AUTHOR: Sally
RATING: PG13 - R
SUMMARY: Consequences of someone’s appearance at Talent Night
DISCLAIMER: These characters belong to Paramount. I make no money out of them whatsoever. My reward is the enjoyment that others get.
NOTE: Personally, I would never dream of subjecting Chakotay to this kind of torment. I would like to place the blame firmly at the feet of Beth. During a conversation online she made the comment to the effect that Chakotay as queen would be preferable… she did mean that even if Kathryn were to become the Borg queen, which was one idea floating about the finale at the time, that she would be preferable to Chakotay than Seven. Oh boy… Anyway, from her misstatement and our warped imagination came the vision of Chakotay as drag queen. From here this story grew. I would like to thank Beth, Ang and Chris for their input, all of which was most definitely needed.
PART 1
It was horrible, it was grotesque, it was hilarious, it was talent night and the crew was loving it. The three people on stage were loving it. Which possibly made it worse.
When Kathryn had suggested that they take their turn at talent night he had refused. Outright. Somehow then B’Elanna had got involved in encouraging him. And then Tom had got thrown into the mix. And when the two men were faced with an ultimatum they knew they had no choice.
Getting a third party involved was a different matter. Chakotay had thought evilly for one moment by suggesting Michael Sullivan but Tom refused to change his programming. Tuvok was a flat-out no-no, though the thought of him participating had made the two couples laugh. Could the doctor be persuaded perhaps?
“You want me to what?” he spluttered.
“Oh come on, Doc. It’ll be fun,” Tom tried to encourage him.
“I don’t see what could be fun in doing what you are suggesting,” the Doctor snorted. “I prefer the classic arts.”
“Trust me, Doc. This is a classic.”
“Not the way you are suggesting, Mr. Paris.”
And that was that. The two men were almost prepared to admit defeat, told the women that they could come up with any kind of forfeit but they were not going to be able to pull off this one particular feat. The two women sighed, the older of the two deciding that a concise but long report from Seven would be more entertainment that what Neelix was currently planning for the event.
The two men sat in Sandrine’s, commiserating the failure of what had seemed would be a great joke. Around them, holographic characters mingled and two lieutenants were playing pool. Suddenly the door opened and in walked the ensign in charge of Operations. Instantly the pilot’s head lifted from his mug of ale. He looked at the older man and cocked his head toward the door.
Immediately Chakotay was on his feet. “Harry, over here,” he called.
The young man trotted over to them. “Hi guys,” he said easily. “How’s it going?”
“It’s not,” Tom muttered.
“Ensign,” the commander began. “We have a proposition to put to you.”
“A proposition?” Harry repeated. He took his drink from Sandrine and smiled up at her before turning his attention back to the senior officer. Seeing that she was not going to get any more attention from this table, the French woman sighed and walked away.
“Yes, how about it?”
“Ah, I’m not sure.” Harry looked from Chakotay to Tom and back to Chakotay. “Well, I guess whatever it is can’t be that bad if you’re involved, Chakotay. What is it?”
Quickly and quietly they filled him in. They left out no details, taking great care to include the wager. The young ensign’s eyes grew larger and his jaw began to drop. “You’re kidding me, right?” he asked, disbelieving. He watched them shake their heads. “You’re not?”
“Come on, Harry,” Tom began to wheedle. “It’ll be fun.”
“It’ll be embarrassing.” Harry looked over at Chakotay. “And you’re going along with this?” Chakotay smiled. “I just told you what’s at stake, Ensign. Are you going to refuse your commander when he’s in need?”
Harry sighed. “Not usually. But something like this?”
It was time for a different tactic for the two desperate men. “Harry, I’ll give you extra replicator rations,” Tom said quickly.
“I don’t know, Tom.”
“A few extra shifts in the big chair, Ensign?” the first officer suggested. “I could rearrange the schedule a bit.”
“Which would mean extra work for me,” Harry pointed out.
“Holodeck time?” was Lieutenant Paris’ next bid.
“How about…” Chakotay paused. “Extra time in command of Voyager and then some extra time off. And,” he grinned. “How about a word in the captain’s ear about a possible promotion?”
“As long as it’s not while she’s asleep,” Harry warned.
“And just how would I do that, Ensign?” Chakotay queried.
Tom sat up straighter and went in for the kill. “Harry, Harry, Harry,” he began, draping an arm around Kim’s shoulders. “You will have such a great time. And all the women, well the single ones at least, will love you for it. Well,” he amended his statement. “The ones that don’t love Chakotay and I, that is.”
“Tom,” the commander said, thoughtfully. “That will leave all the single women.”
“What about B’Elanna?”
Harry shook his head. “I just know I’m going to regret this,” he muttered, looking down at his drink. “Okay,” he said in resignation. “You’ve got yourself an accomplice.”
***
“And for our final act,” Neelix announced. “We have three of Voyager’s finest, er, ladies. They will perform a traditional dance from the days of the French cabaret.”
“They didn’t?” B’Elanna whispered to Kathryn who sat beside her.
“They must have,” the captain groaned. “Why oh why did we suggest this in the first place?”
“We didn’t,” the engineer muttered. “You did.” She grinned at the glare she received from the older woman.
“And now, without further ado,” Neelix continued, rubbing his hands together and smiling maniacally. “I take great delight in presenting The Voyager Dames.”
The curtain went up and the captain promptly buried her head in her hands.
PART 2
Three days later, much to the Captain’s unease, crew members could still be found humming the old Earth cabaret tune, Can Can, while at their consoles. Meanwhile, holopictures of the senior staff were quietly making the rounds. B’Elanna had already discovered several in engineering and brought them to Kathryn’s attention.
“They certainly made the evening,” the half-Klingon noted. “But I’ll admit the idea of dating someone who looked like that is certainly disturbing.” She gingerly held out the picture of Tom for Kathryn to see.
“Well, I certainly don’t know of another first officer who has ever dared to dress like this in front of the crew,” returned Kathryn, taking another glance at the picture she held in her own hand. It portrayed the commander dressed in black corset and fishnet stockings, resplendent with bright red feather boa.
“What’s the punishment for impersonating the captain?” B’Elanna asked; taking note of the auburn wig Chakotay had been wearing.
“Usually it depends on who’s doing the impersonating, though right now I’m not sure,” Kathryn replied. “Speaking of punishment, has Tom asked you for his payoff yet?”
B’Elanna grinned. “Oh yeah, and once he removed the sequined gown he got it.” She paused. “What about the Commander?”
Kathryn shook her head. “So far, not a word. I’m beginning to think he might have reconsidered.” She sighed.
“He probably doesn’t want to make you feel pressured into doing whatever the forfeit is. But then, he never let me know what your bet with him was.” The lieutenant stood up. “I’m sure it will die down eventually, once we meet the next group of hostile entities.”
“I hope you’re right, Lieutenant,” Kathryn sighed as the younger woman left. “I really hope you’re right.” Meanwhile she realised she had better prepare in case the engineer was wrong.
***
He finally came to her a couple of days later after their shift ended for the day. She was in her quarters, prepared to settle down with a book, intending to make the most of quiet space.
“Hello, Chakotay,” she looked up and smiled as he came through her door. “Help yourself to a drink if you want it.” She waved her hand in the area of the replicator.
“No thank you,” he replied, not moving.
Noticing that he had not moved, Kathryn lowered her book. “What is it, Chakotay?” she asked gently.
He pulled a data pad out from behind his back. “I, well, there’s a matter I need to bring up.”
She knew what it was. And now that she knew how she would deal with it she was no longer worried by it. “Ah, the bet.”
“Yes.”
She smiled. “Well, Chakotay. Why don’t you sit down and we’ll discuss it.” She patted the seat next to her with one hand and with the other reached out to grab an identical PADD from a side table.
“Look, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable but that was one heck of a dare, Captain,” he said as he sat down at the opposite end of the couch.
“You put on a good show, Commander,” she said, returning the rank. “The lower ranks are still talking about it. However did you get Harry involved?” She grinned.
He allowed himself a smile. “That, I’m not telling. Let’s just say I have some major shift rescheduling to do.”
Kathryn laughed. “So, the bet.” She glanced down at her data pad. “If the dare is carried out,” she recited. “The prize shall be whatever the heart desires.” She looked across at him. “Sounds reasonable to me, Chakotay.”
He swallowed. “I think you know what I want, Kathryn,” he said quietly.
She smiled. “What you want?” she asked.
“Well, yes, after all the bet does say…”
“Whatever the heart desires, Chakotay. Yes, I know.” She paused for a moment before continuing. “But it doesn’t say whose heart, does it?”
There was a split second of silence while the commander digested this information. “What?” he finally managed to gasp.
Kathryn sighed. “Good grief, Chakotay. Did you not take any Federation Law classes at the Academy? Remind me never to put you into a position where your knowledge of legality may affect our existence. This document which we both signed and which Tom witnessed does not specifically say whose heart. It’s all perfectly legal.” She smiled. “Perhaps you should have read it more thoroughly before you signed and put your thumb print to it.”
It was his turn to sigh. “I guess you got me good, didn’t you, Kathryn.” He sat back and laughed. “If you weren’t the captain of this vessel and my best friend I could really hate you for this.”
“You don’t, do you?” For a moment she wondered if she had really hurt him.
“No,” he smiled. “After all, it is my own damn fault. So, Captain,” he questioned. “What is your heart’s desire?”
“Let me think about it, Commander. I’ll tell you in the morning.”
It was clearly a dismissal and her first officer obeyed. A moment after he left, Kathryn heard a thump and a muffled curse. She smiled. This was working out exactly the way she wanted it.
PART 3
The next morning, Chakotay received Kathryn’s first demands. He looked at the data pad for a full five minutes, letting the information sink in. Across the console from him sat Kathryn, her eyes focused straight ahead on the viewscreen. He sighed.
“Something wrong, Commander?” the Captain asked, turning her head slightly to face him.
“No,” he lied. “Not at all.”
“Good.” She smiled. “In that case I suggest you set your mind to your work. You have a lot to do today.”
“Yes, Captain.”
She leaned across the console and laid a hand lightly on his arm. “You can take your shift off the bridge if you’d like to get started.” She smiled again.
“Thank you,” he mumbled and stood up. Maybe if he began now he’d be done in time for the pool tournament that evening.
***
His first assignment was realigning power cells in several jeffries tubes, the next was assisting the doctor in a medical experiment. He would have loved to have known who had created that one. On the third day he received a message from Kathryn, asking him to cover her extra shift since she had decided to take the day off. How much of this could he take, he wondered. Why was Kathryn treating him like this? Or was it the Captain?
The final assignment was to cook her dinner in her quarters. This, he decided, was bearable. Anything else and he might have been tempted to resign his commission.
He arrived promptly, having decided to cheat and use the replicator for once. He’d done the hard part earlier, programming the machine during his shift.
“Come in, Chakotay,” she smiled as the door slid closed behind him. “What have you got for me this evening?”
She was standing by the viewport, in relatively low light. As he stepped closer he found that she’d already prepared the table for dinner, candles flickering brightly on it in their black holders.
“Well, I thought we’d start with a vegetable goulash, and then maybe follow it off with a coffee cheesecake.”
“Sounds good,” she agreed. “But where is it?” She looked him up and down.
“Ah, that’s the beauty of it,” he grinned. “It’s already taken care of.” He pulled the one arm out from behind his back. “The only thing I had to bring was this.” He produced a bottle of white wine.
She snatched it from him and opened it. “Lovely,” she pronounced after pouring a glass and taking a sniff of it. “But, Chakotay, aren’t you cheating by having dinner already taken care of?”
He took up his own glass and took a sip. “No more than you are with the bet, Kathryn,” he said gently. “We can all look at things with a unique perspective. In my case I decided to simply prepare your dinner earlier. In fact, I could simply have programmed your replicator to give you your dinner whenever you wanted it.” He walked over to the replictor, pressed a combination of buttons and brought the replicated meal to the table. Placing the food down he headed back toward the door. “Enjoy your dinner, Kathryn. Good night.”
To his amazement he found her and the dinner both in his quarters when he got there. He angled his head, confused.
She shrugged. “Captain’s privilege,” she dismissed. “Plus I had planned on us having this dinner together.” She relit the candles. “Why did you leave?”
He walked slowly toward her. “Your request specified that I prepare dinner, it said nothing about joining you for it.”
“I thought you’d know that, know to assume it.” She sat down.
He watched her turn her back to him as she took her place at the table. “I’ve learned,” he said quietly, “that sometimes you can make large errors in assuming too much. I have learned my lesson.”
She twisted in her seat and looked at him sadly. “This is about the bet, isn’t it?”
“You tell me.”
She stood up and crossed the floor to him. “Chakotay,” she began, placing her hand in its customary position on his chest.
He shrugged it off and turned away. “Please, Kathryn. Whatever you were going to say, save it. I remember the circumstances in which this bet was made. We were in Sandrines, the synthahol was flowing, and we were laughing, you were flirting with me. I remember it all, the conversation swung around to taking chances, doing something you wouldn’t normally do. We agreed that if I did something I wouldn’t normally do then you would do the same. We both knew what we meant.” He swung back to her. “I fulfilled my part of the bet, why couldn’t you do the same?”
She sighed. “I’m sorry, Chakotay. It wasn’t my intention to bail.”
“Then why did you?” he demanded.
“Who says I have?”
“What?”
She slowly walked up to him. “Do you trust me?” she asked.
PART 4
He shook his head. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“Please, Chakotay.”
He looked resigned. “Okay, then, yes.”
She smiled. “Good. Now, go get changed out of that uniform. You’ll want to wear something casual for what I have in mind.”
He began to relax slightly and allowed himself a small smile. “What exactly do you have in mind?” he asked.
“Wait and see, when you’re ready, contact me.” With that she walked out the door.
Shaking his head, he returned to the table and extinguished the candles. He then crossed to his bedroom and pulled out a clean shirt and a pair of khaki pants.
“Chakotay to Janeway,” he said, hitting his combadge. “I’m ready.”
Within seconds he found himself transported out of his quarters. When he had recovered from the shock he was able to see that he was in a field of green grass, surrounded by trees. The food which he had left on the table in his quarters was now arranged on a blanket on the ground. Upon that blanket was also sat Kathryn.
“You like it?” she asked quietly.
He sat down beside her. “I love it.”
“This is what I was doing when I took that day off. I’m sorry.”
He smiled at her. “Having seen what you were working on I can assure you it was no trouble at all.”
She held up a hand. “You should also know that the reason I’ve kept you so busy these past few days is so that I could plan this evening. The next time you decide not to do something you really should stick to that decision.”
He laughed. “If it wasn’t for Harry, that little charade would have died a quiet death.”
“And everything else with it,” she finished. “This was what I wanted to do for you. But then I had to stop working on it.”
He began to work on placing the food onto plates. “Kathryn, I’m sorry I walked out on you earlier.”
She took a plate from him. “It’s okay, Chakotay. It’s worked out for the best, don’t you think?”
He took another look around. “Yes, I do,” he said simply.
They ate their meal in a comfortable silence. “Mmm,” Kathryn said when she was finished. “That was good.”
He nodded and swallowed. “It traveled well, didn’t it?”
She threw back her head and laughed. “Each time I transported it I was worried sick that it would spill or something.”
“Then why did you have me prepare a dinner in your quarters? You should have just had me come straight here.”
She sighed. “The original plan was to have dinner and then come here.”
“I can see that idea worked.”
She slapped her hand gently on his arm. “Oh thanks, Chakotay.”
“My pleasure,” he answered, grasping the hand before she could pull back. “Kathryn,” he began. “I have to know. Why did you do all this?”
She bit her lip. “I know what we agreed on the bet, Chakotay,” she murmured. “I know we were talking about going out on a limb, doing something we wouldn’t usually do.” She looked at him. “I know what you wanted, Chakotay.”
“Kathryn, I…”
“No, Chakotay, please, I need to finish. I knew what you wanted. And I’ll be honest with you. I wanted it too. It is time for me to take a chance, do things differently. Chakotay, I can’t tell you I love you, not yet at least, but I want the possibility for that to happen.” She leaned in close to him and placed her free hand on his chest. “That possibility can’t happen without you. Will you give me that chance?”
He leaned forward so that his brow was touching hers. “Of course I will, Kathryn. I’ve always been ready to do that.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. “I know I don’t deserve what you give me.”
“Ssh,” he said. “You have just given me so much more.”
He placed a finger underneath her chin and tilted her face slightly upwards. Then, ever so slowly he kissed her.
***
They were walking back from the holodeck much later when Neelix discovered them. “Aah, Commander,” he began, rushing up to the command couple. “I was wondering. Your act was very successful at the last talent night. Would you consider reprising it for the next one?”
Kathryn groaned. Chakotay laughed. “No promises, Neelix. Absolutely no promises.”
As soon as Neelix was out of earshot Kathryn turned on him. “You wouldn’t. Please, tell me you wouldn’t.”
The commander grinned. “Well, I don’t know. Tom’s got some music from the twentieth century that we had thought about using. Some band called Abba or something.”
Kathryn groaned. “No way. And I don’t want to have to make it a command order.”
He smiled. “Hey, you know what I got from doing it once. Who knows what I might get next time?”
She laughed. “In your dreams, Commander.”
“Of course,” he smiled. “And then they come true.” He placed an arm around her waist. “Come on, I’ll walk you home.”
FINIS