A love lost and love's sacrifice.

Chapter 52.

The cure.

"Kathryn darling" whispered Chakotay to his wife of nearly six months as he approached where she sat in the mid day sun on the terrace of their Indiana farmhouse. "Kathryn" he whispered slightly more forcefully as he approached and realised she had once again fallen asleep curled up with her book, of the old fashioned kind which she preferred over a story PADD. "Kathryn sweet heart." He sighed as he brushed her cold face with the back of his hand.

"Hummm?" came his wife's muffled response as she began to awaken from her afternoon sleep.

Slowly as her deep blue eyes fluttered open and met his eyes Chakotay took her hand and knelt beside her saying "it's time you were getting up darling, we need to get ready and I know you want to put the finishing touches on the painting."

"Well?" Kathryn asked her husband sometime later as she held up the painting she had just finished after spending nearly three weeks on it.

"Beautiful" he smiled with his dimples at her as he stood to admire his wife's masterpiece.

"Do you think she will like it?" Kathryn asked feeling slightly anxious of the up coming evenings event.

Chakotay took the painting from his wife, nodded at it before placing it down and wrapped his arms around her waist to draw her closer to him "yes Kathryn I do, don't worry." He offered in support.

"But wha-" began Kathryn

But it wasn't long before Chakotay cut across his wife saying "she will love it Kathryn, you painted it especially for her, for them, it's beautiful, now you should get ready before we are late." He told her packing her cheek with his lips and guiding her towards the stairs "Trellah is going to stay in with the little ones, Miral and Naomi are coming over too so it will just be you, me, Tom and B'Elanna." Kathryn stared deeply into her husbands eyes, the idea of seeing the Torres-Paris's scared her, it had been nearly six months since she had seen them, or even heard form them. Her wedding day had been the last she had heard from them. Chakotay picked up on the fear in his wife's eyes reassured her saying "I saw B'Elanna last week, she is really looking forward to seeing you and catching up."

"I know Chakotay, you keep telling me, but I still sort of blame myself." Kathryn told him as she watched him closely with her sapphire eyes blazing with fear.

"Well don't" Her husband told her lovingly as he stepped closer and took her hands in his and giving them a reassuring squeeze. "Kathryn, I know you're worried about B'Elanna but she loves you and cares." Taking in a breath he waited till his wife looked at him and then said calmly "I told her."

"You told her?" Kathryn almost shrieked "but Chakotay we agreed."

Chakotay looked lovingly into his wife's deep blue eyes and whispered reassuringly "She wants to help." As he cupped her face in his hand.

"That's not the point" sighed Kathryn giving in to her husband as she reached up and traced the lines of his tattoo with her fingertips "and don't tell me this little meeting now, out of the blue after six months is because you told her?" she asked tilting his head and meeting his jet black eyes.

"Does it matter why?" he asked her braking the physical connection and turning to the replicator to replicate his wife her favourite drink.

"Yes." Kathryn insisted. Chakotay turned to face her, a steaming mug of black coffee in one hand, as Kathryn caught the heavenly sent invading her nostrils she sighed and looked up at the dimpled smile across her husbands face. "Thanks" she replied smiling back and taking the coffee. As she smelt the aroma of her drink and then took the first warm sip she glanced up at her husband who was watching her closely "OK no." she added "it doesn't matter why, I am glad she wants to see me, it's been so boring without B'E, trying to get information on her from Sam, Miral and you has proven hopeless."

Chakotay just looked at his wife for a second and then burst out laughing, she really was wondrous to him sometimes "she'll love your gift" he smiled as he looked down at the painting she had put so much effort into.

"I know" came Kathryn's confident and infuriating reply and she walked past him out of their kitchen to go get herself ready for the evening dinner date at the Torres-Paris's. Chakotay simply watched her stalk out of the room past him and then laughed to himself, he listened to her go up the stairs, open the bathroom door, gasp at what she saw, called "Thank you darling, I love you!" with a hint of a laugh in her voice and then close the bathroom door before he even had chance to reply. Chakotay just stood there laughing and shaking his head, being married to Kathryn Janeway was wonderful, what he had wanted, in fact better than what he had wanted but it was never short of her interesting, stubborn quirkiness. It was that which made him happy to provide her with a warm bath, scented candles, lots of bubbles just how she liked it and not to forget steaming black coffee, which is what he had done for her then.

As Chakotay reached up to sound the door chine to the Torres-Paris home Kathryn grabbed her husbands other hand tightly and let her tiny, pale white fingers intertwine with his copper brown ones, she rested her face on his shoulder as she waited with bated breath for the door to open. Kathryn didn't really know what to expect, was she walking into the lions den or a flower garden? she did not know. Then slowly after what felt like an eternity the front door opened allowing the two visitors entrance. Chakotay steadily lead his very nervous wife into the large old-fashioned entrance hall. Tom Paris was stood waiting to greet his guests. After he exchanged a manly hug with Chakotay he turned to the very beautiful looking Kathryn who simply looked back at him.

"Kathryn!" He said with his usual smile as he went to embrace the woman he hadn't seen since her wedding day nearly six months prior.

Kathryn returned the smile but managed to divert the greeting from a hug and clasp Tom's hand in a slightly formal handshake. Tom looked at his former Captain with a confused and slightly hurt expression on his face but quickly brushed it aside as he said, "please take a seat in the sitting room, B'E will be down soon, can I get you something to drink? Tea Chakotay?"

When Chakotay said "yes, tea, thank you." In acceptance he wrapped his arm around his wife's waist and drew her close to his side for he sensed her uncomfortable with the situation.

"Kathryn? Let me guess you still on the coffee, black?" Tom asked with his usual grin, clearly trying to lighten the mood for all knew Kathryn Janeway would never change her drink order.

When Kathryn did not reply she just began to look more and more worried Tom dropped his smile and looked to Chakotay who began to stroke his wife's back as he nodded at the younger man and host and said, "Yes please."

"Great" smiled Tom "Please take a seat in the sitting room, Lanna should be with you shortly."

As Chakotay and Kathryn made their way into the sitting room Tom watched his old friends with worry, she was the Kathryn he knew but still she wasn't, B'Elanna was right, maybe she wasn't too well.

It wasn't long before all four of the old friends where sat sipping warm drinks together in the sitting room. B'Elanna had greeted Kathryn with an over zealous and joyful hug. It completely put Kathryn at ease straight away and showed her that she had nothing to fear from the meeting with the half klingon.

"Kathryn, I wanted to say sorry for the way I reacted at your wedding." B'Elanna said directly to the older woman once the initial welcomes had died down.

"No need." Kathryn replied in her deep husky voice holding up her hand to silence B'Elanna and shaking her head.

B'Elanna looked from Kathryn to Chakotay who was watching his wife closely, she then turned to Tom who was urging her to continue. Slowly she turned back to Kathryn saying "I know you slept with Tom, he and I talked about it, about what happened on Voyager between you two."

Kathryn began to feel uneasy as she tried to talk in the younger mans defence "it's wasn't really Toms fault, I couldn't bare it if the two of you were to break up after so long of being married just because I was a lonely fool."

"You weren't the only lonely fool," Tom reminded her softly "and B'Elanna and I are not breaking up, we love each other, as you and Chakotay do."

"Oh" replied Kathryn as she gazed her wide blue eyes upon the younger couple "That's all right then." To which Chakotay laughed as he stroked his wife's back reassuringly.

"Are you and I ok?" B'Elanna asked her friend whom she hadn't seen in those past six months. "And believe me Kathryn I don't think your about to run off with my husband and I am ok with what happened between you all those years ago, it's like Chakotay said it was a different life, a different world."

Kathryn sat astounded by B'Elanna's words and could find anything to say in response. Tom laughed at the older woman's face expression as he stood before her and said "so do I get a hug from an old friend or not?"

Kathryn looked from Tom stood before where she sat with his arms spread out to receive a hug and then to her husband who reassuringly sat beside her urging her to hug the younger man. Then slowly her eyes fell on B'Elanna who was watching Kathryn with a slight amused expression on her face. Inside Kathryn still felt full of dread and fear and so it was with dread and uncertainty she stood to embrace the younger man whom she had once cheated on her husband with.

After she broke from the hug with Tom she smiled and said happily to both Tom and B'Elanna "it really is good to see you both again." As she sat to take her seat beside Chakotay she felt great relief and peace spread over her as she realised all things were going to be getting back to normal with her old friends Tom and B'Elanna.

Several hours past as the old friends relaxed in each other company, sharing stories of both on board Voyager and of times after Voyagers return. Jokes were shared and a lot of wine drunken. Kathryn was beginning to feel the effects and wasn't sure she was a young as she used to be when it came to evenings like this. Chakotay began to notice a visible drop in his wife's responses and coherent nature.

"Is she drunk?" Tom asked slightly worried, he had only brought two bottles of wine between all four of them; Kathryn still had a full glass meaning she had only drunk one glass of the fine red wine.

"No" replied Chakotay checking his watch "we should be off, it's late, she's just very exhausted, she tires much easier these days." He told them as he tried to awaken Kathryn's limp body from her sleep.

"Is she ok big man?" B'Elanna asked out of deep concern, as she looked closely at the now almost sleeping form of Kathryn Janeway, small and pale. It was then that B'Elanna saw for the first time how drawn and stretched the weary older woman was looking; frankly she was looking ill, very ill.

"I told you last time we met B'Elanna, she's not well." Chakotay said as he brushed the hair from his wife's face lovingly.

"How ill is not well?" Tom asked as he watched the way Chakotay was with Kathryn's delicate body.

"Truthfully?" Chakotay asked as he took Kathryn's limp hand in his firm copper brown hand.

"Truthfully" replied a very worried looking half klingon.

"Very ill." Sighed a heavy hearted Chakotay "but please don't ask me how or what because I don't know."

"You don't know?" asked Tom looking almost stunned "how can you not know what is causing your wife to become this ill?"

"This?" asked Chakotay shaking his head as he looked down at the sleeping form of his beautiful wife in his arms "this is nothing, this is her resting, though she does that more than being awake these days." Admitted Chakotay showing his old friends his worry for his wife.

"I don't understand?" questioned B'Elanna.

Chakotay lifted his head from looking at his wife to look into the stunned waiting eyes of the two younger people. B'Elanna sae the tears from in her dear friends eyes and it was then she knew to fear the worst, "she is dieing." Came Chakotay's cracked voice bringing what B'Elanna feared to her ears.

"Dieing?" questioned Tom, as he looked in horror at the older woman asleep and cradled in the arms of the man who loved her.

"What? How?" was all B'Elanna could force her self to say in horror. "How long have you known?"

"I don't know exactly what, but I think Kathryn does, but she wont say." Admitted Chakotay painfully. "How is Seven, when she tired to kill Kathryn she left a toxin in her blood."

"Have you known since then?" snapped B'Elanna.

Chakotay tightened his arm around Kathryn and gently brushed the hairs from her sleeping face as she lay on his chest "no I haven't" admitted Chakotay as he leaned down to plant a kiss on her sleeping head "she has."

"What?" gasped B'Elanna "I don't understand, if she knew how could you not?" accused the half klingon.

"A bit of a sore point, she didn't tell me." growled Chakotay still feeling the pain for that rejection "not at first anyway."

"But she has told you now?" asked Tom as he looked at the woman he admired so deeply.

"Seven told me, she didn't deny it." Chakotay told the horrified faces of his two dearest friends.

"But?" began B'Elanna "but how? I mean is there not a cure?"

"There is one" Chakotay admitted slowly "she told me there was none"

"She lied, about that?" Gasped Tom in horrified confusion.

"Yes" nodded Chakotay.

"Then how do you know of this cure?"

"The doctor told me, the morning of our wedding." At his words Chakotay found himself breaking down into tears. His heart broke, whatever way they chose now they were to face great pain. Tom and B'Elanna thought back to the morning of Chakotay's wedding to Kathryn and the argument that had ensued between the couple following Chakotay's conversation with the doctor.

Tom went over to Chakotay who still held the frail form of a sleeping Kathryn in his arms and placed a friendly supportive hand on his mates back "What is this cure?" Tom asked Chakotay.

"It's a hard one, one she didn't want me to know of." Admitted Chakotay sadly, do I have to respect that sit by and let her refuse to take it?

"But if there's a chance to-" insisted B'Elanna.

"The cure comes from her son." Chakotay cut across the half klingon sending the room into utter silence.

"Son?" Tom finally spluttered leaving Chakotay staring at the sleeping Kathryn wondering how much she would hate him if he said any more right then.

"Kathryn has no children." B'Elanna told him confused "she told me once she can't ever have children."

"No I don't believe those are the exact words she used. Kathryn Janeway has a son," Chakotay stated shaking his head at the half klingon "I know she would never deny the son she bore." Chakotay stated coolly as he met the shocked and confused eyes of their two friends "Kathryn can no longer have children, an injury she endured during the same shuttle accident which killed her father and then fiancé Justin."

"I knew that." Admitted Tom "I also know of her unborn child." He said sadly.

"What unborn child?" snapped B'Elanna "I am so confused, just wait go back to the son."

"Kathryn has an estranged son, she shared with me of him many years ago, before New Earth. It is not my story to tell; I don't even really know it to tell it. I fear Kathryn may hate me for telling you this much, please understand I confide this in you only people of the fact it can save Kathryn's life."

"But who, the father?" B'Elanna asked.

Chakotay's watery eyes looked at the beautiful Kathryn as she rested on his chest as he whispered, "As I said it is Kathryn's story to tell, and one she must face, for the cure comes from a transplant from her son, with out it she will die."

The End….

. For now….

Firstly happy July 4th independence day to all my readers in the USA!

Here in the UK it was a boring working day but I wish all my US reader's wonderful holidays!

Secondly thank you to all those who have read this story right to the end! (I know it was long! - sorry!) But Kathryn and Chakotay are now married and HAPPY!

As you see it is not quite the end of our story! …. That's because there is far more to come! This is the middle part in a trilogy to make a novel length epic!

So the order is this: -

1) One man's freedom fighter is another man's terrorist.

2) A love lost and loves sacrifice.

3) The beginning will be the end of all things. *Soon to be released watch this space! *

So watch out for the next instalment coming to soon! I will let all those following this story know it's out when it is.

I want to add a special thanks to all those who reviewed this story and kept me going especially towards the end when I was hit by some personal problems. All my reviews have been wonderful and I love you all for your help, support and input but I would like to especially thank Torimil for her ongoing support, ideas and above all encouragement, it truly has been invaluable for me during the writing of this!

So hope you all like these two stories and are looking forward to the adventure of finding a cure for Kathryn and all the painfully dark things that will involve for her in order to like the happy, free and loving marriage she has always wanted with Chakotay! She must learn to lean on him a little in her bad times! Plus I want to see more of his kids!

Forgive me it has turned into a novel!...

But look out for The beginning will be the end of all things, which is coming soon! ….

Reviews and private messages always welcome!