Title: The Naked Future
Author: Christine L. Davis
E-Mail: nilescc@yahoo.com
Summary: The Voyager crew contracts a deadly virus seen twice before, once on the Enterprise NCC-1701 and once on the Enterprise NCC-1701-D. But the virus has mutated. Will they be able to eradicate it before it kills them? (Heavy J/C, a little T/P and a tiny bit of K/Other)
Disclaimer: Voyager and all its characters belong to Paramount and whoever else owns rights. I'm only toying with them for a while.
Author's Notes: This can take place whenever you feel it would fit into the Voyager timeline (it will be later in the series, possibly second-to-last season). It will skew the future due to events contained within. I thought it might be fun to explore how the crew might act if they were to unwillingly lose their inhibitions.
~~~~The Naked Future~~~~
"I did not realize you collected artifacts, Mr. Kim." Tuvok picked up the small statue and examined it more closely.
"Isn't that great? I have several more pieces here from the Enterprise."
"Which one? There have been many."
"Yes, there have. I have one from each named ship."
"How did you acquire them?"
"Just lucky, I guess. As each was decommissioned, different things aboard were given to different crewmembers. One by one I was able to come into possession of a few of those items."
"So I see." Tuvok replaced the statue, which had come from the Enterprise NCC-1701-D, Captain Jean-Luc Picard's ship. "What is this fascination you have with the Enterprise ships?"
Harry and Tuvok left his quarters, headed for their dinner date with Tom Paris and B'Elanna Torres. "I'm not sure exactly. I became fascinated by the adventures of the 1701 crew back at the Academy. It was just amazing what they discovered. I was particularly interested in Mr. Spock."
Tuvok raised an eyebrow. "The only Vulcan crewmember aboard the first Enterprise, as I recall."
"Yes."
"Am I to understand that you have a fascination with Vulcans, Mr. Kim?"
Harry grinned. No emotion, his foot. He could always tell when Tuvok was annoyed. As he was right now. "You could say that."
The two arrived at Tom's quarters. They heard the bell chime and Tom's subsequent invitation to come in.
"I find your fascination odd."
"Why? I'm interested in a species who can live with no emotion whatsoever."
"We don't live without emotion. We simply suppress it."
"Oo, a debate. What about?" Tom rubbed his hands together in glee. B'Elanna shot him a look. She definitely didn't want to get on Tuvok's bad side.
"No debate. Merely a correction of misstated facts," replied Tuvok, still looking annoyed.
B'Elanna smiled in spite of herself. Harry had a way of getting under her Vulcan crewmember's skin, that was for certain. "Tuvok, I'd like you to take a look at these specs I worked up for our latest project." She handed a PADD to him, which he took eagerly.
"Aw, B'Elanna!" Tom whined. "We're supposed to be enjoying ourselves tonight. Can't work wait for just a few hours?"
Having scanned her preliminary results, Tuvok's mood seemed much improved. "These are interesting, Lieutenant. I look forward to testing some of your theories tomorrow." Handing the PADD back to her, Tuvok settled in at the table where the other three were already seated.
Tom looked sidelong at B'Elanna. Whatever else he felt for the half-Klingon, he was mighty proud of her brains. He grasped her hand and squeezed it softly, eliciting a loving smile from her in response. Then he grabbed the PADD and tossed it to Harry.
"Harry, will you put this thing on the desk behind you? I'm starved!"
Harry did as requested, the three non-Vulcans chuckling.
"Tell me," Tuvok interrupted, wishing to get to the crux of the matter, "why is it we have been called here?"
Tom smiled. "Chakotay's birthday is next week. B'Elanna and I thought it might be fun to plan a party for him."
Tuvok frowned. "Shouldn't the captain be involved in the planning?"
The others exchanged uncomfortable glances. "Well..." B'Elanna hedged.
"We, uh---Tom?" Harry's voice squeaked, a sure sign he wasn't at all sure how to respond.
"Right, we, uh...we thought we'd surprise both Chakotay *and* the captain."
"Why does the captain need to be surprised on Commander Chakotay's birthday?" Tuvok inquired, genuinely puzzled.
"Tuvok, haven't you ever noticed the captain and the commander?"
"Of course I have noticed them. Every time I see them, I notice them. What of it?"
"No," Harry interrupted, "she means, have you *noticed* them."
Tuvok looked at each of them in turn, the wheels in his brain turning and churning, trying to hit on what they meant--oh. Oh. Oh! *Noticed* them.
Tom could've sworn he saw Tuvok blush.
"We want to plan a special evening for the two of them alone, after the ship-wide party for Chakotay." B'Elanna explained.
"Why am I involved? I don't see how I can be of assistance."
"Well, Tuvok, we need your help on the holodeck while we work on the rest of it."
"The holodeck?"
"Yes," Harry interjected. "We're going to have their evening alone take place on the holodeck. We have a lot to do for the big party, so we were kind of hoping you could do most of the holodeck programming and preparation."
All four friends ate as they chewed over the different possibilities for the two separate parties. As if all on the same wavelength, they came up with four brilliant ideas all at the same time.
The next several hours were spent in deep discussion.
~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~
Later that night, as Tuvok tried to settle in, he was unpleasantly surprised to find that he could not get comfortable. Normally, this was not an issue for a Vulcan. It didn't matter to them if they were comfortable or not.
"Computer, have the environmental settings in my quarters been altered in any way?"
Beep-blip. "Environmental settings have not been altered."
Annoyed, Tuvok decided against lowering the temperature. He was a Vulcan. He could handle anything. As he lay back on his bed, he wiped a thin sheen of sweat from his forehead. "I must have a mild cold or something. I will see the Doctor first thing in the morning."
~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~
B'Elanna suddenly found herself wishing she'd not sent Tom away an hour ago. Throwing the covers off her body, she was startled to find that she was sweating, and she was very, very...horny. The things running through her mind made even *her* blush. Tom. She had to see Tom.
~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~
"B'Elanna, oh...ohhh..."
Suddenly Tom Paris sat bolt upright in bed. He wiped his brow with his sleeve and was surprised to find the sleeve come away rather wet. He'd been having one hell of a dream, though, so he reasoned that's why he was sweating. A tall glass of cool water would resolve that problem. He hopped out of bed and padded barefoot across his quarters to the replicator.
"Tall glass of cool spring water."
Within seconds the glass appeared. Tom stood there and drank the whole thing down in one large gulp. As he placed the glass back onto the replicator, his door chime sounded.
"Now who could that be at this hour?" he wondered aloud. "Come!"
The door swished open. Tom's eyes widened. There stood B'Elanna Torres, dressed in a very sexy, very...revealing...nightgown. She glided into his quarters and Tom noticed briefly that beads of sweat covered the ridged forehead he'd come to love so much.
"B'El?"
"Tom, oh, Tom."
Eyebrows raised, Tom smiled broadly. She was swooning. Over him. Literally, swooning. Suddenly her arms were around his neck.
"Oh, Tom, I know I said we should wait, but, I can't wait, I need to have you. Now."
He was a little frightened. He'd heard tales of Klingon "lovemaking" and he prayed that B'Elanna didn't go for that...kinky...stuff. "B'El? Are you sure you're feeling okay?"
But as soon as he'd asked the question, he found it no longer mattered. He didn't give a fig whether B'Elanna was in her right mind or not...because he wanted her just as much as she wanted him.
"Oh, B'El...come to bed." He felt giddy.
"Yes, Tom. Yes."
~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~
The next morning...
"Ensign Kim, are you feeling well?"
Harry wiped the sweat from his brow. He saw his Captain watching him curiously. "Yes, Captain, I'm...I'm fine. I think."
Why was this happening to him? Good God, of all people, to have developed a sudden crush on the half-Vulcan half-human Ensign P'Ana...explaining his black eye to the Captain upon reporting for Bridge Duty had been difficult, but he'd succeeded in throwing her off the scent. However now, he felt very faint and could do nothing but think of P'Ana. It had been all he could do to keep from running off the Bridge to find her.
Captain Janeway exchanged a worried glance with her first officer. They both looked at Harry, then across the way to Tuvok, then back again. Tuvok had been oddly silent so far this shift. And it was obvious to the two senior officers that he was having some difficulty keeping himself composed.
"Captain," Chakotay whispered, "I say we personally escort them to Sickbay and see if the Doctor can discover what's wrong with them."
"I agree," Janeway whispered back. "Mr. Tuvok, Mr. Kim...you will accompany Commander Chakotay and myself."
As Janeway and Chakotay rose to their feet, Tuvok asked, "Where, may I ask, are we going?"
"We have a special meeting with the Doctor," the captain replied. "I find it imperative that the two of you attend."
The four stepped onto the turbolift. As soon as it began to move, Harry lost his balance and toppled backwards into Chakotay. The larger man caught him easily, but was concerned to find that he now lay limp in his arms, having completely lost consciousness.
"Mr. Kim. Harry." The Captain's calls went unanswered. "Good thing we're going to Sickbay. Can you carry him, Commander?"
"I can."
The turbolift stopped and they stepped into the hall. Only a few feet from Sickbay, Tuvok suddenly whirled on his companions. They were taken aback to see the wild look in his eyes, to see a rather evil-looking smile upon his lips.
"So!" he barked, causing Janeway to jump a little. "You thought you could capture me, did you? I will not be taken so easily!"
"Mr. Tuvok, if you please...we were on our way to Sickbay."
"Call it what you will, I know your *true* intentions!" Tuvok bellowed. "But I am smarter than you. Do you forget? I am Vulcan! Vulcan! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!"
And with that, Tuvok ran off down the corridor, leaving Janeway and Chakotay in stunned silence. Then Kathryn realized that she should probably do something about retrieving him. "You take Harry into Sickbay, then follow me."
"Where are you going?" Chakotay asked, his brow furrowed in concern.
"After Tuvok."
~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~
They had been at it all night long. They were both exhausted beyond what either of them believed was physically possible, but their need to be with one another so overwhelmed them that they had found it impossible to stop.
First they had had wild, passionate sex. In the human sense. Then they had made love over and over and over, B'Elanna being duly impressed by Tom's ability to keep going no matter how many times he climaxed.
"I thought only Klingon males could perform such feats of sexual prowess," she purred as they lay in Tom's sweat-drenched bed.
A crazed look upon his face, Tom jumped on top of his lover and growled, "I've had enough of human passion, half-Klingon. Show me how you would do it if we were both Klingon."
Never before had she seen him so forceful, so demanding. It excited her beyond belief. And, despite the fact that they'd had sex more times in one night than most couples do in a year, B'Elanna went about the frenzied task of teaching Tom Paris the ways of Klingon lovemaking.
~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~
"I am *not* ill! You are merely attempting to lower my defenses long enough to make your move!"
"Tuvok, it's me, Kathryn. I am your friend and your captain. I have never wished to harm you and would never do so."
Tuvok's eyes widened and he jumped backward in the unpopulated corridor. His arm outstretched, he pointed to somewhere over the captain's shoulder.
"It's him, then! Him! He's the one forcing you to do it!"
Janeway turned her head to find Chakotay standing over her shoulder. She then turned back to her Vulcan subordinate. "Why would you think Commander Chakotay wishes you harm?"
Tuvok was fighting an inner battle...and losing. Instead of answering Janeway's question, he roared like a lion and lunged at her, knocking her back into Chakotay, sending both senior officers to the floor. Quick as lightning, he took off, heading back toward Sickbay. Kathryn, having landed square on top of her first officer, hopped off him and took off running after Tuvok. Chakotay was right behind her.
"This is getting ridiculous," Janeway puffed as she struggled to keep the Vulcan in her sights.
"Shall I call Security, Captain?"
It annoyed Kathryn that Chakotay wasn't even winded.
"Yes, Commander, please do so. I don't think we can handle Mr. Tuvok ourselves."
"It would seem not." Chakotay tapped his comm badge. "Commander Chakotay to Security."
But Kathryn didn't hear the rest of what he said. She'd briefly lost sight of Tuvok and, unfortunately for her, found him again...hiding in a door cubby further along. He jumped out, his left arm landing squarely on her forehead, effectively knocking her unconscious.
"Captain!" Chakotay cried out in a most un-Chakotay-like manner. He momentarily noticed that he was sweating, but figured it was due to the chase.
Tuvok had taken off again, but Chakotay soon heard shouting and phaser-fire. Before he knew it, Security was hailing him as he tenderly lifted his captain into his arms.
"Security to Commander Chakotay. Mr. Tuvok is under control. We are taking him to Sickbay as requested."
"Acknowledged. I will meet you there shortly. Chakotay out."
He loped the rest of the distance to Sickbay, his face belying his concern for Kathryn. When he rushed in, he noticed that Tuvok had already been placed on a bio bed and was being restrained by bed straps.
"Doctor, Tuvok struck the captain in the head. She fell to the floor unconscious."
"Bring her to this bio bed," the Doctor ordered.
The Doctor examined Captain Janeway while Kes focused on Tuvok. Chakotay stood out of the way watching every move the Doctor made. Finally he could stand the silence no longer.
"Doctor, how is she?"
"The captain will be fine, Commander. However, I will be ordering her to bed rest for 24 hours to recover from the severe concussion Mr. Tuvok gave her."
The voice from the bed startled everyone. "I can't take 24 hours off, Doctor, you know that."
"Captain, I will make it a medical order. I'm afraid you have no choice this time. He hit you very, very hard."
Kathryn groaned as she tried to sit up. Instantly, her first officer came to her aid. "Yes, I can feel that he did. Thank you, Chakotay." She came unsteadily to her feet. "Have you been able to find out what's wrong with Mr. Tuvok?"
Kes glanced briefly at the doctor, then turned back to her scanner. "Doctor, I'm reading something in his blood."
"Can you be more specific, Kes?" the doctor asked, crossing to where she stood.
"I believe it's a virus of some sort. It seems to be mutating every five minutes. I've never seen anything like it."
The Doctor checked Kes' medical tricorder and raised his eyebrows. "Neither have I."
Janeway shuddered. A virus that her holographic doctor had never before seen? This couldn't be good.
~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~
Things were quickly getting out of hand in Tom Paris' quarters. It looked like a tornado had swept through the place, but the walls were bathed in silence. The living room area was empty. The dining area, too, held nobody. In the bedroom, the sheets and covers were strewn everywhere. The mattress hung half-off the bed. All Tom's pictures and memorabilia were scattered here and there like so many children's toy soldiers. On the other side of the bed, on the floor between it and the wall, were two bodies.
Tom was on the bottom, fully clothed in off-duty spuds. On top of him was B'Elanna Torres, also fully clothed, fervently trying to choke the living daylights out of him.
"B'El--B'El--B'El--" he choked, unable to take even one full breath. When had things gone so wrong? When had she turned from his lover into his killer? Who the hell did she think she was?
This thought firmly embedded in his fading mind, he summoned every ounce of strength and flipped her so that she now lay beneath him. "Why the hell are you trying to kill me, you bitch?"
"Klingons always kill their lovers," she snarled.
"Liar!" he yelled, slapping her hard across the face.
"Foreplay will get you nowhere. I'm going to kill you!"
The two struggled for seemingly endless minutes.
"You cannot have me!" B'Elanna screeched. "I will belong to no man!"
"Well," Tom panted, his knees holding her arms to the floor while *he* tried to choke *her*, "it's not like I proposed *marriage* or anything!"
"Isn't...that...what you...humans...want?" she gasped, her upper lip curled in a permanent Klingon snarl.
"With you? Doubt it," he spat.
Suddenly, several security officers stormed into Tom's bedroom. Before he and B'Elanna knew it, they were being pulled apart and escorted out of his quarters.
"What's going on?" Tom raged, sweat pouring from his body. He struggled to free himself, and it took three guards to hold him in place as he and B'Elanna were half-dragged to Sickbay.
But the guards didn't answer; they just fulfilled their duty and got the two sick officers to the Doctor as quickly as they could.
"What are we doing here?" B'Elanna yelled when she saw Captain Janeway and Chakotay standing side-by-side near Harry Kim, who lay motionless on a bio bed.
"Tom. B'Elanna. You're ill." Janeway replied as the Doctor scanned them both.
He turned to Janeway. "Captain, how did you know these two would have the virus?"
"So they do, Doctor?"
He nodded vigorously. "Yes."
"Well, Harry woke up long enough to mumble something about a meeting he had with Tuvok, B'Elanna and Tom. Chakotay and I felt that it was safe to assume these two might have the same virus Tuvok and Harry have."
"That's why you're the Captain!" the doctor offered lightly, mildly annoyed that *he* hadn't thought of that first. "Now, if you don't mind, I will have these two contained here with the others in medical quarantine. I suggest you begin your bed rest, Captain."
"Doctor, four of my Bridge Crew are stricken by an unknown virus. I can't go to bed now."
"And what exactly can you do for them that Kes and I cannot?" the Doctor inquired.
In his own maddening way, he was right, as always. Janeway fumed. She'd feel so helpless just lying in bed while her crewmen suffered.
"Commander Chakotay, I am issuing you a medical order." the Doctor said, the barest hint of a smile on his lips. "You are to escort the captain to her quarters and ensure that she remains there for a full 24 hours, no exceptions."
"Doctor, you can't--" Kathryn began to protest, her face turning red.
"I can and I have, Captain. You won't be any good to these people if you're fainting every twenty minutes due to your head injury. Kes and I will notify you as soon as we come up with something."
Chakotay could almost see the steam coming out of his Captain's ears, like in those old Earth cartoons that Tom watched on his television set. "Come on, Captain. Best not to infuriate the good Doctor."
"Quite right," the Doctor huffed. "I obviously have plenty of *important* work to do right now. Commander?"
"Right. Come on, Captain."
Janeway shot the Doctor a look that could've melted his holographic matrix. She then shrugged off Chakotay's gentle touch to her elbow and stormed out of Sickbay.
"Commander," the Doctor stopped him as he started to follow his captain out the door. "I certainly don't envy you this task."
Chakotay chuckled in spite of himself and continued on his way.
~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~
"I don't need a babysitter, Commander! It's a medical order, and I always follow orders."
Kathryn Janeway sat on the sofa, millions of stars through the windows as her backdrop. She was comfortably dressed in an emerald green robe. Chakotay had no idea what was under that robe, but it stopped mid-shin and he could see her legs were bare under that. Matching green slippers adorned her feet.
"That is a lovely robe, Kathryn. Is it made of satin?" Chakotay asked, ignoring his captain's protests. He'd seated himself on a chair halfway around the room from her, so as not to invade her personal space. Absentmindedly, he swept beads of sweat from his brow.
"Corellian silk, Commander. Kes designed it. It was my birthday gift from her."
"Kes?"
"Yes, it seems she has a fancy for fashion as well as medicine."
"Interesting. Perhaps I could commission something for myself." Chakotay noted with interested that Kathryn fanned her face. "Are you warm?" he asked.
"Yes. Computer, lower temperature in these quarters by five degrees Centigrade."
Beep-blip. "Temperature lowered five degrees Centigrade."
The top of Kathryn's robe slipped as she repositioned herself so that she could easily look out her windows at the stars as Voyager glided through the silence of space. Chakotay's eyes widened as he saw her bare shoulder emerge from the soft silk surrounding her body. He could now see a thin strap going over her shoulder and deduced that she must have some sort of undergarment on beneath the robe. He suddenly realized he wanted very much to see that undergarment...as well as what lay beneath.
As if reading his thoughts, Kathryn turned back to face him. She was visibly sweating now, as was Chakotay. Slowly, without thought, she allowed the robe to fall from her other shoulder. Her entire neck was now exposed, and Chakotay could just barely make out the swell of the top of her breasts.
"Kathryn."
"Chakotay."
He was across the room in a millisecond, gathering her into his arms. "Kathryn," he repeated. "How long I have wanted to hold you."
"Chakotay, we mustn't." But her protests were weak. Like a broken record of something she'd repeated over and over in her mind every time her first officer had given her a smoky look through half-lidded eyes. But now, as she gazed into the deep chocolate orbs that spoke of everything he felt for her, she felt suddenly giddy, yet strangely complete and satisfied.
"I know we mustn't, Kathryn, shhh." He stroked her hair softly, lovingly. Then he kissed her forehead.
"Chakotay, I'm tired. Take me to bed?" she whispered.
"Shall I stay with you there, Kathryn?"
She nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Chakotay lifted her effortlessly and slowly walked toward her bedroom. Neither of them thought to question why they were drenched in sweat even though they hadn't yet *done* anything.
~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~
Back in Sickbay, the doctor was becoming more and more concerned. Kes had begun exhibiting symptoms similar to the sick crewmembers. A quick scan showed that she, too, was infected with the virus. Then Security dragged Ensign P'Ana in after having removed her from the Mess Hall, where she'd effectively started a huge food fight. One by one, it seemed this virus was infecting the crew of the Voyager. Suddenly, the doctor's thoughts turned to his captain and Chakotay.
What if the virus was transmitted by contact? Chakotay had carried Harry Kim into Sickbay, and the Captain had been touched, although not very nicely, by Tuvok. Could they be ill?
He tapped his communicator badge. "Doctor to Captain Janeway."
No answer.
"Doctor to Captain Janeway, please respond."
Nothing.
"Doctor to Commander Chakotay."
Again, no answer.
"Commander?"
Frowning, the doctor directed his next question to the computer. "Computer, please locate Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay."
"Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay are in Captain Janeway's quarters."
"Oh, boy." Already wearing the device that allowed him to leave the confines of Sickbay, the Doctor double-checked to see that the force fields were secure around those in quarantine, then left for Captain Janeway's quarters.
He'd heard the scuttlebutt aboard Voyager just like everyone else had. Word had it that Chakotay and the captain were in love, but neither one of them knew it. Crewmembers were even placing bets with one another as to whether or not their second-in-command would be able to get their captain involved in a real relationship. They all loved Captain Janeway, but they also knew she was all professionalism, and highly unlikely to allow herself to become involved with her first officer.
It seemed to the doctor that this virus caused its victims to act out their deepest fantasies and fears. According to what he'd heard about what the infected Voyager crewmembers had done thus far, he felt his hypothesis was accurate. In this case, however, the Doctor wasn't at all pleased with such accuracy. If the Commander and the Captain compromised one another...it could have serious repercussions for the entire ship.
~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~
"I am unable to...inhibit...my desires...Captain."
Janeway's mind struggled within itself. She wanted nothing more than to swing from the rafters with Chakotay, but something deep within what was left of her logical mind kept surfacing. Something was wrong. She shouldn't be feeling this way. Well, she'd *always* felt this way, but not to such an extent that she was very seriously considering becoming *involved* with her first officer.
"I...Chakotay..." Kathryn's face hardened, but only for a few seconds. Then it softened once more and, much to Chakotay's surprise, she jumped into his waiting arms and began kissing him...in a not-so-gentle way.
"Captain--" he mumbled against her lips. But then the feel of her body, the warmth she was exuding, the way her lips crushed his...then he felt her tongue. She wanted in.
Chakotay was more than willing to comply.
The doctor attempted to open the door to Captain Janeway's quarters, but she'd placed a security lock on it. "Computer, utilize EMH Medical Override, Security Lock on Captain Janeway's Quarters. Authorization pi-beta-alpha-omega-three-two-six-nine-one."
Beep-blip. "Access granted."
The doors swished open. The doctor could hear nothing upon entrance. "Captain? Commander Chakotay?" he called out.
The voice startled the two humans who lay entangled on the bed. They were still fully clothed, but were involved in some very hot-and-heavy foreplay.
"What is the doctor doing in your quarters?" Chakotay gasped as he pulled away from an exceptionally overwhelming kiss.
"I don't know, but I swear I'm going to deactivate him." the Captain growled as she hopped out of bed. "Stay here."
Chakotay sat like a dutiful child on her bed. He suddenly began to giggle for no reason at all. He turned, picked up one of Kathryn's pillows, and threw it across the room, knocking her crystal sculpture to the floor. It shattered into hundreds of pieces. Normally, this would have greatly upset the Commander, but right now he found it utterly hilarious and began to guffaw in a most unbecoming manner.
"Doctor, what the hell are you doing in my quarters?" Janeway hissed as she approached the hologram.
A quick scan revealed that the Captain was, indeed, infected with the virus. However, the doctor knew better than to try and take on both her and the Commander. He heard raucous laughter coming from the bedroom and had an impulse to rush in there, but his logic won out.
"Captain, my apologies, I thought you were ill. I used a medical override on your security lock. You didn't answer my hail, I am so very sorry for interrupting, I will speak of this to no one."
The captain just narrowed her eyes at him as he backed out of her quarters. He heaved a sigh of relief once he was safely in the hall, then promptly summoned several security officers to the area. He had to get the two senior officers to Sickbay before something happened. If it hadn't already.
"You broke my sculpture, you bastard!"
Chakotay finally stopped laughing. Kathryn was mad. "But Kathryn, I didn't mean to break it. I *didn't* break it. The pillow did."
He looked for all the world like a penitent, pouting child.
"I don't care about the pillow. You *threw* the pillow, so you still broke it. I'm going to break something of yours now!"
"No! Kathryn, not my--"
But Kathryn was out her door and, moments later, she was standing inside Chakotay's quarters. She scanned his living room, looking for something that he valued as much as she had her crystal sculpture. Spying nothing, she headed for his bedroom. Once there, however, her mind was no longer on destroying his valuables.
He rushed into the room behind her. She had never been in his bedroom before. It was bathed in aqua lighting, a hazy, sort of smoky, quality to the air. The walls and ceiling shimmered softly, as if reflecting some unknown light source. His bed looked very soft and inviting. Odd sculptures, statues and works of art adorned the walls, each reflecting the sea-like tranquility of the room they occupied.
A soft gasp escaped her lips. She stared at the room around her, then turned to face him. "Chakotay, this is breathtaking. You never told me your bedroom was this...fantastic."
"I was saving it for you. I created all of this with you in mind, Kathryn."
"Why, Chakotay?" Again, something deep in the captain's mind fought to be heard, but by now, Kathryn was unable...or unwilling...to listen.
"Because, my Kathryn...my indomitable ship's captain...because I love you. Why do you think?"
"You love me."
"I do."
"Prove it, Commander." Captain Janeway giggled and threw herself onto the bed, which felt like a waterbed. The bed undulated beneath her. It *was* a waterbed! "Now."
Chakotay was soon on top of his captain, kissing her long and hard. He was oblivious to the security group that entered his quarters. He didn't hear them approach the bedroom. He didn't hear them sneak up behind him. By the time he realized they were there, it was too late. He and Kathryn were already in custody.
"Unhand me! This is mutiny!" Janeway cried out. But it was no use. Neither she nor her first officer could escape. The security detail escorted them to Sickbay.
~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~
Thanks to his instantaneous access to the ship's computers, the Doctor discovered two historical cases on other starships in which the symptoms seemed to match exactly what was happening on Voyager. The Enterprises NCC-1701 and NCC-1701-D. He tried both the antidotes detailed but came up empty. SO he attempted every variation he could think of. Trouble was, every time the Doctor thought he'd come up with a cure, the virus had already mutated beyond the antidote's capabilities. He grew increasingly frustrated. His only solace was that the infections seemed to have stopped. No new cases had been reported in two days.
And those two days had been the most harrowing of his holographic existence. The infected persons had grown increasingly more delusional and...much to the Doctor's chagrin...*very* loud. He ended up erecting a soundproof force field around all of them. He could *see* them hollering and screaming and making faces at one another through their individual force fields, but they were blessedly silent.
The Doctor was fearful for the lives of his fellow shipmates. Harry, Tuvok and P'Ana had already begun throwing themselves into the force fields. They were, at this very moment, all half-conscious thanks to one too many hits. But what could the Doctor do? To go in and physically restrain each one of them was not only time-consuming, but also potentially impossible given the added strength each seemed to have. Why, B'Elanna had almost completely torn her bio bed out of the floor! By hand!
He sighed as he watched the captain and the commander speak to each other through their force fields. He felt badly for having to separate them, but in their present state of mind, he was quite certain they'd strip down to their birthday suits and copulate right there in front of everybody. That was a headache the Doctor didn't need to bring on. When not making nice with her first officer, Captain Janeway had been screaming mutiny from the second she'd been brought to Sickbay. Commander Chakotay had been demanding that they "keep their mitts off his Kathryn" and had been trying desperately to figure out a way to make physical contact with her. Tuvok had never been more illogical as he raged on about his enemies having captured him at last.
Ensign P'Ana flirted shamelessly with Harry Kim, much to the annoyance of Kes, who was in between them. For his part, Harry was probably the most calm. He was enamored of P'Ana's antics, but also with Kes' quiet delirium. Kes did nothing but mumble, sometimes to herself, sometimes to Harry. Except when she had her fits, of course. Then she became a whirling dervish, seemingly capable of destroying anything and everything in her path...*if* anything had been in her path, that is.
The Doctor sighed loudly, once again thanking the ship's computer for the soundproof force fields. *He* felt like he was about to go mad, and he wasn't even infected with the virus. The other problem, of course, was that the Doctor had no idea how the disease had gotten aboard ship and therefore had no way of knowing if a second outbreak would occur. It seemed that Mr. Tuvok, Mr. Kim, Ms. Torres and Mr. Paris were the first to show symptoms. If only he could figure out *where* they'd contracted it...
~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~
Six hours later, the Doctor himself was beginning to feel tired for the first time in his holographic life. He'd been at it and at it and at it, constantly changing the antidote, trying to anticipate the virus' next mutation. But no matter what, he just couldn't seem to unlock the door that would lead him to the virus' secrets. Throwing his instruments down onto a counter top, the Doctor decided to take some time and put a little distance between himself and the virus problem. After three solid days of working on it, a break might do him good. Might clear his head.
He left two nurses in Sickbay, just to watch over the quarantined patients. Then he headed for the Bridge, now entirely manned by a replacement crew. Not one familiar face greeted him...at least, not familiar in the command sense. He knew a few of them from Sickbay visits, nothing more. But they didn't kick him off the Bridge. Indeed, they seemed to welcome his presence. They all knew he was close to the senior officers. His presence made them feel a little better about the whole situation.
The Doctor walked one lap around the Bridge, trying to get his mind off the virus. Then he entered Captain Janeway's sacred Ready Room and walked around there for a while, stopping to look out the windows or to look at the artwork displayed here and there. He saw different pictures lined up on one wall showing different galaxy-class starships. His eyes rested on the Enterprises NCC-1701 and NCC-1701-D. Both of their crews had fallen victim to this virus, in different mutated states, and both had barely escaped it with their lives. Finally, they had come up with the necessary antidote, but for the Doctor it wasn't that simple.
The viruses from the Enterprises hadn't mutated this quickly. In fact, the Doctor had only seen two other viruses that changed this fast and they were both from the planet Brallnya. The Fristicha virus, named for the Brallnyan doctor who discovered it and the Sabcan Pox virus, named for the Brallnyan subspecies it wiped out before a cure was found. Then the doctor thought of something...what if the Enterprise virus had met up with the Fristicha and the Sabcan and had combined with them to create a newer one? One that mutated very quickly! A snippet of overheard conversation suddenly replayed in the Doctor's mind.
Just one week ago, the Doctor had been discussing Mess Hall hygiene with Neelix as he was serving lunch to the crew. When Ensign Kim had come through the line, he'd been talking with another Ensign about a collection he had...a collection of art and other artifacts from the Enterprise ships! The Doctor snapped his fingers. "That must be where the virus came from! Mr. Kim must have contracted it, then passed it to Tuvok and the others! But where would the other viruses have come from?"
The Doctor searched his memory banks, trying to think of...oh...oh, that was it. That was it! The day before the outbreak of the Enterprise virus began, Tuvok had led an Away Team to the surface of the planet Lotednya...a planet that had been colonized by a small sector of dissidents from planet Brallnya! They had immunity to their two native viruses thanks to childhood vaccines, but they could still carry it...and pass it off to Tuvok. If the Enterprise virus from Harry's art collection got into Tuvok's system and one or both of the other viruses were there, they could easily have combined to form this new Voyager virus.
The Doctor initiated an immediate transport of himself to Sickbay, startling the two poor nurses he'd left in charge. They were, to say the least, quite unnerved by the antics of the infected crewmembers, and the Doctor's sudden appearance very nearly scared them to death. He needed their help, however, so he overlooked their obvious discomfort and began barking orders to them immediately. There were several things he would need before he could begin.
~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~
"Kathryn," Chakotay choked out, his voice hoarse from having been yelling and speaking almost continuously for three straight days.
"What?" Her voice, too, was barely above a whisper.
"What do you think the Doctor will do with us?"
"Well, he can't get us court-martialed. We're too far from Federation space."
"That's what I was thinking."
"What are you trying to say?"
"Kathryn, we can outsmart him. We *must*. He's nothing but a computer-generated hologram. A human designed him. Humans can deactivate him, too."
Kathryn's interest was piqued, her fever-ravaged brain intent upon getting revenge for the mutiny engineered by Voyager's doctor. She was so glad she still had her lover-to-be Chakotay. She knew he was fiercely loyal to her and always would be. She never had to doubt that. "What did you have in mind?" she asked.
"Well, sooner or later they're going to want more blood samples."
"Yes, this ridiculous lie the Doctor's telling us about us all being infected with some...virus. He's been doing tests on us since we arrived."
"Right. Surely I can overpower anyone who comes in for my samples."
A steely resolve filled Kathryn's eyes. "So can I."
"I know," Chakotay winked at her seductively. "Let's pretend like we've lost consciousness. Then they'll be less cautious when they enter our spaces."
"Chakotay," Kathryn's hoarse voice drawled, "have I ever told you how sexy you are when you're being positively evil?"
"No, but you can go on telling me."
They smiled at one another, smiles full of promises of things to come. But for now, they had a plan to enact. So they started throwing themselves at each other, effectively slamming their bodies into the force field. The Doctor half-watched as he prepared to create yet another concoction. He couldn't believe they were intentionally harming themselves, but then again, that *was* the signature of the viral mutation now housed within their bodies.
Finally, with one last good slam, Chakotay and Kathryn crumpled to the floor, both partially leaning up against the force field, causing it to hum unceremoniously. This annoyed the already-annoyed Doctor to no end. He summoned two Security officers to Sickbay and asked them to pull the Commander and the Captain off the force field. He warned them to be very, very careful.
"They're gonna get you, they're gonna get you!" Harry sing-songed as the Doctor deactivated Chakotay's force field. Before the Doctor could reactivate it, however, Chakotay launched himself at the guards, knocking them both unconscious in a matter of seconds. Then he grabbed one of the two nurses, putting his arm around her neck.
"Okay, Doctor," he croaked, wild-eyed. "Release Captain Janeway or Nurse Jackson dies. Now."
The Doctor knew he had no choice. He deactivated the Captain's force field and watched as Kathryn, still clad in her green robe, came to her feet and went to stand next to Chakotay. "Please, Captain, Commander...please believe me when I tell you that you are very ill. A mutated virus has attacked you. I was just now beginning to work on the correct antidote, I finally discovered what the virus is!"
"Oh, Doctor," the captain rasped, "save your made-up stories for those who give a damn. You will pay for your mutiny, we will *see* to that."
Staying still as they released Nurse Jackson, the Doctor watched as the two ran out of Sickbay. Then he sprang to action. "Computer, locate Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay."
Beep-blip. "Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay are on Turbolift Eight."
"Computer, utilize EMH Medical Override, Turbolift Eight. Authorization pi-beta-alpha-omega-three-two-six-nine-one. Stop the turbolift, now!"
"Authorization accepted. Turbolift has been halted."
"Computer, seal turbolift. Maintain environmental level appropriate to two humans. Medical security quarantine seal, authorization pi-theta-three-zero-two-omega. Do not allow either the Captain or the Commander to leave Turbolift Eight!"
Beep-blip. "Understood."
There was very little time now. The Doctor knew that he couldn't keep the ship's two senior-most officers in a turbolift without food and water for very long. And the stars only knew how those two might injure themselves attempting to escape...
~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~
The turbolift ground to a halt. Kathryn and Chakotay fully expected the doors to swish open and deliver them to their intended deck, but after the 'lift stopped, nothing else happened.
The captain looked at Chakotay, then upwards toward the ceiling. "Computer, explain why the doors aren't opening."
Beep-blip. "Turbolift Eight has been halted and placed under medical quarantine."
"Damn that doctor!" Chakotay cried, slamming his fist into the 'lift wall. "He's trapped us in here, Kathryn!"
"I know. I *hate* that damned hologram," she spat. "I swear to you, once we're out of here, I'm going to kill him with my bare hands." Captain Janeway slid down the wall until she was seated on the floor. "Figuratively speaking, of course."
His mind having quickly changed course, Chakotay joined her on the floor. "You know, Kathryn, since we can't get out of here, we could finish our unfinished business."
"Yes, Commander, we could at that," she smiled. "I happen to know there are no cameras in the turbolifts on this ship. I think we're pretty safe."
Their lips met in a frenzy and soon Kathryn was laying underneath Chakotay, their hands roaming all over one another, clothes coming off at a feverish pace. What the Doctor had feared the most was happening, and there was little anyone could do to stop it.
~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~
Harry, B'Elanna, Tom and P'Ana had finally exhausted themselves to the point of no return. All four lay either in their bio beds or on the floor completely unconscious. The Doctor was grateful for the lack of animation now within Sickbay. He and the two nurses worked as quickly as possible. Within an hour, they had completed what the Doctor hoped and prayed was *the* antidote to what he now called the "Voyager Virus".
He decided to test the drug on Ensign Kim first. He and the nurses deactivated Harry's force field, administered the vaccine, then reactivated it and waited for something to happen. Although he was still unconscious, the Doctor had ways of determining the effectiveness of his new mix. He and his companions monitored Harry's vitals and blood content. Suddenly the viral population in his blood took a nosedive. The three waited with bated breath and stared at the medical scanner. Slowly but surely the virus continued to die out until at last, a mere twenty minutes after they'd given Harry his shot, the virus had completely disappeared from his system.
Harry was cured.
The Doctor fairly whooped with joy. He administered the vaccine to the rest of his quarantined patients...at least the ones in Sickbay...and informed the crew that each and every one of them had to be vaccinated as soon as he'd replicated enough supply. He put his two nurses in charge of setting up the shipwide vaccination schedule and of said replication. Then he set about the task of getting the antidote to his captain and her first officer. He desperately hoped that they hadn't...consummated...their newfound relationship.
Upon arrival at Turbolift Eight, the Doctor first inquired as to whether or not the two were still within. The Computer verified that they were. Then he scanned them through the 'lift doors. Their heartbeats and respiratory rates told him that they were either asleep or unconscious. He wondered if they'd be clothed when he entered. Then he took a deep breath, removed his medical quarantine and ordered the 'lift doors open.
There they were, on the floor. The captain was on the bottom, clad only in her pajama undergarment. Her robe lay at her feet. Chakotay lay half on top of her, his tunic lying at the captain's head. Thankfully he still wore his uniform pants. The Doctor smiled...actually *smiled*...and quickly put the hypo spray to each of their necks. Then he performed an emergency beam-out to Sickbay for all three of them.
The nurses had made the others comfortable and now set about doing so for Kathryn and Chakotay. The Doctor made himself the personal overseer of the antidote replication and allowed his two chief nurses to begin the crew vaccinations. All in all, he was very pleased with himself and with his deductive reasoning powers. He felt he had done well, and had saved Voyager...and the senior officers in particular...not only embarrassment, but also possibly their very lives.
~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~
48 hours later...
B'Elanna and Tom quickly made up, apologizing profusely to one another for having come *this close* to killing each other. They also decided to take it easy for a while on the lovemaking. Neither had quite recovered from their...escapades.
Tuvok was highly embarrassed at what he'd done. He'd made a formal apology to the captain and then decided to sequester himself in his quarters for two days in order to achieve his perfect logical balance once more.
Harry and P'Ana decided to put the past behind them and start all over again on the right foot. The evening following their release from Sickbay found them enjoying dinner together at a table for two in the Mess Hall.
As for Commander Chakotay and Captain Janeway...well, those were two more *difficult* cases. Both of them were so utterly embarrassed by what had occurred that they hid from each other from the moment the Doctor released them. Chakotay struggled with his shame at having so easily attempted to defile his captain. Kathryn struggled with the same thing she always struggled with...how to keep her feelings for Chakotay at bay. Especially now that they had shared so much together...even if it was in a virus-induced feverish manner.
Chakotay lay on his bed, the aqua colors and shimmering light surrounding him. He recalled how touched Kathryn had been when he'd told her he'd done all this with her in mind. How he wished to have her back in his bed, but this time with both of them acting under their own power, not fueled by some crazy mutant virus. He wondered if he'd ever be able to look her in the face again.
Kathryn paced her floors for hours. Finally, at 2am, she decided she could no longer handle it. She *had* to see Chakotay. They were adults and they were the leaders of this ship. They had to come to terms with what had occurred and handle it like the Starfleet officers they were. Not realizing that she was wearing the same beautiful green pajama outfit she'd been wearing the whole time she was infected, Kathryn left her quarters and went next door to Chakotay's.
It took her about three deep breaths and four failed attempts to approach his door before she finally heard his door chime sound.
Chakotay was surprised. He wondered who would be visiting him at this late...or early...hour. Oh, well, he hadn't been able to sleep anyway. All he could think of was Kathryn, Kathryn and more Kathryn. He was driving himself bananas.
It was therefore a great shock to him when his doors swished open to reveal Kathryn...looking exactly as she had that first night, the beautiful silken Kes creation adorning her ravishing body.
"Kathryn."
"Hello, Chakotay." Captain Janeway strode purposefully in his Living Room, but couldn't bring herself to look into his eyes. "We need to talk."
"Yes. Yes, we do, Kathryn."
She whirled to face him. "Good. Then let's talk."
"All right. Make yourself comfortable."
"I don't think I--" Suddenly Kathryn looked toward Chakotay's bedroom. She could see the aqua light emanating from within. All at once she was taken back to that night when she first looked into that room. As if in a trance, she now walked slowly toward it, drawn to the shimmering light and the memories in a way she could not seem to control.
"Kathryn?" Chakotay followed her as she made her way to his room. But she did not respond.
Kathryn stopped at the entrance and surveyed the beauty of what he had created for her. He had listened to her stories of visiting Sea World in San Francisco, of her times at the Long Beach Aquarium. She loved the idea of the huge tanks, tanks so large that even whales were comfortable within. She'd even told him that as a little girl she used to dream about being one of the fish in those tanks. That must have been what he'd had in mind when created the ambiance of his bedroom.
But to think that he'd actually thought that one day she *would* grace his bedroom with her presence unnerved her. Then again, perhaps he had just been a hopeful man...a man who loved her so much that he held on to whatever thin strands of hope she'd ever given him. A man who, at this very moment, stood a foot behind her holding his breath, scared to death of complete rejection.
She turned to face him, tears filling her eyes and just as quickly spilling over onto her cheeks. Why, after all these years, after all they had done for one another, all they had meant to one another...why did she continue trying to justify keeping her distance from him? He looked like a child, standing there so contrite and ashamed. Kathryn wanted to reassure him. She wanted to give him a great big hug and tell him she loved him and that it was all going to be okay, that he didn't have to feel guilty for anything that had happened while they were sick.
'Then why aren't you doing just that?' her inner voice screamed.
"Kathryn?" Chakotay squeaked, entirely unsure of what she was thinking.
She took the few steps necessary to close the distance between them. Looking into his eyes, she wrapped her arms around him and held him. She smiled as she felt his arms encompass her small frame. "It's all right, Chakotay. Everything will be all right. You have no reason to feel guilty for anything."
Taken aback, he smiled into her hair. He could feel the wetness soaking through his shirt, that's how he knew she was crying. But Kathryn wasn't finished yet. There was one more thing she had to say to him, but she wanted to see his face as she said it.
"Chakotay, come. Let's sit." She led him to his own bed and they seated themselves slightly sideways so as to be able to look into one another's eyes. She grasped his hands tightly. "I know...I know that you love me."
He gasped softly. "Kathr--"
But she placed a finger to his lips. "No, shh. Let me finish." He nodded and she removed her finger. "Chakotay, I have been a fool. To think that you cared enough about my dreams and wishes...from back when I was a little girl...to redo your bedroom in this way is very touching. And overwhelming. I've never had someone love me in this way. Chakotay, it has frightened me."
Chakotay understood. He knew exactly how she felt. But he had to let her finish speaking.
"But now, after what happened while we were infected with that virus...well, I can never look at you in the same way. I have...felt you, Chakotay. Here," she touched her palm to her chest, "and here," she touched two fingers to her lips. I have felt you everywhere. Even at my most delusional, you were the one person I knew I could always trust, trust with my heart and with my life. It was going to be you and me, no matter what happened."
He smiled and nodded.
"So what I've finally come to realize is that not saying the words doesn't mean the feelings don't exist. And not acting upon those feelings is doing far more damage to both this ship and us than acting upon them ever could. I really believe that."
His eyes grew wide. Was she working up to what it seemed she was working up to? Was it possible?
"What I'm trying to tell you, Chakotay, and failing miserably to do so, I'm afraid, is that--" she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then opened them again and looked directly into her warrior's eyes, "I love you. Chakotay, I love you with all that I am. My heart was yours long ago. I'm only sorry it's taken me all this time to finally admit it to you."
This time it was Chakotay who cried. He grabbed hold of Kathryn and held her so tightly she could barely breathe. But she reveled in his touch. In his arms around her. In the strength and safety she felt when she was with him.
"Oh, Kathryn," he finally had the courage to say. "I love you so very much."
"I know," she whispered. "Chakotay?"
"Yes?" He released her and pulled away to look into her eyes.
"Can we...lie here in your aquarium for a little while? I'd like to enjoy it properly."
"*Our* aquarium, Kathryn. And yes, it would be an honor."
While most of the ship's crew slept, Voyager sped seamlessly through the stars, coming closer every second to its destination, bringing its inhabitants that much closer to Earth and "real life". Kathryn had, deep down, feared their return to Earth. Their lives had become so familiar aboard the ship...she knew things would change so much when they returned.
The captain liked to compare her life aboard Voyager to a dressed or undressed person. While she was the Captain of this vessel, and while they were in the Delta Quadrant trying valiantly to get home, she was fully dressed...comfortable with the way things were. When they returned to Earth, futures uncertain, lives in upheaval, she would feel like someone had stripped her down to her naked body, like all her protection...her clothing...was gone.
But now, secure in the knowledge that Chakotay would be at her side no matter what, Captain Kathryn Janeway no longer feared the unknown consequences of returning to Earth. She was no longer afraid of what she had come to call in her own mind the "naked" future.
She sighed, snuggling into Chakotay's warm body, laying her head on his chest. Smiling as she drifted off to sleep, Chakotay heard her faint whisper.
"I'm not afraid of the future anymore. Thank you, Chakotay."
THE END
Author: Christine L. Davis
E-Mail: nilescc@yahoo.com
Summary: The Voyager crew contracts a deadly virus seen twice before, once on the Enterprise NCC-1701 and once on the Enterprise NCC-1701-D. But the virus has mutated. Will they be able to eradicate it before it kills them? (Heavy J/C, a little T/P and a tiny bit of K/Other)
Disclaimer: Voyager and all its characters belong to Paramount and whoever else owns rights. I'm only toying with them for a while.
Author's Notes: This can take place whenever you feel it would fit into the Voyager timeline (it will be later in the series, possibly second-to-last season). It will skew the future due to events contained within. I thought it might be fun to explore how the crew might act if they were to unwillingly lose their inhibitions.
~~~~The Naked Future~~~~
"I did not realize you collected artifacts, Mr. Kim." Tuvok picked up the small statue and examined it more closely.
"Isn't that great? I have several more pieces here from the Enterprise."
"Which one? There have been many."
"Yes, there have. I have one from each named ship."
"How did you acquire them?"
"Just lucky, I guess. As each was decommissioned, different things aboard were given to different crewmembers. One by one I was able to come into possession of a few of those items."
"So I see." Tuvok replaced the statue, which had come from the Enterprise NCC-1701-D, Captain Jean-Luc Picard's ship. "What is this fascination you have with the Enterprise ships?"
Harry and Tuvok left his quarters, headed for their dinner date with Tom Paris and B'Elanna Torres. "I'm not sure exactly. I became fascinated by the adventures of the 1701 crew back at the Academy. It was just amazing what they discovered. I was particularly interested in Mr. Spock."
Tuvok raised an eyebrow. "The only Vulcan crewmember aboard the first Enterprise, as I recall."
"Yes."
"Am I to understand that you have a fascination with Vulcans, Mr. Kim?"
Harry grinned. No emotion, his foot. He could always tell when Tuvok was annoyed. As he was right now. "You could say that."
The two arrived at Tom's quarters. They heard the bell chime and Tom's subsequent invitation to come in.
"I find your fascination odd."
"Why? I'm interested in a species who can live with no emotion whatsoever."
"We don't live without emotion. We simply suppress it."
"Oo, a debate. What about?" Tom rubbed his hands together in glee. B'Elanna shot him a look. She definitely didn't want to get on Tuvok's bad side.
"No debate. Merely a correction of misstated facts," replied Tuvok, still looking annoyed.
B'Elanna smiled in spite of herself. Harry had a way of getting under her Vulcan crewmember's skin, that was for certain. "Tuvok, I'd like you to take a look at these specs I worked up for our latest project." She handed a PADD to him, which he took eagerly.
"Aw, B'Elanna!" Tom whined. "We're supposed to be enjoying ourselves tonight. Can't work wait for just a few hours?"
Having scanned her preliminary results, Tuvok's mood seemed much improved. "These are interesting, Lieutenant. I look forward to testing some of your theories tomorrow." Handing the PADD back to her, Tuvok settled in at the table where the other three were already seated.
Tom looked sidelong at B'Elanna. Whatever else he felt for the half-Klingon, he was mighty proud of her brains. He grasped her hand and squeezed it softly, eliciting a loving smile from her in response. Then he grabbed the PADD and tossed it to Harry.
"Harry, will you put this thing on the desk behind you? I'm starved!"
Harry did as requested, the three non-Vulcans chuckling.
"Tell me," Tuvok interrupted, wishing to get to the crux of the matter, "why is it we have been called here?"
Tom smiled. "Chakotay's birthday is next week. B'Elanna and I thought it might be fun to plan a party for him."
Tuvok frowned. "Shouldn't the captain be involved in the planning?"
The others exchanged uncomfortable glances. "Well..." B'Elanna hedged.
"We, uh---Tom?" Harry's voice squeaked, a sure sign he wasn't at all sure how to respond.
"Right, we, uh...we thought we'd surprise both Chakotay *and* the captain."
"Why does the captain need to be surprised on Commander Chakotay's birthday?" Tuvok inquired, genuinely puzzled.
"Tuvok, haven't you ever noticed the captain and the commander?"
"Of course I have noticed them. Every time I see them, I notice them. What of it?"
"No," Harry interrupted, "she means, have you *noticed* them."
Tuvok looked at each of them in turn, the wheels in his brain turning and churning, trying to hit on what they meant--oh. Oh. Oh! *Noticed* them.
Tom could've sworn he saw Tuvok blush.
"We want to plan a special evening for the two of them alone, after the ship-wide party for Chakotay." B'Elanna explained.
"Why am I involved? I don't see how I can be of assistance."
"Well, Tuvok, we need your help on the holodeck while we work on the rest of it."
"The holodeck?"
"Yes," Harry interjected. "We're going to have their evening alone take place on the holodeck. We have a lot to do for the big party, so we were kind of hoping you could do most of the holodeck programming and preparation."
All four friends ate as they chewed over the different possibilities for the two separate parties. As if all on the same wavelength, they came up with four brilliant ideas all at the same time.
The next several hours were spent in deep discussion.
~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~
Later that night, as Tuvok tried to settle in, he was unpleasantly surprised to find that he could not get comfortable. Normally, this was not an issue for a Vulcan. It didn't matter to them if they were comfortable or not.
"Computer, have the environmental settings in my quarters been altered in any way?"
Beep-blip. "Environmental settings have not been altered."
Annoyed, Tuvok decided against lowering the temperature. He was a Vulcan. He could handle anything. As he lay back on his bed, he wiped a thin sheen of sweat from his forehead. "I must have a mild cold or something. I will see the Doctor first thing in the morning."
~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~
B'Elanna suddenly found herself wishing she'd not sent Tom away an hour ago. Throwing the covers off her body, she was startled to find that she was sweating, and she was very, very...horny. The things running through her mind made even *her* blush. Tom. She had to see Tom.
~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~
"B'Elanna, oh...ohhh..."
Suddenly Tom Paris sat bolt upright in bed. He wiped his brow with his sleeve and was surprised to find the sleeve come away rather wet. He'd been having one hell of a dream, though, so he reasoned that's why he was sweating. A tall glass of cool water would resolve that problem. He hopped out of bed and padded barefoot across his quarters to the replicator.
"Tall glass of cool spring water."
Within seconds the glass appeared. Tom stood there and drank the whole thing down in one large gulp. As he placed the glass back onto the replicator, his door chime sounded.
"Now who could that be at this hour?" he wondered aloud. "Come!"
The door swished open. Tom's eyes widened. There stood B'Elanna Torres, dressed in a very sexy, very...revealing...nightgown. She glided into his quarters and Tom noticed briefly that beads of sweat covered the ridged forehead he'd come to love so much.
"B'El?"
"Tom, oh, Tom."
Eyebrows raised, Tom smiled broadly. She was swooning. Over him. Literally, swooning. Suddenly her arms were around his neck.
"Oh, Tom, I know I said we should wait, but, I can't wait, I need to have you. Now."
He was a little frightened. He'd heard tales of Klingon "lovemaking" and he prayed that B'Elanna didn't go for that...kinky...stuff. "B'El? Are you sure you're feeling okay?"
But as soon as he'd asked the question, he found it no longer mattered. He didn't give a fig whether B'Elanna was in her right mind or not...because he wanted her just as much as she wanted him.
"Oh, B'El...come to bed." He felt giddy.
"Yes, Tom. Yes."
~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~
The next morning...
"Ensign Kim, are you feeling well?"
Harry wiped the sweat from his brow. He saw his Captain watching him curiously. "Yes, Captain, I'm...I'm fine. I think."
Why was this happening to him? Good God, of all people, to have developed a sudden crush on the half-Vulcan half-human Ensign P'Ana...explaining his black eye to the Captain upon reporting for Bridge Duty had been difficult, but he'd succeeded in throwing her off the scent. However now, he felt very faint and could do nothing but think of P'Ana. It had been all he could do to keep from running off the Bridge to find her.
Captain Janeway exchanged a worried glance with her first officer. They both looked at Harry, then across the way to Tuvok, then back again. Tuvok had been oddly silent so far this shift. And it was obvious to the two senior officers that he was having some difficulty keeping himself composed.
"Captain," Chakotay whispered, "I say we personally escort them to Sickbay and see if the Doctor can discover what's wrong with them."
"I agree," Janeway whispered back. "Mr. Tuvok, Mr. Kim...you will accompany Commander Chakotay and myself."
As Janeway and Chakotay rose to their feet, Tuvok asked, "Where, may I ask, are we going?"
"We have a special meeting with the Doctor," the captain replied. "I find it imperative that the two of you attend."
The four stepped onto the turbolift. As soon as it began to move, Harry lost his balance and toppled backwards into Chakotay. The larger man caught him easily, but was concerned to find that he now lay limp in his arms, having completely lost consciousness.
"Mr. Kim. Harry." The Captain's calls went unanswered. "Good thing we're going to Sickbay. Can you carry him, Commander?"
"I can."
The turbolift stopped and they stepped into the hall. Only a few feet from Sickbay, Tuvok suddenly whirled on his companions. They were taken aback to see the wild look in his eyes, to see a rather evil-looking smile upon his lips.
"So!" he barked, causing Janeway to jump a little. "You thought you could capture me, did you? I will not be taken so easily!"
"Mr. Tuvok, if you please...we were on our way to Sickbay."
"Call it what you will, I know your *true* intentions!" Tuvok bellowed. "But I am smarter than you. Do you forget? I am Vulcan! Vulcan! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!"
And with that, Tuvok ran off down the corridor, leaving Janeway and Chakotay in stunned silence. Then Kathryn realized that she should probably do something about retrieving him. "You take Harry into Sickbay, then follow me."
"Where are you going?" Chakotay asked, his brow furrowed in concern.
"After Tuvok."
~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~
They had been at it all night long. They were both exhausted beyond what either of them believed was physically possible, but their need to be with one another so overwhelmed them that they had found it impossible to stop.
First they had had wild, passionate sex. In the human sense. Then they had made love over and over and over, B'Elanna being duly impressed by Tom's ability to keep going no matter how many times he climaxed.
"I thought only Klingon males could perform such feats of sexual prowess," she purred as they lay in Tom's sweat-drenched bed.
A crazed look upon his face, Tom jumped on top of his lover and growled, "I've had enough of human passion, half-Klingon. Show me how you would do it if we were both Klingon."
Never before had she seen him so forceful, so demanding. It excited her beyond belief. And, despite the fact that they'd had sex more times in one night than most couples do in a year, B'Elanna went about the frenzied task of teaching Tom Paris the ways of Klingon lovemaking.
~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~
"I am *not* ill! You are merely attempting to lower my defenses long enough to make your move!"
"Tuvok, it's me, Kathryn. I am your friend and your captain. I have never wished to harm you and would never do so."
Tuvok's eyes widened and he jumped backward in the unpopulated corridor. His arm outstretched, he pointed to somewhere over the captain's shoulder.
"It's him, then! Him! He's the one forcing you to do it!"
Janeway turned her head to find Chakotay standing over her shoulder. She then turned back to her Vulcan subordinate. "Why would you think Commander Chakotay wishes you harm?"
Tuvok was fighting an inner battle...and losing. Instead of answering Janeway's question, he roared like a lion and lunged at her, knocking her back into Chakotay, sending both senior officers to the floor. Quick as lightning, he took off, heading back toward Sickbay. Kathryn, having landed square on top of her first officer, hopped off him and took off running after Tuvok. Chakotay was right behind her.
"This is getting ridiculous," Janeway puffed as she struggled to keep the Vulcan in her sights.
"Shall I call Security, Captain?"
It annoyed Kathryn that Chakotay wasn't even winded.
"Yes, Commander, please do so. I don't think we can handle Mr. Tuvok ourselves."
"It would seem not." Chakotay tapped his comm badge. "Commander Chakotay to Security."
But Kathryn didn't hear the rest of what he said. She'd briefly lost sight of Tuvok and, unfortunately for her, found him again...hiding in a door cubby further along. He jumped out, his left arm landing squarely on her forehead, effectively knocking her unconscious.
"Captain!" Chakotay cried out in a most un-Chakotay-like manner. He momentarily noticed that he was sweating, but figured it was due to the chase.
Tuvok had taken off again, but Chakotay soon heard shouting and phaser-fire. Before he knew it, Security was hailing him as he tenderly lifted his captain into his arms.
"Security to Commander Chakotay. Mr. Tuvok is under control. We are taking him to Sickbay as requested."
"Acknowledged. I will meet you there shortly. Chakotay out."
He loped the rest of the distance to Sickbay, his face belying his concern for Kathryn. When he rushed in, he noticed that Tuvok had already been placed on a bio bed and was being restrained by bed straps.
"Doctor, Tuvok struck the captain in the head. She fell to the floor unconscious."
"Bring her to this bio bed," the Doctor ordered.
The Doctor examined Captain Janeway while Kes focused on Tuvok. Chakotay stood out of the way watching every move the Doctor made. Finally he could stand the silence no longer.
"Doctor, how is she?"
"The captain will be fine, Commander. However, I will be ordering her to bed rest for 24 hours to recover from the severe concussion Mr. Tuvok gave her."
The voice from the bed startled everyone. "I can't take 24 hours off, Doctor, you know that."
"Captain, I will make it a medical order. I'm afraid you have no choice this time. He hit you very, very hard."
Kathryn groaned as she tried to sit up. Instantly, her first officer came to her aid. "Yes, I can feel that he did. Thank you, Chakotay." She came unsteadily to her feet. "Have you been able to find out what's wrong with Mr. Tuvok?"
Kes glanced briefly at the doctor, then turned back to her scanner. "Doctor, I'm reading something in his blood."
"Can you be more specific, Kes?" the doctor asked, crossing to where she stood.
"I believe it's a virus of some sort. It seems to be mutating every five minutes. I've never seen anything like it."
The Doctor checked Kes' medical tricorder and raised his eyebrows. "Neither have I."
Janeway shuddered. A virus that her holographic doctor had never before seen? This couldn't be good.
~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~
Things were quickly getting out of hand in Tom Paris' quarters. It looked like a tornado had swept through the place, but the walls were bathed in silence. The living room area was empty. The dining area, too, held nobody. In the bedroom, the sheets and covers were strewn everywhere. The mattress hung half-off the bed. All Tom's pictures and memorabilia were scattered here and there like so many children's toy soldiers. On the other side of the bed, on the floor between it and the wall, were two bodies.
Tom was on the bottom, fully clothed in off-duty spuds. On top of him was B'Elanna Torres, also fully clothed, fervently trying to choke the living daylights out of him.
"B'El--B'El--B'El--" he choked, unable to take even one full breath. When had things gone so wrong? When had she turned from his lover into his killer? Who the hell did she think she was?
This thought firmly embedded in his fading mind, he summoned every ounce of strength and flipped her so that she now lay beneath him. "Why the hell are you trying to kill me, you bitch?"
"Klingons always kill their lovers," she snarled.
"Liar!" he yelled, slapping her hard across the face.
"Foreplay will get you nowhere. I'm going to kill you!"
The two struggled for seemingly endless minutes.
"You cannot have me!" B'Elanna screeched. "I will belong to no man!"
"Well," Tom panted, his knees holding her arms to the floor while *he* tried to choke *her*, "it's not like I proposed *marriage* or anything!"
"Isn't...that...what you...humans...want?" she gasped, her upper lip curled in a permanent Klingon snarl.
"With you? Doubt it," he spat.
Suddenly, several security officers stormed into Tom's bedroom. Before he and B'Elanna knew it, they were being pulled apart and escorted out of his quarters.
"What's going on?" Tom raged, sweat pouring from his body. He struggled to free himself, and it took three guards to hold him in place as he and B'Elanna were half-dragged to Sickbay.
But the guards didn't answer; they just fulfilled their duty and got the two sick officers to the Doctor as quickly as they could.
"What are we doing here?" B'Elanna yelled when she saw Captain Janeway and Chakotay standing side-by-side near Harry Kim, who lay motionless on a bio bed.
"Tom. B'Elanna. You're ill." Janeway replied as the Doctor scanned them both.
He turned to Janeway. "Captain, how did you know these two would have the virus?"
"So they do, Doctor?"
He nodded vigorously. "Yes."
"Well, Harry woke up long enough to mumble something about a meeting he had with Tuvok, B'Elanna and Tom. Chakotay and I felt that it was safe to assume these two might have the same virus Tuvok and Harry have."
"That's why you're the Captain!" the doctor offered lightly, mildly annoyed that *he* hadn't thought of that first. "Now, if you don't mind, I will have these two contained here with the others in medical quarantine. I suggest you begin your bed rest, Captain."
"Doctor, four of my Bridge Crew are stricken by an unknown virus. I can't go to bed now."
"And what exactly can you do for them that Kes and I cannot?" the Doctor inquired.
In his own maddening way, he was right, as always. Janeway fumed. She'd feel so helpless just lying in bed while her crewmen suffered.
"Commander Chakotay, I am issuing you a medical order." the Doctor said, the barest hint of a smile on his lips. "You are to escort the captain to her quarters and ensure that she remains there for a full 24 hours, no exceptions."
"Doctor, you can't--" Kathryn began to protest, her face turning red.
"I can and I have, Captain. You won't be any good to these people if you're fainting every twenty minutes due to your head injury. Kes and I will notify you as soon as we come up with something."
Chakotay could almost see the steam coming out of his Captain's ears, like in those old Earth cartoons that Tom watched on his television set. "Come on, Captain. Best not to infuriate the good Doctor."
"Quite right," the Doctor huffed. "I obviously have plenty of *important* work to do right now. Commander?"
"Right. Come on, Captain."
Janeway shot the Doctor a look that could've melted his holographic matrix. She then shrugged off Chakotay's gentle touch to her elbow and stormed out of Sickbay.
"Commander," the Doctor stopped him as he started to follow his captain out the door. "I certainly don't envy you this task."
Chakotay chuckled in spite of himself and continued on his way.
~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~
"I don't need a babysitter, Commander! It's a medical order, and I always follow orders."
Kathryn Janeway sat on the sofa, millions of stars through the windows as her backdrop. She was comfortably dressed in an emerald green robe. Chakotay had no idea what was under that robe, but it stopped mid-shin and he could see her legs were bare under that. Matching green slippers adorned her feet.
"That is a lovely robe, Kathryn. Is it made of satin?" Chakotay asked, ignoring his captain's protests. He'd seated himself on a chair halfway around the room from her, so as not to invade her personal space. Absentmindedly, he swept beads of sweat from his brow.
"Corellian silk, Commander. Kes designed it. It was my birthday gift from her."
"Kes?"
"Yes, it seems she has a fancy for fashion as well as medicine."
"Interesting. Perhaps I could commission something for myself." Chakotay noted with interested that Kathryn fanned her face. "Are you warm?" he asked.
"Yes. Computer, lower temperature in these quarters by five degrees Centigrade."
Beep-blip. "Temperature lowered five degrees Centigrade."
The top of Kathryn's robe slipped as she repositioned herself so that she could easily look out her windows at the stars as Voyager glided through the silence of space. Chakotay's eyes widened as he saw her bare shoulder emerge from the soft silk surrounding her body. He could now see a thin strap going over her shoulder and deduced that she must have some sort of undergarment on beneath the robe. He suddenly realized he wanted very much to see that undergarment...as well as what lay beneath.
As if reading his thoughts, Kathryn turned back to face him. She was visibly sweating now, as was Chakotay. Slowly, without thought, she allowed the robe to fall from her other shoulder. Her entire neck was now exposed, and Chakotay could just barely make out the swell of the top of her breasts.
"Kathryn."
"Chakotay."
He was across the room in a millisecond, gathering her into his arms. "Kathryn," he repeated. "How long I have wanted to hold you."
"Chakotay, we mustn't." But her protests were weak. Like a broken record of something she'd repeated over and over in her mind every time her first officer had given her a smoky look through half-lidded eyes. But now, as she gazed into the deep chocolate orbs that spoke of everything he felt for her, she felt suddenly giddy, yet strangely complete and satisfied.
"I know we mustn't, Kathryn, shhh." He stroked her hair softly, lovingly. Then he kissed her forehead.
"Chakotay, I'm tired. Take me to bed?" she whispered.
"Shall I stay with you there, Kathryn?"
She nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Chakotay lifted her effortlessly and slowly walked toward her bedroom. Neither of them thought to question why they were drenched in sweat even though they hadn't yet *done* anything.
~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~
Back in Sickbay, the doctor was becoming more and more concerned. Kes had begun exhibiting symptoms similar to the sick crewmembers. A quick scan showed that she, too, was infected with the virus. Then Security dragged Ensign P'Ana in after having removed her from the Mess Hall, where she'd effectively started a huge food fight. One by one, it seemed this virus was infecting the crew of the Voyager. Suddenly, the doctor's thoughts turned to his captain and Chakotay.
What if the virus was transmitted by contact? Chakotay had carried Harry Kim into Sickbay, and the Captain had been touched, although not very nicely, by Tuvok. Could they be ill?
He tapped his communicator badge. "Doctor to Captain Janeway."
No answer.
"Doctor to Captain Janeway, please respond."
Nothing.
"Doctor to Commander Chakotay."
Again, no answer.
"Commander?"
Frowning, the doctor directed his next question to the computer. "Computer, please locate Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay."
"Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay are in Captain Janeway's quarters."
"Oh, boy." Already wearing the device that allowed him to leave the confines of Sickbay, the Doctor double-checked to see that the force fields were secure around those in quarantine, then left for Captain Janeway's quarters.
He'd heard the scuttlebutt aboard Voyager just like everyone else had. Word had it that Chakotay and the captain were in love, but neither one of them knew it. Crewmembers were even placing bets with one another as to whether or not their second-in-command would be able to get their captain involved in a real relationship. They all loved Captain Janeway, but they also knew she was all professionalism, and highly unlikely to allow herself to become involved with her first officer.
It seemed to the doctor that this virus caused its victims to act out their deepest fantasies and fears. According to what he'd heard about what the infected Voyager crewmembers had done thus far, he felt his hypothesis was accurate. In this case, however, the Doctor wasn't at all pleased with such accuracy. If the Commander and the Captain compromised one another...it could have serious repercussions for the entire ship.
~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~
"I am unable to...inhibit...my desires...Captain."
Janeway's mind struggled within itself. She wanted nothing more than to swing from the rafters with Chakotay, but something deep within what was left of her logical mind kept surfacing. Something was wrong. She shouldn't be feeling this way. Well, she'd *always* felt this way, but not to such an extent that she was very seriously considering becoming *involved* with her first officer.
"I...Chakotay..." Kathryn's face hardened, but only for a few seconds. Then it softened once more and, much to Chakotay's surprise, she jumped into his waiting arms and began kissing him...in a not-so-gentle way.
"Captain--" he mumbled against her lips. But then the feel of her body, the warmth she was exuding, the way her lips crushed his...then he felt her tongue. She wanted in.
Chakotay was more than willing to comply.
The doctor attempted to open the door to Captain Janeway's quarters, but she'd placed a security lock on it. "Computer, utilize EMH Medical Override, Security Lock on Captain Janeway's Quarters. Authorization pi-beta-alpha-omega-three-two-six-nine-one."
Beep-blip. "Access granted."
The doors swished open. The doctor could hear nothing upon entrance. "Captain? Commander Chakotay?" he called out.
The voice startled the two humans who lay entangled on the bed. They were still fully clothed, but were involved in some very hot-and-heavy foreplay.
"What is the doctor doing in your quarters?" Chakotay gasped as he pulled away from an exceptionally overwhelming kiss.
"I don't know, but I swear I'm going to deactivate him." the Captain growled as she hopped out of bed. "Stay here."
Chakotay sat like a dutiful child on her bed. He suddenly began to giggle for no reason at all. He turned, picked up one of Kathryn's pillows, and threw it across the room, knocking her crystal sculpture to the floor. It shattered into hundreds of pieces. Normally, this would have greatly upset the Commander, but right now he found it utterly hilarious and began to guffaw in a most unbecoming manner.
"Doctor, what the hell are you doing in my quarters?" Janeway hissed as she approached the hologram.
A quick scan revealed that the Captain was, indeed, infected with the virus. However, the doctor knew better than to try and take on both her and the Commander. He heard raucous laughter coming from the bedroom and had an impulse to rush in there, but his logic won out.
"Captain, my apologies, I thought you were ill. I used a medical override on your security lock. You didn't answer my hail, I am so very sorry for interrupting, I will speak of this to no one."
The captain just narrowed her eyes at him as he backed out of her quarters. He heaved a sigh of relief once he was safely in the hall, then promptly summoned several security officers to the area. He had to get the two senior officers to Sickbay before something happened. If it hadn't already.
"You broke my sculpture, you bastard!"
Chakotay finally stopped laughing. Kathryn was mad. "But Kathryn, I didn't mean to break it. I *didn't* break it. The pillow did."
He looked for all the world like a penitent, pouting child.
"I don't care about the pillow. You *threw* the pillow, so you still broke it. I'm going to break something of yours now!"
"No! Kathryn, not my--"
But Kathryn was out her door and, moments later, she was standing inside Chakotay's quarters. She scanned his living room, looking for something that he valued as much as she had her crystal sculpture. Spying nothing, she headed for his bedroom. Once there, however, her mind was no longer on destroying his valuables.
He rushed into the room behind her. She had never been in his bedroom before. It was bathed in aqua lighting, a hazy, sort of smoky, quality to the air. The walls and ceiling shimmered softly, as if reflecting some unknown light source. His bed looked very soft and inviting. Odd sculptures, statues and works of art adorned the walls, each reflecting the sea-like tranquility of the room they occupied.
A soft gasp escaped her lips. She stared at the room around her, then turned to face him. "Chakotay, this is breathtaking. You never told me your bedroom was this...fantastic."
"I was saving it for you. I created all of this with you in mind, Kathryn."
"Why, Chakotay?" Again, something deep in the captain's mind fought to be heard, but by now, Kathryn was unable...or unwilling...to listen.
"Because, my Kathryn...my indomitable ship's captain...because I love you. Why do you think?"
"You love me."
"I do."
"Prove it, Commander." Captain Janeway giggled and threw herself onto the bed, which felt like a waterbed. The bed undulated beneath her. It *was* a waterbed! "Now."
Chakotay was soon on top of his captain, kissing her long and hard. He was oblivious to the security group that entered his quarters. He didn't hear them approach the bedroom. He didn't hear them sneak up behind him. By the time he realized they were there, it was too late. He and Kathryn were already in custody.
"Unhand me! This is mutiny!" Janeway cried out. But it was no use. Neither she nor her first officer could escape. The security detail escorted them to Sickbay.
~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~
Thanks to his instantaneous access to the ship's computers, the Doctor discovered two historical cases on other starships in which the symptoms seemed to match exactly what was happening on Voyager. The Enterprises NCC-1701 and NCC-1701-D. He tried both the antidotes detailed but came up empty. SO he attempted every variation he could think of. Trouble was, every time the Doctor thought he'd come up with a cure, the virus had already mutated beyond the antidote's capabilities. He grew increasingly frustrated. His only solace was that the infections seemed to have stopped. No new cases had been reported in two days.
And those two days had been the most harrowing of his holographic existence. The infected persons had grown increasingly more delusional and...much to the Doctor's chagrin...*very* loud. He ended up erecting a soundproof force field around all of them. He could *see* them hollering and screaming and making faces at one another through their individual force fields, but they were blessedly silent.
The Doctor was fearful for the lives of his fellow shipmates. Harry, Tuvok and P'Ana had already begun throwing themselves into the force fields. They were, at this very moment, all half-conscious thanks to one too many hits. But what could the Doctor do? To go in and physically restrain each one of them was not only time-consuming, but also potentially impossible given the added strength each seemed to have. Why, B'Elanna had almost completely torn her bio bed out of the floor! By hand!
He sighed as he watched the captain and the commander speak to each other through their force fields. He felt badly for having to separate them, but in their present state of mind, he was quite certain they'd strip down to their birthday suits and copulate right there in front of everybody. That was a headache the Doctor didn't need to bring on. When not making nice with her first officer, Captain Janeway had been screaming mutiny from the second she'd been brought to Sickbay. Commander Chakotay had been demanding that they "keep their mitts off his Kathryn" and had been trying desperately to figure out a way to make physical contact with her. Tuvok had never been more illogical as he raged on about his enemies having captured him at last.
Ensign P'Ana flirted shamelessly with Harry Kim, much to the annoyance of Kes, who was in between them. For his part, Harry was probably the most calm. He was enamored of P'Ana's antics, but also with Kes' quiet delirium. Kes did nothing but mumble, sometimes to herself, sometimes to Harry. Except when she had her fits, of course. Then she became a whirling dervish, seemingly capable of destroying anything and everything in her path...*if* anything had been in her path, that is.
The Doctor sighed loudly, once again thanking the ship's computer for the soundproof force fields. *He* felt like he was about to go mad, and he wasn't even infected with the virus. The other problem, of course, was that the Doctor had no idea how the disease had gotten aboard ship and therefore had no way of knowing if a second outbreak would occur. It seemed that Mr. Tuvok, Mr. Kim, Ms. Torres and Mr. Paris were the first to show symptoms. If only he could figure out *where* they'd contracted it...
~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~
Six hours later, the Doctor himself was beginning to feel tired for the first time in his holographic life. He'd been at it and at it and at it, constantly changing the antidote, trying to anticipate the virus' next mutation. But no matter what, he just couldn't seem to unlock the door that would lead him to the virus' secrets. Throwing his instruments down onto a counter top, the Doctor decided to take some time and put a little distance between himself and the virus problem. After three solid days of working on it, a break might do him good. Might clear his head.
He left two nurses in Sickbay, just to watch over the quarantined patients. Then he headed for the Bridge, now entirely manned by a replacement crew. Not one familiar face greeted him...at least, not familiar in the command sense. He knew a few of them from Sickbay visits, nothing more. But they didn't kick him off the Bridge. Indeed, they seemed to welcome his presence. They all knew he was close to the senior officers. His presence made them feel a little better about the whole situation.
The Doctor walked one lap around the Bridge, trying to get his mind off the virus. Then he entered Captain Janeway's sacred Ready Room and walked around there for a while, stopping to look out the windows or to look at the artwork displayed here and there. He saw different pictures lined up on one wall showing different galaxy-class starships. His eyes rested on the Enterprises NCC-1701 and NCC-1701-D. Both of their crews had fallen victim to this virus, in different mutated states, and both had barely escaped it with their lives. Finally, they had come up with the necessary antidote, but for the Doctor it wasn't that simple.
The viruses from the Enterprises hadn't mutated this quickly. In fact, the Doctor had only seen two other viruses that changed this fast and they were both from the planet Brallnya. The Fristicha virus, named for the Brallnyan doctor who discovered it and the Sabcan Pox virus, named for the Brallnyan subspecies it wiped out before a cure was found. Then the doctor thought of something...what if the Enterprise virus had met up with the Fristicha and the Sabcan and had combined with them to create a newer one? One that mutated very quickly! A snippet of overheard conversation suddenly replayed in the Doctor's mind.
Just one week ago, the Doctor had been discussing Mess Hall hygiene with Neelix as he was serving lunch to the crew. When Ensign Kim had come through the line, he'd been talking with another Ensign about a collection he had...a collection of art and other artifacts from the Enterprise ships! The Doctor snapped his fingers. "That must be where the virus came from! Mr. Kim must have contracted it, then passed it to Tuvok and the others! But where would the other viruses have come from?"
The Doctor searched his memory banks, trying to think of...oh...oh, that was it. That was it! The day before the outbreak of the Enterprise virus began, Tuvok had led an Away Team to the surface of the planet Lotednya...a planet that had been colonized by a small sector of dissidents from planet Brallnya! They had immunity to their two native viruses thanks to childhood vaccines, but they could still carry it...and pass it off to Tuvok. If the Enterprise virus from Harry's art collection got into Tuvok's system and one or both of the other viruses were there, they could easily have combined to form this new Voyager virus.
The Doctor initiated an immediate transport of himself to Sickbay, startling the two poor nurses he'd left in charge. They were, to say the least, quite unnerved by the antics of the infected crewmembers, and the Doctor's sudden appearance very nearly scared them to death. He needed their help, however, so he overlooked their obvious discomfort and began barking orders to them immediately. There were several things he would need before he could begin.
~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~
"Kathryn," Chakotay choked out, his voice hoarse from having been yelling and speaking almost continuously for three straight days.
"What?" Her voice, too, was barely above a whisper.
"What do you think the Doctor will do with us?"
"Well, he can't get us court-martialed. We're too far from Federation space."
"That's what I was thinking."
"What are you trying to say?"
"Kathryn, we can outsmart him. We *must*. He's nothing but a computer-generated hologram. A human designed him. Humans can deactivate him, too."
Kathryn's interest was piqued, her fever-ravaged brain intent upon getting revenge for the mutiny engineered by Voyager's doctor. She was so glad she still had her lover-to-be Chakotay. She knew he was fiercely loyal to her and always would be. She never had to doubt that. "What did you have in mind?" she asked.
"Well, sooner or later they're going to want more blood samples."
"Yes, this ridiculous lie the Doctor's telling us about us all being infected with some...virus. He's been doing tests on us since we arrived."
"Right. Surely I can overpower anyone who comes in for my samples."
A steely resolve filled Kathryn's eyes. "So can I."
"I know," Chakotay winked at her seductively. "Let's pretend like we've lost consciousness. Then they'll be less cautious when they enter our spaces."
"Chakotay," Kathryn's hoarse voice drawled, "have I ever told you how sexy you are when you're being positively evil?"
"No, but you can go on telling me."
They smiled at one another, smiles full of promises of things to come. But for now, they had a plan to enact. So they started throwing themselves at each other, effectively slamming their bodies into the force field. The Doctor half-watched as he prepared to create yet another concoction. He couldn't believe they were intentionally harming themselves, but then again, that *was* the signature of the viral mutation now housed within their bodies.
Finally, with one last good slam, Chakotay and Kathryn crumpled to the floor, both partially leaning up against the force field, causing it to hum unceremoniously. This annoyed the already-annoyed Doctor to no end. He summoned two Security officers to Sickbay and asked them to pull the Commander and the Captain off the force field. He warned them to be very, very careful.
"They're gonna get you, they're gonna get you!" Harry sing-songed as the Doctor deactivated Chakotay's force field. Before the Doctor could reactivate it, however, Chakotay launched himself at the guards, knocking them both unconscious in a matter of seconds. Then he grabbed one of the two nurses, putting his arm around her neck.
"Okay, Doctor," he croaked, wild-eyed. "Release Captain Janeway or Nurse Jackson dies. Now."
The Doctor knew he had no choice. He deactivated the Captain's force field and watched as Kathryn, still clad in her green robe, came to her feet and went to stand next to Chakotay. "Please, Captain, Commander...please believe me when I tell you that you are very ill. A mutated virus has attacked you. I was just now beginning to work on the correct antidote, I finally discovered what the virus is!"
"Oh, Doctor," the captain rasped, "save your made-up stories for those who give a damn. You will pay for your mutiny, we will *see* to that."
Staying still as they released Nurse Jackson, the Doctor watched as the two ran out of Sickbay. Then he sprang to action. "Computer, locate Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay."
Beep-blip. "Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay are on Turbolift Eight."
"Computer, utilize EMH Medical Override, Turbolift Eight. Authorization pi-beta-alpha-omega-three-two-six-nine-one. Stop the turbolift, now!"
"Authorization accepted. Turbolift has been halted."
"Computer, seal turbolift. Maintain environmental level appropriate to two humans. Medical security quarantine seal, authorization pi-theta-three-zero-two-omega. Do not allow either the Captain or the Commander to leave Turbolift Eight!"
Beep-blip. "Understood."
There was very little time now. The Doctor knew that he couldn't keep the ship's two senior-most officers in a turbolift without food and water for very long. And the stars only knew how those two might injure themselves attempting to escape...
~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~
The turbolift ground to a halt. Kathryn and Chakotay fully expected the doors to swish open and deliver them to their intended deck, but after the 'lift stopped, nothing else happened.
The captain looked at Chakotay, then upwards toward the ceiling. "Computer, explain why the doors aren't opening."
Beep-blip. "Turbolift Eight has been halted and placed under medical quarantine."
"Damn that doctor!" Chakotay cried, slamming his fist into the 'lift wall. "He's trapped us in here, Kathryn!"
"I know. I *hate* that damned hologram," she spat. "I swear to you, once we're out of here, I'm going to kill him with my bare hands." Captain Janeway slid down the wall until she was seated on the floor. "Figuratively speaking, of course."
His mind having quickly changed course, Chakotay joined her on the floor. "You know, Kathryn, since we can't get out of here, we could finish our unfinished business."
"Yes, Commander, we could at that," she smiled. "I happen to know there are no cameras in the turbolifts on this ship. I think we're pretty safe."
Their lips met in a frenzy and soon Kathryn was laying underneath Chakotay, their hands roaming all over one another, clothes coming off at a feverish pace. What the Doctor had feared the most was happening, and there was little anyone could do to stop it.
~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~
Harry, B'Elanna, Tom and P'Ana had finally exhausted themselves to the point of no return. All four lay either in their bio beds or on the floor completely unconscious. The Doctor was grateful for the lack of animation now within Sickbay. He and the two nurses worked as quickly as possible. Within an hour, they had completed what the Doctor hoped and prayed was *the* antidote to what he now called the "Voyager Virus".
He decided to test the drug on Ensign Kim first. He and the nurses deactivated Harry's force field, administered the vaccine, then reactivated it and waited for something to happen. Although he was still unconscious, the Doctor had ways of determining the effectiveness of his new mix. He and his companions monitored Harry's vitals and blood content. Suddenly the viral population in his blood took a nosedive. The three waited with bated breath and stared at the medical scanner. Slowly but surely the virus continued to die out until at last, a mere twenty minutes after they'd given Harry his shot, the virus had completely disappeared from his system.
Harry was cured.
The Doctor fairly whooped with joy. He administered the vaccine to the rest of his quarantined patients...at least the ones in Sickbay...and informed the crew that each and every one of them had to be vaccinated as soon as he'd replicated enough supply. He put his two nurses in charge of setting up the shipwide vaccination schedule and of said replication. Then he set about the task of getting the antidote to his captain and her first officer. He desperately hoped that they hadn't...consummated...their newfound relationship.
Upon arrival at Turbolift Eight, the Doctor first inquired as to whether or not the two were still within. The Computer verified that they were. Then he scanned them through the 'lift doors. Their heartbeats and respiratory rates told him that they were either asleep or unconscious. He wondered if they'd be clothed when he entered. Then he took a deep breath, removed his medical quarantine and ordered the 'lift doors open.
There they were, on the floor. The captain was on the bottom, clad only in her pajama undergarment. Her robe lay at her feet. Chakotay lay half on top of her, his tunic lying at the captain's head. Thankfully he still wore his uniform pants. The Doctor smiled...actually *smiled*...and quickly put the hypo spray to each of their necks. Then he performed an emergency beam-out to Sickbay for all three of them.
The nurses had made the others comfortable and now set about doing so for Kathryn and Chakotay. The Doctor made himself the personal overseer of the antidote replication and allowed his two chief nurses to begin the crew vaccinations. All in all, he was very pleased with himself and with his deductive reasoning powers. He felt he had done well, and had saved Voyager...and the senior officers in particular...not only embarrassment, but also possibly their very lives.
~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~V~
48 hours later...
B'Elanna and Tom quickly made up, apologizing profusely to one another for having come *this close* to killing each other. They also decided to take it easy for a while on the lovemaking. Neither had quite recovered from their...escapades.
Tuvok was highly embarrassed at what he'd done. He'd made a formal apology to the captain and then decided to sequester himself in his quarters for two days in order to achieve his perfect logical balance once more.
Harry and P'Ana decided to put the past behind them and start all over again on the right foot. The evening following their release from Sickbay found them enjoying dinner together at a table for two in the Mess Hall.
As for Commander Chakotay and Captain Janeway...well, those were two more *difficult* cases. Both of them were so utterly embarrassed by what had occurred that they hid from each other from the moment the Doctor released them. Chakotay struggled with his shame at having so easily attempted to defile his captain. Kathryn struggled with the same thing she always struggled with...how to keep her feelings for Chakotay at bay. Especially now that they had shared so much together...even if it was in a virus-induced feverish manner.
Chakotay lay on his bed, the aqua colors and shimmering light surrounding him. He recalled how touched Kathryn had been when he'd told her he'd done all this with her in mind. How he wished to have her back in his bed, but this time with both of them acting under their own power, not fueled by some crazy mutant virus. He wondered if he'd ever be able to look her in the face again.
Kathryn paced her floors for hours. Finally, at 2am, she decided she could no longer handle it. She *had* to see Chakotay. They were adults and they were the leaders of this ship. They had to come to terms with what had occurred and handle it like the Starfleet officers they were. Not realizing that she was wearing the same beautiful green pajama outfit she'd been wearing the whole time she was infected, Kathryn left her quarters and went next door to Chakotay's.
It took her about three deep breaths and four failed attempts to approach his door before she finally heard his door chime sound.
Chakotay was surprised. He wondered who would be visiting him at this late...or early...hour. Oh, well, he hadn't been able to sleep anyway. All he could think of was Kathryn, Kathryn and more Kathryn. He was driving himself bananas.
It was therefore a great shock to him when his doors swished open to reveal Kathryn...looking exactly as she had that first night, the beautiful silken Kes creation adorning her ravishing body.
"Kathryn."
"Hello, Chakotay." Captain Janeway strode purposefully in his Living Room, but couldn't bring herself to look into his eyes. "We need to talk."
"Yes. Yes, we do, Kathryn."
She whirled to face him. "Good. Then let's talk."
"All right. Make yourself comfortable."
"I don't think I--" Suddenly Kathryn looked toward Chakotay's bedroom. She could see the aqua light emanating from within. All at once she was taken back to that night when she first looked into that room. As if in a trance, she now walked slowly toward it, drawn to the shimmering light and the memories in a way she could not seem to control.
"Kathryn?" Chakotay followed her as she made her way to his room. But she did not respond.
Kathryn stopped at the entrance and surveyed the beauty of what he had created for her. He had listened to her stories of visiting Sea World in San Francisco, of her times at the Long Beach Aquarium. She loved the idea of the huge tanks, tanks so large that even whales were comfortable within. She'd even told him that as a little girl she used to dream about being one of the fish in those tanks. That must have been what he'd had in mind when created the ambiance of his bedroom.
But to think that he'd actually thought that one day she *would* grace his bedroom with her presence unnerved her. Then again, perhaps he had just been a hopeful man...a man who loved her so much that he held on to whatever thin strands of hope she'd ever given him. A man who, at this very moment, stood a foot behind her holding his breath, scared to death of complete rejection.
She turned to face him, tears filling her eyes and just as quickly spilling over onto her cheeks. Why, after all these years, after all they had done for one another, all they had meant to one another...why did she continue trying to justify keeping her distance from him? He looked like a child, standing there so contrite and ashamed. Kathryn wanted to reassure him. She wanted to give him a great big hug and tell him she loved him and that it was all going to be okay, that he didn't have to feel guilty for anything that had happened while they were sick.
'Then why aren't you doing just that?' her inner voice screamed.
"Kathryn?" Chakotay squeaked, entirely unsure of what she was thinking.
She took the few steps necessary to close the distance between them. Looking into his eyes, she wrapped her arms around him and held him. She smiled as she felt his arms encompass her small frame. "It's all right, Chakotay. Everything will be all right. You have no reason to feel guilty for anything."
Taken aback, he smiled into her hair. He could feel the wetness soaking through his shirt, that's how he knew she was crying. But Kathryn wasn't finished yet. There was one more thing she had to say to him, but she wanted to see his face as she said it.
"Chakotay, come. Let's sit." She led him to his own bed and they seated themselves slightly sideways so as to be able to look into one another's eyes. She grasped his hands tightly. "I know...I know that you love me."
He gasped softly. "Kathr--"
But she placed a finger to his lips. "No, shh. Let me finish." He nodded and she removed her finger. "Chakotay, I have been a fool. To think that you cared enough about my dreams and wishes...from back when I was a little girl...to redo your bedroom in this way is very touching. And overwhelming. I've never had someone love me in this way. Chakotay, it has frightened me."
Chakotay understood. He knew exactly how she felt. But he had to let her finish speaking.
"But now, after what happened while we were infected with that virus...well, I can never look at you in the same way. I have...felt you, Chakotay. Here," she touched her palm to her chest, "and here," she touched two fingers to her lips. I have felt you everywhere. Even at my most delusional, you were the one person I knew I could always trust, trust with my heart and with my life. It was going to be you and me, no matter what happened."
He smiled and nodded.
"So what I've finally come to realize is that not saying the words doesn't mean the feelings don't exist. And not acting upon those feelings is doing far more damage to both this ship and us than acting upon them ever could. I really believe that."
His eyes grew wide. Was she working up to what it seemed she was working up to? Was it possible?
"What I'm trying to tell you, Chakotay, and failing miserably to do so, I'm afraid, is that--" she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then opened them again and looked directly into her warrior's eyes, "I love you. Chakotay, I love you with all that I am. My heart was yours long ago. I'm only sorry it's taken me all this time to finally admit it to you."
This time it was Chakotay who cried. He grabbed hold of Kathryn and held her so tightly she could barely breathe. But she reveled in his touch. In his arms around her. In the strength and safety she felt when she was with him.
"Oh, Kathryn," he finally had the courage to say. "I love you so very much."
"I know," she whispered. "Chakotay?"
"Yes?" He released her and pulled away to look into her eyes.
"Can we...lie here in your aquarium for a little while? I'd like to enjoy it properly."
"*Our* aquarium, Kathryn. And yes, it would be an honor."
While most of the ship's crew slept, Voyager sped seamlessly through the stars, coming closer every second to its destination, bringing its inhabitants that much closer to Earth and "real life". Kathryn had, deep down, feared their return to Earth. Their lives had become so familiar aboard the ship...she knew things would change so much when they returned.
The captain liked to compare her life aboard Voyager to a dressed or undressed person. While she was the Captain of this vessel, and while they were in the Delta Quadrant trying valiantly to get home, she was fully dressed...comfortable with the way things were. When they returned to Earth, futures uncertain, lives in upheaval, she would feel like someone had stripped her down to her naked body, like all her protection...her clothing...was gone.
But now, secure in the knowledge that Chakotay would be at her side no matter what, Captain Kathryn Janeway no longer feared the unknown consequences of returning to Earth. She was no longer afraid of what she had come to call in her own mind the "naked" future.
She sighed, snuggling into Chakotay's warm body, laying her head on his chest. Smiling as she drifted off to sleep, Chakotay heard her faint whisper.
"I'm not afraid of the future anymore. Thank you, Chakotay."
THE END