No Regrets

Rated NC-17

Setting: A few months after Voyager returns to the Alpha Quadrant.

Disclaimer: All that is Trek is Paramount. I make no profit and do not get anything except the pleasure of using these two characters in my stories.

Special Thanks from the author, Mriana: Thanks to Mary S. for Beta-reading this for me. To the reader: If you like this story, please vote for it in The Purple Comet Contest- link is at the end of the story.

No Regrets

It was late afternoon and Admiral Janeway was in her new office, sitting at her desk, not really looking at what was in front of her. Unable to concentrate on the task before her, she placed the PADD she was holding on her desk. Then she turned her chair to face her window, a habit she had picked up when they were in the Delta Quadrant. Usually it had the same calming affect as it did on Voyager, but not today.

Memories of the man who had supported and encouraged her through the Delta Quadrant flooded her mind. The crew had not realized it at the time, but she did have her fears, worries, and regrets- not about her choices regarding Chakotay, but whether they were all going to make it home alive. Every step of the way, he had been by her side, easing the thoughts that plagued her. He had been her rock, even when the two of them had to stay behind on a planet due to a virus that, at the time, had no cure until their EMH surreptitiously obtained one from the Vidiians.

Her thoughts were drifting from the current task before her to a time when she and Chakotay had been stranded on New Earth. This was something she had found herself thinking about more and more often lately. Things had been so much simpler then; they had been there so long that she had almost forgotten time.

While they were on New Earth, their relationship had begun to change and deepen. If they had had more time on that planet, she believed they would have been the Adam and Eve of New Earth. Instead, a cure was found and they were finally rescued by their crew.

Once they were back on Voyager, she and Chakotay had decided to curb their new-found feelings for each other and maintain the appearance of business as usual. It had pained Kathryn to insist on a strictly professional relationship with the love of her life, but at the time she had felt it was best for the sake of the crew.

Even so, rumours of the two of them having a romantic relationship had still spread. She tried to put a stop to them by stating it was against protocol for the captain to be involved in a personal relationship with a member of her crew. Still, she knew her feelings were obvious to everyone watching her and Chakotay.

Now that they had returned to the Alpha Quadrant and settled into new positions, she wondered if she had been wrong about her decision to keep her feelings for Chakotay buried deep within her for the sake of protocol. She loved him dearly and did not want to lose him. She needed him, not just as a first officer on Voyager, but as a friend.

“No,” she thought sadly. “I need more from him than just friendship.”

She knew she desired his love, his warm embrace, and his massages. “Oh God! His massages!” She smiled as she thought about his talented hands caressing the stress out of her neck and shoulders. “That man has great hands!” she mused to herself.

They had never consummated their relationship on New Earth, but she was beginning to wish they had, or that Voyager had waited a little longer to rescue them. Either way, she was wishing more had come of their love for each other on New Earth than just a deeper friendship.

Her thoughts then drifted to her older self. It had been somewhat startling to meet herself. She had never believed the saying about travelling long enough, but it had happened and she was stunned by what she saw.

She remembered the day a sixtyish version of herself stood before her in the observation lounge. It was somewhat unsettling at first. She did not want to believe the white haired woman was her future self, despite the medical evidence the EMH revealed to her and everyone else.

Then she remembered the kiss the older Janeway had given Chakotay. That was even more unsettling to the younger Janeway. After a while, she realized the woman was only trying to experience something she had never allowed herself before the inevitable happened.

“The last thing I want is to be that lonely old woman!” She thought with disdain. “Only to go back and try to reclaim something she would never have.”

That Janeway had given the present Janeway an opportunity that she would never have. A second chance to claim the love that had once been lost and to keep from having the same regrets over again.

Very few people ever had second chances, and Janeway realized she did not want to lose the opportunity the other Janeway had given her. She did not want to lose the man she held so dear to her heart. Not to Seven or anyone else. Although, she was not sure how, she was determined to find a way to seize the chance that had been given her.

As fortune would have it, Chakotay was only a short walk away from her office. Rather than returning to space, he had decided to teach anthropology, his favourite subject, at the Academy.

As the chime to her office rang, she was making a mental note to pay Chakotay a visit. Although she was uncertain how she would broach the subject of taking their relationship to the next level, it was what she was longing for. She did not want to let this chance pass by and become the older Janeway she had met before returning to the Alpha Quadrant, a woman filled with regrets. Regardless of her own career, she wanted Chakotay.

“Come in,” she ordered, a bit surprised that her aide had not informed her of a visitor. “Oh, Chakotay! This is a surprise.” A slight blush crept into her cheeks.

“I came by to ask if you wanted to have dinner with an old friend.” Chakotay invited her with the smile that had always warmed her heart.

“I suppose that old friend would be you?” She tried hard to smile, but instead a hard lump formed in her throat.

It was not that she did not want to have dinner with him. She did, but she knew there would not be any chance to talk to him about what she wanted and to find out if he wanted the same, if they had dinner at a restaurant. She could not think of any other alternatives without feeling awkward about asking him.

Chakotay knew her well enough to know when something was wrong; concerned, he asked, “What’s wrong, Kathryn?”

“Nothing,” she replied. “I was just thinking.”

“About what?”

Kathryn arose from her chair and walked around her desk to stand before him. “Do you ever think about New Earth?”

Chakotay was a little surprised that she had asked such a question, but he recovered quickly and with a warm smile, he replied, “All the time. Why?”

She wanted to reach out and touch him but resisted the temptation. “Do you ever wonder if we made the right decision after the crew rescued us?”

“To remain ‘just friends‘?”

Kathryn nodded.

“Well, as I recall, you were the one who didn’t want to pursue a romantic relationship.”

“You agreed,” she retorted with slight irritation. She could not believe he was throwing that in her face.

“Having a change of heart?” Chakotay asked with curiosity.

“I…” She began to speak, but before she said anything else, she frowned and sighed.

Chakotay placed his strong, loving hands on her shoulders. “Kathryn, you know I would give you anything you wanted.”

She looked at him with yearning eyes. Her voice was soft as she spoke, “I want more.”

His heart jumped for joy, yet he repressed the urge to kiss her for fear he might have misinterpreted her words. He wanted to be sure there was no misunderstanding.

“What brought this on?” he asked suddenly.

Looking uncharacteristically vulnerable, Kathryn placed a gentle hand on the side of Chakotay’s face before replying softly, “A certain Admiral.”

She wanted him, but she was not sure how to tell him. Yet, she knew she had to say something or risk losing him.

To Chakotay’s surprise, Kathryn suddenly threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. Not that she had not kissed him before, she had, but this was not like any other kiss she had ever given him. Those kisses were more platonic than anything else.

This kiss was different. It was a kiss of hungry desire for him, which was threatening to drive him mad.

Suddenly, he gently pushed back and studied her questioningly. He was not sure if this was what she really wanted. Not that he would not accommodate her if it was, but he had to be sure.

“What’s wrong?” She asked. “I’m sorry if…”

“No, don’t be sorry,” Chakotay interrupted. He still had his hands on her shoulders, as he did not want to completely let go of her. “I just want to be sure this is what you want before I do anything that may be out of line.”

“Chakotay, I want our relationship to be more than just friendship,” Janeway finally admitted with urgency in her voice. “I want to show you exactly how I feel about you, with no regrets.”

She was being sincere. He could see it in her eyes, but he was still afraid she would end up changing her mind afterwards.

“I want you to do the same,” she continued. “I don’t want us to deny ourselves for the sake of protocol.”

This was not the Kathryn who, just yesterday, had told him she wanted to be nothing more than friends. This was a different Kathryn.

“Are you really sure this is what you want?” he asked again.

Kathryn slowly stepped forward and slid her hands up his arms and around his neck. “More than anything.”

As the man who loved this woman deeply, he wanted to fulfil her every wish and need, but as an officer, he was still hesitant to cross the line between captain and commander or in this case, captain and admiral. However, standing this close together, her scent and her touch were intoxicating.

He reclaimed her mouth with a feverish passion. Their lips soon parted and their tongues began a dance of love. The warm invasion intoxicated their minds even more.

Chakotay’s hands began to explore every curve of her body. He felt like this was a dream, yet as his hands traveled down her back to her hips, his senses told him that she was real and truly wanted him as much as he wanted her.

Kathryn let out a sigh of relief as she melted into his touch. They were now sharing their true feelings for each other, instead of holding back for the sake of protocol.

As Chakotay kneaded her hips and pulled her even closer to him, she could feel him swell inside his pants. The closeness of his body caused her to become even more excited. When he noticed his arousal and started to move away, Kathryn pulled him back and pressed against him even harder.

They continued to caress each other passionately, only to be interrupted and brought back to their present surroundings by a call from her aide.

*Ensign Craig to Admiral Janeway.*

Janeway let out a soft groan of disappointment as Chakotay released her from their kiss. “Janeway here.”

*It‘s 1700. I‘m going to take off for the weekend, unless there is something else you need.* Craig’s voice informed her.

‘He had to interrupt me for that?’ Kathryn thought to herself with a frown. Then she continued her conversation with Craig. “That will be all. Have a nice weekend.”

*Thank you.* Craig replied. *You have a nice one too.*

Janeway sighed and leaned her head onto Chakotay’s chest. Then she stood up straight and began smoothing her uniform. “I guess it would be a good idea if I called it a day, too.”

“Shall we,” Chakotay murmured, “have dinner at my place?”

“That would be wonderful,” Kathryn smiled as she ran her hand across her hair to make sure it was in place. Then she tried to regain her composure with a deep breath before leaving her office. “You ready?”

Chakotay smiled as a slight blush formed on his face, and shook his head. His eyes drifted towards the floor. “I think I still need a few minutes to catch my breath.”

Kathryn almost laughed as she realized what she had done to him. As she observed him, she could not help noticing he had to have a little more time to compose himself before he made an appearance in public. “I guess that would be a good idea.”

“Oh, yes,” He replied, still slightly embarrassed. “Definitely.”

“I’ll just finish my coffee and straighten my desk before we leave.” She was relieved that the cup was half full, because she knew that would give them a little time to relax before walking out of her office door. Then she gestured to the replicator in her office, “Get yourself something to drink. I’ll only be a few minutes.”

“By all means. Take your time.” Chakotay walked over to Kathryn’s replicator and requested a glass of water.

As Kathryn gathered up the PADDs on her desk, she was beginning to mentally second guess herself. ‘Am I making a mistake? Was I being too bold in telling him what I want? Is it even what he wants? No, if he didn’t appreciate my advances, he would have said something. Does he even feel the same way that I do, though?’

She watched him remove the chilled glass of water from the replicator, admiring his strong physique and the way his muscles rippled under his uniform. ‘No, I think I know how he feels, how he’s always felt about me. I’ve always known by the way he looks at me. He’s always been there for me all these years ever since we were first lost in the Delta Quadrant. He never once wavered in his concern for me.’

When Chakotay took a seat and waited for her to finish, Kathryn quickly went back to clearing her desk for the weekend. He watched her as he waited and his own thoughts wandered to the past.

‘Is she really going to go through with this decision or is she going into fall back to old habits?’ Chakotay thought to himself as he quietly drank his water. ‘Does she really want do this or is it just wishful thinking on my part? I don’t want to hurt her or end up having my own hopes dashed again. The pain would be too great, but I want whatever will make her happy.’

Kathryn’s desk was finally clean and everything was put in its place. “Shall we go have dinner?”

“Ready whenever you are,” Chakotay stood and gestured towards the door in a manner that said, ‘you first‘.

“Good, I’m starved.” Silently she thought, ‘Very starved,’ as she smiled at him.

As they began to enter his flat, however, a strange awkwardness occurred that Kathryn could not explain. She was beginning to wonder if having dinner was such a good idea, but then realized there was no place she would rather be than with Chakotay at the moment.

There was no way she was about to allow herself to turn back now. She wanted a different life than the one her counterpart had had, and now that they were back home again, she wanted to experience life without regrets.

Once inside his apartment, she turned to face him.

He seemed somewhat nervous as he spoke, “I’ll start dinner.”

Neither one of them understood why they were suddenly apprehensive about the evening.

“Maybe I should go,” Kathryn finally said, as he began to walk into the kitchen.

Chakotay stopped abruptly as his heart skipped a beat and he turned to face her. “No, it’s alright.”

There was a brief pause as he slowly approached her. Tenderly he touched her chin and looked at her directly for the first time since they had left her office. “Why are we doing this?”

“Because it’s what I wanted,” Kathryn replied remorsefully. “I still want it, don’t you?”

Chakotay shook his head, “That’s not what I meant.”

“You don’t want this,” she said sadly as she withdrew from his touch. “That’s why I think I should go.”

“On the contrary,” Chakotay stated softly as he reached for her shoulder to stop her from leaving. “I’ve wanted this for a very long time, even before we returned from the Delta Quadrant, but that is not what I meant.”

She looked directly into his eyes as she asked, “Then what do you mean?”

Chakotay took a deep breath and grabbed her by the hand, “Come with me.”

“Where are we going?”

He led her to the kitchen. Once there, he pulled a chair out from the table, “Have a seat.”

She was very confused, but sat down in the chair anyway, as Chakotay stood behind it. Once she was seated, he placed a hand on each shoulder and began to give her a massage.

‘Oh, God!’ She thought. ‘I could just melt in his arms right here.’

“We need to relax and just let this evening happen as it happens,” Chakotay explained, as he continued to give her a massage. “What we had in your office was wonderful, but if that is all we have for tonight, then so be it. We shouldn’t force this. I’m happy just knowing that we both want our relationship to be more.”

‘Oh, if he only knew how I felt right now,’ Kathryn thought as every muscle in her body began to release the tension she had felt just moments ago. ‘This feels so good! I can’t remember the last time he worked his magic on my tight muscles.’

She was loving every minute of his attention as he kneaded the kinks out of her neck and shoulders. Her mind again flashed back to New Earth when he had given her frequent massages.

‘Everything seemed so much easier then,’ she thought dreamily.

“Kathryn?”

“Hmm?”

“Just wondering if you were still awake.”

“Mmm, yes. I’m just enjoying this massage. It’s been a long time since you gave me one.”

“Yes, it has,” he smiled, as he also began to remember the last time.

“You have great hands.”

“Thank you.”

“I don’t know if I have ever told you that.”

“As a matter of fact, you have,” he reminded her. “On New Earth.”

Kathryn smiled. It was then she knew they were sharing the same memory. As he continued his ministrations, they began to reminisce about the times they shared together in the Delta Quadrant, especially New Earth. They even wondered what might have been if they had had to stay on that planet forever.

“Oh, God! Chakotay!” She softly exclaimed, yet there was also a hint of gratitude in her tone. “If you keep going with this massage, I’m either going to turn to putty in your hands or be so relaxed that I won’t be able to stay awake and have dinner with you.”

He chuckled softly, “We can’t have that now, can we?”

She groaned softly, wishing she had not asked him to stop, as he ceased caressing her neck and shoulders. She appreciated his firm touch as he removed the day’s stress from her body and wondered what else his hands, if given the chance, could do to her.

She shook off her thoughts as she watched Chakotay start dinner. “What are you making?”

“Vegetable Biryani.”

“Mmm! My grandmother’s recipe?“

“As a matter of fact,” he smiled, “Yes.”

“Sounds good. Is there anything I can help you with?”

“No, I think I just about have it,” he informed her as he began sautéing the onion with cloves and cumin.

She walked over to where he stood for a closer look. “It’s nowhere near done and it already smells good.”

“Why, thank you.”

Their eyes met and for a moment it felt like their souls had touched.

Kathryn could not help smiling lovingly at him, “But then, you always were a good cook.”

“I can’t start a fire, but I can sure cook.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about not being able to start a fire.” She dismissed his self-criticism. “With modern technology, you can always find ways to get around that.”

“Not if you’re stranded on some deserted planet.”

Kathryn quickly searched her mind for a way to change the subject as Chakotay added the rest of the ingredients to the Biryani. She was amazed how they could go from talking about happy memories on New Earth to what he could not do.

“Well, don’t feel so bad,” she finally replied. “I still can’t cook. Yet we never did starve or freeze to death.”

Chakotay finished stirring their meal and placed the spoon down beside the stove. Then he turned to face her and smiled, “No, we make a pretty good team, don’t we?”

“Pretty good? I don’t know what I would have done without you in the Delta Quadrant, much less on that planet.”

Chakotay could not resist putting his arms around her and giving her a big hug. “I don’t know what I’d have done without you either.”

She did not resist his hug. In fact, she revelled in his touch for a few moments, then pulled back just enough to look at him. “Remember when I told you I needed you?”

“On Voyager?”

“Yes.”

“How could I forget?”

“I still need you. Not for the reasons I stated back then, but…” She searched her mind for the words that best described her feelings.

As he looked deep into her eyes, Chakotay completely understood. Her eyes were pleading for acceptance and her body yearned for his attention, but her mind wanted more from him. Her heart ached for him while her mind raced for what to say next, as Chakotay patiently waited for her to speak.

“Marry me?” she asked softly. Her voice was barely above a whisper.

“What?” He asked with shock, as he slightly loosened his embrace. He was not quite sure that he had heard what he thought he had heard.

She nervously wiggled out of his arms and started to head out of the kitchen. “Nothing.”

“No, it’s not nothing,” he began to follow her, grabbing her arm. Then he turned her around so that he could face her. “In answer to your question, yes, if it’s what I thought I heard.”

“No, I saw your expression. You really…”

“I was shocked that you asked,” Chakotay quickly interrupted. “It was not quite how I envisioned a proposal.”

“What proposal? You mean…” It was Kathryn’s turn to be shocked as she suddenly realized that Chakotay had been thinking the same thing.

“Well, I had thought about it, only I was doing the asking.”

She stepped closer to him and embraced him once more as she smiled, “Now that is a little old-fashioned.”

“Maybe, but can I help that I love you, Kathryn Janeway?”

“That’s Admiral Janeway to you,” she teased in a sultry voice. “Now kiss me, before I lose my nerve again.”

He did as ordered, capturing her mouth with his.

In return, Kathryn hungrily absorbed his fervent love for her. Their mouths parted as they tried to envelop each other. Soon their tongues found each other and began a dance of love.

Kathryn gasped for air as Chakotay’s lips moved to explore her neck. She did not want this moment to end, as she threw her head back invitingly and breathlessly said, “Oh God, Chakotay. I love you, but I think I smell dinner.”

Chakotay suddenly released her and rushed back to the kitchen. He quickly grabbed an oven mitt and lifted the lid off of the pan. “Oh, great!”

“This is a first,” Kathryn taunted with a smile. “I’m usually the one who burns things.”

He placed the pan in the sink to soak and then captured her in his arms again. “Yes, but you don’t have to have any distractions to burn something.”

“Me? A distraction?”

“You are tonight,” he grinned playfully.

“Did you really mean what you said?” She inquired as she tried to change the subject.

“About what?”

“Marrying me?”

“Kathryn Janeway, I meant every word of it.” Chakotay told her. “The question is, will you marry me?”

“I asked you first,” she playfully pulled herself from his grasp.

“That’s not an answer,” he smiled as he recaptured her and turned her around in his arms.

“Now why would I ask if I didn’t mean it?” She toyed with him.

Chakotay just smiled lovingly at her and waited for an answer.

“Of course, I’ll marry you,” she finally replied.

“Next question,” Chakotay smiled. “What are we going to do about dinner?”

“Forget dinner,” she insisted in a sultry voice. “I have a better idea.” She grabbed his hand and started to drag him back to his bedroom.

“Kathryn, are you sure? I mean, I can wait..”

She turned to face him and brought her hand up to trace his tattoo. “Eight years of celibacy. I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life, and who better to fulfil my needs than you? I not only trust you, but I love you and I need you more than I can say.”

He did not need any more coaxing. He picked her up and carried her the short distance to his bedroom without any protest from her.

Once there, he gently laid her on the bed and briefly admired her beauty. Their eyes locked during that short time, reflecting their love for each other.

Then, with great hunger, Chakotay reclaimed her warm moist lips. Both of them had been starved for the other’s attention.

Kathryn eagerly removed Chakotay’s shirt and caressed his muscular chest with her hands as she relished his handsome features. His naturally tanned skin glistened with passion as she ran her hands over his shoulders and pulled him close to her.

Their mouths locked once again, anxious to explore each other as their lips parted slightly with the inflow of warm, sensual blood. His tongue slid between her parted lips as it quested for hers. Once their tongues had found each other, they began a dance of love again.

Chakotay’s hand slid under Kathryn’s shirt and began to caress her supple mounds of flesh. Her skin burned with desire as every nerve in her body pleaded for his attention.

When she pulled him closer to her, she could feel the swelling in his pants against her as he lay on top of her. His mouth journeyed to her neck again and she tilted her head back invitingly as he suckled and caressed her neck with his warm moist lips.

Anxious to feel his smooth skin against hers, she rose slightly to remove her shirt as he began to assist her. Then he gently laid her back on the bed. Kathryn gave a soft moan as his mouth savoured her ripe flesh and his tongue taunted her sensitive nipples.

Then, giving a slight whimper as his mouth released her breast and slowly made its way to the other one, she gave another moan of pleasure as it captured the other rosy tip. One of his hands gently kneaded the one his mouth had just left, while the other hand caressed her sensitive womanhood.

She wanted him and wanted to feel him in the very depths of her being, but Chakotay apparently wanted to show her just how much he really loved and cared for her. His ministrations were driving her crazy as her need for him increased. She felt as if every nerve in her body was about to explode as she arched her upper back to get closer to him while he teased her with his tongue.

Slowly, he made his way down her body with sweet kisses, removing the rest of her clothing. Then his tongue teased her swollen womanhood as he made his way to her warm, moist entrance.

“Oh, Cha-ko-tay!” she groaned, as a wave of pleasure pulsated through her body. She raised her hips to get even closer to him and feel his agile tongue explore the very depths of her womanhood.

She was not sure how much more she could take before she went insane from the sensations that were running through her, gasping for air as a pulsating wave of pleasure surged through her.

Then his tongue returned to the apex of her womanhood as his finger explored and teased her inner chamber. Her thighs pulsated with anticipation of the next wave of pleasure.

“Ple-ease, Cha-ko-tay!” She begged, panting, “I need you now!”

She wanted to be filled with his powerful manliness as she reached down and caressed his head, but instead he ran his tongue down one thigh and up the other, causing her to shake and gasp from excitement. Then he slowly made his way back up her rosy flushed body with tender kisses, stopping to tease her swollen buds once again with his mouth and tongue. His lower body was hard with excitement as it caressed her bare womanhood.

Not able to take much more, Kathryn reached down and freed his hot swollen flesh from its prison. With some assistance from Chakotay, his clothing was quickly discarded and their warm glistening flesh touched for the first time, which excited them even more. Still, Kathryn wanted more, so she reached down to caress his throbbing erection as she slowly guided it to where she wanted it most.

Once inside her heated core, he slowly gyrated within her. Still, she wanted more of him. So, she raised her legs and hips enough to cause him to go even deeper into her warm, moist chamber. She groaned with satisfaction as his thrusts became deeper, filling her completely.

His throbbing manhood begged for release as he buried himself deeper and deeper within her. He hoped that she would reached her fulfilment before he did, as his final moment of ecstasy was quickly approaching.

“Oh, yes!” They both screamed out in unison, as their passion became even stronger.

Their primal rhythm quickened to the pace of their heart beats and their breathing became agonizing gasps.

As Kathryn felt wave after wave of pleasure, she let out another uninhibited cry of satisfaction.

At the same time, Chakotay arched slightly as he cried out her name and allowed his molten juices to intermingle with hers. Then with a sigh of pure fulfilment, Chakotay wrapped her into his arms as he tried to catch his breath, without placing his full weight on her.

Kathryn lowered her legs and held him tight against her as she felt the last of his release pulsate within her.

They lay contentedly intertwined in each other's arms without saying a word, as they tried to hang onto the moment for as long as they could.

After a minute or so, Chakotay gently rolled off of her and cradled her in his arms. Their naked bodies were still drenched with sweat, but even so, they held each other, enjoying the close contact.

Chakotay gently kissed her forehead, “You alright?”

“More than alright,” she smiled with gratitude.

“You sure?”

“If you are asking me if I regret what we just did,” she softly replied, still smiling. “No, I don’t. As a matter of fact, I feel happier than I ever have in my life.”

She moved closer to him and hugged him tightly. Then with a hint of sadness she continued softly, “I just wish we had made this decision sooner, but I know I'm not going to have the same regrets as my counterpart did.”

With her last words, her voice became cheerful and happy. Chakotay had no doubts that she was being completely honest with him as they lay basking in the afterglow of their loving act.

“So, what are we going to eat?” He asked her when her heard he stomach growl.

“Good question! I’m really starved now!”

He smiled lovingly at her, “Well, we could replicate some fruit and feed each other.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Chakotay released her and grabbed his robe. As he was putting it on, Kathryn watched the movement of his rippling muscles and smiled. She was going to spend the rest of her life with this man and she could not think of anyone else she would rather spend it with.

“You know,” she began cheerfully as she continued to smile. “We’re going to have to tell B’Elanna and Tom, as well as everyone else, about our wedding plans.”

Sitting up, she wrapped the sheet that was on the bed around her body. The scene made Chakotay smile, as it reminded him of the time he had seen her wrapped in a towel.

“We’ll have to tell them soon or they aren’t going to be very happy with us,” he replied.

“They’ll be ecstatic when they hear the news, or at least B’Elanna and Tom will be. They’ve been wanting us to get together for a long time.”

“They have their wish now,” Chakotay smiled.

“I wonder who won the bet?”

“I’m just wondering which one guessed around eight years.”

The two of them laughed with joy and happiness.

The following Monday, Admiral Kathryn Janeway was all smiles as she arrived at Starfleet. Her aide had never seen her as happy and rested as he did that morning.

“You look like you had a nice weekend, Admiral!” Ensign Craig said with a smile, as she began to sashay past him.

“I had a wonderful weekend!” She replied joyfully. “You?”

“It was alright.” Then he noticed something shiny on her hand. “Looks like you got engaged over the weekend. May I inquire as to who the lucky man is?”

Janeway smiled, “I want to thank you for allowing a certain visitor to surprise me last Friday at the end of our shift. Any other time, I would have preferred having the visitor announced, but Chakotay was a nice surprise.”

Her eyes sparkled as she said Chakotay’s name, and the Ensign did not miss a thing in her demeanour. He had heard the scuttlebutt concerning the two of them, but he had never really believed it until Chakotay had asked to surprise her the previous Friday and the Admiral ended up getting a ring over the weekend.

“Oh! So he’s the lucky guy!” Ensign Craig said with a smile.

“He sure is!” She replied happily, then waltzed into her office. She felt so invigorated and ready to take on the universe. Gone was the fear of losing the man she loved and becoming the Janeway she had met just before returning to the Alpha Quadrant. Gone was the woman who was so tied to protocol and her career. Now, in her place, was a woman who was happy and fulfilled.

The End

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