Disclaimer: Voyager and all of its characters belong to Paramount
Author's notes: The story is coming along a little slower than I thought it would. Please review, if you don't, I don't know if anyone is actually reading this anymore.
Songs of a life
Ch. 5 Wishful thinking
Piles of performance reports and B'Elanna's warp analysis's were scattered across her desk. Auburn hair fell into her view; she brushed the stray hairs behind her ear and continued reading. Fatigue threatened to interfere with her concentration. She was on her third cup of coffee but her constant consumption over the years had worn the affect of the caffeine. She needed sleep but refused to rest until her work was caught up.
*Maybe some music will keep me awake *
"Computer play Janeway-Alpha-12"
The bleak atmosphere was broken by a symphony of illusive sound. Kathryn walked to the window and took a moment to relax in the ease of the music before she dove into another report. She ran her fingers through her hair and rubbed her groggy eyes. She had begun to hum the melody of the song when she felt a hand fall softly on her shoulder. She turned to be greeted by Chakotay.
"Well what do I owe this impromptu visit to?"
"Can't I drop by to tell my wife hello and that I love her."
"How romantic of you, but what did you really come for?"
"Oh, you don't believe me"
Chakotay entangled his arms around her waist and spun her into a deep kiss. She refused to let the moment pass but sooner or later she would have to breath. Chakotay tucked a piece of stray hair behind her ear, as he often did.
"I should have never doubted you." She barley got the words out before she laughed.
"What's got you so occupied these days?"
"Report after report after report. Almost all systems are at peak efficiency but there was a slight problem with the manifold packs yesterday afternoon. They wouldn't hold a charge and the warp core was threatening to de-stabilize."
"Sounds like more that a slight problem to me. What was the culprit?"
"B'Elanna said the source was undetectable. Which worries me but she has been monitoring the core for almost 24 hours and there hasn't been a single problem. I'd like to say that was just a random fluke and nothing further will come of it but my gut tells me otherwise. I'm going to have Harry run a full Ops scan and work with B'Elanna a little more in depth. If the source is still undetectable, we'll have to continue on, business as usual."
"Sounds like they have there work cut out for them. Well if the Captain isn't too busy, I would love to invite her to a private dinner on the holodeck, say 1900 hours."
"I'll relay the message to her." Kathryn smiled and gave Chakotay a wink as he exited towards the bridge. She tapped her comm. badge.
"Janeway to Torres"
"Go ahead, Captain"
"I'm going to have Harry do a full Ops scan and I need you to oversee it and catch the specifics. If you don't find anything continue with normal protocol"
"Yes, Ma'am. I'm on my way."
Kathryn left her ready room to meet B'Elanna and Harry on the bridge. No doubt this would be interesting if they did come across anything.
* * * *
"I can't believe we didn't find a single thing, not even a proton out of place" Harry's youthful voice conveyed a mild wine.
"It's all for the better, Ensign. I'll take peace and quite over turmoil and danger any day, well almost any day." Kathryn smiled at the Ensign. They had spent almost four hours doing full-scale scans and nothing out of the ordinary had come up. She was off duty in ten minutes and was looking forward to a quiet dinner with her husband but there was still something about this whole ordeal that didn't sit well with her.
"Harry I still think there is something we are overlooking. There's nothing more we can do to scan for it but keep your eyes open."
"Yes, Captain"
Kathryn exited the bridge and made her way to her and Chakotay's quarters to change for dinner. The door swished open and she went automatically to her closet. She retrieved a red dancing dress. It resembled a salsa dress but was slightly more elegant. The straps here thin and crisscrossed in the back. The dress's fabric was silk like and fell in waves that swayed with her every step. Kathryn dressed and arranged her hair in a simply beret that allowed her shoulder length hair to flow freely.
"Computer transport to holodeck one"
She would have walked but the sight of her in a salsa dress was not one she wanted her crew seeing. She rematerialized in a restaurant. The room had a dark and warm ambiance. There were small round tables scattered throughout the room and a designated dance floor accompanied them to the right. Kathryn took a moment to search for Chakotay. She found him seated at a table near a window. The table was seat with a bushel of roses as the centerpiece.
"Kathryn, you look amazing" He's speech slowed and he was truly taken aback by her appearance.
"Thank you." Her cheeks began to blush and she couldn't even find the words to tell him that he looked stunning as well.
Chakotay took her hand and lead her to her seat. The waiter immediately arrived at the table to take their drink orders.
"We'll have a bottle of your finest wine." Chakotay spoke with assurance that the restaurant's finest was exactly what he was looking for.
The night passed both slowly and rapidly. The whole evening was perfect from both standpoints but Chakotay knew that he had to get to the real reason for the impromptu dinner. He collected his breath. He touched Kathryn's hand to get her attention and silently prayed she wouldn't ignore the subject like she had before.
"Kathryn, I want to talk to you about something"
"Alright"
"I really want you to consider surrogacy as a means for us to have a child."
"Chakotay this is not the time or place."
"Then lets leave and discuss this in private."
"Why are you pushing this?" She began to raise her voice. She quickly returned to a whisper, when she relieved people had begun to stare.
"Why does this bother you so much?"
"Chakotay lets take this somewhere else. Computer two for transport to captain's quarters."
They both rematerialized in their living quarters. Kathryn walked straight to the bedroom to change out of her dress. Chakotay began to follow but she warned him off with her all to familiar glare.
"Kathryn this isn't going to go away, you know that. All I want to do it merely talk about the idea."
As he finished his sentence, Kathryn walked out of the doorway with her robe on and tears adorning her face. He moved toward her but she once again warded him way. She covered her face with her hand and draped her opposite arm around her waist. She slid down the doorframe and sat on the floor.
"I didn't think the idea would bother me but then you kept insisting we consider it. It finally hit me that I won't get to carry our child. I won't get to spend nine months with it growing inside of me, someone else will."
Chakotay approached her and kneeled next to her. He gave her a moment to think before he tried to add to the conversation.
"If the idea bothers you to this degree then we don't even have to talk about it at all."
"But I want to talk about it. I want to have a child. I just still need some time to get used to it all. It might ease the situation if you told me who you had in mind."
"I had one person in mind but she's up for debate."
"Who"
"B'Elanna."
Author's notes: The story is coming along a little slower than I thought it would. Please review, if you don't, I don't know if anyone is actually reading this anymore.
Songs of a life
Ch. 5 Wishful thinking
Piles of performance reports and B'Elanna's warp analysis's were scattered across her desk. Auburn hair fell into her view; she brushed the stray hairs behind her ear and continued reading. Fatigue threatened to interfere with her concentration. She was on her third cup of coffee but her constant consumption over the years had worn the affect of the caffeine. She needed sleep but refused to rest until her work was caught up.
*Maybe some music will keep me awake *
"Computer play Janeway-Alpha-12"
The bleak atmosphere was broken by a symphony of illusive sound. Kathryn walked to the window and took a moment to relax in the ease of the music before she dove into another report. She ran her fingers through her hair and rubbed her groggy eyes. She had begun to hum the melody of the song when she felt a hand fall softly on her shoulder. She turned to be greeted by Chakotay.
"Well what do I owe this impromptu visit to?"
"Can't I drop by to tell my wife hello and that I love her."
"How romantic of you, but what did you really come for?"
"Oh, you don't believe me"
Chakotay entangled his arms around her waist and spun her into a deep kiss. She refused to let the moment pass but sooner or later she would have to breath. Chakotay tucked a piece of stray hair behind her ear, as he often did.
"I should have never doubted you." She barley got the words out before she laughed.
"What's got you so occupied these days?"
"Report after report after report. Almost all systems are at peak efficiency but there was a slight problem with the manifold packs yesterday afternoon. They wouldn't hold a charge and the warp core was threatening to de-stabilize."
"Sounds like more that a slight problem to me. What was the culprit?"
"B'Elanna said the source was undetectable. Which worries me but she has been monitoring the core for almost 24 hours and there hasn't been a single problem. I'd like to say that was just a random fluke and nothing further will come of it but my gut tells me otherwise. I'm going to have Harry run a full Ops scan and work with B'Elanna a little more in depth. If the source is still undetectable, we'll have to continue on, business as usual."
"Sounds like they have there work cut out for them. Well if the Captain isn't too busy, I would love to invite her to a private dinner on the holodeck, say 1900 hours."
"I'll relay the message to her." Kathryn smiled and gave Chakotay a wink as he exited towards the bridge. She tapped her comm. badge.
"Janeway to Torres"
"Go ahead, Captain"
"I'm going to have Harry do a full Ops scan and I need you to oversee it and catch the specifics. If you don't find anything continue with normal protocol"
"Yes, Ma'am. I'm on my way."
Kathryn left her ready room to meet B'Elanna and Harry on the bridge. No doubt this would be interesting if they did come across anything.
* * * *
"I can't believe we didn't find a single thing, not even a proton out of place" Harry's youthful voice conveyed a mild wine.
"It's all for the better, Ensign. I'll take peace and quite over turmoil and danger any day, well almost any day." Kathryn smiled at the Ensign. They had spent almost four hours doing full-scale scans and nothing out of the ordinary had come up. She was off duty in ten minutes and was looking forward to a quiet dinner with her husband but there was still something about this whole ordeal that didn't sit well with her.
"Harry I still think there is something we are overlooking. There's nothing more we can do to scan for it but keep your eyes open."
"Yes, Captain"
Kathryn exited the bridge and made her way to her and Chakotay's quarters to change for dinner. The door swished open and she went automatically to her closet. She retrieved a red dancing dress. It resembled a salsa dress but was slightly more elegant. The straps here thin and crisscrossed in the back. The dress's fabric was silk like and fell in waves that swayed with her every step. Kathryn dressed and arranged her hair in a simply beret that allowed her shoulder length hair to flow freely.
"Computer transport to holodeck one"
She would have walked but the sight of her in a salsa dress was not one she wanted her crew seeing. She rematerialized in a restaurant. The room had a dark and warm ambiance. There were small round tables scattered throughout the room and a designated dance floor accompanied them to the right. Kathryn took a moment to search for Chakotay. She found him seated at a table near a window. The table was seat with a bushel of roses as the centerpiece.
"Kathryn, you look amazing" He's speech slowed and he was truly taken aback by her appearance.
"Thank you." Her cheeks began to blush and she couldn't even find the words to tell him that he looked stunning as well.
Chakotay took her hand and lead her to her seat. The waiter immediately arrived at the table to take their drink orders.
"We'll have a bottle of your finest wine." Chakotay spoke with assurance that the restaurant's finest was exactly what he was looking for.
The night passed both slowly and rapidly. The whole evening was perfect from both standpoints but Chakotay knew that he had to get to the real reason for the impromptu dinner. He collected his breath. He touched Kathryn's hand to get her attention and silently prayed she wouldn't ignore the subject like she had before.
"Kathryn, I want to talk to you about something"
"Alright"
"I really want you to consider surrogacy as a means for us to have a child."
"Chakotay this is not the time or place."
"Then lets leave and discuss this in private."
"Why are you pushing this?" She began to raise her voice. She quickly returned to a whisper, when she relieved people had begun to stare.
"Why does this bother you so much?"
"Chakotay lets take this somewhere else. Computer two for transport to captain's quarters."
They both rematerialized in their living quarters. Kathryn walked straight to the bedroom to change out of her dress. Chakotay began to follow but she warned him off with her all to familiar glare.
"Kathryn this isn't going to go away, you know that. All I want to do it merely talk about the idea."
As he finished his sentence, Kathryn walked out of the doorway with her robe on and tears adorning her face. He moved toward her but she once again warded him way. She covered her face with her hand and draped her opposite arm around her waist. She slid down the doorframe and sat on the floor.
"I didn't think the idea would bother me but then you kept insisting we consider it. It finally hit me that I won't get to carry our child. I won't get to spend nine months with it growing inside of me, someone else will."
Chakotay approached her and kneeled next to her. He gave her a moment to think before he tried to add to the conversation.
"If the idea bothers you to this degree then we don't even have to talk about it at all."
"But I want to talk about it. I want to have a child. I just still need some time to get used to it all. It might ease the situation if you told me who you had in mind."
"I had one person in mind but she's up for debate."
"Who"
"B'Elanna."