Disclaimer; Dear Paramount, I reject your reality and substitute it with my own.
A/N; Who was Janeway really talking about saving in Endgame.
Somewhere in the Delta Quadrant, Kathryn had been lost.
Oh, Captain Janeway was still there. Striving for all she was worth to get Voyager home.
But somewhere in those twenty-seven years, Kathryn had wasted away to nothingness.
When they'd reached Earth, Captain became Admiral and it continued. Colder, harder, work was her entire life. She never even noticed what had happened to her. Not till she lost him forever.
The day he died. And she was really alone. The last piece of brightness was gone from her life. Only then did she truly see herself. Worn, bitter, resentful. Never in her whole life did she hate herself more. Never before had she been so filled with regret for all she'd lost.
She'd stared at the little picture in her apartment. Her crew, her family, the people she loved and had lost through her own harshness. Chakotay, he'd loved her. He never stopped supporting her, trying to make her life a little better in any way he could and she'd always pushed him away.
Herself, once happy, curious about everything, full of life and love. The real Kathryn. The part of her she'd lost and now knew she couldn't live without. She was just existing. Not living.
It couldn't end like this. There had to be a way to fix this. She'd brought Voyager home. Now she had to bring herself home.
She stood at Chakotays grave. Reflecting back over their time together. A little planet called New Earth. Lake George on the holodeck. Peace roses, ancient legends, reassuring touches and looks full of promise. All in the time before she'd forgotten how to love.
She would save Kathryn. She would save her heart and soul before it was too late. Kathryn and Chakotay would have the love they both deserved.
She brushed the leaves off the plaque. Her fingers touching the familiar lines of his tattoo, etched in the bronze like they were etched on her memory. "I know it wasn't easy living all these years without her, Chakotay. But when I'm through, things might be better for all of us. Trust me."
A/N; I don't hate Seven. She's a good character, I like her. But she and Chakotay are the proverbial Mok'tah.