Disclaimer: Paramount owns Star Trek and all its characters. I'm just playing with them.
Copyright rebel_jediknight, May 2000.
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Voyager's bridge is barely recognizable, a shamble of fallen debris and plaster. A gaunt, hollow-eyed Kathryn Janeway stands, lost in thought, sadly scrutinizing the remains of her ship.
Her short hair is tousled and she has numerous burns on her cheeks and arms. She is clad only in black pants and a sleeveless blue-grey shirt. There is no point in wearing the uniform: she is the only crewmember left on board.
The hum of a transporter catches her attention. She snaps around, pulls her phaser from her belt and levels it at the man now standing in front of her chair, but lowers it almost immediately as she recognizes him.
"Chakotay?" she asks haltingly.
"Yes, it's me," he confirms.
She walks over to him slowly, unable to believe that he is really here. "Why did you come back?"
"I wanted to be with you... see you once more." He raises a hand to touch the scars on her face. "You're hurt."
She lets his hand rest on her cheek. "Plasma burns. The Doctor did what he could but..."
"How...?"
She snorts softly. "Believe me, you don't want to know." Her expression turns grim. "You disobeyed orders."
"What?"
"The watch you gave me for my birthday. I ordered you to recycle it."
His hand drops down; he looks at the floor. "I know... I just couldn't do it. I'm sorry."
"No, I'm sorry."
"What?" he says again.
She shows him where she's attached the watch to her belt. "I found it in your quarters. I promised myself you'd know that it gave me hope... Thank you."
"You're welcome... Kathryn."
The ship shakes. Kathryn looks at the viewscreen; it's almost time. "You know what I'm going to do, don't you?"
"You're going to ram the timeship. Sacrifice Voyager to save the timeline."
"Yes. There's still time for you to go back with the others..." She knows what his answer will be even before she's finished the sentence.
And it comes. "I'm staying right here. Whatever happens, we'll face it together."
She can see from the look in his eyes that there's no changing his mind. "Any last words?"
"You first."
"Alright." She takes a deep breath. "Chakotay, it's been an honor serving with you. You've always shown fine devotion, loyalty, courage and..."
"Kathryn, shut up." He takes her face in his hands and kisses her soundly.
She is surprised, but doesn't pull away. After a couple of moments, the kiss deepens, as four years' worth of pent-up emotions are released. She relaxes in his arms and sighs softly into the kiss as she puts her arms around his neck.
Finally Chakotay lets her face go, but still holds her around the waist. "Was that what you wanted to say?" she asks with dry humor.
"Part of it," he answers.
"What was the other part?"
"I love you."
She smiles wryly. "You picked a great time to tell me. Why not before?"
He sighs. "Well, you were always so careful about protocol..."
"I don't think protocol is an issue anymore," she says dryly, and they both laugh. "So I guess this isn't going to matter. I love you too." She grins and he kisses her again, longer this time.
After several seconds they break apart. Their smiles show their regrets at not having had more time to explore their feelings; now all they have left are these few stolen moments.
The ship shudders vigorously. "It's time," she says.
He nods, crosses to his chair and they both sit down. She opens a comm line to the rest of the ships in her ragtag armada.
"Voyager to the fleet: take your temporal shields down."
"Captain, we won't be protected," Tuvok's voice comes back from the speaker.
"Exactly. If that ship is destroyed all of history might be restored. And this is one year I'd like to forget!"
The course is programmed in, now there is nothing to do but wait.
"Time's up," Kathryn says vehemently, and turns to Chakotay.
He grasps her hand across the command console and she squeezes it tightly. They gaze into each other's eyes one last time before Voyager's kamikaze run ends in fiery oblivion, taking Kathryn, Chakotay, and the timeship with it.
In another timeline, one that was restored by Kathryn Janeway's sacrifice, Voyager continued on its way home. And, with no knowledge of what came so close to being reality for both of them, its commanding officers continued indefinitely to hide their love for each other behind barriers of protocol, able to do nothing more than dream of what could be.
The End
