Workforce

By Maquis Leader

Author’s note: They’ve left Quarra behind, now what?

Chapter 3: Let’s Blow This Popsicle Stand

Kathryn was staring at the small bag of things Jaffen had left behind when her door chimed. Calling for it to open, she wasn’t surprised when Chakotay entered. “I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do with these things. I have no idea why I even collected this junk.”

“Maybe you were going to build your own ship.”

“Maybe.” She put the burnt power relay she was holding back in the bag. “I’m sorry, Chakotay.”

“For what?”

“For hurting you.” She put her hand on his arm. “I remember how shocked you looked when I told you I was moving in with him. At the time, I thought you were surprised to be invited to join someone you just met for a celebration. I realize now it was hurt.”

“I was so happy to see you. Happy that you seemed to know me somehow. It was a surprise to find you – find you – “ Chakotay stopped. To hell with it! “It did hurt.”

“How do you think I feel? I hardly knew him. I was planning to marry him for God’s sake!”

“Kathryn, without the burden of command you were free to be a normal woman.”

“Normal? Chakotay, I went to bed with him the first time we went out!” Anger gripped her for the first time since her memories came back. “After that it was like I was in heat or something! I couldn’t get enough!”

Turning away, Chakotay went to stand by the viewport. “The Doctor said they were able to use your desire for a home and family to reprogram you. He said they had to do a lot of work on you.”

“I’m sorry, I guess that was more information than you wanted to know.” She put her hands on his shoulders and massaged the taut muscles.

“I won’t lie. It does hurt, Kathryn, that you found him so fast – even if they did program you to find a comfortable relationship.”

“Another safety net.” She slid her arms around his waist and rested her head against his back.

“It helped that you took to me so quickly. Like there was still a connection between us.”

“There was. I knew you. I don’t know how, but I knew you.”

“With that ugly thing over my face?” He laughed. “I didn’t even recognize myself.”

“Your eyes, Chakotay. It was your eyes.” Kathryn rubbed her face against his shoulder, breathing in his warm spicy scent. “Jaffen was jealous. More than that, he was furious that I invited you to join us – not once but twice. And when he found out you were in my apartment – “ She laughed. “He had an absolute fit. He didn’t say ‘he could be a murderer’. He said ‘he’s trying to convince you you’ll have a better life if you go with him’. That’s how he said it – ‘him’. You know he’s the one who turned you in?”

“I didn’t figure you did.” Chakotay couldn’t help the smug smile. “He knew I was a threat to him. You were too curious about all the things I was telling you.”

”It was over the moment security came to question me about you. I couldn’t forgive him for betraying you. Betraying me.”

“You asked him to stay.”

“I also made sure he knew there would be absolutely nothing between us. I got the feeling he’d already written us off anyway. The sad thing is that I hated to lose that safety net again.”

“You wouldn’t have been happy there. There would have been something inside of you that wanted more.”

“What I want is dinner.” She squeezed his waist. “You feel skinny, how long since you’ve had a decent meal?”

“Too long.”

“How about we get you something to eat?”

“That depends, are you cooking or am I?” He grunted as she squeezed harder.

“Comments like that will get you bread and water courtesy of the brig.”

“At least it won’t be burned – ouch!” He winced as she hit his sore shoulder.

“I didn’t hit you that hard, you big baby.” Kathryn rubbed his shoulder. “Isn’t that the one I took care of?”

“It’s still a little sore.”

“Hasn’t the Doctor taken a look at it?”

“There hasn’t been time, Sickbay’s had other priorities.”

“You made Naomi a priority.” Kathryn said softly, remembering his gentleness with Voyager’s only child.

“She’s a child. My shoulder can wait.”

“Sit down over here and let me take a look at it.” She tugged him toward the sofa.

“I’m fine, Kathryn, it’s just sore.” Liar, it hurts like a bitch.

“Sit.” She pushed him down on the sofa and knelt in front of him. “Take your jacket off.” When he pulled off the red and black jacket, she ran her hands over his shoulder. He winced when she pressed on the recently healed wound. “You shouldn’t have taken such a risk. You should have sent Harry.”

“I was first officer of a crew of three. Four if you count the Doctor. Besides, I wouldn’t have been able to sit and wait. I had to find you. I was afraid that I wouldn’t – “ He blinked back the stinging in his eyes. “I was afraid I wouldn’t get to tell you I love you.”

“Take your shirt off.” Kathryn laughed at his surprised expression. “Come on, don’t tell me you’re shy? Off with it!”

Slowly he pulled the turtleneck off, wincing again as the movement pulled on the tender new skin. She hadn’t seemed to notice his declaration of love. Or she was ignoring it?

“It’s a pretty sad day when I have to order a man to take his shirt off for me.” She gently touched the reddened area. “This is going to scar if we don’t take care of it. I don’t understand why it hasn’t healed better. I’m lousy with replicators, but I do know how to use a dermal regenerator.”

“Their technology isn’t up to our standards. I reopened it during my ‘arrest’.” That was a polite way of putting the beating he got when he woke up at the security station. And that was before Dr. Kaden played around in his brain.

“It still shouldn’t hurt.” Her hand pressed to the wound. “I think it’s trying to get infected under this patch job they did.”

Her hands on his chest were causing pain of another kind. “I’ll go by Sickbay.”

“You’ll sit.” Pinning him to the sofa with a glare, Kathryn let her gaze roam over the broad expanse of bare chest. “Can’t have that scarring. Tattoos are fine, but I draw the line at scars.” She sat back on her heels. “Janeway to Sickbay.”

“Sickbay, Paris here, Captain.”

“Tom, I need a med kit beamed to my quarters.”

“If you’ve hurt yourself, Captain, you should come into Sickbay.”

“Thank you for thinking I’d be clumsy enough to hurt myself, Mr. Paris, but the Commander is actually the one in need of medical attention.”

“Ma’am?” Tom’s voice rose a notch.

“I scratch and bite, but please don’t tell anyone.” Chakotay smothered a laugh and she winked at him. “Just be a good boy and send the med kit.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

“You shouldn’t have lied to him like that.” He let out the laugh he’d been holding in. “It’ll be all over the ship by tonight.”

“How do you know I lied?” She ran the medical tricorder over his shoulder. Adjusting the hypospray to administer a combination anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, and pain med, she pressed it to his neck.

“You didn’t bite or scratch me.” He watched her chew on her bottom lip as she ran the regenerator over his shoulder and felt himself harden.

“That’s better.” Tossing the instrument back into the med kit, she ran her fingers over the smooth golden skin. “How do you know I won’t?”

He didn’t know how to answer that or if he was supposed to. She got to her feet and walked away, leaving him to wonder as he pulled his shirt back on.

“Hey, who told you to get dressed?”

Caught with the turtleneck half on and half off, he peered out through the neck at her. “You were done. I thought – “

“That’s the problem, you think too much.” She put the bottle she was holding down on the table. “Shirt. Off. Now.”

“Kathryn?” Her hands tugged at his shirt, pulling it back off.

“I know how new skin itches.” She poured something onto her hands from the bottle. “This’ll help.”

The scent of roses washed over his as she rubbed oil on his shoulder. She was kneeling between his legs again, pressing against him as she leaned forward to work the oil into his skin. His erection had softened when she had gotten up and left him. Now it was back and harder than before.

Kathryn slid her hands over his shoulders and down onto his chest. The muscles were rock hard under the bronze skin. “Relax. I won’t bite”

“That’s not what you told Paris.” Relax? He yelped as she gently pinched his nipples. Her hands played in lazy circles smearing the oil across his chest before moving on to his stomach. Her weight pressed down on his erection and her belly was rubbing against him in a rhythm that was slowly driving him crazy.

“We should do this in the bedroom.” She smiled at the dazed look in his eyes. “Oil all over the sheets is one thing. But the sofa? Too hard to clean up.”

“Kathryn, what exactly are you saying?”

“I’m saying we need to go to the bedroom. I want to rub oil all over your body. With my body.” Kathryn lowered her head to nuzzle at the hard bulge she’d been rubbing against.

“We can’t.” He pulled her up. “It’s too quick. I don’t want to be some knee jerk reaction to what happened.”

“Are you calling me a jerk, Chakotay?” She smiled crookedly.

“I love you, you know that. We need to keep our distance. But on the other hand…” He swallowed hard. “But on the other hand, I want to carry you to bed and make love to you.”

Kathryn stared in the beautiful black velvet eyes. Sliding her hands up his chest to his throat to finally cup his face. “Which hand is that?”

Slowly, he brought his right hand up to touch her face. She smiled and took it with both of hers. “I love you, Chakotay.” Rising to her feet, she led him to the bedroom.

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