Chapter 3

Kathryn was sitting in her quarters when she heard the chime of the door.

"Come in," she called and was very surprised to see Chakotay, who glanced away, embarrassed. Kathryn supposed he had good reason to be; she had not been expecting anyone, so she was in her nightgown covered by a bathrobe. Her hair was in a loose ponytail draping over her shoulder and she had been on the couch, sipping a cup of coffee, gazing wistfully out the window when he had come in.

"No, it's alright," she said and then thought I guess this will be the most decent thing I'll be wearing for a while, but she did not say it; Chakotay didn't seem to be in the mood for jokes. He didn't say anything, and she started to put her cup down on the table. "I guess you're my superior now, I should have stood up. This will take some getting used to."

"No, no," he protested, "As far as I'm concerned, you're in charge until you leave the ship, Captain."

"And as far as I'm concerned, you are, Captain," she retorted vehemently. "I insist that you call me Kathryn."

"Well then, Kathryn," this word came slowly and awkwardly off his tongue, "I order you to relax. You do not have to salute any officer on board this ship."

She nodded and resumed her position. "Please, sit," she said and Captain Chakotay joined her. "Now, what was it you came for?"

Chakotay moistened his lips and began. "I came to thank you. You are doing the most brave and noble thing possible for this ship, and I wanted you to be sure you knew the crew appreciated. You've given your freedom for us."

She smiled warmly at this. "Thank you, Captain, but I'm sure you would have done the same."

"I also wanted to discuss the rescue mission."

At this, Kathryn's eyes turned cold. "There will be none." Chakotay tried to protest this, but she continued "It is impossible for you to beat this ship or outrun it, and I will not have the lives I sacrificed myself for try to return the favor. As long as I am alive, they will not seek out this ship, so your mission is to go the opposite direction of their ship when it leaves. Is that clear?"

He nodded somberly at this. "That was all, Ca—Kathryn, so I will leave you to your thoughts. Good luck."

No sooner had he left, than the chime sounded again. It was Tuvok this time, who also seemed mildly uncomfortable with her attire. Unlike Chakotay, though, he got right to the point. "You have made a very illogical choice, I believe," he said gravely. "Unlike many others, you have a position of importance on this ship. You should have sent someone who was disposable."

"Mr. Tuvok," she said exasperatedly, "You know I could never send anyone in place of me. It is my job to make sure these people stay safe. This was the only option available."

He wisely chose not to press the subject, instead saying, "The Doctor, after being informed of the situation, asked to see you in Sickbay so that he could give you a medical examination before you…left.

She frowned with distaste, but then thought of the Doctor. "How did he take it?"

"At an overall glance, it seemed that he was merely annoyed at being the last to know, but I surmise that this was an attempt to mask his troubled thoughts of your departure."

Tuvok left, and the final chime of the door was the delivery of the dress. "Thank you, Crewman," she said and he replied "No, thank you, Captain."

"Kathryn," she corrected him, but he had already left. Suddenly, she was exhausted, and the last thing she wanted to do was leave her quarters, into the corridors where she would be prone to piercing eyes and concerned whispers, but she had to see the Doctor. He was the only one who wouldn't be there when she said goodbye.

~*~

"Ah, Captain—"

"Kathryn."

"Oh, of course, you aren't in charge any more, are you? That might have been something to inform your Chief Medical Officer of. Now I have to fit your tests in somewhere, I'm very busy you know, and—"

"Doctor," she stopped his tirade with a single word as she caught his arm. "I'm sorry."

He looked at her, but couldn't keep eye contact with her swimming eyes for very long. "I know," he said.

She smiled. He had understood.

A/N: Not quite as long as the first one, but the next one will be even longer, I promise!

You guys must be on the same wavelength as me or something, a lot of your suggestions I had already planned to write in! If it didn't happen this chapter, it's probably coming in the next one.

So... keep reviewing! Keep suggesting!