Betrayal and Turkey.
Chapter Twenty One.
By Hopping Hamster.
Paramount own Star Trek and its characters, I give them the fun they need to be real.
Chakotay watched as Kathryn slowly one headedly lifted her mug of coffee from the table where Chakotay had placed it before her. A dimpled smile crept across his face, the great Kathryn Janeway seriously injured, unable to dress herself but seemingly having no trouble getting a nice warm mug of black coffee to her lips.
"Do you always smirk at the girls you're on a date with?" she hissed without even looking at him after she had taken in the delicious flavour and inhaled it's long missed sent.
"No" Chakotay said quickly wiping the smile from his face "but you and coffee together are beautiful" he added quickly by way of explanation. As Kathryn turned to him and opened her mouth to reply he cut in saying smugly "So a date is it? You and I?"
Kathryn's mouth closed and her eyes narrowed before she quickly turned back to look out at the view before he in the large glass window "what made you bring me to The Night Owl?" she asked in that deliciously husky voice she kept only for Chakotay when she wanted to drive him insane with desire.
Chakotay gulped, she was flirting with him, really flirting, now he couldn't decide if this was a good or a bad thing. Suddenly realising she had asked a question and he had simply stared at her he shrugged and tried to sound casual as he said "Real Coffee,"
Kathryn gave him a long sideways glace with a twinkle in her blue eyes, Chakotay couldn't help thinking how free Kathryn looked and it made him smile at her which in turn mad her scowl as she playfully reminded him "you could make me real coffee at my house." Slowly the smile faltered from Chakotay's face as he looked at her trying to decide if she was really annoyed with him of not.
Deciding to turn away and take another sip of his herbal tea her told her "you mentioned this place many time's and I wanted to bring you here, my guess is you haven't been here in nearly five years" with that he slowly turned to her pointedly to avoid provoking her.
She watched him for a long and silent minute, all the time she had her eyes trained on him he didn't look to her. He was older and darker skinned than she ever remembered him being. His shoulders seemed far more tense but his body more trained and muscular. His hair was greyer and slightly longer than his neatly kept military style she had come to know on Voyager and it was somewhat unkempt and raggedy. That said he still looked to be the proud and private man she had grown to love. His face was full of so much emotion. This was a man who had seen wars more than once, faced death and had looked down the barrel of a gun far too many times as well as being the one to point the loaded gun, this man was no stranger to pain and disappointment, yet now sat next to her this man looked so broken but she could tell he was not broken for any of those things. Sat there beside her in the night owl that man was sad, so very sad. Narrowing her eyes she said slowly "tell me something Chakotay and tell me honestly." she sat and looked and waited to see what his response would be.
Slowly he lowered his mug and neatly placed it on the table before him before turning to her and looking her blue eyes directly in his dark saddened eyes as he nodded and said "Go on"
Lifting her head high she kept her eyes closely on his as she asked seriously and directly "do you pity me?"
Chakotay didn't reply straight away he just stared at her, looked her up and down, and took in every inch of her distorted body. She refused to look away, refused to be ashamed by his examining gaze. As his eyes once again met hers he held her gaze before he clasped his hands together on his lap and asked in his deep and gentle voice "pity you?" it was a question to ask her why she would think that not any kind of statement, he wanted her to say it, he wanted to hear her speak it aloud.
Drawing her brows together she was frustrated as she demanded "what do you feel when you look at me Chakotay?" her voice was raised, tears where threatening to fall.
Chakotay took her face gently in both his hands as he leaned in to look closer into her eyes "honestly?" he asked firmly waiting for her reply by way of a nod. When she gave it he smiled and whispered ever so softly "love" she tried to pull away, her eyes widened but he held her gaze as he told her "it always has been"
Frantically she shook her head and tried to pull away but he wouldn't let her go. Slowly he drew her into a tight embrace and held her. He felt her sob but it only made him hold on tighter to her until he felt her relax into him and almost sob uncontrollably as he held her stroking her back. Then slowly her working hand reached up and rested on his back and clenched his shirt tightly. This was so unlike the Kathryn Janeway he knew Chakotay didn't dare let go. Nor did she.
