Disclaimer: Paramount rules. I'm just playing with their dolls.

Summary: A series of chance meetings reminds Janeway and Chakotay of the inevitability of their relationship. J/C Post-Endgame

WARNING: THIS STORY IS NOT TOLD IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER! PAY ATTENTION TO THE CHAPTER DATES/LOCATIONS!

Note: This is not my usual Janeway/Chakotay story. In this universe, Our Favorite Couple is a little more confused and much more human than they appeared in the Delta Quadrant. Maybe it's something in the water. LOL

Undeniable

By Mizvoy

Prologue

May 16, 2380 (Two year anniversary of Voyager's return)

Sandrine's Bar near Paris, France 2000 hours

"You guys owe me," B'Elanna Torres crowed, interrupting the pool game between her husband, Tom Paris, and Harry Kim. "I told you Seven would come."

The two men looked up to see the statuesque former drone walk into the bar with a tall, handsome stranger on her arm. They watched as the new arrivals paused to scan the room carefully, and then headed for the bar, where several of Voyager's crew greeted them.

"Who's the hunk?" Harry wondered.

"A cyberneticist from Princeton, I heard," Tom replied, leaning on his cue stick. "I'm sure he comes in handy when it's time to regulate her implants."

Harry laughed. "Anyone know who dumped whom?"

"Susan Nicoletti heard she kicked Chakotay out. Something about a woman on the side." B'Elanna shrugged, not really wanting to believe he'd do such a thing. "Probably another blond."

"Chakotay always did have a preference for blonds, although she'd have to be something special to rival Seven," Tom commented. "I heard a different version. Chell claims that Chakotay left her for another woman."

"Probably one of those stories that changes depending on who's telling it," Harry speculated. "If it's like most situations, the rumors are probably better than the truth."

"Think so?" B'Elanna chuckled. "I thought the fact that they were together at all was pretty mind-boggling. Did anyone really think they'd last?"

"You have a point," Tom sighed. "But what man would look at another woman if he had Seven waiting for him at home?"

"There are times, Tom Paris," his wife growled at him while she glared at a chuckling Harry, "when I have to remind myself that you're basically a pig."

"But you love me anyway," he said, giving her a wink before he looked back toward the bar. "There's a lot of beautiful woman there, you know. I might be married, but I'm not blind."

"I never said you were. But sometimes physical beauty isn't enough." She shook her head. "I never thought she was 'human' enough for him."

Harry grinned. "If you mean she might have some sharp edges on her implants, I'm sure he could learn to avoid them. Or file them down."

B'Elanna gave him a punch on the arm. "That's not what I meant, Harry, and you know it!" She watched Seven glancing nervously around the room, making sure, no doubt, that Chakotay was not in attendance. "This can't be easy for her, you know, first time around us since the breakup. Maybe I'll go over and offer her a sympathetic shoulder."

"Good luck." Tom winked at her as he and Harry returned to their pool game. "And don't come back until you have some details."

Voyager's second reunion was hardly the Starfleet affair the first reunion had been. Their dramatic arrival had disappeared from the current news months earlier, replaced by the terrible battle in Romulan space that had nearly destroyed Starfleet's flagship, Enterprise. Voyager's former captain, now Admiral Janeway, was too busy working on the seriously damaged relationship with the Romulans to attend the reunion, and her absence had meant that many others from the crew wouldn't bother to attend.

B'Elanna glanced around the room, counting about fifty of the former crew and another fifty or so friends, lovers, or spouses. No children were present tonight, since the party was in a bar, but there would be a few other informal gatherings coming up that would include the families. In the meantime, the familiar surroundings helped make them feel more at home, Sandrine's having been a favorite holographic retreat throughout their years in the Delta Quadrant. The party was promising to be loud and fun.

She spied Tuvok and T'Pel sitting like the eye of a hurricane in a booth near the back and decided to talk to them first and find out what they knew about the whereabouts of Chakotay. Not wanting to be obvious, however, she made a few stops along the way to check in with other members of the crew, finally arriving at their booth some thirty minutes later. She was relieved to see the Vulcan looking like his former self, apparently fully recovered from his neurological disease.

She smiled as she slipped into the bench facing them. "Hello, T'Pel. Wonderful to see you again. And you look better than ever, Tuvok. Are you returning to Starfleet soon?"

"Although my health has been restored, Lieutenant, I have decided to retire," he said, glancing briefly at his wife. "Thanks to Admiral Janeway's efforts, I've been offered a liaison position between the Vulcan Science Institute and Starfleet Academy."

"Sounds perfect. I can't think of a better person for the job." She glanced around the room as if looking for someone. "Too bad the admiral couldn't be with us tonight."

"She spoke to me earlier today via subspace to say she regretted missing the occasion. She also sent a short speech I'm to read later." Tuvok tapped the left side of his robes where he'd no doubt hidden the PADD with her downloaded message. "Her work with the Romulans is all- consuming."

"How was she?"

"I thought she looked tired and told her she should get some rest. Of course, she brushed off my recommendation, if she even heard it."

"Chakotay was the only one who could force her to take care of herself." She scowled, unhappy to hear of her former commander's condition. "Speaking of Chakotay, I can't believe he hasn't shown up either. Any idea where he might be?"

"I asked the admiral about him, as well, because I thought he might be a more appropriate individual to read her words. She indicated that he'd taken an assignment off planet some months ago and wouldn't be able to attend, either."

"An assignment?"

"She seemed unwilling or unable to specify exactly what the assignment was," he replied, cutting her off. "However, I'm sure he'd be here if he could."

She could tell from the tone of his voice that she'd gotten all the news she could from him, so she gradually wound down the conversation and made her way to the bar. As she expected, there was a halo of empty space around Seven, and the date looked more than a little bored. B'Elanna couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

"Hello, Seven." She settled on the bar stool next to the former drone and ordered a glass of wine. "Who's this handsome stranger you've brought with you tonight?"

"B'Elanna Torres, please meet my colleague at Princeton, Aaron Olson." She turned to her date, as efficient and terse as ever. "B'Elanna was Voyager's chief engineer."

The three of them exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes before Aaron excused himself to use the restroom and B'Elanna finally got Seven alone. "I thought you'd be here with Chakotay," she said, deciding to use the direct approach. "Have you two really broken up?"

"Chakotay has taken a job in the Beta Sector. We are no longer engaged or involved romantically, although he remains a friend." Her factual delivery of the news made B'Elanna wonder just how upsetting the breakup had been to her.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Seven. Is this a job he'd been searching for?"

"I think not. Professor Ramirez, the chief of the Federation Cultural Exchange Commission, contacted him about it just a day or two before he left. He seemed to be excited about the posting and in a great hurry to leave."

"Well, that makes me feel a little better. That might explain why he left without telling us goodbye or leaving instructions on how to reach him or anything."

"I'm sure that was an oversight on his part."

"What kind of job is it?" B'Elanna wondered, genuinely curious. She'd never considered the possibility that her oldest friend might disappear without so much as a fare-thee-well and couldn't help but feel a little upset by his slight.

"I believe he said it was a cultural survey of Remus."

"Remus?" The half-Klingon woman didn't try to hide her surprise. Remus was the sister planet to Romulas and the recent source of much of the upheaval in the Romulan Empire. Some claimed that the Remans were responsible for the assassination of the entire Romulan senate and maybe even the attack that had nearly destroyed Enterprise.

But of even more interest to Chakotay would be the strange culture that had developed on the planet over the centuries, a slave population living on a planet that kept one side constantly toward the sun. She could see how the opportunity would be impossible to turn down. But, at the same time, she couldn't help but wonder if the chance to work closely with his former captain might have also come into play. "That's Janeway's current assignment, right? Isn't she involved with the Romulan situation?"

The blond stiffened slightly, a blush crawling up her neck. "I believe she was leading the Federation diplomatic team assigned to the area, but I don't know if that included the cultural survey of Remus." She looked around, spying her date standing by alone on the other side of the room. "If you'll excuse me. I promised Aaron not to leave him stranded for long."

"No, please, go ahead. We'll talk more later."

B'Elanna remained at the bar, her head filled with possible explanations for Chakotay's sudden disappearance and his absence tonight. Seven had acted uneasy when she'd mentioned the admiral's name. Instead of finding answers, she felt as if she'd found a whole new set of questions.

Had Janeway found the job for Chakotay and asked Ramirez to offer it to him? Had Seven and Janeway had a falling out because of Chakotay's departure? Was there connection between this plum job and its proximity to Admiral Janeway? Could it be that Voyager's former command team had finally acted on the attraction they had always seemed to have for each other?

She glanced at Tom at the pool table where he was racking up the balls for another victim, obviously having a wonderful time. He'd be the champion tonight, since Janeway was gone. She smiled to herself when she imagined how he would react to the location of Chakotay's new job, not to mention the dozens of questions about the details. He'd be sure there was more here than met the eye, and would be determined to find a way to discover the truth.

She wouldn't be surprised at all if the old Janeway/Chakotay betting pool was reactivated before the party was over.

To be continued . . .