Author's Note: Kathy, Chuckles, an anything else Trek don't belong to me, I'm just playing with them. I also don't own any of the songs here. Collect Call lyrics an song belong to Metric. Any other song belongs to their respective owners.
I've wanted to create something where Janeway an Chakotay were already in a relationship for a while now. I've also wanted to write something with no chapters. So this is the result! I originally started this on Valentine's Day, so that's why it's Valentine's themed. There's a quote in here somewhere from Dragon Age: Origions, as we all know that Kate Mulgrew voices Flemmeth. See if you can find it!
Hope you enjoy my first J/C fic!
Captain Kathryn Janeway was sitting in her ready room, enjoying some coffee and reading the morning reports before she headed to the bridge. She was so buried in her reading that she hardly recognized the beeping sound coming from her door.
"Come in." She muttered, not looking up from her PADD as Commander Chakotay entered her room.
"Do you know what day it is, Kathryn?" He had his hands behind his back, concealing a small black box from her eyes.
"The fourteenth."
"Yes, but what month?" She turned around to face him.
"February... Valentine's Day! Oh, I'm so sorry. I forgot all about it. I didn't even get you anything."
"Neelix sent everybody a message this morning about a Valentine's Day party he's hosting. But I know you well, so I just suspected that you didn't read it... And you don't need to get me anything. You're the best present I could ever have." Kathryn smiled at him, her cheeks turning a light shade of red. He was always proud of himself when he could make her blush, as she was a master at concealing her emotions. After all, she had hidden them from him for so long. He passed her the box, and sat down beside her.
"And if I know you well, then I suppose this box is a present for me?" Kathryn questioned. Chakotay nodded as she turned the box around in her hands. She didn't take her eyes off him as she opened the box, revealing another box. It was smaller, and velvety. A surprised look spread across her face as she took out a silver chain with an Emerald pendant dangling from it.
"Happy Valentine's Day Kathryn. Here, let me put it on." Chakotay moved off the light green couch to behind Kathryn. He took the chain and connected it behind her back, making sure it didn't get caught in her short, auburn hair. The pendant sat just above her breasts, sparkling in the light of the room.
"Oh, Chakotay..." She took the pendant in her hands. Her sea-blue eyes shined just like the Emerald pendant. "This... it's wonderful, thank you."
"I originally replicated it for your birthday; that's why it's your birthstone. But I thought it would be perfect to give to you now." Kathryn flashed Chakotay a wide smile and pressed her lips against his passionately in a kiss that lasted for several moments. She then wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest, and he started to stroke her hair.
"Tuvok to Janeway." The words from her comm. badge rang though the room and buzzed through their ears like angered wasps. She swore silently and answered, getting up off of Chakotay to tap her badge.
"Janeway here. What do you want, Tuvok?"
"Our sensors have come across a small nebula that shows signs of being a useable power source. It contains-"
"Good. I'll be on my way. Janeway out." Kathryn interrupted. She got up from her seat and put the black box on the table beside her PADD. Chakotay got up with her, and followed her to the door. She kissed him lightly on the lips and then went up to his ear.
"Come by my quarters after the party and I'll have a gift for you by then." She then walked around him and out of the ready room. As she entered the bridge, she found that many people had also gotten presents for Valentine's Day. Lt. Tom Paris was wearing a nice new silver watch. Ensign Samantha Wildman had a string of red beads hanging around her neck, most likely made by her daughter Naomi.
"Captain on the bridge." Commander Tuvok spoke, getting up from his chair. He was followed by the rest of the crew on the bridge, who stood at attention. Kathryn smiled, nodding as she walked to her chair. She gave a firm reply and took her seat in the middle of the bridge. The nebula was quite pretty; a swirling cloud of pinks, purples, yellows, and blues. It lit up the whole room, making for a magnificent sight.
"It's beautiful." Chakotay pointed out, walking over from the direction of the ready room and taking his seat beside her. She flashed him a smile and gave an order to her operations officer to give them a closer view of the nebula. Ensign Harry Kim pressed some buttons on his console in response and the nebula on the view screen grew larger. She could see it more clearly now, and spotted a vast array of energy particles dancing between the clouds of the nebula.
"This nebula will coincide with Valentine's Day perfectly! So don't schedule any energy extractions until tomorrow. Just send a class-1 probe into it for now." She paused for a moment, fingering the shiny emerald pendant that was around her neck and smiling wryly. "Speaking of Valentines, I hope you all are going to attend Neelix's party tonight." She looked at Tuvok who returned her gaze with arched eyebrows. "And that's an order. To the whole crew in fact! It will surely give us a boost of morale around here. I expect you all to be there unless you have a good reason not to." Tuvok opened his mouth to protest but quickly closed it once he saw his captain's famous death glare. He raised his left eyebrow, shook his head, and turned back to his console.
"Yes Ma'am!" Exclaimed Tom. He was excited for the party tonight, as he planned to take his lover B'elanna Torres and share a romantic evening with her. She wasn't too intent on going, as she hated formal parties where she had to wear a dress. But now, she had no choice. He looked at her station, hoping that she would turn around to face him. Tom found out that she already had, and was now giving him a look that seemed to say 'I'll kill you for this later'
'Oh, you wish' he glanced back.
After checking some reports given to him by a young ensign, Chakotay abruptly stood up from his position in the middle of the bridge and turned to the wonderful woman who sat beside him.
"Captain, I don't believe you've had breakfast yet. Care to join me?"
"A correct observation, Commander. And I would love to join you. Tuvok, you have the conn." Kathryn answered. She took his hand that was so graciously offered to her and let him lead her out of the bridge and down the corridor to the mess hall. Tuvok obeyed his order and left his station to sit in the captain's chair. He was the only one who didn't notice the captain and commander's flirtatious leave of the bridge.
=/\=
"When was the last time you had a good Valentine's Day?" Chakotay questioned Kathryn, rubbing his foot slowly up and down her leg under the table. They were sitting at a table near the doors of the mess hall. Enjoying breakfast together was normal for them, and was since before they started dating. Crew didn't stare at them like they used too, and even ignored them completely. Or at least they thought they did.
"Hmn. The last time I even celebrated Valentines was before I captained Voyager. It was spent with Mark, of course. He took me out to a fancy Italian restaurant for dinner, and after we made love under the stars at our home in Indiana..." She trailed off as Chakotay stopped rubbing her leg. "Jealous?" He nodded.
"A little."
"Well, it wasn't the best Valentines I had. Making out on hard ground is rather uncomfortable. And you get grass... everywhere." He chuckled and started to rub her leg again. Kathryn smiled at him from across the table and rested her chin atop her hands "When was the last time you had a good Valentines?" she asked.
"It was a year or two before we met; I was having lunch with a crew member who expressed that she had no one to be with for Valentines. I offered to have dinner with her, as I was alone as well. We basically did the same things you described, except we didn't have Italian food and made love on a bed, not grass... And we were really drunk. I guess your date was better; one night stands really aren't memorable." It was Kathryn's turn to laugh. Hearing her laugh was rare; another thing Chakotay was proud of making her do. He was one of the only people who could do it, and he enjoyed hearing that beautiful laugh of hers.
"Well by tomorrow, you should have something to tell your grandchildren about." She assured him jokingly. He smiled with her and turned his head, spotting Neelix who was skipping towards their table.
"Ah! Captain! Commander!" He exclaimed. He was his usual cheery self, maybe a little too cheery. "I must thank you for making an appearance at my party an order. I'll be happy to see everyone there!" He paused for a moment to look at her necklace. "My, Captain that is a beautiful Necklace! Who gave it to you?" Kathryn looked at Chakotay, expressing a hint of distress. She had to come up with something to cover up their secret that they so strongly tried to conceal. Chakotay gave her a look back that expressed that he wanted to help, but couldn't think of a way to. She turned back to Neelix, hoping her statement would work.
"Oh, this? Um, it was a present from my mother, given to me, er, a long time ago. I thought I'd wear it on a special day, and Valentine's Day is a special day, isn't it?"
"Yes, yes! And what would you like to have?"
Kathryn ordered first, asking for a plate of Eggs Benedict with a cup of black coffee. Then it was Chakotay's turn.
"I'll have today's special with the same beverage." He stated. Neelix nodded, and rushed over to his kitchen to create the requests. A sly smile appeared on Kathryn's face.
"You really don't know what the special is, do you?"
"No, no I don't. Judging by what today is, it's probably something Valentines related." He acted like he was deep in thought for a moment, but then resumed his rant. "Pancakes with pink syrup? Fruit salad with strawberries, cantaloupe, and watermelon shaped like hearts? Or how about cupid-shaped toast?" She smiled at every one of his strange breakfast ideas.
"Commander, this is a mess hall, not a picasso." Chakotay laughed at this. He put his hand over hers for a moment of passion. They were silent until their food came.
"Alright Captain, One plate of Eggs Benedict. And a cup of coffee just how you like it!" Neelix spoke. Chakotay quickly removed his hand from Kathryn's, his cheeks darkening with embarrassment. The Captain's face also turned a light shade of pink, but Neelix didn't seem to see anything. He set the plate and cup in front of her. Then, he turned to the other person at the table.
"And one plate of today's special: Heart toad-in-a-hole for you Commander-" He set a plate of toast with a heart cut out in the center of it, holding a cooked egg. He then placed a cup in front of Chakotay. "-With coffee!" Finished, Neelix finally galloped off back to his kitchen. After taking a long look at his breakfast, another laugh escaped Kathryn's throat.
"Well Chakotay," She began, trying not to laugh. "Looks like you were wrong about the Cupid-shaped toast."
=/\=
'VALENTINES PARTY' the top of the PADD read. She usually didn't read these kinds of messages. This would be Kathryn's first year attending one of Neelix's Valentine's Day parties. She hadn't attended any other Valentine's Day parties before this, as she felt that it would make her depressed that she couldn't spend it with Mark. And as time went by and she didn't feel anything for her former fiancée anymore, she didn't go because Valentine's Day just made her sad in general. But now that she had someone to go with, she couldn't give up the chance.
Kathryn scanned down the page reading only the important parts. '...Party will be at 20:00 hours tonight in Holodeck 1...Please wear something red, white, or pink, in formal wear...bring your date if you have one!' She looked for any other important details, and then got to work on her appearance. She had already had a bath, so next up was to do her hair and make-up. Walking over to the bathroom in her quarters, she picked up a black hairbrush and ran it through her hair until it felt like silk. She then found two sparkling earrings that she thought would go well with the necklace Chakotay gave her. After snapping them in, she picked up various different-sized brushes and a palate of brown eyeshadow. She brushed on the same colours she always did, but put on black eyeliner for added boldness. After layering on mascara and a little bit of blush, she rummaged through her drawers for the correct shade of lipstick she wanted. Finally, Kathryn picked up a small stick of bright-red strawberry lipstick. She painted her lips with it, and then looked at her masterpiece through the mirror.
"Ah, that should do." She assured herself. She then got up and strode over to her replicator. "Computer, one red, strapless dress, size four. And three-inch, size nine red high-heels." The replicator beeped in confirmation and started to replicate her orders. Moments later, a pile of bright-red fabric with two shoes appeared in it.
"Damn!" Kathryn noticed a slit going down her dress from the mid-thigh. It wasn't what she wanted, but then again she didn't explain exactly what she wanted the dress to look like. It always scrambled up the dresses in the database for some reason, and added extra things to specified orders for no apparent reason. Maybe she would get B'elanna to fix it later. As she was stepping into the dress a beeping sound came at her door.
"Come in." She knew exactly who it was, and didn't bother to turn around.
"Need help?" A man's voice asked from behind her. The zipper in the dress was a pain to get up, and Kathryn couldn't do it alone. She let the tension in her shoulders go as a strong hand was placed up against her back while the other went to pull up the zipper. Hot air was breathed onto her neck and shoulder, and her breathing hitched for a moment.
"Didn't I tell you to come after the party?" she asked him with a smirk. With the zipper up, she turned around and was greeted by Chakotay's smiling face. He was wearing a handsome black tuxedo with a pink tie affixed around his neck.
"Well, I thought that I should take my date with...me..." He trailed off once he got a good look at his beautiful captain. She was wearing a gorgeous red dress that went down to her mid-calf and earrings that almost matched his necklace perfectly. She looked even prettier with extra make-up on. "...Spirits, you look beautiful."
"You look quite handsome yourself." She complimented back. He smiled at this, showing off his handsome dimples. Before she knew it he had placed his hands on each side of her face and pulled her into a kiss. She moaned into his mouth. Oh, why did he have to tantalize her like this? As he started to back her into the bulkhead, she regained her demeanour and politely pushed him away.
"Chakotay, save it for tonight. Please. We have a party to attend, after all." Chakotay nodded in understanding, feeling a little selfish. He backed off of her, allowing her to slip her shoes on and attach her Commbadge to her dress. "Wait- one more thing." She grabbed two replicated red roses from a table and attached one to Chakotay's tuxedo jacket. The other she put in her hair.
"Now we match." She exclaimed. They shared a smile.
"I think there's a party we need to be getting to. Join me?" He offered his arm to her.
"Of course." She replied. They walked out of her quarters and down the hall, their arms linked and bodies close.
To others, they were just very close friends who were spending the party together because they had no-one better to go to it with. But to them, it was much more.
=/\=
Kathryn was starstruck as she entered the holodeck. It looked almost like there was a wedding going on. A holographic band played soft music in the background, and holographic waiters strode around with plates of hors d'oeuvres. It was truly a sight to see.
"Quite beautiful, isn't it? Neelix must have really worked his Talaxian ass off hard programming it all. So far this looks like it could be his best one yet." Chakotay commented. He held his mouth open in awe.
"His best one yet? This must be quite the party, then." She paused and looked among the flock of crew members. "Speaking of Neelix, where is he?"
"He's at that table over there, serving drinks. Leave Neelix to serve drinks at his own party. He's a pretty giving man, I'll give him that." Tom Paris, who had just come up behind them, pointed to the south of the room where Neelix was dishing out pink-coloured liquid to smiling couples.
"Such manners, Tom! And always in the last place you look. Like stockings!" Kathryn teased.
"Ha, ha. Very funny, Captain."
"So, where's B'elanna?"
"Right here." She came behind Tom, wearing a sparkling sequined red dress that nearly out staged Kathryn's.
"B'elanna, you look marvellous." Chakotay complimented. He flashed his friend a warming smile, which made her blush slightly.
"Oh, this was all Tom's doing. He replicated everything for me." Tom Laughed slightly, and put an arm on his partner.
"Well at first, it seemed that she wouldn't even come if her life depended on it. But then I made this dress for her, and convinced her to come. Worked pretty well, didn't it?"
"For you, it did." she playfully retorted. The group shared a laugh, and then said their goodbyes.
After all crew members had entered the dance hall, the doors were sealed and the party began. For the first hour and a half, most people just strode around and talked. Some immediately started dancing to the tune of the holographic symphony, but most thought it was too early. But as the party reached the latter half of its second hour, more crew members got the motivation to dance. Seven of Nine and The Doctor also got up on the stage and started to sing songs to the tune of the provided music. They sang duets of many old Terran songs such as 'Love will keep us together' and 'Sweet love'. They also sang an early 21st century pop song called 'Extra Terrestrial' as sort of a joke, upon an alien crew member's request. The Doctor didn't seem too happy to sing this song, as his part was only consistent of rapping and he preferred older, smoother songs. But Seven didn't seem to mind singing it.
Kathryn's favourite song of the evening was another 21st century song called 'Collect call'. It wasn't a slow song, but it wasn't pop either. It had great rhythm, and the lyrics were beautiful. And it was the song that played during their first slow dance.
"Kathryn, you've got to promise that you'll dance with me in the next song. We haven't danced yet at all this evening!" Chakotay pleaded to her during a break between songs. And he was right. For the first few songs, they stood back and just swayed to the music. And that pop song really wasn't appealing to them, so they just sipped on their drinks and talked.
"But I'm not very good at dancing..." She whined. Chakotay shook his head in shame and let out a faint chuckle.
"Kathryn, I've seen you dance before. I've also danced with you before! Your excuses won't work this time."
"Oh, alright." She took his hand and was pulled to the middle of the dance floor.
=/\=
"If the fire's out baby, How you gonna keep me warm?" It seemed that Seven would be singing this one alone this time.
"Supposing you left me, with the door wide open no one can leave." One hand in the small of her back, the other holding her left hand. They had never really slow danced before. Sure, he had spun her around on the dance floor a few times, but never did they do something like this.
"I know it's a lie, I want it to be true. The rest of the ride is riding on you." Kathryn wasn't a lie. It was truly her that was in his arms. After all these years, he finally had her.
"Wishing, you could keep me closer, I'm a lazy dancer. When you move I, move with you." They swayed to the music, her head resting on his shoulder. He could feel her hot breath on his neck.
"If somebody's got soul, if somebody's got soul, if somebody's got soul, you gotta make the move." They were so close that he could smell the hibiscus scent in her hair.
There wouldn't be many times like this. Chakotay had to cherish every wonderful moment he had with her, as with that dammed protocol in the way their time spent together was either on the bridge or in private. And with the kind of position the ship was in, their life could be disrupted any minute, any second. So he had to make these moments last.
=/\=
"I know it's a lie, I want it to be true. The rest of the ride, is riding on you." Her right arm wrapped around his neck, Kathryn couldn't have waited for this moment any longer. But she wasn't sure if it was appropriate. This was in public! They had danced before, as Chakotay kindly pointed out. But never a slow dance. What would the crew think if they saw?
"Wishing, you could keep me closer, I'm a lazy dancer. When you move I, move with you." Fuck, she didn't care. So what? She was The Captain. No one would question her actions. Sure, there would be rumours, questions. But nothing more.
"Wishing, you could keep me closer, I'm a lazy dancer. When you move I, move with you." But there was one rule she had to follow: ship comes first, crew second, Captain third. That had always been the rule. Damn protocol. Well, it sure didn't stop the great Admiral Kirk from having a good time.
But she could juggle her work life and her private life, couldn't she?
Now that Seven was done singing, The Doctor came on and sang a slow song alone. The song was obviously his favourite. He sang it more beautifully than any other song, and put more heart into it.
"Kathryn?" Chakotay noticed that she had moved her head from his shoulder and was now staring at him with her beautiful blue eyes. She seemed to be lost in thought; he was unable to read her face.
"You don't know how much I want to kiss you right now." She replied. "But the crew..." Chakotay smiled. He touched his forehead to hers and traced his thumb across her lip.
"Just do it. The crew probably already have a mighty hefty pool up for when our first public kiss is going to happen. Might as well be now." Kathryn smiled.
"Who do you think will win?"
"Tom, most likely. He probably bet all his Holodeck privileges by now."
"That doesn't necessarily mean he'll get it all back." His mouth turned into a sarcastic frown.
"You sure like to put things off, don't you?"
He barely finished his sentence before she pressed her lips onto his.
=/\=
Kathryn wasn't sure how many songs had gone by before they stopped dancing. Chakotay left soon after they disbanded to avoid any more suspicion, while she stayed behind for a while longer and chatted with a few crewmembers. Surprisingly, none asked about her little 'dance' with the commander. Had no one saw it?
Once the doors to the Holodeck were opened again, the crew started to say their goodbyes and head back to their quarters. She had just finished talking to a young lieutenant and his date, who both complained of having to do the Alpha shift after the party. Kathryn laughed and reminded them of the glass half full point; that they would at least still be with each other. She then bid them farewell and headed towards the doors and out into the outdoor part of the party. She paused for a moment and admired the sparkling night sky, taking her heels off and wiggling them around in the cool grass.
The party was planned perfectly.
And as she passed through the doors, she was stopped by none other than the party planner himself.
"Captain! You look very nice tonight. Did you like the party?" Neelix questioned her.
"Thank you, Neelix. The party was one of the best I've been to. Very romantic. It was worth my while." He grinned at her comment. But as she turned to leave, she heard a loud sigh. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the depressed look on Neelix's face. He seemed to be alright throughout the day, so why wasn't he happy now? Wait- she knew why. Turning around again, she took his hands in hers and looked deeply into his eyes.
"I'm sure she's watching you tonight. She would have been very proud of you."
She squeezed his hand in sympathy. He smiled, but his eyes still held a touch of sadness.
"Thank you Captain."
=/\=
After he was sure that everyone had returned to their quarters for the night, Chakotay sneaked out of his room and made a dash to Kathryn's quarters. He made the trek in his Starfleet uniform to avoid any suspicions when he left the next morning. Nearing her quarters, he went to press the panel beside her door. He was startled when the door abruptly opened before he even touched the panel. Had she not locked it?
But when he entered, she was nowhere to be found.
"Kathryn?" He called out. He heard rustling sounds from the bedroom. Spirits, what was she doing?
"In here Chakotay!" She yelled in reply. He placed his jacket and commbadge on a nearby table and rushed into the bedroom. Lying on the bed, Kathryn was placing a red bow onto a large, square package that was propped up against a nightstand. He wasn't interested in the package, though. Kathryn was wearing that silk nightgown he enjoyed stripping off of her and had washed all the make-up off her face (he preferred her natural beauty), making her look more enchanting then the spirits themselves. She noticed his stare, and flashed him one of her famous crooked half-smiles as he sat down beside her.
"I made this for you, Chakotay. Happy Valentine's Day." She set the package on the bed and watched in anticipation as he unwrapped it. Stripping off the paper, Chakotay unveiled a large painting of himself in front of a starry background. He also spotted Voyager flying in the background, speeding through a dark reddish-blue nebula.
"Spirits, this is most stunning painting I've ever seen! It's absolutely remarkable." He ran his fingers over her signature, which was scrawled out in silver at the bottom of the page. "Thank you so much."
"You really think it's that nice? I painted it all from memory, so it might be a little off. See? Your smile isn't quite right." He chuckled slightly at her criticalness towards the painting. He set it beside the bed and looked at her through sparkling brown eyes.
"Kathryn, it is truly a work of art. Don't be a critique." Kathryn laughed and enveloped him in a kiss. He responded by rolling on top of her and tangling his fingers in her hair, pushing her head slightly to force her tongue into his mouth. Her hands found the hem of his turtleneck and she pulled it over his head, tossing on the floor as she rubbed her palms over his muscular chest. His hands now down at her ankles, Chakotay began to run his hands up her legs. His fingers danced over her calves, up her thighs, and proceeded over to her hips where he searched for her panties, which weren't apparently there.
"Going commando tonight, Kathryn?" He questioned, looking down at her.
"I wanted to give you a head start." She answered mischievously. They shared a smile and he resumed his exploration of her legs, ending at her wet center. She moaned as he slipped his fingers in and began to caress her womanhood. Her voice was barely a whisper as she moved against his fingers.
"Oh, god...."
Chakotay smiled and dipped his head, moving her legs to give him better access. He pushed past the tangles of brown curls and began to lap at her swollen clit. Kathryn grabbed at his hair, pushing him farther into her. Her moans became more like cries as she tried to stay in the realm of consciousness.
"Please!" She begged, pulling on his hair.
He moved from her center and up to her lips. She could taste her arousal on his tongue, and could also feel his against her hip. He broke the kiss to allow her access to his pants, and she removed them and his underwear in one swift movement. He let out a grunt as she grabbed his hardened cock and guided it to her entrance. They both moaned as he entered her, and began to pump into her with long, slow strokes. She soon pleaded for more, and he quickened his pace. Kathryn curled her fingers around the grey sheets of the bed, trying to hold onto that last bit of sanity before she was driven over the edge. She then screamed his name as she began to convulse underneath him, her muscles tightening around his shaft.
Chakotay loved when she shouted his name. He made one final push and fell against her. As their climaxes dissipated, he rolled over onto his back and pulled her with him. She began to trace his tattoo, looking at him lustily.
"Did you have a good Valentine's Day, my warrior?" He grinned down at her and began to stroke her cheek with a thumb.
"Only the best, my goddess."
There wouldn't be many times like this. Kathryn had to cherish every wonderful moment she had with him, as with that dammed protocol in the way their time spent together was either on the bridge or in private, like now. And with the kind of position the ship was in, their life could be disrupted any minute, any second. So she had to make these moments last.