DISCLAIMER: All hail the Rock!!! (Paramount. Same thing. REALLY!) The characters, the ship, the - well you name it, it all belongs to them. No copyright infringement intended!
Every Trek writer has to do a stuck-in-a-turbolift story. Here's mine. I think that it's pretty run-of-the-mill, but I'll see where it goes!
How about PG? Whatever. Anytime. It's non-canon anyhow!
J/C, as always.
Kathryn Janeway stepped onto the turbolift after a long day, followed by her first officer. The first officer who wasn't talking to her. "Deck three," they ordered in unison, glaring at each other as the other spoke. The turbolift jolted a bit more than usual, but continued on its way. Kathryn stared straight ahead, willing the turbolift to move faster. It didn't. It stopped.
"Janeway to Engineering."
Chakotay was silent as B'Elanna's voice came back, "Yes, Captain?"
"The turbolift is stopped. Any explanation?"
Of course there was an explanation, thought Torres. It wasn't going anywhere until the CO's started talking. But, of course, they didn't need to know that. "I'll get right on it, Captain. We'll have you out of there as soon as possible."
"Thank you, B'Elanna."
"Certainly, Captain. Torres out." The link was closed, and Kathryn stood against the metal wall of the turbolift.
Chakotay stayed on his feet, that was protocol. The silence was thick with tension that both were determined not to break.
After twenty tense minutes, Chakotay poked at his communicator. "Chakotay to Torres."
"Torres here, what is it?"
"Why are we still stuck in this damned turbolift, Lieutenant?"
She thought up a quick excuse. "Well, the gel packs are infected, and we're trying to see if we can fix it without crawling up the shaft. The infection is interfering with transporters," she said, making a note to tell Harry about that.
"Well, hurry it up, Lieutenant," growled Chakotay before closing the link.
"You didn't have to be so harsh with her, Commander. It's not her fault," said Janeway, still standing.
"All due respect, Captain, but I sincerely believe that it IS her fault. They're trying to set us up - yet again."
"I see." She stared at Chakotay, willing him to say something. Anything. She was willing to get into a fight with him here, willing to slap him or kiss him or anything, just to mend this rift between them. "What's wrong, Chakotay?"
"Nothing is wrong, Captain, but thank you for your concern," he recited.
"Don't give me that bull, Chakotay. This has nothing to do with the captain and the commander, so leave them out of this! This is between Kathryn and Chakotay, so tell me what the hell is going on!!!!" She had raised her voice to a level that no one ever heard. She only ever allowed her control to crack in his presence, but recently everything had been strained, their command relationship and their friendship.
"Fine, Kathryn, you want to know what's going on?" he sneered at her.
"Yes, I do!" she commanded, hands on her hips.
"I can't believe you!" he started. "After everything! You still push me away, you push everyone away! You may be the Captain, Kathryn, but you're also Kathryn, the person. A person is allowed to show weakness, allowed to have friends, allowed to make mistakes!" He looked at her pleading through his anger. "I can't understand why you do this! You push yourself so hard, you don't let people in! Where's the wonderful woman that I knew on New Earth?" He was less irate now that he had gotten what was bothering him out into the open.
Kathryn stared at him. "THIS?!" she screeched in a very un-Captain-like tone. "THIS is why you haven't been talking to me?" She was incredulous.
"That and what happened on Foipunar."
"Oh." They had disembarked on shoreleave. The crew had been invited to a beautiful party, complete with decorations, ambassadors, and drinks. The drinks had been spiked, everyone was a little intoxicated. Kathryn had woken up in her first officer's arms with absolutely no recollection of what had happened. He had no memory either.
"Kathryn, dammit! I am sick and tired of this two steps back, one step forward. I know you think that we can't ever have a relationship, but I have yet to determine your reasons!"
She slid down the wall, so her back was against the wall, but her knees were bent so she was sitting. Chakotay sat with her, unconsciously holding her hand in his. She didn't pull away, but she wouldn't look at him.
"I' ve told you before. Command protocol."
"Command protocol? Kathryn, we're fifty years from home! I don't think that Starfleet would CARE, after all that we've been through." He thought for a minute. "Tell me, Kathryn. If the situation was different. If we were in the Alpha Quadrant, or if we didn't command the ship - would there be something between us?" He caressed her palm with his thumb, praying for the answer he wanted.
"Oh, Chakotay. You know the answer to that."
"I want to hear you say it."
In engineering, all ears were glued to B'Elanna's monitor of the conversation. All pretense of work was abandoned, people only turning back to consoles when footsteps sounded. Tom Paris rounded the corner, eyes taking in the inactivity. "Lieutenant Torres!" he said, mock seriously. "What is the meaning of this?"
"Well, sir," she started, deciding to play along for the time being. "I am just trying to stabilize the command structure."
"And who told you to do that?" Paris questioned his lover, gazing into her pouty brown eyes.
"You did, sir!" A laugh ricocheted around engineering as Paris kissed her quickly and listened to the monitor, praying that Tuvok wouldn't walk in.
In the turbolift, there was silence. "Chakotay, you know I can't"–
"Come on Kathryn! It's not that hard. You know I've done it more than once."
"I know." She took a deep breath. "Yes, Chakotay, if the situation were different - and that is a very big IF - we probably would be, what was Neelix's word? Involved." She sighed, refusing to look at him.
"See," he said, taking her face in her hands. "That wasn't so hard!"
"I suppose. But Chakotay, the situation ISN'T different, no matter how much I love you!" She caught herself after she said it, covering her face with her hands and turning away from him. She began to shake, silent tears running down her face.
"Oh, Kathryn. It is possible," he said, hugging her from behind. "You can't imagine how long I've waited for you to say that. It is possible, if you just throw away your inhibitions and forget about what the crew thinks, just for a minute." He looked at her imploringly, begging her to agree with him.
In engineering, the gathered officers stared around at each other, not completely realizing the impact of what they'd just heard. They knew at once that they shouldn't be hearing this, but that they could not bring themselves to turn it off.
Kathryn turned in his grasp. "What about the ship?"
"You won't lose your ability to command the ship just because you're involved with your First Officer."
"You would know." That stung, reminding him of Seska like that. "I'm sorry, Chakotay, that was low of me." They stared at each other, reminding each other silently of all of the hardships they had faced - together.
"Kathryn. Trust me."
"I do," she said before their lips met for the first time.
The turbolift jolted into motion. The two officers looked at each other, them mouthed, "B'Elanna and Tom"
"Computer, change destination," Chakotay said, certain that Torres and her not always better half could hear. "Engineering. I think that a certain Chief Engineer and a certain pilot need a good dressing-down."
END