hum followed by the soothing voice of the computer called out:
"Transport delivery for Captain Kathryn Janeway from Captain Jean Luc Picard."
"Transport accepted," she idly replied. A moment later a large bouquet of assorted flowers appeared on her desk. Janeway kept the card as usual and was about to toss the flowers in the same way she did with Admiral Piller's gift when she stopped herself. Jean Luc was her escort tonight and he would expect to find his flowers still alive when he picked her up.
She found a vase, filled it with water and arranged the flowers. She momentarily let herself appreciate them. At least Picard was creative enough to send her Vulcan violets. But the intention behind the flowers was clear and she found she could not appreciate the gift, just as she had not appreciated any of the hundreds of flowers on the dozens of bouquets she received in the last months.
She remembered the last time she ever appreciated a flower given to her. It was years ago. Four years in fact. It was a single yellow rose. It didn't come with ribbons, trimmings or an elegant arrangement. It wasn't even one of those genetically modified perfect roses with enhanced scent and enduring freshness or the Chameleon roses that changed colour depending on the recipient's mood. It was just a simple rose that was plucked abruptly from Voyager's airponics bay. But she treasured it. She dried its petals and kept it in a satchel that she placed on her desk next to the photo of her closest friends on Voyager taken by the Doctor on "Ancestor's Day."
She stared at the satchel now and remembered the man who gave that simple gift to her. It cheered her a little that she would see him tonight and the rest of her crew. She should be happy that all her efforts in the past month finally paid up and her crew was beginning to be accepted and given the recognition and privileges they deserved. But her spirits dampened when she remembered that this would be another Starfleet official function and not a carefree celebration among friends.
She was after all still the Federation Golden Girl and had to play the part. The press dubbed her that the day after she got Voyager back home in the Alpha Quadrant three months ago. She was a celebrated heroine, hailed as the courageous captain that defied all the odds, won battles in the Delta Quadrant and managed to get her crew home with billions of tetraquads of data on their logs to boot. She dealt a mighty blow to the Borg and given hope to billions of teeming masses across the Federation who were disheartened by the Dominion war. She discovered so many new things, made first contact with so many races and developed new technologies that the Federation couldn't even dream about. She was at the height of success at home and yet she found herself almost wishing she hadn't come home at all.
For seven years she spent nights dreaming about the day she will bring Voyager home. She imagined celebrating in Starfleet with her whole Voyager family. She pictured the reunions, the banquets, the promotion parties, the acknowledgment of every single effort of each crew member she had on board. And all the time, He would be at her side as he always did everyday on the bridge for seven years.
The reality however, was far different. When the euphoria of those first few minutes after they stepped on Starfleet headquarters died, the former crewmembers of the Maquis and USS Equinox were put under house arrest. There were no phasers pointed, no declaration of arrest. It was all polite and calm. They did not even mention the words "Maquis" or "Equinox." They were just called one by one by name, separated from the original Starfleet crew then herded off in different areas of Starfleet headquarters for debriefing.
Janeway's debriefing lasted a little more than seventy two hours. When she was released and inquired about her crew the only response she got was that they were all given quarters in Starfleet headquarters. She immediately read between the lines and she knew: Even with all the reports she sent before from the Delta Quadrant, even with Voyager logs acknowledging their valuable contribution and loyalty to her for seven years on their perilous journey, Starfleet still made it plain that the former Maquis and Equinox crew were still criminals in the eyes of Federation. In addition, Seven-of-Nine and Icheb were also kept at house arrest. Apparently the paranoid Starfleet didn't trust the two former Borg drones and they were placed under security for observation.
Janeway, Tuvok and Harry Kim filed petitions for their pardon. All the rest of the original Starfleet crew made every effort to help their crewmates. But even their influence could not circumvent Federation law. The trial dates were set.
But even as her crewmates were fighting their own legal battles, Janeway found herself facing a new challenge as the Golden Girl of the Federation. She became an instant celebrity and with the popularity came an onslaught of suitors from the highest echelons of Starfleet to the most prominent men in the Quadrant. Gifts appeared into her modest Starfleet flat on a daily basis. Dates, invitations to functions and marriage proposals poured in one after another. On top of all that, the press was at her heels constantly.
For a while she ignored it and focused on keeping every effort on helping her crew be put in a good light. It paid off as Tom Paris was pardoned immediately in just a week. Seven and Icheb were released after two. In a month and a half, the lower ranking Maquis crew members were already absolved from their crimes and given amnesty. And finally a week after that Chakotay and B'Elanna Torres were given the same amnesty. The Equinox crew was dealt with more severely as they were expelled from Starfleet and banned from deep space travel. But it was tolerable than having to spend life in a penal colony which was the usual Federation punishment for murder of sentient beings.
It was a relief to Janeway to have her crewmates freed, but the Starfleet prejudice remained. She was offered a Vice Admiral position and all her original Starfleet crew given promotions as celebrated heroes. Even Seven and Icheb were assured positions in Starfleet as valuable crew members. However, Chakotay, B'Elanna and the rest of the former Maquis were ignored and left with blacklisted records that could prevent them from getting any decent jobs in the Federation.
Janeway couldn't stand to see the injustice done to her dearest friends. But she knew that butting heads with the Starfleet admirals would get her nowhere. So instead she used her new found popularity. She went out. She talked to the press about the achievements of her crew and emphasized the significant contributions they made in the seven-year journey home. She mingled with the Starfleet admirals and played the charming captain all the while pushing for the advancement of her crew one admiral at a time.
She found herself at ball after ball, press conference after press conference. She wasn't too happy about the media attention, especially when they keep harping about her love life. But she did it if it meant all the members of her crew would be given the same treatment and honor they deserved.
So this was where she found herself this evening, getting ready for yet another Starfleet event. But this time, she told herself she made significant progress. The function tonight was her official induction as Vice Admiral and the whole Voyager crew was invited, even the former Maquis. It would give her the opportunity to finally get some influence to push for her crewmates' advancement. And the fact that Captain Jean Luc Picard was her escort this evening would certainly keep things in her favor. He was sympathetic to her former Maquis crewmembers and he could help her push a few more buttons among the admirals tonight.
Picard was the latest among her long list of suitors. She was flattered by his attention and she admired him as every woman in the whole Quadrant did for his brilliance and courage as captain. She went out with him several times and she enjoyed his company well enough. Certainly they had plenty of stories to trade and experiences they can both relate to as captains.
The only setback was that the media enjoyed seeing them together far too much. Picard, the most celebrated Starfleet captain of the USS Enterprise and Janeway, new the Golden Girl of the Federation—both brave, honored heroes that dealt heavy blows on the Borg. Together they were a perfect match and the press throughout the Quadrant broadcasted that every day. Whatever potential for romance Janeway entertained between them was killed in a week. She was so tired with the daily gossip that detailed every single instance she was with him that she decided an intimate relationship would be too stressful to handle. For now, she was content to go with him to official Starfleet functions. At least he could keep the other suitors at bay for one evening, though that did not stop the horde from sending her flowers at home.
She finished arranging Picard's flowers and put them on the coffee table. She headed to her room but stopped as computer announced again: "Transport delivery to Captain Kathryn Janeway…"
It cited another high ranking Starfleet official who had a habit of sending more than one bouquet and a few useless trinkets. Janeway decided she was too tired to throw them herself.
"Computer, accept transport but beam directly to replicator bin."
"Acknowledged."
The flowers appeared in her bin. Janeway didn't even bother to pick up the card. She ordered the computer to recycle then asked for coffee. She took the hot brew and sipped it contentedly.
At least the energy's good for something, she thought.
***
Sparkling lights and stares greeted her as she descended on the hallway of the main ballroom in Captain Picard's arm. The place was swarming with press and she that was an opportunity to give her crew a bit of limelight in the course of the evening.
She scanned the area and found her crew all mingling in the hall. She found Tom and B'Elanna in one corner with Tuvok and Samantha Wildman. She wanted to make her way towards them but she had to greet the admirals first. She spent the next few minutes in small talk and hearty congratulations from the high ranking Starfleet officials.
She found herself next to Admiral Owen Paris and felt comfortable talking to him. He asked her for a dance and she gaily accepted when Picard went off to greet his own Enterprise crew.
"I have some good news for you Kathryn," the Admiral went ahead without introductions. He was one of the few top people in Starfleet that were helpful in her cause since his own son's career had also been at stake.
"Does it involve my crew?" she asked directly.
He nodded as he twirled her. "They've decided to offer some of the former Maquis commissions, probationary status of course but they figured they're the best people here and it would be a shame to waste such talent, especially now we lost quite a lot of people during the war."
"That's good," she said. Though she was sincere about it, she was hoping all the Maquis would be included. "Which ones would get them and what positions?"
Admiral Owen beamed. "Well Chakotay and B'Elanna are assured of the commission, not even probationary status. And they get promoted to one rank higher than the rank you granted them on field. As for the rest, all but six get commissions as soon as they past the standard round of Starfleet exams."
Janeway couldn't believe it. It was more than she could hope for. Starfleet was finally acknowledging them.
"Thank you," she told the admiral. "This is good news indeed."
"You're welcome. They deserved it. It just took a while for the other admirals to see it, but we make a good team in making them realize that."
The music stopped and the dance ended. "I think I'll let you go off and tell your crew the news yourself though I think they might have heard it on their own by now. News travels fast and I think the press would like a statement later on that," he added with a wink.
Janeway smiled back and thanked him. That was a statement she wouldn't fail to make. A nice photo op with her crew will be a nice accompanying image in the news logs tomorrow. She found Tom, Tuvok and B'Elanna easily and she quickly conferred to them what they already knew. Tom actually hugged her and B'Elanna shook her hand in thanks.
She left them with Tuvok to celebrate while she scanned the room for Chakotay. She found Seven-of-Nine easily due to her glorious blond hair. Janeway figured they would come together as they were dating. But Chakotay wasn't beside her now. Seven was in the center of the room and the center of everyone's attention along with Lt. Commander Data. They seemed to be drawing quite a crowd that included Picard and Commander Riker. Data was introducing her to the famous Enterprise crew. Janeway could see Seven was finding the attention quite satisfactory and she seemed to be quite intrigued by the most famous android in the Federation.
She probably thinks he is a very efficient individual, Janeway thought fondly of the former Borg.
She continued to scan the crowd and saw that Chakotay was nowhere to be found. She returned to B'Elanna and asked if she had seen him.
"He was here a minute ago," the half-Klingon, half human said. But as soon as she said it she also caught sight of Seven in the crowd being entertained by Data.
Suddenly Seven laughed at something that Data said. Janeway and B'Elanna looked at each other in confusion
"I adjusted her cortical implants," someone said behind them. They didn't have to look. They knew the EMH's voice anywhere.
"Seven can now experience the full range of human emotions," the Doctor continued. "I believe that's the first time I've heard her laugh, how wonderful. She's making excellent progress. I did her procedure a month ago and I've seen her cry last week but I have yet to hear her laugh until tonight. Quite a hearty laugh she has, don't you think?"
"She cried last week?" Janeway asked with sudden concern. "Why?"
The Doctor suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Well I… it was a rather private emotional matter that she came to discuss with me. I'm not really at any liberty to say."
Janeway noticed B'Elanna too kept silent and avoided her gaze and she knew that B'Elanna knew something too.
Janeway wasn't one to pry but she couldn't help but ask: "Is she alright?"
B'Elanna and the Doctor looked at each other knowingly. The engineer finally spoke: "She'll find out eventually anyway."
"Find out what?" Janeway asked.
B'Elanna lowered her voice. "Things aren't going so well between Seven and Chakotay. Chakotay barely saw her during the time we were under house arrest. But when we were finally released, I guess something's changed. Seven's trying to adjust and I don't think she's adjusting well with him. They parted ways last week and Seven's been living with her aunt."
Janeway said nothing. Some secret part of her felt relieved of this news but another part of her was deeply disturbed. She heard another laugh from Seven, and knew she had nothing to worry about the young woman. She would get over Chakotay—it was probably no more than a silly childish crush for her. But Chakotay was another matter.
The words of an older no longer existing Admiral Janeway came back to her. Chakotay died in grief of the death of his wife. Seven did not die in this time period but would Chakotay's heart survive at her leaving him?
Suddenly it became so important for Janeway to find him.
And suddenly as if some omnipotent being heard her thoughts, she spotted him at a corner of the room near the doors that led out to the garden outside adjoining the ballroom. She excused herself from B'Elanna and the Doctor. She turned to him and he met her eyes, but before she could even get to him, Captain Picard was beside her with another foreign dignitary to introduce to her. She had no choice but to give him her full attention and for the next several minutes was lost in small talk and socializing. Music played and Picard insisted on a dance. Janeway reluctantly obliged him.
Thankfully it was a short one and she was able to provide an excuse to get away. But when she did Chakotay had disappeared again. She wished he still had a position in Starfleet so she can just ask the computer to locate him. But as it was, until he gets his commission she had to rely on manual searching.
She met a few press people asking for a statement. She quickly promised them a long one later just to get rid of them. She evaded the rest and quickly headed towards the door where she last saw Chakotay. She hazarded a guess he was outside and walked out the door.
It was a relief to be away from the crowd and press people. The cool night breeze that greeted her felt refreshing but the image she found outside was more comforting. Half hidden in the shadows under moonlight, she could make out Chakotay's form sitting alone on a bench in the garden with a glass of brandy on his hand. She knew Chakotay rarely drank and she took that as a bad sign.
She slowly approached him and he turned around when he heard the soft thud of her footsteps of the well-maintained lawn.
"Kathryn?" he sounded startled. "What are you doing here?"
"Wanting to talk to you," she said as she approached. He moved to the side to let her sit next to him on the bench.
"Where's Captain Picard?" he asked.
"Hobnobbing with the admirals," she said.
"You're not there," he said matter-of-factly. "You're one the admirals."
She shook her head. "Not yet. Not until they give it to me later. Right now I'm just content to be the captain. I could use a break from the admirals before I become one."
Chakotay gave her a small smile and said nothing. He put down the glass. She saw it was still half-full and that he barely sipped it.
"How are you?" she finally asked point blank.
"They're giving me a commission, promotion even. I get to be captain again."
He didn't really answer her question. He was telling her things she already knew. But then again when he gave her an answer like that, that was an answer in itself.
"So I've heard. Congratulations." It was typical polite response. She hated it that she had to resort to this. But there were particular boundaries she had with him and she maintained those even now.
"Thank you for everything Kathryn," he said.
"I didn't do anything. You deserve the rank. Starfleet would be blind not to see how good you and the rest of the crew are."
"But they were blind," he replied. "Until you made them see. I know you had a hand in it Kathryn. I've seen all the interviews you had and read all the news reports about you. You never fail to bring us up."
She smiled at him. "I can't just stand by and let them forget you. I wouldn't be here now if it weren't for the entire crew—both Starfleet and Maquis. You both deserve equal treatment and if Starfleet couldn't see that I would have to pound it in their faces until they do."
"You didn't pound them," he said seriously. "You charmed your way."
"You catch more flies with sugar than with vinegar you know," she said a bit defensively.
He sniggered. "I'm not blaming you. It's an efficient tactic. Logical even. Tuvok would be proud."
She smiled at the thought of her closest Vulcan friend as he imagined his approval.
She stopped as she heard someone singing a gay tune. She looked up and saw from an open window Lt. Commander Data impressing the guests and the press with his singing. Seven of Nine was by his side, singing along with him. She had a smile on her face that was almost joyful. Chakotay glanced at them then looked away rather hurriedly.
"She seems to be making new friends now," Janeway said.
"Yes, she is," Chakotay replied evenly as he stared out in the darkness. "She's finally developing her social skills."
There was no tone of hurt in his voice, but Janeway knew better.
"Commander Data is certainly someone interesting to her. An android must be quite a curiosity and you know how Seven wants so much to learn," she said rather pathetically.
"I'm sure," he replied in the same even tone.
Janeway understood. She wordlessly put a hand on his shoulder. She would not dare to say anything more until he said it himself.
"I suppose you've heard about me and Seven," he began.
She nodded.
He gave a sigh. "I think it was the best decision I made to let her go. She's too young for me and she doesn't need this old man hampering her when she has so many opportunities to grow."
Janeway squeezed his shoulder gently in a gesture of comfort but didn't say anything.
He shrugged. "Don't worry about me. I'm an old man going through a midlife crisis."
"You're not that old Chakotay," she assured him.
"No, but I need to date someone my age," he laughed.
She was pleased to hear him laugh and she knew he would be alright. "There will be plenty of women knocking on your door soon enough, Captain," she told him. "You already have enough admirers as it is."
"Yes, thank you very much Kathryn for painting me to the press as the former bad boy rebel reformed into your brave and brilliant commander."
"It's a very charming image Chakotay. It can get you places. Jean Luc Picard gained his good reputation that way," she said. It was common knowledge in Starfleet Academy that the Enterprise captain was a hothead as a cadet and got into a lot of fights in his early youth before he tamed into the Captain role.
She expected to elicit another smile from him with that statement but instead, he frowned.
"So you came tonight with Captain Picard," his tone was declarative but she knew it was a question.
"He was nice enough to offer to escort me tonight," she replied.
"He's nice enough to escort you for many nights now," he said in that same even voice. He didn't even make the attempt to tease her for it. And suddenly she wondered if he was affected somehow.
She gave a forced laugh. "It's funny the press think we're having a torrid romance."
He smiled and this time there was humor in his eyes. "Well are you?"
"With Jean Luc?" she laughed. "Far from it."
He was silent for a while then: "Why? You don't find him attractive?"
Janeway laughed. "Chakotay, I think you know me well enough to know I prefer men with hair."
Chakotay chuckled and it was good to hear him laugh out loud. That was all she could do as his friend, make him laugh and make him forget his heartaches even for a while.
"But he does send me an awful lot of flowers."
"So I've heard. Vulcan violets was the last one."
Janeway stared at him in surprise. "How do you know?"
"It was on the news log two hours ago," he said. "Do you know they devoted an entire section to you now including every single kind of flower you've received from him?"
"Really?" she asked astonished.
He began ticking off: "Two weeks ago it was Broadway lilies with gardenias, followed by Bajoran lilacs three days later. On Monday you got a combination of Betazed berries with lavender from the Ktarian home world. On Wednesday he sent you Crystilia and forget-me-nots tied with a string of hybrid cherry blossoms. Two days ago it was jasmine from the Telemarius IV with a bit of mint. And this afternoon it was Vulcan violets."
Janeway stared at him in awe for he was correct.
"I was just citing the news reports," he said innocently.
She frowned at him. "You've been reading too much gossip," she said though she couldn't help but be intrigued that he actually kept track of them.
"But is it true?" he asked.
"Yes. I think the press maybe hacking into the transport delivery systems or maybe they got the scoop from Jean Luc's florist. I better warn him."
"So he can send you the rest of the garden discreetly?" he teased.
She laughed. "He and the all the other admirals and captains in Starfleet. They keep sending me flowers and I have the awful task of sending thank you notes every time. I have to credit Picard for at least avoiding the cliché. Do you know how many dozens of red roses I get every day?"
"How many?" he asked.
She shook her head. "It's a rhetorical question. I really don't know. I don't even count. I just feed it to my replicator every time another one comes in."
"And then you order coffee to come out," Chakotay laughed. "Well it isn't a waste. The flowers power your addiction."
Janeway had to laugh at him too. He knew her so well.
"Did you feed my rose in too?" he asked teasingly.
She stopped laughing. "Of course not."
"But it's cliché—a rose," he said.
"Ahh, but it's a yellow rose," she said. "That's different." She turned seriously to him. "And it came from a friend."
A tiny smile formed on his lips. "So you don't mind yellow roses?" he asked.
"I adore them," she told him. "As long as they don't come from Starfleet captains and admirals."
"How about former commanders about to be promoted to captain?"
"Only the ones that served under me in the Delta Quadrant."
"Alright, I'll tell Tuvok you'll appreciate it if he sent you one." He smiled back at her and looked like he was about to say something else when her combadge chirped. It was Harry Kim requesting for the new Vice Admiral back in the ballroom as they were about to start the promotion ceremony.
"I'll be there Harry," she told him. "Janeway out." She turned to Chakotay. "Duty calls."
Chakotay held his arm out. "Can I have the pleasure of escorting the Federation's Golden Girl inside?"
"No," she shook her head seriously.
Chakotay frowned.
"You may not escort the Federation Golden Girl back to the ballroom," she continued in the same tone. Then she changed her expression and added softly. "But you can have the pleasure of escorting your old friend Kathryn in and keep away the unwanted suitors for a while." She hooked her arm on his.
"Even the famous Captain Picard?" he asked, surprised.
"Especially the famous Captain Picard," she replied. "He's a charming fellow but dating him is such a hazard to my privacy.
He smiled back at her and they went inside together.
***
Janeway thanked Captain Picard for a lovely evening then bid him goodbye. When the door closed behind her, she dropped the heavy load of usual flora on her arms on the coffee table. She sighed heavily and was about to start throwing away the flowers again when she stopped.
There on her desk was a single yellow rose.
She picked it up and held the petals to her nose as a warm glow spread over her.
It was the only flower that didn't end up as coffee that night.
***
A/N: I got bitten by the Voyager bug during the holidays and I wrote this after I was nauseated by the sight of so many red roses, hearts and chocolates on Valentines day. I remembered that scene with Q's son giving Janeway a roomful of red roses and that one episode where she receives so many huge gifts that filled her ready room from one particular race she met in the Delta Quadrant. I imagined what she would have done with all of that. I figured she fed it to her replicator before the flowers rotted then used the energy for coffee. Janeway's not someone who would waste energy and I bet she'd do it to the gifts of unwanted suitors as well.