© October 9, 2000
Disclaimer: Voyager belongs to Paramount Pictures. No infringement intended.
Chakotay was a desperate man. So desperate that he had to put a gag in Kathryn's mouth to keep her quiet. Any more protocol from her lips and he was going to give in, turn the flyer around and *make* Tuvok put him the brig. He hated upsetting her -- it was a torture to himself more than it probably was for her.
Chakotay was also an angry man. They had waited and waited and waited until they had reached the Alpha Quadrant again -- agreeing to not having any real relations while they were away from Federation Space. They had also agreed, that if they made it home -- which at the time it had been a big if and thereby making for a rather pointed mark of trust between the two fo them -- they would find a way to fit Starfleet, Voyager and their marriage together as one.
Well, they had played by the rules and they had lost. But what once was lost could be found. And Chakotay had been through too much in the past years to surrender so easily.
The console beeped a relay message into the data board and Chakotay moved to get it. Somewhere behind him, Kathryn murmured a warning not to do so, against the gag in her mouth.
Maquis Rebel:
Message relay from Starfleet Headquarters, San Francisco, Earth, Alpha Quadrant.
Release Captain Kathryn Janeway. Negotiations, at this point, are null and void. The Federation will not commit to considering your requests until you clear yourself of the charges marked against you.
Five Federation Security Ships are on an intercept course. You will be considered hostile in the event that you do not readily surrender the flyer and the Captain.
"I don't think so," Chakotay gritted out between clenched teeth. "I will not surrender her."
"Chhkttayyyy," Kathryn stated sharply as best she could against the cloth in her mouth. She was going to put him out an airlock when they got home.
"In a minute love," he stated as he returned another message to the admiral.
Kathryn knew, at that point, he was currently working with his own male attention span that was the equivalent of a three year old. If this all worked out, someone was also going to get spanked, later.
Admiral Paris practically chocked at the words that were next relayed onto his PADD:
Look, you old bastard:
Message relay from Delta Flyer II, Federation Class Excursion Ship, Current Orbit Pattern - five, three zero nine, Earth.
I love the woman and I want to marry her. Now maybe that doesn't mean something to you, coming from a 'former Maquis Rebel', but it means something to the crew of Voyager, to me and to her.
She's mroe than loyal to you -- to the Federation -- so loyal it makes me sick with jealousy at times. But don't make her sacrifice anything more than she already has during the past seven years. It wouldn't be right.
Requesting, again, that Commander Chakotay of the U.S.S. Voyager may have permission to marry one Captain Kathryn Janeway of the U.S.S. Voyager.
Last chance for your blessing and before we are left with no other alternative than to elope in your damn shuttlecraft.
Admiral Owen Paris rolled his eyes heavenward. Was this the calm, put together, soft spoken but intellectual man he had seen during the debriefing? The one his Katie was so taken with? Oh it had been fairly obvious how she felt toward her First Officer. But, her mentors weren't so sold on whether this man would be good for her or not -- regardless of the seven years he had spent successfully by her side.
Now, perhaps, he admitted, they had been wrong.
"There's a first time for everything, as Tom used to remind me," he sighed aloud.
"Sir?" the Ensign who had originally delivered the relay PADD to Owen asked in confusion.
"Nothing Ensign, nothing -- just -- young love. Well, they're young to me," he added as he punched in a response to the requests -- hopefully, god willing, the last one he'd have to give.