"Oh no commander! Don't you 'Kathryn' me! Don't you dare try and sugar coat this!" her hand's where on her hips. Her anger was lacing her voice. Her cheeks were flushed, her auburn hair was flying which way it pleased, and even when she ran her tiny hand through it, it would not tame down. In short Voyager's captain was not happy.
"Sorry." The ships first officer offered timidly as he tugged at his ear with his hand for he knew an angry Captain Janeway was bad enough but upsetting an angry Captain Janeway meant asking to be thrown out an airlock.
"Oh you're sorry!" her hands went up in the air "He's sorry!" Kathryn Janeway spat talking to nobody in particular as they were the only two in the ready room as she flopped back down in the chair behind her desk. "Is that supposed to mean something to me?" her eyebrow raised, a secret challenge as she met his eyes.
Chakotay decided to go in from the innocent defence angel. "It was a mistake, it could have happened to anyone." He was pleading with her to see reason now, this was not good.
"Well it was yourmistake!" Kathryn insisted folding her arms and scowling at her first officer in pretend annoyance.
"Ok so we have firmly established that it was not your fault." Chakotay reminded her knowing exactly what her issue was, 'just as long as she is not to blame' Chakotay thought to himself with a slight smile creeping into the corner of his lips.
"Have you made sure my crew knows this fact?" she spat back at him in a proud self-righteous tone of voice.
"Kath- Captain they know that anyway." He told her coolly watching her from where he stood somewhere between the door and her desk. He had been slowly backing away towards the door. Best not get too close he had decided.
Nonchalantly she looked away from him waving him off with her hand saying, "Fine then get out."
"Captain" he said coolly almost hurt.
"Dismissed Commander, go back onto my bride and slouch around stating the obvious or take the delta flyer out for a crash or whatever it is you do around here." She told him in a slightly sarcastic tone with a smile creeping to her own lips.
It was then that Kathryn noticed that Chakotay's small smile fell and hurt flashed into his eyes but only for a second before his smile was back and his eyes were neutral, "right, well if that's how it is."
"It is," she said in a slightly cool voice.
"I see," he replied just as coolly.
"Oh come on Chakotay" she said with a real grin as she looked up at him, realising he was not returning her smile she sighed and said "oh all right I suppose you have only crashed a few of my shuttles this week and not the Delta Flyer." It was a joke to lighten the mood. Sadly her first officer didn't seem to feel the same as her.
Tension was mounting across Chakotay's face as he growled in a very low whisper "for such a little woman your very infuriating you know."
"Commander that's insubordination" she smiled at him in her usual jovial tone.
"I know," he growled back.
Rolling her eyes and standing to move towards him she told him "well there's no need to get personal because youmessed up." Returning to their original conversation.
"You got personal first" he told her and without waiting for a reply he turned from her and strode out of her ready room on to her bridge.
With a snort Kathryn shook her head and hissed under her breath "he'll be back" to herself as he picked up the PADD containing the report on the mornings incident involving the commander and a whole lot of mash potato….
