"No, no, it's my treat." (Chakotay & Jaffen)

Author's Note: This story is an alternate ending to the episode "Workforce: Part 2".

/

"Any questions?"

Chakotay looked up from his desk at the new crew member sitting opposite, at the end of what had been a mostly standard briefing. He'd assigned Jaffen a cabin, added him to the duty roster in Engineering (with extra training sessions on Starfleet protocol) and explained their rationing system. He wouldn't have a rank or uniform, like Seven of Nine, but would report to Chief Torres and pitch in wherever he was needed.

So far, the Norvalan had been nothing but polite, but there was still the proverbial elephant in the room. The last time they'd met, Chakotay had been a fugitive from Quarran law enforcement, and it was Jaffen who had turned him in.

"No questions, sir," said Jaffen, looking down rather absent-mindedly at the padd full of information he had just received and the shiny commbadge on his worn-out sweater. "At least not right now. I'll probably think of some at the most inconvenient moment. It's all just … a lot."

"You're telling me," Chakotay said wryly. The other man might be dealing with some sudden life changes and a severe disillusionment about his former employers, but at least he didn't have to run a ship whose entire crew was recovering from mind control.

"I do have one thing to say, though." Jaffen set the padd down on his lap and met Chakotay's eyes. "Mr. Kotay … "

"That's not my name. And for a member of this crew, my title is Commander." This came out more formal than he meant it to, but he always became formal when he was on edge. It seemed a more civilized alternative to snapping at the man to get out of his office.

"Commander." Jaffen bowed his head. "I want to apologize for sending the guards after you. I let my preconceptions get the best of me."

"To be fair, you thought I was delusional." Chakotay hoped the effort it took to say this wasn't obvious. He knew that holding a grudge against one man for the flaws of an entire society would be illogical, but not being Vulcan, his emotions hadn't caught up to his intentions yet. Mind-tampering was one of his worst fears; the horror of it was still deep in his bones, and he was not in a forgiving mood.

"I don't know if you know this, but Norvalans - my species - we have some low-level psionic abilities." Jaffen cleared his throat, evidently self-conscious. "I can't read thoughts or anything precise, but I can generally sense someone's intentions. When you came up to us at Umali's, I got two very strong impressions from your mind. One was that you were hiding something, and one was that you were intensely focused on Kath - on Captain Janeway. But I had no idea why."

Chakotay didn't miss the way the other man caught himself before speaking of Kathryn by her given name, as if it were a habit he found difficult to break. He remembered the narrow-eyed look Jaffen had given him before contradicting Kathryn's invitation to sit at their table, and it didn't take psionic abilities to sense what the other man must be feeling.

Jaffen was jealous. And, to his sudden shame, so was Chakotay.

He'd honestly thought his one-sided feelings for Kathryn were over by now. It was probably just his pride talking, but after everything she'd said on New Earth about "defining parameters," indeed), she'd been ready to move in with Jaffen after all of three weeks. Apparently dating a colleague was no problem for her after all, as long as that colleague wasn't him. The circumstances were different, of course - Quarra wasn't Voyager - but still, stung.

"I've been her second-in-command for almost seven years," he said, with deliberate detachment.

"That's a lot of history," said Jaffen in the same tone.

"Yes, it is. I consider her one of my closest friends."

"And I consider her my partner, even after three weeks. I'm sure you understand if I was surprised to find some stranger following her around."

"Funny, I was about to say the same thing."

They locked eyes. Jaffen's face was expressionless, and Chakotay supposed his must be the same, but he was strongly tempted to knock the Norvalan out of his chair, and he wouldn't be surprised if the other man was thinking the same thing. No doubt those empathic abilities were picking that up right now.

He was keeping a poker face in front of an empath. Ridiculous. For the first time, his sense of humor came to his rescue. The thought of what Kathryn would say if she could see them right now was an even more effective antidote. "Work it out, gentlemen," she'd say, in that sandpapery command tone. "We're all adults here." And she'd be right.

"Look," said Chakotay, unfolding his arms and rising slowly to his feet. "If there's one thing my history with the Captain has taught me, it's that she makes sound decisions about whom to trust, even - especially - when they surprise me. You were there for her when she was alone, and you came through for us in the end, so I'm willing to believe that bringing you on board was one of those decisions. Welcome to Voyager, Mr. Jaffen." He held out his hand across the desk.

Evidently Jaffen had already learned this human custom. He shook hands with a calculated grip, not trying to crush Chakotay's fingers as some might in this situation, but not too soft either. "You almost mean that, don't you? Close enough, I'll take it. She's lucky to have you as a friend."

Chakotay stepped out from behind the desk and toward the door, gesturing for Jaffen to walk through. "You know, we have a holodeck program on board that's not unlike Umali's. Tom designed it, which shouldn't be a surprise."

"Tom the waiter? Oh, I know him."

"Anyway, the place should be pretty busy this time of night. Drinks, music, games … care to stop by?"

"Sure." Jaffen clapped a hand to his pocket, making the ration chips rattle. "Guess it's a good thing I already have these."

"No, no, it's my treat. You can pay me back when Kathryn shows you how to win a game of pool."

The unspoken implications made Jaffen's face brighten. "Thank you, Commander."

"Off duty, it's just Chakotay." The office doors slid shut behind them, marking the end of his duty shift with a loud whoosh.

"Chakotay, then." Jaffen smiled as they stepped out into the corridor. "Let me guess: Pool is a form of gambling, and she'll clean us both out by the end of the night."

"Exactly." Chakotay clapped him on the shoulder. "And it'll be worth it."