NOTE: This all-dialog story came about as a challenge from an E-mail buddy, Jennifer Ferris. Thanks Jen, for the invitation and the inspiration! Her work can be found at theJetC 12 Index. She has some wonderful stories along with the rest of the group--check 'em out!
DISCLAIMER: Janeway and Chakotay belong to Paramount, I just got them together for a little chat. This story may be reproduced for personal use or archived, but please keep the author and E-mail information in tact.
Copyright 1998 by NODA E-mail--noda@ballcom.com
“Chakotay?”
“Hmmm?”
“You awake?”
“I am now. What do you want?”
“Um, it’s nothing.”
“Don’t do that, Kathryn. There must be something or you wouldn’t have woke me up.”
“Ah, well, I was wondering. . . .”
“Wondering what?”
“Why do you love me?”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
“Kathryn, do we have to talk about this now? We’ve hardly gotten any sleep tonight as it is, and we have to be on the Bridge in less than two hours.”
“Fine. I knew you wouldn’t tell me, that’s why I was hesitating.”
“It’s not that. I just don’t have a regular list made up that I can recite on command.”
“I don’t want some ‘list’ you can ‘recite,’ I want to know what made you realize you loved me.”
“It was a lot of things.”
“Good. Then it won’t be hard to pick a few out.”
“Gods! Do we have to talk about this now?”
“It’s not that hard of a question, Chakotay.”
“You’re not the one being put on the spot.”
“I’m not trying to put you on the spot. I’m just trying to understand *why.*”
“Do you have to analyze *everything?*”
“I don’t analyze everything!”
“Okay, I take that back. When you’re not analyzing everything, you get defensive.”
“I do not!”
“See?”
“Let’s just forget I even mentioned it and go back to sleep.”
“Oh no you don’t! You don’t wake me up from a dead sleep with all kinds of ambiguous questions then drop the whole thing when it gets turned around on you. Lady, you’ve got my attention now.”
“I know another way to get your attention. . . .”
“Kathryn! Stop it! As I recall we were discussing some of your short comings.”
“I’d rather have you coming shortly.”
“If you don’t stop that, I just might!”
“All right, I’ll stop if you just answer my question.”
“Boy, now you’ve put me in a hard position.”
“Was that pun intentional?”
“No! You know I don’t think like you!”
“You might want to try it sometime, analyzation can be fun.”
“Is that ANA-lyzation or ANAL-lyzation?”
“And you said you don’t think like me?”
“The longer we’re to together, the more I find myself seeing things from your point of view.”
“Scary, isn’t it?”
“Very.”
“Chakotay? Why do you love me?”
“Are we back to that?”
“Is it such a hard question?”
“No, but I don’t want it to sound trite, that you think I’m not sincere.”
“Try me.”
“I have.”
“CHAKOTAY!”
“Okay! All right! ‘How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.’”
“That’s a good start.”
“Shhh! You want to hear this or not? Your beauty, for one.”
“Well that goes without saying.”
“Fine. If you’re not going to be serious about this then I’m going back to sleep.”
“Come on, Chakotay, I was just teasing. I suppose I’m a little embarrassed.”
“Why?”
“I guess I realized how conceited and insecure I must sound that I need to have you ‘extolling my virtues.’”
“I didn’t take it that way.”
“How did you take it?”
“More that you were curious.”
“That was my motive, basically.”
“You’re compassion. You’re always willing to give someone a second chance.”
“Huh?”
“Number two.”
“Oh, right. Do continue.”
“Your strength, although it may be your downfall as well.”
“Why do you say that?”
“You tried so hard, so long to be strong, that I didn’t think you were ever going to give me a chance to be by your side.”
“You’re always by my side. You sit next to me on the Bridge.”
“Don’t hide behind a joke, Kathryn. You know what I mean.”
“I do. I’m sorry.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry for.”
“But why me? There’s plenty of strong, compassionate women out there, on this ship.”
“You left out beautiful.”
“Okay, beautiful. So why me?”
“When I saw you on my view screen, I knew.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I can’t explain it. There was just something about you, from the moment I saw you. I’d never met you, never even saw a picture of you, and yet when your image appeared on the view screen, I knew there was something special about you.”
“You fell in love with me when you first saw me?”
“I don’t know if I loved you right then, but it was the beginning of it, I think. Seska saw it. I think that’s why she was so horrible to you.”
“I assumed it was because I had captured her and forced her into my crew.”
“That was a part of it, certainly, but I think it had more to do with jealousy. She knew she had been replaced in my heart, if she ever were really there. It’s hard to believe I ever thought I loved her, especially when I think about how I feel about you. Those feelings are light years apart.”
“You certainly know how to turn a girl’s head.”
“OW! I appreciate the hug, but I’d like it if you could leave my ribs intact!”
“I’m sorry.”
“Hey, are you crying? I was kidding, you didn’t hurt me!”
“I know.”
“Then why all the tears?”
“Chakotay, you’re the dearest man. No one has ever made me feel as special and loved as you do.”
“I take it I answered your question?”
“More than answered it.”
“Good. Does that mean we can get some sleep now?”
“Yes. There’s only one small problem.”
“NOW what?”
“We’ve only got five minutes before the alarm goes off.”
THE END
