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Disclaimer:  "Fourscore and seven years ago, our forefathers
brought forth on this continent a new nation; conceived in liberty,
and dedicated to the proposition that all characters and etc.
pertaining to Star Trek: Voyager belong exclusively to Paramount."
:-)

Copyright 1997 by JoAnna Walsvik; all rights reserved.  Spread
around if you like but keep my name & the disclaimer attached.

Throwing Away The Key
(Voy; PG; J/C and P/T)
by JoAnna Walsvik
part 1/2

	"Hey, B'Elanna!" I called, strolling into Engineering.  "The
captain wants to know when the warp engines will be on-line."
	B'Elanna turned and scowled at me.  "They'll be on-line
when I get them on-line," she said irritably.
	"Could you rephrase that?"  I asked her, knowing this news
wouldn't do much to improve the captain's already foul mood. 
"Captain Janeway isn't very happy as it is, and I think if I went on
the bridge and told her that she'd deck me."
	B'Elanna's tense expression relaxed visibly at the mental
picture this statement conjured up, and I could see a hint of a smile
on her lips.  "Two days, maybe."
	Now it was me who was doing the scowling.  "Two days?  I
think I'll stay down here for a while; she really *will* deck me if I
tell her that."
	"Well, Paris," she said, turning back to her console, "I can't
help it.  I'm working my butt off down here, and so are the rest of
my staff.  We can't work much faster."
	I sighed.  The last few days had been incredibly hectic. 
Interference from a nearby collapsing protostar was wreaking
havoc on all our systems; namely warp power and communications. 
The comm system was still off-line, as were the warp engines, and
other systems were malfunctioning as well.  Various crewmembers
had become trapped in or kept out of their quarters because the
doors had refused to open and the transporters, like almost
everything else, were off-line. We'd even had a few people stranded
in a turbolift, but luckily the turbolifts were the one system
B'Elanna had managed to get on-line first.  Captain Janeway was
none too happy about Voyager's current condition, either.  We had
already been delayed two weeks by a skirmish between two warring
alien races; we had been forced to go around the conflict to avoid
getting blown up by both sides.  
	I also suspected that the captain was in one hell of a bad
mood because she and Chakotay had apparently had a fight which
resulted in long moments of uncomfortable silence on the bridge. 
Both of them were so goddamn stubborn; each refused to even talk
with the other unless absolutely necessary.  Of course, they had
done their best to hide this little quarrel from the crew, but it was
painfully obvious to everyone that they weren't getting along. 
Usually, the two would talk quietly and joke around on the bridge; I
could usually hear their cheerful but quiet banter from my station. 
But the last week or so they both had just sat in stony silence until I
thought I would scream.  
	Both had their own ways of dealing with their anger: 
Captain Janeway snapped orders and never smiled anymore. 
Chakotay just stalked around the ship moodily, sometimes
secluding himself in the holodeck with that animal guide of his.  
	Daily briefings were hell.  The captain never addressed
Chakotay unless it was absolutely necessary, and when she did
address him her tone was so icy it could have frozen a hot lava pit. 
Chakotay, whenever he was required to speak with the captain,
would use a voice so sharp it could cut one of Neelix's pot roasts
with no trouble.
	Tuvok had tried to talk to the captain about it, but when I
inquired how it had went, he disclosed that Captain Janeway had
said, "That's none of your goddamn business, Tuvok, and I thank
you to stay out my personal affairs."
	Then he had tried talking to Chakotay, but the commander
had more or less said the same thing, only in slightly more civil
terms.  It was becoming painstakingly clear that unless someone did
something quickly, the most celebrated couple on Voyager might
become a thing of the past.
	"Tom?"  B'Elanna's voice snapped me out of my reverie.
	"Oh, um -- Yes?"
	"You looked a million light-years away.  What are you
thinking about?"
	"What else?" I responded wryly.  "The little spat our dear
captain and beloved commander are refusing to mend."
	"You too, hmm?"  B'Elanna said sympathetically, busily
tapping away at her console.
	"Yeah, me too.  Life on Voyager has been nothing short of
a nightmare with *both* of them in a bad mood.  I've never seen
two people be more stubborn in my life!"  I exclaimed.  "I mean,
they've had fights before, but nothing like this.  I don't think I've
heard them say more then three words to each other in the past
week!"
	"It's that damn pride of Chakotay's,"  B'Elanna said, shaking
her head.  "It won't allow him to apologize to her, even if it was she
who was wrong."
	"It's the same with the captain," I agreed.  "Too proud to
concede defeat.  At this rate, we'll be home long before they make
up."
	"Tell me about it,"  B'Elanna snorted.  "I bet if right now all
of our systems magically came on-line, the captain would still have
a frown the size of the cargo bay on her face.  And did you notice
Chakotay rubbing his neck on the bridge this morning?  It's a sure
sign he's been sleeping on the couch or the floor."
	I winced in sympathy.  "It must really be bad if they're not
even sleeping in the same bed anymore."
	"Someone ought to lock them both in a room and throw
away the key until they start talking to each other like two civilized
adults," B'Elanna declared.  "I -- "  Suddenly, she stopped talking in
mid-sentence and a strange look came over her face.  It was an
expression I recognized.  It meant she had suddenly been struck by
an idea.
	"What?"  I asked.
	"I wonder..." she murmured, beginning to work furiously at
her console.  A sly look gleamed in her eyes as she read the results
of whatever she had typed.  "Paris, I have an idea," she said slowly,
"but I'm going to need your help."
	"Anything," I promised.  "Just name it."
	She leaned over and began to whisper in my ear.  As her
scheme unfolded, I began to smile wickedly.  This was going to be
*fun*.

	"Hey, Tom!  B'Elanna!"  Harry ran to catch up with us in
the corridor two days after B'Elanna and I had come up with our
plan.  "Did you hear about the captain and Commander Chakotay?"
	"No, what about them?"  I asked, trying to appear natural.  I
didn't dare look at B'Elanna for fear both of us would burst out
laughing.
	"They're trapped in their quarters.  The doors won't open
and we can't pry them apart."
	"The doors or the captain and Chakotay?"  B'Elanna asked
slyly.
	Harry gave her an exasperated look while I tried to keep
back hysterical laughter.  "The doors, of course.  Captain Janeway
and Commander Chakotay aren't speaking to each other yet."
	"That's too bad," I said, trying to sound sympathetic.  "Do
you know if the doors will be fixed soon, B'Elanna?"
	She shook her head, and I could see she was trying to keep
back a smile.  "Not for the next few days, at least.  The captain told
me herself that the warp engines and comm system were our first
priority, and we haven't gotten either of them up yet."
	"When did it happen?"  I asked Harry, mainly to keep his
attention off B'Elanna's struggle to contain her mirth.  
	"This morning, apparently.  Captain Janeway and
Commander Chakotay tried to go to the bridge and they couldn't
get the doors open.  When neither of them appeared on the bridge
for their shift, Tuvok went down to their quarters to see if
everything was all right, and he discovered that the doors were
stuck.  They're going to have to stay in there until the unlocking
mechanisms are fixed,"  Harry continued, seemingly oblivious to
B'Elanna's twitching lips and sparkling eyes.  "Tuvok is looking for
you, B'Elanna.  He's going to brief you on the situation.  The
captain did say that she wanted the warp engines and comm system
to remain your first priority, though, so it looks like they're going to
be in there for a while."
	"Maybe they'll be able to work out their differences while
they're trapped in there," I offered, winking at B'Elanna behind
Harry's back.  She smiled and winked back, and Harry didn't notice
a thing.
	"I sure hope so,"  Harry agreed.  "Or else there will be hell
to pay once they get out."  He dashed off, probably to go find
someone else to spread the...er...good news to.
	B'Elanna and I took one look at each other and burst out
laughing.  We leaned against the corridor walls, both of us giggling
hysterically.
	"Oh -- oh, gods -- did you hear him?"  B'Elanna choked,
tears in her eyes.  
	"'It looks like they're going to be in there for a while," I
mimicked, laughing until my side ached.  "Well, *duh*, Harry,
that's the whole point!  Man, what I wouldn't give to be a fly on
*that* wall!"
	"Would you mind sharing what is so humorous?"  B'Elanna
and I stopped laughing as we faced Lieutenant Tuvok.  "Oh...Tom
just told me a really funny joke,"  B'Elanna hastily fibbed.  I could
see she was hoping her weak excuse would prevent Tuvok from
questioning her further, especially if he had heard my last remark.
	"Want to hear it?"  I asked quickly.  "A Klingon and a
Romulan walk into a bar -- "
	"Quite the contrary, Mr. Paris, I do not wish to hear a
'joke',"  Tuvok interrupted coolly.  "I find the concept of humor
most illogical.  My purpose in coming here was to debrief
Lieutenant Torres on our current situation."
	"I've already heard about Captain Janeway and Commander
Chakotay, Lieutenant,"  B'Elanna said, shooting me a look that
said, *Whew, that was a close one.*   "I assume the captain wants
warp power and communications to take first priority?"
	"That is correct, Lieutenant,"  Tuvok confirmed.  "She
would also like you to -- " Tuvok suddenly cleared his throat and
looked slightly uncomfortable.  " -- in her words, 'hurry the hell
up.'"
	"I guess that means she wants me get both systems back on-
line as soon as possible,"  B'Elanna said, exchanging a mirthful
glance with me, a glance Tuvok intercepted but luckily did not
comment on.  "I had better get back to work, then.  I'll see you
later, Tom."
	"Bye,"  I called, watching her leave.  Once she was gone, I
looked up at Tuvok.  "I take it the captain and the commander are
not happy with their present circumstances?"  I asked innocently.
	"Indeed," Tuvok answered.  I could tell he was itching to
reprimand me for something, but there was no way he could
fabricate a plausible excuse for doing so, for I could claim that my
question had been completely legitimate.  
	"See you on the bridge, Lieutenant," I said glibly, and left
him standing alone in the corridor to wonder what I was up to.
	But if everything went correctly, Tuvok would never find
out.


Throwing Away The Key 
(Voy; PG; J/C and P/T)
by JoAnna Walsvik
part 2/2
Original disclaimers apply; see part 1 for summary.  Enjoy!

	B'Elanna didn't manage to get the warp engines up for four
more days, and the comm system didn't come on-line for one more
day after that.  By the time she managed to get around to fixing the
unlocking mechanism on Captain Janeway's and Chakotay's
quarters, the two had been stuck inside for a grand total of six days.
	She had requested my help with the repair work, her excuse
being that Harry was too busy trying to bring the weapons system
back on-line.  Tuvok, now acting captain, had reluctantly granted
me permission to assist B'Elanna, seeing as the navigation systems
had already been repaired and I had nothing else to do.  I'm sure he
believed that either myself or B'Elanna had an ulterior motive, but
he couldn't prove anything that could incriminate us, much to his
own chagrin.
	When the doors to Captain Janeway and Commander
Chakotay's quarters finally opened, Captain Janeway stepped out. 
Our first clue that our plan had been a success was the soft smile on
her face.  Our second clue was the grinning visage of Commander
Chakotay that appeared behind her.
	"I'm sorry for the delay, Captain,"  B'Elanna said
apologetically.
	Captain Janeway waved her off.  "No need for apologies,
Lieutenant," she said in the most cheerful tone I had heard her use
in weeks.  "You merely followed orders.  An excellent job of
getting the systems back on-line, by the way."
	"Thanks,"  B'Elanna said, shooting me a triumphant glance
which, luckily, neither Captain Janeway nor Commander Chakotay
intercepted.  They were too busy staring lovingly into each other's
eyes, and I could tell they almost wished they could be locked in
their quarters again.
	"Well,"  Janeway said brightly, "we had better get to the
bridge and get caught up on the last six days, Commander.  Thank
you again, B'Elanna.  And you too, Mr. Paris."
	"You're welcome, Captain," we replied in unison, watching
the two lovebirds walk away hand-in-hand.  It didn't take a
doctorate in psychology to figure out that they had reconciled
during their seclusion.
	Once we were absolutely certain the two were out of
earshot, B'Elanna and I began to laugh exultantly.  "Yes!  It
worked!"  B'Elanna exclaimed delightedly.
	"B'Elanna Torres, you are a genius," I praised.
	"I know, Paris.  You don't have to tell me," she replied
smugly.
	"Modest, are we?"
	"Pig."
	"Hey, wanna go celebrate with dinner?  Together?" I
proposed.
	B'Elanna thought it over.  "Why not," she said cheerfully.  "I
don't have anything better to do."
	"Gee, thanks."
	"No problem."

	Two days after Captain Janeway's release from her rather
enjoyable confinement, she called both B'Elanna and I into her
ready room.  Her demeanor was cheerful, but I suspected she had a
hidden agenda -- which she soon revealed.
	"I was going over the repair logs," she said pleasantly, "and
I noticed that most of the unlocking mechanisms on the doors of
the crew's quarters were affected because of a power surge on deck
6."
	"Yes," B'Elanna said cautiously.
	"I found it rather odd that my quarters were affected,
because my quarters are on deck 8,"  Janeway continued.  "Upon
further inspection, I discovered that the power surge ran nowhere
near deck 8, nor was there another phenomenon that could explain
it.  Actually, I didn't have much luck at all until I delved into the
unlocking mechanism activation log itself."
	Out of the corner of my eye, I could see B'Elanna gulp
nervously.  I myself was feeling Neelix's dinner do the hula in my
stomach as Captain Janeway spoke.  Her voice was still bright and
cheery, yet with a note of warning to it.
	"It was there I discovered that my door's locking mechanism
had been programmed to activate itself and not turn off until a
certain code was entered into the computer.  To do this, the
computer required the command codes of two senior officers -- and
much to my great surprise, the codes belong to you two.  Now,
would you mind explaining yourselves?"
	B'Elanna and I gave each other sheepish looks.  "Looks like
we've been busted," I commented wryly.
	"Permission to speak freely, Captain?"  B'Elanna asked, ever
so politely.
	"Granted."  Captain Janeway leaned back in her chair and
fixed her gaze on B'Elanna.
	"With all due respect, Captain, you and Commander
Chakotay were making life on Voyager a living hell, and Tom and I
decided to do something about it."
	This calm reply startled the captain for a second, but she
quickly regained her composure.  "Please define 'living hell',
Lieutenant."
	"For starters, you snapped at anyone and everyone who
tried to talk to you, not to mention the fact that you hadn't cracked
a smile in weeks,"  B'Elanna pointed out.  "Chakotay stalked
around the ship like a disgruntled child and then secluded himself in
the holodeck with his animal guide; which is not unusual in itself
except for the fact that he seemed to derive no solace from his
spiritual journeys.  Whenever we had a briefing it was painfully
obvious that the two of you could barely stand to talk to each
other.  You told *Tuvok*, of all people, to mind his own
goddamned business, something you wouldn't do under normal
circumstances."
	"Not to mention the fact that you and Chakotay would just
sit and stare at the viewscreen instead of chatting like you normally
do when you're on the bridge,"  I spoke up.  "B'Elanna and I
discussed this one day last week -- "
	" -- and I said that someone ought to lock you both in a
room and throw away the key until you started talking to each
other like two civilized adults,"  B'Elanna interjected, apparently
determined to take her share of the blame.  "And I came up with the
idea of -- well -- locking you two in your quarters and throwing
away the key until you began talking again.  Your dignity nor your
reputation was not tarnished in any way.  The crew believes it was
simply a malfunction of the doors, nothing more.  We only meant to
make life a little easier for the poor ensigns and lieutenants who had
to bear the brunt of your wrath."
	Was I imagining things, or was that a smile tugging at the
corners of Janeway's lips?
	"I apologize, Captain, for any inconvenience I might have
caused you or Chakotay,"  B'Elanna continued.  "But, again, with
all due respect, you two let foolish pride get in the way of your
relationship and it was affecting the morale of the entire crew.  This
was entirely my idea.  Tom was merely an accomplice."
	"Actually, part of it was my idea,"  I disagreed.  "I'm as
much to blame as she is, Captain."
	"And that is our explanation, Captain,"  B'Elanna
concluded.  "Again, I apologize for any inconvenience and I realize
that your personal life is none of my business, but in this case
drastic measures were called for."
	"Not to mention the fact that we really hated to see you and
Chakotay so unhappy," I added.
	Captain Janeway was silent for a long while, staring at the
surface of her desk while she deliberated over what we had just
said.  B'Elanna and I exchanged nervous glances.  Frankly, I didn't
know what the captain's reaction would be, and neither did
B'Elanna.  We actually hadn't expected to get caught, but I guess
we hadn't anticipated Captain Janeway's curiosity.
	Finally, she looked up.  "You are right, Lieutenant, that my
personal life, or Chakotay's, for that matter, is none of your
business.  Chakotay and I did have a rather serious disagreement,"
she admitted.  "It *is* none of your business, however, what that
disagreement was about."
	B'Elanna nodded.  "Of course not.  That aspect of your
personal life is entirely your concern."
	"And you were also right that Chakotay and I let foolish
pride stand in the way of our relationship," the captain said gently. 
"Both of us realize that mistake now.  We shouldn't have let our
personal life affect our behavior on the bridge or otherwise.  To be
honest, we didn't think the crew had noticed we weren't getting
along."
	"Not noticed?"  I responded.  "Captain, no disrespect
intended, but it was painfully obvious.  We know you and Chakotay
too well *not* to notice."
	"Yes, I see that now,"  she agreed.  "However, that still
does not give you the right -- if you'll excuse the term -- to play
matchmaker."
	"On the contrary, Captain, we had every right,"  B'Elanna
said quietly.  "Not as your officers, but as your friends."
	"Moreover, Captain, what we did, we did out of friendship
and concern, and nothing more.  No mean spirit was intended," I
said firmly.  "Punish us if you like, because I admit we deserve it,
but we were only trying to help -- and with all due respect, I believe
we *did* help."
	"You certainly did,"  the captain said after a lengthy pause. 
"God only knows how long that fight would have lasted had not
you two intervened, and for that I thank you.  It was extremely
unprofessional of us as well, and I'm glad to see that I have two
level-headed officers who helped us to correct that particular
mistake.  And, I must admit -- "  Captain Janeway suddenly broke
out into a broad smile.  "That *was* rather ingenious of you."
	Both B'Elanna and I started visibly.  That comment from her
had *not* been expected.  "Excuse me?" I asked dubiously, not
certain if I had heard her right.
	"Locking us in our quarters until we talked.  Very clever.  I
admit, we didn't actually start being civil to each other until the
fourth day, but the point is you did get us communicating."
	*I bet you did more then that,*  I thought, but I wisely kept
that remark to myself.
	"You know,"  Captain Janeway continued, "it sounds like
something I would have done.  I'm very impressed with both of
you."
	B'Elanna and I just looked at each other.  "Thanks -- I
think,"  B'Elanna said.
	"Next time, however," the captain said calmly, "I would
appreciate it if you could just come and *talk* to us instead."
	"Um, well, actually, Tuvok already tried that -- and you told
him to mind his own goddamned business," I tactfully pointed out.
	The captain considered this for a moment.  "True, I did say
that.  Well, hopefully there won't be a next time, anyway.  Both
Chakotay and I have learned a great deal from this.  Dismissed." 
And with that, she turned her attention back to the reports on her
desk.
	B'Elanna and I sat still in our chairs, not quite sure what to
do.  "That's all?"  I ventured.
	Captain Janeway looked up.  "You'd rather be punished?  I
could arrange that, if you wish."
	"No,"  B'Elanna said hastily, "that's perfectly all right.  To
tell you the truth, we weren't expecting you to take this so well."
	Captain Janeway seemed amused.  "You were right, after
all; Chakotay and I were acting like children.  I can't reprimand you
for stating the obvious and acting on your decision, now, can I? 
Besides, there was a great deal more good then harm done. 
However, if you should decide to embark on a venture like this
again, I would appreciate being notified.  Oh, and by the way -- let's
keep this our little secret, okay?"
	"Yes, Captain," I said obediently.
	"Dismissed," she said again, and this time B'Elanna and I
didn't hesitate.  We got  up from our chairs and left her ready room. 
Since we were both off duty, we both headed for the turbolift. 
Once we were safely inside, we exchanged an surprised glance.
	"Well,"  B'Elanna said reflectively, "that wasn't so bad."
	"That wasn't bad at all," I agreed.  "And, the important thing
is that the captain and Chakotay are back on good terms again."
	"Speaking of,"  B'Elanna said thoughtfully, "I thought you'd
like to know -- I had a very interesting chat with Chakotay
yesterday.  I asked him just how he and the captain had started
speaking to each other again."
	"And he told you?"  I asked incredulously.  Chakotay was
normally very private; but then again, B'Elanna was his best friend,
so it was probably natural that he would open up to her.
	"He got this dreamy look on his face," she grinned, "and he
said that he and the captain had alternated sleeping on the couch
and the bed.  Well, it so happens that on the third night Chakotay
had the bed, and he couldn't sleep, so he got up to get a drink of
water from the replicator.  The blanket Captain Janeway had been
using had fallen on the floor, and he saw her shiver, so he picked up
the blanket and covered her up.  While Chakotay was doing so, she
woke up, saw what he was doing, and kissed him.  And the rest, as
they say," she concluded, "is history."
	I grinned.  "How cute."
	"I thought it was sweet," B'Elanna confessed.  "It was a
very compassionate gesture on his part."  
	"Hey, I'd be glad to cover you up anytime," I said lightly,
winking at her.
	"Pig."
	I sighed in relief.  It seemed that everything was finally back
to normal.

THE END