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The Changing of Minds

Part III

"Janeway here," Kathryn heard her voice reply.

She winced inwardly. 'Wonderful. I'm talking to myself. Literally. What a novelty.'

"Hello?" she heard her voice again, prompting her out of her reverie.

"Yes, Captain?" Kathryn called awkwardly. "I was wondering—are you feeling all right?"

*

Next door, Chakotay was perplexed. Should he tell whomever he was talking to the truth, or just keep playing along?

"Actually," he began speaking again, "I'm not feeling that well. Why do you ask?"

Yes, that was an able strategy. Maybe he could find out what was going on without compromising his situation.

*

Kathryn finally had a lead. The alleged captain had said she wasn't feeling well—this was very uncharacteristic behavior for Janeway. She knew she would never admit to anyone, even Chakotay, if she were feeling under the weather. Now, all she had to do was ascertain who she was really talking to. Conversing over the com was not getting her anywhere fast; she had to meet the "captain" face to face.

"Umm—no reason, Captain," she responded belatedly. She was silent for a moment, unsure of what to say.

Her and Chakotay's scheduled breakfast together popped into her mind. Perfect!

"I was just wondering if you'd agree to have breakfast in my quarters instead of the mess hall. There's a matter of some urgency that I wish to discuss with you."

*

'A matter of some urgency?' Chakotay repeated in his head. 'I wonder…'

He quickly decided to go to breakfast. It was better than sitting there speculating.

"Alright—Chakotay," he quickly added. "0800 still?"

"Yes," was the reply, voiced in a clipped tone.

"Okay then, Cha—Janeway out." Chakotay quickly ended the conversation. It was more than a little difficult to remember he had temporarily assumed the captain's identity. And in less than half an hour, he had to go have breakfast with himself. He'd better have pulled it together by then—if he couldn't find answers to his questions soon… The consequences were too morbid to think about.

********

30 minutes. 30 minutes before she'd stand face to face with herself. How to prepare? Oh yes, a sonic shower would be nice. Help Kathryn clear the cobwebs out of her mind. But wait—she wouldn't be cleaning herself. She'd be cleaning—Chakotay.

A dozen R-rated thoughts flitted through her head, teasing her as spitefully as children. 'Kathryn!' she warned herself mentally. 'None of that. You have to keep your cool at a time like this.'

Her devilish side snorted at her. 'Right, Kathryn. Being at liberty to see Chakotay without a bit of clothing on is an opportunity you're going to pass up? I don't think so.'

The sides of her mouth tugged up into a smirk. It would be—enjoyable—to see Chakotay's body. But, would that be right? No, not really. It would be violating her first officer's privacy! Just a tiny peek wouldn't hurt though, would it?

She sighed. No, she wouldn't give into temptation. But she swore, one day, her damned morals would be the end of her!

********

Arriving a minute early at the door to his quarters, Chakotay stopped before ringing the chime to muse over his hasty preparations for this important meeting. He'd had quite a time trying to get "himself" dressed and ready to go! He knew he had to pretend he was Captain Janeway, and thus, needed her appearance to look as close to normal as possible. Chakotay couldn't, however, deal with blow-drying Kathryn's hair after the quick shower (and the shower was a revelation for Chakotay in and of itself!). Nor could he apply any makeup, save a touch of lipstick. Even that looked horrible. About the only thing he put on right, or so he believed, was the uniform. This was something he was used to—the size was smaller and the insignia of a higher rank were different, but those were things he could accustom himself to. Nothing hard about wearing a captain's pips, after all.

Chakotay summoned up his courage, and pressed the chime.

He waited.

He waited some more.

Finally, as he was about to press the button again, the doors pulled open. Standing there, as he had expected though really couldn't believe, was himself. No training at Starfleet Academy could ever prepare a future officer for an experience like this.

********

Kathryn had heard the chime ring a while ago. However she still stood on the other side of the doors to Chakotay's quarters, unable to bring herself to utter a word. She knew she had to let "herself" in; her voice just wasn't being at all cooperative.

Her hands were working, though, and a brilliant idea suddenly came to her. Use the panel by the side of the door to open it! 'Wow, Kathryn,' she congratulated herself sarcastically. 'Can't believe you thought of that.'

Shaking her head, Kathryn reached out with Chakotay's hand to open the door. It slid open automatically, and appearing in front of her was… herself.

Kathryn had planned to say something intelligent when she greeted her visitor, but all that came out of her mouth was a strangled groan.

Her guest chuckled, apprehension temporarily subsided. "My sentiments exactly," he affirmed to Kathryn.

Hearing her voice was like a splash of cold water; Janeway quickly regained her senses. "Oh, I'm sorry! Please come in—Captain."

"Thank you," Chakotay replied, stepping into his quarters. Inadvertently he added, "It's nice to be home."

He quickly realized his error.

"I mean—your quarters is like home to me, Chakotay. I spend a lot of time here, after all…" he trailed off quietly. 'Dumb, dumb, dumb mistake!' he chastised himself.

Kathryn raised an eyebrow at the obvious faux pas. Did this mean what she thought it meant, though? Was Chakotay in her body? Just ask him, Kathryn! This beating around the bush is ridiculous!

"Captain," she began forthrightly. "This may seem absurd, hell, it may seem impossible. But what I need to discuss with you, is, to me, utterly real."

Chakotay's attention was caught. "What's wrong, Commander?" he asked.

"Well, it seems—I am not who you think I am." Kathryn paused, unsure of how to continue.

Her companion, sensing Kathryn's uncertainty, endeavored to help her out. "Who are you, then?" he asked quietly, confident in the answer he was going to hear.

Kathryn looked into her piercing eyes, steadily encouraging her to go on. The look was not her own—it reminded her distinctly of Chakotay, and it gave her courage. She continued, now more bold and sure, "I am Kathryn Janeway. Although I look and sound like Chakotay, I am not him. Now—who are you?"

Chakotay felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders. He knew it was Kathryn—the gung-ho tone in the voice left no question about it. It was easy for him to answer her question. "I am Chakotay, not you, Kathryn. Don't be misled by my appearance. Although, I must admit, I look a good deal prettier than usual!"

Chakotay's revelation, added to his attempt at lightening the mood, lifted Kathryn's spirits immeasurably. Now that she knew Chakotay wasn't gone, and that she wasn't insane, her resolve returned in full strength. It was just a matter of time before things were back to normal again.

"I'm so happy it's you, Chakotay," Kathryn confessed softly. "I was afraid you were gone."

He smiled gently. "I'm here Kathryn. And now that we know who we are, things will be infinitely easier. We'll figure out how to solve this. The whole crew can help. The Doctor, B'Elanna--"

A bright light flashed in the middle of the room, halting Chakotay's words.

A being appeared with the light, and the command team looked on in disbelief.

"Q!" Kathryn snapped angrily. "What the hell is going on?"

_____________

To be continued… (I promise I'll update as soon as I can, but I won't have access to a computer for at least a week. I am very sorry for the delay!)