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

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

Chapter 12

May 16, 2381 (Three year anniversary of Voyager’s return)

Sandrine’s Sandrine’s Bar near Paris, France 2000 hours

“Do you think they’ll ever get married?” B’Elanna Torres asked her husband as they watched Voyager’s former command team work the room together. Kathryn Janeway looked radiant, her smile brightening the face of every person she met, and Chakotay seemed unable to venture more than two feet away from her. “They can’t take their eyes off of each other. It’s kind of sweet.”

“I think they’ve been ‘married’ for years, if the truth be known,” Tom Paris allowed. “I think they were destined to end up together.”

B’Elanna snorted. “Tom Paris? A romantic?”

“Just observant,” he shrugged. “Remember I listened to them whispering on the bridge for years. The electricity nearly stood my hair on end.”

“Sure,” she teased. “That’s why you won the betting pool.”

“The winner was a late-arriving wager, and anonymous, too. I shouldn’t have allowed it in.” He scowled, obviously unhappy about the outcome. “I still wonder if ‘Spying Monkey’ was Chakotay.”

B’Elanna laughed. “I hope so. I’d be poetic justice if he won!”

Harry Kim stood up on a chair in the middle of the bar and bellowed for everyone’s attention. “Ladies and gentlemen. And you, too, Tom!” The crew laughed. “The time has come for the first real pool tournament since Voyager arrived home three years ago. And, Tom, before you start complaining, last year’s doesn’t count because the admiral wasn’t here to defend her title! The sign-up sheet has only two names-Kathryn Janeway and Tom Paris. The rest of us knew better than to try. So, rack up the balls, get a fresh drink, and grab a seat. The show is about to begin.”

Tom Paris approached the table where Kathryn stood chalking her cue. Behind her, leaning against the bar, Chakotay nursed a beer and watched the two friends begin their inevitable banter. It had been two years since he’d attended a reunion. He and Kathryn had been in the Beta Quadrant the year before, and he was delighted to see so many old friends and coworkers. Some of the relationships, like the mock competition between Kathryn and Tom, seemed to have survived with little change.

The crew had been most receptive to the fact that the command team had become a couple. In fact, most of them had made no comment whatsoever about their joint arrival or their constant togetherness at Starfleet functions, acting as if they’d always been a couple. Of course, it helped that tonight Seven of Nine wasn’t attending the reunion. Sooner or later, he figured, the three of them would have to meet and work through their complicated relationship, come to an understanding of what had happened and why. But, that was something he’d face in the future. Tonight, he was simply enjoying being with Kathryn and reconnecting with their Voyager “family” again.

Tom gave Kathryn a sly smile before he teased her by saying, “Are you using the commander’s ‘stick’ this time, Admiral?”

“Of course,” she smirked, glancing back a Chakotay with a wink. “It’s a perfect fit.”

Tom laughed and picked out a cue of his own. “I hope you know I’ve been practicing day and night. I’m not the pushover I used to be.”

The chatter continued as B’Elanna made her way to him at the bar. “Can I tear you away from watching your date?” she asked Chakotay. “I can’t remember the last time we had a chance to talk.”

“I don’t either. And besides, I don’t really enjoy watching a slaughter,” he replied, chuckling. He gestured toward the nearly empty booths along the back wall. “We should have all the privacy we need back here.”

They slid into the benches facing each other just as a cheer went up from the crowd surrounding the pool table. “Sounds like the admiral broke well again.”

Chakotay smiled. “She’s been looking forward to this reunion for a long time, including the chance to reclaim her title as pool champion. She’s changed a lot the last year or so-she’s more relaxed and at ease.”

“I can see the difference. Maybe you’d prefer to watch?”

“That’s okay. We need to talk.”

“You seem happy, Chakotay, and I’m glad. In fact, you practically glow with happiness.”

He ducked his head. “I love her, B’Elanna, and, by some miracle, she loves me back.”

“Yes, she obviously does.” She leaned forward and squeezed his hand. “But then, she always loved you.”

“You say that,” he sighed, looking away, “but I was never really sure about how she felt. There were times that she seemed to care, but she always refused to discuss anything beyond friendship. After awhile, I guess I just gave up.”

“She couldn’t get involved with you out there, Chakotay. The task of leading us was just too all-consuming. Besides, she wasn’t going to indulge herself when so many of the crew were alone or missing their spouses.” B’Elanna sat back with a sigh. “She couldn’t take the risk, and she was scared to death she’d hurt you.”

“Because of that, I moved on and in the process I hurt Seven of Nine.” He took a long drink from his beer. “I regret that more than anything else, hurting someone who was an innocent bystander. I took advantage of Seven’s inexperience and need for security.”

“I have a hard time thinking of Seven as innocent.” She laughed at his doubtful frown. “Look, you were her first love affair, and you were the perfect person for that. You helped her come to terms with all the joy and pain that human relationships create, and you were incredibly tolerant of her Borg idiosyncrasies. Besides, how many first loves last a lifetime?”

Another cheer went up from the crowd and they saw Kathryn raise her cue in triumph. “What are they playing?” he wondered. “Best two out of three?”

“Tom needs a better chance than that, Chakotay. Best three out of five. We still have time to talk.” In spite of her words, they were silent a long time, watching the crew as they reacted to the pool game, enjoying the comfort of each other’s presence.

He finally looked up. “Have you talked to her? Seven, I mean?”

“A couple of months ago, she came through San Francisco and spent a few hours with Tom and me. She was on her way to Vulcan to study the Kohlinar, thanks to Tuvok’s suggestion and sponsorship. She’s one of the first humans accepted into the program.”

“The Vulcan training to purge emotion?” Chakotay grew thoughtful, a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. Suddenly, he regretted drinking the beer. “That actually makes sense. She was never comfortable with what she called the ‘chaos’ of human emotions once her Borg dampener was removed. She didn’t like to lose control of herself and at one point even begged the doc to replace it. She was quite put out with him when he refused to even consider doing it.”

B’Elanna studied her friend. “She didn’t like to lose control? What about . . . well, what about . . . ?”

“What about it?” he countered with a grin, guessing what she was talking about and shaking his head at her audacity. “She was as efficient in bed as she was everywhere else.”

“I can hear her now. ‘The average time period allotted for foreplay has ended. Copulation may now commence.'”

For a moment Chakotay sat in shocked silence, but then he couldn’t help but smile sadly and look away. “You don’t know how close that is to the truth, B’Elanna.”

“You feel bad about her,” B’Elanna realized. “You think that Seven’s escape to Vulcan is your fault?” Another cheer went up from the pool area, and this time when Kathryn caught Chakotay’s eye she winked and gestured for him to order her some wine. “Looks like the admiral plans to join us very shortly.”

He waved down a waitress and ordered a glass of chablis. “Poor Tom,” he said, sipping his beer and watching Kathryn slowly and deliberately circle the table like a predator. “Kathryn has every intention of making him pay for claiming Voyager’s pool championship in her absence. She’ll show him no mercy.”

“She’s been practicing, hasn’t she?” B’Elanna whispered, leaning across the table.

“I’ve been sworn to secrecy.”

B’Elanna laughed. “Look, Chakotay, I don’t know what you and Seven had together. After Voyager got back, we weren’t around each other much. Maybe, under other circumstances, you two might have been happy. But not with Janeway around.”

“Kathryn was around when I started seeing Seven,” he argued. “I made a conscious choice to start dating her while we were still on Voyager.”

“Oh, right. She was around, but she was also the captain.” She took his hand and forced him to look at her. “You can’t deny that you’ve always loved her. Tom says that you two always loved each other, and I’m just beginning to realize he’s right.”

“When Kathryn and I met again a while back . . . when we realized that all the reasons for denying how we felt were gone . . . we couldn’t help ourselves.” He looked up at her, his eyes tortured. “We couldn’t deny any longer that we wanted to be together. Even if our being together hurt Seven of Nine.”

“So be together. Be happy. Seven will adapt.” B’Elanna sat back, enjoying the chance to help her oldest friend think through his problems. “Are you going to tell me how you and the admiral finally got together?”

“Oh, you know. The usual scenario. Our eyes met across a crowded room and we were pulled toward each other like magnets. We made our way to each other through the crowd, and then, nine short years later, bingo.” He snapped his fingers. “Everything fell into place.”

“I love those whirlwind romances,” she chuckled, giving him a wink. “But truthfully. How did you two finally get together? Did it happen during the Romulan mission?” She leaned forward again, obviously eaten up with curiosity. “Or did it happen before that? Did your paths cross one dark night out in space when no one was around? Lonely and on your own, you turned to each other at last . . . and then you knew it had to be?”

A final roar interrupted them, and they saw Kathryn heading for their booth with a sly smile on her face, while behind her Tom watched her walk away, smirking as he idly pulled the balls from pool table’s pockets and tossed them onto the table.

“Whatever are you two talking about?” Kathryn asked as she sat down and gave Chakotay a celebratory kiss on the cheek. “You look like B’Elanna is about to nail you to the wall.”

“He was in the process of telling me how you two finally got together.”

“Oh, he was, was he?” She turned and smiled at him. “This should be good.”

“He said you saw each other across a crowded room and realized you were in love, just like that.”

“No, that wasn’t it,” Kathryn said, sliding her arm around Chakotay. “It was a dark and stormy night in the city by the bay . . . and there he was, wandering around, lost and cold, looking for all the world like a homeless waif. What was I to do, let him drown? Let him sleep in the alley? I brought him into the house and gave him some warm milk. You could almost say he followed me home.”

B’Elanna rolled her eyes. “So don’t tell me,” she complained as Tom arrived. “The tournament’s over all ready?”

Tom Paris plopped onto the bench next to his wife with a groan. “Three out of five means three very brief games when you’re playing the admiral. I didn’t even get to take a shot until the last game, and by then I was so totally demoralized that I missed by a mile.” He turned to his wife for sympathy. “B’Elanna, dance with me before I become too depressed to move.”

The younger couple vacated the booth with a wave, leaving Kathryn and Chakotay alone, snuggled close on the bench. “You could’ve let him win one game, Kathryn.”

“He’s been crowing for a year that he’s the best pool player on Voyager’s crew,” she replied, leaning against him, her competitive fires burning. “He had it coming.”

Chakotay chuckled and pulled her closer. “Winner and still champion.”

“You heard about Seven, didn’t you?” she asked him, grimacing when he nodded. “I knew that the news would bother you. I know it bothers me. The Kohlinar? Did we do that to her, Chakotay, hurt her so badly she wants to repress all emotion? Should we go talk to her and help her get over this?”

“The last thing she needs is to see us together, Kathryn. We need to give her some room to grow. I think, when the time’s right, she’ll come to us. Or to you, actually.” He grew thoughtful.

“Or maybe she’ll finally turn to the one person who really loves her- the EMH.”

“Those two have more in common than I realized. And he does love her.”

“Love’s a wonderful thing, you know.” She turned to him, her eyes luminous with tears. “It can work miracles.”

“Love is a miracle.” He gave her a gentle kiss.

“I wish I could’ve done things differently, Chakotay. If so, you never would’ve turned to Seven and nobody would’ve been hurt.”

“We all do the best we can, Kathryn. She’ll live through this and be better for it.”

“Do you really think so?”

“I predict that she’ll be here next year, probably with a new boyfriend in tow, and that she’ll find a way to forgive us for what we did to her. The person she admires most in the world taught her to give people a second chance and to never stop believing in them. She won’t ever forget that lesson.”

“You mean she admires me most?” Kathryn whispered, a tear rolling down her cheek. “I hope you’re right. I hope she gives us a second chance.”

“I’m willing to put my winnings on the line.”

She smiled, wiping the tear off of her cheek with the back of her hand. “Has Tom asked you yet if you’re Spying Monkey?”

“No, but he wants to.” He leaned forward, nuzzling her hair, his warm breath tickling her ear and sending goose bumps down her neck. “What do you say we get out of here?”

“If we leave this early,” she said, giving him a crooked smile, “people will talk.”

“People are talking anyway, Kathryn.”

They said their farewells, explaining that, at their age, midnight was late enough to be out partying, and soon found themselves walking through the small town toward the cottage they’d rented for their week-long stay in the area. The night was breathtakingly beautiful, the sky brilliant with starlight, and the bright ribbon of the Milky Way seemed even more prominent than usual, reminding Kathryn of their recent journey through the middle of it.

Chakotay noticed her staring at the sky. “Thinking about the Delta Quadrant?”

“Actually, I was,” she smiled, taking his hand. “I’ve told you how much your friendship meant to me out there, how much credit you should take for helping me keep what I have left of my sanity.” She stopped and turned to him, taking his other hand. “But I failed to mention that I was also deeply in love with you. For a long, long time.”

He stepped closer, bringing her hands to his chest. “Friendship is a wonderful foundation for a lasting relationship, I’ve been told.”

“We almost lost this, Chakotay,” she whispered, her eyes glistening with tears. “And I’m not sure how we managed to find each other again.”

“If I had asked you one day, out there on Voyager, whether or not you loved me, what would you have said?”

“I don’t know. I probably would’ve evaded the question, said something like, ‘I love the whole crew,’ or ‘I’ve never cared for any officer more.’ I don’t think I would even have admitted to myself that I loved you. I couldn’t.”

“But you wouldn’t have denied it, would you? You would never have said you didn’t love me.”

“No, Chakotay, I wouldn’t have denied it.”

He slipped his arms around her and pulled her close. “There are some relationships that won’t be denied. Ours is one of them. Once we were home, once we admitted our feelings for each other, we were destined to be together. We found ourselves looking for each other.”

“Destiny.” She turned slightly in his arms and looked up at the ribbon of light that was their galaxy. “Of course. That’s what it had to be.”

“Kathryn Janeway believes in fate?” He leaned down and kissed her. “Now I’ve heard everything.”

She moaned with pleasure and held his face between her hands, looking deep into his eyes. “I love you, Chakotay. I think I always have.”

“At last, you’re willing to tell the truth.”

They slid their arms around each other’s waists and resumed their leisurely walk toward their cabin. “You know,” she said, leaning into his side, “there is one activity we mystics enjoy even when it’s after midnight.”

“A bubble bath?” he guessed, showing her his dimples.

“That wasn’t exactly what I had in mind,” she laughed, giving him a wink, “but, as long as it’s a bubble bath for two, it’s a start!”

To be continued…