All the usual disclaimers apply. The characters belong to Paramount (Viacom and whomever else), but what they do between episodes, between scenes, and in my rather dangerous mind are my concern (no matter what anybody says). This is, after all, another of my many alternate universe.
Kathryn lay down on her bed and looked at the hypospray Kes had given her. Frustrated she stood and looked at her bed. "Come on Kathryn, it's just a dream," she muttered to walls surrounding her.
"Some dream," she responded. For three nights she'd had the same dream.
Well almost the same one. Each dream started with the capture of the away-team followed by a little bit more of the story. Each night the dream was a little longer but in the end she woke in a cold sweet, her blankets on the floor and in tears.
She looked like hell, Chakotay had told her that earlier in the evening. He'd been a bit more polite about it.
She wasn't sleeping. After waking up from *the Dream* she could not get back to sleep. Or rather would not. This evening she'd gone to sick bay and mentioned she hadn't been sleeping. Kes had given her a hypospray with a sedative.
Except she didn't want to use it. Would it only make the dream longer???
She paced the floor for what seemed like hours, then went to work on reports.
She fell asleep on the pile of PADDS.
** *** **
She looked around the bridge, there was a flurry of activity as everybody tried to re-contact the away-team. As she looked at the screen, a sense of deja vu swept over her. The view screen showed a verdant planet. They'd contacted the inhabitants who'd invited Voyager to send a team to discuss a trade.
"Captain, we're receiving an incoming message from the Pakra."
"On screen"...this was too familiar.
"Captain Janeway, we've located your away-team." The blood-red alien with feline-like features looked at her. She could sense his presence in her mind. She tried to shut him out, but all he did was smile. *I'd like to discuss this with you, alone.* his voice said in her head.
--Somewhere in her unconscious mind, Janeway recognized the end of the first night--
She hesitated slightly before responding, *Agreed.*
The screen went blank. "I'll be in my ready-room." She announced, ignoring the puzzled looks of the bridge staff.
She didn't bother to turn on the lights as that sense of doom she'd been feeling since coming to the planet deepened. *Pakra, I'm alone.*
*Yes, I know.* She could almost see the Pakra in front of her.
*The away-team?*
*They are fine for the moment.*
The Pakra's laughter rang in head. She covered her ears to try to block the sound. *What do you want? Who are you?*
*I am the Pakra, leader of my people...What do I want? Ah, Kathryn Janeway, that you will find out.*
--That was the end of the second night.--
*You wish to trade for the away-team...We...*
Again the Pakra laughed. *Very astute. But of course...We wish to trade six for one. Them for you.*
*Me!*
*Captain it is very simple, if you do not agree, we will kill them.*
She sat there stunned, the presence no longer about. He'd given her time to decide.
As if there was a choice to be made. She was captain, and willing to give her life for her ship and crew. And the six being held were as vital or possibly more so to Voyager's survival. B'Elanna, Harry...Chakotay.
For the briefest of seconds she wondered how he would take her decision, then blocked that thought, as she quietly prepared the ship for the change of command. She'd long ago written her will--most StarFleet officers wrote one in case...But there were letters to friends and family (when Voyager made it home). A note to Chakotay wishing him well as Voyager's new Captain. A few things he would have to take care.
After about ten minutes, she stopped. There was so much more to be done, yet nothing more she could do.
She felt the Pakra's presence again. *Ready?*
She nodded. *I will go to the transporter...*
*No need. Lower your shields and we will take care of the transfer.*
She tapped her comm-badge. "Tuvok, the away-team is being returned to the ship, lower the shields."
"Captain?"
She could feel the tears well up in her eyes. "Just do it," she said angrily. She didn't hear his response as she felt herself dematerialize.
--Janeway stirred in her sleep, she tried to wake up, but instead found herself continuing with the new addition to the dream--
Instead of finding herself on the planet, she was seeing the bridge. She was only conscious of her mind, she was there, a presence like the Pakra.
"Lieutenant, the away-team is back on board Voyager."
Tuvok nodded, then started to tap his comm-badge. The ship started shaking like mad, the planet on the screen disappeared, the stars folded and bent. The ship was thrown about.
When the shaking stopped, five minutes or five hours--time hadn't mattered--later, the view screen showed new stars, a nebula, but no planet.
*What has happened?* She asked.
*You're crew would have stayed to rescue you--so we've moved them. Eleven thousand kilometers closer to your home. They won't be coming back. Come...*
*No!* she screamed.
She felt the Pakra shrug, *I can wait, but you will eventually come.*
She watched as Chakotay entered the bridge. "What the hell happened?" He asked.
"Some sort of space-time anomaly," Tuvok said. "We'll have a position in a few minutes."
Chakotay looked around, "The Captain?"
"She's in her ready room."
Chakotay nodded. "Chakotay to Captain Janeway." No response.
She watched, knowing what was coming, dreading it, yet unable to leave.
Chakotay strode over to the doors and entered his over-ride codes. The doors swished open and he entered.
Nothing.
"Computer, locate Captain Janeway," he said, oblivious to the stares of the entire bridge crew.
"Captain Janeway is not aboard Voyager."
Absolute silence, as he looked at Tuvok.
She tried to reach to touch him, but she wasn't able too.
"Computer, when was the last time Captain Janeway was aboard?"
"Just before the ship entered the anomaly."
Chakotay looked like he wanted to smash the computer for its lack of emotion. He clenched his fist, then noticed the PADDS on her desk. He motioned for Tuvok to join him.
She could sense his mounting fear and desperation as he picked up the first PADD.
The first paragraph told him everything. He looked up. "We need to get back there. She's on that planet."
Tuvok nodded.
She was there, there was so much to tell him and now she couldn't. She hadn't. In her last letter to him, she hadn't found the courage to tell him that she loved him.
** *** **
Unlike the previous three nights, Kathryn hadn't woken in pool of sweat. She sat up in her chair, the PADDS she'd been reading scattered about the floor. She looked at her hands, touched her face. To make sure she was real.
The dream had been so real. She looked around the room, with the pale starlight she could see the reassuring, familiar shapes of her room. "Computer, what time is it?"
"The time is zero five hundred."
She was exhausted and her shift began in two hours. If she showed-up on the bridge looking like she felt, Chakotay would probably have the Doctor relieve her of duty, and tell her to sleep.
She didn't want that.
She showered, put on a clean uniform and spent about an hour trying to hide the circles under her eyes, and the sallow color of her face. It was a bit more make-up than she usually used. Actually a lot more...
She looked in the mirror one last time, she was passable. Just avoid Chakotay and she might get away with it.
#
#
It was an exhausted Captain Janeway who entered the bridge that morning. She said good morning to everybody and went to her ready room. Chakotay hadn't been there, but Tuvok had looked at her strangely.
She was on her third cup of coffee, when Chakotay asked to see her. She dimmed the lights slightly then allowed him to enter.
He studied her for several seconds before speaking, "Captain, are you feeling all right?"
"Fine, Commander." She noticed his skeptical look. "Are you here for any reason, besides my health." She hadn't been able to keep the irritation out of her voice.
He shook his head. "Captain, did you sleep all right?"
"Fine, I slept fine." She was too tired, the irritation was increasing. "If you are only here to check on my health, please leave, I'm not in a good mood today..."
He smiled grimly, "That Captain, is an understatement. Here are the monthly maintenance reports. Nothing significant. Shuttle two is still having problems with the port stabilizer. You don't have to read...Kathryn you..." He closed his mouth as she glared at him. He would contact the Doctor as soon as he left.
She watched him leave and knew what was coming. The Doctor would order her to sick-bay. She fully expected to hear his voice...
"Captain," she jumped. It was Tuvok, not the Doctor. "We're detecting a class M planet."
She closed her eyes, the image of *that* planet firmly engraved in her memory. With a sense of deja vu she entered the bridge.
She looked at the screen. A Verdant planet.
Harry asked, "Should I contact the inhabitants. The planet is rich with many of the minerals we need..."
Janeway looked at the planet. "No. Tom, plot a course around it--give us a lot of space between us and them." She almost clasped her ears as she swore she heard that laughter.
She looked around, everyone quickly turned away, but she saw their quizzical looks.
She had no way of knowing if the dream had been a warning. No, she knew. She just didn't know how to interpret that warning.
#
#
She spent the rest of the day in her ready-room. The Doctor never did contact her. She was constantly looking at the viewscreen. Watching the planet fade from view, she felt a sense of relief. At the end of her shift, she returned to her quarters for a light meal. Replicated tonight. She was too tired to face anybody...No, she knew that he would come to ask what had happened. And she knew that she would tell him.
Sure enough, fifteen minutes later, he came. He stood looking at her. "So, what happened today?" He asked gently.
"It's a long story." She yawned. "You didn't contact the doctor..."
He laughed gently, "I was about to, when Tuvok contacted you about the planet. Afterwards..." He shrugged.
"I'm glad you didn't. Thanks." She'd promised herself to tell him...but she wasn't sure how to begin. "I've had a series of dreams. Nightmares really, about that planet. They were so real, so frightening. I saw that planet and somehow knew that we had to avoid it."
"Kathryn," he said softly, "It'll be better if you tell someone."
She just nodded. After several seconds of silence she told him of her dreams. When she'd finished she looked at him. "If the danger has passed, I shouldn't dream anymore." She was begging him to assure her.
He moved to stand by her and wrap his arms about her. "I don't know..."
"Stay with me tonight," she said simply.
"Kath..."
She smiled as she added, "Please."
He couldn't refuse her, even if he'd wanted to. He nodded and she smiled.
A bit self consciously she glanced away.
#
#
It was a bit awkward as she lay down beside him, he'd kept his shorts and undershirt on. She was wearing a conservative nightgown. She felt his arms around her, and let him pull her close.
She didn't start to dream for several hours. He felt her become tense and start to move about. He wrapped himself around her and whispered quietly in her ear. She opened her eyes and smiled. Their eyes held, he started to lean down, bringing his lips to hers. Her fingers traced the pattern of his tattoo.
Then she yawned.
"Get some sleep Kathryn," he whispered. "I want you awake and conscious when we make love."
As she closed her eyes, she murmured, "I would prefer that too..."
She awoke to the buzzing of her alarm. She smiled as she turned to look at the man lying beside her. "Good-morning."
"Morning. You look better," he leaned down to kiss her quickly, surprised by her willingness to let him.
"Feel better. Thanks."
"You're welcome. We'll have to do this again..." He smiled a bit self consciously.
She looked at him, then turned away to hide her grin. She opened her dresser. "Was that a proposition, Commander." She was definitely feeling better.
She heard him climb out of the bed, then felt his hands on her shoulders..."Could be, Captain. Could be."
"Then I recommend we discuss this over dinner. Tonight?"
Tonight, she thought, she would tell him the one part of the dream she hadn't mentioned.
With a secret smile she stepped off the lift and looked around the bridge. She greeted everybody and sat down in her chair. "Report."
Yes, tonight a sweeter dream/reality would begin...
Tom sat at his post humming quietly. Something was going on. The past three days, the Captain had been in a bad mood and obviously suffering from insomnia, but today??? He smiled slightly as Chakotay entered.
"The Captain?" the Commander asked.
"She's down in engineering, sir," Tom wanted to ask if he knew what was going on. Instead his smile widened.
Chakotay sat down in his chair and pulled up the duty roster--he'd planned on working on it tonight, but...He started to grin.
Tom laughed as he looked down quickly. The Commander's thoughts were definitely not on whatever he was reading.
"Something funny, *Lieutenant?*" Chakotay asked.
"No sir." Turning serious, Tom forced himself to concentrate on his console.
#
#
B'Elanna sat in the dining hall shoving the remainder of her lunch from one side of the plate to the other. She smiled when Tom entered and looked around. He saw her and after getting his own food came over to join her.
Tom greeted her and smiled. "Hello B'Elanna. How was the meeting."
B'Elanna grinned, "Very interesting. Yesterday I was dreading this morning's meeting...she was in such a foul mood. Today she's fine. Very cheerful. What's going on?"
Tom grinned as he leaned back in the chair. "Well...I do have my suspicions." He raised his eyebrows suggestively.
She looked at him, "Do tell, what do you know???"
"Think about it. She's been in a bad mood the last couple of days--now she's in a good one. Chakotay was pretty cheery too."
"Ahh. Well, well." She grinned. "It's about time." She looked at her plate, then at Tom. "I have to get going--we still on for a round of pool tonight."
"Sure, I have holodeck two for 1900 hours--until then." He winked at her.
Ensign Karen Lopez looked at her glass as B'Elanna stood up and walked past her. She wondered if what she had heard was true. She looked at her companion, "Well Ayala, something is going on." They both smiled as they stood to leave.
#
#
Harry was lying in Jeffrey Tube 22a replacing a blown power coupling. Grumbling about the cramped working conditions, only half paying attention to the ramblings of his assistant.
"So, did you hear what I said?" Crewman Brandt said as he handed Harry a wrench.
"You said something about the Captain's mood swings. I haven't been on the bridge much the last few days. I heard about it though. Just a bout of insomnia--we've all..."
"That's not what I heard. The scuttlebutt is that she and the commander have been lover's for the past several months--ever since that shuttle crash..."
There was a loud bang, "Damn." Harry looked up. "Dave, hand me another coupler--this one's shot. No, better hand me the voltmeter." Harry took the item and started testing the circuitry.
#
#
Kathryn was still tired. One good night did not make up for four bad ones. She stifled a yawn as she looked for something to wear. Laughing, she grabbed a simple blue dress. "Kathryn, you're as giddy...Come off it. A quiet dinner..."
"Quiet dinner my foot," she responded. "Great, Kathryn. Now, I'm talking to myself." She quickly changed and for the next half-hour tidied her quarters.
Ten minutes before his arrival, she passed her mirror. Stopping, she studied herself. With a wicked smile, she went back to her closet and pulled out a dress, still in its plastic wrap. Unwrapping it, she looked at it with a wistful smile. She had bought it on DS9 before this mission to wear to the 500th anniversary dinner at the university where Mark taught. She held it against herself and blushed at the image. She'd bought it--but probably wouldn't have worn it. It was not the kind of dress ambitious StarFleet officers wore to public functions--even if they weren't StarFleet related.
Quickly she kicked off her shoes, pulled off the dress she'd been wearing, and removed her bra. She slipped the black dress on, and smiled vaguely as she looked in the mirror. It hugged her tightly showing every curve before falling to the floor. The front was fairly conservative--just a little bit of cleavage, it left her back completely exposed to just below her waist. She thought of his face if she answered her door wearing it...
The door chime rang. Kathryn stood there a second, before calling out, "Enter."
She heard him in her living quarters, "Chakotay?"
He laughed, "You expecting someone else?" He looked around a little nervous. He'd spent the last half-hour pacing his quarters, hoping the evening would be relaxed and casual...
She stood in the doorway. She couldn't help but smile, then giggle. "Good evening," she said.
He turned around, and saw her. His eyes and face showed his appreciation of how she looked.
She blushed under his frank scrutiny, but quickly found her voice. "Are you planning on speaking?"
He stood there unable to think of anything, except how uncaptainlike she looked. Gorgeous. Thoughts of skipping dinner completely filling his head. "Uhh. Captain..."
"Captain? Oh dear, is this a formal meeting?"
He watched her, the long dress hugging her curves and revealing more of her than he'd seen--since that night on New Earth when he'd caught her in a towel.
She grinned and inclined her head curiously. "I can go change..." She was enjoying this too much, she thought.
"No. You look lovely," he said with a gasp of breath. He walked over to her. "But I don't think that dress was meant for dining out. Not on this ship anyway..."
"No, it might not be." She took his hand. "My replicator..." She looked at their hands, her eyes trailed up to his broad shoulders and then to his face. She felt herself flush and closed her eyes. His fingers stroked her face, gently tracing the line of her neck. She could hear his raspy breath and was aware that her own was just as breathy. She felt his breath on her face just before he kissed her. A short gentle kiss, then he pulled back. Hesitantly she opened her eyes and looked into his deep brown eyes. His arms surrounded her, his hands on her bare back. She gasped as his hands caressed her and pulled her closer. Her hands moved to behind his neck and head. Their lips came together again, passionately, hungrily.
She stepped backwards, bringing him into her bedroom. Her fingers undid the buttons of his shirt, slid it off his shoulders. She then removed his pants as he undid fasteners on her dress. Slipping out of their clothing they embraced again, before collapsing on the bed.
#
#
Neelix was finishing preparing the dough for tomorrow's breakfast when he saw Kes enter. "Hello."
"Hi. I missed dinner..."
"You know where I keep the leftovers." He started kneading the dough a little harder. "Kes?"
"Yes." She said, looking up from the refrigeration unit.
"Is it true?"
She looked puzzled, "What true?" She yawned.
"That the Captain's pregnant?"
She dropped the bowl, spilling its purple contents on the floor. "I'm sorry. I'll clean it up." She grabbed a sponge. "Where did you hear that the Captain's pregnant."
"Dinner. Almost everybody was talking about it." He winked at her. "You know sweeeee...Kes, that she and the commander did not show up for dinner. She was in a bad mood, now is in a good one..."
Kes laughed. "Neelix, she's not pregnant." She finished getting the purple-whatever off the floor. "I hope it doesn't stain."
"I've got some cleaner." Neelix started kneading the dough again.
Kes grabbed something else from the refrigeration unit, then turned and looked at him. "However, I do think this might be their first..." She quickly retreated from the mess hall, leaving Neelix sputtering something about, "First what?"
#
#
Chakotay looked at her and smiled, "I like the dress."
She laughed. "I noticed." Their arms wrapped around each other as they kissed again.
end