“ You scream, and by God, I’ll kill you.”
Janeway tried to take a deep breath, and was hindered somewhat by the arm jamming against her throat. The tip of the phaser pressed painfully into her side. She didn’t need to look down to see that it was there.
She had been in the Mission District of San Francisco, walking aimlessly down the hushed street. It was nearly three a.m., and few people were out wandering this area of the city. She knew it wasn’t safe, but she didn’t care. She didn’t care until the sound of rapid, shuffling footsteps met her ears, and before she could turn, an arm locked around her throat, choking off her scream.
She was hauled backwards, by a strength and bulk she couldn’t match, and when she recognized the unmistakable feel of a phaser pressed into her side, a part of her froze. She struggled only to keep her feet under her as her assailant shuffled her out of the main street and into the blackness of a side alley.
“ You scream, and by God, I’ll kill you.” The harsh, impassioned voice rang familiar to her ears, and her fears died down even as surprise at his conduct set in.
They now stood close, intimately close, in the blackness, her back crushed against his heaving chest, their breath, visible in the cold of the night, forming one hazy cloud. She clutched up at his arm, silently urging him to ease up his painful grip. After a few moments, he did.
“ I could scream,” she whispered hoarsely, eyes unfocused on the dark wall in front of her, “ But I don’t think you’ll kill me.”
She felt his chest shake in a derisive laugh. “You’d be surprised what I’m capable of right now,” he said gruffly, and suddenly, his arm tightened around her throat, and he hauled her backwards again. She stumbled clumsily back against his chest as he urged her with him, and then the phaser eased up from her side; the sound of its beam hissed through the night as an orange glow suffused the walls and then died away. Then the unmistakable sound of a door opening.
He unceremoniously whirled her around and shuffled her into the darkness of the unlit side room. His grip on her remained only briefly before he shoved her away from him, and she stumbled blindly to her knees in the blackness. She heard him slam the door closed, and then light flooded the room as he snapped on his wrist beacon. She twisted around to look back at him, and squinted against the glare.
He only said, “ Talk.”
She caulked her head. “ How did you get here?”
“ You mean how did I escape from the confinement center? I had my ways.” His voice was angry. “ Did I frighten you, Kathryn?”
She rose to her feet, and brushed herself off. “ I had nothing to do with your confinement. In any case, it’s only temporary.”
He scoffed. “ And why should I believe anything you say, now?”
She shrugged noncommittally. “ You shouldn’t.” She knew the phaser was still pointed at her. “ But I assure you, Starfleet will release the Maquis as soon as processing is complete. I do still have friends here.”
“ Evidently.” He took a step closer. “ And how happy were your friends,” he spat the word, “ at the success of your mission?”
She let out a breath. After a moment, she said, “ You wanted me to talk. I assume that’s why you brought me here.”
Silence.
“ How much do you want to know, Chakotay? I would assume they’ve told you
everything.”
“ I want to hear it from you.”
“ Fine.”
“ And I want to hear it all.”
“ Fine.” She darted her glance around the room, and spotted a few overturned pieces of furniture. “ I suggest we sit down, then. This will take a while.”
His voice was dangerous. “ We have all the time in the world.”
Kathryn lowered herself to a sitting position. After a pause, he followed suit.
She began, “ I presume you want to know just how much I knew about the mission.” She paused, and then said quietly, “ Well, I didn’t know about the mission. Not at first. I wouldn’t have taken command of Voyager if I’d known about the mission.”
“ What’s wrong, Kath?”
Kathryn’s face was concerned as she watched the Irish Setter sluggishly nose about the park. “ Look at her, Mark. She hasn’t been herself lately.”
“ Ah, I’m sure she’s fine,” he said with a heavy sigh, and draped an arm around
her to try to urge her back down onto the grass; she resisted.
“ I’m worried about her,” Kathryn said firmly. “ I wish I had time to take her to the vet…” she turned a pair of concerned, pleading eyes to him, even as a little smile played across her lips.
Mark slumped back down onto the grass, and with a sheepish grin threw up his hands. “All right, all right, for Christ’s sakes. I’ll take the damn mutt to the doctor.”
Kathryn flashed him a smile, and lay down. She snuggled up against him. “Thanks, honey. I’d do this myself, but with Voyager shipping out in a few days…”
“ You don’t need to remind me that you’re leaving. I’m already trying to figure out how to spend my Saturday nights.”
Kathryn chuckled. She then contented herself with silence, relishing the quiet. This was the last day of their romantic excursion around Ireland. They’d slept in old villages, and picnicked in green meadows under an open, blue sky. Now, after a delicious meal and some red wine, she and Mark snuggled amidst one of the most beautiful stretches of meadow, surrounded by yawning green hills. She craned her neck up to look at him again, and his eyes fell down to meet hers. He smiled.
“ What are you thinking?”
She reached up and caressed his cheek. “ I was just looking forward to a whole lifetime of this.”
He kissed her hand, and murmured, “ I’m going to miss you.”
Kathryn scoffed. “ It’s only three weeks, Mark.”
He looked away. “ This is going to be difficult to manage, with you being away most of the time.”
She raised herself onto an elbow, and said softly, “ Three weeks. I ship out for three weeks,” she leaned in and pressed a soft kiss on his lips, then pulled away, “ and then I’m back for a week,” she kissed him again, and then murmured, “ And then another three weeks, and then another week to ourselves.” Her kiss lingered this time, and then she pulled back to rest her warm cheek against his. “We’ll have more time together than ever before... That’s why I accepted Voyager.” She smiled, then commented wryly, “Besides, I’ll be sure to take a few weeks off for our honeymoon.”
“ How considerate!” he exclaimed dryly, but Kathryn knew him well enough to understand his brand of humor. He had accepted her frequent absences long ago.
“ I do my best,” she shot back. He chuckled, and crushed her back up against him, then planted a kiss on her forehead. “ You know, Molly may not be sick.”
“ I hope not,” Kathryn replied, her mood suddenly darkening.
He glanced wryly at her. “ You did say she’d been spending a lot of time with that other pooch, the one owned by the Greenfield family.”
Kathryn shot up, and her eyes urgently sought his. “ You don’t think she’s pregnant, do you?”
He shrugged. “ I’m no vet.”
A smile broke across Kathryn’s face, and she looked over at Molly, who was now slowly making her way over to the couple. “ Oh, wouldn’t that be wonderful— think of all the puppies!”
Mark lay back, eyes haunted in clear distress. “ Oh God, I’m thinking of them.”
She patted his cheek lovingly, too happy to acknowledge his trepidation. “ Mark, I’ll make a dog lover of you if it kills me.”
“ I’m quaking in my boots,” he replied with an honest chuckle. Kathryn curled her arm around him, and in that moment, the future ahead was bright. It was the last time Kathryn could remember everything seeming so full of hope.
View My Guestbook