Star Trek belongs to Paramount, a company I do not work for.
Chapter 6: Pleasant Dreams
By Lelila
The Away Team returned with no incidents and the Lu'ushens warmly thanked Voyager and her captain. While Kathryn was glad to help them and even more glad that the encounter had been without incident, she wasn't the only one who remarked in her report that the Lu'ushens behaved rather oddly. She marked it up to yet another Delta Quadrant species whose culture needed more investigation and went on with her daily life.
Said daily life seemed to be somewhat less stressful since she and Chakotay decided to allow themselves to explore their feelings and become closer. It was just such a relief to not have to push down how she felt. Of course they had to remain professional while on duty, but they had very few problems doing that. Even when alone in her Ready Room, personal discussion rarely went beyond talk of plans for the evening.
And oddly, their off-duty time together hadn't changed that much either. They still spent most of their time sitting on Kathryn's sofa reading reports. But now there was no hesitation about sitting close together or touching each other when they talked. Kisses were soft and chaste and usually only exchanged at the end of an evening. Not that she didn't want to order him to remove his uniform and push him onto the bed to have her way with him, but she never felt the desire when she was actually with him.
Mostly, she thought, it was because she was able to relax around him and he made it easy for her to do so, especially now that they'd pulled down the wall between them. And since she spent most of her time stressed about something, relaxation's siren call was much louder than that of sex. Still, she was certain it would happen, probably sooner rather than later, and that it would be worth the wait. In the meantime, she was just enjoying being with him.
They took a small step about a month into this new phase of their relationship. It was after one of their "official" weekly dinners, during which they'd talked about nothing but ship's business. After they'd finished eating, Chakotay replicated a bottle of wine and they moved to the sitting area for the "no talking about work" portion of the evening.
Kathryn settled herself into the corner of the sofa and accepted a glass of wine from Chakotay with a smile. After a sip she picked up the book they had been reading for the last week or so: Jane Eyre.
Chakotay sat near her and patted her knee before leaning back and taking a long pull from his wine as she began to read.
Kathryn quickly came to a very romantic scene, and, as she read, Chakotay slid closer, pressing his hip to hers and extending his arm along the back of the sofa. By the time the scene was over, she found herself snuggled into his side, his arm comfortably around her shoulders.
She paused, looking up into his eyes. The tenderness and affection she saw there warmed her belly. She smiled and he returned the expression before leaning down and kissing her softly. Her whole body flushed, and before she knew what she was doing, she dropped her book into her lap and snaked her arm around his neck, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss. They parted after several long moments, both breathing hard and searching the other's gaze.
Kathryn felt suspended; stuck in this spot and uncertain what to do next. Thankfully, she didn't have to decide how to proceed as Chakotay made the first move. He retrieved the book from her lap and nudged her shoulders against his side. After brushing a kiss against her temple, he began to read where she had left off.
The warmth that had started in her belly spread through her chest and the rest of her body, and after a few sentences, Kathryn put her head on Chakotay's shoulder. A few more sentences, and she turned her body towards his and wound an arm around his waist.
She could hear the smile in Chakotay's voice as he continued to read. He trailed his fingers lightly over her back and before too long she found herself snuggled into his side.
The chapter ended and Chakotay paused before asking: "Should I continue?"
Kathryn looked up at him, comfort and relaxation and warmth filling her. "No. Let's just talk."
"Alright." He tightened his arm around her a bit. "What shall we talk about?"
Kathryn nuzzled her head back against his shoulder. "Oh, I don't know. Something happy."
She felt the chuckle shake his body. "Well, that's rather vague."
"Happiness is rather vague, isn't it?"
"I don't know about that. I seem to recall someone once saying that happiness was a warm puppy."
Kathryn laughed. "Well, I guess I'd have to agree with that."
Chakotay drew lazy shapes on her shoulder blade. "What else makes you happy?"
"Oh…" Kathryn snuggled in even closer. "My mother's caramel brownies."
"Sounds decadent."
"Oh, they are." Kathryn raised her head to look at him, her eyes glittering. "They're gooey and chocolatey and sweet and savory all at the same time. I've tried replicating them, but I've never been able to properly recreate them. What about you? What makes you happy?"
"Seeing you smile," he answered simply.
She swatted him lightly. "You're just homh me." Homh was a Vulcan word that roughly translated to "massaging someone's ego."
"Not at all. You have a beautiful smile, Kathryn, and you don't show it nearly enough."
"Are you sure you're not just stealing lines from Tom via Neelix?"
Chakotay blinked several times, looking bewildered. "What?"
She shook her head and put it back down on his shoulder. "Never mind."
They lapsed into a comfortable silence. Kathryn let herself relax in the soothing headiness of Chakotay's embrace, not finding it necessary to say anything.
After what felt like forever and no time at all, Chakotay spoke again, the vibrations in his chest buzzing against Kathryn's hand. "What are you thinking, Kathryn?"
Kathryn released a contented sigh. "Just that it's nice being here with you."
She felt Chakotay's lips press against her forehead. "I like being here with you, too."
00000OOOOO00000
Chakotay started every day thanking the Spirits for how lucky he was. From the first moment he'd stepped onto Voyager, his whole life had changed for the better. He suddenly wasn't a wanted criminal anymore. And while the possibility of being shot out of the sky was still a real one, he didn't feel like he was running any longer. Add to that the fact that he was back on a Starfleet ship, living the life he'd loved before giving it up for philosophical reasons, he was well aware that getting pulled into the Delta Quadrant was about the best thing that could have happened to him.
But the absolute best thing that had happened to him had been Kathryn. He knew there was something special about that woman the moment she'd appeared on the viewscreen of the Val Jean. Every moment he spent with her only served to prove it more and more, despite her occasional difficulty.
In some ways, it was the difficult parts of her personality that he loved the most. It was her utter bull-headedness that had ultimately revealed her true vulnerability: her need for support, even though she refused it.
And he was truly enjoying the new aspects of their relationship. They'd both relaxed a lot knowing they didn't have to hide their feelings, which allowed both of their playful sides to come to the fore more often. Kathryn had a sharp sense of humor, something he'd learned early on, but the change in their relationship had allowed her to give herself permission to show it on a regular basis.
Still, there was nothing he liked more than making her laugh. And when he discovered a new way to do it, he couldn't remember being more thrilled.
They were sitting on her sofa one night, as they often did, reviewing the daily reports. They'd started sitting closer together of late, but tonight Kathryn had snuggled into a corner and stretched her legs out across the cushions. Without really thinking about it, Chakotay lifted her ankles and set her feet onto his lap as he sat down. He caught the lopsided half-smile she gave, but neither of them said anything.
They carried on reading their reports, making the occasional comment to each other. Chakotay's hand rested naturally on Kathryn's foot, and he found himself idly caressing it. As time went on, his fingers widened their path, eventually trailing to underneath her arch.
Her toes twitched. Chakotay smoothed his palm over them and went back to drawing circles on the top of her foot. It didn't take long until they wandered over to the bottom of her foot again. Again her toes twitched and she consciously shook her foot.
"Stop that," she said, a touch of her command voice hanging on the edge of her words.
Starting to catch on, Chakotay brushed his fingertips under her foot again. "You mean this?"
Kathryn shook her foot again. "Yes! Stop that!"
"You sure?" He intentionally tickled her this time.
She burst out with an involuntary laugh. "Yes!"
"And miss hearing you laugh?" He continued to tickle her.
She tried to pull her foot from his grip, shrieking with laugher. "Chakotay!"
"Okay, I'll take mercy on you. You don't like having your feet tickled. What about…here?" He danced his fingertips behind one of her knees.
She kicked at him, her laugher shaking her upper body. "Chakotay, I mean it! Stop!"
He grinned saucily. "Is that an order?"
"Yes!"
"Yes ma'am. Perhaps you'd prefer here?" He slid his hand up her thigh and over her hip before tickling around her navel.
"Chakotay!" Laughing uncontrollably, she lurched forward, trying to get a hold of his hands.
"Or perhaps here?" He moved up to her ribs.
She collapsed back against the sofa arm, laughing too hard to protest.
He continued to tickle her, watching in delight as her eyes danced and the color rose in her cheeks.
She beat her hands against his chest and he finally stopped, pressing his palms soothingly against her ribs. She continued to giggle as he smiled over her and leaned in to press a soft kiss to each of her cheeks.
"You're beautiful when you laugh and adorable when you blush."
Her blush darkened. "I'm not sure I've ever been called 'adorable' before."
"Well, you are."
He felt her fingers creep up his neck and into his hairline. "You're not bad yourself."
His dimples tugged at his cheek muscles as he leaned over to kiss her. It started off sweetly, an extension of the mirth they were sharing, but quickly became more passionate as Kathryn raked her nails over his scalp and he allowed some of his weight to settle over her. They hadn't kissed like this often, and in the past had always been sitting or standing.
Kathryn seemed to realize the change too as she wrapped her arm around his shoulders and pulled him to her. Chakotay got lightheaded when she accepted his tongue into her mouth and stroked it with her own. It didn't take very long for him to become totally overwhelmed; he could feel his heart beating against his breastbone and heard his breath quicken in his ears. He deepened the kiss even further and let himself settle over her fully.
Time lost its meaning as they fell further and further into each other. All that existed for Chakotay was the movement of Kathryn's lips and tongue, the feel of her nails on his scalp, and the rough fabric of her uniform beneath his fingers. The outline of her body beneath it was very tantalizing; he knew she had a lovely figure that was usually hidden by the rather shapeless garment. Arousal started to build low in his belly.
He felt Kathryn press her knee against his hip as she moaned into his mouth. He began to inch his fingers up her belly…
"Tuvok to Captain Janeway."
Chakotay's insides jumped in surprise, but he was able to hold himself together enough to ease out of the kiss and press his forehead to Kathryn's.
"A captain's never really off duty," Kathryn sighed before tapping her communicator. "Janeway here."
"Captain, we have encountered a small alien freighter in distress. We have offered our assistance, but they insist on speaking to our captain before discussing any subject."
Kathryn rolled her eyes. "Chief Tactical Officer wasn't good enough?"
"I am afraid not."
"Very well, I'm on my way. Janeway out."
Chakotay pushed himself back into a sitting position as Kathryn stood and strode over to the replicator to check her reflection in the control panel. "Do you want me to come along?"
"No," Kathryn snapped, but then caught herself. She took a breath and smiled. "No," she repeated more softly. "He only asked for me. Having us both show up at the same time might look…improper."
Chakotay frowned. He had agreed to keeping their relationship private, but there were moments when he didn't really like it.
Kathryn parked her hands on her hips. "Problems, Commander?"
He pasted a smile on his face; he had agreed with this; he would have to make peace with it. "Just disappointed you're leaving."
She favored him with that half-smile of hers before coming over to kiss the tip of his nose. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Don't go anywhere!" She winked.
00000OOOOO00000
Kathryn could not believe that it took her over an hour to convince the Liptrsom captain that Voyager meant them no harm. The longer she stood on the bridge, the more impatient she became. It probably had something to do with the way her lips still tingled from Chakotay's kisses.
She found herself almost hurrying back to her quarters, hoping Chakotay was still there. She had to key in her entry code twice as she went too fast to be precise the first time. She burst into the room, delighted to see Chakotay on the sofa….
Fast asleep.
Kathryn sighed. She didn't have the heart to wake him. She was pretty tired herself, to tell the truth. Still, she didn't want him to be uncomfortable. Going to her bedroom closet, she pulled an extra blanket from the upper shelf and tucked it around his shoulders and hips. She gently pressed her lips to his forehead before backing away. He stirred, pulling a deep breath, and for a moment Kathryn feared she'd woken him. He quickly settled back down, and Kathryn tiptoed back to her bedroom.
After quietly changing into her nightclothes and slipping into bed, Kathryn found it difficult to get to sleep. Part of it was the frustration of being called away from Chakotay just as things were getting heated, but a lot of it was the pull of him, knowing he was lying in the next room.
Still, to climb out of bed now and go to him felt way too forward. While no one would ever accuse Kathryn Janeway of being shy, when it came to the matters of the heart, she was nowhere near as proactive as she was in her professional life. Pulling a deep breath, she rolled onto her side, her back facing her bedroom door. She thought, if she was very quiet and still, that she could hear him breathing. She was probably imagining it, but it still lulled her to sleep.
00000OOOOO00000
Kathryn was dreaming of coffee. It was a very impressionistic dream; just the soft morning light streaking across her ceiling and the intoxicating smell of brewing coffee. She reveled in it; there was nothing so relaxing yet as anticipatory as the smell of real coffee brewing.
She floated on the aroma as she drifted towards consciousness. Waking up was beginning to feel like a desire, instead of a chore.
The alarm started to blare, jolting her into alert wakefulness. "Computer, silence alarm and reset for same time tomorrow," she ordered into the room. As her senses refocused, she realized she could still smell coffee. Glancing around, she found a steaming mug on her bedside table. "Chakotay?" she called, reaching for the magical nectar.
"Good morning," he called before appearing in her doorway. His uniform jacket was unzipped and his feet were bare. He cradled a cup of tea in one large hand. "Did you sleep well?"
"I should ask you that," Kathryn replied, pushing an errant lock of hair out of her eyes. "I hope my sofa was comfortable enough."
"I've slept in worse places," he answered with a sly grin. "I hope I wasn't too presumptuous," he nodded at her mug.
"Huh? Oh, the coffee!" She cupped it with both hands and inhaled deeply. "Not at all. It was a very pleasant way to wake up."
Chakotay smiled, revealing his dimples. "I thought you'd think that."
Kathryn took a long pull from the mug. "Oh, this is good."
"I programmed a different blend into your replicator."
"And it actually did what you told it to?"
He shrugged, grinning. "I guess it just doesn't like you."
"I'm the captain; it has to like me." She took another long drink and sighed happily before cocking an eyebrow in Chakotay's direction. "You know, I could get used to this."
"My sleeping on your sofa?"
Kathryn chuckled. "Perhaps. But I was thinking more along the lines of a handsome man bringing me coffee when my alarm goes off."
Chakotay took a sip of his tea and then came to sit on the edge of the bed. He leaned into her space, his expression growing sultry. "That could be arranged…"
Kathryn grinned and let her eyes start to drift closed as she leaned in for the anticipated kiss.
Chakotay's communicator squawked. "Kim to Chakotay."
Chakotay exhaled noisily. "I'm beginning to sense a bad pattern," he muttered before pressing the insignia. "Chakotay here."
"Commander, I'm sorry to bother you with this, but we're having some minor problems with the external sensors."
"And? Get Engineering on it."
"I did sir. Except…B'Elanna and Lt. Ayala are having a …disagreement on how to proceed."
Chakotay puffed out an exasperated breath. "I'll be down in a few minutes. Try to keep them from killing each other until I get there. Chakotay out."
He stood, gulping the last of his tea. "A Commander's work is never done," he commented as he put his cup on her side table and zipped up his jacket. "I'll see you on the bridge." He turned to go.
"Oh, Commander," Kathryn called after him. "Are you going to sneak back to your quarters carrying your boots?"
He turned to look at her quizzically and she flicked her eyes to his bare feet. "Huh? Oh." He smirked, a little embarrassed. "No, I'm trying out a new footwear option. I'd like to see what the Captain thinks."
Kathryn frowned. "The captain is not amused."
Chakotay shrugged. "Guess I'll have to find what I did with my socks, then."
Two in two days? What? Incredible!
I can guarantee that won't happen often, if ever again.
This is another one that's been done for a while but I haven't had the time to put the finishing touches on.
There's quite a bit done of chapter 7, but I really doubt it'll be up tomorrow.