A new variation on the Voyager gets home theme, hope you like it.

Author's note: this was originally written for JetC22

Disclaimer: not mine, theirs.

"I’m sure you cheat."

"Chakotay!"

"Well you’ve never lost a single game to anyone."

"I’m just good at pool, can’t you just believe that."

They were sitting on the couch in her quarters, he was rubbing her neck gently. The levity of the conversation sounded forced.

"You know they’ll convict you"

"Of course, if they were going to just let us go there would be no need for a trial would there?"

"No, I’m sorry, I…"

"Kathryn, it’s not your fault, how can it be. You’ve done so much for all of us."

"And now they just want to give me a desk job, perhaps we should have stayed in the delta quadrant."

"I can’t think why they’d want to give you a desk job."

"Reward for dedicated service." She almost spat the platitude.

"Hardly a reward."

"No, I don’t want the promotion, I never wanted to be an admiral, I just want to explore."

"I think that’s what we all want to do, perhaps the past ten years weren’t as bad as we thought they were at the time. I suppose we should at least thank them for letting the whole crew stay together today."

"Small recompense for what they are going to do to us tomorrow, small thanks for ten years worth of hard work and sticking rigidly to ‘fleet discipline."

"It’s late I should go."

"Chakotay, please, stay with me." She whispered it, he could hardly hear her.

"Kathryn…?"

"I love you Chakotay, I’m sorry I couldn’t admit it before. I just didn’t want to say goodbye without ever letting you know how I feel."

"I love you to Kathryn."

"I know."

When she woke in Chakotay’s arms the next morning Kathryn wished that the moment would never end. It was then that an idea came to her, at first it seemed preposterous, but the more she thought about it the more she thought that it just might work. She got up and woke Chakotay

"I have an idea, it just might work."

"Kathryn…"

"Do you want to go to jail?"

"Janeway to Tuvok"

"Tuvok here captain."

"Could you dome to my quarters in five minutes."

"Of course captain, Tuvok out."

"Janeway to Paris."

"Ugh." Paris was still asleep.

"Sorry to disturb you and B’Elanna, but could you two come over to my quarters in five minutes. I have a cunning plan" That made Tom laugh "Yes ma’am." He sounded eager to hear whatever it was she wanted to say.

"Janeway to Kim."

"Captain?"

"Could you come over to my quarters in five minutes?"

"Of course, should I bring Seven?"

"Yes, I didn’t realise she was with you. Janeway out."

Tom and B’Elanna were the first to turn up, it was obvious to Tom that Chakotay had spent the night with the captain, at any other time he would have made a sarcastic comment or two, just to let them know that he knew, but right now he didn’t feel like he could ever be sarcastic about anything ever again. He really didn’t want to be separated from B’Elanna. When the whole of the senior staff was gathered in her quarters Janeway put on some loud music and, very quietly, outlined her plan.

"All in favour…"

All those present nodded, her plan seemed to be the only way out.

"Good, we should get going or we will be late, not that I’m all that eager to be early but…"

"The defendants are charged with acts of terrorism against Cardassia. How do you plead?"

Chakotay answered for them all "Guilty"

"Does the defence have anything to say?"

Chakotay indicated that he had nothing to say when Kathryn stood

"If I may, I would like to speak on behalf of the defence"

"Captain Janeway speaks for the defence."

"I know that terrorism can never be justified, and I won’t attempt to justify it. However I would like the court to take into account the ten years these men and women have spent on Voyager when sentencing them, and be lenient. Those ten years were not easy, they were hard for all of us and I feel that these men and women have already suffered for their crime." Janeway sat.

"Does anyone else speak for the defence?"

When no-one indicated that they would the court adjourned for a decision on the verdict and sentence to be made.

"Ma’am"

"Yes Mr Paris"

"The transponder you requested I obtain."

"Thank you Tom. Tuvok, you know who’s coming?"

"Yes, most, a few have families."

"Good, I’ll see you later."

The marquis were found guilty, as they had expected, and were sentenced more harshly than Kathryn had hopped. Before they were taken away Kathryn put the transponder under her tongue and walked across to them and, in front of everyone, she reached up and kissed Chakotay.

"Farewell my love."

Later Janeway and Kim were in the transporter room of Voyager.

"Can you get a lock on them ensign?"

"Yes ma’am, I’ve got all of them."

"Janeway to bridge, are you ready?"

"Yes ma’am." Was Tom’s enthusiastic reply.

"On my mark, Harry, Tom. Now."

As Voyager leapt forward the marquis members of her crew were transported onto the ship. On the bridge later Kathryn was talking to the crew

"I don’t believe you really intend to go through with this captain."

"Oh, I do Mr Paris, I do. But you shouldn’t call me that now- we have left starfleet behind forever now, just call me Kathryn."

"So after ten years of sticking to protocol, now you want to through it out the window, you're impossible Kathryn."

"I don’t know why I bothered, if I’d known what thanks I’d be getting for all my hard work I’d have dumped the protocol years ago Chakotay."

"And you really intend to go through with stealing the ship?"

"I do and I will Chakotay, we’ve lived without starfleet for ten years, we can do it again, but I don’t think that I could live without you."

Chakotay put his arms around her as Tom turned to face them.

"Where now Kathryn?"

"Second star to the right and straight on to morning, Tom."

At that the bridge crew laughed, they were interrupted by Kim

"We’re being hailed by ‘fleet command."

"Ignore them Harry, I’m not turning back now."

At that Kathryn Janeway turned to her first officer, the man she loved, and kissed him passionately in front of her entire bridge crew. As they applauded the happy couple Voyager sped away from the planet that had once been home and that they had once hopped would be home again, to find a new home among the stars where they would always have each other.

FINIS

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