A/N: A few things.

First: My sound track for most of this chapter was Lana Del Ray (I had Gods & Monsters on repeat a few times). Listen accordingly. ?

Second: Today is my birthday! I'm happy to spend time today polishing off yet another chapter and spending time with my characters as they've grown.

Third: Today I had the opportunity to meet and have a chat with Captain Wendy Lawrence- an astronaut, daughter of a Vice Admiral, and trailblazer for women and the space program. She's one of my heroes, and someone who I view as the real-life Captain Janeway. I was blown away! I imagine she easily inspired the character. Likewise, she entered NASA in 1992, the year in which this story begins.

oOoOo

Tom handed Chakotay a beer as they settled at the counter by one of the pool tables.

"So, whose idea was this shit hole again?" Mike asked the group.

"That would be mine." Tom clapped Mike roughly on the shoulder and got up to feed quarters into one of the pool tables.

As he racked the balls, he nodded towards Chakotay. "I call the big guy for my team. 8-ball."

Chakotay held his beer in the air in approval and stood to pick his cue from the rack.

Jim waved off for the first game as Harry and Mike stood by, watching the break.

A quick first shot sunk three balls in succession, all solids. Chakotay grinned.

"Stripes." He laughed.

"We're screwed, Harry." Mike patted the younger man on the back, then called for another round from the waitress.

Chakotay and Tom held the table, expertly dispatching that game and three more over the next few rounds of drinks- shots of vodka and tequila chased with another two pitchers of bitter ale.

As he sat out the fifth game, Chakotay picked at the salty snacks on the counter, enjoying the warmth that washed through him in waves, rushing from the crown of his head to prickle at his heels.

His fingers tingled and his pants chafed against sensitive skin. He shifted, uncomfortable.

Oh, God. I want Kathryn so much right now.

Unbidden, his thoughts sank to the gutter. As his palms wiped moisture on his pant legs, perspiration tickled gloriously down his belly.

Not the gutter.

He thought.

Never the gutter with Kathryn. She's too wonderful for that. But my, oh my. Those lips. That ass. Her delectable…

The last sip of beer temped him. He downed it and called for another pitcher and some water. He didn't think he should drink much more. He couldn't track one moment to the next, though the feeling of oblivion was welcome. This was the third night she was away at a conference, and she wasn't going to be back for another two days yet. They hadn't been apart this long since his father died. He'd come to depend on her.

No, not depend. That wasn't quite the right word.

He'd come to have such a connection with her that he sometimes forgot that they were two people. It was as if he could see what she thought before she even thought it. They didn't need words, they could sense each other. Their skin melted into a single layer when they touched, bathing them both in security and peace in an undulating static charge. He felt the warm trails of his fingers in the fine hairs that raised when he smoothed his palms down her shoulders to her hips. He felt the pressure of her teeth as she bit her bottom lip and smiled when she walked up to him as he came into the shop to get her after the Sunday morning rush. Deep in his spirit he felt the hollowness he only filled in her when he held her in his arms and kissed her hair as she fell to sleep on Friday night, all the week's stress draining from her finger tips into the posts of his bed and slithering to the floorboards. And in the pit of his stomach, he felt a fluttering burst, barely contained as she quaked around him, his fingers exploring her every depth.

His cheeks burned. His hands shook. His head thumped back onto the wall behind him as he clunked his glass onto the counter at his side, breath heavy and heart pounding.

Mike was sick of losing to Tom and whomever he had partnered with, so he suggested a change of scenery while the bars were still serving.

Jim called a cab for the quintet, and they settled their tabs with the bartender.

As the sedan arrived to take them away, they realized that they wouldn't all fit in the car. Chakotay volunteered to get a different ride home or walk to a nearby hotel, but the others insisted he could fit into the back seat with them if they sat just so. They'd done it before, and weren't going far. He acquiesced and stuffed himself in last, mashing painfully up against the door as Mike forced it closed then hopped into the front seat.

"Hey man, head over to Risa." Mike told the driver. The old man flipped the car around, heading to the edge of town.

When they pulled up to the building Chakotay realized too late that Mike had directed them to a lounge. Groaning, he noted that lounge might be too kind of a term. Blackened windows were lined with flashing neon signs and bass-driven music shook the panes, vibrating all the way into the parking lot.

Against his better judgement, he followed his brothers in inebriation into the squat building.

His senses were immediately assaulted by the rank of cigarette smoke and stale bar food. The floor stuck to his shoes.

Mike ushered them to a booth a respectable distance from the main catwalk and gestured to a waitress to join them and get their order. Harry looked slightly uncomfortable, but judging by his flushed cheeks, he was less inhibited and more open to relaxing, especially once Mike pushed another beer his way and offered to buy pizza for them.

Tom and Chakotay sequestered themselves safely in the curve of the booth, sandwiched by the single men in the group.

It didn't take long until the table of attractive men had attention from the women prowling the floor.

Chakotay avoided the less frisky women, but had a few close calls as hands came from every direction, grabbing at his flesh and worming into his hair. He felt lips brush across his ear as a blonde girl, maybe 22, leaned over the back of the booth and tried to draw him in. He smiled kindly at her and shook his head. She frowned, but quickly recovered and moved on to another table.

Two brunettes tag-teamed poor Harry, one sitting on his lap grinding against him, the other caressing his shoulders and whispering into his ear. Mike had a comparable situation unraveling with a well-endowed blonde. Jim sat in his chair, smiling patiently, eyes dilated as another of the women nipped at him and walked around him seductively.

Sitting back from the action, Tom and Chakotay enjoyed watching the entire scene as they sipped at the weak beer in front of them.

"You know, I think Lanna would kill me if she knew we came to a strip club...without her." Tom nudged his companion.

Chakotay chuckled and rubbed his hands together.

"Strip clubs have never been my thing, but then again, the view isn't one I'd complain about. I just prefer a certain someone instead."

For a moment, Tom's mind floated thoughts of his cousin naked and he found himself more aroused than he'd like to admit.

"She's always been quite a looker, Katie."

"Mmm."

"Very spirited too, I don't know how you do it. But, I know you make her happier than anyone ever has. That fucker Justin was never good for her, but she never saw the bad in him, even though we all did."

Chakotay had only ever heard about Justin from Kathryn, so he'd assumed her view of him, the unflappable golden boy of town, the captain of the football team, the fast-track career military man, was the truth. Apparently, there was another side to the story that she hadn't acknowledged.

"You have your hands full, too Tom. Lanna is quite a fiery one as well. A bit of a temper too! I walked by her room one day and some of the things she said could make any grown man blush. I didn't even understand everything, but she has an extensive language catalog when it comes to cursing, I suppose."

"You have no idea. You should hear her when she's working on her franken-machines in the garage. There's more than one whole in the wall with a wrench stuck down in it!"

"Fiery is one thing. Stubborn is another. I swear, it's like pulling teeth to change that woman's mind. I've been nearly late to work more than once because she gets all feisty and won't let me leave until I bow to her uncaffeinated will!"

"That's an even scarier picture of her." Tom mused.

"An early-morning feisty woman?"

"No. An uncaffeinated Kathryn." They both laughed.

"It's a rare occasion. I don't think she has any blood any more. It's just coffee now. I imagine the mosquitos during the summer tell all their buddies to watch out. If they bite her they'll just buzz off into the stratosphere and die a grizzly death."

"But they'd die happy!"

"Lanna is just about as stubborn. But growing up around Katie, I had a lot of practice. You'll get it old man, just give it time."

"I don't think I want to be able to resist her wiles though. I'm quite content." A dimpled smile.

The two men sat in silence while their friends tuckered themselves out and packed all their money away into waistbands and bra straps.

oOoOo

Chakotay shifted uncomfortably in the unfamiliar bed, then bolted upright, eyes wide for a moment before he took in the unfamiliar surroundings and the night before came rushing back to him. He released a relieved breath as he went over the evening and realized that he didn't make any regrettable decisions, and in fact, worked with Tom to get the other three men safely to a nearby hotel when the club closed at two. Mike and Harry slept sideways across their beds in the adjoining hotel room, a woman beside each of them, a prize for the night from the club. Judging from their state of undress, the night either went really well for them, or they were going to have a few regrets beyond their pounding hangovers.

Crawling out from between the sheets, he stood and stretched, searching for his shirt and shoes. He grabbed his errant clothing and headed into the tiny bathroom to clean up. The light above the sink pierced his skull until it felt like his eyes would pop out and his teeth would crack.

Cupping his hands, Chakotay splashed water over his face and shoulders, then dipped his head down and drank greedily from the faucet until the cool stream calmed some of the tension behind his eyes.

When he emerged from the bathroom, he found Tom sipping coffee from a paper cup.

"I called a cab to get us back to our cars. I figure by the time we got back here these ingrates will be well enough to travel and spend the rest of their miserable day at home."

Tom handed Chakotay a paper cup of tepid coffee and grabbed his jacket, throwing Chakotay's towards the chair by his shoes.

Just then, a horn honked outside their window.

oOoOo

When Chakotay dropped off Harry and Mike, he headed home and got properly cleaned up. After, he grabbed a light coat and headed off to walk to the shop. He felt a bit guilty about going to the strip club the night before, and he thought he would talk a bit with Gretchen to ease his mind. If anything, it would pass some of the time. He had grading to do, but it wasn't dire, and he tended to avoid looking at stacks of papers until the last few hours before bed on Sunday night. Kathryn would return tomorrow, so he knew he should take care of his work earlier than normal, but he was still hungover, and he couldn't find the motivation to devote himself to the papers like he ought to.

A bell tinkled against the door handle as he walked into Reverie. Gretchen peeked around the corner, then emerged, a huge smile on her face that faded rapidly.

"You look horrible Chakotay! Don't tell me you went out with Mike and Jim last night. They were in earlier and I could tell they'd been up to no good."

"Unfortunately, they did drag me out. On my honor, Mrs. Janeway, I was the more responsible one of the bunch, believe it or not."

"Oh, I believe it son."

She filled a cup with hot water from a kettle and set it in front of him with a tea bag and a spoon for his sugar.

"Regardless of responsibility, you look like death warmed over. But you smell nice." She gave him an innocent kiss on the cheek.

"Death might be kinder than what I feel like now. I feel old."

"If you're old, boy, I'm a relic."

"You aren't a relic. If anything, you're an exquisite example of the finest antiquities."

"You flirt."

"With you, always." He spooned some sugar into the steeping brew.

"So, what are your plans today?"

"Pie. Maybe something to go. Grading."

"Could I bribe you into doing something for me?" She sat next to him with a tray of half-empty salt shakers.

"It depends. If it involves alcohol, no."

Gretchen poured salt into the containers, cleaning them as she went.

"I've been cleaning up a lot of stuff around the house- some early spring cleaning. There's a couple things I could use a hand with repairing. Edward always took care of a lot of the repairs, and I could call a handy-man, but I thought…"

He sipped his tea and wrapped an arm around her, hugging her briefly.

"Of course I can help. Can I come by tomorrow? Most of the day is gone already today, and I do need to get some work done at my place."

"Tomorrow would be perfect. That way you can be home when Kathryn gets in. I'll leave you a list on the kitchen counter if you'd like. The key is around back under one of the rocks by the door. Go ahead and keep the key. I'll make another."

"It's a deal." Chakotay squeezed her again, then let her go. Gretchen busied herself with wrapping a whole pecan pie, carefully securing the delicacy in a handled bag. She three in a few plastic forks and a handful of napkins.

"Now, at least promise me that you'll eat more than just this today."

He exaggerated a sigh as he took the parcel from her.

"I suppose I might eat some ice cream too."

oOoOo

Chakotay found the hidden key quickly, and went in through the back door.

Gretchen hadn't fibbed, the house was sparkling clean. The walls, floors, and counters were scrubbed and smelled faintly of lavender and lemon. All the linens had been freshly washed, including the curtains, and the ceiling fans and window seals had been thoroughly dusted and scrubbed.

Going to the note on the counter, he saw a concise list of manageable tasks. Everything was small, but difficult if one didn't have strength and size on their side.

The larger of Kathryn's bedroom windows was off track- the old wood frame needed replaced, but for now, he could get it situated properly to keep the cold out. It took him about 20 minutes to get the wooden frame lined up properly, but it settled in nicely and sealed completely.

A few light bulbs in high places needed replaced. Without a ladder, it would have been nearly impossible for either Janeway to reach them, but Chakotay fixed them easily from atop a kitchen chair.

As the sun came out, around noon, Chakotay took a break outside. He decided while he was out there to bundle more firewood up to the back porch, so it would be more accessible. Likewise, he noticed the lock on the shed hanging loosely from the broken handle, so he grabbed his tools and repaired the door, oiling the hinges as well.

He'd just set coffee to brew and headed upstairs to check on the next item on his list, when he heard a car pull up in the drive.

Chakotay looked through the sheer curtains the covered the window on the landing in time to see Kathryn heave a duffle over her shoulder and wave as the car full of her colleagues backed out to the street. She'd carpooled with various teachers from across the district to go to a science and technology conference at Wichita State University. Apparently, they'd become fast friends.

Hurrying down the stairs, he'd just gotten out of sight, slipping into the kitchen, as she unlocked the front door.

"Chakotay?"

She dropped the bag by the couch and looked around at the clean house. She knew he was here because she'd seen his truck. She also knew he was lurking because it was absolutely silent, but it smelled like fresh coffee.

He came around the corner, coffee mugs in hand, and kissed her on the back of her neck before she turned around and saw him.

"I missed you."

"Well I didn't miss you. I found a new lover in the city. He's all mysterious and brooding- that type that all the girls want."

"As long as you keep your city boyfriend in the city, and I don't have to deal with the competition on my turf." He played along with her.

"Oh, he couldn't be bothered to come out into the boonies."

Kathryn took the proffered mug and turned to go back towards the couch. As she moved some of the pillows aside he put his arms around her and brought her down to the cushions with him, sinking deep.

"Really though. I didn't know what to do with myself, Chakotay. The conference was fantastic, and I met so many great people. The presenters and panels were well chosen and the accommodations were nice enough. The food was fabulous, too, but I could only focus on coming back today."

She kissed him and went back to lovingly manipulating her coffee, limber fingers stroking the porcelain.

They spent the rest of the afternoon finishing up the various chores around the house. Then they treated themselves to a movie downtown, before making it an early night so they could start the week off well.

Chakotay began to think of what he wanted to do the following weekend for their first Valentine's day.

End Chapter Eleven