Writing History, Part 2
By Kate O'Riley
Disclaimer, etc. can be found on part 1.
Chakotay had refused a rank in Starfleet. Tom had become involved in starship design, putting his input in as to how to make ships fly easier. B'Elanna was involved in Starfleet's Engineering Department. Lieutenant Harry was as well, designing starships. The Doctor was heavily involved in Starfleet Medical, and Seven was involved in Starfleet defensive procedures. Tuvok had been healed, and was returning to Vulcan for several months. She herself had been offered a promotion to Admiral, but she had asked that it be delayed a few months, so she could get used to the idea. For now, she was going back home, back to Indiana, to a house down the road from her mother. Voyager was no longer home. She missed it. Missed it with all her heart, every second, every day. Why had she brought them back to Earth? In the Delta Quadrant, they were a family. They had a goal, to get home. Yes, times had been tough, but there had been good times as well. Ship's Talent Nights, parties in the holodeck that sometimes lasted days, champion pool tournaments.
Janeway was unused to being without her officers. Former officers, now. After seeing someone every day for seven years.it was odd. When her lighting fixture in her room broke down, she had automatically tried to tap a non-existent comm badge to call Engineering.
The reunion with her mother and sister had been one of the best times in her life. But it had also saddened her. Phoebe had changed so much, and her mother looked so much older. Kathryn couldn't help wondering if it was caused by Voyager having been lost.
She had let her hair return to its natural color, and was growing it back out again. She didn't understand, still, what prompted her to cut it and dye it in the first place.
Was that what made Chakotay go to Seven?
She shook her head. It was no use regretting the past. She had lost Chakotay. She had left him a message, but hadn't told him where she was going. He knew she lived in Indiana, and he could probably find the town, but that wasn't enough. There were a lot of places she could live. And for all he knew, she didn't even live in Indiana.
She had lost Chakotay, but she could be happy still.
Couldn't she?
=/\=
Chakotay stared in disbelief at the screen. A message from Kathryn had been left for him. He pressed the play button, even though he already knew what she had said. He'd watched it three times. But he still couldn't believe it.
"Chakotay," she said. It seemed like she was looking right at him. "I."she took a deep breath. "Admiral Janeway told me, that, in her timeline.you.you married.another crewmember aboard the ship. She said you had already begun seeing a woman aboard the ship, in our time."
Tears began streaming down Kathryn's face. "Chakotay, I want you to be happy. I'll tell you the truth. I've loved you for years. That's why.I'm taking an extended leave of absence. Please don't contact me. I don't think I could stand it."
She was sobbing now. "I love you Chakotay. I always will. Live-" she choked, "live long and prosper."
Chakotay sat back in disbelief. Kathryn felt that way? For him? It made him want to jump up and dance around from sheer joy. But another part of him also wanted to cry. She was obviously in so much pain.
Why had he ever so much as gone into the same room with Seven? Why? Why had he allowed himself to go on dates with her to the holodeck? To kiss her?
He would find Kathryn. He would find her and apologize. He would win her back.
=/\=
Kathryn carefully pulled her belongings out of the crate. Mostly, it was pictures she'd accumulated over the last few years, and the occasional alien artifact. Pictures of her crew, her adopted family. She hung them up one by one, on the wall of her living room.
All sorts of things came from the crate. Finally, it was emptied, and she moved on to the next one, full of her clothes.
The first thing she saw was a blue dress she'd worn on New Earth. Instantly, memories came flooding back. She'd been happy. Oh, she'd missed Voyager, but she had Chakotay. That made all the difference.
She pulled the dress out of the crate and held it to her tightly. Tears began to drop down her face, at first one by one, but then coming faster and faster until she was sobbing.
=/\=
"I need to know where she is!" Chakotay yelled at the lieutenant.
"I'm sorry, that's prohibited." The lieutenant refused to back down.
Chakotay swore and slammed his fist on the desk. He'd been trying to track Kathryn for a week. He had the idea she'd gone back to Indiana, but he didn't know where in Indiana.
He rubbed his head. "Thank you." He told the lieutenant through gritted teeth and left the building.
He was walking on the grounds of Starfleet Headquarters in a blind fury. Where was she? He had to find her, had to tell her the truth! He'd asked every single member of the crew. No one had any idea. She seemed to have disappeared.
He was so involved in his thoughts, he nearly ran into somebody. "Excuse me," he said automatically.
"Commander Chakotay!" the man said. "What are you doing here?"
Chakotay looked up with a start, "Admiral Paris." He said. An idea suddenly occurred to him. "Actually, sir, I'm here because I'm trying to find out Captain Janeway's location. I need to speak with her, and the lieutenant in there keeps saying he can't give me the information."
"Really?" the admiral said. "Well, why don't you come with me? I'm sure we can figure something out."
Chakotay couldn't help but allow himself a small smile.
You can run Kathryn, but you can't hide.
=/\=
Janeway heard the tones of the old fashioned doorbell. "Coming!" she called.
She had been in this house two weeks. She'd try to involve herself in projects, but she couldn't stay focused. She missed Chakotay too badly. It was like a physical pain, constantly keeping her attention. She'd cried every day. She kept telling herself time would heal it, but it hadn't done that. If anything, it got worse.
Why hadn't she told him she loved him years ago? Oh, she'd told herself she was afraid to lose him, if there was an accident, but this, this constant pain.how much worse could it have gotten?
She opened the door. "Chakotay!" she gasped. The blood drained from her face. She had to be imagining this. Every day, for the past two weeks, she'd dreamed of this. Now, surely her dreams had gotten out of control.
He took a breath. Finally! He had found her! "Kathryn."
She gave herself a mental shake. He was probably here to say he was going to marry Seven. She had never really regretted bringing Seven aboard Voyager, until she found out that he had been seeing her.
She couldn't bear it. She turned and fled from the doorway.
"Kathryn!" Chakotay sprinted in after her. He stopped right inside the door. Which way had she gone?
He picked a direction and walked into the living room. "Kathryn?" he asked softly. But catching a glimpse of some pictures on the wall distracted him.
They were pictures of the crew and Voyager. Pictures of Tom and B'Elanna the day she'd married them. A picture of Neelix in the mess hall. A picture of Harry playing clarinet on Talent Night. A picture of B'Elanna, when she'd gotten caught on the edge of a door to the Jefferies tube. A picture of the Doctor sorting instruments in Sickbay. Pictures of the senior staff together. He recognized some pictures she'd taken of Voyager and the Delta Flyer. He hadn't realized how many pictures she'd taken of plain, everyday life on Voyager.
But it was one section of the wall that really held his attention. The pictures were of him and Kathryn.
The two of them on New Earth. The two of them at Neelix's annual Prixin celebration. The two of them at the luau. Chakotay when he had fallen asleep on a shuttle mission. He blushed. He hadn't realized he drooled slightly while he slept. Good thing he hadn't gone with Tom. That picture would have been all over the ship before he'd have known it.
He took another second to notice there were no pictures of Seven, not individually, like there were for every other crew member. Odd.
He continued through the house until he heard a muffled sobbing behind a closed door. He softly turned the doorknob and looked in the room.
Kathryn laid on the bed, face down in some pillows. She was crying. He hesitantly took a step in. She didn't notice. He walked over to the bed and, when she still didn't hear him, softly stroked her hair. She tensed at his touch.
"Kathryn, please."
She sat up so fast he took a step back. "Please what?" she choked out. "Please let you break my heart again? Go marry Seven. I know you love her. Just leave me alone. I don't ever want to see you again." Her eyes were red, and tears stained her cheeks. This had been from more than the last few minutes.
"Kathryn."
"No! Go away! I never want to see you again!" she screamed.
He grabbed her shoulders and shook her hard. "Now you listen to me, Kathryn Janeway," he growled. "I haven't seen Seven in more than a month. We broke up right after Voyager got back to the Alpha Quadrant. You want to know why we broke up? Because she read my personal log. Where I said, multiple times, that I loved Kathryn Janeway and always would. And you know what? I didn't try to convince her it wasn't true. Because I had gone to find her, to break up. Because of the same reason. I love you Kathryn, I've loved you for years, and you've known it. The only reason I didn't marry you was because you kept saying you were the captain, you couldn't become attached."
She was silent. Only a few remaining, gasping sobs escaped her.
Chakotay sat down on the bed beside her. They were silent for several minutes.
"Chakotay." That one word told it all. He grabbed her and held her tight.
"That's why I tracked you down, Kathryn. I love you." He used the end of his shirt to dry her face off.
"I love you too." The words were whispered. But he heard them.
He heard them. That was what had mattered.
Part 3 coming soon.
Disclaimer, etc. can be found on part 1.
Chakotay had refused a rank in Starfleet. Tom had become involved in starship design, putting his input in as to how to make ships fly easier. B'Elanna was involved in Starfleet's Engineering Department. Lieutenant Harry was as well, designing starships. The Doctor was heavily involved in Starfleet Medical, and Seven was involved in Starfleet defensive procedures. Tuvok had been healed, and was returning to Vulcan for several months. She herself had been offered a promotion to Admiral, but she had asked that it be delayed a few months, so she could get used to the idea. For now, she was going back home, back to Indiana, to a house down the road from her mother. Voyager was no longer home. She missed it. Missed it with all her heart, every second, every day. Why had she brought them back to Earth? In the Delta Quadrant, they were a family. They had a goal, to get home. Yes, times had been tough, but there had been good times as well. Ship's Talent Nights, parties in the holodeck that sometimes lasted days, champion pool tournaments.
Janeway was unused to being without her officers. Former officers, now. After seeing someone every day for seven years.it was odd. When her lighting fixture in her room broke down, she had automatically tried to tap a non-existent comm badge to call Engineering.
The reunion with her mother and sister had been one of the best times in her life. But it had also saddened her. Phoebe had changed so much, and her mother looked so much older. Kathryn couldn't help wondering if it was caused by Voyager having been lost.
She had let her hair return to its natural color, and was growing it back out again. She didn't understand, still, what prompted her to cut it and dye it in the first place.
Was that what made Chakotay go to Seven?
She shook her head. It was no use regretting the past. She had lost Chakotay. She had left him a message, but hadn't told him where she was going. He knew she lived in Indiana, and he could probably find the town, but that wasn't enough. There were a lot of places she could live. And for all he knew, she didn't even live in Indiana.
She had lost Chakotay, but she could be happy still.
Couldn't she?
=/\=
Chakotay stared in disbelief at the screen. A message from Kathryn had been left for him. He pressed the play button, even though he already knew what she had said. He'd watched it three times. But he still couldn't believe it.
"Chakotay," she said. It seemed like she was looking right at him. "I."she took a deep breath. "Admiral Janeway told me, that, in her timeline.you.you married.another crewmember aboard the ship. She said you had already begun seeing a woman aboard the ship, in our time."
Tears began streaming down Kathryn's face. "Chakotay, I want you to be happy. I'll tell you the truth. I've loved you for years. That's why.I'm taking an extended leave of absence. Please don't contact me. I don't think I could stand it."
She was sobbing now. "I love you Chakotay. I always will. Live-" she choked, "live long and prosper."
Chakotay sat back in disbelief. Kathryn felt that way? For him? It made him want to jump up and dance around from sheer joy. But another part of him also wanted to cry. She was obviously in so much pain.
Why had he ever so much as gone into the same room with Seven? Why? Why had he allowed himself to go on dates with her to the holodeck? To kiss her?
He would find Kathryn. He would find her and apologize. He would win her back.
=/\=
Kathryn carefully pulled her belongings out of the crate. Mostly, it was pictures she'd accumulated over the last few years, and the occasional alien artifact. Pictures of her crew, her adopted family. She hung them up one by one, on the wall of her living room.
All sorts of things came from the crate. Finally, it was emptied, and she moved on to the next one, full of her clothes.
The first thing she saw was a blue dress she'd worn on New Earth. Instantly, memories came flooding back. She'd been happy. Oh, she'd missed Voyager, but she had Chakotay. That made all the difference.
She pulled the dress out of the crate and held it to her tightly. Tears began to drop down her face, at first one by one, but then coming faster and faster until she was sobbing.
=/\=
"I need to know where she is!" Chakotay yelled at the lieutenant.
"I'm sorry, that's prohibited." The lieutenant refused to back down.
Chakotay swore and slammed his fist on the desk. He'd been trying to track Kathryn for a week. He had the idea she'd gone back to Indiana, but he didn't know where in Indiana.
He rubbed his head. "Thank you." He told the lieutenant through gritted teeth and left the building.
He was walking on the grounds of Starfleet Headquarters in a blind fury. Where was she? He had to find her, had to tell her the truth! He'd asked every single member of the crew. No one had any idea. She seemed to have disappeared.
He was so involved in his thoughts, he nearly ran into somebody. "Excuse me," he said automatically.
"Commander Chakotay!" the man said. "What are you doing here?"
Chakotay looked up with a start, "Admiral Paris." He said. An idea suddenly occurred to him. "Actually, sir, I'm here because I'm trying to find out Captain Janeway's location. I need to speak with her, and the lieutenant in there keeps saying he can't give me the information."
"Really?" the admiral said. "Well, why don't you come with me? I'm sure we can figure something out."
Chakotay couldn't help but allow himself a small smile.
You can run Kathryn, but you can't hide.
=/\=
Janeway heard the tones of the old fashioned doorbell. "Coming!" she called.
She had been in this house two weeks. She'd try to involve herself in projects, but she couldn't stay focused. She missed Chakotay too badly. It was like a physical pain, constantly keeping her attention. She'd cried every day. She kept telling herself time would heal it, but it hadn't done that. If anything, it got worse.
Why hadn't she told him she loved him years ago? Oh, she'd told herself she was afraid to lose him, if there was an accident, but this, this constant pain.how much worse could it have gotten?
She opened the door. "Chakotay!" she gasped. The blood drained from her face. She had to be imagining this. Every day, for the past two weeks, she'd dreamed of this. Now, surely her dreams had gotten out of control.
He took a breath. Finally! He had found her! "Kathryn."
She gave herself a mental shake. He was probably here to say he was going to marry Seven. She had never really regretted bringing Seven aboard Voyager, until she found out that he had been seeing her.
She couldn't bear it. She turned and fled from the doorway.
"Kathryn!" Chakotay sprinted in after her. He stopped right inside the door. Which way had she gone?
He picked a direction and walked into the living room. "Kathryn?" he asked softly. But catching a glimpse of some pictures on the wall distracted him.
They were pictures of the crew and Voyager. Pictures of Tom and B'Elanna the day she'd married them. A picture of Neelix in the mess hall. A picture of Harry playing clarinet on Talent Night. A picture of B'Elanna, when she'd gotten caught on the edge of a door to the Jefferies tube. A picture of the Doctor sorting instruments in Sickbay. Pictures of the senior staff together. He recognized some pictures she'd taken of Voyager and the Delta Flyer. He hadn't realized how many pictures she'd taken of plain, everyday life on Voyager.
But it was one section of the wall that really held his attention. The pictures were of him and Kathryn.
The two of them on New Earth. The two of them at Neelix's annual Prixin celebration. The two of them at the luau. Chakotay when he had fallen asleep on a shuttle mission. He blushed. He hadn't realized he drooled slightly while he slept. Good thing he hadn't gone with Tom. That picture would have been all over the ship before he'd have known it.
He took another second to notice there were no pictures of Seven, not individually, like there were for every other crew member. Odd.
He continued through the house until he heard a muffled sobbing behind a closed door. He softly turned the doorknob and looked in the room.
Kathryn laid on the bed, face down in some pillows. She was crying. He hesitantly took a step in. She didn't notice. He walked over to the bed and, when she still didn't hear him, softly stroked her hair. She tensed at his touch.
"Kathryn, please."
She sat up so fast he took a step back. "Please what?" she choked out. "Please let you break my heart again? Go marry Seven. I know you love her. Just leave me alone. I don't ever want to see you again." Her eyes were red, and tears stained her cheeks. This had been from more than the last few minutes.
"Kathryn."
"No! Go away! I never want to see you again!" she screamed.
He grabbed her shoulders and shook her hard. "Now you listen to me, Kathryn Janeway," he growled. "I haven't seen Seven in more than a month. We broke up right after Voyager got back to the Alpha Quadrant. You want to know why we broke up? Because she read my personal log. Where I said, multiple times, that I loved Kathryn Janeway and always would. And you know what? I didn't try to convince her it wasn't true. Because I had gone to find her, to break up. Because of the same reason. I love you Kathryn, I've loved you for years, and you've known it. The only reason I didn't marry you was because you kept saying you were the captain, you couldn't become attached."
She was silent. Only a few remaining, gasping sobs escaped her.
Chakotay sat down on the bed beside her. They were silent for several minutes.
"Chakotay." That one word told it all. He grabbed her and held her tight.
"That's why I tracked you down, Kathryn. I love you." He used the end of his shirt to dry her face off.
"I love you too." The words were whispered. But he heard them.
He heard them. That was what had mattered.
Part 3 coming soon.