Humming by Kazz

Disclaimer: Paramount own all things Voyager

I should be working, but I'm not, I'm sitting here daydreaming and watching her.

Why am I watching my captain; it's not that she's stressed, nor is she ill, and thankfully we're under no threat, then why am I watching Kathryn? Simple I enjoy looking at her.

It's been 3 hours now, since we entered the ready room, to start work on the crew assessments. Kathryn has been looking forward to doing these, and so have I, it's a chance for us both to say, "Thank you" to the crew. Our crew.

There was a time, when neither of us could have dreamed we'd ever say that, and mean it. Our crew.

When did the crews merge into one, I'm not sure anyone knows; there are no log entries, or memorable events pinpointing the date. Somewhere along the way, it just happened.

The mishmash of races, cultures, ideas, people and most definitely a hologram, that all go to make up the crew of Voyager, came together like pieces of a jigsaw. Each becoming stronger when joined to the other.

Why then you may ask, am I sitting here watching Kathryn and daydreaming. The answer though is simple, it's because she is humming. Kathryn rarely hums, in fact although she loves singing and music, one of her main regrets is she can't play a musical instrument. But humming is like singing and I haven't heard her do either, not, not since New Earth.

Spirits, just thinking of our time there brings back mixed memories, we hardly knew each other then, sometimes I wonder what would happen if we knew then what we know now, that soon she'd have no safety net. No Mark. Would we have acted differently, would we have crossed the barrier?

Maybe hindsight would not have been a good thing, if we'd changed our history back then, would we be here now. Damn, no wonder she hates time anomalies.

Kathryn was so relaxed on New Earth, almost the start of our journey. Before the Borg, Hirogen, species 8472, and the Equinox, were part of our daily vocabulary. Before Kathryn was tired, a time when she used to hum. When I stop and look back, I can see we've both had our share of tough times, and yet I wouldn't have missed sharing this journey with her for anything.

She's still humming. Smiling I watch Kathryn Janeway, sitting at the opposite end of the sofa, bare feet tucked under her; she kicked her boots off about an hour ago. Elbow resting on the arm of the sofa, and her head on her hand, taking sips from the ever-present cup of coffee, and reading from a PADD that's resting on her lap. She is beautiful.

Has she ever realised how much this crew needs her. I doubt it, she thinks she's expendable, but she's not. The Captain is the heart and soul of a ship and the crew knows it, even if she doesn't. I think the closest she's ever got to understanding, is when they refused to leave her behind in the Void. It baffled her but touched her deeply.

From the moment we entered an empty cargo bay, when no one choose to stay with the 37's, I remember seeing the look on her face, and the tears in her eyes. My instinct told me we were right to stay with her, and maybe that's when the two crews merged. I knew then this crew would never be separated, although many times since then, we have been divided.

I felt I could trust Captain Janeway from the minute I saw her on the view screen, I gave my ship to save hers. I trusted her then on instinct, and I trust her now from experience.

That was long before I ever meet Kathryn.

I continue watching her, as she puts down the PADD; the empty cup joins the others on the table to her left. She has to stop drinking so much coffee. Kathryn straightens her legs and stretches her arms above her head, as she flexes her toes, stifling a yawn as she speaks.

"Chakotay I'm hungry, join me for dinner?"

Standing I move to the place I always want to be, by her side, she smiles up at me as she bends to pull on her boots, and I hold out my hands, reaching hers out, she takes mine and I pull her to her feet. She's close to me now and I can smell her scent. Kathryn is so small even in her boots, as she glances up at me she winks. And my heart soars.

Glad I'll be able to watch her for the rest of our days. Because we finally got home. Kathryn and I along with the other senior officers aboard Voyager are just waiting for the final debriefing by Starfleet. Then we can go home.

And the first thing we'll do, Kathryn and I, is to continue our honeymoon with a moonlight sail, on the real Lake George. I may even bring her a rose.

I smile as my wife raises her hand touching my chest, and then she follows the action through as I always dreamt she would one day, by standing on her tiptoes and kissing me on the lips.

The End