The room Starfleet had chosen for Chakotay's trial turned out to be a miscalculation. This became apparent as crew member after crew member squeezed inside that the room; it was far too small. The room was getting hotter, as the climate control system was having a difficult time keeping up with the over 150 occupants of a room designed to seat less than fifty.

Janeway, seated alone at the defense table, glanced over at Ross, who sat at the prosecution table. She could see the beads of sweat forming on his forehead as he glanced back for the fifth time at the crowd forming behind him. She turned away from him and smiled to herself. Let him sweat, she thought.

She had thought that getting Luvois to agree to her representing her former first officer would be the challenge. Instead, it had been getting Chakotay to accept the help that had been difficult. He had not wanted to see her or speak to her, and she understood that it had been Admiral Paris who had finally convinced him to allow her to act as his counsel. She had not seen Chakotay or discussed her strategy for the trial with him.

The room fell silent as Chakotay was escorted in, flanked by two armed Starfleet security guards. He was in uniform, but his hands were shackled. The sight of it made Janeway burn with anger. The guards escorted him down the center aisle of the courtroom, pushing crew members aside as they did so. One of the guards pushed him roughly into the chair beside Janeway and then removed his shackles. She understood then that they had been a statement, not a necessity, and this only made her anger burn hotter. Her eyes met Chakotay's, and she let him see the fierce determination that she felt. Then her gaze became a question, Are you okay? He gave her a barely perceptible nod.

"All rise," the clerk announced, "for Judge Advocate General Phillipa Louvois." There was a shuffling of feet as those who were sitting stood, and Admiral Louvois entered the courtroom. She took her place at the head of court and banged her gavel. Chakotay's trial had begun.

…..

Things were not looking good for Chakotay after the first several witnesses. Ross called former Maquis who had been imprisoned and "rehabilitated" by the Federation to testify to acts that Chakotay had committed during the war. Janeway called several character witnesses from Voyager's crew, both Starfleet and Maquis, but Ross' portrayal of Chakotay as an angry, vengeful killer was more vivid and entrancing than the picture painted by his friends and colleagues of the past seven years, the picture of a dependable, quiet, honest guy who always had your back when you needed him.

Ross called Chakotay to the stand and rattled off a list of acts which he was known to have committed as a Maquis. "Did you or did you not perform these acts of treason against the Federation?"

"I am not a traitor; I was defending my home."

"Commander Chakotay, did you or did you not take the actions I described to the court? Answer the question."

Chakotay sighed. "Yes, I did."

Ross smiled triumphantly. "No further questions for this witness."

Luvois looked expectantly at Janeway. "I have no questions for this witness at this time," the captain said. "However, I reserve the right to call him to the stand again at a later time." Luvois allowed it. Chakotay looked at Janeway, surprise visible in his eyes. He wondered what she was planning.

When Ross' witness list had run out, Janeway stood. "I would like to call Lieutenant Commander Tuvok to the stand."

She saw Ross' shock. He had not expected Tuvok to be present; she knew that now. She turned in time to see her old friend walk down the center aisle of the courtroom. He took his seat at the stand. His eyes were clearer and brighter than they had been for months; it was only in this moment that Janeway realized how deeply his illness must have been affecting him. How was I so blind to it? she wondered, then shook off the thought. She needed to focus on the trial now. "Commander Tuvok," she said with a smile, "it is good to see you. Thank you for making the long journey from Vulcan to be here."

"I knew that I had to make the journey, Captain. I had to correct my error."

"What error was that?"

"The error I made when I informed Admiral Ross that Commander Chakotay was a traitor to the Federation." Audible gasps were heard throughout the room. Only Tom, B'Elanna, Seven and the Doctor had known about Tuvok's involvement in the case. To the rest of the crew, this was a shock.

"Commander Tuvok, before you explain the nature of your error, will you please tell the court where you have been for the past two weeks, and why."

"Objection, relevance," Ross said.

"I promise, the court will see the relevance as soon as Mr. Tuvok makes his statement."

Luvois nodded. "I'll allow it."

"I have been on Vulcan, undergoing the Fal-tor-vah. It is the treatment for a Vulcan neurological disorder. I have been suffering from the disorder for the past year. Although I have been receiving treatment from Voyager's Emergency Medical Hologram, my condition was far worse than he suspected, and, indeed, than I was willing to admit to myself. Captain Janeway was not even aware of my condition until a few days before Voyager's return to the Alpha Quadrant."

"And how did your condition affect you?" Janeway asked.

"I suffered from lapses of logic as well as paranoid delusions."

"But you are now fully recovered?"

"Yes, my treatment is complete and my sense of logic has been fully restored."

"Tell the court about the delusions you had while you were suffering from this disorder."

"I came to believe that Commander Chakotay, who was a dedicated and loyal officer under Captain Janeway's command for seven years, was a traitor to Starfleet. I also became suspicious of the other former Maquis members of Voyager's crew."

"Looking back, why do you think this happened?"

"I believe that my focus on Commander Chakotay in particular was a result of the uneasy relationship the commander and I shared in the beginning of Voyager's journey. I also believe that my state of mind was influenced by the mental manipulation of a man called Teero Anaydis, a Bajoran fanatic who was able to alter the minds of many of Voyager's crew, including myself and Commander Chakotay."

"What did you do with this belief you had mistakenly developed?"

"I informed Admiral Ross of my suspicions."

Janeway nodded. "I see. Now that you are fully recovered and in your right mind again, do you believe your actions were justified?"

"No. I regret the communications I sent to Admiral Ross. They were in error and were not reflective of the truth. Commander Chakotay is a fine officer, not a traitor to the Federation."

"Thank you, Commander. No further questions."

Ross had no questions for Tuvok, and he stepped down from the stand. Janeway stood again. "I call Commander Chakotay back to the stand."

Chakotay met her eyes fully, and she could see the fear there. Fear of what was to come, fear of what he might be about to admit in front of her and their entire crew. She held his gaze. Don't be afraid. You're not alone, Chakotay. He walked to the stand, his calm exterior betraying none of the interior turmoil he felt.

"Commander Chakotay, please tell the court the series of events that led to your arrest on Voyager's bridge, to the best of your knowledge."

He took a deep breath. "Several months ago, I was contacted by an old friend at Starfleet Command. He told me that someone had been sending incriminating evidence about me and the other former Maquis to Starfleet. He suggested that he might be able to arrange a deal through his supervisor, whereby all the Maquis might not be charged with treason."

"Who was his supervisor?"

Chakotay nodded towards the prosecution table. "Admiral Ross."

"What happened next?"

"I agreed to speak with the admiral. He told me that he intended to charge all of the Maquis with treason and imprison them if Voyager returned to the Alpha Quadrant. We were able to work out a deal whereby I agreed to go to prison without a fight, if he would allow the other Maquis to go free. I was their captain; I could bear the responsibility for all of us." He avoided Kathryn's eyes when he said this, and she wondered why.

"What was the benefit of this deal for Admiral Ross?"

"I would go to prison quietly, without a big media fuss. In his mind, justice would have been done for the crimes against the Federation committed by the Maquis without any negative publicity for Starfleet." Chakotay looked around the courtroom, attempting to suppress a smile. "I guess things didn't quite work out the way he planned."

There was a smattering of laughter throughout the courtroom, and Admiral Luvois called for order.

Janeway cleared her throat and continued her questions. "What was in the deal for you?"

"The safe release of my crew... and my friends."

"Are you a traitor to the Federation, Chakotay?"

"No. I resigned from Starfleet and fought with the Maquis to protect my home and my people from Cardassians. For the past seven years, I have served as a loyal Starfleet officer, and I will continue to do so if I am acquitted."

"Thank you, Commander. No further questions."

Unexpectedly, Ross stood. "Redirect, Admiral Luvois." The judge nodded and Ross moved in on Chakotay like a shark stalking its prey. "You haven't told the whole truth here, have you, Chakotay?"

"I have answered every question that has been asked of me."

"But you haven't been completely honest with this court." Chakotay remained silent, stone faced. Janeway felt fear rise in her gut, wondering what Ross was aiming at. "Your noble concern for your Maquis colleagues wasn't the only reason you took the deal Starfleet offered, was it?" Chakotay did not answer. "Was it?"

"Commander, answer the question," Luvois directed.

Chakotay looked into his lap. "No."

"No. You had another reason, a far more selfish reason. Why else did you take the deal with Starfleet?"

Chakotay looked up at Ross, his eyes burning with anger. "I took the deal because you threatened people I care about, Admiral. You threatened them with imprisonment, courts martial, and public humiliation. That's why I took the deal."

"Don't try so hard to make me sound like the villain. Who else, other than your Maquis crew, did you take the deal for? Go on, tell the court. You took it to protect the woman you love, didn't you? It was your own selfish desire for her that prompted your actions, wasn't it?"

Janeway was on her feet. "Objection, your honor!"

"That's enough, Admiral Ross. Commander, answer the question."

Finally, Chakotay looked up. Even though his face was burning red with humiliation, he forced himself to look directly at Ross. "I took the deal to protect Captain Janeway, yes. I took the deal because you told me that you had even more damning evidence against her than you did against me. You told me that she could be court martialed and stripped of rank, even sent to prison for many years."

"And do you deny that you are in love with this woman? Your entire bridge staff heard you admit it."

Now Chakotay looked at Kathryn. Her eyes were wide in shock, disbelief, anger and fear. His eyes still locked with hers, he said, "I do not deny it."

She closed her eyes and was able to breathe again.

Ross smirked. "Don't you think your judgment was compromised by your feelings for her, Commander?" Chakotay gave no response, and Ross did not require one. He shrugged and went back to his chair. "No further questions."

"The witness may step down," said Luvois. Chakotay slumped as he made his way back to the defense table.

Janeway simmered with anger on his behalf. He was a private man and she could only imagine how humiliated it was for him to have his most private emotions aired in such a public way. She gave him one fiery look to assure him it wasn't over yet, and then stood. "The defense calls Admiral Ross."

"The prosecution cannot be called as a witness," Ross spluttered.

"There is legal precedent, your honor," countered Janeway. "In several cases involving the Maquis, members of both the defense and prosecution teams have served as witnesses due to their intimate knowledge of the case."

Luvois nodded. "That certainly seems applicable here. I'll allow it."

"But…" Ross made as if to object.

Luvois' hand hovered over her gavel. "Not in my courtroom, Mr. Ross."

Inside, Janeway smiled. Luvois outranked Ross, and she had just subtly reminded everyone in the room of that fact. Ross sulked as he walked to the stand. "Admiral Ross, do you have a grudge against the Maquis?"

"Captain Janeway, if you are suggesting that I arranged this matter to serve some personal vendetta…"

"I am suggesting nothing, Admiral. I asked you a question. Do you have a grudge against the Maquis?"

"Of course not."

"Even though while you served near Deep Space Nine, over a hundred officers under your command were killed by the Maquis? Even though you, more than any other admiral, saw what the Maquis were capable of on the front lines? Tell us, Admiral, what you saw out there."

Chakotay began to understand Janeway's strategy and felt a glimmer of hope.

"I'll tell you," Ross replied. "I'll tell you what they did. They betrayed Starfleet. They walked away from the organization that had protected them and trained them. Instead, they started fighting and killing their own people. Killing their own! When we already had the Cardassians to worry about, we had to start worrying about the Maquis, too."

Janeway nodded as if she agreed. "They betrayed you."

"Yes! They betrayed all of us, everything we stand for, everything we have sacrificed for."

"And many in Starfleet had to make an even bigger sacrifice. Isn't that right, Admiral?"

Ross' facial features tightened. "Yes. You weren't there, Captain. You didn't see what it was like, the carnage, the death, brother fighting against brother. You didn't see the screaming wounded on some of those border planets, the starving children, the women who had been..." Ross trailed off; he was becoming visibly upset. Janeway said nothing, and Ross turned his eyes on Chakotay, fixing him with a glare. "And all because of people like him! If he and his kind had just stayed quiet and gone along, none of this would have happened!" The strangled scream rang through the courtroom.

"He and his kind?" Janeway asked in a quiet but deadly tone. The courtroom had gone completely silent.

Ross' eyes widened and he seemed to realize his misstep. "The Maquis," he clarified hastily. "He and the Maquis."

"One more question, Admiral. Is it true that you had evidence against me that would have stripped me of my command and forced me to undergo a court martial? Or was that just a tactic you used to get Commander Chakotay to agree to your proposal?"

Ross' response was inaudible, and Luvois said, "Please repeat that, Mr. Ross, so that the court can hear you."

He cleared his throat. "I, um, I had no evidence against you. It was a ploy."

Janeway took a deep breath and then turned back to Luvois. "No further questions." Ross stepped down from the witness stand, a beaten man regardless of the outcome of the trial.

"All rise," the court clerk said as the Judge Advocate General prepared to make her ruling.

"In light of the evidence," Luvois said, "I have no choice but to find Commander Chakotay innocent of the charge of treason. Considering that none of the rest of Voyager's crew is charged, it seems unjust to place this punishment on one man, as the result of another's prejudice and desire for revenge." She gave Ross a stern glance. "Furthermore, the deal that was brokered between the commander and Admiral Ross was clearly done so under false pretenses and misinformation. All charges against Commander Chakotay are hereby dropped."

There was a moment of complete silence, and then a loud cheer went up in the room, and the whole crew was on their feet, applauding. Luvois let them applaud for a moment, and Janeway could see the ghost of a smile on her face before she suppressed it under her stern judge's facade. Then she banged her gavel. "Order in the court! Order!" The crew quieted down, and Luvois turned to Chakotay, that small smile back in her eyes and the corners of her mouth. "Congratulations, Commander. You're free to go."

Chakotay did not know how to respond. He stood there, staring straight ahead, barely daring to breathe. It was over. The nightmare that had plagued him for the past several months was over, and he had won. He felt Kathryn's hand reach for his. No, he corrected himself. We won. He tried to summon his voice. "Thank you."

There were tears glistening in her eyes as she reached up and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He pulled her close, savoring the smell of her hair, the feel of her small, soft body up against his, the sensation of her breath as she whispered in his ear, "I love you, too."

...

Chakotay looked around the sparse room that he was to call home for the foreseeable future. It was littered with boxes, the entirety of his belongings. The standard issue Starfleet furniture appeared grey and uninviting, but after the trial had ended, all he had wanted was to be alone. He knew that Tom and B'Elanna and Harry had been disappointed that he wouldn't join them for dinner, and that Kathryn had been equally upset that he hadn't accepted her invitation, but he needed to process all that had happened. He needed time to think, and he just couldn't face the questions and comments that he knew were bound to arise at any gathering of Voyager's crew.

He had heard Kathryn's admission of love, and his heart had soared, only to plummet again moments later when he realized that he had yet to resolve his situation with Seven. He knew that he had to speak to her before anything could happen between him and Kathryn. So he had disengaged from her embrace and squeezed her hands and told her he would contact her in a few days. She smiled bravely and said she understood, but there was no mistaking the disappointment in her eyes. After receiving hugs and congratulations from what seemed like the entire crew, he had escaped to his solitude. Chakotay plopped down in one of the grey chairs and tried to clear his thoughts.

Before he could get very far, the door chime rang. He frowned. He thought he had made it clear to everyone that he wanted to be alone. He sighed, standing from his chair. "Come in."

"Hello, Chakotay." Seven of Nine stood in the doorway, looking a little smaller and less self-assured than he remembered.

"Seven. Please, come in. Can I get you anything?"

"I do not require sustenance at this time, thank you."

He didn't know what to do with his arms, so he stood there, awkwardly, placing them behind his back.

"Congratulations on your acquittal."

"Thanks." He paused. "I'm sorry, Seven. I wasn't expecting to see you, and I don't feel much like talking right now."

"That is all right. I just came to say goodbye."

"Goodbye?" Chakotay was dumbstruck.

"Can we sit? I believe that would be more comfortable."

"Uh, of course." They sat on the plain grey couch, several inches from each other, looking at each other uneasily.

"Chakotay, when you were taken from Voyager's bridge, and when you said what you said to the captain…"

"Seven, I'm sorry. That was an impulsive move, a snap decision, and probably not the right one."

She smiled. "That's exactly what the captain said. But impulsive or not, it was true." Chakotay didn't reply; he didn't have to. "I was very upset. I went into the captain's ready room in tears. I couldn't understand why you had said that to her."

"I'm sorry."

"It's all right. Captain Janeway gave me very helpful advice."

"What did she say?"

"She told me that loving someone means taking a risk, and she didn't know why you'd said it either. I think she was just as surprised as I was, but the captain is adept at hiding her feelings."

"Yes, she is."

"At first, I thought that once we freed you, you and I would be free to pursue our relationship as we had on Voyager. But even in the last two weeks, I've learned that being in the Alpha Quadrant is nothing like being on Voyager. I have a great deal to adjust to and to learn here. It would be easy for me to... what does Tom say? Use you as a crutch? But I don't want to do that."

"That's very admirable, Seven. You know I'll be happy to help you in any way I can."

She continued as if she had not heard him. "But that's not the reason I came to say goodbye."

"I still don't understand where you're getting this idea. Why do you have to say goodbye?"

There was a long moment of silence before Seven spoke. "I have not had many opportunities in my life to witness true love. I remember very little of my parents, but from what I do remember about them, I believe they shared this. Perhaps Lieutenants Paris and Torres do as well, but I am not on intimate terms with them." She paused, gathering her thoughts. This was a subject she was obviously less than comfortable with. "Have you experienced true love, Chakotay?"

He swallowed a lump in his throat. "I believe I have."

"As I watched Captain Janeway prepare for your trial, I realized that she has true love for you."

"The captain would have worked tirelessly to get any member of her crew out of prison, Seven."

"I have no doubt that is true; the captain is a remarkable individual. But this is something more. I saw the way she jumped when a communication came through for her, because she hoped it would be from you. I saw the look in her eyes when she read the messages you wrote to Admiral Ross, brokering this deal. It is not just that she wanted to prove your innocence; she would have done that for anyone. But she knows you. She knows your faults, your stubbornness, your pride, your private nature, and these things make her angry and upset sometimes, but she loves you anyway!

"I was searching for the most compatible mate. I had a list of criteria and I researched which of Voyager's crew would fit those criteria the best. I was searching for a compatible male, of which doubtless there are many in the Alpha Quadrant. For me it was logical, an assessment on paper. For the captain, it is none of those things. Captain Janeway loves you because you're you, even if on paper you wouldn't match up to any criteria she might list, she would still love you. I believe that's true love. She deserves to be with you, not me. That's why we have to say goodbye."

Chakotay was stunned, and he sat on the couch, speechless, until Seven stood to leave. Then he reached out a hand to stop her. "Seven, wait. Are you sure about this?"

She nodded. "I am."

"Does the captain know you're here?"

"I did not tell Captain Janeway of my plan to visit you this evening."

He nodded. "All right. Thank you, for everything you said."

"It is the truth, at least from my perspective."

"I know," Chakotay replied with a smile. "I appreciate that. And even if we are no longer pursuing a romantic relationship, I hope that we can at least be friends."

She gave him a soft smile. "I would like that."

"Me, too."

She nodded, and then she was gone, leaving Chakotay with even more to think about than he'd had earlier.

...

When Kathryn started the same page in her book for the fifth time, she finally decided it was time to give up and close the cover. She did so with a loud sigh and collapsed back against the chair. She was listless; she had been for two days, since Chakotay's trial had ended. She had foolishly believed that her admission of love in the courtroom would change everything, that suddenly he would sweep her off her feet and that all her secret fantasies about them would be fulfilled. Instead, she had realized that he had spoken impulsively on the bridge and probably hadn't even meant what he said, or perhaps just hadn't meant it in the way she'd assumed, and that he probably regretted saying it. She figured that he had gone back to Seven and that they were now well on their way to the future of marriage that the admiral had predicted. Oh well, she thought. Just one more thing that didn't turn out the way I hoped. I should be used to that by now.

She needed work. She was anxious for her next assignment from Starfleet, but none had come. She worried that she had antagonized the admiralty by defending Chakotay at his trial and that she would be relegated to a desk job. She needed real work to distract her, to motivate her, to inspire her. To make her forget about Chakotay and the debacle that was their relationship.

She had just gotten up to go into the kitchen and make coffee when the door chimed. She wasn't expecting any visitors, and she was surprised. "Come in?" She was sure her jaw hit the floor when the doors opened. "Chakotay?"

He was wearing a dark t-shirt and blue jeans and carrying a bouquet of peace roses. "Hi." He held out the flowers. "These are for you."

She was taken aback. "They're beautiful, thank you, but you didn't need to bring me flowers."

"Yes, I did. Kathryn, I need to apologize…"

Her face fell. "For what you said on the bridge. Of course. Chakotay, I know you didn't really mean it, not in that way."

"No!" He cut her off abruptly. "I mean, yes. I mean, I did mean it. In that way."

She stared at him. "You did?"

He nodded, a grin emerging on his face.

"Then what are you apologizing for?"

He handed her the flowers. "First of all, I'm sorry I brokered the deal with Ross behind your back. I just didn't know what else to do, and I had no way of knowing whether he would make good on his threats against you and the Maquis crew. I couldn't afford to take that chance."

"I do understand," she replied softly. "I was angry at first, but I probably would have done the same in your position."

"I'm not sorry I told you I love you, Kathryn. I am sorry that the first time you heard it had to be in front of the entire bridge crew."

"And Seven," she added.

"Yes." He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Well, Seven and I are no longer an item."

She raised her eyebrows. "Really?" He nodded. "And whose doing was that?"

He gestured to the flowers. "Why don't you put those in water and I'll tell you all about it?"

An hour later they were sitting on the couch, Kathryn snuggled into the crook of Chakotay's arm. She had recounted to him the conversation that she'd had with Seven in her ready room following his arrest, and he had told her about the conversation he'd had with the former drone after his trial. They had lapsed into silence and were enjoying the simplicity of just being together.

Janeway emitted a contented sigh. "This is nice."

Chakotay snugged his arm tighter around her shoulders. "Yes, it is."

She cocked her head and looked up at him. "So, where do we go from here?"

"Hm. How about I make you a nice dinner and we replicate a bottle of Chateau Picard 2347?"

"That sounds good... Then what?"

"Then, I'll put on some nice music and we can dance in the living room. I'll hold you close to me and feel your body against mine. You'll fit perfectly just under my chin. We'll dance for a long time, and our bodies will get closer and closer, our steps becoming slower and slower. Then, finally we'll stop altogether."

"And then?" she whispered.

"Then, I'll cup your face between my hands and look deep into your eyes. I'll lower my lips to yours and kiss you, and kiss you, and kiss you, until I can't kiss you anymore... Which I think will be never."

She chuckled against him. "Chakotay?"

"What?"

"Dinner sounds great and all, but do you think we can just skip to the part where you kiss me?"

He angled towards her and placed one finger under her chin, getting lost in the deep blue-grey of her eyes. "I think that could be arranged," he replied, and lowered his lips to hers.