Rated J/C; NC-17
Disclaimer: Characters belong to others, story is mine.
It happened so quickly. One moment they had been flying low in the shuttle over a barren valley scarcely populated with conical mountains, and the next they'd been making their way on foot toward the very volcano that had taken them down. Glanced by the volcano's unexpected eruption, it was all Chakotay had been able to do to land them in the valley. The hull had been ruptured beyond repair and the lowlands were filling with the toxic gases from the eruption. The closest high point to escape the poisons creeping along the valley was the active volcano itself.
Coughing from the effects of the gas, Chakotay and Kathryn climbed 50 meters up the rocky face of the enormous cone and scrambled into a small cave. As they ducked for cover under the protective rock, they turned to see a hail of glowing pebbles littering the terrain. Despite the danger of the moment, the view was beautiful to behold.
Chakotay shook himself away from the sight and tried his comm badge. "I can't contact the ship-I think the geothermic interference is blocking the signal. I guess we're on our own."
"Wonderful! Now what are we going to do?" Kathryn brushed the sprinkling of ash from her shoulders and shook her hair, releasing a small cloud of white as if she were ridding her head of dry snow.
Chakotay fumbled in his belt for the hand-held tricorder. As he moved the instrument around the enclosed space, a look of concern clouded his face. "Tuvok said the ship's more than four hours away by full warp. But according to this little device, we're about 30 minutes or so from a major eruption." His eyes met hers and held a moment too long.
Turning, Chakotay licked his lips nervously and clenched his teeth in anger. "How could I have been so stupid? The sensors must have shown some sort of geothermal activity! How did I miss it?"
Her touch on his shoulder soothed him infinitesimally. "Are you forgetting that I was there too? I could have looked at the sensors. We both made the mistake."
He faced her again before lowering his eyes. "I'm sorry, Kathryn. Voyager could make it in time, although I don't see how they can... You heard Tuvok before we lost communication. I just can't see how they'll pull it off."
And Chakotay was always the optimist.
Kathryn ran through the list of possibilities. It was a very short list. They would hole up here, out of the storm of fiery rocks. Voyager would come in four hours, or slightly less if B'Elanna had anything to do with it. But shave off three and a half hours? Impossible. Even for Torres. They would have to travel at triple warp 9.99. Impossible.
In the mean time, the volcano would erupt and leave nothing of them for Voyager to detect. Their molecules would be tiny bits of carbon before the others were close to orbit. Nothing left of either one of them.
She was going to die. This was it. I'm going to die. Should the thought soothe her? Probably not. But when the edge of panic crept into her consciousness, it surprised her.
The fear must have registered in her eyes. Chakotay came to stand in front of her, steadying her with his hands on her forearms. "Are you alright?"
"I guess so, considering I'm going to die in a half hour."
"They may get here. B'Elanna can work miracles, you know."
Throwing her head back to stop the tears from flowing, Kathryn snorted, attempting a laugh. "Right. She'll bend the laws of physics and reality and we'll skate out of here into Sandrine's for a drink tonight!"
"Faith, Kathryn. You have to have faith…"
"In what? It's not as if there's a way out of this alive. We're going to die and I'm just not ready for that. I still have too much to do!"
His hands continued to stroke up and down her arms, soothing, until he pulled her to him in a warm embrace. "You have to have faith in whatever comes next…"
"Death is next, Chakotay. Death. Nothingness."
Chakotay smiled indulgently. "I don't think you really believe that. Haven't you ever heard that there aren't any atheists in foxholes?"
"I'm familiar with that phrase, but I can't start believing in something 'snap' just because I know I'm going to die! It takes a lifetime to embrace a concept of the afterlife. I've spent my life exploring science. Fact. Reality. I really envy you your faith, but that doesn't mean it's mine." She waved her hand dismissively.
"Kathryn, I think it's high time you found something to believe in."
"Unfortunately, I'm out of time."
She shivered in spite of the heat and he could tell that she was on the edge of hysteria.
Chakotay regarded her solemnly and removed his jacket and his turtleneck.
"I know just how to fix this." He unzipped his pants.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"I'm going to share my faith with you, Kathryn. I'm doing what I've wanted to do for years and giving you something to believe in."
"Your faith? What's this..." she gestured toward the growing pile of clothing, "got to do with ... that?"
Chakotay continued removing his clothes, stooping to pull off his boots and tossing them away. "There's a legend among my people that two souls, mated together at the time of death, will be joined for eternity. If I'm going to die next to you, Kathryn, I'm going to die inside of you." This was not a request but a statement of fact.
"You think I'm going to let you... make love to me, now!?" Her red face showed her fear and indignation at his suggestion.
"No time like the present. Consider it a deathbed request."
Never had she seen Chakotay so intent on a thing. It was in his eyes, clearly. There was no hesitancy in his actions. His certainty, his faith, was apparent and trickled over her like water quenching a fire. He was right. She desperately needed something to believe in and he was giving her no room to refuse.
He slipped his pants off his hips and stood in front of her, naked and ready. His penis was only partially erect, but he was large-and oh-so beautiful. She'd always wanted him and they'd be ash within thirty minutes.
How could she refuse him? No, why should she refuse him? She could spend her last moments in agony, waiting for the end, or she could choose ecstasy. No excuses, now, old girl. Kathryn nodded slowly and opened the fastening of her jacket, sliding the sleeves off of her arms.
As her eyes glued to his, she asked, "Joined for eternity, huh? All we have to do is time it right?"
He smiled softly and stepped toward her. "You're over-thinking this."
Kathryn pulled her shirt over her head. "The legend is short and simple, but a powerful one," he continued, reaching to help her disrobe.
The shirt landed a few feet away as he lifted her vest, cupping her breasts with his hands as they rose. The heat in the cave increased at the same rate as the heat inside of her.
"When given a choice in dying..."
The bra he uncovered snapped open under his hands, thumbs rubbing the nipples as he peeled the layer from her.
"…choose to die making love..."
She reached out and placed her hands on his chest feeling the warm skin under her palms.
"rather than in a state of panic."
He continued to talk as he undressed her, feeling the lust seeping into his blood.
"Do we go in fear..."
She toed her boots off as his hands deftly worked open the fastening of her pants.
"…or do we choose to leave while experiencing the pleasure of our human bodies?"
Stepping out of her pants and panties, their bodies met. She began to shake uncontrollably.
"I don't think I can do this! I'm not ready to die, Chakotay."
His arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her close, nuzzling his face in her hair. "Have you ever imagined us making love, Kathryn? Haven't you fantasized how we'd come together?"
"Yes." The edge to her voice remained.
Stroking her back with his palms, he whispered, "Tell me about your fantasies..."
Kathryn took a deep breath and realized he was doing what he always did: soothing and grounding her, staying with her through her turmoil. So grateful she was not alone, Kathryn allowed his touch to calm her fears. "Well, I always thought you'd come to me in my quarters at night."
"Why would I come?" He bent low and touched his tongue to her throat.
"I'd be having a dream about you... You'd know it, somehow, and slip into my room without me knowing." Her voice quavered, but grew stronger as he twirled his tongue in a circle at the base of her neck.
"I'd be-ready for you-and you'd be inside of me before I even woke up." His tongue felt electrically charged.
"What would you do when you woke up?" Now his teeth grazed her chin and edged up toward her ear.
"I'd feel you move inside of me and by the time I tried to stop you, it'd be too late." As he lapped at her outer ear, she knew that was true, now.
"Too late, how?"
She felt the tip of his tongue dip into her ear as he solidly prodded at her stomach.
"Too late for me to try and stop you. My body would need you more than my mind could remember why I'm not supposed to have you." Kathryn was panting slightly, making speech more difficult.
"So you wouldn't stop me, would you?"
"Oh, no. I'd let you push into me over and over again." He lifted her slightly and bent his legs as she felt him poking between her thighs, brushing over her mound as his hands grasped at her rear. Kathryn's head rolled back and she moaned with pleasure.
"What about you? How did you think...?" She wanted to know, but she also needed to concentrate on breathing.
"I have too many to count, but I'll tell you one of my favorites if you want..." His fingers eased between her cheeks and wiggled toward her opening.
"Yes..."
"I like to watch you lean over Tom's back at the helm, you know. Your ass hiding under the black pants." His hot breath caressed her ear. "I'd launch out of my chair to pull you against me." His hands pulled her tightly against him, fingers and cock taking turns rubbing her sensitive nerves.
"On the bridge?" Her panting was followed by another moan.
"I'd whip your pants down around your ankles and do the same with mine." An evil grin crossed his face and then disappeared as his eyes pooled with blackness. "Then I'd push inside of you while you grabbed the back of Paris's chair."
Kathryn suppressed a chuckle as she felt the fluid run between her thighs, allowing him to slip faster across her folds.
"I bet Tom would notice me groaning in his ear," her voice smiled. Still standing, she felt herself going limp as his fingers thrust inside of her, then slowly out of her and back in quickly.
"You wouldn't be groaning. You'd be shouting at me to take you harder."
"Oh, yes..." Yes to what he was saying and yes, definitely to what he was doing with his fingers.
"Tom'd be so thrown he'd run us straight into an asteroid." He sank down on his knees, dragging her down, panting, to straddle his lap.
She laughed and gasped at the same moment. "I bet Tuvok would say something before we got that far." Kathryn felt him lodged at her entrance and rocked forward, trying to take him in.
"Um hm. He'd ask us to take our conference into your office." Chakotay's mouth closed over hers and then his tongue was inside her, tasting her breath. Kathryn felt the rumble of silent humor in his chest.
She pulled away from him, following the thought. "Oh yes, my ready room desk... That's another one..."
"Or the couch, or the wash room..." His hands pulled at her hips, forcing her farther down onto him.
"And there's always the turbolift, up against the wall. And the Jeffries tubes...." She felt him slide in with a stinging sensation as he stretched her open.
"And the mess hall. You'd say something dirty to me and I'd sweep our dinner dishes off the table and sit you on it. I'd pound you while people tried to clear the room." He illustrated the last utterance by pulling her firmly onto him as he thrust up, lodging fully inside of her. Their delirium mixed disjointedly with their lust. Not knowing whether to break down in peals of laughter or tears, they found comfort in both.
"And I'd moan and beg you to go faster!" Kathryn shouted as her feet found the ground on either side of him and she raised and lowered herself onto him, increasing their pace.
With one hand holding onto his shoulder, the other snaked down between them and she rubbed at herself, head thrown back.
Gasping, and choking back a giggle she asked, "How about engineering?"
"Up against the warp core, Kathryn?" Taking advantage of her bared throat, he assaulted her neck, heedless to the marks he left. No one but him would see them.
"Or bent over the railing... surrounding it." Her panting left little room for the word play, rocking on her feet, riding him.
"On the shuttlecraft, the Delta Flyer..." They moved as one, their bodies rippling with the friction against each other.
"On New Earth... in the bathtub you made for me." She stopped moving suddenly and looked him straight in the eyes. The look, an apology, filled them both with regret.
"I thought you might want me to join you... I wouldn't have waited forever, you know." He caressed her back, rubbing her sweat into his palm, holding her to him, and stroking her face with his other hand.
"We've wasted so much! I wish we'd had all of those moments, but now we're... it's all behind us... we don't have any more time!"
"Eternity is a long time, Kathryn."
"It will be, won't it? This'll work, right?"
"I'm absolutely sure of it." Reaching between them, he removed her hand and rubbed gently at her, watching her face until she ground down on him and tossed her head back, shouting his name.
Before she had a chance to ease down off of the orgasm, he grabbed at her hips again and began his powerful thrusting upwards into her. His face was intent and fierce as he plunged into her brutally.
Clinging to his shoulders, Kathryn felt the fire inside of her building back up. Unable to match his ferocity, she felt herself riding the waves of their bodies, in a feeble attempt to stay with him.
The earth moved. They felt the rumble of the volcanic eruption begin and locked eyes as the shimmer of blue removed them from their fiery tomb.
***
As they materialized on the transporter pad, the cool air danced on the sweat covering their bodies. The lack of sound was deafening. Eyes still fastened on each other's faces, Chakotay choked out, softly, "I'm not stopping, Kathryn." And then barked, still looking into her face, "Transport directly to my quarters!"
"Can't." B'Elanna croaked. "There's not enough power left!"
Shooting a look around him, Chakotay snapped, "Privacy!" and it rumbled through the transporter room and Kathryn, echoing off the walls.
Coming out of their daze, people scrambled to the exit.
Kathryn, cradled forward against Chakotay's chest, looked over his shoulder to see the last of her senior staff leaving the room. Only Tom Paris looked back, straight at the captain, face serious, but nodding his approval and adding a subtle wink. He finally broke into a soft smile as the door slid shut in front of him.
Immediately, Chakotay moved his lover off of his lap, losing connection with her briefly and positioning her on her knees in front of him. Hands still grasping her hips, he plunged into her all the way, shuddering at the tightness that enveloped him.
"You're mine now, Kathryn. I don't care who knows it."
Angling back until he almost left her completely, he thrust back into her with a bruising force, holding her ass against his hips, burying himself again in her heat. His low voice spoke with a tremble. "Your body's going to remember this and you won't be able to deny me."
The ice water that ran through Kathryn's veins at the sight of her unexpected audience boiled once again. She held herself up on her hands and knees, rocking back into him, meeting his thrusts.
"I'll take you-when I want-and when you want... and I won't be-shut out!"
His strength and tempo proved too much for her and she collapsed onto elbows, ass in the air, relishing his assault. Kathryn felt another orgasm tear through her.
Continuing to slam into her, he panted, "When we get home-if Starfleet wants-to know-the nature of our command relationship-I'll fuck you-in front of the entire fucking admiralty to show them! I'll make you come-again-and again-and they'll see-you couldn't stop me if you'd wanted to try!"
The pain and pleasure she was experiencing was ripping her apart.
"You're mine, god dammit! Tell me, Kathryn!"
"Yes! In front of-the crew-the admirals-anybody... Oh, God, Chakotay!"
Crushing her body to his, he spilled into her with force. Shouting and clinging to her, he jerked through the last of his release, collapsing on the slick surface of the transporter pad next to her. At last he pulled her gently into his arms.
Kathryn snickered while she sucked in air. "Maybe NOT on the table at my Board of Inquiry. But what the hell, I've already let you fuck me in front of my entire senior staff and did nothing to stop you!" The giggles made it difficult to breathe.
They lay still a moment more, lungs catching up.
Chakotay stirred. "I didn't see Neelix, did you?"
"No."
"And I suppose Tuvok was on the bridge?"
"I guess."
"And I'm sure I'd have noticed if Harry was here."
"Okay, so maybe I let you fuck me in front of half of my senior officers. But I still say I'm not going to do that to the admirals. Some of those guys are pretty old, Chakotay..."
Chuckling, he soothed her hair and kissed at the lopsided grin of hers. "We're pretty old, too..."
"Speak for yourself..."
They lay silent for a bit, stroking at the sweat that was drying on their bodies.
Kathryn broke the silence. "Thought I'd die... everyone standing there!"
"We nearly did die. Don't you remember?"
"Hey, what about my new-found religion?" She rolled slightly to look in his eyes.
"I rest my case..."
"How can you say that? We didn't even die!"
"Yeah, but we're going to be together for long time, right?"
"Eternity?"
"If I play my cards right, yes."
"Chakotay?"
"Yes, love?"
"I'm cold. I think I need some clothes and a shower. You?"
"Let's use the replicator behind the transport console to buy you something pretty."
"A uniform would be great about now. I'd settle for a pair of sweats, even."
Chakotay disentangled himself from her arms and disappeared behind the transport controls.
She'd never tire of seeing his beautiful bronze body move. "We have a problem, Kathryn. Seems this replicator's off line. Any other ideas?"
"Oh God. We'll have to get someone to bring us some uniforms." The thought made her sit up and wrap her arms around herself.
"I'll call B'Elanna." Stepping to the control panel, Chakotay tapped into the comm system.
"Chakotay to Torres."
"Kahless, old man! That's the kind of thanks I get for saving your ass?" Torres sounded breathless. "We're thinking you're gonna be beamed back toast, but no! There you are, fucking the captain and I'm sent from the room like your kid sister! You have no idea what kind of miracles I performed to get you here on such a long-range transport. Borg technology! It was a thing of beauty!"
"Thank you, B. I owe you big. Are you alone?"
"Tom's here. We were-uh-Geez, Chakotay! I can't believe you wouldn't even STOP! How is she-taking it-anyway?"
Kathryn stepped up behind Chakotay at the console, her arms wrapped around her chilly body and answered for herself. "She's fine, but she needs some clothes. Seems like your miracle transport didn't include our uniforms."
"Oh, Captain. I didn't know you were there. The transport was locked on your lifesigns and I guess your clothing was more than a few centimeters away from you. Sorry about that."
"Oh, you're not at fault for that one." The smile she flashed at Chakotay was apparent in her voice.
Chakotay spoke, "B'Elanna, I need you to go to our quarters and get some uniforms and bring them here. It seems the replicators are down here, too."
"They're DOWN all over the ship. You wouldn't believe the power drain for a transport of that magnitude. It's amazing we have lights."
"Could you be here in five minutes?"
"How 'bout fifteen. We were in the middle..."
"Get off the pilot and get us some clothes, little sister."
"And bring a couple of towels, too-please," Kathryn added over his shoulder. She could hear Tom snorting in the background.
"Put them in a gear bag of some sort. No sense in broadcasting our situation."
"Broadcasting?! The whole ship knows by now! I had Megan Delaney and Lyssa Campbell helping me. I bet even the lower deck personnel know by now. You're dreaming if you think the crew isn't eating this up with a spoon!"
"Five minutes."
"Okay... Torres out."
Chakotay turned to Kathryn. "Well, we finally get to find out if this really will affect how the crew sees us. Nervous?"
"Not a bit. Wish it'd happened another way, but I don't think anything shy of death would have pried the protocol stick out of my ass, do you?"
A chuckle followed with, "We won't have to find out, will we?"
"No. We won't."
End.
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