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Disclaimer: Parmount owns Voyager. Yet they have now finnished the series,
it is now up to us writers to carry on the tourch that is J/C!
Kathryn walked over to the console near the warp core with Chaoktay.
"Mind if I ask you one last question?" Chakotay looked at her and smiled.
"Will I have to break the Temporal Prime Directive to answer it?"
She returned the smile her face glowing from the light emmited by the warp
core.
"Maybe just a little," She paused forming the words, unsure how to say what
she was to say next.
"For two people who started off as enemies, it seems we get to know each
other pretty well."
Another pause, she was unsure of the answer she would like or not like to
hear.
"I've been wondering... just how close do we get?"
Chakotay gave this some thought a smile partially on his face. He wished he
could say what he would like to say. He could bearly bring himself to say
what he was about to say.
"Let's just say, there are some barriers we never cross." the regret showing
in his voice more than he would have wanted.
Kathryn seemed to pick up on this and dropped her head, thinking. When she
looked up at him again he was smilling, though it was false, there was pain
in his eye's that was undoubtubly caused by her refusal to cross those
barriers. She was also regretful and feeling angery at her future self for
contantly rejecting this man. A man that she could see loved her so much.
"I'm sorry." she whisperd, though the words just didn't seem enough.
"I know." was all he said in return.
Face now open, emotions easily read, he had layed his heart out for her.
They knew each other so well, but not well enough.
Kathryn then stepped slightly closer to him and palced a hand on his arm in
reassurance. He looked at her quizzically unsure of her actions.
She looked into his eye's with understanding and sorrow. Then she could
stand it no longer, she leant just that extra little distance and kissed him
lightly on the lips. He did not respond as this had clearly taken him by
suprise, before he could repond she broke away.
Her looked at her, a question forming on his lips.
"A promise. Don't give up hope Chakotay. I do undestand, I think, why I am
rejecting you but it is not a good enough reason. Please don't give up on
us."
She spoke so softly it was bearly audiable.
He nodded and smiled, making a silent promise with her and with himself.
Kathryn smiles in return, understanding. She held out her hand to him and he
griped it warmly.
"See you in the future." she said giving him more hope that things must and
will change.
Chakotay watched her head towards the door suddenly lost in thought, his
eye's bright again.
============================
Hours later they are in her quarters sitting at a small table, drinking
glasses of cider, having just finished the meal that they had to postpone
earlier. They were both relaxed with each other as they always are in
private and are talking like the old friends that they were.
"Forget particle fountains and subspace inversions. There isn't an anomaly
scarier than a thunderstorm on the plains... especially when you're six
years old. I remember watching a bolt of lightning split an oak tree in my
grandfather's yard. I climbed it just a few hours before."
Kathryn placed the empty glass on the table as she spoke.Chakotay leanded
forward with the bottle of cider to refil her glass. He smiles as they each
lent back taking a sip from their glasses.
"Good timing." was all Chakotay said, he has a secret and Kathryn knows it.
She eyed him curiously wandering what he was keeping from her. She didn't
like it when he hid, though admitally she hid from him too much, and she
knew it.
She then lent forward with antispation placeing the glass on the table no
longer wanting to dull her senses.
"So... what would've happened if you hadn't turned our deflector dish into a
'lightning rod?'"
Chakotay gave her a chiding look and simmalarly placed his glass on the
table, he lets out a sigh as he relaxes back in his seat.
"We've been down this road before."
She looked up at him through her eye lashes trying to tempt him in giving
away more.
"We have?" He noded in return and smiles slightly.
"You wanting answers to questions you shouldn't ask."
Kathryn knows he's right. But at the same time, she can't help trying to get
a bit more information even though Chakotay is very adament that he will not
let anything slip.
"But something did happen... outside the normal space-time continuum..."
she askes in an almost whisper.
Chakotay doesn't answer. She muses on what it could have been concentration
etched on her face. She picked up her glass and took a sip before she
carried on.
"It's strange thinking there's a piece of your life you don't know anything
about."
Chaoktay shrugged and smiled pointing out the obvious. Almost teasing.
"Sounds a lot like the future." Kathryn reflects on this statment knowing
it's true but still frustrated.
"Any predictions?" she asked hoping to catch him out.
Chakotay unable to resist teasing her replied.
"Only that in a few minutes, this bottle will be empty." Kathryn smiled, now
it was her turn to be all knowing.
"Then maybe you should go to the Cargo Bay and grab another one."
Chakotay's a little surprised. He looked up at her expecting her to explain
confusion briefly crossing his eye's.
"How do you know that's where I keep it?"
"I can't tell you." she grined.
"Why not?" he looked at her this time he is frustrated. He inwardly grinned.
She's giving me a taste of my own medicine.
She leaned back onto the couch resting her arms on the back and fought to
keep a stright face.
"Temporal Prime Directive."
Chakotay eyed her his firdt thought was: Was there some other temporal
anomaly? Is she kidding?
Kathryn offered him a very mischevious smile as he gets up to aquire another
bottle of cider.
He grined in return though clearly baffeled.
================================
As Chakotay walked to the gargo bay he pondered on his convisation with
Kathryn. He sumarised she must know something there was no other way she
could have found out about the cider unless she remebers the timeline that
she should technially not remember.
A sudden thought then struck him, making him stop dead just before the cargo
bay doors. As Kathryn had remebered where he has the cider she may also
remember the convisation thay had had. And the kiss.
Chakotay tured suddenly and almost knocked over a crew man as he began to
sprint back the way he came. He apologised to the confused crew man as he
ran off round the corner. His heart beating fast and his body energised with
hope and antisipation.
================================
When he returned to her quarters he found her out of uniform and in some
comfotable looking white trousers and a lose crinkeld brown top. His
eyebrows rose in question.
"I was uncomfortable in my uniform and besides I am now officially of duty
call for the night." she smiled, Chakotay's breath cought whenever she
smiled that teasing smile at him.
He walked further into the room letting the door close as he had stopped
dead in the door way with mild suprise.
"No bottle? Have we run out already?" she asked even though she knew why he
had forgotten it.
"Er no...I forgot." Chakotay replied as he walked towards Kathryn who was
standing infront of the couch.
Kathryn smiles knowingly and holds out her hand to him. Chakotay looks at
her out stretched hand and then up at her, realising his thoughts were
correct.
He took her hand in his and shakes it just had he had done before.
"To the future." she said in a low whisper.
They stood there looking at each, both over joyed at the turn of events.
Kathryn's doubts were tossed aside and her fear numbed. For she knew that
she couldn't run the risk of making him wait any longer. She couldn't keep
on hurting him and herself.
They both leaned toward each other at the same moment and shared that
special first kiss, sweet, romantic and full of promise.
The for the rest of the night they just say and talked arms around each
other, swapping stories of their past and hopes for the future.
=================================
The USS Voyager traveled through the stary skies at warp the night shift
looking after the systems. A long journey ahead of them, yet now they were
beginging to see that their journey home was not all to waste as they were
in it together and nothing would change that.
End
Feedback Apperciated! Thanx. :)
Date: Jan 2002
Rating: PG-13
Author: Elisa Azure@hotmail.com
Note: A short sweet, 'what if?' story.
What if the convisation with the past Kathryn had gone differently? What if
present Kathryn could still remember what past Kathryn had said?