A/N: Thank you all for you wonderful reviews and for bearing with me.
Chakotay didn't know how he ended up in sickbay. His starfleet training must have kicked in, reminding him, that alien creatures needed to be checked by the doctor.
"Oh, hello Commander. What can I do for you?" The eyes of the Doctor fell on the cat in Chakotay's arm. "Oh, no! I am a doctor, not a vet!" When commander Chakotay didn't budge, the EMH grudgingly condescended to do his job. "Very well, put it on the bed", he said while impatiently tapping his fingers on one of the biobeds. As he ran a medical tricorder over the cowering cat, he couldn't help but muttering: "Tsk, tsk, pets on the ship. And I am the last to be informed, of course. Hmph, I really need to speak to the Captain about this." Being entirely occupied with his new 'patient', holding it down to keep it from escaping, he never noticed Chakotay shivering.
"Well, Commander, this cat is female, about 6 months old and very healthy. Her caffeine levels are too high, of course, she is undernourished and sleep-deprived. But that, certainly, is perfectly normal for her."
"What?"
"Commander, should I check your hearing? I said that it is very healthy."
"What about her caffeine levels?"
The doctor gaped at his commanding officer, dumbfounded. "What about them?"
"Are they, er, normal?"
"It is a cat, Commander." At the sight of Chakotay's determined face, the EMH sighed and scanned the cat again. "These readings indicate that this feline didn't consume anything containing caffeine during the last 72 hours."
"Does she eat and sleep enough?"
Voyager's CMO rolled his eyes but answered dutifully: "My scans do indicate that she does. Since I don't know her eating and sleeping habits, I can't say for sure, of course. All cats tend to sleep and nap 16-18 hours a day. She is a little bit underweight, but that is perfectly normal for animals in their youth." He looked at Chakotay with critical eyes. "Are you alright, Commander?"
Chakotay pinched the bridge of his nose. "I am sorry, Doctor, I could have sworn that you said her caffeine levels were too high."
"I said nothing of that sort. Now, if you had asked my about the Captain..."
Chakotay cut him of in mid sentence: "It is alright. I guess, I am just a little tired." He grabbed the cat, which meowed in protest and turned on the spot.
"Commander, wait! Do you know how to care for her?" When Chakotay turned around once more and mutely shook his head, the Doctor took a padd in his hands and quickly typed in a few instructions. "Here are a few recipes for cat food you may try, and some instructions for the replicator. You'll need a litter pan, dishes, a scratching post and so on. Lucky for you, I had a cat on the holodeck, once." He added, looking smug.
"Thank you, Doctor." The listlessness in his superior's voice annoyed the hologram. Couldn't he be a bit more appreciative of the Doctor's many talents?
Fifteen minutes later, the senior staff was seated in the conference room. Chakotay had called this meeting as soon as he had exited sickbay. Now, he looked at the faces of each of his senior officers. Tom, B'Elanna and Harry were pale; they knew what had happened if not really why. Tuvok's face was as impassive as ever, yet Chakotay suspected the Vulcan knew more then everybody else, himself included. He wasn't sure about Neelix and Seven. The Doctor probably suspected nothing. He was indeed the last one to know.
He took a deep breath. "I called this meeting to clarify some rumors that have been running through the ship. Kathryn... Captain Janeway passed away this afternoon."
"What?" Sure enough, it was the Doctor that asked this question.
"She died for us..." Tom's voice was barely more than a whisper.
"Mr. Paris, what are you talking about?"
Yet Tom didn't answer, he was starring at the table with unseeing eyes.
"Lieutenant Paris was referring to a choice that Captain Janeway was presented with: One, to leave ten crewmen behind in a prison on this planet, including most of the senior staff and the child Naomi. The other, to retrieve them at the cost of her life. She chose the latter", Tuvok replied.
"But, Captain Janeway is very resourceful, surely she could have found a way to rescue the missing people? And why were they in prison, anyway?"
"To cut a long story short: We were accused of having slaughtered a bunch of cats and apparently that is one of the worst crimes you could commit down there." B'Elanna's voice betrayed her still seething anger."
"Cats?"
Harry nodded miserably. "It was a horrible sight."
"Did you do it?"
"We most certainly did not!", Seven said tersely, though her eyes were full of pain.
"Well, as Voyager's Chief Medical Officer it is my duty and right to certify the Captain's death. Where is her body?"
"I wasn't allowed to take her back with me", Chakotay answered tiredly.
"I did scan for it and found nothing", Tuvok interjected.
"Of course you didn't", Neelix spoke up for the first time. "They cremate their dead. Only distinguished people get a sacred burial ceremony of some kind."
"Be it as it may, I will do a more elaborate scan of the planet." Seven stood to leave.
Chakotay didn't think that would help, but he understood her distress. "Alright, you have until 0900 hours tomorrow morning. If you haven't found her by then I will make the official announcement. A memorial service will be held in two days at 1500." He looked questioningly at Tuvok, who nodded: "The President allows us to stay in orbit and under their protection until we have performed our traditional ceremonies."
"That is all. Dismissed." Chakotay watched his senior officers leave in silence then he left for his quarters as well.
As soon as he entered his quarters he made his way for his bed. He didn't bother to undress, just laid down and stared at the ceiling. Vaguely, he heard himself calling for the time. "The time is 1904 hours." He should be having dinner with Kathryn, now. When realization hit, so did his tears. He sobbed hard, barely able to breath. And then it was there. Something soft and warm sat on his chest, a rough tongue licking at the salty tracks of his face. Automatically, he started to stroke the small animal and it's soft answering purr gradually helped him to calm down. When his eyes met blue his world began to fade.
Kathryn's brow was furrowed with concentration. Her eyes wandered back to the children whose dishes rotated easily on their sticks. They even threw them to one another. She shook her head. It couldn't be that hard. Carefully, she put the plastic disc back on her wooden stick, determined to get it right this time. She backed up one step to keep the dish from falling and collided with the border of the sidewalk. With a thud and a small cry she landed in a pile of leaves that cushioned her fall. She sat up with an odd look on her face. Leaves were clinging to her hair and clothes. The children had stopped playing and stared at the woman. One girl started to giggle but then clasped her hands over her mouth. It was Kathryn that started to laugh. First, only her shoulders shook. That alarmed Chakotay. Was she hurt? Then, she laughed. Her laughter filled her whole being and to Chakotay it sounded like heavenly music. The children, too, laughed freely and gleefully jumped into the leaves as well. Suddenly, a very stern looking man addressed Chakotay: "I was told that I could find Captain Janeway and her first officer in this park?" He raised a questioning eyebrow at Chakotay. Chakotay looked at Kathryn who was trying hard to suppress another bout of giggles. Her hair was tousled and sprinkled with dried leaves. She stood up and straightened herself, yet she missed one small ruby colored leaf behind her ear, making her look absolutely endearing at least in Chakotay's eyes.
Suddenly, everything was black and then he stared back into a pair of blue cat's eyes. It took some time for him to realize that the cat had blinked. Now, it yawned, stretched its front paws and closed its eyes with a satisfied look on its face. Chakotay stared at his new roommate. Where had that memory come from? She had been so happy and full of life this day. He turned on his side and closed his eyes. He wanted to be sad once more, yet he couldn't shake that memory of her.
The inhabitants of this particular planet had almost been Vulcan like, very stern and seemingly impassive. It would have only been logical to send Tuvok on this trade mission, yet the Senator for Interplanetary Affairs insisted on speaking with the Captain and her first officer themselves. The only soft spot these people seemed to have were their children. So, after Kathryn had introduced herself to the secretary that had been sent to find them, a small smile could be seen on the man's face. In the Senator's office the two men had shared a few whispered words, then the Senator had turned around smiling slightly and had given Kathryn an approving look. Naturally, the following trade talks had been very relaxed.
On the bridge the very next day, Chakotay had used an incoming report as an excuse to visit Kathryn in her ready room. When he demanded entrance, though, nobody answered. Worried, he used his override code. There she was, concentrating hard and swirling a blue plastic dish on a wooden stick.
"Ahem", he cleared his throat.
Kathryn turned around and greeted him while still balancing the dish: "Oh, Chakotay! I haven't heard you come in."
"I see, you figured it out. Didn't find any rest until you could do it, now, did you?", he asked with a laughing smile.
She almost looked embarrassed. "Well, it was only a little bit of math, really. It still took me another hour to get the hang of it. I always kept moving my arm instead of only my wrist. Well Commander", she grinned at him, "now it is your turn. There is another talent show coming up." She eyed him, all innocent as he took the toy from her.
Chakotay smiled and finally drifted off to sleep. Only a quiet purr was penetrating the silence.
