Disclaimer: Paramount owns Star Trek and its characters. Sadly I do not. If I did they would have far more fun!

ONE MAN'S TERRORIST IS ANOTHER MAN'S FREEDOM FIGHTER.

Chapter 11

Commander on the bridge

After nearly half an hour of doing nothing but embarrassing and crying into each others arms Kathryn pulled away from the bear chest of Chakotay and silently turned from him and walked out of his quarters. She had gone straight to sleep and then woken up with plenty of time to be ready and fresh faced and ready to take on the morning even though she had only had about three hours sleep. She was now sat in her command chair on the bridge with her right leg tucked up under herself and feeling very relaxed. The chair to her left was empty but she was feeling very happy about it. She knew its rightful owner would soon occupy it and Tuvok was back in his rightful place in tactical. It wasn't that she didn't like Tuvok, he was indeed a great and long standing friend of hers who she admired and respected greatly but it was true that she somehow needed what only a loving human could offer her as a first officer.

Smiling to herself and feeling very happy she waited for the turbo lift doors to open to admit him onto her bridge and back by her side once more. She was straining to hear him enter her bridge and silently daring somebody to dare to speak and interrupt her longing for him to enter the bridge. It felt like an eternity before she heard the familiar swish of the doors opening. Smiling she tilted her head backwards to check it was him. She stood up proudly and look at him back in his uniform and announced to the entire bridge crew,

"Commander on the bridge." She then stood to attention in front of him. The rest of the crew followed her lead; She stayed like that waiting for him to say something.

Chakotay who had thought she would be annoyed due to his slight lateness was taken slightly aback by her standing to attention in front of him. "Isn't that supposed to be 'captain on the bridge'?" he asked her as she relaxed and moved up the steps to the higher section where he stood between Tuvok and Harry's consoles.

"Maybe" she shrugged smiling "but it's good to have you back commander."

"It's good to be back." He said moving closer to her to head down the steps to his seat.

She stopped him by placing her hand on his shoulder, he stopped walking and simply looked at her, "aren't you forgetting something commander?" He looked down at her and their eyes met on the bridge, she felt the deep connection of love as she looked at his eyes, she blinked and quickly looked away, smiling she held up the glistening golden rank bar he had thrown on her desk weeks before. As she pinned the golden bar to his turtleneck "It is my honour to reinstate you to the rank of commander." She gently ran the back of her hand slowly over his jaw line as she finished pinning his rank bar back in place, Whispering quietly so only he could hear she told him, "Provisional, I am afraid Chakotay." He looked down into her eyes, where he saw that she was sad and full of pain to not be able to give him a full rank of Commander. She was sad she could only offer a rank bar and not Starfleet rank pips. He wanted her to know he understood that she could not give any of the ex-Maquis full commissions, there could be no guarantee the commissions she gave any of them would stand when they returned to the Alpha Quadrant.

"I know it has to be." He whispered down at her and then keeping with the tradition he announced for all the bridge crew to hear, "It is my honour to accept."

Smiling happing Kathryn clapped her hand on his back and said, "Welcome back commander." Chakotay flashed his dimples back at her, he felt like he was home.

Chakotay saw that stood behind his captain the Vulcan security officer who he knew was the only person to know fully what he had said and done to this beautiful red headed woman. "Tuvok." Chakotay said nodding at the Vulcan tactical officer and Voyager's second Officer and the captains long trusted friend.

"Commander." Was merely all the Vulcan replied.

Kathryn who felt the tension and eager to show her crew that she trusted Chakotay and did not fear him she asked "Commander wont you join me in my ready room?"

He followed her quickly in and felt more relaxed now that he was alone with her once more. He couldn't believe how much of a pull this woman was beginning to have on him.

"Coffee?" her deep and husky voice asked pulling his attention back into the room.

"It's a bit early for that isn't it?

"Commander it is never to early for coffee." She told him sternly. Then thought for a moment and reminded herself what she had promised her self to remember the last time they had sat in her ready room together, the day Sam Wildman had told her she was pregnant. "Though you're a tea man right?" She said smiling and pointing at him making a show of feeling proud that she had remembered something important.

"Tea would be good. Thank you."

Getting his tea from the replicator she stepped closer to him and tilted her head to look into his eyes she asked, "How are you feeling this early morning?"

Taking the tea in one had and cupping her face in the other he whispered, "A little tired, a little shaken and very worried about you." He rested his palm on her arm where his phaser had grazed her a matter of hours before.

Kathryn felt as though all she wanted to do was stare into his eyes but knew she couldn't allow that luxury. "I am doing just fine," she told him turning away from him and walking around her desk to sit down. "Tired as you are" she admitted nodding "but all in all there doesn't seem to be any lasting damage commander." Whit that last remark she smiled warmly at him.

"I am so sorry about last night captain."

"As I told you last night there is no need commander." She said shaking her head and raising her palm of her hand to face him to tell him to stop talking and then pointing to the chair on the other side of the desk where she now sat, "Please do sit." When he didn't move he just stared at her she told him "I am afraid I didn't call you here for a social chat, I have a first officer who has no idea what has been taking place for over a month and a senior staff meeting in little over an hour when I am really going to need my first officer up to date." She said feeling slightly exasperated and torn between her own desires for Chakotay as a man who she now knew she loved and to her duty as his captain.

"Yes ma'am." He said smiling and taking the seat opposite her desk.

End of Chapter 11. Just a little one to show Kathryn bringing Chakotay back as he commander…. Chapter 12 NOW UP. Reviews welcome.