Chapter 2
They arrived at Kathryn's apartment soon after leaving the dinner, and she retrieved a bottle of champagne and two glasses. She handed the bottle to Chakotay to open while she removed her shoes and jewelry. He poured their glasses, then removed his own shoes, jacket and tie, and loosened the top buttons of his shirt. She led him to the sitting area where they settled on the sofa facing a large picture window that overlooked the waterfront. She let out a sigh and then a soft laugh.
"What?" he asked.
She grinned and said, "Do you realize that after all that time of worrying about regulations and crew reactions, our first kiss was in front of a room full of hundreds of people?"
He snorted in his champagne. Wiping his chin with his hand, he said, "We never do anything subtly, do we?"
She laughed again. "No, I would say not. I guess exploding from a Borg sphere wasn't ostentatious enough for us."
Chakotay took her hand in his and let it rest on the cushion between them. "I think the crew was happy for us. Surprised, but happy."
"Yes, they were. But do we have to tell Tom that we got dating advice from his father?"
He chuckled. "We'll keep that one between us."
Kathryn leaned forward to place her drink on the low table in front of them. He could see the tops of her breasts in the V-neck of her ball gown and his grip on her hand tightened. He placed his glass beside hers and turned to her on the couch, finding her gaze with his. He brought his hand up to caress her cheek with his fingers. Quietly, he said, "Shall we try it again now that we won't be interrupted by cheering?"
She squeezed his hand in agreement and he gently pulled her to him, his lips finding hers softly. It was another lingering and tender kiss, neither wanting to break free but eventually having to. He slid against the sofa back and put his arm around her with her head resting in his shoulder. They didn't speak, only gazed out the window. Each time Chakotay looked down at her, though, her position meant that he could see straight down the front of her gown to her full breasts cradled in a black lace bra. His imagination began to run away with him until finally he said, "Kathryn, that dress is killing me."
She looked down at herself and immediately saw what he meant. He watched the flush of red rise up her neck as her hand flew up to cover her chest. "Oh, I'm sorry!" she gasped.
He laughed easily. "It's okay. I just thought I should tell you."
She sat up and grinned at him. "I really wasn't expecting anyone to be leering down at me tonight."
"You should accept it as a general rule that someone is always going to be leering at you, Kathryn," he replied.
She flushed even redder as she got up. "I'm going to go change. I doubt I have anything you would want to wear, though you are welcome to replicate more comfortable clothing." She pointed to a door down the short hallway. "There's the guest bedroom and bath where you can change if you want to."
He grabbed her wrist gently as he stood up and pulled her back toward him. He cupped her face with his hands and kissed her briefly. She leaned into him for a second kiss, her supple lips leaving tingles in their wake. She smiled and turned to go up the short flight of stairs to her bedroom to change. Chakotay replicated a pair of loose tan pants and a cream T-shirt, then carried them into the guest room. When he was redressed, he left his other clothes on the bed and found Kathryn in the kitchen in front of a coffee pot. She had dressed in black exercise pants and a light blue, form-fitting tee.
"Better?" she asked when she heard him come in.
"For you or me?" he asked as he came up behind her.
She giggled. "I meant are you more comfortable. How long did you wait, anyway, to tell me you could see down my dress?"
He laughed. "Just be glad I told you at all." He laid his hands over the back of her shoulders and felt tight muscles stretch under his touch. He began to slowly massage her as she bent her head forward. He found a particularly tight knot in her neck and worked at it with his fingertips. "That feels good," she murmured. The knot began to relax and she leaned her head back. He brushed her hair to the side and lightly kissed the side of her throat. She tilted her head as he planted soft, open-mouthed kisses down to the base and then back up to her earlobe, his hands still rubbing her shoulders.
When he pulled his lips away, she shivered and turned around to face him. Her arms went around his waist and she raised her lips to his, this time her tongue tentatively playing over his bottom lip. He parted his lips as he pressed her against the counter and heard her moan, their tongues dancing and sliding together. When she finally broke away, he gazed into her eyes and saw her desire reflecting his own. He didn't want to pressure her or make her think he was expecting anything from tonight, so he eased his body away from hers and stepped back.
"I could use another glass of champagne," he said, his voice deepened.
"I'll wait for the coffee," she replied with a soft smile. "I'll join you in a moment."
Their eyes continued to search one another, lingering passion mixed with uncertainty. Chakotay nodded his head and said, "Right," then turned and went back to the sitting area. He poured the champagne and drank half of it before setting his glass down. He struggled to get his body under control as he leaned back into the cushion and closed his eyes.
Kathryn poured her coffee and carried it into the other room. She saw Chakotay lying back with his eyes shut, and she paused to study him. The storm of emotions returned as she fought against herself. She had never wanted a man more than she wanted him right then, but her mind was trying to tell her it was too soon. They had only acknowledged their feelings openly a short while ago, but it felt to her like she had already waited for years.
Chakotay opened his eyes and saw her staring at him from beside the couch. He flashed her a half-smile and asked, "What is it?"
She set her coffee on the table, sat down, and turned her body toward him as she lay across his lap. He caught her in his arms, one under her shoulders and the other across her ribs and lower back, as her hand pulled his head to her and she darted her tongue into his mouth. The kiss deepened, his grip strengthened, and her hand caressed his neck down to his chest to play over the strong muscles. His arm crept from her back to her side and the heel of his palm found the side of her breast. He longed to cup his fingers fully over it but held himself back, unsure how far she meant for this to go. The way his body was responding to her told him he would have to find out soon.
The chirp of Kathryn's communicator interrupted them. "Torres to Captain Janeway."
Kathryn pushed herself off the couch and grabbed her combadge from her desk across the room. "B'Elanna?" she asked.
"Captain, I'm sorry to bother you. I was trying to reach you as well as Chakotay. Do you know where he is?"
"He's here with me," Kathryn replied. There was a pause from the other end until she said, "B'Elanna, what's wrong?"
"Miral has been taken to Starfleet Medical. She's running a high fever and is very sick. I specifically asked for the Doctor to examine her, but they are giving me a hard time about it."
"We will be there in five minutes, B'Elanna. I will take care of it." Kathryn heard the relief in B'Elanna's voice as she said "Thank you," and signed off.
Kathryn jogged up the stairs to her bedroom calling over her shoulder, "Get dressed Chakotay. I'll be right down."
He quickly changed back into his suit, putting the tie and cuff links in his pocket and attaching his combadge to the lapel of his jacket. When he re-entered the living area, she came down the stairs just a minute after in full uniform, her face stern and the change in her demeanor so complete that he shook his head. He knew the best thing he could do was stand back, watch, and wait for her commands.
Kathryn called for site-to-site transport for both of them, and they arrived in the lobby of Emergency Medical exactly five minutes after B'Elanna's call. They got directions to the Paris' room and quickly found them. A couple of medical staff were hovered around an obviously sick and listless Miral while Tom and B'Elanna clung to each other across the room.
"Doctors," Kathryn clipped.
They turned to her and straightened up. "Captain Janeway," one of them answered.
"Where is Voyager's Doctor?" she asked.
"We have not called him," he answered. "We are capable of treating the baby."
Kathryn steeled her eyes and her voice, her command presence filling the room. "I have no doubts you are perfectly capable of treating most babies. But this baby was born halfway across the galaxy, mere minutes before traveling at transwarp speeds with the Borg hell bent on destroying the ship the whole way, to a father who was once turned into an amphibian and a mother who played host to an alien parasite as big as she. And those are only two incidents of many, mind you. Can you honestly tell me you are more qualified to treat Miral when her own doctor spent seven years in the Delta Quadrant pulling her mother's and father's lives back from the brink of alien deaths more times than I can count? He has been her physician from the day she was conceived and he knows better than anyone in this facility what she may have been exposed to in either part of the galaxy."
The medical staff hesitated and she continued. "Voyager's Doctor has every right to practice medicine and treat patients in any facility you can. Now, either you call him or I will."
The medical staff both nodded their heads to her and she slapped her combadge. Thirty seconds later, the Doctor materialized in the room and immediately began examining baby Miral. Tom and B'Elanna visibly relaxed, and Chakotay went to them and hugged her. Kathryn stepped to them and clasped Tom's arm briefly.
"Thank you, Captain. I'm sorry we had to call you, but we didn't know what else to do," he said.
"It's alright, Tom," she soothed. "I'm glad we could help." All four of them, and the Doctor, caught her reference to "we" rather than "I," but no one remarked upon it. They stood to the side while the Doctor worked, Tom's arm around B'Elanna and Chakotay's hand resting on Kathryn's back.
After several minutes, the Doctor turned to them. "Mr. and Mrs. Paris, I would like to scan you, too." They walked over to him and stood while he completed the exam and studied the tricorder readings. He looked at them and said, "I suspected this might be a problem. Miral was born in space in what was, essentially, a small isolated colony. B'Elanna, you and Tom spent enough years in that isolation that your normal antibody levels are somewhat weakened, so Miral did not receive the levels a newborn usually gets from her mother. She has what is really only a common cold virus, but it has struck her particularly hard because of those weakened antibodies and the fact that she is only two-weeks old."
"Will she be alright?" B'Elanna asked with concern.
"She should be fine in a day or two. I will administer an antiviral agent and begin a treatment plan to boost her immune system. She will need to stay here overnight, but if all goes well you can take her home tomorrow."
"Doctor," Kathryn spoke, "is this going to be a problem for all of Voyager's crew?"
"I don't believe so," he replied. "While the crew probably all have somewhat weakened levels, they should still be sufficient enough to fend off more than the usual sniffles and low grade fever. I will make a note in the files for all the personnel, just in case. I can examine you and Commander Chakotay while I am here, as well."
"You just concentrate on Miral right now. Chakotay and I will come see you in a few days. Thank you, Doctor."
Kathryn and Chakotay stepped out of the room to let the Doctor complete his treatment and give instructions for Miral's care. Chakotay leaned his back against the wall, and Kathryn settled into the crook of his arm. He said quietly, "I am ashamed to admit it, but I haven't given a lot of thought to what things might be like for the Doctor. Do you think this was an isolated incident, or is Starfleet brushing him off because he is a Mark I hologram?"
She furrowed her brow and answered, "I don't know, but I intend to find out. Surely they wouldn't discount his expertise and knowledge so flippantly? I will wait a couple of days until Miral is better, and then I think I had better pay a visit to the Doctor and few key Starfleet officers. I will not let him just be pushed to the side."
He hugged her tighter to him. He recognized that look in her eyes far too well; someone she cared about might be in trouble, and her hackles were raised. It was the same look that helped fuel their way home in only seven years instead of seventy. He kissed the top of her head and said, "We will deal with it when the time is right. For tonight, everything has worked out for the best."
She relaxed against him somewhat and said, "You're right." The cold fire faded from her eyes as her hand sought his against her side.
At that moment, Tom and B'Elanna stepped out of the room. Kathryn straightened up and smiled softly at them. "It sounds like she is going to be fine."
"Captain," B'Elanna said, "thank you so much. I'm sorry we disturbed you."
"Think nothing of it," Kathryn said. "We are always here for you if you need us, and you know we love Miral, too. Anything she needs, we are happy to do." Again, Kathryn was saying "we" instead of "I" and it touched Chakotay deeply.
B'Elanna glanced at Chakotay and saw a look of pure happiness that she had not seen on him in a very long time. Well, maybe never now that she thought about it. Whatever had happened between him and the Captain had made a profound change in both of them. "Well," she said to them, "we owe you dinner at least when Miral is feeling better."
Kathryn smiled and nodded her head. "We would like that. Now, what do you need tonight?"
"Nothing," B'Elanna answered. "Tom and I are going to stay here tonight. We will see you soon."
Chakotay said, "Tell the Doctor we will be in touch with him in a couple of days." He took Kathryn's hand and laced his fingers through hers as he led her down the hallway back to the transporter pad.
Tom turned to B'Elanna and saw her grin. "Wow!" he quipped. "Was that really the Captain and Commander?"
B'Elanna lightly swatted his arm. "No," she answered. "That was Kathryn and Chakotay."
He smirked and they returned to baby Miral.
