Usual Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek Voyager or anything associated with it, Paramount does!

Author's Note: I found these stored away, handwritten in a notebook from when I had just finished re-watching Voyager. They are a few of my favorite scenes from the show between the Captain and members of her crew, written from the character's perspectives. No plagiarism is intended; I just wanted to share my snippets and let you enjoy them if you want to! I'll post whenever I get time to type one up. Thank you, and please review!

A Captain's Heart

From: "Thirty Days"

Tom

"Lieutenant Thomas Eugene Paris, you are guilty of insubordination, unauthorized use of a spacecraft, reckless endangerment, and conduct unbecoming an officer. Do you have anything to say?"

"Rega needed my help."

"In doing so, you disobeyed my direct orders," she shot back.

"Yes ma'am," he agreed.

He heard the smoldering fire in his Captain's voice as she continued, "You violated the protocols that govern this crew."

"Yes ma'am," he affirmed loudly and clearly.

"You nearly caused an armed conflict with the Moneans, and frankly, you're lucky to be standing here right now," she argued. Her voice dropped in what he might have mistaken for fear if he hadn't been so certain of her anger. She added, "I would have destroyed your shuttle if necessary."

At this last sentence, he met her unwavering gaze, the one that seemed to burn a hole in his heart. Despite the fact that she was a full head shorter than he was, she still held a steady command presence. She was his fearless captain, but it was indeed fear that he caught a glimpse of. A millisecond later, the disappointment he saw fill her eyes was enough to make sadness flash in his own before he tore his eyes away again to focus on the wall. Subdued, he answered softly, "Yes, ma'am."

The memory of her voice echoed in his mind.

Lieutenant Paris, this is your last warning.

And yet, she had tried again.

Stand down, Mr. Paris, or I will open fire.

He had ignored her.

Now, he kept staring at the wall, willing it to give him the strength he needed to defend himself against that hurt look in his Captain's face. He asked, "Permission to speak freely." He glanced back down just long enough to catch her nod briskly.

Kathryn

She watched as Tom softened his rigid stance. Clear blue eyes met her own deep blue ones, and she saw such deep conviction flood them. He said, "Rega's people weren't going to listen. They were going to ignore our warnings."

Her voice low and firm, she said, "You don't know that."

"Rega knew! And I was the only one who could help them," Tom insisted. She had seen the same determination burn in him during the meeting with the Moneans. She seen the signs. She had known all along that he would do something like this, hadn't she? Was there any way she could have prevented this?

The memories flashed in her mind again.

Captain, this is Tom we're talking about. We're not going to open fire, are we?

As far as I'm concerned, he forfeited his status as a protected member of this crew the second he launched that shuttle.

Harry Kim's horrified expression had ripped something apart deep inside her, something that still had not healed. She knew that Tom was always going to be a member of the family her crew had built. Her fear of losing one of her own was enough to crush her on its own, but to have to be responsible for it…

Arm the torpedo.

Her whole body had been trembling as she stared steadily at the blue waters on the viewscreen, silently willing Tom to turn back, silently begging him not to force her hand.

Stand down, Mr. Paris, or I will fire.

The clock had counted down. He had not answered her. Torn, she had done it.

Fire.

She flinched unnoticeably and was pulled back to the present. She refocused on the man who stood before her now, safe and sound, but still partially estranged from the family by protocol. She wanted to cry or scream or tear up the proper procedures into unreadable pieces. But she didn't. She couldn't.

"I understand your passion," she answered quietly. "But passion alone doesn't give you the right to take matters into your own hands. Four years ago, I released you from prison and gave you a fresh start." She watched with a sad, almost motherly expression as he lowered his head to look briefly at the deck in shame. She continued, "Until now, you've been a fine officer. Your service on this ship has been exemplary. I really believed you were past this kind of conduct."

Tom took a deep breath. "I've never been very good at playing by the rules. That doesn't mean that serving under your command hasn't changed me – for the better. At least this time, I broke the rules for a reason, for something I believed in."

His raw, honest admission and his heartfelt plea were almost too much to bear. She heard her own grief reflected in her low voice, and she fought to keep it steady. "I admire your principles, Tom," she replied resolutely. "But I can't ignore what you've done."

She stripped one of the pips on his collar off. Her command voice returned.

"I hereby reduce you to the rank of Ensign, and I sentence you to thirty days' solitary confinement."