Usual disclaimers apply: Paramount owns the characters--but I sometimes like to play with them.
Inconsequential light fluff.
Janeway turned pale even before Tom continued. She wasn't sure what it was, the timbre of his voice, the slight hesitation as he spoke. "Tom?" Maybe it was because Tom had contacted her, not Chakotay. She didn't bother about rank or sounding calm. She wanted to know now if her first officer was alive or not.
"We found him."
Again the cold dread, but this time she managed to sound calmer. "And???"
"The Mithlins suggest that you and the doctor beam down."
"Very well." Her voice was monotonic. It didn't sound good. "Ensign Kim you have the bridge. Keep a transporter lock on everybody on the surface."
"Yes, Captain." Harry watched the Captain leave the bridge before he moved to her chair.
The Doctor was waiting for her in transporter room one. "Captain, I brought a complete triage kit, but no one has been willing to tell me the nature of the Commander's injuries. I find the whole thing very unprofessional." Janeway looked at him, her face pale and full of worry.
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~~about thirty minutes earlier~~
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Tom paced nervously outside the room Chakotay was in. Tuvok stood in a corner, at parade rest. His silence the only outward appearance of his concern. B'Elanna was standing in the other corner, contemplating the ceiling.
It was all Tom could do not to strangle the second Mithlin doctor who left the room in the past twenty minutes and didn't respond to his questioning.
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Voyager had contacted the Mithlins forty eight hours earlier. The Mithlins were a short humanoid species the color of dark chocolate. They were very friendly and very helpful. While the planet didn't have much in the way of minerals, it was rich in food plants. Commander Chakotay, Neelix, and Tuvok had been in command of the three away-team missions. All three teams had been successful. They had found a total of 25 new food plants that would grow quite well in the hydroponics garden. The Mithlins were very successful farmers and had perfected several techniques that could serve Voyager.
Then, 13 hours earlier Chakotay had just vanished from his away-team. Tuvok had taken immediate command of the three teams and ordered most beamed back to the ship. With the help of the Mithlins, they had finally found him forty minutes earlier comatose and naked inside a small hill. The Mithlins had been very agitated and insisted that he be taken to one of their hospitals.
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The door to the room opened again. Yet another Mithlin doctor stepped into the hallway. "You are friends of the Commander Chakotay?" She continued when Tom nodded. "Who is he especially close to?"
Tom looked at B'Elanna, a very worried look on his face. "B'Elanna would be the closest. Here anyway."
The doctor looked at B'Elanna and shook her head. "No. Is there someone else?"
The trio looked at each other, this time Tuvok spoke. "I believe that would be the Captain. They have become quite close in the three years we've been out here."
The Mithlin nodded. "Perhaps you should have your Captain beam down. And your own Doctor."
"What's wrong with him" B'Elanna blurted out.
"He has the slumbering fever."
B'Elanna rolled her eyes and almost reached out to grab the Doctor. Tom moved slightly, blocking her reach. He took her hand. "I'm sure the good doctor knows what she is doing. We'll contact the Captain."
"Thank-you." The doctor moved quickly down the hall, after casting a wary glance at the half-Klingon.
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~~back to the present~~
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Kathryn Janeway looked at her three officers. "How is he?"
"The doctors have only told us he has something called the slumbering fever." Tuvok said.
She gestured with her hands in puzzlement. "What happened?"
"We don't know, Captain." Tuvok answered. "We found him about forty-five minutes ago comatose."
"Captain?" A voice asked behind her.
"I'm Captain Janeway. How is my first officer?"
"I'm Doctor Larith." She looked at Janeway slightly puzzled. "And you are Doctor???"
"I have yet to chose a name." The EMH said.
Larith shook her head. "If you would follow me. No, just the Captain Janeway and Doctor..." The door shut behind them, leaving Tom, Tuvok, and B'Elanna standing in the hall, still not knowing what was going on.
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Janeway reached out to touch him. He looked so peaceful lying on the bed.
The EMH looked at her strangely, then smiled as he continued his scans. "Slumbering fever? I show that he is in a deep REM sleep. But if anything his body temperature is slightly lower than normal."
Larith nodded. "His symptoms are only slightly different from ours. It is an old disease caused by the Szala."
The EMH and Janeway looked at each other. "Szala..." She asked.
Larith looked at the sleeping patient. "Its hard to believe, especially to those not from our planet. Doctor?"
"I don't understand why he doesn't wake up. There is no sign of a disease causing organism, chemical imbalance, head injury..." He turned to look at Larith.
"No, there wouldn't be." The Mithlin doctor looked at Janeway who was still standing by the commander's head. "But there is a cure."
"Yes?" Janeway looked at Larith intently. "Doctor, what is it?"
Larith looked at the EMH, "It is a delicate matter. Doctor would you please leave us..."
He stuttered, "Ah, Captain. Any cure should be..." Janeway looked at him sternly. "Yes Captain." He exited.
Kathryn looked at Chakotay. "The cure doctor?"
Larith hesitated. "Amongst my people, the cure is extremely private. The few aliens who have be afflicted, their cultures also tend to consider the cure private. I assume it is with yours too."
Kathryn looked at Larith then at Chakotay and closed her eyes. "You are, I think, though I find it hard to believe, trying to tell me that to save my first officer's life I must make love to him?"
Larith nodded. "It is Szala. No one has ever understood why it works, but it does. It works best when it is two who belong to each other. I wasn't certain when you first came, but after watching you...I have made arrangements for you two to be moved to a more private location. We will use our teleporter."
Kathryn shook her head. "And if we don't..."
"He will sleep the rest of his life. Victims of slumbering fever don't wake up, no matter what anybody does. I understand if you need time."
"No. I'll do it." She looked at him and thought, *Your wildest fantasy, Chakotay and you're asleep.* "How much will he remember?"
"He will not know. It normally takes another hour or so afterwards before the victims wake-up. If you're ready, Captain?"
She nodded.
Chakotay sat on the edge of the bio-bed waiting for the Doctor's verdict on his health.
"I'd say you are fit to return to duty, tomorrow. There are apparently no residual effects from this *slumbering fever* or its cure."
"Doc, about the cure?" Chakotay looked around. "What was it?"
"I have not been informed. There is no record of the treatment in your medical history and the Captain only told me it was Mithlin treatment. I find it reprehensible that my Mithlin colleague refused to share the information with me. I am, after all, your primary care physician."
Chakotay stopped himself from laughing. "I'm sure they have their reasons. Some sort of secret cultural ritual..." He was curious about this cure. Kathryn's behavior last night when she'd stopped by to see how he was doing. It had been strange. She'd seemed jumpy and embarrassed.
"Commander. You may go. Let me know if you feel dizzy or ill in any way."
"Yes, Doctor." He slid off the bio-bed and out the door.
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Kathryn Janeway watched her first officer leave the mess hall several hours later and sighed. Ever since that...the cure, she'd been wondering what next. What she hadn't expected was her reaction to seeing him awake and healthy. She'd long ago given up fighting the fact she was in love with him. Now she just tried to hide it from him, the crew and herself. Well, she had. Until two days earlier. Now she couldn't hide it from herself. Actually she didn't want to hide. She quickly stood, dumped her tray into the recycling bin and followed him out.
Tom looked at B'Elanna and smiled. "I told you something happened on Mithlin. There was more to the Commander's recovery than simple *good fortune.*"
B'Elanna watched the Captain leave, "You might be right Tom. You know it reminds me of various legends, where to wake the sleeping princess, the hero kisses her."
Tom laughed. "The commander woke and they ended up in a fiery embrace."
B'Elanna glared at him, then grinned. "There are some interesting variations in Klingon mythology..."
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Kathryn stood outside his door several minutes, before she mustered the courage to ring the doorchime. She stepped into his dimly lit quarters. "Commander?"
He stood and looked at her, a secret grin playing on his lips. "Captain, what can I help you with this evening?"
"I'll have to think about that. I came by to see how you were doing."
"Doctor's cleared me for duty starting tomorrow. He tells me you know something about the treatment..." His smile grew bigger as she blushed.
"I...Commander...You need to get some sleep. Who knows what interesting things will happen tomorrow."
"Or have all ready happened." He reached out and took her hand. "So are you going to tell me, or should I keep guessing."
"There's not much to tell Commander." She didn't look at him, nor did she try to pull her hand away. She was fighting the overwhelming desire within in her.
"Kathryn, I think there is." He leaned over and kissed her neck. "A secret the ship's doctor isn't even told, you're embarrassed to tell me...Am I getting warm?" He kissed her again.
"I'd say more than warm." She tilted her neck slightly as he kissed her there a third time. This time he laid a trail of gentle kisses along the edge of her turtleneck and up her cheek. She turned to face him. "Chakotay..." Whatever she was going to say was stopped by his mouth claiming hers in a long passionate kiss.
She pulled back. "Chakotay, I..." She blushed and turned away from him. Her mind racing, she'd just come by to see how he was doing, fill him in on some of what had happened. Not to end up in his arms...She could feel his hands on her shoulders, searing her to her core.
He leaned down and whispered into her ear, "Before I woke up, I had this strange dream...Only now I wonder if it really happened." He nibbled on her ear sending her mind reeling. "Kathryn, I love you."
She closed her eyes, knowing what he would say next, and knowing what her heart wanted her to do.
He turned her so that they were facing each other again. Gently he placed his hand under her chin, and lifted her face. He then waited for her eyes to open. When they did, he found himself drowning in them. He had to fight hard not to kiss her again, but her eyes were drawing him in as they revealed more than ever.
She smiled at him. "The Mithlin Doctor told me, you wouldn't remember...I..." She smiled, realizing that she had made her decision about this man. "I guess I found the whole thing disconcerting...and a little disappointing."
"Disappointing?" He couldn't decide what she meant.
She reached for the top button of the loose shirt he wore. "Uh huh. I'd always imagined..." She finished unbuttoning his shirt. "...That you would be a more active participant." She slipped his shirt off his shoulders and ran her fingers along his chest.
He laughed gently, "Actually, so did I." He leaned down and kissed her, then unzipped her uniform.
He picked her up and carried her into his bedroom where they both shed their remaining clothing.
Kathryn touched his face as they lay down. "This is a definite improvement," she said as he nibbled her fingers.
He kissed her. "Hmm, you going to demonstrate what *the cure* entailed?"
"Nope." She wrapped her arms around him. "But maybe we should discuss this imagination of yours."
"Hmm, and apparently yours..." He smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head down in a long hungry kiss, their bodies entwining and joining together completing the joining of their lives. Nothing would ever be the same again.
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Kathryn woke and smiled as she felt his arms around her. It felt so...right...so perfect. If anything could be on a lonely starship. *I wonder what StarFleet would say?* She asked herself. They probably wouldn't be happy. She wouldn't be in trouble for this, but for the access the Maquis had been given to the ship and the Federation technology. His arms tightened and pulled her close.
He nibbled on her neck and shoulder, his hands caressed her, along her side, her breasts.
She moaned as she rolled onto her back to look at him, "You should be asleep."
"I like being awake, especially when you're here beside me. Kathryn?"
"Chakotay?" She ran her hands down his chest.
"What happens now?"
"Well, if I'm not mistaken in one-and-a-half hours we need to be on the bridge." She looked into his dark eyes and smiled sweetly. "I love you too much to try to pretend this hadn't happened."
"I've waited a long-time to hear you say that, Kathryn Janeway." He leaned down and kissed her.