Chapter 20: Epilogue

"The point of this week's lecture is that, despite our best intentions, First Contacts do not always go the way Starfleet hopes they will go. So a good officer will be able to adapt, to find new ways of implementing First Contact protocols – but a great officer will do so without endangering the Prime Directive. That's the challenge," Chakotay lectured as he leisurely paced in front of his classroom.

He was pleased to see that most of the students were following him with rapt attention. They knew that this was eventually leading to a story about the Delta Quadrant, but they also knew that those stories had to be earned, so he stopped pacing and turned to face the cadets with a smile. "Now, your assignment was to find an example in Starfleet historical records of a situation when that happened, and to provide an analysis of the circumstances. Who would like to volunteer their findings?"

A young woman named Clare raised her hand.

"Species 8472."

Chakotay raised his eyebrows in surprise. He hadn't expected an analysis of one of Voyager's log entries, and certainly not that one. But he was intrigued to see how a cadet might analyze the situation. "Go on."

"When Voyager encountered them the first time, they were violent at first, but Captain Janeway was eventually able to negotiate a peace with them."

Chakotay was about to reply that the situation had also involved the Borg, an Ocampa with telepathic abilities and many other variables that complicated the case, when a familiar voice joined in from the back of the room.

"That's very flattering, but as I recall, it was a little more complicated than that!"

Chakotay couldn't help but grin when the students startled and perked up in surprise as Kathryn walked out of the shadows by the door. How long had she been standing there? His heart skipped a beat at the unexpected sight of her.

"As you were!" She ordered the cadets, augmenting the effect of the command with her hand, as she made her way down the stairs of the auditorium, loving the attention. Chakotay watched her approach with a smile, admiring her figure and the way her exuberant personality seemed to radiate from her gait and gestures. Despite her childish enthusiasm, there was something commanding and magnetic about her; everyone in the room followed her movements with a star-struck look in their eyes. Himself included, probably.

The last three months with her had been some of the most exhilarating of his life – and that was saying a lot for a man who'd spent the last seven years in an uncharted region of the galaxy. He and Kathryn had come together as naturally as two people could, as if they had in fact been a couple long before they'd consummated their relationship. It was startling to think of their years together on Voyager through that lens, but now he realized that the connection they'd had almost since the beginning was exactly what was holding them together now, what made them appear so in sync.

Oh it wasn't always easy – they both had strong personalities and faults to match – and they were both dedicated to their work, which meant that they worked long hours. But they always made sure to come together at the end of the day, whether at her house or at his place near the Academy, where they talked about their day and frustrations and excitements. Sometimes those moments didn't feel like they were enough, but for the time being they had to be, so Chakotay had from the beginning made a point of cherishing them. If his time in the Delta Quadrant had taught him anything, it was not to take anything for granted.

Besides, it had given them the chance to actually process everything – the changes that came with their new life together. Even though a relationship with her had, for Chakotay at least, always been at the back of his mind, the reality of it had taken some time to get used to, especially the subtle shift in the power relations that had for so long characterized their relationship. She still had the occasional tendency to take her "captain/admiral" voice, and though Chakotay made light of it and teased her about it, he knew it was something they both struggled with. Oh he had no doubt that she saw him as her equal, her match, but old habits died hard.

But all things considered, those things were meaningless compared to the sheer luck he felt to be loved by her, and to the joy and feeling of peace and completeness he felt when he was with her, when she was in his arms or slept peacefully at his side. Those feelings and moments, and her happiness, were all that mattered.

Kathryn now met his gaze when she reached him at the front of the room. Chakotay almost reached out for her but stopped himself just in time. Instead he returned her smile before clearing his throat.

"Admiral Janeway," Chakotay greeted her, loud enough for all the students to hear. "To what do we owe this unexpected pleasure?" Even though he was always happy to see her, it was the first time she'd ever attended his class in the couple of months he had lectured at the Academy.

Her gaze met his pointedly for a moment – there was something she needed to tell him, he realized – but she quickly returned her eyes to the crowd. "I was passing by and my ears started ringing."

The students laughed and Chakotay smiled, though he couldn't help feeling some concern – he knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't have made a point of interrupting his class for something trivial. "Well, it's not often that these cadets get to hear the story from the source, and we have a few minutes left. Admiral?" He challenged with a smile.

Kathryn sent him another mischievous look before walking closer to the students and leaned against Clare's desk. Chakotay leaned back against his desk to listen, unable to contain a smile. Kathryn had always been a good storyteller and she loved a good, lively crowd. Those cadets were in for a treat.

"You're right, Cadet, our first contact with Species 8472 was far from the ideal Starfleet case study. At first their wrath was not aimed at us, but, at the Borg Collective…"

~~o~~

Once Kathryn had finished her tale and answered a couple of questions from wide-eyed students, Chakotay dismissed the class.

"You made their day," he commented when Kathryn walked back to him.

"I was listening for a while before I spoke up, and I think it's safe to say, it's you who's made their day. They were entranced long before I so rudely interrupted."

"You're welcome to interrupt anytime," he assured as he gathered his things.

As if she now recalled the reason why she had interrupted in the first place, her expression sobered. "Is there anywhere we can talk privately?"

Chakotay nodded and led her outside the classroom to his office, and the door closed behind them. "What's going on?"

She half sat on his desk. "B'Elanna and Seven are ready to launch version 2.0. We'll be leaving for DS12 in an hour."

These last few months B'Elanna and Seven had been devising a plan to launch another Neutrino Entraptor into the Beta Quadrant in the hope of creating the first of many nodes in a network of devices. The goal was eventually to have them in allied or neutral territories to allow ships to do multiple jumps from one singularity to the next, thereby traveling lightyears in a few instants. Seven was apparently getting a little impatient in her wish to try and contact the Borg resistance in the Beta Quadrant, and this was the first step she would be taking toward that end.

Chakotay nodded but couldn't help a sigh as he sat in the chair in front of Kathryn. It was probably just overprotectiveness, but he rather wished he could go with them, if only to keep an eye on them all. But especially on Kathryn. He felt some comfort in the fact that at least Tuvok would be there - one of the few people who knew how and when to stand up to her.

"How long will you be gone?" Chakotay asked.

"About a week, maybe ten days."

"You'll be careful?"

She smiled and moved to sit sideways across his lap. "Aren't I always?"

"A paragon of prudence," he retorted sarcastically and she grinned, putting her arm around his neck to graze her fingers into his hair.

"I'll be careful," she promised before kissing his lips briefly. Too briefly. Chakotay sighed with the awareness that anyone could knock on the door any moment, including students.

"So, what are you going to do with me out of your hair for a week?" She asked teasingly.

"Aside from the big party with the boys at your house, you mean?"

She snorted at the old-fashioned stereotype and he grinned. "Speaking of my house," she said as if she'd just remembered that it was something she'd been meaning to discuss, "there is one thing you could do while I'm gone."

"I'm listening," he replied curiously.

"You could start moving your stuff in. You already spend most of your time there, and I've cleared out some space when I went home to pack earlier. That way it wouldn't be my house anymore, but our house. Then you'll be able to throw as many parties as you want in my absence."

Chakotay stared at her, at the way the uncertainty in her eyes belied the lighthearted tone of her invitation and showed some deeper dread at his reaction. Didn't she know by now how happy this would make him? For an independent woman like Kathryn Janeway this was a big step, he knew that and he was touched, but he was still a little dejected to see that even after all this time, she still doubted his devotion. He would need to remedy that as soon as she got back. For now, he tightened his arm around her waist and smiled into her eyes.

"I love the way you think," he agreed. "Does that mean I get to finally reorganize the kitchen?" He teased, knowing it would touch a soft spot based on previous discussions on the subject.

As expected she threw him an indignant look. "I'll have you know it's perfectly well organized, by functional category, why-"

Chakotay grinned and kissed her lips. "I'm aware of your classification system, Kathryn. It's perfectly rational, but doesn't make any intuitive sense. Besides, you're hardly ever in there now that I'm around to do all the hard work."

She snorted and laughed before disentangling herself and standing to her feet. "But you do such a fine job."

Still grinning, Chakotay stood with her. In truth he loved cooking for her – in fact he was always happy to do things that pleased her. He always had. He'd even built her a bathtub once.

"Well, I should head out, lest Captain Tuvok decides to leave without me," she said and met his eyes more seriously, in spite of the light tone.

He nodded and pulled her into his arms. While Tuvok wouldn't have been his first choice to command Voyager, Chakotay admired him and knew that the years as Chief of Security had taught him that captains couldn't always just rely on logic. A big part of decision-making was also about instinct, and about listening to the crew. Hopefully Tuvok would adjust his Vulcan logic to encompass a broader spectrum of actions. It was, after all, logical to do so. And he had Harry as his First Officer to take care of the social aspect of running a crew like Voyager's. They would make a good team, balance each other out.

"I would walk you to the DQU, but I have another class starting soon." He paused to gather her closer. "I'll miss you, even when I'm in the middle of my big party with the boys, and there's debauchery and inebriation all around."

She grinned, shaking her head, and reached up to kiss his lips. "I'll miss you." She took a step back. "No debauchery," she ordered.

He chuckled, resting his hands on his hips. "You drive a hard bargain. Give my best to the others."

"I will. I love you."

"I love you."

With one last smile, Kathryn left his office.

After she was gone Chakotay leaned back against his desk and sighed. For the thousandth time in the last three months, he marveled at the unexpected turn that his life had taken. Not only recently with Kathryn and the new posting, but even before. When he was a Maquis, he'd been ready to die fighting to defend his land and his people, and if the Caretaker hadn't flung his ship into the Delta Quadrant and if Kathryn hadn't come after them, he doubted he would have lived long enough to have such a meaningful relationship with another person, or find the peace that allowed him to do so now. Kathryn had saved him, in more ways than one.

And now that they were both blissfully happy with their current situation, and now that his friends had all found their own places and purposes in the new order of things, he could finally truly embrace the peace that he'd sought for so long.

And be happy.

The End

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