THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

"Katie, come inside before you catch your death."

Kathryn stood on the big front porch, and smiled to herself as she looked over her shoulder. "Mom, it's just rain. Don't fuss."

The small dynamo that was Gretchen Janeway poked her head around the door. "I missed out on seven years of fussing; I'm entitled to it. You're getting soaked, and there's a wind picking up."

Kathryn turned her face up to the whipping raindrops. The wind was cool, but it felt so good to have real wind and rain lashing around her, not holographic. A real Indiana spring storm she could experience standing on the real porch of her mother's home. "Just another minute." It struck her with amusement that she sounded very similar to herself as a child pleading for a delay on her bedtime as if it were a stay of execution. I'm almost finished this book! Just five more minutes, Mom. Pleeeeeeeease?

Gretchen sighed. "Don't blame me if you come down with pneumonia." She strained to see through the downpour to the shuttle drop at the end of the driveway. "I wonder what's keeping your sister today? She and John said they'd be here before noon."

"Maybe she got wrapped up in finishing another painting," Kathryn replied. A lot had changed while she'd been in "the backwater of the universe" as her mother called it, yet a lot was still the same. Where Kathryn had always lost herself in science, Phoebe was equally consumed by art. Hours could pass while she poured herself into a project, totally oblivious to anything so mundane as appointments. Kathryn looked over her shoulder again to the door, but her mother had already disappeared inside.

It was wonderful to finally be back in Indiana. There had been scant opportunity for visiting until about a month ago, for no sooner had Voyager arrived back at Earth than they'd all been embroiled in a desperate battle to save the planet from a Borg "virus". After so long together, the Voyager crew was a formidable team. At times, the situation had seemed insurmountable, but in the end they had overcome the Borg once more, this time on their own 'turf' in the Alpha Quadrant. A slight smirk formed on her lips. Defeating another Borg Queen had been extremely satisfying, even if they'd had to rely on Seven again during the final confrontation.

Equally satisfying had been working so closely with Chakotay. Interesting, she mused, how when everything started flying to pieces, they both turned to each other. Chakotay made a powerful warrior; smart, strong, quick thinking, and the perfect combination of intensity and control. She smiled to herself at the memory of his speech to her from long ago on New Earth, the 'ancient legend' he'd used to express how he'd found peace in joining forces with her. It wasn't hard to admit that it could equally be said, however unexpectedly it had come about, that this woman warrior had also found peace working in partnership with the angry warrior to bring their joined 'tribes' home.

Once back on Earth, she'd wondered how often she would get to see Chakotay, so she'd been very pleased when he'd asked her to accompany him on what he called, "an important trip." She'd jumped at the chance, even though he'd refused to say where they were going. The couple of days spent traveling had been the most off-duty time they'd spent together since New Earth, and it was more than enough time to reawaken the simple pleasure of being with him, talking and laughing with him. When she'd discovered they were headed for Tevlik Moon, the scene of the slaughter of thousands of Maquis and their families, she'd been deeply touched and humbled that he would ask her to share such a journey with him. The trip had reconnected them in an elemental and profound way.

"Kathryn Marie Janeway-"

"I'm coming, Mom." After seven years of missing her family, it was even nice to have her mother fussing and nagging at her. Kathryn looked around once more. The familiar sight of flat farm fields and gently swelling hills were balm to her. It wasn't the same house she'd grown up in, since her mother had remarried, but a similar style of farmhouse, and the view from the open porch was almost identical. The floorboards even squeaked in the same places. Indiana would always be home, and yet…

Something within her was still seeking, searching, yearning for the settled feeling that would tell her she was truly home. There was a disquieted tugging at her soul like a wind pulling at the branches of a tree. Everything was great; her mother was healthy and happy in her marriage to Aaron Jerret, as was Phoebe with her family. Kathryn had met some old acquaintances, and renewed some relationships, including Mark and his wife Carla. Things had changed as a result of the war, but there was great joy in every reawakened friendship. She was happy. And yet… And yet…

A strong gust of wind made her shiver, and she reluctantly turned to the door. Once inside, she padded barefoot across the floor to get a towel.

"Lovely, Katie. You're dripping all over my clean floor."

Kathryn's head emerged from under the towel to see her mother standing with hands on hips frowning at the puddles trailing across the tiles. Yes, some things never changed. "I'll wipe them up."

"You certainly will, young lady. I don't want the kids slip-sliding all over the floor. Phoebe just called and said they'll be here in a few minutes. The local shuttle broke down at one of the other stations, so they were held up." As she turned to head into the kitchen, Gretchen tossed over her shoulder, "Oh, and typical - your sister said she'd found a stray cat wandering around the station, so she's bringing it home with her."

Kathryn shook her hair back. It was longer than it had been on Voyager, and although this in-between stage was driving her nuts, she'd decided to grow it a bit. "She always did make pets of every animal she came across. Remember when she wanted to make a pet of a skunk?"

Gretchen shuddered. "Altogether too well. You'd think by the twenty-fourth century we'd have developed something that could get rid of that stench. Every time she took a bath for the next month, she reeked."

Straightening up from mopping the floor, Kathryn pushed her wet hair out of her face. "Will Aaron like having a cat around?"

Gretchen shook her head. "Oh, the cat's not for me; Phoebe said it's for you. Said you need something to make that sterile concrete box you call your apartment a home."

"A cat? For me?" Kathryn was incredulous. "Why in the world would she bring me a cat? I've always been a dog person. Phoebe had better be prepared to take the thing home with her, because I don't want, or need, a cat to make my place more homey."

Gretchen waved her hand dismissively. "Whatever. You can fight it out with her. If you're such a dog person, Katie, why don't you get one? Give you something to come home to at night from the office, now that you're a high-muckity-muck admiral. Phoebe's right in one thing: that apartment of yours is the last thing I would ever describe as a home."

Kathryn shook her head. "I don't think it would be fair to have a dog when I work such long hours."

"As I told your father innumerable times, slave labor went out a long time ago. No amount of overtime pay can compensate for missing out on life. All that intergalactic frou-frou will still be there in the morning." Gretchen handed her daughter a pair of oven mitts and pointed at the stove.

Kathryn paused for a moment before opening the oven door. "Intergalactic frou-frou?" she laughed. The delectable aroma of spinach quiche wafted upward. "You know Mom, the replicator would produce this in no time."

"No taste too," came the acerbic reply from the front of the house. Gretchen had returned to the door to peer outside again. "Well, look at that. The rain has stopped, and just in time too. Here comes the shuttle."

Kathryn set the quiche on the cooling rack and joined her mother at the door. At the foot of the driveway, she saw her brother-in-law already standing at the roadside as first one child, then a second jumped into his arms. Then her sister disembarked as well. But nobody appeared to be carrying an animal. "I wonder what happened to the…?"

At that moment, another figure emerged from the shuttle, and joined the others walking up the driveway. Someone tall and dark-haired. Someone whose walk was very familiar, who moved smoothly just like one of the big jungle…

Something leaped inside her, and her heart began to pound. Despite the rising wave of joy, she frowned at Gretchen. "Mother, I think you neglected to mention something."

Her mother's innocent shrug would have beguiled an Irish leprechaun, but had zero effect on her daughter. "I did? Oh, by the way dear, I invited Chakotay to lunch."

"Uh-huh. Might I ask why you invited him?" Kathryn arched an eyebrow.

"First, because I like him. After all, my darling girl," Gretchen pressed a hand against her daughter's cheek, "he kept you alive for seven years, and knowing the risks you take, that was no easy feat. And second, because you've been moping around this house like a abandoned puppy for the last three and a half weeks." She turned to head back to the kitchen. "Aaron should be coming in the back door any minute now. Greet everyone like a good girl, please."

So she was a puppy and Chakotay was a cat, she thought sardonically. Great combination. "I have not been moping," Kathryn retorted.

"Have too," her mother's voice echoed down the hall.

Kathryn looked back toward the group drawing closer to the house. His features were distinguishable now, and he was watching her watch him, that smirky grin she knew so well on his face. She waited for the troupe on the porch stairs.

The children had run ahead, shouting, "Auntie Kath! Auntie Kath!" She swept each of them into a hug, planting a kiss before they wriggled away to stampede into the house, now screaming "Gramma! Gramma! What's for lunch?" But when she greeted John and Phoebe, she murmured in her sister's ear, "A 'cat' to make my apartment more homey?" Phoebe merely shrugged nonchalantly, the spitting image of Gretchen.

Finally, Kathryn stood before the big 'cat' in question. From her position on the second stair, they stood eye to eye, an unusual perspective for her. He seemed different somehow, a confidence and determination in those dark eyes that bored into hers with powerful intensity. The last time she'd seen him had been a month ago at dinner in her apartment when she'd awarded him the extra pip of a captain, and handed Voyager over to his care.

Although it was the longest separation they'd had in seven years, the intervening time had done him no harm. The tan he'd acquired made his skin gleam like burnished bronze against a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up. His jacket was slung from a finger over his broad shoulder, and he made the simple old-fashioned denim jeans he wore look positively sinful.

Wild stallions galloping across wide open plains. A ship engine going from zero to warp nine. Jumping off a cliff in Da Vinci's hang glider.

Her heart was drumming loudly, and she could only hope his innate scanners where she was concerned were turned off today. A breeze tossed a wayward strand of damp hair into her face, and she was suddenly acutely aware of her disheveled appearance and wet garments clinging to her. Her nipples chose that moment to spring to life in response to the cold clothes. Crossing her arms over her chest, she cursed herself as a flush tinged her cheeks while she and Chakotay silently regarded each other. What was wrong with her? This was just Chakotay, her friend.

That notion was shattered to space dust when the grin that he sported evolved to a full-fledged smile, and the butterflies in her stomach began an Irish jig. Damn the man.

A sideways flicker of his eyes and the silence behind her telegraphed that they were being watched. The smile on his face vanished, but his eyes still twinkled. "Admiral." The effect of the formal greeting was somewhat ruined by the black velvet stroke of his deep voice.

So, the flirting game was still alive and well, and her lips began to twitch with amusement. No matter whatever it was she could see in Chakotay's eyes, this was indeed her good friend of many years. She responded in kind, deliberately lowering her voice. "Captain." It was gratifying to see him blink and shift his jacket from his shoulder to drape over his arm in front of his body. It felt like the old days, flirting to see who would break first. "I thought you were visiting your cousin," she added casually.

"I was. But my cousin cooks almost as badly as you do, and when your mother offered me a traditional home cooked meal, well…" He shrugged diffidently. His eyes swept over her face. "I like the hair. Kind of wild for an admiral though."

Any remaining semblance of formality vanished when his big arms engulfed her in a hug. The brief press of lips to her hot cheek and a whisper in her ear of, "I missed you, Kathryn," caused a fluttering deep in her soul, like a bird readying itself to take flight. There was much more going on here than just playful flirting. He released her and turned to greet her mother and step-father before she had a chance to respond or to analyze the sensation.

Lunchtime afforded Kathryn the rare opportunity to sit in the background observing, as Chakotay kept the extended Janeway family enthralled with tales from Voyager's journey. He interacted easily and openly, readily conversing, and yet something was definitely different. When she rose to help clear the dishes, she looked back from the kitchen doorway to see if she could figure it out from a distance. Although he appeared relaxed, there was a powerful coiled strength about him that seemed about to spring at any moment.

"Just like a cat," she murmured to herself. At that moment, as though sensing her gaze on him, he looked up and locked eyes with her. She felt captured, pulled into a powerful vortex, so intense and inflaming was his stare that it left her breathless. He'd never been so bold or so blatant in all the years she'd known him.

She shivered inside. Yes, he was a cat, and right now she felt like the prey.

Phoebe broke the spell as she too paused before the kitchen doors. She spoke quietly to her sister, "I'd say from that scorching look, your clothes are definitely dried out now. Kath, if you don't take that man home with you, I swear I'm going to have you certified."

When Kathryn looked back again at the table, Chakotay was talking earnestly with Aaron about the latest fertilization techniques for farmland. Once again, he looked up, and this time gave her a wink, then returned to his conversation. And something monumental broke upon her, a revelation so shocking, so powerful that she was quiet during the entire clean up in the kitchen. Her mother and sister chattered away, seeming oblivious to Kathryn's silent contemplation. One phrase keep echoing through her mind, an old phrase, one that might even be considered a cliché.

Home is where your heart is. And only now was she starting to figure out what her heart had known for years.

As she reached up on her tiptoes trying to slide the last dish into the cupboard, her fingers began to tingle, and she looked over her shoulder. Chakotay stood close enough to her that his chest brushed her back as he reached over her head to take the dish from her. She was still barefoot, so he towered over her. "Here?" he asked. She mutely nodded and he easily settled it in place.

He indicated outside the back window with his head. "Sun's out. Want to show me around?" Then he held his hand out to her - in front of a pair of wide-eyed Janeway women.

They had never held hands before. Briefly clasped hands to encourage one another, or assist each other to stand after alien fire landed them on the bridge deck. But never actually held hands. Not like this. Her voice had mysteriously deserted her, so at her mother's shooing motions, she slid her hand into his and led him out the back door.

It felt strange; wonderful, yet strange. With his hand so big, and hers so small, they shouldn't have fit together so well. But they did. As they walked along silently, Kathryn was reminded of how perfectly they had fit together as a command team, like well-oiled gears, despite their different styles and backgrounds. Although there was an occasional grinding of those gears whenever the oil of their relationship dried out, they had both sacrificed a great deal to maintain the smooth functioning of their partnership. Looking up at his strong profile, she wondered if perhaps the time for sacrifice was over.

"I guess you can't very well show me your thinking tree here." Chakotay broke the silence.

"No, not on this property. I have found a new one that's a pretty good replacement down near the river. Although, if you like I can take you over to the old place. I'm sure the new owners would be head over heels in ecstasy having both the famous captain and first officer of the long lost Voyager on their doorstep. I hear they've been giving tours for a few credits, but we could probably get in for free. Might have to sign a few autographs, though." She made a face and rolled her eyes. "Mom told me that the media swarmed the old place showing vids of 'the humble surroundings where the courageous Captain Janeway was raised.' It's enough to make me gag."

Chakotay's attempt to suppress his grin wasn't very successful, and he tugged on an earlobe before responding. "Well, I would never argue with them about the courageous part, but like you, I've had enough of the paparazzi to last several lifetimes."

"You can say that again," she muttered.

It had been one of the few downsides of arriving back in the Alpha Quadrant, but it was nowhere near as grievous as learning of so many friends lost during the Dominion war. The level of fear and suspicion regarding shape shifters had also dismayed her, although from what she'd heard, the concern had held merit. It was becoming clear it would take some time before her crew would truly grasp all this world had endured while Voyager was stuck in the Delta Quadrant.

As they walked along, Kathryn pointed out Aaron's plantings - to the northwest, corn, and to the northeast, potatoes. The southeast portion was where the house and grounds were located, but the southwest pasture of grain had been destroyed when hit with a bomb, and was only now beginning to recover.

"Have you heard from Seven at all?" she asked. "The last I spoke with her, she was considering a number of options." Kathryn couldn't help wondering how he was handling the breakup. Admiral Janeway from the future had said that they had married, so the potential had obviously been there for the relationship to be a deep one. She wasn't willing to analyze how she'd felt about them as a couple, nor was she willing to delve too deeply into the relief that had flooded her when he'd told her they were no longer seeing each other. Right now, her concern was her friend.

"Not directly," he replied. "I spoke with Irene Hansen last week, and Seven and the Doctor have accepted positions in a 'think tank'."

With a laugh, Kathryn shook her head. "How ironic. We rescued her from a think tank, and she winds up joining one."

Although his expression was neutral, there was a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "Well, knowing Seven, I'm sure she gave each option a lot of-"

"Don't say it!"

"-thought," he finished with a grin.

She groaned and pressed a hand against her forehead. "You had to say it. You've always had such a warped sense of humor."

"Hey," he protested, "you said the same thing to Kurros. I actually felt sorry for the pompous little jerk. Besides, you always used to laugh at my jokes on Voyager."

"Somebody had to."

Chakotay stopped walking and regarded her with mock offence. "And to think I actually went to all the trouble of adding to my overly long list of tasks as first officer to make you laugh at least once each day."

"Overly long list?" She reached up and patted his shoulder sympathetically. "Poor suffering first officer. Is that what you were thinking about when you got that blank look on your face on the bridge? I thought you were just bored, or trying to think of ways to avoid Neelix's latest concoction."

"I was probably wondering how the heck you managed to stand upright in those four-inch heels of yours."

"Don't exaggerate, Chakotay. They were merely three and half inches."

"Merely. Mm-hmm." Her hand still rested on his shoulder, and the moment turned serious when he curled a hand around hers. "We made a good team out there, Kathryn."

She nodded in agreement. "The best. I know we would never have made it home if it hadn't been for you keeping all the crew - including me - together."

"And I know we would never have made it with any other captain besides you." His other hand briefly stroked her cheek. "On top of everything, you were a good friend to me, and I appreciate that more than I can say. When I knew I had to visit Tevlik Moon, there was no one else I wanted to share that with, not even any of my Maquis friends."

His words touched her deeply, and emotion tightened her throat. "It was an honor, Chakotay. And you have always been the best possible friend anyone could ask for, even when I was too stubborn to realize I needed one. I probably would have gone stark raving mad if not for you."

Hovering in the air unspoken was the ugly time they had encountered the Equinox. It was her greatest shame of the entire journey, when she not only nearly lost her mind, but her humanity as well. She'd almost become the very thing that she despised - soulless, depraved, and blindly obsessive. Even Chakotay hadn't been able to save her then.

They had reached the river and Chakotay walked toward a small bench under a tree. He looked back at her as he sat. "I had wondered if our partnership was only due to the closed environment on Voyager, particularly after what Seven said at the reception when she broke up with me. But then the way that you and I worked so smoothly together during the last crisis with the Borg on Earth, and with what you said about hoping I wouldn't always see you as a captain, I-"

"Hold on a minute," Kathryn interrupted. "Back up a bit. Want to run that by me once more?" She still stood, and looked down at him with a dumbfounded expression.

"I said, I wondered if our partnership was only due to being on Voyager, but the way you and I worked together regarding the Borg-"

She cut him off again. "Not that part. I could swear I heard you say that Seven broke up with you at the reception."

He shrugged his shoulders. "You knew that, Kathryn. Remember you asked me on the way to Tevlik Moon why she and I weren't sitting together at the reception and I told you then what she'd said."

Her hands were on her hips and her eyes flashed with outrage. "You told me what she said, but you didn't tell me she'd said it then. I thought you two had decided to end it before the reception. You're telling me that she broke up with you in a public place?"

Chakotay casually crossed one booted foot over the other thigh. "I guess it never came up in the Doctor's lessons on dating, the correct etiquette for breaking up with someone."

Such was her anger that she couldn't stand still any longer and began pacing. "I don't believe this! Did she learn nothing about kindness, sensitivity, or other people's feelings in all the time she spent with us? To do that to you, of all people, with your whole crew around, the families, and Starfleet brass. How could she?!"

"Kathryn, come sit down, would you? You're making me dizzy. It really doesn't matter."

She flung a hand out to the side to ward off his words as she took another turn in front of him. "It does matter, Chakotay. How could she be so callous? I swear the Doctor shows more feelings than she does. And to think of all that time I spent with her trying to help her, trying to teach her, when I would have much rather been doing other things."

Chakotay tried again. "Just let it go. I really don't care about it. Come and sit before you wear out the grass."

She was too incensed to stop. "You know, I actually met Axum in Unimatrix Zero, and even though he was still Borg, he was nowhere near as rigid as she is even now after being free for over three years. Sometimes I think we should have let her return to the collective when she wanted to. How could she do that to you? Someone needs to give that girl a good talking-."

Kathryn turned, ready to stomp off back to the house, when a large bronze hand shot out and snagged her by the wrist. There was only a moment to marvel at the quickness of his reflexes before she found herself in his lap and his mouth solidly on hers.

It was so shocking, so totally unexpected that she was completely unprepared, and her mouth was in the wrong position, and their noses collided. Her hands were squashed awkwardly between their chests. The kiss was short and hard, but when he broke the contact, she was as winded as if she'd been punched in the solar plexus.

Chakotay dumped her unceremoniously onto the bench and surged to his feet. Now it was his turn to pace agitatedly back and forth. He stopped briefly and pointed at her with exasperation. "You have no idea how many times on Voyager's bridge I wanted to shut you up like that! You'd be striding back and forth in front of me, crackling with energy, looking sexy as hell, and ranting over some alien who had the audacity to fire on us. It was all I could do to keep my hands off you and not kiss you senseless."

Her voice had taken vacation to some other part of the galaxy, and with difficulty she pulled it back. "What stopped you?"

He flipped a hand to the side as he kept pacing. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe visions of spending the rest of the trip in the brig. Or at the very least, getting my face slapped in front of the bridge crew."

"What about now?" What little demon provoked her to ask that?

He was the picture of power and strength as he finally stood still, feet planted wide, hands on hips, glowering down at her. "There's no brig here, and as for slapping me, you just go ahead if you want to, but it isn't going to matter a damn. It took me a long time and lot of hard work to put away my feelings for you while on Voyager, but I did it. I had to, or I would have gone insane. I would have been content to be your friend for the rest of our lives, because you're a remarkable woman on any level. But all those slumbering feelings woke up during our trip to Tevlik Moon, and I couldn't get out of my mind your comment that you hoped you wouldn't always be 'captain' to me. And I swear by all the spirits, that if there's any opportunity for more than friendship with you, I'm going to seize it with both hands, and I'm not letting go."

With that, he leaned over, took hold of her wrist once more, and hauled her up and into his arms. And then he kissed her again.

It was remarkable that her body was already prepared for him, because her arms went directly around his neck, and their mouths fitted perfectly. He tasted of warmth, sunshine, and endless possibilities. Her hands moved, one threading through his short hair, the other dipping inside the open collar of his shirt to the heated skin beneath.

Something seemed to snap in him, for with a groan, his tongue pushed into her mouth, and his hands were everywhere. One broad hand cupped her buttocks and pressed her hips forward against his. His breath was hot against her cheek. "I want you, Kathryn. Now. Today. I want to lay you down right here on the grass, and I can assure you, once isn't going to be enough to satisfy the hunger I have for you."

His bold words sizzled through her, scorching her and making her breath shaky. He wasn't finished talking, and his deep voice stroked her like the hands that moved over her body.

"Your mother invited me to stay overnight, but I can't; I have to get back. Somebody went and promoted me to captain, so I have new responsibilities. Come home with me. I won't take no for an answer."

She had to swallow as her mouth was suddenly very dry. To go to Chakotay's apartment, to share their bodies in his bed, to become fully entwined in his life… A shudder rippled through her. "That promotion has made you awfully bossy, mister," she managed to squeeze out through her kiss-swollen lips.

He smiled against her neck just before licking her earlobe. "I learned from the best. Come home with me, Kathryn," he repeated.

Her brain was dissolving into a hot haze of longing, but before it totally left her, she whispered, "I…I can't."

His response was another mind blowing kiss, and this time his hand fully cupped her breast, his thumb circling the impudent nipple that surged forward. She groaned into his mouth.

They were both panting by the time he drew away. "I told you I wasn't going to take no for an answer, and I meant it. Come home with me."

He moved to kiss her again, but she managed to slip shaking fingers over his lips. "Chakotay, it's not that I don't want to. It's just that I promised Phoebe I would watch my nephews tomorrow while she and John visit their lawyer about buying a new property."

"Tomorrow night, then." Both of his hands were on her hips now, and he shifted her back and forth across his pelvis. "If you aren't there by 2000, I will find you. And wherever you are, I will take you, and I don't care who's watching."

His words were like fire to the dry tinder of her soul. "What if I'm called into a meeting with the other admirals?" she whispered.

"Then they're going to get the show of their lives. I meant what I said, Kathryn. One night isn't going to be enough with you. Even though I put away my feelings for you, the dreams wouldn't stop, and I've got seven years of inspiration to fulfill."

The knowledge that he'd been dreaming about her all those years shimmered through her. "What happens when you've run through them all? Do I get tossed to the curb?"

His fingers threaded through her hair to the back of her head, kneading her skull. "There's a few that are worth repeating once or twice, so by the time we're done, I'll have developed a whole new set of fantasies for us to explore. You still haven't answered me," he prompted.

She too would have been content to be his friend forever, to keep buried the stronger feelings she'd harbored so long for this man. But given this amazing, unforeseen gift of an opportunity for a life of joy, and a fulfillment of something she'd only ever dreamed of, nothing would stop her taking hold of it and living every single minute to the max.

"Do you have a bathtub?" she queried him.

Chakotay began to smile. "As a matter of fact, I do."

"And a coffee maker?"

He started to laugh. "I do have one. Should I buy another?"

She appeared to consider. "No, I think one will suffice. Fine. I'll be there." Then she ran her thumb over his lips, delighting in the shudder that passed through him.

It was time to head back, as the transport shuttle would be along in a while. As they walked, he commented, "You know, there is something about Seven that bugs me."

Kathryn turned to him, wondering what could irritate this easy-going, forgiving man. "What's that?"

"Well, out in the Delta Quadrant, you could say Voyager was our world, and there were numerous times when Seven saved us all. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful. But no sooner did we get back to Earth where her sphere of influence was expanded exponentially, than she went and saved the whole damn world. I know it's ungracious of me, but it's really annoying." He glanced at her as if to assess her thinking.

Kathryn couldn't help but grin at the duplicate of her earlier thoughts today. "I know what you mean. I'm thankful too, but it is infuriating. Maybe we should put a big "S" on her chest for Superwoman."

"Oh, thanks. Now that's a picture I really didn't need in my head. It's not like she doesn't have enough to draw attention to her chest."

"Typical male," she snorted.

"Down, girl. Sheath your claws." As they approached the house, Chakotay stopped her with a hand on her arm. "Remember, you promised, Kathryn. Tomorrow by 2000, not a minute later."

Kathryn reached up to the face she could now admit that she adored and stroked a finger down his bumpy nose. "I've never been an exhibitionist, so I promise I'll be there."

Once inside the house, they found Gretchen, John, and Phoebe hunched over the console. They all straightened up when the couple entered the living room.

"What's up?" Kathryn inquired.

"Well, Kath," Phoebe spoke, "you're off the hook for babysitting tomorrow. The lawyer just contacted us to say she's had an emergency come up and has to postpone our appointment."

Even without touching Chakotay, Kathryn immediately felt the spark of energy from him. Would it always be like this, the instant connection arching between them like lightning? It took all of her command training to maintain a outwardly calm appearance, for her pulse had jumped and her breath shortened. To be with him, no constraints, no restrictions, nothing between them. Free to touch him, explore him, and have him do the same to her. The thought was a heady one.

She turned to her mother. "In that case, Mom, I hope you don't mind, but I think I'll go back as well when Chakotay leaves."

"Of course not, dear." Gretchen smiled. "It's been a lovely visit, but you never were able to be still for long. All this inactivity is turning you into a fidget-puss."

Chakotay laughed out loud and Kathryn frowned. "A fidget-puss? Earlier today you called me an abandoned puppy. Sounds like a whole menagerie here."

Chakotay commented, "Gretchen, you certainly know your daughter. All of us on Voyager dreaded the times on our journey when nothing was happening - no aliens trying to kill us, no spatial anomalies to explore - because our beloved captain became a petty tyrant."

While her family laughed, Kathryn turned to Chakotay with narrowed eyes. "Watch yourself, mister. That extra pip can still be rescinded, you know."

Up in her room quickly packing her belongings into her bags, she was in the closet when she heard her mother and sister on the other side of the thin wall.

"Mom, are you sure you're okay minding Seth and John Jr. tomorrow afternoon on such short notice?"

"Of course, dear. It's no trouble. Besides, it's for a good cause - your sister's happiness."

Realizing she'd been 'had,' Kathryn exited her bedroom and walked into the next room. She stood with hands on hips and gave the two her best glare. "Phoebe Gillian Janeway, I know our parents taught us not to lie. I thought you said your appointment was postponed."

Mother and younger daughter exchanged guilty glances.

"Well?" Kathryn demanded.

Finally Phoebe spoke up. "I didn't lie. Our appointment was postponed - from 10:30 to 2:45 in the afternoon."

Kathryn sighed, and shook her head affectionately at them. "You two are a couple of meddling romantics."

Simultaneously, they both shrugged their shoulders.

During the entire trip back to San Francisco, she and Chakotay didn't speak. Now and then she would surreptitiously glance at him from under her eyelashes. He appeared perfectly calm, his hands lying relaxed on the armrests.

Then at one point he turned his head, and the hunger that poured over her from his gaze in a heated torrent was enough to sear her. She had to lick her suddenly dry lips, and heard his sharp intake of breath.

It was gratifying to know he wasn't as composed as he appeared, because she oscillated between more nerves than her first day of command, and almost uncontrolled joyful excitement like child awaiting Christmas presents to unwrap. She smiled to herself; just one very tall present, and she was going to savor unwrapping it.

They'd started out as enemies, became colleagues by necessity, and that professional association had gradually evolved over time into a wonderful friendship. Theirs was a relationship based on truth and reality, because they were both well acquainted with each other's strengths and weaknesses. And now, after all this time, their relationship was evolving once again. It felt a little odd, but the strangest part was, that beneath the layers of nerves and excitement, was an elemental bedrock sense of rightness, that the many divergent paths of her life had led her to this point in time.

They exited the shuttle station two blocks from Chakotay's apartment, each carrying one of her bags, and walked quickly, almost running. Chakotay's free hand was splayed across her lower back, and there was possession in that touch. 'Mine,' it said, 'and don't you forget it.' She reached behind her to pull his hand away, lacing her fingers with his.

Into the building. Waiting for the lift with other residents. Walking along the hallway until he stopped before a door and entered his code.

Once inside, they both dropped the bags they carried, and Kathryn turned to study her surroundings. He'd done more to decorate his place than she had hers. There were some new items, but a number of things she recognized from his quarters on Voyager, including a painting she'd done for him as a birthday present.

"Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?" he asked, and she turned to face him.

Wonderful man. Beautiful. Strong and steadfast. Powerful, yet calm and sure. The light of love and desire shone from his eyes.

"Yes," she replied, and stepped forward to wrap her arms around his neck, drawing his head down to hers. At that moment, all the restlessness, all the feelings of being unsettled that had plagued her, vanished like wafting smoke in a gentle breeze, and Kathryn Janeway knew she was finally, truly home.

The End

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© Brianna Thomas, February 2005 Please email me to post/distribute elsewhere.