Chakotay
Chakotay looked up from the task at hand and stared at their old ship sitting on the bluff two kilometers in the distance.
"You haven't visited her for weeks", B'Elanna remarked.
"It makes no difference", he answered gruffly and continued with his project.
"You miss her", B'Elanna replied gently, "and she misses you, too."
His laughter was bitter. "And how would you know? Has she told you that?"
"The light in her eyes goes out when she realizes that it isn't you that is visiting her."
"There is no light in her anymore! She is dead!"
"That is cruel and you know that!"
Chakotay pressed his lips together. It had been their mutual decision, or so he thought, to retreat into friendlier territory and search for a habitable planet or moon, where they could settle on. At least until the thread was gone. Let Species 8472 defeat the Borg and return to where they came from. Then they would be safe to continue on their journey. But as soon as the captain had given the order that haunted look had started to creep into her eyes. That look which would eventually eat her from the inside out just like the infection had almost done with Harry Kim.
At first she had tried to lead them into this new phase, had helped build new homes, even married the first couples, Tom Paris and B'Elanna among them to everybody's astonishment. But she had stayed aloof as if this new home was not for her. And he did have hope, especially after her words in her ready room when they were just nearing Borg space. He sighed and shook his head. Of course he had hoped for more! Yet, she had retreated back to that ship of hers, first for hours, then days until she hadn't come back to the settlement at all. They had talked to her, rather talked at her, pleaded with her, begged her to come back. But she was having none of it. She only told them that one of them had to stay with the ship to keep her shipshape and ready for launch. And that was the Captain's job. Obviously. And then she had stopped talking altogether. Roaming her ship like a ghost. The captain had gone down with the ship, indeed.
"Think we should head back out there?" Chakotay tilted his head towards the ship.
"Go back into space you mean?", B'Elanna asked. Chakotay nodded.
"No, no not any more. We've been here over a year now. We've built a strong community. And we've got this little one to consider." She padded her protruding belly. "But you should visit her. She'd like that."
Later that day he made his way to Voyager. He had to admit to himself that she was still a beauty and absolutely space worthy thanks to the captain and her chief engineer and a few others who helped out once in a while even if just to keep their former captain company. He had first accused B'Elanna of succumbing to the captain's delusions. But B'Elanna had argued that the captain did have a point, that one day they might need their ship again.
It was hard, setting foot on the bridge. His gaze was drawn to the captain's chair, expecting her to sit there. Instead she was at ops, Harry's old station. She didn't acknowledge him, maybe she hadn't realized his presence yet. He studied her. Her hair had gone gray and hung limply down her back, her skin was almost translucent and her uniform seemed several sizes too big for her thin frame. Her brow was furrowed as she studied the readings on the station in concentration.
"Captain", he greeted her.
She looked up and he sucked in a breath. Her eyes were clear, boring into his. But she looked sad, so very, very sad.
"Kathryn, what is it?", he asked.
"Come, take a look", Kathryn whispered. Chakotay joined her at the station and concentrated on the screen. His eyes widened.
"That is… Are they…?"
"It is. Species 8472. They are coming. And we can't run away. They are already here. A quantum singularity opened up just outside this system. They'll be on us in minutes. I…I have failed." She looked at him with tear brimmed eyes. "They will all die. Our crew will die, the families, the babies. I should have considered making a deal with the Borg. Now, I've condemned our people, this quadrant, maybe even this galaxy to certain death."
Chakotay tentatively pulled her into a hug. "Kathryn, nobody holds you responsible", he whispered in her ear.
"But I do. I could have done something and I didn't. I was a coward."
"No! You are the bravest person I know, but you are no god, Kathryn. Some things are simply bigger than you."
Kathryn leaned into his embrace, her head resting on his chest. He could see the tears glistening on her face.
"Were they happy, the crew?"
He didn't have the heart to tell her that they would have been happier with her among them.
"Yes, Kathryn, they were happy. We were blessed this past year."
"Good. That's good", she muttered. "Would you do me a favor?"
"Yes, of course." When she hesitated to elaborate, he cupped her cheek lightly. "Kathryn?", he prompted her.
"Would you kiss me?"
He didn't answer. Instead he took her head in both of his hands and angled it to meet her lips. Just as they did, their universe exploded.
Kathryn
The heat and humidity was more than uncomfortable. Captain Janeway used her sleeve to swipe the sweat away that was starting to burn in her eyes. She was tired and hungry and, she had to admit it, scared. Nevertheless, she tried her utmost not to show it and kept working. Building a weapon inside a Borg cube was without a doubt the most reckless action she had ever undertaken. She could only hope that she had done the right thing.
Sudden pain flared at the base of her neck. She whirled around in time to see a Borg drone retracting his injection tubules. Her hand flew to the nape of her neck, though she knew that it was too late. The pain started to spread.
"Why?", she screamed. "We can't give you the information now."
"We are the Borg" was the only answer reverberating inside her head before the pain overpowered her.
When the comm signal to Voyager opened, a new Borg drone had come into being. The crew stared at her in horror.
"Kathryn?", Chakotay pleaded.
She wanted to assure him that she indeed still was Kathryn. That she could still pull off a miracle and save their crew. But her treacherous mouth opened without her consent.
"We are the Borg. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile"
"Commander, intruder alert on several decks. They are Borg", came Tuvok's impassive voice.
Resigned, Chakotay shook his head and initiated Voyager's self-destruct sequence. He then locked eyes with her. They were free of accusations only filled with profound sadness. "No!", she wailed inside her head. "No, let me out of here. We can still make it work."
She watched him mouth "goodbye". A single tear trailed down the new drone's cheek. The only outward sign of her inner turmoil. She had failed. Failed her crew, their families and him. They hadn't parted as friends. The captain had made her decision against her first officer's advice and now she faced the consequences.
When Voyager exploded the human Kathryn Janeway ceased to exist.
In their respective quarters, mere meters apart, Voyager's Captain and First Officer woke with tear-stained faces and racing hearts. The lights of stars streaking by and the gentle hum of the ship's engines assured them that they were again in relatively safe space. And with it came the knowledge that they were very lucky to have figured out the most important realization just in time: that they worked best as a team.