Written by: Captain_Crystal
“Would you look at that,” Tom Paris said in awe at the planet on the view screen.
“I agree, Tom. Perfect place for some shoreleave. Don’t you agree?” Captain Kathryn Janeway replied.
“Yes Ma’am.” Chakotay looked expectantly toward his CO.
“I’ll go ahead and get the duty rosters and shoreleave schedules updated as soon as possible. Are you going down?”
“I don’t know. There will be people needed on the Bridge too, ya know,” Kathryn whispered leaning in closer toward him.
“I could talk to the Doctor about ordering you to take a few days off. How would you like being ordered off of your own ship, Kathryn?”
“I wouldn't and you know it.”
“Of course. Why else would I say it if I wasn’t going to tease you about all of this. So, would you like to accompany me to ‘Risa 2’?”
“’Risa 2?”
“Tom said that it reminded him of Risa, and he asked if he could name it Risa 2. I gave him permission to.”
“I hope we won’t be experiencing anything that is too similar to Risa down there,” Kathryn said teasingly.
“Oh, I don’t know. I don’t think that it would be that bad. Do you?”
“Crazy man! You know that don’t you,” She said a little louder.
“Never. A good humored one though.” Kathryn suppressed the urge to chuckle and glanced down at her beeping PADD.
‘Well? R U going to Risa 2? I want 2 go with U. Please?’ She couldn’t suppress the chuckle that time. She sent the reply message as fast as she could without arousing suspicion.
‘Sure. Y not. All I can say is, U better behave yourself. When R we going?’
‘2-morrow. B-4 then I might B a little bit naughty!’
‘No U won’t B if U want me 2 go with U. I suggest that U B a good little 1st officer and follow my lead. OK?’
‘OK. 2-morrow, Risa 2, bottle of champagne, and a beach. Deal?’
‘Yes. Now get back 2 work!’
‘Aye Captain!’ The rest of their duty shift went by uneventfully. At the end, Chakotay was approached by his captain and best friend.
“Do you have dinner plans this evening, Commander?”
“Not really. Just a date with the replicator.”
“You can keep that date, but the replicator will be programmed by me. 1900?”
“I’ll be there. You’re not going to wear a uniform are you?”
“No way. Just little number that B’Elanna replicated for me. See you at 1900.”
“Yeah, 1900.”
1900 hours. Outside the Captain’s quarters
Chakotay rang the chime for Kathryn’s door. She didn’t call out, but answered the door herself. When she said ’little number’, she meant knockout dress. She was gorgeous. He stood there motionless for minutes.
After Kathryn had ascertained that he had stared at her long enough, she hooked two fingers around the collar of his shirt and pulled him inside her candle-lit quarters.
“Are you going to say something?” She asked after several minutes of silence.
“Wow. I mean you’re gorgeous! Uh, I mean beautiful. I mean,.... Wow.”
“Thanks. Come on in and sit down.”
“I dunno, Kathryn. You look almost good enough to eat.”
“Get a life, Chakotay. You know you shouldn’t be talking to a superior officer like that.”
“Sorry. I’ll try to avert my eyes from now on. What’s for dinner?”
“Pasta soup.”
“Never had it. Is it good?”
“Would I make you eat something that wasn’t good?”
“You never know about you. You made me eat grubs.”
“That was in a life or death situation. We were stuck in the Hannon system with nothing. Did you want to die out there?”
“No. But that time made you cut your hair.”
“So?”
“I liked it long. I wish you would grow it out again.”
“I might. Now, eat your dinner.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
0930; Transporter Room
“Kathryn, are you ready?”
“Yeah. I guess.” They stepped up on the platform together.
“Energize,” Kathryn ordered. They materialized on a beach with an ocean lapping up at their feet. Kathryn just closed her eyes at the sensation and the smell of salty, sea air. A smell she hadn’t had the joy of experiencing in a long time.
Chakotay stood mesmerized by the sight of his captain. She was dressed in a pale yellow sundress and flip-flop sandals of the same color. Her hair was in a loose French braid that hung just above her shoulders. She looked stunning.
“Kathryn,” Chakotay said finally taking her out of her drifting thoughts. “Are you hungry?”
“No. Were you thinking of a beach brunch?”
“Yes, is there something wrong with that?”
“Of course not. I think it’s very sweet,” she said with a sugary smile.
“We could walk along the beach until you’re hungry. Or we could go swimming,” Chakotay suggested.
“Let’s go for a walk. It’s still a little chilly to go swimming yet,” Kathryn replied. They walked for about an hour until they came to a large fallen tree. Chakotay jumped over it and then reached out his hand to help her across. After she was over, she didn’t bother removing her hand from his grasp. It was held loosely there until about ten-thirty.
1100 hrs; somewhere along the beach
Kathryn spotted a large tree that tipped a little toward the open sea and suggested that the shady spot created by the leaning tree would be a perfect spot for a picnic. Chakotay, thinking the same thing, pulled the red and white checkered blanket out of the basket and spread it out under the shady spot. He then set out some carrots and two bowls of pasta soup.
“Twice in two days?” Kathryn asked referring to the soup.
“It was the only thing that I could think of that wouldn’t spoil and that I could eat as a vegetarian. You really don’t mind, do you?”
“No, not really. What’s for dessert?”
“Well, Harry let me borrow his little cooler, so I brought this.” He opened the cooler lid to reveal strawberries and chocolate.
“I love strawberries and chocolate! How did you know?”
“Honestly?” Chakotay asked opening the Pasta Soup.
She nodded.
“Tuvok told me.”
“Tuvok? I didn’t think he noticed that sort of thing.”
“What did you think that he would notice?” Chakotay asked as he started to eat his soup.
“Honestly? My mistakes. He certainly noticed them on my first command in to the Beta Quadrant. He dressed me down in front of three Starfleet Admirals for failing to follow proper tactical procedures.” Kathryn soon followed his lead with her own soup.
“Was he right?”
“Of course! Why else did I request him for my SECOND command as my tactical officer.”
“And your spy.”
“Ah, shut up. If he hadn’t been on your ship, we wouldn’t have followed you into the Badlands. You would be stuck out here by yourself.”
“That wouldn’t be so bad.”
“Hey!” She said slapping him on the shoulder.
“Well, there would be a downside to being out here by ourselves.”
“Besides having a ship smaller than my quarters?”
“Yes. I wouldn’t have met you. I would gladly have gone to jail if I had gotten the privilege of getting to know the woman inside you. I wouldn’t trade anything for the time we’ve spent together.”
“Me neither. I’m kind-of glad we got stuck out here together.”
“So am I. I’m glad I got to know you so well.” He gently laid his hand on her knee.
Her body went into hyper drive at touch. Her heartbeat increased and she began to sweat. She started to calm herself down and was making progress until Chakotay started to make lazy circles on her thigh. Kathryn panicked and jumped up nearly spilling her soup.
“Kathryn?”
“I just forgot, I was supposed to help B’Elanna in Engineering this evening.”
“B’Elanna’s on leave. Kathryn, what’s going on?”
“Um, I’m working the night shift so Harry can have a break. I had better get some sleep then. I’ll see you tomorrow. Janeway to Voyager. One to beam up. Energize!” She vanished into to blue stream ripple.
“Harry’s on leave too,” Chakotay mumbled as he cleaned up their picnic area. He glanced back at the beautiful ocean and reached for the holocamera. He took a quick shot of the waves lapping at the shore and the sand welcoming the coolness of the waves from the baking heat of the noonday sun. He gathered up his things and called for a site-to-site transport to his quarters.
Back in Chakotay’s Quarters
Chakotay dumped the remnants of their carefully prepared lunch into the recycler and headed for the shower.
‘Did I push her too hard? Did I over do it? Why did she have to run away? Do I scare her? Is she afraid of me? Is she afraid of the attraction?’ So many thoughts ran through his head at once that Chakotay thought it might explode. After he was done with his shower, he put on some after-hours clothes and headed for the holodeck.
He arrived and checked it for users. There was no one there.
“Computer, run program Ericka1.”
“Program is active. Enter when ready.” Chakotay stepped in and was immediately soothed with the sounds of wildlife around him. He still looked for the person he came here to see.
“Ericka?”
“Yeah? I’ll be there in a minute, hon.,” a voice replied
“OK.” Chakotay took a seat on the couch that had been placed in these exquisite woods.
“Oh, Chakotay, honey. You look stressed, baby. Come,” she patted her lap. Chakotay placed his head there as he always had.
“Tell Ericka what’s wrong. Are you having problems with Voyager? Is it Kathryn again?” Ericka asked.
“It’s Kathryn,” Chakotay replied.
“Tell me what happened.”
“Well, we were on the beach for a picnic and there was a fallen log that I helped her over. She didn’t release my hand right away. In fact, she held onto it for about an hour. Anyway, we stopped for lunch and started talking about possibilities.”
“What kid of possibilities?”
“Like, what would have happened if Tuvok hadn’t been on my ship? What if I had never met Kathryn? What if they had captured me like they had planned to?”
“I see. You told her that to wouldn’t trade this time with her for anything, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Bad move, sweetie. Girls don’t like those kinds of things said to them at first. You should have waited until you were a little closer before you started pushing.”
“I know.”
“Anyway, go on.”
“Ok, where was I?”
“You told her that you wouldn’t trade time with her for anything.”
“Oh right. So I put my hand on her knee. She was OK with that. I just kind-of stopped thinking and I started to draw patterns on her leg.” Ericka winced as if she were in pain.
“Then she made any excuse to get out of there and ran off, didn’t she?”
“Yeah.. I know, I blew it.”
“Yep, pretty much. You want my advice?”
“Isn’t that why I come here?”
“Give her some time to think. Give her some breathing room. Ok? Let he come to you on her own power. Let her acknowledge what has transpired on her own. Be patient.”
“I’ll try. Thanks a lot, Ericka. You are a lifesaver.”
“I know. But I’ll help however I can. I know when someone is in love and I know you well enough to know when you are. Good luck with her. She’s lucky to have you there by her side every day.”
“Bye Ericka.”
“Bye. Good luck, Sweetheart.”
“Computer, End program.”
“**”
‘I have to give her breathing room. Be patient. I think I could do that. Maybe. I hope this works,’ Chakotay thought to himself. He just followed the path engraved in his brain to his quarters. All he thought about was her. How close they were on the planet. How close he had come to kissing her right there. How much he wanted to hold her. How he wished she wouldn’t pull away. How he wished that she would give ‘them’ a chance.
As he slipped into bed, his dreams were plagued with her. He could sense fear in her. What fear, he didn’t know. But all he did know was that every time he came too close to her she ran away. He slept fitfully that night.
Chakotay woke the next morning to a sense of alarm.
“Computer, time?”
“0730.”
“Oh Crap! I’m late!”
“Please restate inquiry.”
“Why didn’t my alarm go off?”
“Commander Chakotay’s alarm was delivered at 0600A.M. Commander Chakotay requested it be reset.”
“Janeway to Chakotay.”
“Yes Captain?”
“Do you need help?” Chakotay didn’t miss the few giggles heard over the comm.
“No, I’ll be on the Bride in a few minutes.” He ran smack into the door.
“Ow!”
“Chakotay, are you alright?” Kathryn asked with a little more concern than was necessary.
“Yeah, I hit my foot..”
“That wasn’t all you hit. That large a noise doesn’t come from slamming your foot.”
“Alright! I ran into the door. Happy!” He heard her laughing over the comm.
“Dang it Kathryn! It isn’t funny! That hurt!”
“I’m sure it did. Well, I want to see you in my Ready Room when you’re finished. Janeway out.”
“Ha ha, very funny, Kathryn. Tease the over sleeper,” Chakotay mumbled to himself. He stumbled into the bathroom and got ready in record time.
Bridge; 0740
“Harry, is she in there?” Chakotay asked upon arriving on the Bridge.
“Yes, Sir.”
“Is she mad?”
“I don’t think so. She was laughing pretty hard. I haven’t seen her laugh that hard in a while.”
“Yeah and when she does laugh that hard, she’s always laughing at me.” He waltzed over to her Ready Room and pushed the chime.
‘Come.’ He entered.
“You wanted to see me, Kathryn?”
“Yes,” she smiled angelically. “I was hoping to come to the reason of your over-sleeping problem.”
“There is no problem, Kathryn. I woke up and found out that apparently I disabled the alarm in my sleep. There’s nothing else to it.”
“All right. I believe you. Just add an authorization code to your alarm next time. I don’t want any more over sleepers on my ship.”
“Are you going to call my quarters and deliver a vocal wake-up call for me?”
“No, Commander. I won’t be calling you any time soon. I want a full ship’s status report on my desk in a n hour. Dismissed,” She said, reverting to her ‘captain’s mode’ one again. Unfortunate for him.
“Aye, Captain. One hour.” Chakotay took his seat on the Bridge once more. ‘What did I do this time? Did I push her again? Was that little touch of flirting too much?’ Chakotay thought to himself. ‘ If this doesn’t clear up in about a week or so, I’m going back to Ericka.’
Outside the holodeck; two weeks later
“Computer, run program ‘Ericka 1.’”
“Program active. Enter when ready.” Chakotay walked in an flopped on the couch.
“Chakotay? Is that you sweetie?”
“Yeah Ericka. It’s me.”
“Oh baby,” she said walking from the bathroom into the living room. “You sound depressed.”
“I am. It’s been two weeks. Kathryn is still in her ‘Captain’s Mode’ and there is nothing I can do about it.”
“What did you do?” Ericka asked with a little grin. She tries to suppress it. And failing miserably.
“This is not funny, Ericka! I’m serious! I love her and she is always backing away. Oh, Ericka, what do I do? What do I do?” Chakotay said sounding rather depressed.
“Have you told her you love her?”
“Sort of.”
“No, not sort of. Have you told her you love her? Have you said those simple three words?”
“No, not those words. But I’m sure she understood. I mean she cried and she just reached out her hand and grabbed mine over the table. And I mean I saw love in her eyes. The same love that was flashing in my eyes at the same time. I know that she cares for me too. I just don’t know how much. I’m scared to lose her,” he added in a hushed tone.
“You won’t lose her. I promise, Chakotay. You won’t lose her.”
“I hope not.”
“I’m not sure just what to do. She needs to open up if you’re going to make any conceivable progress. Just wait it out. OK?”
“Yeah thanks, Ericka.”
“Yeah. You owe me one.”
“I hate work.”
“Huh?”
“Well, it used to be fun. You know, with the flirting and everything. But now she is all business. It flat out sucks.”
“Chakotay! I’ve never heard you talk that way. This must really be getting to you.”
“Ya think! Ericka, try to picture this. Try to understand. OK? I love her so much it hurts! It actually hurts, Ericka.”
“This is destroying you, isn’t it? Look, I know it hurts, but try to be patient. Alright? Let her come on her own. Give that a try.”
“I don’t know if I can wait very much longer. I might die of a broken heart. I need to go.”
“Be sure you know that a lot of people love you, if not in the same way. I love you. You’re the only friend I have. Kathryn would be crazy not to want you.”
“Thanks for the compliments, Ericka. I have to go to work.” She watched with sad eyes as her friend left to go to work.
Tom Paris was waiting outside for use of the Holodeck.
“Hey, Commander. What’s up?”
“Nothing.”
“Do you mind if I use one of your programs?”
“I don’t particularly care what you do, Paris.”
“I’ll remember that,” Tom mumbled as Chakotay walked off. Tom walked in, curious about the program that had taken up so much of the commander’s time.
“Computer, what was the last program to be run in this holodeck?”
*The last program to run in this holodeck was ‘Ericka1.’*
“Run program ‘Ericka1.’”
*Program activated.* The hologrid shimmered away and was replaced by a large forest.
“Chakotay? Are you here?” a female voice asked. A young woman walked into view.
“Oh, you’re not Chakotay. Oh, sorry. How rude. I’m Ericka,” the young woman said as she stuck her hand out. Tom took it.
“Tom. Tom Paris. Nice to meet you.”
“You too. What brings you here?” she asked as she walked into the woods.
“Where is ‘here’?” Tom asked as he followed her.
“’Here’ is the Rigele Forest on Dorvan. What did you think it was?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never been here before.”
“Why are you here?”
“Chakotay has been spending a lot of time here, and I was getting worried.”
“You mean you were getting nosey.”
“Hey!”
“I’ve been taught to smell a rat. You said your name was Paris?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh, yeah. You’re the pilot. How are things with B’Elanna?”
“How do you know about B’Elanna?”
“I’m an interactive hologram that’s sentient. I know what goes on around Voyager. I know about Captain Janeway, Ensign Harry Kim, Ensign Samantha Wildman, Lieutenant Commander Tuvok; I even know about your record, previous Ensign.”
“Wow, how do you keep up?”
“I have access to the ship’s logs when I’m offline. Chakotay even lets me read some of his personal logs. I’m basically a counselor. I was given to him as a gift from Di.”
“Di?”
“Deanna.”
“Deanna Troi?”
“Yes. She said that I was a personalized counselor for him. I understood him.”
“I didn’t know he even knew Counselor Troi.”
“He never did, but B’Elanna was friends with Will Riker. So that made her friends with Deanna as well.”
“I see. Do you wanna sit down?” he asked pointing to a small wooden bench placed under some trees.
“Well, Counselor Ericka, I do have a problem.”
“Oh? Do tell.”
“Well, it’s like this. Chakotay and Captain Janeway...”
“You mean Kathryn?” Ericka interrupted.
“Yes. Anyway, Chakotay and Kathryn are meant to be together. We have tried everything we can think of. I just don’t know what to do. They complement each other. They are perfect with each other. They flirt, and they laugh. I mean they even dance together!”
“What's wrong with dancing?”
“He’s the only one that she will dance with. Harry Kim tried to ask her once, but she just blew him off.”
“That doesn’t sound like her.”
“It was, I assure you. I want them together so bad. But I’m stuck.” Tom slumped in his spot on the bench.
“Well, I could talk to Captain Janeway. I could tell her a summary of what you’ve told me. Maybe I can get her to understand.”
“How? How can you talk to her?”
“May I use your COMM badge?”
“Ok,” Tom answered handed his badge over to the hologram. Her voice changed to match Tom’s perfectly.
“Paris to the Doctor.”
“Go ahead, Mr. Paris.”
“May I borrow your mobile emitter?”
“What for?”
“Well, I want to show B’Elanna this new hologram and she refuses to leave Engineering. It just can’t wait. I think it will help the crew.”
“Alright. I want it back in 24 hours though.”
“It will be. I promise. Paris out.” Ericka handed the COMM badge.
“Thank you,” she said in a normal voice.
“What do you want me to do?”
“Go and get his emitter. Bring it back here and download my program into it. We will activate it in her Ready Room. It will be perfect. I just hope Tuvok doesn’t mess this all up.”
“I do too.”
“Good luck, Tom.” Tom ran out the door and down the corridor toward Sickbay. He reached a lift and ordered Deck five.
Tom didn’t get two steps out of the turbolift before someone yelled at him from behind.
“Hey Proton! Where ya been? You are late for our match with Chaotica.”
“Sorry Buster. I gotta work Sickbay.”
“You’re a good liar Paris, but not good enough to fool me. What’s up?”
“I’m sorry, Harry, but it’s top secret.”
“Oh so it has something to do with you getting Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay together right?”
“Keep it down. It will work this time.”
“Whatever. I’m going to bed.”
“Goodnight Harry.” Tom turned and walked straight into the Doctor.
“Well, Mr. Paris, since you have decided to volunteer to work this evening, the containment fields need to be recalibrated.”
“Doc. The mobile emitter please?”
“Oh alright.” The Doctor walked back to sickbay with Tom Paris closely in tow.
“Don’t be late. Twenty-Four hours, Mr. Paris. Not a minute later.”
“Yeah, yeah. I know. I gotta go now,” Tom said as he made a hasty exit. He all but ran back to the holodeck where Ericka was waiting.
“Did you get it?” she asked quickly.
“Yes. Get over here so I can download your program into it.” She complied quickly. There was no time to lose.
“Computer, download the hologram ’Ericka1’ into the mobile emitter.”
*’Authorization code is required for that command.’*
“Authorization Paris twenty-four beta.”
*’ Authorization code accepted.’* Ericka shimmered for a second and the reappeared in a blink of an eye. Tom pushed a few buttons and Ericka fully disappeared.
“Computer, locate Captain Janeway.”
*’Captain Janeway is in the Ready Room,’* the computer replied in the turbolift.
“Bridge,” he ordered quickly and tapped his foot at the long wait. It seemed to take forever to get there.
As soon as the turbolift arrived, Tom marched purposefully toward the Ready Room. He rang the chime and heard her softly order him to come in.
“Captain, I need to ask you something.”
“Sure, what is it?” she asked not looking up from her console.
“Will you please look at me?” he asked exasperatedly. He watched as she turned and her eyes met his. He saw exhaustion there that he had never seen before.
“All right Tom. You have my full attention. What do you need?”
“Well, someone on this ship is concerned about Commander Chakotay.”
“Yeah, shouldn’t they talk to him then?”
“No, she needs to talk to you. If she needed to talk to you, would you talk to her?”
“What, you mean like a counseling session?”
“Well, maybe. I don’t know. Will you talk to her or not?”
“Of course I would.”
“Good,” Tom answered as he tossed her the mobile emitter. “She’s downloaded inside. Good luck. I’ll show myself the door,” he said as he walked out.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
‘That was very strange,’ Kathryn thought to herself. She glanced down at the emitter in her hands and pushed the buttons to activate the hologram stored inside. A woman shimmered to life.
“Hello,” the hologram said. “Are you, Kathryn? I’m Ericka,” she said jutting her hand out to greet, Kathryn.
“Hello,” Kathryn replied as she reached for Ericka’s hand.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Mister Paris, I would like to know what it was you took in for the Captain approximately six hours ago.” It never ceased to amaze Tom at the Vulcan’s ability to state a question as a regular sentence.
“Well, I took a hologram in for her. The hologram wanted to meet her.”
At that instant the ready room doors opened to reveal Kathryn and Ericka. They walked out together, hand-in-hand. Everyone could tell that Kathryn had been crying because of the stain marks running down her cheeks.
Kathryn dropped Ericka’s hand and walked over to Chakotay.
“Chakotay, I need to talk to you.”
“Um, how did you get my hologram?”
“Tom brought me your counsellor and she has taught me something I’m never going to forget. She taught me the meaning of love,” as she said the last word, she gently grasped Chakotay’s large hand in one of her smaller ones.
“Kathryn?” he asked hesitantly referring to her hand holding his.
“I’m ready to talk about this. We can try if you’re still interested.” She looked up at him with bright, blue eyes shining with unshed tears.
“I never lost interest. Who do I thank? Ericka?”
“Yeah,” Ericka answered. “Me and Tom Paris.”
“Tom?” Chakotay questioned.
“Yep, I’m the program you gave him permission to run and we devised up this little plan. Thank the Doctor, too. He loaned us the mobile emitter.”
“I’ll do that,” Chakotay answered, removing his hand from Kathryn’s to instead place it around her waist.
“Let’s go back to my quarters for dinner and to talk. It will be away from the eyes of the Bridge crew,” Kathryn suggested.
“All right. Let’s go.”
Chakotay and Kathryn Janeway stepped on to the turbolift together and walked straight into the rest of their lives. And the did it together, remembering those original footsteps in the sand, made so long ago.
The
End