Curse of the Banshee: Guinness, Brawls & 'Riverdancing' [Part 9]

by ALM_Voyager

Shameus turned to his friends, "I wager my money on Katie's second sweetheart."

"And who would that one be?" Maggie asked confusedly.

"Surely not Michael," Liam stated from his barstool.

"No, Michael was her first sweetheart . . ." Shameus paused and looked around him, "wasn't he?"

"Kathryn," Chakotay held up his hands in a surrendering gesture but was unprepared for what hit him next . . . Michael's fist in his left eye.

"Fight!" The crowd surged forward to watch as Chakotay got to his feet and clenched his fists in a boxing position.

"I doubt she'll want the doctor to use the regenerator on Chakotay's black eye, either" B'Elanna said with a little too much satisfaction.

The doctor, who was standing nearby, pulled out a medical tricorder, "You're all intoxicated. This brawl must stop immediately!"

"UH, tell that to them, Doc" Tom ducked as a bottle went flying over his head and hit the bar wall behind him with a crash.

Chakotay had managed to get in five more punches than Michael could handle. It felt good to finally get to the root of his frustration. He had been able to live with Kathryn having her fun on the holodeck . . . he had understood that she needed *someone* where the relationship wouldn't have to be privatized. But all of that understanding, all of that sympathy had vanished the day Michael Sullivan had appeared on the bridge with the Doctor's holoemitter. Chakotay had watched helplessly as Kathryn invited him to share her world . . .

"You had the best of both worlds," Chakotay growled as he swung at Michael again but missed for the first time in three minutes. Sullivan had taken over any hope Chakotay had had of being with Kathryn Janeway that day. He had bridged the expanse into Kathryn's heart in a matter of minutes . . . something that he had been trying to do for years . . . unsuccessfully.

"What's mine is mine . . . give it up!" Michael yelled and swung to hit Chakotay in the gut.

"'What's mine is mine,'" Kathryn echoed the words silently amongst the yells of the crowd around her, "Like hell!" She rushed forward to make her way up to where Chakotay stood, "How dare y--!" She started but never got to finish as Chakotay sidestepped to the left and she saw Michael's fist heading in her direction.

"Kathryn!" Chakotay yelled and pushed himself in front of her, taking Michael's fist, full force, to the side of his head.

'He's coming to,' the voice said from the darkness that surrounded him. '. . . quite the blow . . . if he hadn't caught it . . .' 'We won't worry . . . that now . . . . safe . . .' came the tidbits that floated cautiously through his mind.

Chakotay blinked and tried to make sense of the blurred images that hovered over him. Suddenly he could see the Doctor and Kathryn's worried gaze focused on him, "What happened?"

"The curse of the banshee," the doctor said smugly. "Guinness, brawls and 'Riverdancing' ala-mode."

Kathryn turned a cold gaze towards the EMH, "Doctor. Do you mind?"

"I apologize, Commander," the Doctor stated.

Chakotay tried to sit up from the biobed but fell backwards in pain, "He's got one hell of . . ." he winced in pain, unable to finish. Chakotay watched as Kathryn turned her attention back to the doctor.

"Heal him up, he's got bridge duty today at 0700 hours," she stated before turning to leave.

Chakotay watched her go and sighed, "Doctor, can you give me something for the pain?"

"Yes," the EMH smiled slightly, "but not the pain you're referring to. Only time heals that."

CONTINUED IN PART 10!

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