Flights of Fancy
By Ralkana

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Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay stepped out of the Tigleran administrative building into the warm afternoon, squinting slightly at the bright sunlight. They both stilled, simply enjoying for a few moments the sensation of being planetside, and then he turned his body toward her, while his face remained aimed upward, drinking in the sunlight.

“Ready to beam up?”

She half-turned and placed a hand on his arm, her own face still pointed toward the heavens. “Wait a while. What would you say to lunch in the town center?”

He pulled his attention from the sunlight to stare at her, surprised. She felt his gaze and opened her eyes.

“What? We’ve just successfully negotiated for about a year’s worth of dilithium and deuterium and enough foodstuffs to keep Neelix from dipping into his pickled leola root stash for at least six months! I think we have the right to indulge in a nice, outdoor lunch on a friendly planet before we beam—”

His laugh stopped her semi-indignant rant. “Kathryn! Relax, you don’t have to convince me! I think it’s a wonderful idea. Shall we?” he asked, gallantly offering his arm. She took it with a crooked little grin, and he felt his heart flutter as it always did when she touched him.

They walked along the bustling streets, heading for the market in the center of the town. While Kathryn’s attention remained focused on the beautiful weather, Chakotay kept his eyes open, enjoying his observations of this planet’s people while simultaneously keeping an eye out for his captain’s safety. He noticed small groups of Voyager crewmembers taking their shore leave, and he began to perceive a pattern in their interactions. He chuckled, and the happy sound drew Kathryn out of her reverie.

“Hmm?” she asked absently.

“Look,” he murmured, gesturing with his chin. She followed the movement to the couple walking slightly ahead of them. As they watched, Harry Kim hesitantly reached out and grasped Tal Celes’ hand in his. Celes glanced at him and smiled, and both Kathryn and Chakotay grinned as they watched Harry’s posture straighten slightly.

“And right over there,” he continued, nodding to their right, where Freddie Bristow nervously offered Sue Nicoletti a delicate red flower he’d just procured from a sidewalk vendor. Sue beamed broadly as she threw her arms around Freddie and kissed him, surprising him greatly.

“And then there’s always those two,” he said with a grin, gazing across the street. Tom and B’Elanna Paris were seated very close together at a sidewalk café, feeding each other what looked like ice cream. While Kathryn was staring bemusedly at the couples around her, Chakotay beckoned over the flower vendor and conducted a quick, silent, one-handed transaction.

“Is there something in the air?” she asked amusedly as she glanced back at him.

“Yes,” he answered promptly, one hand behind his back. She shot a startled look at him, and he laughed.

“Spring!” he exclaimed, gesturing grandly and presenting her with his purchase, a small yellow blossom that gave off a faint, elusive scent.

Her smile faded slightly, and he could practically see her struggling with herself, so he ratcheted up his smile a notch and injected just a tiny hint of pleading in his gaze. With an infinitesimal sigh, she returned his grin and took the flower.

“Thank you, Chakotay, it’s lovely. Not quite a peace rose, but it will do,” she said with a laugh as he raised an eyebrow, surprised. Then she arched an eyebrow of her own as she asked wryly, “Spring is in the air, Commander?”

He chuckled. “Yes, ma’am. Look at them all. Spring, when young men’s thoughts turn to flights of fancy.” He nearly added, Spring, a wonderful time to be in love, but he thought that that, combined with the flower, might scare her off, and that was the last thing he wanted when she was in such a good mood.

She rolled her eyes affectionately at his effusiveness, and then her eyes turned mischievous.

“And where do your flights of fancy take you on this fine spring day, Commander?”

His grin faltered slightly as he realized she was actually flirting with him, before he countered, “Ah, but I’m not such a young man anymore, Captain.”

Kathryn laughed. “Yes, well, I’ve heard that flights of fancy also visit… how shall I say this, more… mature men at times, as well.”

He clutched his hand to his chest. “Ouch. Well, thank you for only denting my ego rather than trampling it into the ground.”

She grinned and looked back at the flower she was toying with, and Chakotay sighed inwardly in relief. The question she’d thrown at him had hit awfully close to home, and he didn’t think she’d appreciate a truthful answer, even if she had asked for it. Her voice broke into his musing.

“I’m waiting, Chakotay.”

“For what?” he asked, trying to sound innocent.

“To hear where your flights of fancy take you.”

He chuckled, but he was apprehensive now. Apparently, she wasn’t going to give up on this. How do I tell you that they bring me here, to your side? That this is where I want to be, with you, when you’re laughing and carefree? Because telling you that would be the quickest way to watch you lose that laughing, carefree attitude.

Some of his uncertainty must have shown in his expression, because her smile wilted and was replaced by a very serious look. Chakotay cursed himself inwardly. Then she spoke.

“Shall I tell you instead where mine take me?” she asked in a soft voice. He blinked, surprised, and she smiled. “Yes, Commander, flights of fancy visit young women as well. Not to mention… more mature women.” She eyed him as if daring him to comment on the last part, and he grinned, somewhat warily.

“I’m not touching that one.”

She laughed, and then she took his hands in hers, leaning in very close to him. He was bewildered, and he wasn’t sure what was coming, but his brain screamed at him to enjoy it while it lasted.

“My flights of fancy take me to a tall, dark, handsome man with intriguing blue lines upon his brow. They take me to a passionate, devoted, gentle man who can nevertheless be a fierce and fearless warrior when his family or ship is threatened. They take me to a man who has nurtured a great love for years, with little to show for it, and yet, he seems content. My flights of fancy take me into his heart, and into his arms—“ she smiled crookedly. “And into his bed.”

Chakotay strained to hear her words through the sudden rushing of the blood in his veins. He saw a pained look briefly cross her beautiful face, and he realized he was gripping her hands in his very tightly. He forced himself to ease his grip and managed to murmur, “Kathryn?”

She smiled and took one step closer to him. She was so close that he could feel the heat of her body next to his. Desire licked at him, sending slow, white-hot flames through him. He struggled to focus as she spoke again, not wanting to miss a syllable.

“I think,” she purred, and his eyes closed briefly, only to quickly reopen and stare into hers with so much intensity that she thought they would burn straight through her. “I think I’m ready to let myself soar into those flights of fancy, Chakotay. Care to fly with me?”

Though her words and actions had robbed him of his speech, she could see the astonishment in his eyes, evident in the very openness of his face. The question why now? should have been written in meter-high neon letters over his head. With effort, she freed a hand from his—which fell to hang loosely at his side—and cupped his cheek.

“Look around, Chakotay,” she said, and he did—or he tried to. His gaze swept unseeing over the surroundings, returning immediately to her, ignoring the fact that every Voyager crewmember in view was intently watching their command team because they sensed that something huge was going on. Kathryn said simply, “Look at them all. They’re all happy. Why shouldn’t I be? Why shouldn’t we be?”

Still speechless, he pulled her to him in a crushing embrace. As their lips met in a searing kiss on a crowded street under a friendly sun, to the sounds of their crew cheering, Chakotay’s last rational thought was, Spring, a wonderful time to be in love.