Disclaimer: All things being fair, I am sticking to human anatomy… can't top that damn tongue no matter how you slice it. ;)
Part One: Back Aboard
She stood staring out the window in the briefing room. It'd been a long three months on Quarra working at the power distribution facility. Her entire body still hurt from the experience, the shoddy radiation treatments that had been given when they were 'rescued' from their escape pods haunted her, some of the crew were still suffering from not being properly treated. Kathryn Janeway rubbed her stiff neck with her hand before returning it to it's rightful place on her hip, opposite the other. She sighed heavily and tore her eyes away from the blue-green ball in front of her. She missed him, up and down, plain and simple.
The doors swished open to reveal Chakotay, the Doctor and Harry Kim. They would be briefing her on everything that happened after Voyager's evacuation. She listened, half-listened to be honest. Her heart wasn't there and she couldn't figure out why. She'd had passing love affairs before, as few and far between as they were, but still she had them. When they finally stood to leave her alone, she remained. Chances are they hadn't even noticed she didn't follow them out.
Someone noticed. "Captain?"
She lifted her head slowly off the table to see Harry standing there, concern clearly etched on his still-young face. "Yes, Ensign?"
"Is everything alright?" Harry stepped closer to the table, but didn't sit.
Her fake smile melted into a slight real one at his touching concern. "I will be fine, Harry, but thank you."
He nodded, but remained standing there.
"Was there something further?" She leaned back and crossed her legs, resting her hands on one knee.
"Yes, actually. What happened down there?"
She pursed her lips in a frown and closed her eyes. Of course her youngest senior officer would wonder. "My logs aren't private."
He sat in the chair to her left and grinned. "Call me old fashioned, but private or not I don't feel right browsing your reports and logs."
She smiled back and rested her elbow on the table, leaning her head onto her hand.
She looked tired, spent was more accurate. Harry touched her arm, almost to coax it out of her.
"Oh, it wasn't bad, considering the circumstances. We had individual apartments, good pay, benefits." She laughed.
"Benefits, Captain?" Harry raised an eyebrow.
"Tom tells me it was a vital part of 20th and 21st century Earth employment. Coverage of all basic needs, like medical aid."
"Not so bad, except it was a setup and kidnapping."
She rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Right."
"Why do you seem so down, Captain? I've known you seven years and haven't seen you like this." Harry sat back and studied her, wondering if his Captain would admit her weaknesses to him.
Kathryn stood and faced Quarra again, suspended in front of them. "One of the dignitaries that disembarked this afternoon was a… close friend."
He heard the pain that sounded in her voice as she said it and it hurt. "Oh."
"I invited him along, but it wouldn't help."
That kind of friend. Harry stared at his fingers on the table, trying to think up something helpful to say. "Oh." I repeated and winced. She confided very little in the crew, even those she was more personal with and all he had to say was oh. He sighed and decided to plunge forward. "Are you okay?"
She turned her head, but not enough to see him and she looked down. She was not technically in command of Voyager… not until the Doctor cleared her for duty. Right now, Harry was not her subordinate, not technically. "No."
Harry felt his heart stop for a beat at the admission. "What would make it okay?"
She smiled softly and looked at him before turning back to the window. "I don't know if it can be."
Kathryn paced the length of her quarters, her tears falling harder as she did. Harry had made her face it all, but now she couldn't get a handle on her rampant emotions. She used the sleeve of her uniform to dry the latest stream and inhaled sharply to catch her breath. It was no use. She fell onto the couch and buried her face in the cushion, sobbing harder. Why did she have to love him so? The Doctor would clear her for duty in the morning and they'd be gone, he'd be gone. Jaffen. She took another shaky breath and hurried to the bathroom. Rinsing her face in the basin, she dried it left her quarters, intent on seeing him one more time.
She made it to the transporter room after wandering the corridors for several moments. It was deserted as she had expected, which was fine, she'd call for a beam up when she was ready. She keyed in the auto sequence and stepped up onto the platform. "Janeway to Chakotay."
"Go ahead, Captain." The voice responded.
She mentally counted down the sequence. "I'm beaming to the surface, I will contact you soon for return."
"Aye, Captain." He hesitated just a moment before responding.
His response came just in time for her to dematerialize.
Part Two: Encounters
Jaffen was lying across his bed, staring out the nearest window up at the stars. The direction of the stars, the stars themselves weren't shining in the bright labor district. He knew Voyager was still up there, somewhere and the thought of it made his heart ache. He could have told her so many things and he didn't. He glanced toward the last spent plasma relay on his bedside table. The other two were in Kathryn's shipboard quarters, but he kept this one. He reached for it and as his fingers brushed the cool metal a door chime sounded. He leaned up on his elbows and stared at it from the bedroom loft area of the apartment flat. "It's open!"
The door opened to reveal Kathryn Janeway, in that slimming uniform, arms folded protectively in front of her. "Can I come in?"
He stood up and leaned against the rail, looking down at her. "If you want to."
"I want to." She whispered, but didn't move from the doorway.
He moved slowly toward the steps, both hands still on the rail until he reached the end of it. "Well…"
She smiled as she moved toward him, letting the door shut behind her. "Jaffen?"
He took each step painfully slow, all five of them.
She held her breath until he reached the bottom and than ran to him like she had in her quarters. She threw her arms around his neck and held on tightly.
He had his arms wrapped around her waist as she held tighter. "I'm sorry I left so quickly."
She responded by kissing his cheek gently.
He pulled her down to the step and onto his lap. "I wish you'd stay."
"I can't, you know I can't." She felt hot tears start building behind her blue eyes.
He pulled his arm out from around her and squeezed her hands in both of his. "Than let's just have tonight."
She nodded and closed her eyes until she had calmed. "Okay… tonight."
He let her hands go and framed her face with his, rubbing her cheeks slowly before pulling her nearer to him and pressing his lips against hers, gently and than more fiercely.
She returned the pressure, her hands finding the back of his neck and tangling in his short hair.
He broke the kiss and pushed her off of him. Without a word, he pulled her up the steps toward the bed where he shoved the blankets off and to the floor.
She smirked. "In your way?"
"Yes." He grinned back as he knelt on the bed and pulled her toward him.
She slid her boots off, kicking them behind her and than shrugged her uniform jacket and long sleeve shirt off.
He grabbed her hands to steady them as she started shaking. He smiled softly and slid his hands up her arms to the straps of the gray tank. He held them and pulled them up.
She lifted her arms to let him take the tank off, leaving her in pants and a bra and him fully dressed. "You know," she whispered. "This isn't exactly fair."
"Who said anything about being fair?" He returned smugly before leaning back and spreading his arms out to his sides.
"My turn?" She grabbed his shirt and tugged at it before pulling it over his head and tossing it behind her with a lopsided smile. He had a nice body and she had done this a few times in their admittedly short relationship. This time, she'd study him closely, and for the last time. She brushed thoughts of goodbye away and pushed herself against him, feet still firmly on the floor.
"I am going to miss you." He mumbled into her bare shoulder.
"I know." She whispered back as she let her hands trail down his sides to his waist where she grasped the edge of his pants.
He did the same, trailing his fingers just beneath the waistband on her pants.
She gasped as his fingers brushed her stomach, feeling it tighten instantly. "Okay… no more games."
He grinned and unhooked the tiny clasp that kept her pants from falling into a heap, but held them. "No games?"
"No." She breathed, pressing her forehead against his.
He dropped the fabric from his fingers, and the smooth material slid down her legs into a pile at her ankles. "Come with me." He took her hands and pulled her onto the bed.
She fell against him, half-laughing, half-panting and wholly ready for him. "Jaffen, this must be perfect."
"No pressure." He grunted as he finished removing undergarments from her body and moved his fingers over her knees. "You are perfect."
"Shush." She pushed herself up to sit and wrapped her legs around his waist. "I love you."
He nodded, but stared silently at her.
"Are we just going to sit here?" She teased with a giggle, letting her fingers brush against him.
He caught her hand and pushed her down until she lost her balance and fell against the sole remaining pillow.
She smiled softly as she felt his fingers circle her and gasped when he flirted with pushing them inside. "Don't tease, that's a game."
He smirked and pressed up as he pulled it out. "Sorry." He than moved her legs off of him and leaned above her, kissing her neck and down to her chest before reaching her breasts. He breathed her skin in before letting his tongue trail from one perfect rise to the other. "Kathryn? Do you have to go?"
"Not tonight." Her eyes drifted shut slowly as she decided she'd let him play this game. It felt divine.
He watched her intently as his mouth encompassed an entire nipple before surrendering to his own lack of will power. He pulled his pants off the rest of the way and moved himself toward her, hovering above her until she opened her eyes completely.
"Hi." She whispered.
He grinned in response and touched her, not moving, just touching.
"Don't wait, Jaffen." She pleaded, her eyes sparkling in the lights from the living area.
"I don't plan to." He slid inside her, slowly, and moved his hands from himself to her waist, holding her still as he pushed as far as he could.
She gasped and grabbed for his wrists, holding them as she gazed into his eyes.
"Is this a game, Kathryn?" He chuckled as he spoke and pulled himself nearly out.
She clawed up his arms, panting hard as he thrust into her again. "Jaf-" She choked it off and found his shoulders with her tense fingertips. "Oh Jaffen!"
He grinned as he moved his fingers from her waist to the sheets beside her. He gripped them and used his knees to push himself into her over and over.
She couldn't match him and instead surrendered, letting him move faster and faster inside of her. She felt everything tightening down and slid her fingers down his arms again until she found his hands.
He clasped her hands in his and slid them up above her head. "Ka-Kathryn.." He moaned as he lowered his head to settle on her chest and slowed down.
"Oh, no … harder." She gasped.
He chuckled lightly and took a breath before pressing hard into her and stopping. Staring at her, he smiled. "Ready?"
Her crooked grin answered it and he started up again until he could feel her thighs pressing hard on his sides, all control lost.
Out completely and than in one final time and he watched as she threw her head to the side and failed at muffling the loud cry as she came completely. He pulled out gently and collapsed beside her, one hand still tangled in hers. "Thank you, for coming back one more time."
She took a shaky breath and rolled to the side, pulling a blanket off the floor and with her. She spread it mostly across them and found her head on his chest, listening to his heart begin beating normally again. "I couldn't stay away, not tonight."
