By Coral
Disclaimer: Chakotay, Janeway and the rest of the Star Trek bunch belong to Paramount unfortunately. "Unforgettable" and Kellin also belong to Paramount. They're welcome to them. Unless, of course, I get to torture Kellin!
Chakotay leapt out of bed and pulled his uniform on quickly. He was due on the bridge in about three minutes. He felt oddly tired, despite the fact that he was sure he had gone to sleep early. Dashing out of his quarters, he didn't even check in the mirror, as was his custom.
Walking down the corridor - or, more accurately - jogging, he saw Neelix, who looked at him with a confused face. "Commander?" Neelix asked. "Are you feeling alright?"
"A bit tired," Chakotay replied.
Jenny and Megan Delaney, coming down the corridor, overheard the last sentence and, seeing Chakotay's face as well, went into fits of giggles.
Chakotay shook his head in despair at their seeming insanity and said, "I've got to get to the bridge. I don't want to have to explain to the Captain why I'm late."
"I'm sure you don't!" Megan gasped as she and Jenny collapsed on the floor because they were laughing so hard.
Chakotay just stomped off, leaving Megan and Jenny in a heap on the carpet, and Neelix to go back to the messhall.
===***===
Chakotay got into the turbolift. He was not pleased when Tom Paris got in at the next deck.
"Good night was it, commander?" he asked cheerily by way of greeting.
"I slept alright," Chakotay replied, confused, wishing he could wipe the arrogant smirk off Tom's face.
"If you say so. Are you off duty now?"
"I'm on my way to the bridge," Chakotay said shortly. Paris's eyes became wide "O"'s of astonishment.
"Hope the Captain's not on duty," he muttered to himself. "Tuvok too, for that matter."
At the next stop, Vorik joined them. "Good morning Commander, lieutenant," he nodded. He looked at Chakotay and raised an eyebrow, but wisely held his tongue.
===***===
All in all, Chakotay was glad when they reached the bridge. Tom Paris rapidly took his seat at the helm, whilst Vorik relieved B'Elanna Torres at the engineering station. Torres, walking past Chakotay, stared at his face in shock before gulping and diving into the turbolift as fast as she could. Harry Kim, vacating the centre seat, took one look at Chakotay, noted the fact Tuvok was entering the bridge, and dashed into the empty turbolift as fast as he could.
"Good morning, Commander," Tuvok greeted Chakotay with a raised eyebrow. "Did you have a good night?"
At helm, Paris sniggered. Chakotay did not answer. He sat down in his chair and wondered what the hell had got into everyone today.
===***===
Janeway turned up for bridge duty an hour later as she'd had to go to sickbay for her annual physical with the Doctor. Stepping onto the bridge, she called out, "Good morning, all!" Truth to tell, she was relieved to finally have escaped the Doctor's clutches.
Chakotay turned around and smiled at her in reply. Kathryn's jaw dropped and instead of taking her chair by him, she joined Tuvok at the tactical station and began holding a whispered conversation with the Vulcan security chief.
Chakotay strained to listen whilst trying not to make it obvious that he was doing so, but could only catch a few words which included his name and various references to aliens and security breaches.
Eventually, she came down to him. "Commander, join me in my ready room. Now."
Confused, Chakotay complied, watching Paris try to stifle a laugh and mutter something like, "Boy, is he in for it now."
===***===
"I want an explanation, Chakotay, and I want it now," Kathryn Janeway demanded, and turned swiftly to face him.
"An explanation for what?" Chakotay asked, still bewildered.
"I think you know what I'm talking about!" she responded, raising her voice.
"Captain... Kathryn... I'm telling you I have no idea what any of this is about," he assured her firmly.
She looked at him witheringly. "Who's the lucky woman, Chakotay?" she asked evenly.
"Kathryn, I swear I do not know what you are talking about."
Her eyes flashed. "Don't lie to me Chakotay! I know you've been sleeping with someone else-" She cut herself off abruptly as she realised what she'd just said.
"I've been - what?" he said, shocked. "What makes you say that?"
"Chakotay, don't mess me around. It's written all over your face."
"What do you mean? As far as I'm concerned, all I know is that half the crew have been acting crazy today." Was life normally this strange?
"You really don't know what I'm talking about, do you?" Kathryn's angry expression melted away into a smile at his confused face and she collapsed on the sofa, laughing.
Chakotay watched her, trying to fight the smile that her infectious giggles were bringing on. He sat down next to her, finally giving up the fight.
Eventually she calmed down. Chakotay took her hand. "Kathryn, you know it's only been you since I came aboard Voyager. There's no one else here for me except you."
"Chakotay..."
Their lips met with considerable need. Chakotay wondered momentarily if this blessing was part of Voyager's seeming lunacy today, but decided that ultimately, he couldn't care less.
The door chime sounded and the two sprung apart, avoiding each other's eyes. Standing up, Janeway looked at Chakotay almost guiltily before calling out for the visitor to enter.
Neelix stepped inside the ready room clutching a large sheaf of papers. "Uh, Captain," he began nervously, "I found this in the mess hall. I believe it may explain the Commander's -" he gave Chakotay a sideways glance, "-behaviour." He handed the papers to her.
Taking them, she started to read the first one, only to look up at the end of the first sheet to start to search for a signature. "Neelix," she asked, "Are you familiar with a race called the Ramorans?"
"Uh, no Captain, I can't say I am actually."
"Dismissed then," Janeway said. "I'll handle it from here. And Neelix - not a word to anyone for now," she cautioned.
"Aye, Captain. My lips are sealed," he assured her before walking out.
The ready room was deathly silent whilst Janeway read the rest of the papers and Chakotay wondered what on Earth was in them. Finally, she put the papers down and sat behind her desk.
Chakotay came down and sat in front of the desk. "What was that all about, Captain?"
"Apparently, we've had an alien visitor aboard for the past few days..." Her eyes strayed to his face. "She claims that you and she were - close."
"Why don't we remember?"
"Our long term memories can't retain the knowledge of her species. They block it or something. She's from a race called the Ramorans."
"I…see," Chakotay said hesitantly.
"Computer records have been wiped too. It's no wonder you don't remember."
"Remember what?"
"What you were doing last night."
"I remember perfectly well what I was doing last night," Chakotay insisted. "I was in bed sleeping."
"Oh no, you weren't. You were in bed with an alien."
"No-" Chakotay began to protest again.
Janeway handed him a sheet of paper. "Read it yourself."
"She could have been making it up…" Chakotay protested lamely. "Perhaps Paris is playing some kind of joke…"
"I don't think so. It's written all over your face."
"Kathryn, you may know me well -"
"-Very well-" Janeway put in.
"-Very well, but I don't think you know me that well."
"Chakotay, everyone knows it," she told him teasingly.
Chakotay sighed. "I guess that explains everything that's happened this morning." He looked at her. "Almost everything."
She smiled sympathetically. "It really is obvious, you know."
"How can it be obvious - even I didn't know."
She handed him a small mirror. "As I said Chakotay, it's written all over your face."
Chakotay looked in the mirror with horror. It was written all over his face - in blue biro!
"How could you kiss me when I looked like this?" he asked in surprise.
"Easily," she said, coming round to him. "Do you want me to show you…?"
END