Disclaimer: The Star Trek universe and all therein belongs to Paramount, not me. No infringement of Copyright is intended.

Setting: Sometime after the end of Season Four.

Captain's Personal Log Stardate *******
We have been travelling steadily towards the Alpha Quadrant without interruption for two weeks now. Sometimes I think that if we keep getting sidetracked every two days we're never going to get anywhere. For once, though, we're well stocked with all supplies and materials. Morale is better than it's been for quite some time. Things got pretty bad after the Dauntless turned out to be a hoax, but they're starting to look up now. Neelix has been working hard at what he does best - cheering people up - and it's paying off. He's also busy preparing to throw a party celebrating one of Earth's more obscure holidays...

Captain Janeway sat back with a sigh. Valentines Day. It could have been worse - he could have discovered Mardi Gras. And Valentines Day wasn't that bad. It was a sweet tradition - still recognised on Earth by historians, traditionalists and romantics. And it was nice. There were flowers all over the ship, and she'd always loved flowers. There were even some there in her ready room. Still, as much as the younger members of the crew saw it as a great source of fun, she couldn't help but be reminded that so many people she cared about were so far away.

She raised the coffee cup to her lips, thinking about what her mother would say if she knew her thoughts. Her mother would invariably remind her that all around her were people she cared about. And she would be right, of course. Tuvok, Tom and B'Elanna, Harry and Seven. It was interesting the way her mind instinctively made those pairings. Tom and B'Elanna were a given, and Harry had been making such an effort lately to draw Seven out of herself... Then of course there was Neelix, Sam and Naomi, Megan and Jenny - she'd gotten to know them so well through her interest in stellar phenomenon...

And naturally, there was Chakotay.

Her emotions were always so confused whenever he entered her thoughts. And he entered them quite frequently. Ever since their encounter with the Hirogen, and she'd told Chakotay about Mark's letter, something had changed between them. It was almost as if he'd relaxed. That was the only way she could think of to describe it. He seemed determined to be patient, certain that she would come around eventually.

It had become even more obvious after that business with Kellin and the Ramurans. She still didn't know what to make of that. Frankly, it was all too hard to believe - to imagine. Yes, they'd found some evidence in the computer banks, but without any memories... It was so easy to pretend nothing had happened. Chakotay was trying to do so, certainly. She could tell he was disturbed by it, and she wondered, not for the first time, what he thought about it. They hadn't exactly discussed it.

Perhaps he would be even more resolved now in his goal. She wondered what she would do if he... her thoughts halted here as she tried to end the sentence in a way which didn't bring a flush to her cheeks. She finally managed it. If he takes any steps to further our relationship, I don't know what I'll do. There, that was nice and neutral. And absolutely true. What would she do? She'd been finding herself less and less averse to the idea. She'd even taken to running through all the possible scenarios in her head. All the reasons why she should or shouldn't pursue a relationship with Chakotay.

It was becoming blatantly obvious that the pros were outweighing the cons by a considerable amount.

But so long as Chakotay waited, and continued to be her loyal, supportive first officer, adviser, and friend... There was absolutely no way she was going to do anything about it. She was content with the situation as it was, and really, it was for the best.

She took another sip of coffee and grimaced when she realised it was cold. Slightly disgusted with herself, she wondered just how long she'd been sitting there procrastinating. Too long, in any case. Looking at the bunches of flowers dotting the room, she knew exactly what had prompted the lapse. The ones from Stellar Cartography were especially nice. Oh, she new they were just hoping for more time in the Astrometrics Lab...

She gave herself a mental shake. Time to get back to work. Picking up the nearest padd, she tried to make herself concentrate.

Tom Paris tried to make himself concentrate. It was just so unbelievably dull. Usually when they were travelling like this - at high warp, in a straight line, for days on end - he liked to get in some training for the junior conn officers. It always livened things up, and served to pass the time. The last time, though, Neilson had gone a bit overboard and they'd ended up losing stabilisers and artificial gravity on deck 6. Even picturing all those people finding themselves floating all of a sudden didn't make up for the dressing down he'd received from both the Captain and B'Elanna, who'd had to deal with the repairs. He shook his head at the memory. Yes, Ensign Neilson could definitely use some more practice. He thought he might wait a while longer before bringing up the topic of training again with the Captain, though.

He could almost feel Tuvok's eyes on his back, so he pretended he had something to do. In actual fact he was thinking of B'Elanna. He wished he could see her face when she entered her office and found the two dozen red roses sitting on her desk. He couldn't wait for Neelix's party that night - he didn't get nearly as much time with B'Elanna as he'd like to.

Speaking of roses... He looked up as Chakotay entered from the turbolift, a single rose in his hands. Tom tried not to smirk as Voyager's first officer headed straight for the ready room door. He wished Harry had seen it. He kept trying to convince the young ensign that there was something between the Captain and Commander. His friend continued to deny it. Was he blind?? It was so obvious. He wondered what was going on in there right now...

She hadn't been able to concentrate, and was standing at the viewport looking at the stars when the door chimed.

"Come in," she called automatically, and turned to greet Chakotay as he came through the door.

Burying the obligatory flood of emotion whenever she saw him like this, she noticed he had one hand behind his back. Smiling, he crossed the room to stand before her and produced a long-stemmed rose.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Kathryn," he said, offering it to her.

She took it and smiled warmly in return. "Thank you, it's lovely," she replied, breathing in the scent of it. "A Peace Rose," she continued, and moved a few steps away from him. "I've always loved these. Do you remember the last time you gave me one?"

Images of champagne, a sailboat, and moonlight reflecting off a quiet lake came to mind unbidden.

"Of course," he replied, gazing at her intently, his eyes never leaving her face, "I gave it to you then for the same reason I do now. You gave me peace, Kathryn, and I want to give the same in return, any way I can."

Her face softened as she looked back at him, wondering how anyone could possibly affect her the way he did; breaking down long held barriers with a few simple words. Even as she thought this he looked away, suddenly chagrined at his own sentimentality. It took him a few moments to notice the way she was still looking at him, eyes wide, vulnerability painted across her face...

The moment stretched, until it became clear that this was a moment. One of those instances that spans an eternity in a few seconds, and has the ability to change the rest of your life. Staring at each other, a choice had to be made, and a hundred possibilities spread out before them. Taking the initiative before the spell was broken, Chakotay made a decision. He knew that if he waited longer she would turn away and the moment would be lost.

Closing the short distance between them, he cupped her head with his hands, his fingers splayed through her hair. A small part of his brain that was still functioning registered the fact that she moved towards him just as he moved towards her. An entirely different part of his brain noticed her hands as they slid up his chest to rest on his shoulders. Their mouths found each other then, and it was as if the whole universe shrank until there was only the two of them in it. It was as if they had been circling each other all this time, searching for a way to connect. Now, finally, they had reached the same point at exactly the same time, both of them ready and willing. It seemed laughable that it had taken this long, but it hardly mattered now.

As kisses went it wasn't particularly short, but all too soon they both realised where they were, and what they were doing, and reluctantly they pulled away from each other. A second passed, then two, and then both opened their mouth to speak at the same time. Neither got a chance, though, as the sound of a comm badge chirping interrupted them.

"Neelix to Commander Chakotay."

He slapped his chest, trying not to let irritation cloud his voice. "Yes, Neelix, what is it?"

The Talaxian replied - something about supplies, perhaps - but all Chakotay knew was that she had moved away from him and was now standing at the viewport, looking out at the stars.

"I'll be right there, Neelix. Chakotay out."

He approached her hesitantly, not really wanting to find out if she regretted what had just happened. Placing a tentative hand on her shoulder, he waited for her to turn to face him.

And then she did, and it was all he could do not to let out a sigh of relief. There was no anger in her eyes, no emotional barrier present on her face as there so often was - just her. Just Kathryn. Regaining his former composure, he bent to pick up the rose from where it had fallen, forgotten, to the floor. He held it out to her once more.

"Are you going to Neelix's party tonight?" he asked finally.

The words jolted her back to reality, and she found a coherent answer from somewhere in her tumultuous thoughts.

"The Captain always puts in an appearance at these events. Besides, I'm looking forward to it."

He smiled at her answer. "I am too," he told her, and moved away from her towards the door. He knew, as did she, that the moment had passed for now. "I'll see you there," he added before leaving the room.

Looking down at the rose in her hands, Captain Janeway returned to sit at her desk, a faint smile playing at her lips. Well, you were wondering what you would do... It had felt so good to be in his arms. Lifting one hand to her mouth, remembering his kiss, she couldn't wait to be there again. She wondered what would happen at the Valentine's Party. It didn't matter, really. They had made a beginning. Moving slowly or quickly, either way, it was now inevitable. And they had plenty of time, after all. Still, tonight couldn't come fast enough.

Maybe she would replicate something new to wear. Maybe something... red.

The faint smile evolved into a grin, before she lay the rose to one side of her desk and returned to work.

THE END

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