What The Heart Demands
*Dedicated to my dear friend who passed away in 2011. Miss you everyday!
*Note Wakinyan is the force of truth that governs the essence of the clouds, storms, hurricanes, tornadoes. It is also the force of electricity on the Earth... High Spirit of Lakota Sioux spirituality.
A flash of lighting zig-zagged across the night sky as a pounding drum echoed outside a large window. A warning from Wakinyan. The angry noise violently rumbled and woke Chakotay instantly from his sleep. His restless slumber, was usual. It had been months, of reoccurring nightmares. The lighting illuminated the city below, and his home for a few seconds before the blackness returned.
For Chakotay, lighting had always brought him some comfort. Especially after learning about his past when he was on his Voyager about the sky spirits. But this storm was strangely different. Another wave of thunder shook the house. Exhausted, Chakotay made his way toward the kitchen so that he could make a small cup of tea, hoping that it would ease his already frail nerves and serve perhaps as a sleeping agent.
As he made his way to the kitchen, he noticed the current time illuminated the wall.
3:30AM.
He groaned so loudly that he almost didn't hear the next sessions of noises back to back. The rain pounding on the etched clay roof, and the ringing of the doorbell. Puzzled he made his way toward the grand front entrance... He had built it himself, complete with hardwood floors, vaulted ceilings, and with immense stenciled painting of his tribes symbols, watching from the ceiling above. Chakotay chuckled softly, and thought "his own personal "sky spirits."
Chakotay was concerned at who could be at his front door at 3 in the morning. Even though he had retired from Starfleet, and the members of the Maqui had been acquitted, he still had people that really wanted to see him die. Not only for the suffering that he had caused being a Maqui, but also for the people that were family members of former Maqui members, that had not returned to their homes.
He checked the camera off the front of the house.
It couldn't be.
But it was. He would have recognized her tiny frame anywhere.
He opened the door slowly.
"You know that you are the last person that I want to see don't you? And frankly I would rather see the Borg right now, instead of you."
"You have a lot of nerve Janeway showing up here, "Nothing you could conjure up would make me listen to you speak. So get off my property, or I will contact someone and they will escort you off... Your choice".
"Chakotay I,"
" Don't call me Chakotay!That is the name MY friends may call me, and YOU are not my friend! Why the hell are you still standing here! Get off my land!"
He slammed the door so hard,that the pictures down the hall fell to the floor.
How dare she show up Now...
Especially after everything that had occurred between them.
6 Months Ago-
Chakotay never knew that Seven had forged the documents claiming that he had been violent toward her on Voyager. In fact when Star Fleet had come to his home with the documents he had not seen or talked with Seven since she had left to visit her aunt in Sweden. Apparently Seven had had several nightmares while there, that prompted her to have some serious counseling. The councilor had concluded that because of his affections to her on Voyager he had tired to assault her on more then one occasion. Because of the close quarters and his obvious superior role as commander she had stayed
quiet about it.
Seven had went to Captain Janeway first, and since the captain was still upset about her older self telling her that Seven and Chakotay had been husband and wife, she sided with Seven's story without checking the facts first. Chakotay had spent almost a week in the Starfleet brig, when the doctor finally got the truth from Seven. But as far as Chakotay was concerned the damage to his relationship with Kathryn had been accomplished.
Chakotay had not heard or seen Kathryn since the day she "stopped by" the brig to see him. It was a day that Chakotay wouldn't forget. The day directly after, Seven came clean about the whole incident. Kathryn never apologized for her actions she simply remained quiet. The doctor felt that Kathryn had been way out of line, and therefore he had terminated any further communications with her.
Chakotay on his part, knew where he stood where he stood with his former captain, and former friend.
Another flash of lighting beamed across the sky and from his front window almost appeared to strike the city below. Within seconds the lights all dimmed in his home, then all of them went out. It was quite rare to lose power here on Earth. On his home planet especially after the war began, it happened frequently.
He groaned and started to light a few tea candles that he kept on his mantle over the fireplace. As he was lighting the last one, he noticed a picture of the last photo taken of the Voyager crew.
A sound behind him made him turn.
"how the hell did you get in here?"
Her tiny frame stood in the door-jam. Her hair was twisted and askew from the howling wind.
Her clothes were soaked, and she looked like a badly drowned rat.
Chakotay put his hands on the kitchen counter to steady himself, he looked down at the black marble counter tops that had taken so much time to smooth down by hand. His voice rumbled out like a erupting volcano.
" I don't want you here Janeway. This is my home, my sanctuary, and you are not welcome here!"
She understood, but didn't. Her stubbornness was still apparent after all these years.
" I am not leaving until I say what needs to be said, and explain to you why I am here and why you need to hear about it."
Now he was angry. The row of spices on the counter flew off and pierced the stucco wall.
"You really think I am going to be ordered by an X Starfleet employee in my own home? I am calling the security patrol, and having you removed from my property now. So I suggest you leave before I decide to press charges. Now Go!"
And for some reason she didn't fight him, like the countless times she had before. In fact her sudden silence was almost ghostly. She simply turned and left the long hallway, and closed the door quietly behind her.
Chakotay, who was now thoroughly exhausted, retired to the confines of his bedroom. Sleep came to him as soon as his head hit the pillow. His dreams were unsettled, almost like a vision quest from his past. Kathryn stood on a hill, he was at the bottom. Then suddenly the sky turned darker than the darkest black he had ever seen, and a large owl flew over Kathryn's head and stalled for a moment. The owls talons grabbed her shoulders and picked her up into the black sky. Then they both disappeared.
The next morning the storm had passed, and the sun shinned brightly on the crisp new day. Chakotay stretched and wandered out of the bedroom to begin his morning routine. The water for his morning tea was just beginning to boil when he had a strange feeling he was being watched. He turned around, but no one was in the room with him. He instantly recalled the dream that he had. The eerie sensation continued.
Just then the doorbell rang, and returned him to his normal state of mind, but his feelings were still of eerie sensations. When he answered the door he was surprised to see her.
"Belana"?
"Chakotay! Thank goodness you are ok. Tom and I have been trying to reach you for hours! Why on earth haven't you answered the com when I called you earlier?"
I'm sorry he said with a signature grin, I suppose the storm last night knocked out the power here because I never even heard the com go off today."
Belana looked confused. "What storm, it was clear last night. Tom and I were on the porch watching the stars all night last night. But that's not why I am here. Perhaps you should sit down for a second for what I am going to tell you."
"Belana just tell me. I am a grown man I can take it."
She hesitated for a moment, and then took a deep breath.
"Seven came after Kathryn last night. She is in the Intensive Care Unit at Starfleet Medical. The doctor is with her now. The patrol has not found Seven yet, but the rumors are that she is coming after you next. Kathryn's in a coma, and she has been code blue a few times already. She isn't in good shape and even the doctor isn't sure she is going to make it."
Just in that moment chakotay looked at the paintings of the spirits on the walls. He silently spoke to himself. "It was a warning, and I didn't listen."
Belana had heard, and understood. When they were on Chakotays ship they had shared close quarters. They had discussed Chakotays faith, not in detail, but enough. She leaned closer to him to say something, but just then the doorbell rang.