STAR TREK: VOYAGER
An Original Voyager Story
Ó2007 by Patricia L.
Givens
August 2007
Disclaimer # 1: Many of the characters used in this story have been borrowed
from the existing Trek universe. I mean
them no harm and promise to return them intact (more or less) as soon as I am
done. No gain, monetary or otherwise, is
expected from their use.
Disclaimer #2: All original characters and storylines contained herein
belong to me. (Like anyone else would
claim them!) This story may be archived
by those so inclined as long as permission is obtained before hand, and the
story remains entirely intact.
Disclaimer #3: This story depicts a romantic relationship between two
consenting females. Some scenes may be
graphic, but lovingly so. If you are
under the age of 18, either stop reading this now or find a good place to hide
it! I don't want to hear from your
mother! If this sort of thing is illegal
where you live, try looking on the bright side.
At least stupidity isn't contagious.
Who To Blame: The
idea for this story came to me while watching the movie Imagine Me & You. It
sparked my imagination and made me do some research on the net. If you have not seen it, I recommend it
wholeheartedly.
This is my first
attempt to write a story that doesn’t turn into a 150 page epic. It’s something I haven’t ever been able to do
before so bear with me, I am going to have to condense some things and assume
that the reader already knows a lot about Star Trek: Voyager. Of course, why would you be reading this if
you didn’t?
Thanks to Andrea,
Shaun and Ky, my beta
readers for laughing with me instead of at me.
And thanks to all the wonderful bards out there who continue to expand
the Trek universe, even though the original journeys have come to an end.
To all that makes us
Unique!
DAx =/\= The Occasional Bard
There
is a flower that bees prefer,
And butterflies desire;
To gain the purple democrat
The humming-birds aspire.
-Emily
Dickinson
Captain
Kathryn Janeway of the U.S.S. Voyager strode quickly through the corridors of
her ship, heading for the bridge. As she
passed her crewmen, she nodded and smiled, receiving their respectful greetings
with grace.
It had been
six long years since Voyager had been transported to the Delta Quadrant by the
Caretakers array and while she and her crew had managed to shave the seventy
year journey down quite a bit, they were still several decades from getting
home, a fact that weighed heavily on her heart and mind. She had stranded them here to ensure the
safety of the Ocampa people and while she knew she
had done the right thing, it still didn’t make the journey any easier.
They had
experienced a few bright spots along the way.
They had found a communications array that had allowed them to send and
receive messages from Earth, making the trip seem a bit more bearable. Even if one particular message she had
received from her fiancé had caused her quite a bit of anguish.
He had
given up, moved on with his life. She
couldn’t blame him. For nearly five
years Starfleet had been operating under the assumption that they were all dead. She wished Mark well with his new wife, but
wondered where she would find solace of her own. Even if there weren’t specific protocols that
forbade her from becoming involved with a member of her crew, there was still
the question that lingered in the back of her mind.
Who would
want to be involved with the Captain?
Most of her
people treated her with affection and respect, but nothing more. Her feelings towards Chakotay,
while pleasant in their infancy, had quickly turned towards friendship, albeit
a close one.
The only
truly intimate relationship she had was with Seven of Nine, her former Borg Astrometrics officer.
She had severed her from the collective during a short truce she had
arranged with them to combat Species 8472.
She found the young woman intriguing and more than a little attractive,
but she knew Seven merely looked to her for guidance
and friendship, no matter how close they had become.
“No, Katie,” She sighed to herself.
“Apparently this is a journey you are meant to make alone.”
Reaching
the bridge, she smiled at her First Officer as he stood and offered her the
Captain’s chair.
“Status?”
Chakotay
returned the smile. “All systems are
operating at peak efficiency and we are maintaining a course for the Alpha
Quadrant.”
“Thank you,
Commander. You still have the
bridge. I’ll be in my ready room.”
She
replicated herself a cup of coffee and sat down. That was when she noticed it.
Sitting on
her desk was a flower. A lovely yellow
daffodil, its stem wrapped around a twig of thick leafed foliage.
Smiling in
confusion, she picked it up and breathed in its scent.
“Janeway to Chakotay.”
“Yes, Captain?”
“Was there anyone in my ready room
this morning?”
“Not that I’m aware of,
Captain. Is there something wrong?”
“No.
Everything’s fine. Thank
you. Janeway out.”
Holding the
flower gently, she replicated a vase with water and positioned it on her desk
where she could see it throughout the day.
Settling into her chair, she started going over personnel reports.
The next
morning she made her usual rounds before once again heading for the
bridge. As there was nothing unusual to
report, she retired to her ready room where, once again, she found a flower
laying on her desk. This one was a pink
camellia. Adding it to the vase, she
found herself drawn to it throughout the day, wondering who was taking the time
to leave her such a lovely surprise.
This
continued for a week. Every morning she
would find a different flower. A red
rose, a white violet, a red tulip, an orchid, a gardenia, and then, finally, a
stargazer lily.
She had to
replicate a larger vase to hold them all and their scent lingered in the air,
making her heart ache in a way she barely remembered.
Finally,
she could not control her curiosity any longer.
Calling her First Officer into her ready room she looked at him
expectantly.
“You wanted
to see me, Captain?” Chakotay
noticed the flowers on the desk and smiled.
“Those are beautiful. Is Neelix growing new strains in the hydroponics bay?”
Janeway
eyed him keenly. “Are you saying this
isn’t your doing?”
“Me?” He shook his head. “No, they’re not from me.” He started to laugh softly. “You have a secret admirer, Kathryn.”
“Don’t be
absurd.” She waived her hand as though
to clear that thought from the air between them. “I’m sure someone is just trying to brighten
my day.”
“Really?” He touched the petals of a rose gently. “Do you know anything about flowers?”
“What’s to
know? They look pretty and they smell
nice.”
Chakotay
laughed. “So I assume that you are
unaware that each flower has a different meaning. I thought you would have known that
considering how much time you spent with Bootheby at
the Academy.”
“I must be
a little rusty. Why don’t you tell me
what they mean?”
“Well,” He
pointed at each flower. “That’s a
daffodil, it means unrequited love, the greenery it’s wrapped in is acacia
leaves, they symbolize concealed love. The red rose… well I think you know what that
one means. The tulip means ‘Believe me’,
the white violet is a request to take a chance, the
orchid symbolizes love, beauty and refinement, the gardenia… a secret love.”
Janeway was
astonished. “You can’t be serious!”
“I’m just
telling you what they signify, Kathryn.
Flowers can convey a lot of things that someone may be reluctant to put
into words.”
She stared
down at the vase. “What about the lily?”
Her First
Officer smiled broadly. “The lily
means…’I dare you to love me’. It seems
someone is aware that you like a challenge.”
“I don’t
understand. Who would do something like
this? And who would be able to get the
flowers in here without anyone noticing?”
“I have no
idea. But it’s not as if your ready room
is off limits when you aren’t in it. Why
don’t you check the sensor logs and see who’s been visiting during the gamma
shift?”
Janeway
hesitated.
“Nervous?” He winked at her. “Afraid you might find out who it is?”
The Captain
straightened and accessed the padd on her desk. After a few moments she paled visibly.
“Are you
all right?” He started to reach for the padd but she put her hand on it, turning it away from
him. “I take it that it was someone
unexpected.”
She
swallowed, trying to moisten her suddenly dry throat. “That would be an understatement. Thank you for your help. I’ll take it from here.”
“Aye,
Captain.” He winked at her before he
turned to go. “Good luck.”
Janeway sat
at her desk, a look of wonder on her face as she studied the bouquet for nearly
an hour. Finally, she grabbed the vase
and left, ignoring Chakotay’s knowing smile and her bridge crews questioning glances as
she headed for the turbolift.
She felt
her heart thud painfully in her chest as she neared her destination. Taking a deep breath, she keyed the door and
walked into Astrometrics.
Seven of Nine stood at her console.
She did not turn when the Captain entered but her hands stopped moving
and her back straightened noticeably.
“Captain,” She said coolly. “Is
there something you require?”
Janeway
walked around her and placed the vase between them. For a moment, she could swear she saw a light
blush creep into those alabaster cheeks.
“Seven,”
She said gently. “Can you explain this?”
The Borg
looked down at the blooms. “They are
flowers, Captain.”
“I know they’re flowers, Seven. And I know you’re the one who has been
leaving them in my ready room. What I
want to know is why.”
“I would
think that would be apparent, Captain.”
The younger woman replied softly.
“Do you like them?”
“Yes, I
do. I think they’re beautiful.” She placed her hand on Seven’s arm. “Are you aware of what they mean?”
“Of course. I researched each species quite thoroughly.”
“And why
did you leave them for me?” Janeway held
her breath, not sure how she would react to whatever her Astrometrics
officer might say.
Seven
turned to face her and the Captain could see the love and adoration in her
eyes, wondering how she had managed to miss it up till now. “Because I did not know any
other way to show you how I feel.
I considered addressing the situation with you directly, but the risk of
seeing disappointment in your eyes was one I could not bear. I chose to send you the blossoms instead,
knowing you would be able to discern who they came from. That way, if you did not return my affection,
you could simply not respond.”
“I
see.” She swallowed. “What kind of response were you hoping for?”
The young
woman reached out and gently cupped her chin, using her fingertips to draw the
Captain lips to hers in an achingly tender kiss. She felt the older woman’s fingers at the
back of her neck as the kiss deepened.
When they parted, she wrapped her arms around her love and held her
close, feeling Kathryn melt into the embrace.
“Acceptable.”