DISCLAIMER: Star Trek: Voyager and characters belong to Paramount/CBS.
A/N: Written for Red2007 for the VAMB Secret Santa Exchange 2014. Her request was for a "J/C story, any rating, just give me some warm fuzzies even if they don't come right away." This story takes place at the end of the season 7 episode "Body and Soul."
Thank you to my wonderful beta, KJaneway115! As usual, I have rewritten, fiddled with and likely muddled what she fixed, so all errors are solely mine.
WARNING: Contains reference to past non-con (not J or C)
***V*V***
The captain's insomnia was predictable, so Chakotay headed for the messhall after turning over the bridge to Tuvok for the last part of gamma shift. He searched through the square of transparent aluminum to be sure she was alone before triggering the sensor. The messhall doors slid open and then clicked shut behind him, hiding the light from the corridor.
As he paused while his eyes adjusted to the dim room, Kathryn sounded unsurprised by his presence. "Good evening, Chakotay."
At 0200 hours, he decided that it was technically morning. "Good morning, Kathryn. Will you join me for a cup of hot chocolate?"
"I believe I will." She sat at a table facing the view port while he replicated the beverages.
Chakotay slid into the seat across from her and passed her a cup, glad to see that she appeared relaxed. The detention of Harry Kim, the Doctor, and Seven of Nine by an alien ship could have ended in disaster and the loss of Voyager's CMO. The three crew members had managed to devise a novel plan by hiding the EMH in Seven's Borg implants, and then had saved the alien captain, thereby helping secure their release.
Chakotay had been amused by parts of the report, but was unsure of Kathryn's thoughts. She never coped well with her people being in danger, often spending days afterward picking apart every detail in an effort to understand what went wrong and how it could have been prevented.
Kathryn tasted the hot chocolate and looked at him with a crooked smile. "That was an unusual away mission report."
He leaned back in the bench seat and chuckled. "I thought so, too. I didn't know it was possible for Seven's cortical node to hold the Doctor's program."
"Neither did I. He appears to have learned quite a bit from the experience."
"I'm kind of glad for him. He knows what cheesecake and champagne taste like now."
Kathryn's eyes sparkled with amusement. "Maybe the Doctor will be more sympathetic when the crew seeks treatment for an upset stomach."
"How is Seven?"
"I think she's confused. She talked as if his enthusiastic approach to the experience affected her, like she got a hint of things that she didn't know she was missing."
Chakotay nodded and swallowed a sip of chocolate. "That would make sense. She is quick to dismiss typical human experiences as irrelevant, but without those things she lacks a significant part of her humanity. She's still more drone than human in some ways. Maybe the last couple of days will get her to loosen some of that Borg control."
Kathryn glanced over his shoulder for a moment, and then sighed a laugh. "Seven was very matter-of-fact and a little disgusted by some of it."
He guessed that Kathryn was referring to the Doctor's attraction to the alien medic. Chakotay grinned, but the smile faded with a disturbing thought. "Does she see that as some sort of violation? I mean, could she feel like he manipulated her sexually?"
"The question does raise some interesting ethical concerns."
With a growing sense of alarm, he sat up straighter. "Kathryn, does Seven think that's what happened?"
He watched her carefully ponder the question before she answered, "No, I didn't get that impression from her. I think she understood the biological reaction, and that the Doctor couldn't control it. But, the emotional aspect was new for her. At this point, her only relationship was in Unimatrix Zero, and she doesn't remember most of it. From the Borg, she would know the mating processes of thousands of species. Knowing something and experiencing it for yourself is always different, though."
"The Doctor would never harm Seven, especially in that way. She understands that, doesn't she?"
"Yes, I'm sure she does. Don't worry, Chakotay. I'll talk to Seven again in the morning, and if need be, I'll talk to the Doctor. I really believe your concerns are unfounded."
Turning sideways on the bench seat, he ran a hand through his hair and stared out at the stars. He focused on a distant binary system and willed his thoughts to settle. Chakotay hoped Kathryn was right and that he was overreacting. His experiences in the Maquis left him hypersensitive to certain things, namely crimes against women.
Although the Doctor and Seven's situation was entirely different, anything remotely resembling unwanted advances toward women made Chakotay's blood run cold. He had never voiced it aloud, but that was his greatest fear for his captain and the female crew in the unpredictable Delta Quadrant.
Kathryn said his name twice, but he failed to hear her until she sat beside him and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Chakotay?"
He turned to her and blinked. "Sorry, I drifted for a minute. What were you saying?"
"It wasn't important. What were you thinking of?"
He touched his cheek to the back of her hand and then shook his head. "Only a random memory of the day I met B'Elanna."
She recognized by his tone that he had shut down, and chose not pursue the topic. Instead, she offered him an out. "You look tired. You should get some sleep."
He managed a smile for her. "So should you. The kids are home and safely tucked in. Come on, I'll walk you to your quarters."
"All right, I suppose it is late."
While she carried the cups to the replicator, he pushed his gloomy thoughts to the back of his mind and waited by the door. When Kathryn approached, he held out his elbow and she took his arm, showing him a gentle smile. They had an uncanny ability to sense when the other needed a comforting touch or an ear to listen, or even a hand to hold if they were alone. Six years was a long time to spend getting acquainted with someone. Their friendship ran deep and, both knew, so did their love.
Kathryn paused outside her quarters and clasped Chakotay's arm. "Are you sure you're okay? Do you want to come inside and talk?"
He patted her hand and shook his head. "Not tonight, but thank you for the invitation. I'm just overly tired. It has been a long couple of days. Goodnight, Kathryn." He walked off toward his quarters without waiting for her response.
She watched him from behind while he rolled his neck and shoulders as if shrugging off something. When a yawn caught her by surprise, she decided that maybe she could sleep after all. Kathryn keyed in her entry code and strode through the dark room to her bed, tossing her uniform on the lounge chair before climbing under the covers. Like most nights, she dropped off to sleep thinking of Chakotay.