Betrayal and Turkey.

Chapter Twenty Nine.

By Hopping Hamster.

Kathryn smiled warmly was she followed Sekey's gesture "and here is our school" Sekey smiled gesturing to a small wooden building carved with beautiful wood carvings that reminded Kathryn very much of Chakotay.

Kathryn's face lit up into a smile at the sight of it as she whispered honestly "it's beautiful" as she met Sekey's eyes the younger woman seemed pleased to have gotten Kathryn's approval.

Taking the opportunity she told Kathryn proudly "I have just got a Job as teacher" Kathryn turned to her and saw the joy in the dark eyes of this woman.

"Oh Sekey!" she exclaimed joyously "that is wonderful" to Sekey's surprise she leaned in and embraced her. As she drew away she saw the confusion in Sekey's eyes and explained "Chakotay told me how you always wanted to teach"

Sekey looked at this radiant white woman and regarded her before saying "my brother has told you much about me" Kathryn looked shocked until she saw the smile that reminded her so much of Chakotay.

Kathryn explained hurriedly hoping she hadn't offended "well sometimes on Voyager family was the only conversation that would keep anyone going"

Sekey smiled warmly at the knowledge that Chakotay had talked fondly of his family. She knew it hadn't always been the way. "Were you and Chakotay very close on Voyager?" she asked knowing by what Chakotay had shared he loved her very much. Sekey had met this woman only twice before, at the first arrival home of Voyager and at the pardoning hearing of the marquis. She had always regretted not making the journey for their engagement party six years ago.

Kathryn found herself smiling wistfully as she said deeply "I like to think we were"

Sekey saw the sad pang of regret in this woman's eyes as she talked and so quickly tried to change the subject saying "we hope to build a memorial to all those lost in the Great War right over here" she said quickly gesturing to a small piece of land.

Kathryn's eyes filled with tears. Sekey had been showing her around Trebus and it was exactly what Chakotay had always dreamed of. "That is beautiful too Sekey" she whispered her eyes filling with tears knowing Chakotay would have wanted this.

"Brother and I both feel father would be pleased" Sekey said wistfully.

Kathryn snapped from her thinking that it should have been Chakotay showing her around and smiled softly saying "I'm sure he would" when Sekey looked at her with concern Kathryn told her "I'm sure both your parents would be proud of both of you" they both knew Kathryn meant every word she was saying.

Sekey met her eyes with surprise wonder and whispered "you continue to care for my brother" the surprise and shock evident on her face.

"Sekey I will always care for your brother" she told her firmly and seriously meeting her eyes "he owns me" she announced which caused Sekey to gasp in concern as Kathryn finished seriously "mind, body and soul"

Sekey gasped again and asked "owns you?" fear ripped through her as she wondered what exactly Kathryn meant by 'owed her' her earlier thought that maybe he had hit her before gripped her as she rested her hand on her new friends arm and asked softly "Kathryn...?"

Kathryn suddenly realised what Sekey was thinking and jumped to Chakotay's defence "nothing like that" she insisted "nothing bad" Sekey suddenly felt relieved and yet confused as Kathryn smiled warmly and insisted "he's never lifted a finger to me till two days ago" Sekey was suddenly comforted by this "no I just mean I love him so much Sekey. I always have" Sekey was so touched by Kathryn's honesty about her feelings for her brother "I always will" Kathryn was smiling now as she looked at Sekey and laughed "I long for him when I'm not with him and my body yearns for his touch" at that Sekey cringed a swathed Kathryn's arm, she didn't need to know such intimate details though it pleased her. Kathryn laughed unashamed and shook her head saying "when I saw him with Carissa I was shocked" Sekey hung her head as Kathryn admitted "I suppose in my dreams I imagined him as lonely as I am"

Raising her head Sekey met her new friends deep blue eyes and admitted sadly "maybe he is" Kathryn was the one who looked surprised now as Sekey concluded "he's going to become a bitter old man"

"He's got Carissa" Kathryn pointed out as much as it pained her to say.

"She young, far too young for him" Sekey snapped shaking her head "very venerable and impressionable"

Kathryn smiled, she knew Sekey only meant well but Kathryn wouldn't shy from the truth no matter how much it hurt "she seems nice" Kathryn said softly and meant it.

Sekey nodded and said "oh she is" Kathryn too smiled and Sekey admitted "she lovely" then turned her head and said darkly "too lovely for him"

Kathryn raised her eyebrow in pretend offence and asked slowly "oh?..."

Sekey suddenly realised her error and jumped saying deeply "no I mean I..."

But Kathryn cut her off putting words in her mouth "that I'm lonely?"

"No that you are lonely for him" Sekey insisted hoping she hadn't really offended Kathryn.

Kathryn laughed and shook her head saying "I love him and need him very much" then realising what she had just said looked at his sisters smiling face and scowled saying "just don't tell him I said it"

Sekey carried on walking down the street and told her softly "he was asking after you again" before steeling a glance at Kathryn to see her reaction.

"Let him ask" scowled Kathryn trying hard to pretend she didn't care.

Sekey was suddenly sad, she knew if Kathryn walked away that would be it for her brother and the love of his life "but Kathryn the transport back to earth is in the morning" she pointed out softly hoping this would make her reconsider not talking to him tonight. If anything Sekey was on Kathryn's side but she sure hoped they would talk once she had seen how much Kathryn loved him and seen for herself how strong and forgiving this amazing woman was.

"About that..." Kathryn said slowly as she stopped walking to meet her friend's dark eyes.

Sekey saw hope there and gasped saying "you want to stay longer?"

Kathryn nodded hopefully as she told her "if I go back they want to reinstate me"

Sekey's eyes were wide as she gasped "as an admiral?" she knew this was the very thing that had pulled the two of them apart six years ago.

Kathryn looked sad as she hung her head saying "I'm not sure I'm ready to be Starfleet golden girl again" then with a heavy sigh she admitted what she thought she never would "there isn't anything for me on earth"

Sekey looked hopeful as she placed her hand on Kathryn's arm and whispered "then stay" as both the women met eyes she smiled.

"I'll compensate you" Kathryn smiled honestly "just while I work out where I am going"

"stop this talk of compensation Kathryn" Sekey insisted then before Kathryn could protest she took her hand and smiled "come on" pulling her up the street "there is more to see"

(+)(+)(+)

Chakotay marched into the café and scanned the room for his intended person. When he saw her, a smile twinge on his face. Sat alone, her back to him, her shoulder's bare in that damn beautiful dress, the same one she had worn for Tom's Luau party all those years ago. She sat contently looking out across the market, one leg cross over the other, both showing bare skin. Schooling his emotions so the smile didn't show across his face he walked up behind her and leaned in and almost growled in her ear "I thought I might find you here with your coffee" she jumped at the sudden intrusion of his voice in her thought's. Her thoughts about him but she wasn't going to tell him that.

Turning sharply to face him she scowled and then glared as she followed him with her eyes as he moved around the table and casually sank into the seat opposite her. "Can I help you?" she spat, angry boiling to the surface of her emotions. Her breathing quickened and her fist clenched around the handle of her coffee mug. She didn't take her sparkling blue eyes of him as he gazed at her unapologetically letting his eyes wonder over her bare shoulders. He didn't miss the heaving of her chest at his scrutiny but she didn't back down for her set jaw and tight glare.

His mouth twitched a little into a slightly dimpled smile as she folded her arms across her chest and gave a little growl to gain his attention back from her sowing cleavage. As he raised his head to meet her sapphire eyes he saw nothing but fire and rage in her eyes which was heightened by the way he casually said "lovely to see you again Kathryn" before turning and ordering a tea from a passing waiter. Lucky for both of them Larren didn't seem to be anywhere in sight.

Kathryn's jawline twitched as her muscle tensed but she let no other outward sign that he was bothering her. She wasn't scared of him as some people might of imaged she should be but she was very angry, and anger that was fuelled more by his casual demeanour and lack of any attempt of an apology. Tilting her head she raised an eyebrow and said just as casually "and here was me thinking you were glad to be shot of me" the fact she was so casual and her facial expression told Chakotay one thing, she wasn't angry she was seething. She was raging angry and he had learnt a long time ago a raging Kathryn Janeway was not so easy to navigate as an angry Kathryn Janeway.

He let his eyes linger on her face before he said deeply "You're angry?"

Kathryn didn't miss the hint of question in is voice and raised her eyebrow as she asked in a stern angry not surprised voice "you expected me not to be?"

Chakotay just sighed and rolled his eyes at Kathryn's somewhat cold and bitter responses to him "how are you after…"

"You hit me" she spat finishing his sentence for him in a less than pleasant manner.

Chakotay scowled at the way she was simply looking out over the market and swaying her bare leg over her knee and running her finger round the coffee mug as though she were board and didn't care much for the conversation. "Was going to say surgery" Chakotay told her lifting his own herbal tea to his lips.

Kathryn snapped her head up to look in his eyes and snapped "Fine" something in the way he looked at her caught his attention and he saw nothing but concern there and her voce softened as she added "thank you"

As Chakotay watched her he saw the sadness in her eyes and finally he found the courage to reach out and take her tiny plea and in his as he whispered "I really didn't mean to hit you Kathryn" she slowly turned to face him. She knew the significance in him taking her hand, the one he knew to have once been shattered but she wasn't ready for that tenderness, she wasn't ready to make up. Call her stubborn but too much had gone before between them for it to be a surface mend, they had to go deep if their relationship had any chance of surviving. She knew he knew it too by the way he looked at her.

Closing her eyes and drawing in courage with a deep breath she snapped her hand from his and narrowed her eyes and pouted her lips as she turned back towards the market and away from him and snapped "no?" in a sarcastic undertone.

"No" Chakotay repeated seriously feeling exasperated by her behaviour yet he knew he should be thankful she hadn't run away at the first sight of him, though that was always Kathryn, never run or hide from danger. Then he stopped that line of thinking because that would make him danger and he never wanted her to see him as dangerous. Not then not ever, no matter how angry he was with her.

"oh well that makes it all ok then!" she nodded slowly refusing to look at him, the deep pain and sarcasm lacing her voice in a way he had only hared a few times in the years he had known her, she was really very angry and wasn't going to back down at all from that anger.

Chakotay knew he had just as much right to be angry, he could meet her anger with his own just as badly. The guilt of hitting her had been eating away at him over the last two days but now her uninterested, sarcastic, and damn right annoying way or reacting to him was getting to him and he found himself bursting out in anger "stop it Kathryn!" as soon as he had raised he voice he regretted it, this was no way to quell the anger of Kathryn Janeway, and he ground his teeth together as she met his eyes and stared at him in that way she always did when she was angry, no… his heart stopped, her eyes weren't looking at him in anger they looked at him with deep disappointment.

Chakotay didn't have much time to dwell on the facial expression as she folded her arms and snapped at him "No!" then in a quieter undertone when she realised people where turning to look in their direction she hissed "I'm mad with you"

Chakotay met her tone and leaned closer to her growling "and I'm so angry with you" then he took the opportunity to lean back in his chair feeling smug with the shocked expression written across her face and added casually in his own sarcastic tone "if you hadn't forgotten"

Kathryn rolled her eyes and looked into her mug of coffee as she began taking sips from it Chakotay mimicked her actions with his cup of tea as he looked at her feeling smug he had managed to shut her up. After a minute or two she carefully placed her mug down on the table and asked "so that's it?" she met her eyes as she raised her head to look at him, she saw the confusion in the dark orbs and she added "we just sit here together in silence?" by way of explanation of what she meant

Letting out a snort of frustration Chakotay growled "so now you want to talk?"

Anger once again surfaced in her beautiful sapphire eyes and she snapped "I'm here aren't I?" then meeting his eyes firmly she told him "I came all the way to Trebus so we could talk"

At that realisation Chakotay stopped his line of thinking and softened, her parting words of promise a year ago filling his mind as he smiled warmly and took another sup of his tea saying softly "you look good"

She met his eyes expecting to see sarcasm but when she saw only honestly in his eyes and felt the joy of seeing that dimpled smile again she too smiled and said softly "thank you"

Chakotay had expected her to say more but when she offered no more he told her slightly awkwardly "Sekey said that B'Elanna said you had the surgery"

Her face smiled a little offering Chakotay some hope as she nodded and said "yes" then as she looked him up and down she said sadly "I promised you would" he just stared at her, she had promised many things when she sent him away a year ago, he hadn't listened then or truly believed she would. Sadly she reminded him "I promised you I would come to Trebus and stand proudly before you"

As Chakotay heard her words he heard the pain and regret in her voice and it hit him that was exactly what she had done, she had come to stand proudly before him. The image of her stood there on Trebus filled his mind and he felt in his heart not love exactly but pride, pride that she would keep her promise and that she would come here against all odds to keep that promise. Then the image of her on the floor after he had struck her filled his mind and his pride was replaced by a tremendous guilt. "Oh spirits Kathryn I'm so sorry" e whispered sadly as he hung his head.

Kathryn was in no mood to give into his guilt and she was in no mood to let him off lightly growling almost she snapped "you should be" before she downed the rest of her coffee contents and stood to walk away.

Chakotay too stood and snapped angrily "oh don't you dare come here and play all high and mighty"

Slowly Kathryn turned to look at him before she snapped "I didn't just hit you"

Grinding the teeth of his bottom jaw together Chakotay snapped furiously "Perhaps not physically" before slamming his fist on the table and sitting back down.

Kathryn's eyes were wide as she looked at him and saw his fury. Slowly she sank back into the seat opposite him, all the fire in her eyes apparently gone as she kept them on him. As she found her seat again she thought back tears as she whispered sadly "ok so let's get it out the way give it to me"

Chakotay turned to her, confusion and anger still evident in his eyes "what?" he snapped drawing his brows together.

Kathryn kept her eyes trained on him as she slowly placed both her hands on her Hawaiian covered knee and whispered softly in a trained still voice "you're angry about what happened in San Francisco"

Chakotay snapped very loudly without thinking "of course I am angry" Kathryn almost jumped in her seat at the loudness of his voice "you led me on" heads were turning now as Chakotay leaned into her furiously. Kathryn had to lean back in her chair to get away from his angry face "you made me believe there was a chance between us again and then you cast me aside, sent me away like I meant nothing to you" his breathing was heavy as he leaned closely to her face, Kathryn could feel his hat breath on her lips.

Her eyes filled with tears as she shook her head and gasped "cast you aside!" when he saw she wasn't meeting him with anger but with something much softer he leaned back a little as she insisted "that is not true"

"No?" he growled standing to his full height and turning his back on her.

"No" she insisted letting her tears fill her eyes as she looked up at him. How could he have thought she was casting him aside? How did he not understand why she did what she did? "I came here Chakotay" she remained him softly "I came here as your equal"

"A year later" he scoffed his anger still rising at her soft unaggressive way of meeting him.

She gasped as she instead "I had to have surgery to get here" when he showed her no response, when he didn't even turn to look at her she snapped angrily "do you have any idea what my body has been through to get here" suddenly feeling all her effort over the last year was wasted and unwanted.

Chakotay hung his head, his on sadness getting the better of him and he remained her "no I don't because you wouldn't let me share it with you"

"I couldn't" she replied softly and simply offering no more.

"couldn't or wouldn't" he scoffed finally turning to meet her eyes "what did you expect when you came here?" he demanded "That I would wait for you" Kathryn shook her head in sadness as he continued "that I would welcome you with open arms" at his final words he tears fell down her face and her blue eyes flashed with regret. Chakotay nearly laughed when he saw it and shook his head in surprise at her as he gasped "spirits you did didn't you"

"I didn't expect you to welcome me with open arms" she instead firmly then she found her own fury as she shouted back at him "I didn't however expect you to strike me" she could sense his pity for her, his pity or his amusement and she wouldn't stand for it.

"I am truly sorry for that Kathryn" he growled realising this was getting them nowhere, they were just going round in circles like a stale mate.

"I don't know who you are Chakotay" she whispered searching his cold dark eyes "the Chakotay I knew would never strike a woman"

"Maybe I am not the Chakotay you knew" he spat before he even had chance the think over what he was saying.

"Right" she nodded coldly standing and walking away as she growled furiously in question "that's it?"

"That's it" he nodded which in turn forced her to walk away.

Following her he said stiffly "Kathryn this is stupid" taking her arm trying to make her look at him.

Rounding on him in the dusty street not far from where he had hit her two days ago she yelled "oh so now I am stupid"

"I never said that" he replied stiffly.

When her fury met with his she softened enough to admit "I should never have come" then shaking her head at him she added "I am sorry"

"No Kathryn please" Chakotay begged as he realised the transport back to earth was first thing in the morning and she was about to walk away "I was angry" she stopped walking but didn't turn to look at him. She was giving him a chance, a chance to explain. "in san Francisco you let me believe there was something" her brows drawn together but still she didn't turn to him as he added "you kissed me" she spun round to protest but he concluded "more than once" she opened her mouth to say something she finished up coldly "hell you even asked me to stay with you and then just when I was about to agree to stay to insisted I took you home and you kicked me out your house"

"I was in hardly in any positing to kick you anywhere" she restored back in fury at how true his words were.

"Oh don't get smart" he growled stepping closer to where she stood tall, so radiant in that damn dress.

"Or what?" she tilted her head at him the way she always did "you'll hit me?" as soon as she said it she could kick herself, this was no way to move forward, they were both angry, and that both had right to be. Gasping she reached for him "I'm sorry I didn't mean that!" He spun round to meet her eyes, his laced with anger and fury.