Chap 10

B'Elanna worked in engineering, running diagnostics on the warp manifolds, busying herself as Voyager idly traveled forward, almost as if in slow motion. She was tired of this region of space, but she knew the captain was reluctant to leave in case there was something to be found out in the case of Seven of Nine's condition. In the half Klingon's opinion, they should just accept it and move on. At least it wasn't life threatening… well… not yet anyway. So far, Seven was the picture of health. B'Elanna, however, thought she might die of boredom if they continued to linger – and she wasn't alone.

When Chakotay appeared as if beamed from some random location, she almost hugged him, delighted at the opportunity to ignore work for a while and chat it up with a friend.

"If you're wondering how diagnostics are coming, they're not." She mock-frowned and folded her arms across her chest. "What brings you down to this neck of the woods?"

He shrugged and glanced at the padd in his hand, obviously aimless. "Um. Well. I was interested in the exhaust manifolds…"

She nodded. "Ah."

"They come up on the sensor readings as being… uh… clogged…"

"Really? I haven't seen anything like that."

He sighed. "Okay. You got me. I just wanted to get off the bridge for a while."

She half smiled. "Well, in that case, I wouldn't mind a little company. Maybe you could assist me – or at least oversee."

"Sounds good." But he seemed distant as he nodded, his brown face a guarded mask. She had known him a long time, however, and it didn't go unnoticed.

"So, what's up on the bridge?" she focused on her data as she asked it, but she heard him sigh again.

"Its better if I don't go into it. But being on the bridge these days is stifling at best. Lately, I've been longing for the atmosphere of my old ship."

Now B'Elanna looked around at him. "That doesn't sound like you at all, Chakotay."

"I guess I'm not myself. Ever since this thing with Seven and now there's this rift between me and…" he stopped himself. "… it doesn't matter. There's a time and place for everything, I guess."

"Between you and… Janeway?"

A crewman walked past and Chakotay glanced down at his padd, brow furrowed. When they were alone again, he looked up at B'Elanna and mustered a smile.

"I think I might need to meditate."

"You mean you haven't been meditating? What's eating you? You're usually very focused and on task. Lately, though… well…"

"Have I been a little distracted? Maybe. Am I agitated? Yes. Very much so." He sighed, lowered his voice. "It's this thing about Janeway and Seven. I can't wrap my mind around it. I can't accept it and I can't move past it, and now it's coming between me and her and everyone can sense it – and of course that means I'm the bad guy, right?"

B'Elanna's eyes had widened. "Whoa. You might need to take a few cleansing breaths, Chakotay. I've never seen you like this. I'm worried about you."

He shook his head and put on a mask of bravery, but there were beads of sweat on his brow. "I'm fine."

"No. You're not." Her hand was on his shoulder. "I'm half tempted to call the doctor."

"Don't. I'm fine."

But B'Elanna didn't believe him and tugged him by the sleeve out into the empty corridor. When they were alone, she regarded him, waited for him to speak. When he didn't say anything, she glared at him.

"Chakotay, what is it about this that bothers you so much? I thought you and Seven were long since over."

"It's not really about Seven."

"Then, it's Janeway?" now realization dawned on her, but she was disappointed with herself for not having realized it before. "Of course. How did I not see?"

"It's more complicated than that. I knew we would never be… a couple. She's so deeply rooted in her Starfleet protocol, but… I had hoped… I mean…"

"I get it." B'Elanna hated to see her friend so upset. "Chakotay, have you spoken with her?"

"We spoke. It didn't go well. We didn't exactly part on the best of terms. Now being on the bridge with her is torture. It feels like work, just going to my command chair."

"Tell her how you feel. Make it right, Chakotay. Show her some support in this. I hate to take her side, but you know this can't be easy for her – and she has to be accountable for everyone. She would never choose to be at odds with you."

He made a face. "Right."

"So, you'll talk to her?"

He looked hesitant, but he nodded eventually.

. . . .

In Janeway's quarters, Seven was busy doing her part to ease the tension from her Captain. She liked the feeling of being fully clothed while Janeway lay sprawled out naked beneath her like a jungle cat, elongated and flushed with heat, covered in a sheen of perspiration.

"Your temperature continues to climb…" Seven murmured against Janeway's pelvic bone as she drove her fingers deeply inside her, and the Captain moaned and arched her body, biting her lip to keep herself somewhat quiet. "… your heart rate is well within safe parameters, but I fear if I continue this activity…"

"Shut up, Seven…" Janeway whimpered, throwing an arm over her brow. "…I'm gonna come…"

"Then I should cease my actions. I'm not ready for you to 'come' yet."

Janeway made a high-pitched noise as Seven bent forward and kissed the Captain's nether lips, licking and sucking what lay between. "Oh God…"

"There's been a lot of discussion… as to the nature of our relationship…" Seven murmured into the patch of auburn hair at the apex of Kathryn's thighs. "… Speculation as to our sex life…"

Now Kathryn sat up on her elbows, out of breath. "Seven, you want to talk about this now?"

"I find it interesting that the crew seems to have forgotten my heightened senses, hearing and otherwise. I am capable of hearing whispers and subdued talking from farther than they would expect." She placed a strong hand on the captain's lower belly, easing her back down. "Please, relax, my love."

"I don't want to know what they think, Seven. It'll take me out of this so fast, and I'll be ready to throw every one of them in the brig for… violating… my rumor law…"

Seven bent her head again and began nibbling the captain as if she were an oyster or some other fine delicacy – and Janeway's eyes rolled back in her head.

"Good?"

"So good…" she grasped a handful of Seven's lovely blond locks. She had been wearing it freer now, letting it cascade around her shoulders like a golden waterfall, a blond cloud. She looked like a goddess strolling the corridors, and Janeway honestly didn't feel worthy. "…please, don't… don't mention the crew… I almost… almost burst a blood vessel…"

Seven chuckled and reached again, sliding two fingers deep into her captain and beginning the rhythm that would be her undoing. Her body quaked on every tremor the orgasm ripped through her womb until she was spent, limp and wasted against the sweat dampened sheets.

It was nearly an hour later when Kathryn woke from a nap she hadn't been aware she was taking. "Dammit. I should be on the bridge."

She threw back the sheets and made a mad dash for the sonic shower. Seven was looking up at her. "You left him in command."

"Yes." She called from the shower, "But… I mostly left him there because I couldn't deal with him any longer."

"Is he still not talking?"

"Yes. He's angry – but frankly, I don't care. Chakotay likes to throw tantrums and argue and prove his point. Honestly, I'm not up for debating with him anymore. He has a job to do and I expect him to do it. If we never speak again socially, then so be it."

Seven sighed. "Have you told him that you extracted his DNA?"

Janeway shrugged as she emerged several seconds later. "It's not relevant. He's not a part of this relationship, therefore it only makes sense that he's excluded – in every sense of the word."

Seven nodded. "Understood."

Now Janeway caught her eyes and paused between getting dressed. "What? You think I made a mistake?"

"I don't know. I understand your viewpoint, but I also feel that you might not have been so hasty had you and Chakotay been on good terms at the time of your decision."

"It was always going to be this way. This is our child: yours and mine. Not yours, mine and his. I feel very strongly about that."

"As do I." Seven said softly. "Still, I feel he should be told about that decision. I know you don't want to talk to him, but… due to my accelerated pregnancy, my third trimester is fastly approaching. It seems imperative that we arrive at a happy plateau before the baby is born."

Janeway shuddered at the thought. It still worried her. She worried something would go wrong, she worried it was still just a ruse; maybe it was a dream they were playing out while being subjected to some alien experiment. She fastened her captain's jacket and finger combed her hair.

"I'll talk to him." She murmured, quietly, begrudgingly.

"Also, I think it would be wise if we vacated this region of space."

Janeway half-smiled. "We are, my love. We've been on a direct course to a nearby M-class planet…"

"At warp one?"

Janeway rolled her eyes. "Okay. I wasn't ready, but since my hand is being forced…"

"The doctor says I can learn the gender of the baby at any time. Well… I could have learned long ago, but I didn't want to know."

"Now, do you want to know?"

Seven nodded. "Yes. I think it will make the baby somehow more tangible."

Janeway half-smiled, in awe of Seven. "I love how existential your thinking has become. I love that you can see things in an almost artistic way. I love that you're sensitive and caring and introspective, and I'm so proud that you're carrying our child, Seven. I'm so happy I could do a cartwheel right out an airlock."

Seven smirked. "I would not recommend that activity. At least… not without protective wear from the vacuum of space."

Janeway's chuckle was unexpected. "Did I mention I love your humor?"

"You did not." And they shared a gentle kiss that lingered for several seconds until Janeway pulled herself away.