Kathryn entered her quarters late in the evening to find Chakotay asleep on the sofa with an unfinished plate of salad balanced on his chest. She smiled tenderly, although her brow furrowed with concern. He had been pulling double shifts for almost a week straight, running security drills and checks in the middle of the night with Tuvok and then bridge duty in the morning. The crew of Voyager had spent two days making extensive repairs after the last attack, and within a week would be approaching another potentially hostile area of space. They were trying to ensure that they were ready for the next confrontation, but at this rate her first officer would be asleep under the console if an attack did come.
Kathryn and Chakotay still found themselves trying to balance on-duty command team and off-duty couple two months after the change in their relationship, and she hadn't said anything about his extra time. She was spending far more hours in uniform, too, but enough was enough. She crossed to the sofa and gently eased the plate off his chest. He stirred at the movement and one eye opened. "I was trying not to wake you," she said quietly.
He opened the other eye and smirked. "I'm a former tactical instructor and Maquis captain. You're lucky I don't sleep with a phaser anymore."
She grinned at him. "You forgot current commander who's adorable when he's asleep."
He grabbed her wrist and pulled her down beside him. "I'm not sure I've ever been called adorable before."
"Oh, I'm sure you have, if not out loud."
He pulled her into a kiss, then turned his head away from her and yawned. "I'm sorry," he mumbled against the back of his hand.
She stood and tugged at him. "You need to go to bed."
He sat up and rubbed his face. "I can't. I have a couple of reports to finish."
"Yes, you can. Those reports come to me, remember? I can wait for them."
He shook his head. "We promised no special treatment where duty is concerned. The majority of the crew is just as exhausted as I am."
"Are they really?" she asked with surprise.
"Yes, they are. Haven't you noticed all the yawns and hunched postures? Never mind, I guess you wouldn't. They hide it from you if at all possible."
Kathryn looked a little guilty. "I suppose they do. Why didn't you say something before?"
"Because we have to make sure we're ready." He stood up and went to the replicator to order a coffee. "That last attack was from a small band of disorganized marauders. Thanks to the information we retrieved from one of their ships, we now know we're approaching the borders of a large and territorial militaristic society. We could be fighting for our lives again in just a few days." He pointed at her. "Face it, you're exhausted, too."
"I'm fine."
He chuckled. "How much concealer did you put on this morning?"
"Are you trying to say I look bad?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No, I'm trying to say you're no better at hiding it from me than everyone else is."
She rubbed her neck and leaned her head back with a sigh. "You're right. This isn't good, Chakotay. We've done everything we can. The crew is well-trained and ready. Let's get through with everything tomorrow, and then I'm calling a day off. We'll rotate a bare minimum staff every three hours so they all have plenty of time to rest. We'll reduce speed if we have to, and set up the sensors to issue ship-wide alarms if any vessels are detected. We seem to be safe for a few days, and we can't afford mistakes by a fatigued crew when the time does come."
He took another sip of his coffee and then sat beside her and massaged her neck. "I think that's a good idea, hon." He leaned over and lightly nipped her earlobe before kissing his way down to the collar of her turtleneck. She tilted her head, and he yawned again.
She laughed and nodded toward his coffee cup on the low table. "I don't think even that is going to help you. If you go to bed now, you can get up early to finish your reports before the security drills with Tuvok."
"Will you come to bed with me?"
"I can't just yet. I have to review the newest data from astrometrics and pay a visit to Neelix."
Chakotay kissed her and slid his coffee in front of her. "At least visit Neelix first and get something to eat. A muffin in the ready room is hardly a meal, and I happen to know that's all you've eaten today."
She tried to look indignant, but melted at the fatigue evident in his eyes. "Alright, I promise to eat if you promise to sleep." He was pulling off his shirt by the time he was halfway to the bedroom. She finished his coffee as she listened to him undress and climb under the sheet. She recycled the cup, gathered a couple of PADDs from her desk, and heard light snoring before she left her quarters.
Chakotay slowly opened his eyes and glanced at the chronometer. 0130 hours. He had time to finish his reports, take a quick shower, and join Tuvok for the security drills. Or, he could sleep for five more minutes. No, not a good idea, he thought to himself. Five minutes would turn into five more minutes, and then five more. He forced his eyes to open fully and realized Kathryn was not beside him. He sat up, wondering if something had happened. He grabbed his robe off the chair and pulled it on as he walked into the other room. The living area was empty, and his worry increased. "Computer, locate the captain."
"The captain is on the bridge."
What is she doing there this time of night? He knew there couldn't have been an emergency or he would have been alerted. He pulled on his uniform pants and turtleneck and headed for the bridge, determined to make her put work aside and sleep for a few hours. When the turbolift doors opened, he stalked off and halted when he saw Harry sitting in the commander's chair and the top of Kathryn's head resting back at an angle on her chair. "What's going on, Harry?" Chakotay asked.
Harry's voice was barely above a whisper. "She sat down on her way to the turbolift, saying she needed to pull up some data. The next thing I knew, she was asleep. I tried to wake her, but she just turned her head. She's been like this for about an hour."
Chakotay couldn't stop the soft smile. "I'm not surprised. She'd been up since before 0500." Harry wondered how the commander knew what time the Captain got up. Chakotay stepped down to the command level and said, "Captain." She didn't wake. "Captain," he said a little louder. There was still no response. He bent down closer to her and gently nudged her shoulder. "Kathryn."
"Hmm?" She stirred slightly but didn't open her eyes.
"Come on, Kathryn. You need to go back to your quarters and get some sleep."
"Our quarters," she mumbled.
Chakotay's eyes flew up to Harry's face, seeing his wide eyes and slightly open mouth. Chakotay shot him a hard look, and then shook Kathryn again.
"Come on, let's go."
"Yes. Are you coming back to bed?"
Harry cleared his throat and his cheeks turned pink. Chakotay leaned across Kathryn to get nose-to-nose with Harry. "One word and you're scrubbing plasma residue, son. Understood?"
Harry stared into the black eyes of his commander and wished he could melt under the chair. "Yes, sir. Understood, sir."
He would have to get her up the way he did in their bed if he awoke before she did. Chakotay laid his hand on her cheek and said, "Kathryn, love, it's time to get up." She slowly opened her eyes and kissed his palm, then bolted upright in the chair as she realized where she was. Chakotay straightened up and watched her, waiting to see her reaction.
She rubbed her face and muttered, "Oh my god." She turned to Harry and saw him trying to look anywhere but at her, and then she noted Ensign Jenkins at the helm, who was sitting ramrod straight with her head locked on the viewscreen, looking for all the world as if a hard thump would shatter her like crystal. Kathryn turned back to Chakotay, and he could tell she was trying to puzzle out exactly what had transpired.
He spoke quietly, "You were so deeply asleep, we couldn't wake you."
"What did I say?" she asked. She remembered saying something and kissing his hand.
"Enough," Chakotay answered simply. She closed her eyes and then spoke loud enough for the others to hear.
"I expect you to act with the discipline and discretion of bridge officers. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Captain," the two ensigns clipped.
She yawned and held her hand out to Chakotay. "In that case, would you take me home?"
He smiled at her. "Of course, hon." He pulled her up and put his arm around her waist. Harry and Jenkins watched Kathryn lean her head on Chakotay's chest and his arms wrap around her before the turbolift doors closed.
"If I'm not mistaken," Jenkins said, "that's been going on for a while."
"It would seem so," Harry said wide-eyed.
"It's about damn time," they both said as they returned their attention to their duties.
***V*V***
Kathryn and Chakotay arrived for alpha shift on the bridge within a couple of minutes of each other. Kathryn took the reports from each station and then retired to her ready room. Five minutes later, she called Chakotay to the room, followed soon by a summons for Harry. When Harry entered, she was on the sofa and the commander was leaning against the railing in front of her. Kathryn gestured to the other end of the couch. "Please, sit down, Harry." He sat down and waited stiffly for one of them to speak.
She looked at him and said, "Since the mess hall didn't explode when I entered this morning, I must assume you kept your word and have not spoken about what happened a few hours ago. Thank you."
Chakotay smirked when Harry glanced hurriedly at him. Kathryn raised her eyebrows at Chakotay. He tugged his ear and said, "I guess Harry decided he'd rather not scrub plasma residue."
"Did you threaten him, Commander?" she asked with a glint in her eye.
"I might have."
She looked at Harry. "Well, I wouldn't make you ruin your toothbrush, but I'm grateful just the same."
"Captain," Harry said. "It was apparent that whatever is going between you and the commander is not exactly new. You've obviously chosen to keep it a secret."
She sighed. "We knew that the crew would become aware of our relationship eventually. I never would have guessed it would be because I fell asleep on my bridge, though. For that, I owe you an apology."
Harry looked at her with concern. "Captain, I can't imagine how exhausted you must be for you of all people to give in to your fatigue like that. You've been working longer hours, and for a far longer time, than the rest of us." Chakotay was pleased that Harry was voicing his worries. Heavens knew getting the woman to slow down was harder than catching a Dorvan tiger by the fur on its tail.
Kathryn looked at him with a half-smile. "Thank you for your concern, Harry, but I'm okay. Actually, that was another thing Chakotay and I have been discussing. We've decided to give the crew most of the day off tomorrow to rest and relax. We'll rotate three-hour shifts. Also, we'll keep one of the holodecks running continuously and open to everyone. We've been trying to decide whether to run Sandrine's or the beach resort program."
Harry's face lit up at the thought of extra time off duty. He considered the choices for a moment and said, "I would recommend the beach, Captain. It's more laid back and relaxing. I think it could be even better if we made it a nighttime theme. You know, moonlight, bonfires, that sort of thing."
Kathryn looked at Chakotay. "What do you think?"
"He has a point," Chakotay said. "The resort would be a more restful atmosphere than a bar, and nighttime might deter the long, competitive volleyball matches."
"Alright, a night at the beach it is. Thank you, Harry. Please keep things quiet on both issues for a little longer. Chakotay will be announcing the planned downtime to all of the crew within the next half an hour. As for our relationship, we realize that it should be addressed very soon. We need a little more time to decide how to do it."
"Captain, if I may." Harry looked hesitant and stalled.
"Yes, Harry?" she asked, not sure she wanted to hear what he had to say but trying to sound encouraging.
"Well, the crew is going to be very happy for you. I don't think you need to plan a big announcement or anything. Just let it happen naturally. We've all known for a long time that you love each other, and it was clear to me this morning how deeply that love runs. That's all the crew needs to see."
Kathryn looked to Chakotay and their eyes gleamed. "Thank you, Harry. We will consider what you've said. You're dismissed."
When Harry left, Chakotay sat on the sofa and took Kathryn's hand. "So, what do you think? Do we plan an elaborate surprise or do as Harry says?"
Harry wondered what the couple had decided when Chakotay exited the ready room a few minutes later. The commander informed Tuvok the captain wanted to see him, handed the bridge over to Harry, and then went to his office to begin letting the crew know about the day off and to prepare the three-hour duty rotations. Harry suspected the captain wanted to talk to Tuvok about the relationship before anyone else found out, if Tuvok didn't already know. On second thought, he was willing to bet Tuvok either already knew or had very strong suspicions. It was uncanny how much the Vulcan could pick up from the nuances of human behavior.