Author's Note: This is my attempt at a Voyager fic, more specifically a remake of "Resolutions" (I know, original right? =P ). In my version, Tuvok has not yet agreed to contact the Vidiians. This is a continuation of where I think the show could have gone if Tuvok had not sent them the comm signal while Chakotay and Janeway were viewing the boat schematic that Chakotay was planning to build for them. This story takes place directly after Chakotay shows Janeway the boat plan.

I am not a fan of the overdone "Chakotay and Janeway just start doing it" stories because I do not think they are realistic, but I do believe the characters did have a strong romantic tension in that episode and episodes to come after because of their friendship, commitment, and love for one another. So although they do not have sex (yet! hehe) in this first chapter, I do believe the episode alluded to the fact that it was crossing Chakotay's mind…especially when he saw her in that towel after her bath and then again when he gave her that massage. And, yes, I do believe he loved her. It was finally "officially" done in "The Eternal Tide" and "Full Circle" books, but I am sad they never got them together on the actual show.

"I'm not sure we could fit the bathtub in the boat." Chakotay said teasingly, mocking the woman standing beside him.

Kathryn began to laugh. "Well, that's alright, I'll have the river."

Chakotay smirked shyly. "The whole river…that's one big bathtub."

Kathryn patted him on the shoulder. "Room enough for both of us then." She said lightly, not at all aware of the thought that swept across Chakotay's mind in response to her simple words. The prospect of both of them bathing in the river together made his skin tingle. He blushed slightly and immediately looked down at his computer, pretending to analyze the boat image. Although he knew her words had no alternative innuendo, it still made his face flush with color. She missed his sly smile and skin coloration as she went over to the sink to wash off the soil from her hands. She had been outside in the garden all morning and her hands were dirty from planting all of those tomatoes.

Kathryn looked over at Chakotay as she was drying off her hands. He was slightly red in the face, she noticed, but thought nothing of it. He was now staring intently at his computer screen, seeming to be analyzing the structure of the boat he would soon construct for them.

She sighed softly. "You know, Chakotay…" Kathryn spoke quietly and walked closer to his side. He looked up and met her blue eyes. "Ever since I haven't been able to do my research, I began to feel a little bit…useless around here." She swallowed hard. "I think that's the reason I started gardening. I just want to contribute…something. Do you know what I mean?"

Chakotay's reverie about himself and Kathryn bathing in the river together came to a sudden halt at her disheartening words. "Useless?" He asked bewilderedly as he saw her long face. "Kathryn, you most certainly are not useless. You were just out there gardening the entire morning. We can't live on replicated food forever, you know. We will need actual food at our disposal one day. What you are doing is very helpful and necessary." He spoke with that intense note of sincerity that only Chakotay could manage. "I'm not just saying that, Kathryn. I mean it."

Janeway's heart warmed at his compliment. "I know that…but I'm not like you, Chakotay. You're always building something or creating something to try and make our lives here easier…much more so than I am…" She paused and leaned in closely to view the boat on the computer screen. "Do you think…I mean, would you mind if I helped you build the boat? Even if it's just to humor me for a little while?"

Chakotay laughed at the idea, but when he saw the bright twinkle in her eyes searching his own for an answer, he responded by gently touching her back. "Of course you can help me. But you've never struck me as the building type. Then again, you've never struck me as the gardening type either, but those tomatoes seem to be growing just fine. We can build the boat together."

Kathryn smiled weakly, knowing he was right. She was not the building type. "Well, I'm excited to give it a try. I feel like I haven't been doing much lately besides mucking around in the dirt and taking baths." She felt Chakotay slowly lift his hand off of her back and go back to fiddling with the computer mockup.

She continued. "Besides, if I help, the sooner we can get it finished and explore that river! Maybe there are other animal species lurking around here that we just haven't spotted yet. It would bring a little excitement to my life; maybe allow me to conduct at least a small amount of research with what we have here, even if it's just recording the plant and animal life."

Chakotay, although he was an animal lover himself, could not understand her growing obsession with the monkey that had been hanging around. He chuckled softly and shook his head. "You never know. Maybe you'll make some more monkey friends."

He looked up and saw her mock scowling at him. "He's not my…friend, Chakotay." She said defensively with that twinkle still resonating in her eyes. The response written silently on his face caused her lip to curl up into a small grin. "Alright…maybe I have had an unhealthy fascination with the monkey, but there isn't much else going on around here."

She looked around at their humble abode, which Chakotay had added personal touches to in order to make them feel more at home. Although she appreciated his work greatly and was happy that he was trying, she missed being on Voyager with her fellow crewmen…exploring the unknown. She sighed and sat down next to Chakotay, her messy hair falling slightly in front of her face.

"I guess I just really miss being…Captain Kathryn Janeway." She smiled sadly at Chakotay. It was clear to him that she was hurting quite deeply, being away from the ship, and he never wanted her to feel that way even if he did not share her sadness.

Chakotay nodded solemnly and took her hand into his, even though he did not necessarily agree with her assessment of the situation. On the contrary to her feelings, he finally felt somewhat at peace with his life. No more vicious alien invaders, no more sudden attacks, no more starship to command, no more never-ending reports or duty shifts or sleepless nights, no constant repairs to make…no one was there at all except for the two of them…alone. It was nice not to have to worry for once if some alien intruder was about to attack their ship.

He cleared his throat and forced a smile to try and cheer her up. "You're right, Captain." He said, knowing it would cause a small twinge of a smile to grace her lips, which it most certainly did. "There isn't much to do around here. It's not wrong for you to want a…pet…or something. It's not wrong for you to miss being on the ship with your crew either. I think it's a perfectly normal reaction to our current situation." He sighed and looked up into her eyes. "I just wish I could do something more…to make you happier. I don't want you to ever feel…useless, because you most certainly are not. You're the opposite of useless."

Kathryn shook her head and tenderly touched his back, causing a warm sensation to overcome his entire body. Suddenly he felt as though every nerve ending he possessed was alerted all at once.

"That's just silly." She responded hoarsely. "You've already succeeded in making me…happy." She blushed a slight shade of pink at her admission. "Just because I miss being captain of Voyager doesn't necessarily mean I'm unhappy here. I couldn't ask for anything more from you, Chakotay. You've been…so wonderful. I'm the one who needs to work out my frustration. It's not your responsibility, Chakotay." She said gently, alluding to the "warrior story" he had told her only a week before, as she moved in closer to him.

He absently stared at the computer screen again, not knowing how to react to her close presence nor to her words. She was only inches away from him and he could feel the warmth she carried, radiating off of her body onto his. He was disrupted from his wandering thought as she spoke again, more in control this time. "As for my primate friend…I want to give the little guy a name. Just so I have something to call him, you know? There's just one problem…"

Chakotay laughed genuinely and looked up at her in amusement. "Problem? What kind of problem?"

Janeway thought pensively. "I don't know its gender."

She giggled suddenly and Chakotay was confused. For a brief moment, as he silently watched her infectious smile light up their pathetic excuse for a home, he thought of how beautiful she was…both inside and out.

Chakotay didn't understand her sudden bought of the giggles though. "What's so funny?"

Janeway released her hand from his back and her other hand slid out from underneath his own. She was heading for the door. She leaned against it almost as though she was posing. "I want you to…find out for me. Consider it like a mission."

He narrowed his eyes at her in mock dismay. "You want me to check…its gender?"

Kathryn giggled again and nodded. "For me. Please. I feel too embarrassed doing it myself and I really want to give him…it…a name."

Chakotay sighed in defeat and shook a finger at her. "Only if it's out there, Kathryn. I'm not going to go chasing after that thing just to look...at…its…you know." He blushed again for the second time that morning and bent down to pretend to focus on his boat mockup again.

Kathryn nodded. "Fair enough." She closed the door behind her and Chakotay watched as she skipped out towards the forest.

Janeway and Chakotay were hacking away at their wood one sunny afternoon, Kathryn wearing a form-fitting white tee shirt and a brown skirt while Chakotay donned his usual attire. They had been working day and night for a week on building their boat. Chakotay was apparently correct at his assessment of Kathryn's building skills…she possessed no aptitude for the task whatsoever. He often had to show her how to do something and whenever she tried on her own, something usually went wrong. They had quite a number of laughs at Kathryn's expense over building the boat, however they both thoroughly enjoyed the quiet times they shared, silently sharpening the wood or gathering supplies together. Chakotay noticed that the more work he gave her to do, the happier she became. She truly was one of those people who always loved to be busy and learn new things, to keep moving forward no matter how difficult life became. Whether it was getting back to the Alpha Quadrant or building a silly riverboat, she never wanted to give up. He admired her strength of character.

"Oh no, Kathryn…" Chakotay warned softly as he watched her holding one of the saws they were using to cut wood. "You don't want to hold it like that. The blade is too close to your hand. You could hurt yourself."

She attempted to readjust it, but the blade fell to the ground and she just sighed.

Chakotay let out a chuckle. "Here, let me show you. I don't want you losing any fingers…at least, not when we're so close to finishing the boat." He joked as he gently took her hand, in which she held the largest piece of cutting equipment she had ever used before, and showed her the correct way in which she should hold the tool.

"There, that's better." Chakotay said, releasing his hand from hers. "Try now."

She started to cut the wood again and found that she no longer had to worry about accidentally chopping off any fingers.

She shook her head. "I don't see why you're still letting me help you build this thing, Chakotay. I wouldn't be surprised if my work causes this boat to sink the minute we get onto the river."

Chakotay laughed. "Well, then we'll just have to swim back, won't we?" He saw her roll her eyes at his attempt at making fun of her. "Don't worry. You're doing a great job and this boat will be unsinkable, I promise. I won't let you drown out there." He then pretended to think seriously for a moment. "Kathryn…"

She looked up. "What?"

"You can swim, can't you?" Chakotay teased her. "You know…just in case…"

She arched her eyebrow up. "Don't make me use this for something else, Chakotay." She warned and held up the blade.

He laughed at her empty threat and when he heard her match his laughter, they went back to silently working on the boat.

The day was coming to a close, as was their new boat. Kathryn and Chakotay sat on the grass in front of the shelter and looked proudly onto their joint creation. The paint just needed to dry and it would be ready for use the following morning. They were both packed and eager to take their camping trip. It would be the most exciting thing they've done since they arrived on New Earth.

"A job well done, Commander." She said with a hint of pride in her voice. "Shall we replicate a bottle of champagne to celebrate?"

"Already done. You must have read my mind." He smiled and reached into the basket he had sitting next to them on the lawn. He took the liberty of preparing a spread of food for their little celebration and had it laid out on the blanket like a picnic. It was a warm night and he wanted them to have a peaceful dinner outside where they could admire their new boat. He uncorked the champagne and grabbed two glasses from the basket. He filled her glass to the brim and held it out to her.

"You, Kathryn Janeway, will soon be the captain of a brand new ship." They clinked their glasses together and smiled. "Think you can handle the big river?"

She pretended to think about it for a moment before nodding. "After handling my fair share of hostile aliens in space, I think I can take on whatever's out there." She pointed to the direction of the river.

Smelling the food, Kathryn's monkey suddenly appeared and walked slightly lopsidedly toward their spread of food.

"Well, Chakotay," Kathryn said with a hint of laughter in her voice. "He's here…what are you waiting for?"

Remembering her earlier request to "check its gender", Chakotay laughed while sipping his champagne, causing him to choke slightly and spill the drink on his shirt.

Kathryn reached up and took Chakotay's toppling wine glass. "Can you check so I can name him? I've been waiting!" She giggled like a little girl, her red hair blowing slightly in the wind. She hadn't worn it up since they landed on New Earth.

He sighed regretfully. "Is that an order, Captain?"

She smiled warmly. "It certainly is." She then pointed a stern finger at him and used her best captain's voice. "And…I want name suggestions submitted to me by no less than 09:00 hours tomorrow morning."

Chakotay sighed and slowly approached the monkey. This is ridiculous. He thought to himself. He glanced behind him at her face, which looked as though it was about to erupt in laughter. Anything to see her smile. He decided. He reached into the bowl of fruit he had out for them and held a piece in his hand so the monkey would come further towards them. The monkey obliged and hopped up to their blanket. Kathryn giggled in a fit of laughter as she watched Chakotay try to get a glimpse of the monkey's parts. Finally, after roughly fifteen minutes, and both of them exhausted and beet red from laughing, he raised his hands as though to surrender.

"Sorry, Kathryn. I can't do this." Chakotay smiled gleefully, definitely not sorry. "Why don't you just give him a gender-neutral name?"

Kathryn took a gulp of her champagne and smiled. "Like what?"

Chakotay scratched his chin pensively. "How about…Bananas?"

Kathryn handed Chakotay his glass back and they clinked them together once more.

She decided she liked that name. "Bananas. I like that. Bananas it is."

They both drained their glasses and stretched out together on the lawn, peering up at the stars that they were once so used to flying through. "Now we need to name our new ship, Chakotay. Any thoughts?"

Chakotay had his head cocked to the side instead of facing the stars, silently admiring Kathryn's natural beauty as she lay beside him. Her perfect face and body were so close to him, but he knew that he couldn't touch either of them. His heart ached as he watched her peering up at the stars like a little school girl who wanted to become an astronaut someday when she grew up.

Kathryn noticed Chakotay was not responding to her question and glanced over at him. She was surprised to see his face staring straight back at her own. "Chakotay?"

"Hmm?" He asked, abruptly lifted from his wandering thoughts. "Kathryn?"

She smiled and reached over to touch his hand. "I asked you a question."

Chakotay blushed. "Sorry, I was just…thinking. What did you ask me?"

Kathryn looked at him with slight suspicion before answering. "I asked you what you think we should name our new ship."

Chakotay shook his head and grinned. "You and your names."

"It's unheard of not to name a ship, Chakotay. It's bad luck to sail a ship with no name." Kathryn chastised as she held his hand. If only she knew what those slight touches did to him inside.

Chakotay cleared his throat and tried to think of a name quickly. "How about…The Janeway?"

Kathryn rolled her eyes. "Where's your creativity, Chakotay?"

"Well, you helped build it…um, sort of." Chakotay teased as she rolled her eyes. He liked to rib her about her building skills. It was the one and only thing he was better at than she was. Everything else…science, astronomy, commanding a starship…those things, she was far better at than he. But, not at building…definitely not at building.

She rubbed his hand softly with her thumb without realizing it. "I want to name our ship….The Voyager."

Chakotay chuckled. "How original. I've never heard that name before." He saw her face turn sad. He knew she was looking up at the stars, thinking of the crew and ship they had left behind. He paused for a moment and thought about his Kathryn…about what she has had to deal with for the last few weeks. He relented. "On second thought…I love it. The Voyager it is." He said with finality and squeezed her hand for reassurance. She squeezed it right back, sending a shiver up his arm.

She sighed in contentment and a small smile appeared on her lips. "The Voyager."

Chakotay leaned in closer to Kathryn. He wanted so desperately to kiss her, but instead he just spoke softly. "We'd better eat this food before Bananas gets any ideas."

Kathryn woke up at 6 o' clock in the morning. She had trouble sleeping the night before due to her excitement about going on the camping trip in their new boat. She knew deep inside how silly it was…after all, she had commanded a team of over 150 crew members in outer space on a starship. However, for some reason, this new development in her life exhilarated her and she was happy to be going on a little riverboat trip with Chakotay and exploring the planet they've endearingly nicknamed New Earth.

She slowly got out of bed and immediately replicated a canister of coffee. Taking in her first sip of the day, she breathed in the aroma slowly. It smelled heavenly and she smiled to herself. She walked over to Chakotay's room out of habit and saw that he was sleeping still. She crept past his room and went outside. She figured she could sneak in a bath without him seeing her since he was still sound asleep. She was well aware that it was light outside, but she knew the only people around were her, Chakotay, and that monkey. She slowly lifted her night shirt over her head and set it aside before removing her panties, which she let drop down to her feet. She leaned over to start filling up the tub with steaming hot water. She then climbed in once it was full enough, coffee cup in hand, and closed her eyes as she felt the relaxing sensation of the water filling up around her. Taking her bar of soap that smelled of lavender that Chakotay had replicated for her, she began to massage the soap all over her body. To her, that was the most blissful start to an even more excellent day.

Unbeknownst to Kathryn, her movements near Chakotay's bedroom door caused him to stir in his sleep. Waking up about five minutes later, he walked out of his room and searched for Kathryn, which by now had become a morning habit for both of them.

"Kathryn?" He called softly. He heard nothing in response to his calls and turned automatically to gaze out the window to look at the yard. His heart nearly stopped dead when he glanced outside and saw a very revealing Kathryn Janeway, standing in the middle of the yard, next to the bathtub, slowly removing her clothing in broad daylight. Chakotay wanted to turn away, to give her the privacy he knew she wanted, but his eyes were too transfixed on the beautiful sight before him. He watched as she slid into the tub he had built for her. He continued to stare as she took the bar of soap he had replicated for her into her hands and maneuver it over her naked body. Chakotay grabbed onto the nearest wall, knowing he was about to lose control. He nearly fell to the ground in astonishment of this latest turn of events. His involuntary arousal became stronger and more pressing as he watched her close her eyes and seductively rub the bar of soap over her naked breasts and then down to the rest of her body. Even though the tub masked the lower part of her body, he could tell exactly what part of her body she was washing. He gasped in desire and ran back into his room and slammed the door shut behind him. He walked into the little bathroom he and Kathryn shared, locked the door, and instantly removed his own pajama pants and underwear. He had to relieve himself of his desires before going on the camping trip with her. He closed his own eyes and imagined what it would be like to make love…really make love…to Kathryn, the woman he secretly loved and respected with all of his heart, mind, and soul. He imagined himself exploring every inch of her beautiful body, touching every centimeter of her soft, supple skin, before finally pleasuring her where she needed it most. He slowly stroked his own hardness as he visualized everything he would do to please her. He imagined that as he did so, all of the hopes and dreams he had for them would just spill out of his mouth and she would reciprocate his sentiments. Soon enough, he gasped again, moaning softly, as he ejaculated into his own hand. Feeling instantly ashamed of himself and cursing himself for looking at her during her most private of moments, he sighed and cleaned up his little mess. He decided to lay down on his bed again to relax for a while before Kathryn came back inside. He was now sweaty and out of breath from what had transpired. He needed to calm himself down before their trip…that was for sure. If only it could be that easy. No matter how hard he tried, the image of his Kathryn taking off her clothes and soaking in the tub he built for her refused to leave his mind's eye. He tried to push it away.

Within the next hour, around 7:30 AM, he heard Kathryn's strong, beautiful voice fill the home. "Chakotay? Where are you? We were supposed to leave at 07:00 hours!"

He closed his eyes tightly, as though trying to erase the images from before, and rose from the bed. He knew how excited and happy she was about the boating trip and he was not about to show her that anything was amiss. Putting on his strongest of forced smiles, he went out to greet her and get ready for their camping excursion.

*I will continue this story soon. I hope to make it many chapters long. Let me know what you like or don't like about it. I know the Resolutions remake has been done many times. I just wanted to try it. Thanks for reading. Will update soon.*