A/N: I know it's been along time since I updated this, but I finally got
the inspiration to finish it. I should have the rest of it done soon, but
here is a short chapter to tide you over.
"Come." Chakotay didn't even look up as he responded to the door chime.
"What the hell are you doing!" The enraged voice of Tom Paris could be heard even before the doors had full opened.
The commander looked up in surprise, "Excuse me?"
"You're marrying her?"
Chakotay sighed as he set down his PADD. He and Kathryn had not yet officially announced their engagement but apparently the rumors were already making their rounds. He had assumed that someone on the ship would have a problem with their relationship but he had expected that person to be the captain not the helmsman. "And you have a problem with this because."
"What about the captain"
Chakotay shifted uncomfortably on his couch and fixed his gaze on the ground. With a voice carefully devoid of emotion he asked, "What about her?"
"How could you do this to her. How could you hurt her like this, your suppose to be her friend." Tom was pacing the length of Chakotay's quarters.
"Tom."
But the agitated lieutenant wouldn't listen, "How could you? You're slime, you're."
Tom let out a string of insults that swirled and ran together in Chakotay's mind until he couldn't tell one from the other. Under any other circumstances he would have thrown Tom in the brig or threatened to bust him down to crewman, but at the moment he felt that he deserved every one of those insults. Even so he tried to defend himself "I love Kathryn and she loves me."
"But you don't love that captain?"
Tom's words stopped Chakotay's dead. He struggle to continue, "I. she. that doesn't matter anymore."
Tom stopped suddenly in front of Chakotay, "That's where you're wrong, it does matter and if you can't see that, then you must be blind."
Chakotay slouched suddenly and began to talk softly as if he was talking to himself, "Kathryn , said that the Captain would be happy for us, that she would want me to be happy."
"and she does, but you can't keep going on as if you don't feel any thing for her and that she doesn't feel anything for you. Even after all that has happened, you're still her best friend. You have to talk to her about this." He paused, waiting for Chakotay to acknowledge this but he didn't.
Chakotay made the promise, but it was a promise that he didn't keep. He wanted to, he tried to. He lost count of the number of times that found himself standing outside the captain's quarters or her ready room, with every intention of going in and having that talk with her. But every time he lost his nerve.
"Come." Chakotay didn't even look up as he responded to the door chime.
"What the hell are you doing!" The enraged voice of Tom Paris could be heard even before the doors had full opened.
The commander looked up in surprise, "Excuse me?"
"You're marrying her?"
Chakotay sighed as he set down his PADD. He and Kathryn had not yet officially announced their engagement but apparently the rumors were already making their rounds. He had assumed that someone on the ship would have a problem with their relationship but he had expected that person to be the captain not the helmsman. "And you have a problem with this because."
"What about the captain"
Chakotay shifted uncomfortably on his couch and fixed his gaze on the ground. With a voice carefully devoid of emotion he asked, "What about her?"
"How could you do this to her. How could you hurt her like this, your suppose to be her friend." Tom was pacing the length of Chakotay's quarters.
"Tom."
But the agitated lieutenant wouldn't listen, "How could you? You're slime, you're."
Tom let out a string of insults that swirled and ran together in Chakotay's mind until he couldn't tell one from the other. Under any other circumstances he would have thrown Tom in the brig or threatened to bust him down to crewman, but at the moment he felt that he deserved every one of those insults. Even so he tried to defend himself "I love Kathryn and she loves me."
"But you don't love that captain?"
Tom's words stopped Chakotay's dead. He struggle to continue, "I. she. that doesn't matter anymore."
Tom stopped suddenly in front of Chakotay, "That's where you're wrong, it does matter and if you can't see that, then you must be blind."
Chakotay slouched suddenly and began to talk softly as if he was talking to himself, "Kathryn , said that the Captain would be happy for us, that she would want me to be happy."
"and she does, but you can't keep going on as if you don't feel any thing for her and that she doesn't feel anything for you. Even after all that has happened, you're still her best friend. You have to talk to her about this." He paused, waiting for Chakotay to acknowledge this but he didn't.
Chakotay made the promise, but it was a promise that he didn't keep. He wanted to, he tried to. He lost count of the number of times that found himself standing outside the captain's quarters or her ready room, with every intention of going in and having that talk with her. But every time he lost his nerve.