By Brianna Thomas

Rated PG

Disclaimer: Paramount owns all things Voyager, but this tale is mine, all mine.

Summary: When those three little, all-important words are finally spoken, I believe they would be…simply said.

Entered in Purple Comet's "In Short" contest.  Mega thanks to Mary S. and Shayenne for the warp-speed betas.

The command team sat on the couch in Janeway's quarters.  Their positions were identical - slouched down in the seat, arms slack, legs straight out in front with feet on the coffee table, heads leaning back, eyes closed.

"How long has it been since the last attack?" she asked.

Without opening his eyes, Chakotay replied, "Six and a half hours, give or take a few minutes."

"That's the longest break in the last week.  Maybe, we're finally out of their space - whatever space that is.  Tuvok would probably say it's illogical, but I'd feel better if I knew who was attacking us and why."

"This is the Delta Quadrant, Kathryn.  Do they really need a reason out here?"

"Good point."

Silence reigned for a few minutes before the commander spoke again.  "Did you manage to make B'Elanna finally go to bed?"

"Only by promising that I would get the stabilizers stabilized myself.  Which is why the knees on my uniform are…what?"  She stopped at the sound of his weak laughter, and cracked an eye open to glance sideways.

His grin was small, but real nonetheless.  "The stabilizers stabilized?  Take it easy with the heavy-duty technological terms.  My tired brain can't handle it."

She closed her eyes again.  "Smart aleck.  If I weren't so exhausted, I'd smack you."

"Promises, promises."

"Funny boy."

"It's why you love me."

"One of the reasons, yes."

Quiet surrounded them as the words that had been spoken penetrated their fog-enshrouded brains.  Chakotay's head slowly rotated to look at her.  Her profile was still toward him, but her eyes were open, staring at the ceiling.

Taking a deep breath, he spoke quietly.  "I love you too, Kathryn."

He wondered if she was going to respond at all, when he felt her hand brush against his, then slide over to grip his fingers tightly.  A small smile curved her lips and her head turned toward him.  Deep purple smudges circled her blue eyes.

"I know you do," she whispered.  "It's what keeps me sane out here."

Their gazes held, acknowledging what was now out in the open.  Slowly, her eyes closed again and her head rolled back into its original position.  After a moment, he did the same.

Still clasping her hand, he summoned the energy to ask, "What do you need most right now?  Food or sleep?"

She sighed.  "Oh, my.  You want me to make a decision?  Give me a minute." After a moment of contemplation, she replied, "Contrary to what some people think, I do have enough sense to know that I need to eat occasionally, so I'd say food.  Because if I go to sleep now, I'll be in my bed for the next week or so, and wind up not eating at all.  And I just can't deal with the doctor squawking at me."

"Good choice.  It's been at least thirty-six hours since I last saw my bed, so what's another hour or so?  How long have you been up?"

"I don't remember.  Too long," she groaned.

"I'd like to sleep for about two days straight.  Or, six hours uninterrupted by a red alert, whichever came first."  His voice was gritty with exhaustion.

"That's probably all you'll get, unless we really are through whatever that region was.  But then, we'll most likely run into the next group that wants to kill us.  Just once, I'd like to meet a species not bent on blowing us out of the skies."

"There have been a few."

"Name one," she demanded.

"Now you expect me to think?  Besides, Kathryn, where would the fun be in that?  You know you'd be bored after about two days with that kind of peace and quiet."  Chakotay raised his head and rotated his shoulders.  "Come on.  If we sit here much longer we'll grow roots."  Heaving himself to his feet, he tugged her up with the hand he still held.  A little off balance, she bumped against his body and he steadied her with his other hand.

Kathryn looked up into Chakotay's weary face.  His normally golden complexion was sallow and his dark eyes looked like black holes.  She smoothed a hand down his face, then rested it on his shoulder.  "Poor tired puppy.  Let's get something to eat, then you can hit the hay."

He quirked an eyebrow at her.  "Hit the hay?"

Her head dropped forward to his chest before tilting back to laugh at him.  "An old Earth expression my ancestors in Indiana used, meaning bedtime."  Looking down at their clasped hands, her expression sobered.  It was time.  "Chakotay, I do love you, you know."

A gentle smile brought out his dimples.  "I know you do.  It's what keeps me sane out here," he echoed her words.  "Kathryn, is this just that we're both so exhausted?"

She looked away for a second while she thought.  "I prefer to think of it as a doorway that we can choose to walk through, or not.  What do you say, Chakotay?  Want to take a walk on the wild side with me?"

"I assume that's another Terran saying, right?  I can't think of anything more wild than a romance with Kathryn Janeway in the Delta Quadrant."  He lifted her hand, intending to kiss the back of it, but stopped at the sight of a long crusty scratch.  "How did this happen?"

A frown creased her brow.  "I have no clue.  Must have been while I was crawling through the Jeffries tubes this morning.  Or was that yesterday?"  She shook her head.

"I know what you mean.  It all blurs together after a while - battle, repairs, battle, repairs."

"Followed by more battle and more repairs.  This got old a long time ago."

A tired sigh escaped him.  "Agreed.  With everything we've been through this week, I feel like I've aged a lot more than just seven days."  He paused for a moment, then asked, "So, where do we go from here?"

She knew he didn't mean the state of the ship, and squeezed his hand.  "We'll take things slowly, but I don't want to go back.  And I don't want to go forward alone anymore."

"You were never alone."  His voice was a tender caress.

"I know."  Kathryn leaned a little more into his body.  Big, warm, comfortable, and strong.  She looked up at him.  "You could kiss me, if you like."

A light flared in his dark eyes.  "I would like.  But I'm too worn out to do it properly as I always imagined."

"That's okay," she murmured.  "I'm too worn out to respond the way I always imagined, so we'll do just fine."  And she drew his head down to hers.
 

The End

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