Please see disclaimer and author's notes on the first chapter.


Chakotay sighed and set down the book he had been reading. His door chime was sounding a continuous and shrill whine. He'd tried to ignore it at first in hopes that whoever was there would go away, but now it seemed the person was simply leaning against the chime. He was five steps away from the door when the pounding began. He smiled to himself. That meant it could only be one person.

He activated the door and it slid open to reveal a slightly perspiring B'Elanna Torres. "Good morning."

"The hell it is." She stormed into the room. "Why didn't you answer the damn door?"

"I didn't feel like it," he said simply. "So what brings you to my doorstep?"

"Have you not turned on the news at all this morning?" She asked, crossing to activate the news feed. "The Captain is missing."

Chakotay lost all of his good humor. "What do you mean 'missing'?"

"Owen commed us this morning just before the news released the story. She never made it home after the reception." B'Elanna gestured to the viewscreen which was showing an image of Kathryn Janeway stepping off of Voyager.

"The reception? That was two days ago." Chakotay said incredulous. The viewscreen was scrolling images of Kathryn while an announcer droned on that her current whereabouts were unknown. "Are you telling me that, Admiral Paris has known she was missing for two days and he's just now telling us?"

"Apparently there was nothing to suggest that she was in danger of any kind. She just didn't come home. Phoebe contacted him this morning when Kathryn didn't show up for a brunch date."

Chakotay looked away from the viewscreen. "How does Admiral Paris know she didn't go home after the reception?"

"He wasn't exactly clear on that, but I got the impression he had her quarters under surveillance."

"Surveillance! Why would he have someone watching Kathryn's quarters if he hadn't suspected some sort of danger?"

B'Elanna shrugged. "She's a celebrity now, Chakotay. Maybe it was just standard procedure."

"I doubt it. What else did Paris say?"

B'Elanna crossed her arms over her chest. "Not much. Just that no one has seen or heard from her. We were hoping maybe you had."

"No." He shook his head. "I haven't talked to her in over a week. I didn't even talk to her at the reception. I got the distinct impression she was avoiding me."

B'Elanna snorted.

Chakotay looked up. "What?"

"Nothing," B'Elanna said and crossed towards the kitchen. She stopped and turned back towards Chakotay. "No, there is something. Of course, she's avoiding you. You and your blonde Borg that may as well have been her daughter."

"What are you talking about? She told me she was happy for us," he said shaking his head. "She wished us both the best."

"Of course she said that, you jerk! She loves both of you, and she'd want you to be happy even if it meant her own heart was breaking." B'Elanna stabbed her finger into his chest. "Are you so blind in lust with Seven that you refuse to see that the Captain still loves you?"

"I am not blind in lust," he said indignantly.

"P'taq! It is lust, and nothing more. You cannot tell me that you love Seven. She's half your age and you have absolutely nothing in common. She's a pretty face that showed an interest in you, and you turned your back on the person you've loved for seven years just to chase a skirt."

"That's enough, Torres," Chakotay said cutting her off. "And, I never said I was in love with Seven."

"Then what is it? What's so damn special about her that you gave up on the Captain after seven years?"

Chakotay sighed and sat down on the couch. "That's it exactly. It's been seven years, B'Elanna. She hadn't once given me any reason to hold out hope that we could ever be together. It was just bad timing that I finally try a relationship, and we end up in the Alpha Quadrant."

"Bad timing? Bad timing?" B'Elanna growled. "I'll tell you what's bad timing, Chakotay. You making out with your girlfriend on the dance floor right in front of the Captain, and now she's missing."

"What the hell are you talking about?" he asked angrily, getting to his feet.

"I saw the Captain that night, Chakotay. I saw her as she almost fell over at the sight of you and Seven kissing. You could have just shot her with a phaser; it would've been more humane." B'Elanna deflated and sat down on the couch. "But that's not the worst part. No, the worst part is that I watched her leave and I didn't go after her. I thought she'd want a few moments alone, and by the time I went outside she was gone. And now she's missing."

Silence settled between the two of them as they were both lost in their own thoughts. The door chime sounded and Chakotay looked up. B'Elanna gave him a small feral grin, "The cavalry's here."


Kathryn had been missing for six days. The former senior staff of Voyager was working out of Chakotay's apartment. The majority of the Voyager's crew, former or otherwise, was out canvassing the city or standing by to take action if and when the need arose. Since they were all on leave for the next six months, Starfleet had not included them in the official investigation of Kathryn's disappearance, but that hadn't stopped them. Unfortunately, their separate investigation had found nothing so far, and with the inside information they were receiving from Admiral Paris they knew their results equaled Starfleet's. Kathryn Janeway had simply vanished.

Chakotay scrubbed his hand over his face and stared out over the city. He felt like he hadn't slept in a month, but in reality it had only been since he had heard the news. His heart lurched slightly as the thought crossed his mind that he could use a cup of coffee. It didn't take anything more than that to make him think of her. As if he'd ever stopped thinking of her. He sighed and turned towards the kitchen.

He had to squeeze past Seven and Harry. They were busy hacking into the city's computer system to analyze all the surveillance footage of the city around the time that Kathryn left the reception hall. He walked past the couch, where Tom Paris was sleeping after having stayed out all night looking up old contacts. The Doctor was using the comm. to check in with local hospitals searching for any new patients matching Kathryn's description. The only person not present in the apartment was Tuvok. He was at home on Vulcan, but Chakotay was sure the security officer was exhausting his own resources as well.

Chakotay nodded at B'Elanna who was standing in a corner of the kitchen nursing Miral. He poured himself a cup of coffee and leaned against the counter.

"How are you holding up, old man?"

"I'll make it."

"Do you think…"

"She's alive," he said, cutting her off.

"I know," she agreed. "That's not what I was going to say."

"What then?"

"Do you think maybe she just took off? Secluded herself to get away from everything?" B'Elanna looked uncomfortable. "We've seen her do it before."

"I considered that," he admitted, staring into his mug. "But I don't think so. Even if she wanted to, I don't think she'd disappear like this without telling her family at least."

B'Elanna nodded. The chime for the door sounded and she looked at him questioningly. He shrugged and called for entrance. Phoebe Janeway walked in, causing everyone to stop what they were doing and stare at her.

"Phoebe." Chakotay stepped forward. "Is everything alright? Has something new happened?"

"Uhm, I'm not sure," she said entering the apartment further. She saw B'Elanna and smiled a greeting at her. The two women had talked several times since Kathryn's disappearance and were fast becoming friends. "I didn't know there were so many of you when you said you were 'working on it'."

B'Elanna laughed lightly and ushered Phoebe into the living room. "It's okay, Phoebe; this is what we do. Your sister gets into trouble; we find a way to get her out of it."

Tom sat up at B'Elanna's nudging and made room on the couch for Phoebe to sit down. B'Elanna asked, "So, what brings you here, Phoebe?"

Phoebe opened her purse and pulled out a video chip. "This was waiting for me when I checked my messages at the studio this morning."

Chakotay took the chip and handed it to Harry to put on the view screen. They all watched as the image of an old man appeared. He cleared his throat and began speaking. "A friend of a friend asked me to contact you. Kathryn wanted me to let you know that she is fine. She is in no danger despite what you may hear otherwise."

The transmission ended abruptly. Everyone exchanged looks with each other, but for a long minute the room remained totally silent.

Phoebe finally spoke up. "Yeah, that's what I thought too."


It had been eleven days since the reception, and Chakotay was finally getting to see the message Starfleet command had received. Admiral Paris had made them aware of it hours after it had been viewed by command, but it had taken him a few days to smuggle a copy out to them. The senior staff all collectively held their breath as the view screen began the playback.

An alien with white hair and purplish skin appeared on the screen and began speaking. "Greetings Federation, I am Viceroy Chedat of the planet Perub. We have opened negotiations to forge an alliance with you. To ensure that this alliance is a sound proposition, we have taken something most precious of yours."

The image changed to one showing Kathryn Janeway. She was lying on her side in what appeared to be a small room. She was wearing nondescript grey clothing and her eyes were closed. Her head was resting on her arm, and her legs were slightly bent at the knee. As they watched, she rolled onto her back and the Viceroy's voice sounded again.

"She is unharmed." The Viceroy's face filled the screen. "If you wish to continue the process for an alliance, you must prove your worth. You must reclaim what is yours. We look forward to your arrival at our home."

The Viceroy bowed low, and the image faded.

"Well." The Doctor cleared his throat, breaking the silence of the room. "She appears to be uninjured."

"Harry, analyze it. I want to know everything there is to know about that video." Chakotay crossed to the panel and downloaded a copy for himself onto a PADD. He tightened his fists, resisting the urge to strike the bulkhead and turned back to the still silent group of people watching him. "They want someone to come and 'claim' her. They have no idea what kind of hell I'll bring down on them."


Seven observed Chakotay as he stood on the balcony. He stared at the PADD he held in his hand. She could see that it was paused on the image of the Captain. "Have you found any irregularities in her image?"

He started at Seven's voice and thumbed off the PADD.

She raised an eyebrow. "I did not mean to startle you."

"It's okay, Seven," he said, turning to her. "Did you need something?"

"I wished to inform you of our initial findings concerning the recording," she stated. "Based on the background noise, it is apparent that the Captain was on a ship at the time of the recording. With further analysis, we may be able to narrow down the specific type of ship."

Chakotay nodded. "What else?"

"Based on her facial expressions, the Doctor believes that she is not experiencing any discomfort. He believes she may be merely sleeping or possibly drugged." Seven reported.

"Did he notice any defensive injuries?" Chakotay asked without looking up.

"No, he did not." Seven cocked her head to one side. "You do not believe the Viceroy's assurance that she is unharmed?"

"No, Seven, I don't believe him. They took images of her while she was unconscious. That's practically a violation of her." Chakotay spat out the words. "If they are willing to do that, there's no telling what else they might do."

"Would you prefer they had not sent a current image of her?" Seven asked.

Chakotay paused, taken aback by her question. "That's not what I meant."

"The images were taken at a time when the Captain was moving regardless of her level of awareness. This showed that she was indeed alive, and the images help validate the Viceroy's claim that she is unharmed."

"Maybe," he conceded. "Did you find out anything else about the recording?"

"Lieutenant Torres," Seven sniffed as though she didn't really want to tell him, "Insists that the earrings the Captain is wearing in the image are the same ones she had on the night of the reception. This observation coupled with Admiral Paris' reports that the Captain did not return to her quarters the night of the reception lends credence to the theory that she was taken relatively soon after her departure from the hall."

Chakotay felt his anger rising again. "And yet she's wearing different clothes."

"Yes, it is obvious that she is no longer wearing her dress from earlier in the evening."

"Don't you get it, Seven? If she didn't return to her quarters, where did the clothes come from? Why would she have changed? I think she was forced to change clothes. Or someone did it for her." He repressed a shudder at the implications of that thought.

"Perhaps we can locate the dress," Seven suggested.

"I doubt it. I'm sure whoever did this waited until they were safely away from the planet."

"Perhaps, but if we were to find the dress we might have another location to search for clues." Seven punched a button on the PADD she was holding. "Chakotay, can you describe the Captain's dress?"

Chakotay closed his eyes, imagining Kathryn's entrance to the reception hall. "It was dark blue with a low dip in the back. Floor length, but it had a split that went halfway up her thigh. She had a wrap of some sort that was a lighter shade of blue."

Seven raised her eyebrow. "Do you know what material the dress was?"

He shrugged. "Some sort of satin maybe. It shimmered when she walked."

"I see." Seven input the data on the PADD before speaking again. "Chakotay, can you describe what I was wearing that evening?"

Chakotay blinked, and for a moment he drew a blank before remembering, "You had on a red dress, Seven."

Seven waited a moment before speaking. "Continue, please."

Chakotay searched his memory and came up with nothing else. "I don't know. What does that have to do with getting Kathryn back?"

"Nothing, Commander," Seven said and walked back inside the apartment.


"The Enterprise arrived at Perub two days ago and has begun negotiations," Admiral Paris said, addressing the group gathered in Chakotay's apartment.

It had been three weeks since Kathryn disappeared, and the senior staff had changed plans from investigating to planning a rescue of the Captain. Phoebe had become a regular fixture at the apartment, and even Gretchen had been stopping by at regular intervals. Tonight though, Gretchen had arrived with Owen, who had alerted the group that he had new information to share with them.

"We still have a lot of the obligatory diplomatic procedures to go through before we take any kind of action, but we are confident at this point that Captain Janeway is in no real danger," Admiral Paris stated, surprising her officers.

"How can you say that?" Chakotay asked.

Gretchen patted his knee. "Let Owen finish."

"Prior to this incident, we were aware that the Perubians have some eccentricities that differ from our own. It would seem their culture demands a kidnapping and rescue before they can ally themselves with anyone."

Tom stood away from the doorframe he had been leaning against. "You knew they were going to come after her. That's why you had her quarters under surveillance."

There was a murmur building and Admiral Paris tried to head it off, "We didn't know it would be Captain Janeway."

"But you thought it might be," B'Elanna interrupted.

"We considered it a possibility. We increased security on several public figures including the President of the Federation and yes, Kathryn as well."

"Your security didn't do a very good job," the Doctor huffed.

"As they haven't mentioned it, we didn't know if the Perubians would actually follow through with their tradition. As far as they know, we didn't even know about it until we received this message. I knew Kathryn would never have appreciated someone following her, and she certainly wouldn't have agreed to it, so I compromised and had surveillance on just her quarters. The security personnel were instructed to watch for any suspicious characters hanging around or trying to break in. Intelligence indicated the Perubians would want to take her from her home, if they were going to go through with this."

"You mean, you never told her this was a possibility?" Chakotay asked quietly.

"Well, no." Admiral Paris looked sheepish at this acknowledgement. "Anyway, the point is that now we know they have enacted their tradition and that Captain Janeway has become an integral part of it. Captain Picard has opened diplomatic channels with the Viceroy, and I received this video today as an offering of trust."

Owen keyed up the viewscreen and Kathryn appeared. She was sitting at a desk with her hands clasped loosely in front of her. Chakotay leaned forward studying her face. She smiled, and he felt an immediate warmth spread through his chest. It was her signature half smile.

"Mom. Phoebe. I'm sorry I can't tell you this in person, but I wanted you to know I'm safe. My 'captors' have been very hospitable, and they assure me they will continue to be so until my 'rescue'." Kathryn rolled her eyes at the word "rescue" before continuing, "I had no idea this was going to happen, or I would've let you know ahead of time. Just think of it as me enjoying an enforced vacation."

Kathryn looked up at someone off-screen and nodded, holding up one finger. "Mom, I need you to do something for me. Find my crew and tell them to 'stand down'. If you can't reach Cha…my first officer, then relay the message to Admiral Paris. I'm sure he knows how to reach his son and daughter-in-law. It's very important that they know I'm okay because if I know my crew at all, by the time you receive this they will already have come up with a plan of rescue on their own. I have to go. I love you Mom, Phoebe. I'll be home as soon as I can."

The recording ended and Admiral Paris retrieved the chip from the wall panel. Gretchen broke the silence. "With so many members of my family involved in Starfleet, we long ago established key words and phrases that we would use in the event one of us was in danger. Kathryn didn't use any of those words."

"And she could have very easily," Phoebe agreed. "She specifically did not use our family code. I think she's all right."

"I agree with them," Admiral Paris said taking a seat. "You notice she kept her hands in plain view. The way she kept them clasped conveyed the simple message that she was not under duress during the filming."

"So that's it?" Tom asked. "We just sit back and wait?"

"Yes," the Admiral said to his son and the room at large. "The Enterprise is on site and they have begun the negotiations. It will still be several weeks before they can 'rescue' her…"

"Why?" Chakotay interrupted. "Why several more weeks?"
"The Perubians have their traditions, and we have ours. We will go through all of the standard diplomatic channels that would be used in this kind of situation, and in so doing we will show them how we operate," Admiral Paris explained. "At the end of the negotiations, the Enterprise will insert an away team and 'rescue' the Captain."

"Put us on the away team," Chakotay said. "Let us go in and complete the extraction."

"I'm sorry, but no. Negotiations have already begun with the Enterprise and personnel from that ship must be seen completing the rescue. I imagine that Commanders Riker and Worf will lead the extraction team." Paris raised his hand when Chakotay began to protest. "The Perubians are a powerful species despite their eccentricities. The Federation needs all the allies it can get after our war with the Dominion. This may be a tedious process, but we will follow it. If you, any of you, show up, it could seriously jeopardize all the efforts that have gone into making this alliance a possibility."

Gretchen put her hand on Chakotay's arm. "Please, Commander, I know you care about her, but I think this time we have to let this run its course."

"And besides, we all know this is the only way Kathryn will ever take a vacation," Phoebe quipped, earning a small laugh from everyone in the room.

Reluctantly, Chakotay nodded his agreement that he would not go after her.


Chakotay stood on his balcony and stared at the outline of the city. Dark had fallen, and the many lights of San Francisco were doing nothing to improve his mood. His apartment was almost empty for the first time since B'Elanna had broken the news to him. He knew that tonight many of them would sleep better than they had in weeks, but he wouldn't. He knew he wouldn't sleep comfortably until Kathryn was back on Earth and he had seen her with his own eyes.

Someone joined him on the balcony, and he knew before she spoke that it was Seven. He turned to find her looking uncharacteristically nervous.

"Seven, what is it?"

"I believe the others are correct," she said letting her hands drop to her sides. "You are still in love with Captain Janeway."

"Did someone say something to you?" Chakotay asked angrily.

"No, they did not. To be precise, the others have been nothing but kind in regards to our relationship, although I know they do not agree with it," she continued. "I have overheard conversations, and I have made my own observations. I did not quite understand what I was seeing until recently."

"Seven, what are you talking about?"

"Anytime the Captain is in danger you respond differently than you do for others. Your respiration rate increases, you become agitated more quickly, and you do not sleep. When Lieutenant Paris is in trouble, you remain calm and your reactions are based on logical decisions. I have never known you to lose sleep over Lieutenant Paris' whereabouts," she stated. "When it comes to the Captain, however, you are more likely to engage in behavior similar to Lieutenant Torres. Her responses are similarly affected when Lieutenant Paris is in danger. She does not react with the same aggression when Ensign Kim is in trouble as she does for her husband."

Chakotay swallowed, wanting to protest her explanation, but found he couldn't. Seven continued.

"I made these observations while we were still on Voyager, and I have seen them again in recent weeks. When I overheard conversation concerning your emotional state, it became clear to me what these associations meant." Seven paused. "We all care for the Captain, but not in the same way that you do. And you do not care for me the way you do for her."

"I'm sorry, Seven," he said quietly. "I never meant to hurt you."

"I am uninjured," she replied bluntly. "I too care for her, and I…I wish you both the best."

Chakotay watched as she turned on her heel and left him standing there. He leaned his head back, staring at the stars, and thought about Seven's words. The best? Isn't that exactly what Kathryn had told him concerning his relationship with Seven? Was Seven so like Kathryn that she had even picked up Kathryn's phrases? Is that why he had been attracted to Seven, because in some small way she had reminded him of Kathryn? If B'Elanna was to be believed - and he never had reason to doubt her - Kathryn's heart had been breaking when she wished him well with Seven. If that was true, did it mean there was still a chance for them to be together?

As soon as she returned home, Chakotay intended to find out.


Cont to Part 4