Summary: What was going through Ayala's mind when Janeway was in the brig with Seven during "The Gift." I just saw the rerun on tv and decided to write this story. This is the first fic I'm publishing, so reviews are welcome!

Disclaimer: They aren't mine, unfortunately. I'm just using them to make things the way I would have done it.

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DUTY

I call her down to the brig, expecting Tuvok or another security officer to accompany her. But she shows up alone; I realize it's my responsibility, and mine alone, to look out for her.

The Borg drone can't touch her through the force field, I rationalize. Everything will be fine; she'll speak to the drone and then go back to her business on the bridge.

But leave it to Captain Janeway to do the unthinkable.

She brings down the force field and I instinctively move forward to cover her. She gives me the famous Janeway hand wave, a signal for me to stay back and watch.

If anything happens to her, Chakotay will have my head. I stifle a groan.

She speaks to the drone for a few minutes and shows her a PADD. The drone becomes angry and knocks the PADD out of her hand and I experience a moment of panic before I see Janeway back off.

That was close. Too close. I continue to hold my phaser steady.

As Janeway resumes talking to the drone, I remember Chakotay's words to me when we first became integrated into the Voyager crew. "I know this will be difficult, but you have to trust her," he had said, "And Ayala, as a security officer, it is your duty to protect her at all costs."

I had accepted my duty, of course. And then a year or two later, right after Chakotay and the Captain had returned from that planet they had been stranded on, he approached me again and reminded me of my duty.

"Ayala," he had said, "I know we've discussed this before, but now this is a personal request." I could see the care and love in his eyes as her spoke about her, and how it was my job to make sure she was safe at all times.

Once again, I accepted my duty.

Then, after the most recent "Scorpion" incident, Chakotay pulled me aside in the mess hall. "That Borg is going to be a problem," he had said. "And I have a feeling Kathryn is going to do something incredibly stupid. You watch her, Ayala. Make sure nothing happens to her. Nothing."

His eyes bore into mine with sincerity and worry. I nodded and I accepted my duty, of course, but this time with more resolve. He had used her first name and I knew, like the rest of the crew, that there was more going on under the surface than Chakotay was willing to let on about.

So here I stand, watching Captain Janeway attempting to calm an angry Borg drone and not allowed to do a single thing about it.

She'll kill me if I intervene. He'll kill me if she gets hurt.

A day in the life of a security officer on Voyager.

And then I hear an awful thud and a yelp, and I see Janeway take a blow to the stomach by the Borg drone. My own stomach wrenches, but I don't move. She surprises me by grabbing the Borg drone and forcing her to sit on the bench. She sits with her for a while as the drone sobs, and I continue to stand and watch the scene, wondering how I'm going to tell Chakotay about this, or if I should tell him at all.

Eventually she re-enables the force field and leaves.

I let out a huge sigh of relief and tap my commbadge.

"Ayala to Commander Chakotay," I say, "Sir, the Captain is on her way back to the bridge."

"Thank you, Ensign," he replies. "Is everything alright down there?"

"Everything is fine, Sir," I answer.

"Okay. Good work, Ensign."

I smile. "Just doing my duty, Sir."

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Wondering if I should write a sequel conversation between Chakotay and Ayala about what happened. Or perhaps Chakotay and the Captain. Thoughts?