Disclaimer: Everything is owned by Paramount and in all my silliness I pray that they correct their errors in the relaunch of Voyager.
Rated: Pg-13
Synopsis: What would have happened if Captain Janeway had not been so quick to ignore Chakotay's final question in Parallax?
Who Serves Who?
By: Anne T.M.
They stood above engineering looking down. Things had worked out well. The Captain was able to see in B'Elanna what Chakotay had known all along, that she was the best damn engineer he had ever seen. Even though the Captain would ultimately be making the decisions, he would be sure that she listened to his opinions. Suddenly a thought occurred to him and he blurted out the question before he thought twice about it. "If things were different, would you have served under me?"
A myriad of thoughts whirled through her mind instantaneously. There was certainly a lot more to this man than his Starfleet file indicated. She turned to walk down from where they had been observing the members of the engineering crew. Swiftly she made her decision. "It depends. What exactly would that entail Commander?"
He quickly fell instep with her, walking to the right of her, all the while wondering where she and the conversation were headed. His only decision was whether he should choose subtlety or directness. He quickly surmised that subtlety might lead to a longer conversation so he chose that route. "It depends on the qualifications that the … applicant possesses."
They walked down the corridor of the ship. It was a trip she took nightly as she toured her ship one last time before bed. "I am a trained scientist. I am very good at investigating natural phenomenon."
Oh this is natural all right, but he wasn't bold enough to call it a phenomena. "There is not much call for that in the Maquis."
"Oh, but you forget where we are Commander, your ship or mine, we are still here in the Delta Quadrant."
He cupped his hands behind his back as they continued this new game. "Point well taken. I guess it would be of value to have a trained scientist. But our crew is so small that many of us had to do more than one job."
"I see. My job description would be multi-tasking."
"Definitely multi."
Now that sounds interesting, she thought! "Well, has anyone served in that position before?"
He couldn't help smirking. She was sly. He knew there were rumors circulating Voyager concerning him and Seska and now she was asking for a confirmation or denial. "Many people have served under me in the past, but currently that position is open. After all, I am no longer the Captain."
They reached the mess hall and she gestured for him to enter ahead of her. He reciprocated the gesture. He wanted her in front of him so he could quietly whisper his next comment. "This would be a good opportunity to practice. You could try serving me dinner and see how the role feels."
She smiled very sweetly as she spoke. "I don't think it would be appropriate for me to serve you here in the mess hall with everyone watching." He noticed the extra emphasis she placed on the word serve. He couldn't help himself, he laughed out loud. It was his only defense against the vision she had just conjured up in his mind. They each got their own dinner and sat down at a table in the far right corner. It didn't preclude people from watching them but it made it difficult. It was rather late for supper and there were few people there anyway. They ate in quiet contemplation, each planning their next move.
She was watching him eat and he knew it. He took a spoonful of what Neelix was passing off as pudding. He brought the spoon to his open mouth and smoothly slid the contents onto his tongue using his lips. She pretended not to notice but he knew better. Residue remained on his spoon so he used his tongue to clean the spoon completely. First he licked the underside of the spoon as he held it in front of his face. Then he turned it around sideways and ran his long tongue across the side of the spoon. Finally he engulfed it in his mouth. The Captain jumped just a little as he did. It was a small movement but he noticed. Finally he pulled the spoon out cleanly making a small popping noise as he did. What took seconds in actuality, felt like hours as she watched him. "You seem to be enjoying your pudding Commander."
"I am immensely. Tonight seems to be an evening meant for pleasurable things. Would you like some?" He held out the full spoon to her.
Abruptly she got up. "No thanks. I think I will get my own since you recommend it so highly."
The Captain returned with a cup full of something that resembled chocolate pudding. She began to eat slowly, discreetly mimicking some of his gestures. As she took her first taste, she closed her eyes and sighed.
"That sounds rather satisfying. I didn't know you liked chocolate. Perhaps next time we could share in the satisfaction."
"It's not chocolate. Neelix said it is supposed to be mocha. A little chocolate, a little coffee, makes it look very appealing. It has a very alluring tan color to it." She looked him up and down as she said the word tan. "What is your favorite flavor Commander?"
"I am a simple man Captain. I like vanilla. Of course, it is better with a red cherry on top." He grinned wickedly as he added the last line.
"So, this is what you would envision me doing if I was to serve under you? Bring you pudding?"
"That could be interesting. I believe that together we would grow to love pudding very much." They stood up and returned their trays and he followed her out of the mess hall. They continued walking toward the turbo lift. She called over her shoulder, throwing his words from the previous day back at him. "I'm not sure that I would enjoy being your token Starfleet officer."
He practically had to run to catch the turbo lift. Once they entered, he turned and faced her and quietly whispered. "You would never be my token anything!"
The words sent chills down her spine. She had just met this man and they were both flirting shamelessly. She tried desperately to conjure up a picture of Mark in her mind but her effort was in vain. The only thing she saw and felt was her first officer. She cleared her throat "Deck 3." The rest of the ride was spent in silent contemplation.
He knew the mood had changed. He had gone too far. He wondered what had made him say that. In his gut he knew she would never be just a passing fancy, she would be real. She would be all or nothing. It was suddenly crystal clear that he wanted all.
They left the lift and headed toward their respective quarters. "Since I am currently serving under you, I feel it is my duty to walk you to your quarters."
"Just fulfilling one of the many aspects of your job?"
"Seeing to the safety of the Captain is the number one duty of the first officer and I take my job seriously." He stiffened his shoulders and walked like a soldier taking on a military posture.
"Oh, I can see why!" She laughed a very quiet light laugh. "There are dangers lurking everywhere in this corridor." She looked all around the area they were traveling.
They reached her door. He stopped and lifted his right arm above his head and rested it on the door frame. "You never know where you will find danger."
"The only danger I see right now has very large brown eyes!" She had her back against her door. In her mind she knew she should enter and leave him standing there but she could not will her body to do it.
He leaned in a little closer and leered. "The better to see you with."
She needed to escape before she said something she would regret. After all she was the Captain. "Thank you Commander for a pleasant…walk. I'll see on the bridge tomorrow." With that said she disappeared into her quarters. Chakotay walked to his quarters next door grinning. He entered his living area with a spring in his step.
He decided on a quick shower before bed. When he came out he saw the light blinking on his computer. He opened the link to find a new message.
Commander Chakotay,
"It's not the under you that I have a problem with, it is the serving part."
Captain Janeway
He smiled like a fox. "The chase is on."