Chapter 23

"He's been torturing her, Doctor. Emotionally torturing her for two weeks and neither of us knew. This is just unacceptable. She is not going to be attending to him anymore. There's something seriously wrong with Chakotay and we need to get to the bottom of it without allowing anyone else to be harmed in the process," Janeway told the EMH.

"I'm sorry, Captain Janeway. Truly, I am. Their interaction when I was there seemed innocent and Seven never indicated that it had changed. I would not have knowingly sent her in there to be manipulated or mistreated!"

"Really? Did you ever talk to her after you sent her in with him? Did you look at her? Did you examine her? She only barely scraped the surface of the things he said to her and showed her in the holodeck and it made me sick to my stomach. If you had just once discussed his progress with her it could have saved Seven two weeks of heartache."

The holographic doctor paused before answering. "I believe you, Captain. I could have stopped this right away if I knew. However, you also could have put a stop to it. Neither of us asked the right question quickly enough. I will speak with Seven of Nine about it to apologize for my part in sending her in there so frequently."

"Thank you. Just so you know, I apologized already. I know this is my own fault. I'm sorry if I seemed to push it on you too much." Janeway stood, signifying an end to the conversation.

"I will find another solution to the Chakotay problem, Captain. I already have some ideas. If I could just meet with Lieutenants Torres and Kim I could have a new treatment plan for you to review by tomorrow."

Stepping around the desk, Janeway agreed and asked him to speak to the other two officers by the end of the Alpha shift. Once the doctor had left, Janeway tapped her commbadge, "Janeway to Seven of Nine."

After a moment that lasted too long for Janeway's liking, she signaled again, "Janeway to Seven of Nine. Do I need to get on a ship-wide comm-link?"

"Seven here, one moment please, Captain," Seven whispered. A moment later, "Go ahead, Captain."

"Report to my ready room."

Smirking, Seven thought back to their argument weeks back that had begun the same way.

"It may take a short while, Captain, as I am currently-"

"I apologize, Seven. I meant, please report to my ready room at your earliest convenience," Kathryn smiled.

Fifteen minutes later, the chime sounded. "Enter," Janeway called.

"Captain," Seven greeted.

"No little redhead in your arms today?"

"No, however, she was the cause of my delay. Naomi came to Astrometrics this morning to tell me of a nightmare she had last night. It woke her up and she was unable to fall asleep again. That is, only until she sat in a chair in Astrometrics and promptly began snoring."

Chuckling, Janeway wrapped her arms around Seven's waist and kissed her briefly. "What was her nightmare about?"

"She couldn't find me. We were supposed to meet to play Kadis Kot and I did not arrive. She searched and searched but no one else knew I was missing. She woke up before she found me and was so upset she wanted to contact me immediately but her mother said she had to wait until the Alpha shift began. I told Naomi, next time she can contact me."

"You have such a big heart, my love."

"And it is filled with you, Kathryn."

The couple shared a gentle kiss before Kathryn stepped back and around her desk.

Seven, seeing the shift in the other woman, nodded once and sat in front of the desk waiting for her captain to begin the discussion.

"Seven, I asked you to come here because I wanted to personally inform you that the doctor is already working on a different tactic to help Chakotay recover from whatever is wrong with his mind right now. You will no longer be asked to go to the holodeck alone with him, nor will anyone else. Healing Chakotay is still a priority but it will not take precedence over the health of any other crew member."

"Thank you, Captain. I appreciate that. If there is anything I can do to help the doctor, you will let me know?"

"I will, however, you don't have to."

"Understood."

They looked at each other for a moment before Janeway furrowed her brow a bit and questioned the other woman, "what?"

"I am unsure, Kathryn. What 'what'?"

"You're thinking something. I can tell. What is it?"

"I think perhaps the human idiom 'curiosity killed the cat' might be apt in this moment."

Laughing out loud, Kathryn walked back over to her lover and grasped her hands. "Come sit with me a moment."

The women made their way to the upper level of the ready room and sank into the couch together.

"Okay, spill it. What curiosity is going to kill which cat?"

"I am curious as to what Chakotay had programmed into the holodeck next. He has obviously spent a lot of time setting up these scenarios and I wonder what he was planning on showing me last night."

"Oh, darling, I don't know. What if it's terrible?"

"I know it is a falsehood."

Taking a deep breath, Kathryn sighed and offered a compromise, "I don't really want you to go in there but will you allow me to go with you?"

"I would deeply appreciate that, Kathryn."

Cupping the blonde's cheek, Kathryn pressed a strong kiss to Seven's lips.
"It's settled then, we can go tonight. Let's do it after dinner, okay?"

Seven agreed and the couple stood from the couch. It was time to get back to work. Kathryn to her station on the bridge, leading her crew on home. Seven to her station in Astrometrics, finding a way to shorten the journey.

That evening, the women had a quiet, romantic dinner in their shared quarters. They kissed and held one another's gaze throughout the meal. They finished and cleaned up together in synchronicity.

"Seven, darling. Before we go, I need to know if he showed you anything worse. Did he make up something more terrible than me putting you into this statis mode nonsense? I just need some warning for what we're about to see."

Seven hugged the shorter woman to her chest before answering, "Kathryn, he did create worse scenarios than that one, or, I should say, different scenarios."

"How different?"

"He attempted to test my resolve by showing me scenarios that increasingly demonstrated your lack of care for me. Recently, these scenarios have been examples of your distaste for me and your distrust of me. Last night's scenario was the most emotionally painful scenario yet. It was a fictional recreation of the night we celebrated Keir and Giala'Oir and their offspring. Though I know, without a doubt, that Chakotay's representation of the evening was not accurate, it was still painful for me to experience."

Kathryn answered gravely, "I know it was, my love. Please tell me what was said. Please tell me what he showed you."

"Then we will go to the holodeck?"

"Yes, Seven, then we will go to the holodeck."

As Seven breathed deeply to calm herself before sharing the upsetting scene, Kathryn stepped forward and wrapped her arms tightly around her lover's waist. She nestled her head into the crook of Seven's neck and waited to hear what had made Seven so upset.

"While we were all gathered in the mess hall, including Chakotay, you stood to give a speech about the Sara'vai and how peaceful they were. You spoke of how the had been wronged so badly in the past, how the Borg had ruined their culture and their home world. You asked me to stand up with you. I watched that moment, thinking you were going to speak of redemption and the power of our humanity to overcome great obstacles both within and without. Instead, as I stepped near you, you put my body into stasis mode. You continued your dialogue about the Borg being the enemy and said that you would be giving them the secret to Borg control so they could fight back on their own. Then you beckoned Lieutenant Torres to your side. She stepped up and grasped your hand. You announced that the two of you had been having a relationship for quite some time and felt it was important to let the crew know. The real crew. You said it was unimportant for me to know and that I would continue to perform better if no one spoke about your relationship to me. Then you kissed B'Elanna and the two of you vacated the mess hall, followed shortly by the rest of the crew, until I was left there alone. In the dark. For the rest of the night."

"Seven," Kathryn began, "Seven, I would never. That's not - I wouldn't - I don't even know how to react."

Stepping away from Kathryn, Seven had to breathe deeply before she could continue. "I know, Kathryn. I know that is not true. I know you would never be so nefarious as to pretend to be in a relationship with one woman while actually in a relationship with another. It is simply not who you are. It was, still, however, painful to see myself spend the whole night in the darkened Mess Hall alone. As you know, the loss of the Collective mind was one of the most difficult trials for me to move beyond when I joined this crew. Even though I know it did not happened that way, it was still so emotionally challenging to imagine myself alone and frozen all night in the dark."

Kathryn had no response other than to pull her lover as near as possible, wrapping her arms around Seven's body tightly.

"My darling, you will never experience that. I would never hurt you that way. I love you, Seven. I love you more than I can even say."

The taller woman buried her face in her lover's hair, she inhaled deeply to control her breathing and fought to keep tears from falling.

Long minutes later the two shared another sweet kiss. They silently stepped back from one another and turned together to the door. It took them a surprisingly long time to make their way to the holodeck as they were often stopped by happy, smiling crew members in the corridors. People inquired about them, wished them well, told Seven she looked better than she had recently. It was a healing trip.

Seven input the required information on the holodeck computer and instructed the program to begin before they entered.

As they stood outside the holodeck doors, Kathryn - heedless of who might walk by - reached out and grasped Seven's hands. "Seven of Nine, Annika Hansen, before we run this program I want to remind you once more that I love you. I want you to know that I would never treat you the way Chakotay has portrayed this to you. I respect you and I care about you. Your wellbeing, your happiness, and your love have become three of the most important things in my life. Whatever lies lay beyond those doors, have no bearing on our relationship. Whatever Chakotay has invented to torture you with next is not indicative of how we feel about one another. I love you. I am in love with you. There is no one else for me, Seven. There never will be."

Seven of Nine for her part felt overcome by her emotions. She had never expected Kathryn to love her back. She had never expected the fiery, strong, stubborn Captain to admit any of what she had just shared.

"Kathryn, I no longer feel the need to see this program. This holds no interest for me. I would rather simply spend time with you. I love you, too. There will never be anyone else for me, either."

Had they entered the holodeck, they would have seen a very different simulation than those Seven had been subjected to. It was a calm, romantic evening between Chakotay and the former drone. Thankfully, it was deleted from Voyager's database as part of Chakotay's treatment program.

As the following days turned into weeks, Voyager resumed her normal rhythm. The Doctor, B'Elanna, and Harry programmed a counseling matrix into the holodeck that was, at first, only available for Chakotay. When they quickly realized how much a ship's counselor was needed, the matrix was opened for everyone's use. They allowed the six separate counselors they had programmed to schedule appointments with different crew members based on their needs and customs.

Voyager seemed healthier than she had since being trapped in the Delta Quadrant.

Two months later, Chakotay had resumed duty shifts alongside Captain Janeway. He had not yet been afforded unrestricted access to the ship or the computer but he was well on his way to reinstatement.

"Commander," Janeway spoke quietly to the man in the chair next to her.

"Yes, Captain?"

"Would you join me in my Ready Room for a moment?"

At Chakotay's nod, Janeway stood and led the way. Once in her Ready Room, she led Chakotay to the upper level.

"Coffee?"

"Just a water would be fine, thanks. I'm trying to avoid any stimulants or depressants. Even synthetic ones."

Janeway smiled in support and sat in the chair near where Chakotay was seated.

"I just wanted to touch base with you about how you're doing. You seem to have really worked through what was going on."

"I think I'm doing much better. The program they set up in the holodeck, the counseling program is amazing. I really felt like they were guiding me but I was doing the work to help myself get better. It also helped that the crew allowed me the opportunity to use the holodeck whenever I needed it." Chakotay looked away, appearing mildly uncomfortable.

"What is it?" Janeway hoped he was going to say what she wanted to hear.

"I just, can we speak off the record here? As friends? Or, I'm sorry, as people who used to be friends?"

"Yes, Chakotay, we can. What is it?"

"Kathryn, I need to apologize to you. I also need to apologize to Seven of Nine but I want to do it on her terms. I don't want to force anything. I, uh, I'm so very sorry for my erratic and frightening behavior. I'm sorry, truly sorry, that I ever put my hands on you. I respect you Kathryn. I respect the job you do with our crew and how hard you work to keep us together, both physically and emotionally. I'm sorry I allowed myself to get so out of control and never asked for help."

"Thank you, Chakotay," Kathryn reached out and placed her hand over his. "I'm so happy that you're doing so well. Listen, I asked you here for a reason. Um, Seven was wondering, well we both were, that is, would you like to join us for dinner?"

After a brief pause, Chakotay smiled tearfully, "I would really appreciate that. I promise Kathryn, I'm okay now."

"I trust that you are. I wouldn't allow you to be on the Bridge if you couldn't be trusted and I would certainly not seek you out for dinner with my partner, " Kathryn smiled gently and nodded, "it's okay, Chakotay. Have a simple dinner with us at Sandrine's. I think it'll help a lot with the comfort of the crew and it'll make Seven feel better, too."

"Thank you. Tonight?"

"Yes. Tonight, Holodeck one, 1900 hours."

Standing with a bright smile on his face, Chakotay hugged Kathryn and thanked her again. He was looking forward to dinner with the couple.

Later that night, the three met outside the holodeck. Before Chakotay had a chance to apologize, Kathryn ushered them in to a table. The holodeck was closed to the rest of the crew until 2000 hours to give Seven and Chakotay a chance to talk in peace with Kathryn there to make sure Seven stayed safe and unharmed.

Seven, as Kathryn expected, accepted Chakotay's apology. She was never one to hang on to anger.

When the holodeck opened to the crew an hour later, Kathryn and Chakotay were laughing hysterically as they relayed an old story to Seven who was smiling along with them, her hand carelessly resting on Kathryn's thigh beneath the table.

B'Elanna, Harry, and Tom were the first to arrive, heading to the bar for a drink.

Before the night was out, most of the Alpha and Beta shift crew members had come by the holodeck.

As the time neared 2300, Seven carefully wrapped her arm around Kathryn's shoulder at the bar. When her lover turned into her body to return the embrace, Seven smiled and looked into Kathryn's eyes.

"Ready to go, love?" The shorter woman asked.

"I am. Are you?"

"I'm ready to be wherever you are so, if you're leaving, so am I," Kathryn said, smiling.

"Ugh, you two are sickeningly sweet," B'Elanna teased.

"They can't help it," Neelix interjected, "they're in love."

"That we are, Neelix, that we are," the captain answered rising to leave with Seven.

As they exited the holodeck, the couple exchanged a sweet look before Kathryn rested her head on her lover's shoulder. They made their way to their quarters, arms around each other, both lost in thought.

Upon arrival, they quietly went about their nightly routines. Climbing into bed together, Kathryn instructed the computer to dim the lights and laid down with her head on Seven's shoulder for a brief moment.

"Computer, lights up to forty percent," Kathryn said pushing herself up onto her elbow.

"What is it, Kathryn?"

"I should probably have thought this through and gotten you a ring first but, Seven of NIne, Annika Hansen, love of my life and keeper of my heart…"

After a pause, Seven spoke, "yes?"

"Would you do me the incredible honor of marrying me? Be my partner in everything we do from this point on? Love me, care for me, trust me, and allow me to do all of those things for you? We live together, I know. And we love one another already but I want to make it legally binding. I want to announce it to everyone. I want the universe to know we are going to be together forever. If that's okay with you," Kathryn finished quietly.

When Seven didn't answer immediately, Kathryn got nervous. She hadn't met her lover's eyes yet, afraid she would see the no gathering there. The captain felt a hand on her chin, gently lifting her face to Seven's. They kissed then. A gentle, soft meeting of lips where Kathryn could taste the tears on Seven's lips.

"Yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes. As soon as possible."

They made love that night. For hours. It was the deepest, sweetest, most intense moment they had ever shared and was unsurpassed until their wedding night some weeks later.

And...they lived happily…

Thank you...thank you for sticking by me through 23 intense chapters that took far too long to complete. I love Kathryn and Seven. Though this story has ended, I'm not done with these two just yet. I am, however, going to finish some other pieces first.

I hope you enjoyed this - I did.

Mwah!