The first Wednesday they were back on Voyager, she was waiting for him.
The door chimed and she called "Come in!" with a forced air of cheer. Oblivious, he strode in with that cheeky grin of his and scanned the unset table and the empty replicator tray.
"Replicator on the blink again?" he queried, and she resisted the urge to slap him in the face. Damn him! Didn't he see? Didn't he know?
"No, for once my glorified toaster is working perfectly." She managed through clenched teeth. His smile faded and he began glancing around the room, searching for an escape route. Oh yes, he knew now.
"Come to think of it, there are some reports that …need my attention. Can we reschedule?" He was already backing toward the door. But she wasn't about to let him go that easily. In two steps she was in front of him, blocking his path.
"Cut the crap, Chakotay." She growled. "Ever since we got back from New Earth, you have not once acknowledged the time we spent together. You have instead barely spoken to me, except in a strictly professional capacity."
"I…there were…duties…I needed to catch up." He faltered.
"You're a damn horrible liar." Suddenly, all her strength seemed to leave her, and she sagged against the wall. "Chakotay…on New Earth…I thought….I thought you wanted to be with me."
He began tugging on his earlobe furiously, a sure sign he was nervous. "Captain…I apologize if I came off that way. I assure you, that was never my intention." His sudden formality only fueled her fire. Angry tears prickled in her eyes and she blinked them back. Captains didn't cry. Not in front of other people, anyway.
"Chakotay, I was there! I saw you! I lived with you! I thought I knew…everything about you. I guess I was wrong." The earlobe tugging only intensified.
"Captain, I think there may have been a misunderstanding…" he trailed off again, tugging at his earlobe so hard she worried he would tear it right off his ear.
"DON'T CALL ME CAPTAIN!" she screeched, feeling the dam break and salty tears start to run down her cheeks. "Dammit, Chakotay, you called me Kathryn for months! What happened to the feelings between us? Surely I couldn't have imagined that there was something between us." He tilted his head to look at her and his next words nearly broke her heart.
"I'm sorry, Captain, but I believe you did." And with that, he slipped around her and dashed out the doors that opened obligingly for him. She was left with heartbreak, confusion, and one hell of a headache.