For disclaimers and author's notes, please see chapter 1.


"NOOOO!!"

"Doctor to Commander Chakotay."

Chakotay's head snapped up, and he stared at his surroundings. He was in his quarters on Voyager. He looked down at his hands, expecting to see them stained with blood. But they were clean, and he was wearing his uniform. He looked around frantically. He had just been holding…but then where was she?

"Commander Chakotay, please respond."

His hand shook as he reached for his badge. "Go ahead."

"I need you to report to sickbay immediately."

The Doctor signed off before he could respond. His thoughts were racing. If he was back…did that mean? He stumbled out of his quarters and headed for sickbay. "Computer is Captain Janeway currently aboard Voyager?"

"Affirmative."

"What's her location?"

"Captain Janeway is in sickbay."

Chakotay thought the turbolift couldn't possibly move any slower, but it gave him a moment to think. The gash on his arm seemed to be healed, and the continuous throbbing in his head had disappeared. If his injuries hadn't followed him back to Voyager, then surely hers hadn't either. But then why was she in sickbay? If she wasn't injured then she'd be fine. Except the Doctor had called him only seconds after his return. As soon as the lift doors opened, he pushed his way past two startled crewmen and hurtled down the corridor.

Chakotay skidded through the doors of the sickbay and ran straight into B'Elanna. He barely glanced down at her before trying to move past her, towards the surgical bay where he could see the Doctor and Tom working. She held onto him and blocked him from going further.

"Hold on, Chakotay. You can't go back there."

"Is it Kathryn?" he asked, trying to get past the engineer.

B'Elanna dug her heels in and steered him into the Doctor's office. "Yes, but she's still hurt. You've got to stay out of their way."

"What's wrong with her?" He leaned his head against the clear partition separating the office from the surgical bay. He could see her now. Kathryn was there, and that fact alone was almost enough. The diagnostic arm was obscuring her, but he could tell she was wearing her uniform pants and boots instead of the armor he'd so recently seen her in. He glanced away from her long enough to look at the Doctor. The hologram and Tom were working urgently, and in perfect tandem.

B'Elanna's voice startled him from his scrutiny. "You know what's wrong with her. You were there and saw exactly what I saw."

Chakotay spun around and looked her up and down. "You aren't limping, B'Elanna, and I don't have a concussion. So you tell me, why is she still hurt, and we aren't?"

"Commander, the one person that could answer that question is Q." Tuvok joined them in the office. "He has never felt the need to explain himself, nor would I expect him to start now."

"I think I resent that remark." Q appeared in his usual fashion. "After all, why should I explain myself…"

"To mere mortals?" Chakotay growled, slamming Q against the bulkhead and finishing the remark for him. "What did you do to her?"

Q looked down at the man holding him pinned against the wall. "Do you realize that I could turn you into a Hupyrian beetle for this?"

Chakotay's hands twisted in the front of the uniform jacket. "Do I look like I care?"

Q huffed and disappeared, reappearing on the other side of the office. "Oh calm down, Chuckles. You know I'm quite fond of Kathy. I would never harm her intentionally."

"What do you call that?" B'Elanna waved a hand towards the surgical bay.

"Well, those injuries had to be inflicted on someone. Do you really think those medieval barbarians would be able to treat something like this?" Q took a step back as Tuvok held out an arm to restrain the Commander. "And to think I always thought of you as Kathy's lap dog. I might just have to elevate you to bull dog instead."

"Q!"

"What? Your Doctor assured me he could fix a few holes in her."

"Yes, well, you could've been more specific," the Doctor commented, joining them in the crowded office. He turned towards Chakotay. "I've managed to get her stabilized."

"See, I told you."

The Doctor frowned at Q before returning his attention to the Commander. "She had several very serious wounds."

Q scoffed.

"A punctured lung and perforated aorta are life threatening injuries," the Doctor exclaimed, closing in on Q. "Not to mention the broken ribs and trauma to her shoulder. When you asked me if I could repair a few slight injuries, this is not what I had in mind."

"Doctor, is the Captain going to recover?" Tuvok asked, displaying the only calm demeanor in the room.

"Yes," the hologram answered, turning away from Q. "She'll have some tenderness and be weak for awhile, but given her stubborn nature I'm sure she'll be fine. No thanks to Q."

Q frowned and noticed all the frowns directed at him. "You bipeds are a very ungrateful lot. After all the trouble I went to, all you can do is complain about a little muscle pain. I'm sure Kathy will thank me when she wakes up."

"Thank you for what? Getting her shot?" B'Elanna asked incredulously.

"She might," Q said, earning another scornful look. He pointed out through the glass. "But she'll probably thank me for that."

Everyone turned to look and saw Chakotay standing next to the Captain's biobed, holding her hand and gently kissing her forehead.


Kathryn's chest hurt. She wanted to rub the area in an effort to ease the sensation, but she couldn't move her hand. It felt like it was trapped under something. She finally got her eyes open and gasped with the realization that she was in Voyager's sickbay. The pressure on her hand disappeared as Chakotay's head popped up on the side of the bed.

"Kathryn, you're awake."

His hair was disheveled, and he had lines on his face where he'd been sleeping. Kathryn thought he was the best sight she'd ever seen. She smiled at him.

"Hi."

Chakotay got to his feet and cupped her face with his hand. "We've got to stop meeting like this."

She kissed his fingertips and then closed her eyes again, exhaling a sigh of pain. "What happened?"

Chakotay opened his mouth to explain what little he understood, but then just shrugged instead. "Q."

"Q?"

"You called, my dear sweet Kathy?" Q appeared with a bundle of roses.

"No."

"Now really, is that any way to treat someone who rescued you and the little queen from certain death?"

"You dumped her here, and the Doctor saved her from certain death, Q," Chakotay said angrily.

"Details." Q waved him off. "The point is that my plan worked perfectly."

Chakotay started to argue, but Kathryn squeezed his hand and he relented. She sighed, "Q, get to the point."

"Fine. It should brighten your day to know that since you kept the injuries that were inflicted on the queen's body, when she returned to it, she lived. Turns out they were only flesh wounds." Q clapped his hands together. "And since Tattoo Boy here took out all of the shooters and that pompous little man, there was no one around to dispute her lack of injuries."

Kathryn and Chakotay exchanged a look. "But you said she had to be martyred to inspire her people."

"Yes, well, from where her men were standing it looked like she'd been killed, and it gave them all the inspiration they needed. And all of those allies that rodent had called up were disgusted by his devious act and refused to fight with his army. Not to mention they were impressed with a mere slip of a girl standing up to him." He continued, "The battle was over quickly and little Caitlin made a remarkable recovery. She's finally been able to take her throne and reign over a peaceful countryside. She also threw out one certain rule, and she's gone on to marry that knight of hers. Once again peace reigns throughout that world."

"How did you convince her to return?"

"Junior had already grown bored with her and was ready to move on to something else, so I assured him that if she returned she wouldn't be hurt." Chakotay rolled his eyes at the mention of Junior's behavior, but Q pressed on. "Actually, it was you two lovebirds that finally did it."

"I beg your pardon?" Kathryn asked, feeling color creep into her cheeks.

"That little exchange of declarations of love the two of you had - or should I say the four of you had," Q laughed. "She was in love with that pedantic knight of hers, and once he finally spilled the beans about having feelings for her, she couldn't wait to get in his arms. Assuming of course, that she wasn't going to die as soon as she was back in her body."

"Of course." Kathryn put her hand to her head and winced at the twinge of pain the movement produced.

Chakotay noticed. "Q, why couldn't you just heal Kathryn once you got her back here? Since you're so fond of her, you could save her a lot of pain."

"I would never do that to you, Chuckles."

"To me?"

"Of course, all that convalescent time she's going to need. Long hours alone in her quarters with just the two of you. Massaging sore muscles. Helping her slip into something more comfortable."

"Q," Kathryn's voice held a note of warning.

"Now Kathy, you had your chance with me." Q flourished a kiss on her forehead and gave her a wink. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

With a snap, Q disappeared.


"How exactly am I supposed to write this?"

Chakotay looked up from the couch in time to see Kathryn throw a PADD off of her desk. He couldn't help but smile at the look of exasperation on her face. It had been five days since their misadventure with Q, and Kathryn was attempting to write up her report on their 'away mission'. She was scheduled to return to duty the next morning with the understanding that she'd take it easy. Her injuries were completely healed, with the exception of a sore muscle every now and then, which Chakotay really couldn't complain too much about.

Since their return, he'd spent a lot of time in Kathryn's quarters. The first day had been awkward. They'd made their confessions to each other on the planet and in sickbay, but now that their alter egos were gone and their feelings were no longer amplified, it seemed strange to just throw away all the restraint they'd built up over the past seven years. They'd never stopped caring for each other, but it seemed the walls they'd each built up around their hearts ever since New Earth were still present upon their return to their normal lives. Oddly enough, the same occurrence that had prompted a change of parameters on New Earth all those years ago was just as much of an instigator now as it had been then.

Kathryn's shoulder was sore. It was perfectly understandable, considering the trauma she had so recently endured. They'd finished dinner that first night, and in a moment of candor, Kathryn had admitted her shoulder was still paining her. Chakotay had offered to help her relax by massaging it for her. Unlike New Earth, this massage had ended quite differently, with the two of them defining all new parameters that included the bedroom, the bathtub, and her desk.

Chakotay stood from the couch and picked the PADD up off the floor. "Everyone else managed to write their reports, Kathryn."

"Yes, I read all of the other reports," she said, looking up at him. "They were quite sparse in the details. Mine, however, will be picked over with a fine tooth comb once I send it in the next data stream and the admiralty sees the letter Q."

"I think once they see the letter 'Q' in the subject line, they'll understand just about anything you could possibly put in there."

"How could they understand it? I barely understand it, and I was there." She leaned back in her chair. "Combined personalities. Four days on the planet versus five minutes on Voyager. Interaction with an alien culture that is certainly not warp capable. Oh, and injuries that waylaid the captain for almost a week when all other personnel involved are perfectly healthy."

Chakotay propped his hip on her desk. "Kathryn, what's really bothering you?"

She tried to glare at him for his perceptiveness, but it was a half hearted attempt. He waited her out until she finally sighed. "How much do I tell them about us?"

He took a minute to think it over. "I think you should leave out the part about us having sex on your desk."

"Chakotay!" She slapped his thigh. He watched as the color rose in her cheeks at the thought, but he also saw the twinkle in her eye that told him how much she'd love to do just that. "Can you imagine? They really would think I'd lost my mind."

"I don't know why you have to tell them anything." He pulled her to her feet. "You should learn to be sparse in your details."

"Hmmmm." She leaned into his hand as he stroked her face. "But I do so enjoy being thorough."

"Yes, I've noticed." He gave her a quick kiss. "All you have to put on there is that Q was involved. End of story."

She looked at him quizzically. "How do you feel about that, anyway?"

"Feel about what?"

"Q being responsible for us finally getting together," she clarified.

"Oh, I don't know about that. I'd say Dagen and Caitlin had a much stronger hand in it than Q did." He started drawing her slowly away from the desk with his hands on her waist. "Q wasn't there when we said what we said."

"Are you sure?"

"And he wasn't here when I offered to rub your shoulder." He slipped his hands under her shirt and guided her backwards towards the bedroom. Kathryn was vaguely aware that she was being herded, but she couldn't seem to mind as Chakotay's hands roamed further up her back.

"And he damn sure better not have been here anytime after that."

The backs of Kathryn's knees hit the bed, and she fell onto it, dragging Chakotay down with her. He leaned up away from her, dragging his hands out from beneath her. "And I'm pretty sure he's not here now."

He turned his attention towards the buttons on her shirt and began undoing them very slowly. "So the only real question is: how does Kathryn feel about us finally getting together?"

She sighed, reveling in the kisses he placed on her exposed skin. "I feel like doing cartwheels."

finis


Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!