Trust
Star Trek Voyager Fan Fiction
Season 5/6
Captain Kathryn Janeway had one goal – get her crew and ship back home. The Captain puts her mission above everything else, but would that also stop her from falling in love?
No copyright infringement intended. Purely for fun.
Written by LaughingLee (First fan fiction :)
CHAPTER 14
"Damn it!" Lee jumped back and mumbled a few more mature curses. She picked up her sonic adjuster and checked it again.
Ensign Lee Roberts was huddled against the furthest corner on the second level of Main Engineering. The panel open in front of her had been trying her patience for the better part of the week. All she had to do was check the alignment of the conduits, but the adjuster kept shocking her and she couldn't find the problem. Lee bent down again and brought the tool closer to the conduit at the back of the panel. Without warning another spark jumped from the conduit through her hand.
"Damn it to hell!" Lee yelled loudly. "Why aren't you working?" The blonde engineer went to hit the conduit, but a second spark made her drop her tool. A string of curses left her lips and Lee felt the anger coursing through her blood.
"Are you all right?" Captain Janeway wasn't expecting this. She'd never seen Lee so furious at something so inconsequential. "I'm taking you to Sickbay right now."
"No," Lee replied curtly. "It's nothing, I'm fine. What are you doing here?"
"I came to tell you something." Kathryn Janeway took a step closer to inspect Lee's hand, but the Ensign immediately walked around her and hunched down next to the panel full of conduits.
"That's great, but I'm busy," Lee replied. "We can talk after my shift. I'll come by your quarters if I'm not too tired."
Lee picked up the sonic adjuster hoping this time it would know better than to misbehave. One more spark and she would dismantle the tool and the entire panel filled with circuitry. Before she could do anything, Kathryn grabbed her wrist and yanked her back.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Lee was furious. "You might be the Captain and I know we're a couple, but you can't just walk in here and control everything I do. Stop checking up on me! I'm a big girl. Back the hell off!"
Janeway started to reply, but Lee wasn't listening. She pulled her arm out of Janeway's grasp and knelt down in front of the panel again. For a second time, Kathryn intervened. A part of Lee couldn't believe she was wrestling her girlfriend for an engineering tool. After a few seconds of struggling, Kathryn made the smarter move and pinned the furious Ensign to the ground.
"Kathryn! What the hell? Get off me!"
The Starfleet Captain held her ground and forced the younger women to look at her. "Look at the panel. The main oscillator is still running. That's why you've been having trouble with the alignments. Look again, Lee. You could have killed yourself if that adjuster had accidentally touched the wrong circuit."
"Oh." Lee's frown lifted, but only for a second. "You could have said something. Why are you up here anyway?" Kathryn shifted her weight and Lee quickly crawled out from under her and stood up.
"I have a surprise for you," Captain Janeway replied, trying to hide her concern.
"That's very nice, but can't it wait? I'm really busy and frankly, I'm not in the mood for anything surprising." Lee turned her back on Kathryn and grabbed her tricorder. That damn oscillator should be in the next panel.
"That proves my point." Janeway wanted desperately to hug Lee, but she held her ground.
"You're not making any sense," Lee replied shortly. She pulled open the panel, ignoring the pain as a sharp edge of the metal grazed her arm.
"Lee, please, turn around. Look at me."
The metal plate dropped to the floor with a loud clang. Lee had to bite her tongue. She didn't want to scream at Kathryn, but the words were hammering against her forehead. After a deep breath, Lee stood up and faced Kathryn. "What?"
"You haven't been yourself lately," Kathryn started. She knew she was on thin ice when Lee crossed her arms and leaned back against the bulkhead. "Think about how you've been acting the past few weeks. You don't read to Naomi anymore and the only time you spend outside Engineering is when you're asleep. And even that is much less than it should be. You're short with everyone and you're avoiding your friends. You've stopped laughing. The Lee I know isn't this angry." Kathryn paused and took a small step closer. "You love surprises. The fact that you'd completely ignore one is evidence enough that you need it."
"Are you ordering me to be surprised?" Lee taunted, but some of the fight had left her.
Kathryn bristled, but refused to be drawn into another argument. "No, I'm not ordering you. I'm asking you to come with me. Will you?"
"What about my work?" Lee uncrossed her arms. "How long is this surprise going to take?"
"From this moment, you're on leave for five days," Kathryn replied, grinning at the suspicion crinkling around Lee's eyes.
"B'Elanna would never go for that. There's way too much work to do."
"It's all been arranged. You have nothing to worry about." Kathryn gestured to the panel and Lee sighed. She packed away her gear and picked up the metal plating.
"And here I thought I wore the pants in this relationship," Lee muttered as she finished closing up the panel.
"See, you're already feeling better," Kathryn said and chuckled as the Ensign shook her head in frustration. Lee made her way towards the ladder leading down to Main Engineering. Kathryn quickly followed, grateful she hadn't needed to stun her partner into submission. The option had been running through her mind.
Lee was tired and angry and tired of being angry. Kathryn had dragged her away from Engineering and straight to her quarters. Lee immediately noticed a bag had been packed for her and she was told to get changed. A bright pair of shorts and a cotton t-shirt with a big cartoon fish on it was laid out on the bed. Kathryn also exchanged her red uniform for a light summer dress. The Captain pulled the reluctant engineer with her to Holodeck One where she was told they had its exclusive use for their joint leave.
"Kathryn, I know you're trying to be the best girlfriend ever, but I really don't need a holiday," Lee explained as she stood in the middle of the empty hologrid. Kathryn ignored her and continued working at the control panel. "I'm sorry if I've been a bit off. I need a few hours extra sleep and I'll be fine. Can I go back to Engineering now?"
"No," Kathryn said and keyed in the final commands. She walked to the scowling blonde and took her hands. "Trust me. This is what you need."
Kathryn tilted her head and gently kissed Lee. The Ensign squeezed Kathryn's hands and said, "That's not playing fair."
Kathryn chuckled and loved the look of surprise on Lee's face as she noticed where they were standing. The holoprogram had activated and placed them in the middle of a small living room with an open-plan kitchen behind them. Lee's heart missed a beat as the gentle roar of the ocean reached her ears. She immediately recognised the house. Lee knew the main bedroom was in the room next door and had an unobstructed view of the sea. A short flight of stairs led to the attic which had some extra beds and cupboards. The enraptured Ensign slowly walked to the patio doors which opened onto a wooden deck. Another few steps would put her on white sand. The waves were crashing on the closest rocks and Lee knew it was high tide. She made to turn her head to see the rest of the view, but instead looked at Kathryn.
"We're in the crook of a small bay, aren't we? The rock pool right in front of us is perfect for swimming when the tide is high. There should be smaller pools all around us with the most beautiful sealife I've ever seen. And if I look to the right, there'll be a rocky escarpment with a path just wide enough for a hovercycle. Around the corner, there's a village with the only shop for miles." Lee didn't even bother to wipe away the tears running down her cheeks.
Kathryn nodded and felt a tear forming in the corner of her eye as well. "Do you like it?"
"Like it? Kathryn, the only thing in this universe I love more is standing right in front of me." Lee rushed forward and swung Kathryn into a hug. She kissed her fiercely. "How did you do this? I know we've talked about my parents' beach house. I spent so much time there growing up. But, I didn't think you were listening to every detail. This is amazing!"
Kathryn blushed at the compliment and at how tightly Lee was holding her. "I had Harry and Seven help me with the programming. We took all the data we had on the area from Voyager's computer. I had to access photos from your personal files as well to get more on the beach and the inside of the house."
"You were right." Lee said after staring at the beautiful woman in front of her. "I've been a horrible person. I was angry and hateful. I think I've been missing my family. And, furious at whatever cruel twist of fate pulled us into the Delta Quadrant." Lee grabbed Kathryn's lips for another kiss. "Thank you."
"I wasn't sure if you'd want to see something so far out of reach," Kathryn replied. Lee pulled her to the porch and they looked at the wonderful amount of green-blue stretched out in front of them. "I hope it lives up to your memories."
"The exact details aren't important," Lee said and hugged Kathryn again. "We'll make new memories."
Kathryn was trapped in the love radiating from the blue eyes facing her. She managed to ask, "What do you want to do first?"
"You have to swim when the water's this high," Lee said excitedly. "Kathryn, I have so much to show you!"
"Then it's a good thing I packed everything I could think of," the Captain replied, chuckling at the pure joy in her partner's face. She made to walk back inside, but a touch on her arm stopped her.
"Kathryn, I love you," Lee said softly, adoring the flutter of surprise on Kathryn's face whenever she mentioned the word.
Kathryn stepped into Lee's open arms. "I love you too."