The Captain and Kathryn: Chapter Three
"Captain's Log: Supplemental
It has been three months since the transporter accident that created my duplicate, Kathryn. She has adjusted well to her roll as my science officer and her performance has been exemplary. The crew has also adjusted well to her…"
Captain Janeway's train of thought was interrupted by the sound of female laughter drifting through the wall that separated her quarters from Chakotay's.
"…presence. Computer: end log." The captain stood and began to pace the room, these walls are suppose to be sound proof," she muttered, trying to concentrate on the report that she held in her hand. Once again Kathryn's laughter penetrated the wall and her newly found concentration was broken again. She sighed and dropped her report onto her desk. She moved over to the replicater. "Coffee, black." She ordered. When the computer complied, she took a sip of the dark liquid and came to the decision that she wasn't going to get any work done as long as she was in her quarters. She gathered her PADDs and, taking her coffee with her, headed to the messhall.
*
"Did you hear anything?" Chakotay asked.
"No."
"I thought I heard the captain's door."
Kathryn shrugged her shoulders slightly and smiled at the man she loved who shifted uneasily on the couch next to her,. "Chakotay are you all right?"
For a moment he didn't say anything, he just looked at the wall that separated his quarters from the captain's. "Yes. No. I guess I'm felling a little guilty."
"Oh Chakotay," she said placing her hand on his forearm,
"It's just that for the past few months I've practically been ignoring her. I'm her best friend, but I'm afraid I haven't been a very good one lately."
"I know her, Chakotay. I know she misses you but that she wants you to be happy, even if it's not with her. I know that she doesn't want you to feel guilty, she feels guilty enough for the both of you."
"Why?"
"For pushing you away all these years."
Chakotay thought on this for a few moments, "are you sure?"
"I'm positive, she will be happy for us. Let's tell her!"
"What, now?"
"Yes, now." Kathryn said, standing and tugging on Chakotay's arm.
"But she's not in her quarters now," he said, chuckling.
"How do you know?"
"I heard her doors, she left."
"You know us too well," she said shaking her head, "I'm going the check just incase. Computer: where is Captain Janeway.
"Captain Janeway is in the Messhall."
"Hmm… you were right."
"Well we can tell her tomorrow, in her ready room."
"That depends, who do you want to tell first our captain or our friend?"
"Our friend," he smiled.
"Then we'll tell her tonight. Computer: notify us when Captain Janeway reenters her quarters."
*
"Elizabeth?"
"What are you doing her Tom?"
"Looking for you, I needed to give you this report and the computer said you were in the messhall, so, here I am." He sat down hard on the couch next to her and handed her his PADD.
She looked at it for a moment and then said, "not that I'm suspicious of you motives or anything, Tom, but this could have waited until morning."
"OK, so I'm checking up on you. What are you doing here?"
"I had to get out of my quarters, she was in Chakotay's with him."
"I see…"
"I'm losing him, Tom. We never have dinner together anymore, he hasn't called me anything but 'Captain' since it happened. I hardly ever see him off duty anymore and when I do, he's with her. I lost him, Tom." She paused for a moment and turned away form Tom, as, against her will, tears were forming in her eyes. "And the horribly ironic thing is that … I lost him to myself, to the me that … he wanted me to be … to the me that I had the potential to be … to the me…"
"To the you that you couldn't be. He knows that, he would have waited for you."
She laughed bitterly, "Yeah, well now he doesn't have to, he has her."
Tom wanted to take her in to his arms and tell her that everything would be all right, but he knew he couldn't. Although she was his friend, she was still the captain, so instead he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and sat with her in the dark of the abandon messhall.
*
When the Captain finally returned to her quarters, she collapsed on the couch, with every intention of sleeping there, still in her uniform, she really didn't care. It was only a moment before her door chimed. She sighed deeply, sat up and smoothed out her uniform.
"Come in." she tried to think of who it would be. It could be Tom, stopping by to make sure that she didn't do what she had been about to do, or it could be… "Chakotay, Kathryn, how are you this evening." She said putting on her diplomatic captain's smile.
"We're fine, Elizabeth. We have something we want to tell you." Kathryn said giving the captain a genuine smile.
"Have a seat," the Captain said, motioning to the couch, as she sat down in the adjacent chair.
Chakotay looked a little nervous as he sat down next to Kathryn and put his arm around her, "Captain," he began, taking a deep breath, "Kathryn and I would like to get married."
To be continued…
"Captain's Log: Supplemental
It has been three months since the transporter accident that created my duplicate, Kathryn. She has adjusted well to her roll as my science officer and her performance has been exemplary. The crew has also adjusted well to her…"
Captain Janeway's train of thought was interrupted by the sound of female laughter drifting through the wall that separated her quarters from Chakotay's.
"…presence. Computer: end log." The captain stood and began to pace the room, these walls are suppose to be sound proof," she muttered, trying to concentrate on the report that she held in her hand. Once again Kathryn's laughter penetrated the wall and her newly found concentration was broken again. She sighed and dropped her report onto her desk. She moved over to the replicater. "Coffee, black." She ordered. When the computer complied, she took a sip of the dark liquid and came to the decision that she wasn't going to get any work done as long as she was in her quarters. She gathered her PADDs and, taking her coffee with her, headed to the messhall.
*
"Did you hear anything?" Chakotay asked.
"No."
"I thought I heard the captain's door."
Kathryn shrugged her shoulders slightly and smiled at the man she loved who shifted uneasily on the couch next to her,. "Chakotay are you all right?"
For a moment he didn't say anything, he just looked at the wall that separated his quarters from the captain's. "Yes. No. I guess I'm felling a little guilty."
"Oh Chakotay," she said placing her hand on his forearm,
"It's just that for the past few months I've practically been ignoring her. I'm her best friend, but I'm afraid I haven't been a very good one lately."
"I know her, Chakotay. I know she misses you but that she wants you to be happy, even if it's not with her. I know that she doesn't want you to feel guilty, she feels guilty enough for the both of you."
"Why?"
"For pushing you away all these years."
Chakotay thought on this for a few moments, "are you sure?"
"I'm positive, she will be happy for us. Let's tell her!"
"What, now?"
"Yes, now." Kathryn said, standing and tugging on Chakotay's arm.
"But she's not in her quarters now," he said, chuckling.
"How do you know?"
"I heard her doors, she left."
"You know us too well," she said shaking her head, "I'm going the check just incase. Computer: where is Captain Janeway.
"Captain Janeway is in the Messhall."
"Hmm… you were right."
"Well we can tell her tomorrow, in her ready room."
"That depends, who do you want to tell first our captain or our friend?"
"Our friend," he smiled.
"Then we'll tell her tonight. Computer: notify us when Captain Janeway reenters her quarters."
*
"Elizabeth?"
"What are you doing her Tom?"
"Looking for you, I needed to give you this report and the computer said you were in the messhall, so, here I am." He sat down hard on the couch next to her and handed her his PADD.
She looked at it for a moment and then said, "not that I'm suspicious of you motives or anything, Tom, but this could have waited until morning."
"OK, so I'm checking up on you. What are you doing here?"
"I had to get out of my quarters, she was in Chakotay's with him."
"I see…"
"I'm losing him, Tom. We never have dinner together anymore, he hasn't called me anything but 'Captain' since it happened. I hardly ever see him off duty anymore and when I do, he's with her. I lost him, Tom." She paused for a moment and turned away form Tom, as, against her will, tears were forming in her eyes. "And the horribly ironic thing is that … I lost him to myself, to the me that … he wanted me to be … to the me that I had the potential to be … to the me…"
"To the you that you couldn't be. He knows that, he would have waited for you."
She laughed bitterly, "Yeah, well now he doesn't have to, he has her."
Tom wanted to take her in to his arms and tell her that everything would be all right, but he knew he couldn't. Although she was his friend, she was still the captain, so instead he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and sat with her in the dark of the abandon messhall.
*
When the Captain finally returned to her quarters, she collapsed on the couch, with every intention of sleeping there, still in her uniform, she really didn't care. It was only a moment before her door chimed. She sighed deeply, sat up and smoothed out her uniform.
"Come in." she tried to think of who it would be. It could be Tom, stopping by to make sure that she didn't do what she had been about to do, or it could be… "Chakotay, Kathryn, how are you this evening." She said putting on her diplomatic captain's smile.
"We're fine, Elizabeth. We have something we want to tell you." Kathryn said giving the captain a genuine smile.
"Have a seat," the Captain said, motioning to the couch, as she sat down in the adjacent chair.
Chakotay looked a little nervous as he sat down next to Kathryn and put his arm around her, "Captain," he began, taking a deep breath, "Kathryn and I would like to get married."
To be continued…