Title: Blood Fever Diversion
J/C Rated 'R'
Author: Ruth G ruthg@ionet.net
Written 02/97
A brief, shallow, post-Blood Fever diversion. This takes place after the away team returns to the ship and before they discover the Borg.
"You wanted to see me, Captain?" He thought of her more as 'Kathryn' now than 'Captain', but the summons sounded official so he opted for protocol. He stood before her desk, virtually at attention; shoulders back, legs apart, hands crossed behind his back.
"This is interesting reading," she scooted PADD across her desk to him as she lifted a coffee cup to her lips. "Please, sit." She motioned to the couch.
"Join me?"
She did. She was glad he asked. She wanted to do something to break the solemnity of the situation. This would be the first time Voyager's captain had reprimanded her first officer since the two had taken their relationship well outside the boundaries of protocol. She sat beside him on the couch in her ready room, a safe meter of space between them.
From the PADD Chakotay read his report of the most recent away. "Interesting reading," he confirmed. "That was certainly not a typical away mission."
"Does my first officer need to be reminded that he is *directly* responsible for the safety of all members of an away team he commands?"
Her tone was serious enough to get his attention. He sat up straight, leaned towards her a bit, "Has my Captain taken issue with my conduct on this mission?" The question was earnest, not defensive.
"Commander," she began, "Lieutenant Torres was in a .... *unique* situation." Chakotay nodded, Janeway continued. "While under different circumstances such a situation might lend itself to humor, there was nothing frivolous about her condition."
"Captain, I realize that," his voice remained calm and gentle. "I can assure you I gave the situation very serious consideration."
"But you left her in the hands of Tom Paris?"
"Granted, he wouldn't be my first choice for B'Elanna, but my options were limited. She was *dying*. She had shown some interest in Tom. He's *definitely* interested in her ..."
"Does my first officer need to be reminded that *HE* is directly responsible for the safety of all members of an away team he commands."
When Chakotay realized the implication of what she was saying he could only stammer a bit, "What?....Captai.....Are you?...." Finally, "Captain, are you suggesting that *I* should have .... 'taken responsibility' for B'Elanna myself?" "Yes I am."
He digested this. "I think I can see your point, but don't you think it would have made things a little awkward for me and B'Elanna? At least she and Tom are attracted to each other."
"Which is *exactly* why you should have stepped in, Chakotay." She moved closer to him and put a hand on his knee. "This is going to make it even more difficult for Tom and B'Elanna to pursue their relationship. She let him see a very intimate side of her. They practically made love. It's going to be difficult for her to balance a working relationship with that."
"If anyone on board this ship wants to develop an intimate relationship it will most likely be with a co-worker. People are going to have to adjust to that."
"That's true, I just wish Tom and B'Elanna hadn't been so rushed. I wish they could have declared their feelings in their own time."
"Maybe they needed a catalyst." Chakotay covered her hand, which still rested on his knee. "Like we did."
"And look at us. We struggle every day trying to keep our balance. So much so that we haven't ..... 'been together' since New Earth."
"It hasn't been easy for us, but I don't regret what happened on New Earth. To be honest, I think it may have improved our working relationship."
"In some ways it has," she agreed. "But not at times like this. No matter how much effort we've put in to maintaining a professional relationship, the personal is still there. When my first officer makes, what is in my judgment , a 'bad call' I shouldn't even hesitate to bring it to his attention. I can't even begin to imagine how difficult it would be if we were still intimate."
"Captain, you know I would be offended if you did hesitate to bring it to my attention."
"I know, but it was still difficult."
"But you did it. I think we'll find our balance, Kathryn." He squeezed her hand. "I know we will."
She sandwiched his hand between hers, unable to meet his eyes. He lifted her hand to his lips and held it there a moment. "Five times" she finally whispered.
"What?"
"Five times - that's how many times we made love on New Earth before Tuvok contacted us."
"Five? Really - five?" He made a show of pulling his hand back and counting on his fingers. "I just count four."
"Count again," she snarled.
"Nope," all dimples. "I still just get four."
"Let me help you, Commander. You *do* remember the first time, don't you."
"How could I forget?"
She was reading "Don Quixote", in Spanish no less, when she heard him knock on the opaque wall that partitioned off her sleeping quarters. "Come on in, Chakotay."
"Hi. Sorry to bug you." He noticed that she was wearing cotton, not the satin gown he'd seen on the clothes line. This gown was white cotton, pure and soft. She was leaning back against the headboard he'd made her. The covers had fallen around her waist. "I just wanted you to know that I'm going out early in the morning. Before sunrise. I want to explore the hardwood forest on the other side of that hill. I should be back before dinner, though."
"Is this your way of telling me that I have to cook?"
"No," he laughed. "I'll put some beans on before I leave. They'll be done when I return. You're on your own for breakfast and lunch, though."
"Thanks for telling me. Have a good time." She returned to her PADD, then looked up again quickly, "Be careful."
"Thanks, I will. Goodnight." He hadn't moved from where he stood in her doorway.
"Goodnight," she replied absently. Her brow was furrowed in concentration. She was biting her lower lip.
"You look awfully serious, Kathryn. What are you reading?"
"Don Quixote - and I haven't read Spanish since my first semester at the academy. I'm stuck."
"Why don't you let the PADD translate for you?"
"Where's the fun in that? Do you read Spanish?"
"Not in years."
"Come here, take a look at this." She scooted over.
Chakotay walked to her bed and sat, primly and barely, on the edge.
"Right here," she thrust the book his direction and indicated a passage with her finger "I can't get this to save my life."
Chakotay strained his neck around to read it. "Ummm, sorry Kathryn. I'm not much help."
"You can't see anything upside-down. Come up here." She scooted over and made room beside her. Chakotay smiled, rubbed his chin and sat next to her with his back against the headboard and his feet stretched in front of him. Though he was on top of the covers the awkwardness of their situation hit them both at the same time and they found themselves, suddenly unable to look at each other, staring at his bare feet. Chakotay wiggled his toes frantically and they both laughed, the mood lightened.
"Let me see this." Chakotay said and Kathryn held the PADD so he could see it easily. "I can't be certain, but I'm almost positive that one of these words is 'windmill'."
"You're a lot of help!" She elbowed him in the ribs. He laughed and looked at the PADD again. He did recognize some of the words, just a few. Together they worked slowly through the paragraph, then another, each of them surprised at how quickly the language returned. Even so, reading an entire chapter took longer than either realized. Chakotay was yawning when Kathryn looked at her chronometer to see that several hours had passed. "Oh, Chakotay, I'm so sorry. I had no idea what time it was."
"That's okay, but I should be getting to bed. I think I'm going to postpone tomorrow's outing, though. Sunrise will be here in just a few hours."
"I've ruined your plans."
"Not at all," he swung his legs around to the floor, then turned sideways to face her. "This was fun. Thank you." As he leaned in to kiss her hair she turned suddenly and his kiss landed on her face, catching half of her mouth. It could have been an awkward moment had they both pulled back suddenly, but they didn't. Instead of pulling away she turned towards his mouth, catching it more fully with hers. He shifted and moved his lips intentionally. Her hand was tenderly stroking his hair just behind his ear when they separated. It stayed there as they breathed for a moment looking at one another. A smile played at the corner of her mouth and he responded with a generous smile of his own. He pulled his legs back to the bed so he would be more comfortable, cradled her head in one hand as the other rested on her hip and kissed her again.
Kathryn wondered if he could feel her heart pounding. She wondered at the effect this man was having on her. She was no virgin. How could just kissing someone make her feel this good; this excited? Ever the scientist, she was analyzing things even now. The absurdity of allowing someone's tongue in her mouth and of returning the favor. But it felt wonderful. His tongue sliding against hers. Hers finding his lips and the roof of his mouth. Preposterous or not, it is an act of intimacy to allow a person inside one's body. The ultimate invasion of personal space. Chakotay was only the second man in over a decade to venture there. He was a welcome visitor.
When they parted this time he leaned against the headboard with his arm around her. Her head rested between his shoulder and chest. "It's very late," he said.
"Do you want to go to bed?" When he didn't answer she pulled back to look at him.
"I want what you want," he offered.
"I want you to stay."
"For how long?"
She looked down. She was blushing. She could feel the color rising to her cheeks. Blushing?! What did this man do to her? "I would like for you to stay all night."
He moved a finger under her chin raised her face and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "Come here, Kathryn." He scooted down so that he was fully reclined on the bed, still atop the covers. She scooted down so that she was reclined facing him, still beneath them.
Kissing her again Chakotay ran his hand down her back and over her rear. No panties. That had an immediate and somewhat impressive effect. They kissed forever until Kathryn tried to move the covers away, but succeeded only in bunching them up between them. "Chakotay," she breathed. "Scoot over, these things have to go." Chakotay rolled over to pull the covers from beneath him. When he rolled back Kathryn was leaned forward, pushing them off the foot of the bed. The scooped neck of her gown fell away from her body and he caught his first glimpse of her. She was beautiful.
They returned to one another with just their clothing between them. Chakotay ran his hand down her side and across her abdomen. She pulled his shirt over his head and stroked his chest with her fingertips. When she grazed his nipples his breath caught. She continued to stroke and tease one nipple while her other hand moved to his pants. He helped her divest him of both the pants and underwear and pressed himself against her leg. She grasped his buttocks to pull him closer. One of his hands held the hem of her gown and was sliding it up her body. He stopped at her breast and for the first time laid his hand there, covering all of it at first as he still pushed against her thigh, then tracing concentric circles which began around the edges and grew smaller and smaller until her nipple rolled between his thumb and finger.
"Will you take this off, please?" he whispered. She pulled away and allowed him to strip her of the gown. His mouth was on her breast immediately. Lips pulling and teeth nipping. She cried out in spite of herself and this encouraged him. He moved a hand to her rear, then around to her thigh, then higher. He was masterful. Teasing her, stroking her everywhere but where she most wanted to be touched. She arched and twisted against him and when he finally caressed her she spasmed and trembled against him. She was quiet; small whimpers and gasps, and her stillness only increased his arousal. She reached for him and held him, gently moving her hand as he continued his service to her until she cried out his name. Then, without hesitation, he moved over and into her.
Chakotay tried to concentrate on the mechanics of what he was doing. If he allowed himself to think about it, to realize that this was *her* , this was Kathryn Janeway who surrounded and enveloped him in her soft warmth, then he would lose all control. He allowed himself to adjust to the sensations before he began to roll his hips. He could feel her hands kneading his bottom, pulling him closer to her. He could feel her teeth on his earlobe and her breasts pressed against his. He was moving faster now, hoping that the sounds she made were of pleasure and not pain. She was such a tiny woman. He didn't want to crush her. Her cries were becoming louder, more urgent; her fingernails beginning to dig into his skin when he stopped and held completely still.
Kathryn opened her eyes in surprise and looked at him. He could feel her convulsing around him as he leaned forward and kissed her tenderly on the forehead. She threw her head back, "Chako-TAY !" A quivering cry and a few heavy breathes. Then she was still. "Chakotay, I wish this could last forever."
Chakotay laughed, "I'm afraid that's not going to happen." He began moving again, more urgently this time and with a cry of her name he released himself to her.
The held each other in a gentle, rocking embrace, covering the other's face with kisses. Chakotay rolled to the side and reached off the bed for his underwear. "I don't want to mess up your bed," he explained. He cleaned first her then himself and this impressed her as a thoughtful and tender act.
They pulled the sheet back on to the bed. The two of them generated too much heat for the blanket. Kathryn had forgotten how warm another body could be. No amount of blankets could warm the soul like this. They were side by side with him behind her. Her back was pressed against his chest and his arm wrapped around her. "Kathryn," he whispered, "do you think this would have ever happened on the ship?"
"I don't know, Chakotay. I doubt it."
"Were you attracted to me?"
"Yes."
"Since when?"
"I don't know. It was so gradual that don't think I was even aware of it at first. There were little things. I started looking forward to our briefing sessions, then I started seeing you more often in the mess hall ..."
"That was deliberate, you know."
"Seeing you at meal time?"
"Yes. You didn't make it easy either. You don't keep a regular dining schedule." His arm tightened around her.
"Sorry. I thought it was just coincidence."
"No coincidence. I was like a school boy waiting for you at the transport site." He chuckled. "You said you weren't aware of it at first. When *were* you aware of it."
She was silent.
"Kathryn?"
"In sick bay. When Seska said she didn't know how she could have ever loved you. Then when you took that shuttle to go after her. That's when I knew it was more than physical attraction. I was so scared, Chakotay. Afraid of losing you and afraid of loving you." He buried his lips in her hair.
"Want to know when I knew?"
"Tell me."
"When you made that crack on the bridge about me and mating behavior. I guess it was in the back of my mind before then, but that brought it forward. And then when you were going to self-destruct the ship to stop that damned bomb B'Elanna and I created - that's when I knew I loved you."
What did he just say? She turned to look at him.
"I love you, Kathryn." He kissed her. She turned again and pressed herself against his chest as they allowed the rhythm of their breathing to lull them to sleep.
Chakotay awoke hours later to find Kathryn coaxing more life into his morning erection. Before he could do anything but smile she had straddled him and taken him into her. "Good morning," he said.
"Good morning."
"Kathryn." He was finding it difficult to speak.
"Yes?"
"This is one hell of a wake-up call!"
"When you say the 'first time'," Chakotay's voice broke through Kathryn's memories and brought her to the present, "are you counting that as one or two separate events?"
"Two."
"There's our difference. I just counted that as one."
"No. Two. Definitely two."
"If you say so. You're the Captain".
- finis