Chakotay returned to San Francisco on Monday morning, just in time for his flight instruction class. The time difference allowed for a passionate wake-up followed by a lazy breakfast, after which Kathryn walked him to the transport station.
"I'll be there tomorrow," she promised as they tenderly kissed good-bye.
Chakotay refrained from asking how long she'd be staying with him this time. Her leave would be up by the end of the week, but so far she hadn't said whether she planned on returning to the Al-Batani or was looking for alternatives.
"Have fun tonight," he told her. "And please give my regards to Mark and his parents." After kissing her one last time, he stepped up to the transporter pad.
"Be nice to those poor, sleepy cadets," she called out, laughter in her voice, and he grinned until the transporter beam whisked him away.
-==/\==-
Early morning fog greeted Chakotay in on the west coast, making him wish that he could have stayed in sunny Indiana. After stowing his duffel bag in his office, he proceeded to the training holodecks where a group of cadets was already waiting.
"Commander Chakotay!" one of them called out as Chakotay approached them. "Is it true that you're planning a field trip to Starbase 351 that we could take for extra credit?"
Every aspiring Starfleet pilot had to log a certain number of hours of flight training before being granted their license. Holodeck simulations made up a very large part of training, but 'real' experience at the helm of a shuttle or small support craft was also required. Most test flights took place in the Sol system, so anything that went beyond those beaten tracks promised to be not only exciting, but also worth more than the regular course credits.
"Maybe," Chakotay smiled. "But as you should know, Cadet Jenkins, you won't be flying outside of this system before your second year."
The cadet in question groaned good-naturedly and proceeded to complain to his fellow class mates that Academy freshmen weren't allowed to have any fun.
Chakotay called up his training program from the holodeck controls. Smirking inwardly, he selected a map of Saturn's Rings as today's training environment. Maybe that would teach some of his over-eager students not to overestimate their skills.
-==/\==-
The day dragged on slowly. When he returned to his office after lunch, Chakotay tried to reach Kathryn at her mother's house, but his call went unanswered. He turned to grading student papers and assignments and pushed through the pile of PADDs until every last one had been marked and filed.
When he stretched to relieve the discomfort in his neck muscles, his gaze fell on the Kelvari landscape on the opposite wall. A smile stole across his face as the memory of kissing Kathryn for the very first time washed over him, leaving a warm glow in his chest. At the time, he hadn't thought ahead, hadn't been able to predict how completely he would fall under her spell. The past ten days had been the happiest of his life, and he already dreaded the moment when her leave would be up and they would have to part again. Pushing the thought aside, he decided to head home early since he had no meetings or teaching obligations that afternoon.
The silence in his apartment seemed more profound than usual, especially after the weekend filled with chatting and laughing with all the members of Kathryn's large family. He was still amazed at how easily they'd accepted him in their midst and made a mental note to look up Danny and Belinda at some point. Apart from his fellow Academy lecturers, he still didn't know a lot of people on Earth, and McKinley Station was just a short transport away.
Having gotten up on Indiana time, he prepared an early dinner and then sat in a lounge chair at the floor-to-ceiling window in his living room looking out over San Francisco Bay. As he watched the sun slowly sinking lower on the horizon, he finally allowed himself to think ahead to the coming days.
After his conversation with Gretchen Janeway the day before, he was more convinced than ever that Kathryn would not leave Starfleet on a whim. Her dedication to the fleet was out of the question and he firmly believed that she still saw herself capable of fulfilling her duty and helping to make the galaxy a better and safer place. Her excitement when she'd told him about her switch to command had been genuine, untainted by the events that had followed those first few days of exploring her new role.
His thoughts returned to the day he'd shown her his office, when she had half-joked about applying for a teaching position at the Academy. Deep in his heart, he knew that such a job would not satisfy her. Staying on Earth would not solve her current dilemma; instead, it would stall her ambition for command since she'd barely begun her additional training. Returning to space seemed like the only viable option, and though he hated to think of her leaving, there was no way he would discourage her from taking that step.
To Chakotay, the more important question seemed to be whether Kathryn might need a fresh start with a new crew in order to fully put her recent experiences behind her – and the only one who could answer that question was Kathryn herself.
-==/\==-
A chirp from the computer gradually filtered into Chakotay's consciousness. He blinked in confusion and found that he'd fallen asleep in his chair. A round, almost full moon shone brightly over the bay, casting its silver light over dark houses and trees and the black water beyond. A hazy, dark gray smudge on the surface of Earth's only natural satellite indicated the location of Copernicus City. The sight reminded Chakotay of what Leo, Phoebe's boyfriend, had told him about Luna's capital, and he mentally added the city to his list of places to visit.
The computer chirped again. His back and neck protested as he heaved himself up and over to his desk. As he activated the screen, he couldn't suppress a yawn.
"Hey." Kathryn cocked her head, an amused smile pulling at her lips. "Did I wake you? It's not even 2200 where you are."
"I didn't get much sleep over the weekend," Chakotay complained with another yawn. "And unlike you, I'm part of the working population."
Her laughter rang out over the connection, filling his empty apartment with delicious warmth. "It's a good thing you didn't come along to the Johnsons. Their holos were very nice and all, but after the twentieth spectacular waterfall and the fiftieth exotic flower, even Mom had trouble keeping her eyes open. Phoebe saved the day by asking to see Mark's art collection."
"I thought it was all packed up?"
"Most of the paintings are in storage for the time being, but he showed us some sculptures and smaller drawings. I have to say, Caitian art is lovely, all flowing curves and complementary colors. Mark also seems to have a good eye for aspiring young artists."
"I'm glad you enjoyed your evening." Chakotay meant what he said, even though he still wondered about Mark's feelings toward Kathryn.
"I really did. What's your schedule for tomorrow?" she changed the subject.
"I have back to back classes from noon until 1730. What time do you think you'll be here?"
"I have a meeting on campus at 1300, so I thought about beaming over in time for lunch." Chakotay couldn't mask his surprise quickly enough and Kathryn immediately picked up on it. "I'll tell you about it tomorrow," she added, sounding defensive.
"That's fine." He swallowed any further questions, even though a multitude of question marks rose in his mind. What kind of meeting? And why at Starfleet Academy instead of Headquarters? Was she going to request reassignment to SFA? Somehow he'd hoped that she would seek his opinion before finalizing any decision. Then again, she was a grown woman and entitled to her own choices. "How about we meet up at the cafeteria at 1100 hours? You can drop your bag at my office." He gave her the access code.
"Sounds good." Now it was Kathryn's turn to yawn.
Chakotay chuckled. "It's late. You should get some sleep."
She touched the screen, waiting for him to mirror her gesture. "I miss you. I sleep better when you're with me."
"Me too." He didn't want to think about the lonely nights ahead once her leave ended. Better to concentrate on the time that they did have. "Are you going to have breakfast with your mother?"
"Her and Phoebe, yes."
"Please tell her again how much I enjoyed getting to know your family. It's been a long time since I felt as much at home as I did at your mother's house."
Kathryn beamed. "I will. She'll be happy to hear that." Her smiled turned mischievous. "And I'm glad that even my aunt Erica didn't scare you off."
"Not a chance." He lifted his hand to his mouth for a slow kiss, then pressed his fingers to the screen again. "See you tomorrow. I love you."
"I love you, too. Bye." She held his gaze for another moment and then ended the call.
Chakotay yawned again as he stretched his tired muscles. The time difference was catching up with him and he resolved to head to bed. When he sank down onto his pillow, he thought he caught a whiff of Kathryn's scent. Smiling to himself, he thought back to Gretchen's party and how they'd danced close, lost in their own world. Lulled by the glowing memory, he soon drifted into sleep.
-==/\==-
Slivers of early morning light filtered through the partially drawn drapes. Chakotay wasn't sure what had woken him, but a glance at his bedside chronometer told him that it was still too early to get up. As he snuggled back into the warmth of his bed, he thought he heard a sound from beyond his bedroom walls but dismissed it as evidence of his early bird neighbor.
Just as he was about to doze off again, his mattress dipped and a body slid under his blanket, cool flesh molding against his bare back. Kathryn's lips pressed against his shoulder blade while one of her hands moved around to his chest, skimmed over his stomach and finally slipped into his pajama pants.
Chakotay fought to keep his breathing even, pretending he was still asleep.
Nipping on his earlobe, she breathed, "I know you're awake."
Giving up the pretense, he pressed back against her welcoming softness. "How can you tell?"
"Because you're ticklish." Her fingernails grazed his inner thigh, causing his leg to jerk in response.
He laughed and rolled over, cradling her to him for a leisurely good morning kiss. When they came up for air, he sank back against his pillow, keeping his eyes closed and just enjoying the feel of holding her in his arms again. "How come you're here already? I thought we were meeting for lunch."
"After breakfast, Mom and Phoebe had to leave for work, so we said our good-byes. I had planned to do some shopping in Bloomington before beaming over, but when I was looking at some watches in a jeweler's window, I realized that I was actually counting the minutes until lunch. So I decided to surprise you." Her hand was wandering down his stomach once more, her playful tone further heightening Chakotay's senses.
"I love surprises," he murmured, his arm tightening around her back to pull her atop his body. Kathryn's hair fell across his face as she rolled onto him but she brushed the strands aside and sought his lips again. He willingly surrendered to their mutual desire, his world narrowing to the sensation of her skin on his, his hands on her bare back, and for the moment, nothing else mattered.
-==/\==-
When Chakotay came out of the shower, Kathryn was already in uniform, her hair confined in the tight bun he disliked so much. She was cradling a mug of coffee and gazing out the living room window. Since they were still going to have lunch together, he had opted to skip breakfast in favor of spending the morning in bed, but duties were beckoning soon.
She followed him into his bedroom and leaned against the doorframe, watching him get dressed. "Before we leave, I want to tell you about my meeting."
His heart sped up but he purposely kept his tone casual. "I'm listening."
"I made the first part of my decision." She took another gulp from her mug. "I'm going to remain in Starfleet, and on active starship duty."
Chakotay couldn't help the smile that broke over his face. "Personally, I think you made the right choice."
She gave him a small smile in return. "I hope so."
"What about the second part of your decision?" He sat on his bed and pulled on his socks.
"I'm still unsure whether I want to go back to the Al-Batani. And I considered making an appointment at Headquarters just to find out what my options are."
"But?"
"Then I got a call yesterday afternoon. From Julia Paris."
Confused, he looked up at her. "Captain Paris' wife?"
"Yes."
"What did she want?"
"The captain called her on subspace yesterday morning. Apparently he does so every week as long as the Al-Batani is in range of a subspace relay. During their conversation, she mentioned meeting me at my mother's party and then… they talked about me again."
Chakotay just kept looking at her, waiting for more.
Kathryn shrugged. "That's all she would say over a comm line. She asked me to meet her, and when I said that I was coming to San Francisco today, she suggested the Academy rose garden. She was quite insistent, so I finally figured that I really had nothing to lose by going along with her request."
"You hope that she knows something about what the captain has planned for you." Chakotay stood to pull his jumpsuit up over his legs, pushed his arms into the sleeves and shrugged the material over his shoulders.
Kathryn set her coffee mug on the dresser and stepped up to him, moving his hands aside and pulling the zipper all the way up to his neck. "Yes. I know you said it was unlikely that he told her the full story, but I'm wondering. Why does she want to meet me again so soon? If there's anything she thinks I should know, she could have told me on Saturday."
Chakotay nodded, remembering their conversation with Julia Paris. "Maybe he only told her more now, after she mentioned having seen you. Maybe she even asked him some pointed questions. She might have picked up on your uneasiness after all."
Kathryn turned to the bedroom window and gazed out at a small park below. "You know, I keep coming back to the question of which position I'd hold on the Al-Batani now. I'm not willing to return to the science department or take some undefined position; I want to stay on the command track. And if that's not possible on the Al-Batani, I'd rather request reassignment right away instead of finding out after my return there. If Julia can tell me anything about that..."
"It'll be worth facing her again?" Chakotay moved to stand behind Kathryn, loosely wrapping his arms around her.
"Yes." She leaned back against him, her hands covering his. "Am I being too naive?"
"Are you going to tell her your side of the story?"
Kathryn was silent for a moment, running her palms along his arms. "I haven't decided. Maybe, depending on if and how she asks and whether I feel that she's really there to help me."
Chakotay kissed her temple. "I think you're doing the right thing. You're not obliged to tell her anything you don't feel comfortable sharing, and if she won't respect that, you can always thank her politely and be on your way. As long as you're willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, it's a chance worth taking."
"That's what I figured as well." She turned in his arms and looked up at him. "Ready to leave?"
He was about to say yes when another thought occurred to him and he frowned. "Let's say that what she wants to talk to you about will convince you to return to the Al-Batani," he began, waiting for her to acknowledge his assumptions before continuing. "After everything that's happened, will you still feel comfortable serving under Captain Paris?"
She contemplated his question in silence. When she finally looked at him again, Chakotay was surprised by the insecurity he read in her eyes. "I'm not sure," she confessed. "I know I could request reassignment and I doubt that anyone would question it, especially if Deanna Troi submitted a psychological evaluation supporting my request. Captain Paris did tell me to seek counseling after all."
"But?" he prompted when she paused.
"It would feel like running away," she admitted. "Like giving up. Like I wasn't strong enough to face the consequences of my own actions. I'd rather go back, face the captain, and try to cope. And if I found then that I couldn't work on the Al-Batani anymore because people seem to blame me for the deaths, or I feel uncomfortable for whatever reason, I would at least have tried."
"Sounds to me like you've made your decision already," he said softly. He was reminded of the similar conversation during their walk through the fields on Sunday, and how he'd reminded her that whenever life had made her stumble, she'd always managed to get back up. Apparently, she'd taken his words to heart.
"I'm not going back to science," she stated with an air of finality. "And if requesting reassignment is the price I have to pay to stay on the command track, then so be it." She extricated herself from Chakotay's arms and smoothed down her red uniform.
"Danny was right."
Confused at his non-sequitur, Kathryn frowned.
He leaned forward to gently touch his lips to hers again. "He told me that there was no stopping you once you set your sights on something. He even went so far as to say that you were 'a bossy little girl' when you were kids."
His barely controlled laughter had the desired effect when Kathryn smiled imperiously and stole another kiss before grabbing his hand and dragging him out the door.
-==/\==-
On their way to campus, enjoying the sunshine hand in hand, they talked about inconsequential things. The cafeteria was crowded and they had to share a table with three other officers, leaving Chakotay grateful that they'd discussed Kathryn's doubts and fears while still in the privacy of his apartment.
After lunch, they parted ways, with Kathryn heading over to the famous rose garden at the center of campus while Chakotay proceeded to one of the Academy lecture halls. His first class was a lecture on interstellar history, detailing migration waves from Earth in the late 21st and early 22nd centuries. Afterwards, he taught a seminar on advanced tactical scenarios to fourth year cadets. The rest of his afternoon was spent reviewing recordings of his Monday morning flying classes with the respective groups of cadets, discussing errors and suggesting improvements, but also handing out praise for well-executed maneuvers.
When the last group left, it was just after 1730 hours. On Tuesday evenings, Chakotay usually liked to head over to the Academy gym for an hour of exercise, but today he turned his steps homeward as soon as he had locked his classroom door.
Kathryn was already waiting for him. Her hair was down, flowing over her shoulders in soft waves, and she was once again wearing the green wrap-around dress that always sent his imagination reeling. Chakotay folded her into his arms and kissed her hungrily, earning a knowing chuckle.
"How was your meeting?"
She buried into his embrace, her arms wrapping tightly around his middle, her face nestled against the side of his neck. He felt her warm breath against his skin when she spoke. "Pretty good, actually. I'll tell you all about it over dinner." She kissed his jaw bone. "I feel like going out. Do you mind?"
"Anything you want," he assured her. He was gratified to note that she appeared completely relaxed and in a playful mood, as if her inner turmoil had finally calmed. Kathryn pulled him into another kiss that was slow and sensual, and hinting that her choice of attire wasn't at all accidental.
She released him before he could change his mind about going out, her smile decidedly on the wicked side. Chakotay quickly changed into loose-fitting pants and a comfortable shirt. Even though it was mid-October, the day had been very warm, and the balmy air still lingered as they made their way to the small restaurant close to the beach where they'd already had dinner the previous weekend.
Kathryn kicked off her sandals and leaned back in her chair, turning her face to the low-hanging sun. When their cocktails arrived in tall, colorful glasses, she took a long sip and then turned serious eyes on Chakotay. He braced himself for what he hoped was good news for her, but which undoubtedly would mean their impending separation.
"I'm going to return to the Al-Batani."
He nodded, finding his expectations confirmed. "When will you have to leave?"
"Thursday." A shadow flickered over her face. "I'm sorry."
"No," he was quick to reply, startling her as he reached for her hand and held it tightly. "Never apologize for following your dreams." His thumb stroked over her knuckles. "I knew before you arrived that you weren't coming here to stay. And even though these days here with you have been just as magical as our time together on Kelvaris, and I would love nothing better than for you to stay longer, I wouldn't dream of standing in your way."
"Thank you." Her smile was watery, but her voice was firm. She lifted her free hand to cup his cheek and he pressed a kiss into her palm. "I love you, I can't even begin to tell you how much. And... I wish you could come with me."
He shook his head. "Even if I could, it wouldn't be wise. This is something that you need to do on your own."
"I know. But I can't help hoping that maybe someday, we could serve together somewhere." She trailed off, but he sensed the question behind her words.
Chakotay knew he had to be honest with her. Over the past two weeks, Kathryn had completely bared her soul to him, and she deserved to know where he stood. "For now, I'm happy teaching at the Academy. After fifteen years in space, I needed a change of scenery. That doesn't mean that I'm opposed to returning to shipboard duty though. If the time and place is right, I can see myself shipping out again eventually." He leaned in closer. "And I meant what I said after the party. I'm going to start making plans for a visit to Dorvan, so if you're still willing to accompany me..."
"Of course I am," Kathryn confirmed emphatically. Seeing a few heads turn at neighboring tables, she lowered her voice. "And if your family happens to include the equivalent to my aunt Erica, I promise I'll do whatever I can to protect you from too-close scrutiny, just like you did for me."
"That's a deal," he whispered just before kissing her, and they parted only when their food arrived.
Over dinner, Kathryn kept her promise and filled Chakotay in on her meeting with Julia Paris. The older woman had explained that her mentioning their meeting at Gretchen Janeway's party had indeed prompted her husband to inquire about Kathryn's well-being. His question had led to counter questions by Julia, and in the end the captain had related some of what had happened during Kathryn's away mission.
"She said he felt deeply sorry about throwing me into the thick of things without appropriate preparation, and also about how he handled the aftermath of my rescue. Apparently he plans to apologize to me as soon as I get back. Of course she doesn't want him to know that we talked, but she felt it was important for me to feel more at ease before I have to face him again."
In addition, Captain Paris seemed to have realized that while taking over the position of acting first officer might have been a welcome challenge for Kathryn, it had acutely exposed her lack of experience outside the science department, to the detriment of the unfortunate away team. He had therefore devised a three-months program during which Kathryn would rotate between ops, conn, and tactical, giving her plenty of bridge experience and in-depth looks at the stations contributing most crucially to any command decision.
Despite his personal resentment of the way the captain had demanded too much of Kathryn before, Chakotay had to admit that this plan appeared sound, and he said as much.
Kathryn beamed. "I agree. I'll no doubt be exceedingly busy, but I believe I'm up for the challenge. I'm actually looking forward to returning to the Al-Batani now."
Chakotay smiled warmly. "I'm happy for you."
"Thank you." She reached across the table and squeezed his hand. "I'll miss you terribly, but this feels like the right thing to do."
Lifting her hand to his lips, he kissed her fingers. "Then it is." He would also miss her like crazy, but he knew that in order to keep her, he had to let her go.
After dinner, they took another walk along the beach. The shadows behind them lengthened and then disappeared as the sun sank past the horizon, the orange glow being replaced by darkening blue. In the distance, a dog barked as a pair of joggers passed them. Soon, they were left alone on the darkening stretch of sand, far away from the lights of streets and restaurants, nighttime chill raising goose bumps on their bare arms.
Kathryn wrapped her arms around Chakotay's neck and kissed him deeply. He returned the kiss, his hands sliding freely over her body, his lips moving down her neck and making her gasp.
"Let's go home," he whispered in her ear, crushing her to him with mounting desire.
She shook her head. "I have another surprise for you."
He would never have guessed that the wrap-around dress, when unwrapped, made the perfect beach blanket. And as the last remnants of daylight vanished, and stars started twinkling far above them, he discovered that goosebumps could be easily cured by two warm bodies losing themselves in each other.
-==/\==-
Wednesday passed much too quickly for Chakotay's liking. After he got back from campus in the early afternoon, he and Kathryn spent a few hours roaming the old part of San Francisco, looking at shops and stopping at a cafe, always holding tightly to one another. They returned to his apartment for dinner, and then spent the rest of the evening creating yet another set of passionate memories to sustain them during their upcoming months of separation.
Kathryn was still sleeping when Chakotay left for his early morning class on Thursday. Hurrying back home afterwards, he found her in uniform but with her hair still down, stuffing the last of her few belongings into her duffel bag. After greeting him with a kiss, she pulled him into his bedroom where a small package rested on top of his dresser.
"I know your birthday isn't for another few weeks, but I wanted to give this to you now." She pressed the package into his hands.
"Another surprise?" he chuckled, but she just smiled. Chakotay pulled at the ends of the dark red bow, carefully untangling the ribbon before setting it aside. The wrapping paper fell away to reveal a silver picture frame containing a photo of the two of them at Gretchen Janeway's birthday party.
"Danny took it," Kathryn supplied, leaning against his side.
Chakotay wrapped his free arm around her as he studied the image. It showed the two of them standing next to each other, smiling brightly at something or someone off-camera, their glasses half raised in a toast. He easily recalled the scene; they'd been listening to Gretchen's brother Brian giving a speech to congratulate his sister. From the way Kathryn was leaning against him, much as she did now, it was very obvious that they were a couple.
He turned his head to kiss her cheek. "It's lovely. Thank you."
"There's more."
She showed him a small button on the back of the frame. Once he pressed it, a second picture appeared. In this one, they were dancing, happily smiling at each other. Pressing the button again, Chakotay's breath caught when a third image was revealed. They were still on the dance floor, but now they were kissing, with his hands inside her jacket, her arms around his neck, oblivious to the other people around them who were but blurred shapes in the darkened background. He vividly remembered the moment and how he'd been thinking about how very much in love he was with her. The snapshot perfectly captured his feelings and he knew that he would never be able to look at it without experiencing a profound longing for Kathryn's presence.
"Thank you," he said again, his voice hoarse.
"There are a few more, from the rest of the party," she added, taking the frame from his hands and setting it back on the dresser before winding her arms around his neck, creating a bittersweet sensation of déjà vu. "But I thought these were the most important ones. Something to remember me by."
"I don't need any pictures to remember you," he said lovingly, stroking his hands up and down her back. "But I'm still happy to have them."
She kissed him slowly and he tangled his hands in her hair, knowing that it would be a long time before he would again feel its silky softness or smell her fragrance. His heart already ached with yearning, but he pushed the thought aside and concentrated on the press of her lips against his and the feeling of her slim body in his arms.
They talked little on their way down the hill, everything of importance having been said multiple times. As usual, the Starfleet Headquarters transport hub was extremely crowded. After identifying the designated platform for her destination, Kathryn once again turned to Chakotay.
"I'll call you as soon as I can," she promised, her brave smile belying her too bright eyes.
His thumb caught a stray tear on her cheek before he swept her into a tight hug, hoping to hide his own overflowing emotions. "Take care of yourself," he choked out.
"I will." Her lips softly brushed his before she disentangled herself to join the line of waiting officers.
Chakotay watched as she stepped up on the platform. Just before the transporter effect took hold, Kathryn blew him a kiss, and he smiled until the blue sparkles faded into emptiness. He then left the station, feeling bereft and wondering how long it would take for the oppressive, vacant feeling in his chest to shrink to a manageable level.
-==/\==-
That night, Chakotay had a nightmare.
He was in a cold, dark place, and there were chains attached to his hands and feet, restricting his mobility. At first he thought he was alone, but then he gradually became aware of movement close to him, bodies shifting, people breathing. "Hello?" he called out.
"Chakotay?" a voice whispered. He strained to make out the speaker, but the darkness was absolute. "Help me...," the voice moaned.
Suddenly, a door was flung open and a rectangle of harsh light fell into the room. Chakotay squinted and tried to shield his eyes, but the chains on his wrists were too short for him to lift his hands to eye-level. A dark shape blocked the doorway, its silhouette unmistakably Cardassian. "It's time," their captor sneered.
Further back in the room, Chakotay could now make out a tangle of bodies, huddled together for warmth and protection. The Cardassian reached into the mass, roughly pulled one person up and dragged her toward the exit. To his horror, Chakotay recognized the emaciated form. "Kathryn!" he shouted, struggling in vain to break his bonds.
She looked him straight in the eye. "Help me...," she moaned again, but the guard yanked on her hair and she whimpered in pain. The door fell shut with a loud clang, once again plunging the room into darkness.
Chakotay awoke in cold sweat, his heart hammering painfully against his ribcage. He called out for lights and flung back the covers, needing to get out of bed to reassure himself that he'd only had a bad dream and was free to move any way he wanted. Briefly stopping in the kitchen to get a glass of water, he made his way to his living room windows and looked out over the dark scenery. Far away on the ocean, ships' lights twinkled under a canopy of distant stars. He searched the heavens for familiar constellations, an exercise he'd always found soothing, even as a boy on Dorvan V.
At length, he turned away from the window and only now noticed the blinking message light on his computer terminal. The images from his nightmare still lingered, and he was gripped by sudden fear that something had happened to Kathryn. His hand shook as he pushed the play-back button and he held his breath as the screen came to life.
"I know it's late, but I hope that this won't wake you and you'll find it in the morning," Kathryn was saying, loosening her bun and shaking out her hair as she spoke. Smoothing the tresses back behind her ears, she grinned as if saying, There, I know you like it better this way.
Chakotay dropped into his desk chair and quickly checked the time stamp on the message. It had been sent less than an hour ago. He leaned close to the screen, drinking in Kathryn's playful expression and letting her sweet voice wash over him, a balm to his troubled mind.
"I just wanted to let you know that this return trip is shaping up much better than my way to Earth," Kathryn continued. "I even got my own cabin this time, so I should be able to get a good night's sleep. I still wish you were here though. I already miss you more than I can say." Her expression sobered. "I know I've said it before but... Thank you. For everything. For listening, for being there, for helping me get back up when I stumbled. If it hadn't been for you, I probably wouldn't be heading back out now." She sighed and placed a hand to the screen, fingertips touching lightly. "Still, I miss you, and I hope we can meet again soon. I love you, Chakotay." Her smile returned, bright and beautiful, before the screen turn blank.
He placed his hand where hers had been a moment ago and smiled wistfully, whispering, "I love you, and I miss you, too."
A minute later he got up, returned his empty glass to the kitchen and went back into his bedroom. As he slipped into bed, he picked up the framed image on his nightstand. He'd set it to the image of their kiss on the dance floor and he looked at it for a long time, lovingly tracing her face and remembering how happy he'd felt the moment the photo had been taken. "Sleep well, Kathryn," he finally murmured as he replaced the picture on the nightstand and extinguished the lights.
What he didn't know when he fell back asleep was that the nightmare that had woken him had only been the first of many.
-==/ End Part 2 \==-
I'd like to extend a big thank you to everyone who's read this far, and particularly to those who left a comment or a question. I appreciate all the wonderful feedback very much! :-)
As I've already told those who asked, I still have lots of plans for this story. Eventually I hope to extend it all the way into Caretaker, but there'll be several more J/C encounters in the intervening years. However, it will be a while before I'll be able to post the next part. For starters, I'll have to write it first (and I'm not a very fast writer; most of the recent chapters were written quite a while ago and just needed some thorough editing)! I've already mapped some of it out in my head, but since there are several projects clamoring for attention at any time (not to mention that pesky thing called Real Life), I won't be able to update as quickly or as frequently as I'd like. We're definitely talking months here, and not just a few. Please consider subscribing to the story to be informed of any future posts.
Spoiler alert: The next part will be called "Dorvan V". ;-)