Title: Direct Approach
Author: Ky (venom69)
Fandom: Star Trek: Voyager
Rating: ADULT
Summary: She was going to vomit all over him if he wasn't careful.
Character/Pairing: Janeway/Chakotay
Spoilers: None… the show’s ended!
Warnings: None, really.
Prompt Number for fic101: 23 - Piece
Author’s Notes: Song belongs to Jessica Simpson. Yes, really. Written at the request of Gabby. *hugs* hope you like it darl.
Disclaimer: Usual guff. Not mine, promise to put them back where I found them.
Date: 13/01/07

***

I know that I’m supposed to make him wait
Let him think I like the chase
But I can’t stop fanning the fire.
I know I meant to say no…

***

For a while, she actually managed to convince herself that she hated him.

Kathryn knew that it wasn't how she really felt, but it made the hurt easier to deal with. It made the betrayal easier to understand and it had made the bitter taste in her mouth easier to push aside when she had smiled and said that she hoped he would be happy with her.

Her.

Kathryn sighed into her coffee and wished, not for the first time, that the knot in her stomach was something more than a displeasing mixture of jealousy and self-pity.

She really was happy for him - and she was planning to keep telling herself that until she actually believed it - but she was having an extremely hard time not calling him and asking him exactly what the hell was he thinking?

OK, so she knew what he was thinking - the crewman that had nicknamed her '2 of 38D' had been spot on, really - but she just didn't understand where the attraction was, beyond the body.

They had nothing in common and no shared interests - She didn't even know that he was a vegetarian - what the hell did they talk about? Or maybe they didn't talk. Maybe it was purely a physical thing.

That thought made the black beverage in her hand suddenly unappealing.

I know it's bad when they're turning me off coffee.

She hadn't seen either of them in three months and the fact that, here she was, sitting alone in her apartment thinking about their relationship just depressed her further.

As the Hero Captain of the returned and incredibly famous Lost Ship, she should have been out living life to the fullest and appreciating each day as a chance to do something she'd never done before.

When they'd just burst through the exploding sphere and been in Earth's orbit, Kathryn had looked down at her home world, marveling at the beauty and decided that she was finally going to go out and explore all of the places that she'd put off as 'another day' adventures.

Europe, Australia, Brazil... she would soon have the time on her hands, why not?

She could explore her planet and then she could explore her galaxy in a way that she'd never done before - with eyes that weren't clouded with naivety or tainted with bitterness.

Being on Voyager for so long - with the same people and the same sights day in and day out - had given her, them, a new appreciation for other things.

Out there, every new planet, new ship - with the exception of the hostile ones, of course - and every new alien race had been foreign and fascinating, a welcome break from the monotony that their lives could have been.

And, yes, there had been days and weeks when they'd all been bored out of their skulls and desperate for something, anything, to distract them - even the hostile aliens were welcomed, in a strange sort of way, when they were really desperate - but in the end, those lulls in activity had probably been what had banded them together as a community. They'd been a family. She'd been the mom of one hundred and fifty people and the dad had been... She didn't let herself finish that thought.

Thinking about Voyager only lowered her spirits and pushed her anger levels up further, so Kathryn took another sip of her coffee and sighed again.

Despite all of her big exciting plans for the future - which, admittedly, had been 'planned' at a time when she was highly emotional and not really thinking straight - she had spent almost all of her time home sitting in this very apartment with the 'welcome home' pup that her niece had given her, watching the world and her life go by.

Part of her was spending her days trying to figure out exactly where she'd gone so wrong that Chakotay had thought to take up with another blonde without telling her until he had to. Part of her was making a mental list of 101 ways that they should both be euthanized.

Kathryn was almost afraid of which part of her would win.

After the debriefings - which had been mercifully short - she had left Starfleet Headquarters, spent a few weeks with her mother and then found this apartment in the city, buying it on the spot with the impressive amount of back/hazard pay that they'd all received.

She had several months worth of leave ahead of her and Kathryn knew that one day soon, she was going to have to start work on her 'See Earth' plan or she was going to end up sitting on her comfortable new sofa; old, bitter and alone with only her little pup for company.

Just like the Admiral.

Now there's a cheerful though.

The chime that rang out from the general direction of her front door didn't surprise her - mother and Phoebe had taken it upon themselves to check on her daily - but who was at the threshold did.

Chakotay smiled warmly in greeting. "Hello."

Kathryn stared at him for a few moments, her eyes running the length of his body as she searched for any changes in him.

He didn't have Borg implants popping out of is skin, so she could scrub the "it's not my fault, I've been assimilated!" excuse off her list of potential defenses.

Eventually, her staring and his silence went from being excusable under the guise of shock, to downright uncomfortable.

"Hi," She finally managed, raising her half-full mug.

"May I come in?"

"Oh, sure." She stepped back, allowing him entrance. "The place is a bit of a mess."

"I find that hard to believe."

He was right; she didn't really do anything to produce mess.

The only thing out of place in her living room was an empty coffee cup, the PADD that she'd been using to compile her final report and the dent in the fabric of her sofa from where she'd been sitting for most of the morning.

"How are you, Kathryn?"

"Oh, good," She nodded, gesturing to one of her empty arm chairs. "Take a seat, I'll get you some tea."

While she programmed his order into the replicator, she gave herself a quick once-over in the mirror and decided that the black slacks and soft blue sweater were appropriate and without any food or dog stains that she should be concerned about.

Carrying his tea and a fresh coffee for herself - though she probably didn't need any more of a buzz right now - back to the sofa, she passed him the cup with a small smile before she sat down. "How have you been?"

"Well."

"Been busy?" She fired the question at him as soon as his response had been out, hoping to avoid him reciprocating and asking how she had been.

How had she been? Kathryn wasn't sure anymore.

He nodded. "Somewhat. It's certainly nice to be home, though."

"Yes, it is." She bit at the inside of her cheek, wondering what kind of small talk you were supposed to make when the person you were in love with was sitting across from you, drinking your tea and smiling at you like he didn't have a stunning blonde half his age to go home to. "Have you had a chance to see your sister?"

Chakotay nodded. "I spent several weeks with her as well as a few cousins I hadn't seen for years. What about you?"

Crap. "Fine." She smiled and nodded.

"Good." Chakotay nodded as well. "Now, how have you really been?"

"Why are you here?" Kathryn had been hoping to be a little more subtle than that, but she reasoned with herself that desperate times called for desperate measures.

"I'm here because I'm in love with you." Chakotay didn't miss a beat. He kept eye contact with her and said it as though he was telling her that he was wearing brown pants today.

She blinked. "That was blunt."

"Seven said I should take the direct approach. You know Borg logic." He was smiling, trying to defuse a potentially tense situation.

"Seven said?" She was going to vomit all over him if he wasn't careful.

"She’s the reason I'm here."

Got dumped? She managed to hold her tongue and simply quirked an eyebrow at him in question. Be nice, damnit! "How so?" Nice save, Kathryn.

"Seven and I were dating."

Knew that. You told me, dumbass. She nodded.

"About a month after we got back, Seven told me that we should both stop wasting our time and that I should come and see you and do what I should have done the day we got back to Earth."

"And that is?"

"Tell you that I'm in love with you and hope that you feel the same."

She wanted to tell him that he was an ass and he didn't deserve to be anywhere near her.

She wanted to tell him that he should go out and find another blonde to drape over his arm so he could continue with the 'pathetic' look.

She wanted to tell him that she's been in love with him for a very long time and it was very relieving to hear him say it.

Instead, she said, "Oh."

"I know, it's a lot to take in."

"No... not really."

"Not really?"

Kathryn shrugged. "You haven't really hid it all that well."

"I suppose you're right." Chakotay laughed a little. "So..."

"So?"

He put the cup of tea on the coffee table. "I should go and let you think about it."

"You don't have to do that."

"I don't?" She shook her head. "You don't want time to think about what I said?"

"Not really." Kathryn knows that if she thinks about it she will talk herself out of actually replying in the positive.

She wasn't ready to say, well, that to him yet - even though it was true - but if she had enough time alone then whatever her eventual response turned out to be, it was going to involve one word starting with 'f' and a second word of 'off.'

"So what now then?"

She shrugged. "I don't know."

"Would you like to have dinner tonight?"

Now that was a question that she could handle responding to. "Yes."

***

Kathryn glared at her closet.

She shouldn't be this nervous.

It would be fine and as long as she didn't give him a piece of the angry side of her mind. The night would be everything she'd hoped for.

Despite reminding herself - several times - that he had been her friend for years and having dinner with him was hardly a step out of the norm, she was still nervous. Every time she managed to calm her jittering nerves down, her brain would spit the word 'date' out and she'd be back to square one.

Nervous and undecided on her closet.

She hadn't even been game enough to drink anymore coffee.

Sighing, she activated her bedroom monitor and put a call through to her mother.

The older woman answered immediately, a pleasant smile on her face. "Hi Honey."

"I don't know what to wear!"

"What?"

Kathryn sighed as she continued to rummage through her closet, looking for something half descent to wear.

She may have been stuck in the Delta Quadrant for seven years and she may only have been home for a few months but she was still a woman and she had been shopping for non-Starfleet clothes. A lot. Too much, apparently. "I have nothing to wear."

"When?"

"When?" She repeated, her voice taking on a slightly shrill tone that she was a little too familiar with. "Tonight!"

"What's tonight?" Gretchen's face was clouded in confusion but Kathryn missed it as she threw another inappropriate sweater over her shoulder in the general direction of the growing pile on her bed.

"My date. God, it's a date."

"Kathryn!"

She turned from the closet and glared at the screen across the room. "Mom?"

"Come here."

Walking forward, Kathryn sat at the chair in front of her screen, sighing heavily. "Mom?" She repeated.

"Now, tell me what's going on tonight."

"I have a date. And nothing to wear."

"You have a date?"

Kathryn frowned. "Don't look so surprised!"

"Well, honey, you have been moping around for the last three months. It's been murder just trying to get you to go out at all, let alone a date. I'm just surprised." Gretchen shrugged.

"I know. And I wasn't planning on this happening. But Chakotay came over and said that he loved me and then next thing I knew, we agreed to have dinner."

"You have a date."

"Yes, mom."

"With Chakotay?"

Kathryn rolled her eyes. "Yes, mom."

"Honey, why aren't you excited?"

"I am. Really. But I have nothing to wear."

"Now this I can help with." Gretchen grinned. "Show me that black dress you have hanging up on the closet door."

***

By the time she - her mother - had found something that Kathryn deemed acceptable wear for a first date, he had been at the door.

The red roses that he presented with were stereotypical and tacky. Completely over the top for first date material.

She loved them.

Sap! She'd scolded herself as she'd put them in water. But the chances of the smile leaving her face were looking smaller and smaller with everything that he said.

Chakotay had complimented her outfit - and she really was planning to shoot him if he didn't, after all of the drama - and then he'd kissed her cheek in greeting before offering her a choice of three reservations he'd made.

"I wasn't sure what you felt like." He'd explained with a nervous shrug.

In the end, they found themselves sitting in a small restaurant near her apartment. It was rustic looking; apparently it had been there for hundreds of years and the modifications had been few and far between.

Perfect.

They had sat down to dinner, napkins on their lap's and menus in their hands.

Kathryn had realized in about three seconds that their night was destined to be a disaster if they didn't get the issue of a certain blonde out of the way first.

"Chakotay, can we talk?"

He had nodded, closing his menu and looked at her intently, waiting. "Of course."

"Why Seven?" Kathryn could say one thing for herself; She didn't beat around the bush.

"I'm sorry?"

"Of all the women on Voyager that wanted to spend time with you," And men, too her mind added, but she had kept that thought to herself. "Why Seven?"

Chakotay had shrugged. "She asked."

"Directly, I assume."

Nodding, he'd looked embarrassed and Kathryn had wished that she hadn't been glad that he was uncomfortable. "She asked me to have lunch with her. And then dinner. It just... happened."

"And the scene in my Ready Room?"

He'd come to see her when they had docked. He'd told her coldly and efficiently that he and Seven were dating and they were planning to see where it took them once on Earth and away from the prying eyes of a very small community of shipmates.

Kathryn had nodded and tried to smile - well, she'd tried to keep the grimace off her face more than smile - and wished him well, telling him that she hoped they were very happy together.

When he'd nodded his thanks and left, she had thrown a vase at the closed door and called him all sorts of names that her mother would disapprove of.

"Was a very large mistake. I shouldn't have done that."

"Shouldn't have told me?" Go on, keep digging your own grave.

"No, that's not what I meant at all. I shouldn't have agreed to leave the Ship with her." Chakotay could obviously still read her as well as he could on Voyager.

Kathryn had wondered if he could read the murderous thoughts for what they were as they fluttered through her mind. "Why did you then?"

"She asked."

"Are you that easy? All they have to do is ask and away you go?" She had snapped back automatically.

When she considered how many times she had held her tongue about his relationship with Seven while they were still on Voyager - and all of the times over the past months that she had refrained from calling him and telling him what a twat he was being - Kathryn thought it fair that she got at least one or two shots in.

She loved him, no question about that, but he hurt her and he didn't get to waltz back into her life and pretend that dinner and a few drinks would solve everything.

Chakotay had appeared content to ignore her minor outburst. "I love you."

Damnit, she was such a sucker.

***

Beyond their brief but painful conversation about Seven, they had made it through the appetizers and pre-dinner drinks without too much of a hiccup - she had made a mental note not to mention any blondes again until at least dessert - but then the main course had arrived and Kathryn had found herself staring at her plate of food without a word to say to him.

She had asked him about his family - again. She sucked at small talk - and his plans for the future. She'd asked him about the progress of his final report for Starfleet and what he'd been doing with himself since she'd seen him last.

In turn, he'd asked about her mother and sister - she never did give him an answer when he'd come over earlier in the day - and he'd asked about her own report as well as her re-decoration plans for the apartment.

She'd brushed over an answer to his question about what she was going to do next - and she managed to lie convincingly to herself that what she did next didn't hinge at all on how tonight went - and simply muttered something about taking each day as it comes.

That had all been discussed before she'd finished her shrimp cocktail and Kathryn hadn't been able to formulate an intelligent sentence to save herself.

On the bright side, he appeared to be suffering from the same problem and they'd sat in silence for a good ten minutes, eating their food and making eye contact briefly before hurriedly looking away.

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore.

"Is it just me," She had asked, circling her index finger around the rim of her wine glass. "Or is this awkward as hell for you too?"

Chakotay had smiled and the relief had been obvious. "Not just you."

"We've had dinner loads of times before."

"A thousand." He had agreed with a nod.

"So why is this one different?"

"Probably because I plan to kiss you when this dinner is over."

Well.

When he put it like that...

She really wished she hadn't ordered a main with garlic in it.

***

Despite any desire that Kathryn had felt to chase down a waiter and change her order, she'd managed to eat her meal and enjoy it... it helped that he'd had a bit of it too, so he'd never be able to smell the garlic on her.

After his rather blunt statement about his plans for their evening - apparently he really had been taking lessons from Seven - they'd managed to finish their dinner and engage in good conversation.

Kathryn had been impressed.

It had been a while - a depressing while, actually - since she'd been on a first date. Or a date at all for that matter, never mind that it was him that she'd been sitting across from.

As soon as she'd managed to convince herself that the heels and the little black dress didn't change who she was, they'd fallen back into their practiced rapport, laughing and joking like the old friends that they were.

Dinner and after dinner drinks had passed by in a blur of good conversation and good company but now, as she found herself standing on the front steps to her apartment building, Kathryn could feel her nerves coming back - along with the garlic, probably - to bite her in the ass.

"Tonight was nice." She said, not quite making eye contact.

"It was. I hope we can do it again."

"Sure." She rubbed her neck and tried to think of something with more than two syllables to say. "Does this mean were dating?"

"I think tonight meant that two old friends had dinner."

Oh.

You can not cry or shoot him... you can not cry or shoot him... you can not cry or shoot him...

Kathryn blinked and forced a smile.

"This, on the other hand, means we're dating."

And he pushed her back against the wall, one of his hands holding her hip, the other cupping her cheek and he showed her exactly what she missed by playing the virgin Captain all of those years.

The contact of his lips on hers was brief - really, really nice, but brief - and when he pulled back, his hands remained in place.

She didn't complain.

Say something, idiot! "You do like the direct approach, don't you?"

Chakotay grinned at her and Kathryn remembered how easy it was too simply stare at him and forget that the world existed beyond his dimples. "I've heard it works wonders."

Kathryn smiled. He liked the direct approach and so did she, but it was time to tip the balance of this playing field back into her favor. She didn't like feeling out of control and at someone else's mercy like this. "Do you want to come up?"

"For coffee?"

"Sure. Coffee." She smiled and raised her eyebrow. "Or sex."

***

Apparently her version of the direct approach floored him, because Kathryn was already inside with her coat and shoes - one night in those babies and she couldn't believe that she wore boots with heels for seven years, it was a wonder she could still walk - put away and a pot of coffee ready and waiting before he managed to regain his ability to walk.

When he found her sitting on the sofa, coffee in hand and a smug and sure smile on her face, he glared and pointed an accusing finger at her. "You could give me a heart attack by saying things like that."

"Should I rescind the offer?" Kathryn raised her eyebrow and sipped her coffee.

Chakotay frowned. "I didn't say that."

"Thought so." Score one for the redhead.

"So..."

"So?" Her face reflected pure innocence.

He smiled and moved to sit next to her, thier thighs barely touching. "How did I not know how much of a tease you are?"

She shrugged, deciding that a change of topic was in order. "Dinner was nice."

"It was. And I'm hoping we can do it again."

Kathryn nodded. "Or you could just stay for breakfast. I wasn't kidding about what I said downstairs."

"I thought it may have been a joke."

She put the coffee cup down on the table in front of them. Shuffling on the sofa, Kathryn swung one of her legs over his thighs - thank god for the graceful moves she learnt in ballet - and planted herself firmly in his lap, their crotches directly in contact. Her dress slid up her thighs to reveal the line of her stockings. His hands automatically moved to her hips, holding her steady. "No joke."

Chakotay’s thumbs started moving absently across the bones in her hips that he could feel through the thin layer of her dress. "So I see." He murmured, his eyes scanning the outline of her body.

The heat of his palms seeped through the dress to her skin and Kathryn tried very hard - no pun intended - to not think about it. Shifting slightly to get more comfortable, she brought their lower bodies closer together and rocked from side to side, creating all kinds of interesting friction.

She had intended to arouse him - though it really hadn't taken much - but the feeling was way too good to give up. Moaning, she sped up the movement of her body.

Keeping one hand steady on her hip as she moved, Chakotay traced a quick pattern across her belly and headed south. Finding the nub of her clit through her underwear, he sat his thumb on it and pressed down.

Every time she moved herself across the bulge in his pants, the pressure against her clit grew.

She hadn't intended for it to happen like this - not that she was complaining - but the feeling of him, between her thighs, his hand on her hip and his thumb pressed against her clit as he followed the rhythm that her body demanded

Clenching his legs between her thighs, she shuddered violently as her orgasm raced through her. Biting her lip to stifle the small scream waiting to escape, she threw her head backwards and squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for her spasming muscles to relax.

Chakotay wrapped his arms around her and held her as aftershocks traveled through her.

Though she had planned to give him a piece of her mind not twelve hours before, Kathryn decided that another thought of hers needed to be shared.

Breathlessly, she smiled at him, their faces inches apart. "I love you."

Chakotay smiled in return, nodding. "Good to know."

"Now come to bed with me."

He was never going to argue with that.

***

End