NC-17

Disclaimer: All Voyager and Next Generation characters are the property of Paramount. No copyright infringement is intended.

Author’s Note: The wedding ceremony in this story is a slightly modified version of the one performed by Admiral Ross in the DS9 episode "Till Death Do Us Part". Since I liked the beginning of the one used by Kirk in the Original Series episode "Balance of Terror" and by Picard in Next Generation’s "Data’s Day", I used that beginning. (I assume that senior officers performing weddings have some, but not a lot, of leeway in the exact wordings they use.) The "ladies and gentlemen" part (no invited transgendered species here) is, apparently, not from there though. I’m not sure where it is from, if anywhere.

And given the apparent lack of canonical information regarding Kathryn Janeway’s middle name, I simply omitted any mention of it from the ceremony.

@~;~~

"What?" Kathryn Janeway leapt to her feet, nearly knocking over a vase of roses in the process and scattering dessert plates all over Chakotay’s dining table.

"Kathryn, it’s only a three-week mission," Chakotay attempted to reassure Kathryn. Despite the long hours that both officers had worked that day, Chakotay had wanted to keep his romantic Valentine’s Day dinner he had invited Kathryn to intact. Unfortunately, as happened all too often, their commitments to Starfleet got in the way – hers to the Admiralty, his to Starfleet Academy. Except that Chakotay’s new mission was not part of Starfleet Academy.

"I don’t know, Chakotay. The last time I was assigned to a three-week mission I ended up on the other side of the galaxy. I surely hope that doesn’t happen again." She leaned against the table for emphasis.

"Unlikely, Kathryn. I’m going to take the U.S.S Mjolnir to the Volon system in order to investigate some claims of small Cardassian intrusions."

Kathryn seemed stunned at the news. "What is it about this mission that Starfleet feels it necessary to send a warship? Besides, I still don’t like the idea of you going off into what used to be the Demilitarized Zone, particularly under the orders of an admiral with a bad reputation among ex-Maquis and Maquis sympathizers. Not that I think you’d make a bad captain; on the contrary, you’d make a very good one. But the old DMZ is not the safest place for an ex-Maquis, even a tactically gifted one."

"To quote Theodore Roosevelt, ‘Speak softly and carry a big stick.’ Admiral Nechayev made the mistake of appeasing the Cardies once before. She’s not about to make the same mistake twice."

Kathryn walked to Chakotay’s chair and sat down on his lap. "Chakotay – just in case you don’t come back – would you make love to me? I would feel a lot more at ease if I had this, even if just once."

He silenced her with a kiss, then moved his hands to her belt, beginning the process of removing her clothing. Piece by piece their uniforms came off, en route to the bed until they collapsed on the bed, naked.

Chakotay was taken aback when Kathryn let out a wild cry, charged toward him and threw him down on the bed. As Kathryn enthusiastically pressed her lips to his, he returned her kisses with equal passion. He raised his hands to caress Kathryn’s breasts, larger than any of her uniforms had let on. While he moved his hands over Kathryn’s upper body, he noted that despite her earlier wild cry, Kathryn was surprisingly quiet during lovemaking – aggressive, but quietly so. Even her ensuing moans and gasps of pleasure were quiet.

With the feel of Kathryn’s hands on his penis he moved his hands to her back, lightly touching her, hoping to slow her down. She took the hint and moved her hands to his shoulders, kissing him, and then later to his face, tracing the blue outlines of his tribal tattoo. Not for the first time, he regretted his hasty remark on the bridge so many years ago; this feeling could have been his so much earlier.

Kathryn eventually worked her way around to Chakotay’s back, not yet ready to finish. She stroked his back like he had hers, eventually reaching his buttocks. As she reveled in the sensations Chakotay’s touch invoked in her, she instinctively felt that not once in her life had she felt more loved or more secure.

All too soon the need to progress became too great for either to ignore and both turned onto their sides, facing each other. Chakotay lifted Kathryn’s leg upon his own, enabling his entry into Kathryn’s warm depths.

Conscious of Kathryn’s long abstinence, he pushed himself in slowly, wanting to make her first sexual experience in nearly seven years to be the best he was capable of. Any time he felt resistance, he pulled out slightly, only to push in slightly deeper. Eventually he had entered her as deeply has he could and he gathered Kathryn in his arms, gazing into her blue gray eyes. He saw the same love he felt for her reflected in them.

For several minutes neither moved, both wanting only to experience feelings left unexplored for far too long. But that same long abstinence made both Kathryn and Chakotay want to progress further and eventually they both began to move, riding higher and higher on waves of long-ignored feelings.

Not content to leave Kathryn behind on this exhilarating ride, Chakotay reached down to where they were joined and began to stroke, causing Kathryn to mew further in pleasure.

Kathryn had never felt so alive during lovemaking, with Chakotay’s member filling her nicely even as it stroked in and out and the feel of Chakotay’s hand on her woman’s jewel. Just when she felt like she couldn’t bear any more pleasure, Kathryn’s body stiffened and then wildly spasmed, her orgasm ripping through her like a supernova, over and over. Eventually her high peak ended and she began to come down, only to feel Chakotay lengthen and swell inside her, releasing himself in a searingly warm flood. The warmth triggered another small release for Kathryn.

As Chakotay once again reclaimed his wits, he held Kathryn close, content merely to have her close by. For the second time that night, they simply held each other, basking in the afterglow of their love and waiting for their heartbeats to slow down.

Once their breathing rate had returned to normal, Chakotay rolled over to the side of the bed and said, "You know, in all the excitement I forgot to give you your Valentine’s Day present."

"Chakotay, as fast as this was, I consider tonight to be one of the greatest gifts I have ever received."

He merely reached over to open the drawer in his nightstand and take out an old but still beautiful necklace. "My mother used to wear this, it was a gift from my father. Sekaya, my sister, gave it to me during the debriefings and told me to give it to the woman I loved. It’s nothing of any great value, but it means a lot to me." He handed her the necklace. "You can wear it under your uniform and remember me while I am gone."

"Oh, Chakotay, it’s beautiful," Kathryn whispered, running her fingers over the delicate lines. "You’re right, I would like to wear this under my uniform jacket. And I will be counting the days until your return."

With that, the couple gathered themselves into each other’s arms and went to sleep.

@~;~~

Admiral Kathryn Janeway was worried. Chakotay had been due back four days ago and she had not even heard from him since the day he had left for his mission. Her nerves had made it difficult for to even eat ever since the day after he was scheduled to return home. Not that she spent much time outside of her office at Starfleet HQ.

Thank goodness he doesn’t know about that, Kathryn thought. I’ve heard from too often about my eating habits on Voyager.

Just then, the console on her desk beeped.

"Admiral Janeway, you have a message from the U.S.S. Mjolnir," the voice of Kathryn’s aide came through her console.

"Patch it through," Kathryn replied, leaning her chin on her hands. The image on her monitor coalesced into one of Chakotay, looking tired and worn.

"My dear Kathryn," he began. "I wish I didn’t have to tell you this, but it seems that this investigation is going to take longer than Starfleet expected. One of our informants has vanished and we are going to have to search for her in order to continue. I don’t know when I’m going to be back, but I’ll be back. I promise. I love you, Kathryn. Chakotay out." The image of Chakotay’s beautiful face faded into the Starfleet logo.

Kathryn dropped her face into her hands. The one thing she feared most had come true: Chakotay was not coming back any time soon. Overwhelmed with despair, she sunk back into her chair, contemplating the futility of it all. She remained this way for nearly thirty minutes, until a visitor arrived.

"Are you okay, Kathryn?" The voice startled Kathryn and shook her out of her melancholy thoughts.

Kathryn rose from her desk to face Admiral Paris and replied in a hollow voice, "Yes, I will, just as soon as I…" A sudden wave of dizziness prevented her from speaking any further. Leaning on her desk to keep her balance, she only managed to get out "I just…" before succumbing to the encroaching darkness.

When her vision cleared, she found herself laying on a biobed in one of the Starfleet Medical examination rooms, with none other than her former CMO running a tricorder over her body.

Figures, Kathryn thought. With all of the doctors working at Starfleet Medical, I end up seeing that sarcastic hologram. Aloud, she asked, "What happened?"

"You fainted and Admiral Paris brought you here," the Doctor answered, tilting his head toward Paris. "Wisely, I might add. My scans indicate you haven’t eaten anything in three days, Admiral, and so your blood sugar levels are dangerously low. I’m going to request that you take the rest of the day off and…" The Doctor trailed off as his tricorder beeped ominously.

Noting the hologram’s worried expression regarding the apparent results of his scans, Kathryn finally asked after a long pause, "Doctor, what’s wrong?"

It was several long minutes before the Doctor responded. "It seems I missed something in my initial scans. There is no easy way to say this, so I’ll make this brief. Admiral, you are approximately three point five weeks pregnant."

Kathryn’s eyes widened in shock, her hands flying protectively to her abdomen. "Chakotay…" she whispered. "This child may be all I have left of him… what should I do to protect her?"

"If you’ll excuse us, Admiral," the Doctor nodded once again toward Paris, who promptly left the examination room. Continuing with his lecture, he said, "Now, Admiral, you are going to have to take better care of yourself if you intend to keep this child." Realizing his possible faux pas, he quickly amended, "Presuming, that is, that you do wish to keep the child."

"Yes, I do, Doctor," Kathryn quietly replied, still staring at – and stroking – her abdomen.

"You will recall that you fainted earlier because you hadn’t eaten in three days. That particular bad habit is going to have to stop. You should cut back on your caffeine intake as well. Admiral, I am requesting that you take the rest of this day off and the next one, if possible, so that you can adjust to both of your new circumstances – yes, I heard the news about Chakotay as well. Basically, you need rest, time to think, and some filling food. What food or foods do you think of as ‘comfort foods’ as Lieutenant Commander Paris would say?"

Still reluctant to meet the Doctor’s gaze, she said, "My mother made a chicken pot pie that I often replicated on Voyager."

"Well then, eat something like that. In the meantime, I will upload some additional information accessible through your consoles. Please study if before I see you again next week for your baseline prenatal exam. There will also be a vitamin formula provided as partial insurance against you not eating properly. Though your age should not be a problem in this pregnancy as long as you take care of yourself properly…"

"OK, Doctor," Kathryn interrupted as she slid off the biobed and started to leave.

"And, Admiral?" The Doctor stopped her just as she was about to leave the room. "Please accept my condolences. I know how close you and Chakotay have become since we arrived home. His… delay must be devastating to you."

"Thank you, Doctor," she said as she turned and left.

@~;~~

Admiral Paris left the examination room to find a very worried Admiral Nechayev standing outside.

"I heard the news about Captain Chakotay," Nechayev asked, honest concern on her face. "How’s she taking it?"

"Not very well." Paris argued with himself for a few moments before deciding to explain things further. "There’s more, Alynna, she just found out she’s pregnant."

"Oh my… it’s Captain Chakotay’s child, I presume?" Paris nodded in affirmation.

"It’s been a hard day for Kathryn," he continued, shaking his head in concern as he and Nechayev proceeded down the hall. "First she finds out that Chakotay’s mission progress is delayed indefinitely, and then she discovers that she’s carrying his child – and judging from the way she reacted to the latter, I believe that she’s afraid that Chakotay isn’t coming back."

Paris was stunned when Nechayev stopped, turned away from him, and muttered, "I did it again…"

"Did what again?"

She turned back to face Paris. "The Volon council demanded that Captain Chakotay be in command of the ship sent to investigate the allegations. Even though I felt that Captain Picard would be a better choice due to his negotiation prowess, I acquiesced to their demands and sent Chakotay in command of the U.S.S Mjolnir. I hate fighting, Owen. I always have. But once again, my desire to avoid conflict has hurt someone."

Paris remained quiet for a few seconds, knowing that nothing could lift the burden of guilt Nechayev had imposed on herself. When he finally spoke again, it was on a completely different subject. "There is one thing you – no, we – could do to help Admiral Janeway."

"What would that be?"

"We can arrange for her and Captain Chakotay to be married as soon as possible after his arrival home. Knowledge of an upcoming wedding might help her to avoid another depressive episode and might also help you to shed some of your bad reputation with regards to the former Maquis," he smiled, knowing that Nechayev would never pass up an opportunity to atone for her mistakes.

"That just might be the thing to cheer her up," she grinned. "I always thought that she and Chakotay looked cute together."

"Anyway…" The two admirals proceeded down the hall and out of the Starfleet Medical building, further discussing and planning the impromptu wedding for Kathryn Janeway and Chakotay.

@~;~~

Five and a half months later, Kathryn left her office at Starfleet HQ intending to pick up something for lunch. Her cravings for beef fried rice had recently intensified to the point where she felt it necessary to indulge her craving at least twice a week – and this time, replicated fried rice would not do.

After all, she thought, this child may be all I have left of Chakotay. I must take care of her, him, whoever she may be. It was that thought alone that kept her from succumbing to the deep depression that shadowed her every thought.

Despite her increasing size, she still tried to walk back and forth between her apartment, HQ, and wherever she needed to go that didn’t require a transporter; she found that the physical activity kept her from lapsing into too deep a depression. Besides, the Doctor had told her that keeping active during pregnancy would make for an easier birth.

As she rounded the corner to leave the building she was stopped by Admiral Paris. "Good news, Kathryn," he said, folding his hands behind his back.

"Make it quick, Owen. I was just leaving for lunch. This one is wanting some beef fried rice and I don’t think she’ll be satisfied with the replicated version," Kathryn replied, running her hands over her swollen abdomen. The child within her gave her a kick in return.

Giving a quick chuckle over Kathryn’s reference to her unborn child in the feminine given that she had chosen not to be informed of her child’s gender, Admiral Paris answered, "Captain Chakotay has finally returned."

"Why that is good news! When can I see him!"

"Not quite so fast, Kathryn. We need to get you and Chakotay ready for your wedding, and it is certainly a good day for a wedding, the day of love," Paris explained.

"Wedding? But I’m not…"

"You mean Nechayev never told you…" Paris trailed off. "She has been uncharacteristically quiet and evasive towards you; I should have know she wouldn’t have mentioned it. She’s always been a little absent-minded too – actually went to an important meeting without her combadge once. Anyway, Alynna and I planned to have you and Chakotay married once he returned, hoping that would cheer you up after Chakotay’s delay. But now I understand why you never seemed to respond, since you never knew of our plans."

"It certainly would have made these last few months without him a lot brighter," Kathryn admitted. "I’ll agree to the wedding on the condition that Chakotay himself asks me to marry him."

"Good," Paris said. "I’ll get Chakotay up here as quickly as possible. And don’t worry about your lunch, I’ll have that ordered for you."

Now all Kathryn had to do was wait for Chakotay.

@~;~~

Chakotay roamed the halls of Starfleet HQ. His three-week mission in the former DMZ had lasted over six months and he was eager to see Kathryn again. Ironically, his "indefinitely" had lasted only two additional weeks, the missing informant revealing herself relatively quickly, and thus the incursion, found to be the work of unauthorized terrorists, was quickly nullified. The additional time had been spent in trying to clean up a nasty virus that had somehow infected Mjolnir’s primary systems, making them all go off-line. Among other things, it had even made communications outside the Volon system impossible. Only with the arrival of the U.S.S. Venture were they even able to tow Mjolnir to Starbase 310, so that Starfleet technicians could format its computer core and that her crew could return home. As a result, he had not been able to even talk with Kathryn, making the last six months rather lonely.

His long absence from Kathryn had convinced him that they were meant to be together for the rest of their lives; to that end, he had managed to order and purchase a specially made engagement ring. Chakotay’s heart sang with the thoughts of Kathryn’s reaction to his arrival and his proposal – on the day the entire Federation celebrated love, no less.

"Captain Chakotay?" An authoritative feminine voice interrupted his thoughts.

He whirled around to determine who had spoken to him, seeing a very concerned Admiral Nechayev. Surprisingly, she could not meet his gaze; her unusually submissive demeanor led Chakotay to believe that he could trust her, if only just this once.

"Admiral Paris wishes to see you," she continued.

"Why?"

As the two officers turned the corner, Nechayev said, "We have arranged for you and Admiral Janeway to be married as soon as possible."

"For what…" He stopped suddenly when he saw Kathryn – a visibly pregnant Kathryn – deep in conversation with Paris, her hands where her belt should have been. In that instant, he knew that was the reason the admirals had arranged the wedding and that the child she carried was his.

Turning back toward Nechayev, he asked, "Does Kathryn know about this? Incidentally, I did come here to propose to her, so I am not opposed to the idea of Kathryn and I getting married just as long as she approves."

"I think Admiral Paris informed her earlier," Nechayev commented. Her assumption was proven wrong moments later, when the stiffening of Kathryn’s body from shock revealed that Paris had not informed Kathryn of the wedding either. "I’m going to have a talk with Owen about leaving me to speak to Kathryn Janeway. He knows I forget things sometimes."

"Will he be performing the ceremony?" Chakotay asked, mentally cursing the building design that made it nearly impossible to overhear a conversation from more than three meters away.

"No, I will. Paris deferred that honor in favor in acting as ‘father of the bride’. He has been very close to Admiral Janeway for many years and is probably the closest thing to a father she has left."

"This wasn’t the way I expected my wedding to turn out – a Starfleet ceremony officiated by the one admiral hated most by my comrades from the Maquis." Noting Nechayev’s sullen expression, he apologized, "I’m sorry, Admiral, that is just a sticky point for me."

"It is for me too. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry too."

The two officers remained in their position for a little while, until the bored crossing of Kathryn’s arms told Chakotay that her conversation with Owen Paris was over. Sensing that she was waiting for him, he caught her gaze and walked over by her side, saying, "Hello, Kathryn." Not wanting to interrupt the reunion, the other two admirals stepped back, Nechayev heading toward the turbolift.

"Chakotay?" Kathryn said, throwing herself into his arms. "I’ve missed you."

"I’ve missed you too. That incursion in the old DMZ turned out to be the work of terrorists, not even authorized by the Cardassian government. We caught them reasonably quickly – once our missing informant came out of hiding – but apparently one of them slipped a virus into our main computer core. It knocked out our shields, our weapons, our propulsion, and even our communications. We never could get it out and all we could do was wait for rescue. Thankfully no more terrorist attacks occurred while we were vulnerable, but the Cardassian government had stretched their resources so thin combating the terrorists that they were unable to offer any assistance in removing the virus. Even the colonists on the Volon planets couldn’t help."

"Oh, Chakotay," she cried into his chest. "I was so worried. Terrorists you said? That made your mission even more dangerous as it would have been so easy for one of them to make you a target."

"In the Maquis, you learned how to watch your back," Chakotay addressed Kathryn’s concerns, then pushed her away slightly so that she could stand up. "I came home as quickly as I could because there was something I wanted to ask you." He pulled a small box from somewhere within his uniform jacket, getting down on one knee in the process. "Kathryn Janeway, will you marry me?" he asked, opening the box to reveal the ring he had purchased during his mission.

It took a few moments before Kathryn was able to respond. When she did finally respond, she said, "Yes, Chakotay, I will," as he slid the ring on her finger – a task made more difficult due to slight swelling in Kathryn’s hands. After Kathryn made a mental note to tell whoever was going to replicate their wedding rings to make her ring a half-size larger than usual, she helped Chakotay to his feet, interrupting the soft one-way conversation he was making with her child. "Chakotay, I have found it hard to be strong in the face of the losses – and feared losses – throughout my life. But I have done so. These past few months without you, though, have been especially hard, even knowing I am carrying your child. Maybe we can forge new, stronger selves, together."

"Now, with that said, we need to get ready for the wedding," Paris interjected after a long moment of silence, startling the couple. "I have arranged for the ceremony to take place in the second reception hall, it’s not often used and I don’t anticipate there being more than a hundred or so guests able to attend on such short notice. Nechayev has begun the process of contacting people who might wish to attend. And I believe that Tom and B’Elanna will be able to assist you in getting dressed."

"Thank you, Owen," said Kathryn, though she noticed that Chakotay seemed a little uncomfortable with the idea of Tom Paris assisting him at his wedding.

"And Kathryn?" Owen Paris added as Kathryn and Chakotay began to leave. "Your fried rice is waiting for you in the dressing room."

@~;~~

"Sometimes I wonder if I should just wear my duty uniform for this wedding," Kathryn muttered to her reflection in the mirror.

She then looked down at herself and studied her new uniform. It was a white dresslike garment with the same gold trim as the standard dress uniform, just longer. She ran her hand over the white front panel and felt grateful that her rank allowed her to wear an all-white version. At least it’s not gray in front like B’Elanna’s, she thought. Somehow I think that one would look even worse.

"Duty uniform? Nonsense, Ad- Kathryn, you look fine. Except for those boots. Somehow Starfleet issue black boots do not look good with that dress," B’Elanna Torres studied Kathryn’s feet critically.

Nechayev’s eyes twinkled with mirth. "You’re right, Commander, those boots do not go well with maternity dress uniform. Well, since this is a wedding, I suppose we could bend uniform protocol and replicate her a pair of white boots."

"Could you replicate them about a half-size wider? These are beginning to pinch my insteps," Kathryn said, pointing toward her feet. She was glad that her ex-Maquis engineer had managed to set aside her differences with Nechayev in order to work together for this wedding.

"Sure thing, Kathryn. I had to replicate wider boots twice while I was pregnant with Miral." B’Elanna rose from her chair, tugged at the bottom of her dress uniform jacket, and strode over to the dressing room replicator.

"As did I." Nechayev’s face darkened; both Kathryn and B’Elanna knew that look meant that whatever was bothering her was too painful to discuss. In the interests of wedding day harmony, they decided to simply let the issue drop.

Changing the subject to a less painful one, Kathryn asked, "By tradition, the bride is supposed to wear ‘something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue’. I have something old – this necklace Chakotay gave me, you saw that as we were changing into our dress uniforms – and something new, my uniform. What would be available for ‘something borrowed’ and ‘something blue’?

"Well, I can help you with the latter," B’Elanna called out from the replicator where she had just picked up Kathryn’s new boots – standard issue Starfleet boots, only white. After punching in a few more commands, she got the replicator to produce a small blue garter. "It’s traditional to wear one high up on your leg, but I think you’re going to have a little trouble getting your leg up in that position for Chakotay to remove it. I replicated this one to fit just below your knee."

"Thanks, B’Elanna," Kathryn grumbled.

"And here is ‘something borrowed’," Nechayev said, opening a box in the corner and pulling out an ornate veil. "Your sister dropped this off at my office earlier after I contacted her about your wedding. While she regretted that she would not be able to attend due to a work conflict – we had a lot of those – she did bring this veil she wore at her own wedding and asked that you wear it. I was just about to show it to you when you asked about ‘something borrowed’."

"It’s nice to know at least one thing I’m wearing for this wedding will be non-replicated," Kathryn commented. "I never really liked this veil – too fancy for my tastes – but I’ll still wear it." She sat down in the chair that B’Elanna had vacated earlier.

While B’Elanna helped Kathryn with her boots and garter – the skirt of her dress uniform made it difficult for her to cross her legs and reach her feet – Nechayev helped her put the veil on and also styled her hair.

When the two women were finished, Kathryn rose to her feet and once again looked in the mirror.

"This isn’t the way I imagined I would look on my wedding day," she commented. As if in response, her unborn child went on a kicking spree. "But it will have to do for now. I’m ready."

With that, Kathryn gathered up her bridal bouquet, and the three women prepared to start the actual ceremony.

@~;~~

Chakotay stood nervously in the Starfleet reception hall. The male members of the wedding party – himself and both Parises – had gotten ready quickly, having only to change into their dress uniforms. But he knew that getting Kathryn ready would take a little while longer.

He looked out into the makeshift pews, seeing a few family members of Kathryn’s and those Voyager crewmembers that were able to attend on short notice.

When Admiral Nechayev emerged from the women’s dressing room to take her place at the altar, he knew that the wait would not be much longer. But time seemed to crawl at an agonizingly slow pace as he watched B’Elanna, and then Kathryn’s mother, walk down the aisle.

His nervous musings were eventually interrupted by the sound of the boatswain pipe used to honor important Starfleet personnel. All of the guests quieted and the wedding party fell into attention.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, he saw Kathryn walking – ok, more like waddling – down the aisle on the arm of Admiral Paris. Once they reached the altar, Paris released Kathryn to Chakotay and took his seat next to Gretchen Janeway. When both Kathryn and Chakotay faced the altar, Admiral Nechayev began the ceremony.

"Since the days of the first wooden sailing ships, all senior officers have had the happy privilege of joining two people together in matrimony. Today it is my honor to unite Kathryn Janeway and Chakotay, son of Kolopak in marriage."

She turned to face Kathryn first. "Kathryn, do you accept this man as your husband, to love and cherish above all others, until death separates you?"

"I do," Kathryn smiled at Chakotay, who gave her a dimpled grin in response.

Nechayev next faced Chakotay. "Chakotay, do you accept this woman as your wife, to love and cherish above all others, until death separates you?"

Chakotay responded, "I do. To both of you, Kathryn." The last sentence caused the guests to erupt in soft laughter, soon quieted by a stern look from the officiating admiral.

Tom took this cue to produce two wedding bands – where did he manage to keep them in that uniform? Chakotay thought – and both officers took one, Kathryn the larger one, Chakotay the smaller one.

"These rings symbolize your love for each other, and your promise to abide by the vows you’ve made today." Nechayev’s voice rang through the hall.

"With this ring, I thee wed." Kathryn recited the traditional phrase, placing the ring on his finger as she spoke.

"With this ring, I thee wed." Chakotay repeated after her, cupping her wide red cuff and gently sliding the ring on, careful of her slightly swollen hands.

"By the power invested in me by the United Federation of Planets, I pronounce you husband and wife." the admiral finished.

Chakotay gathered Kathryn up in his arms as best he could and kissed her, his ardor returned by Kathryn, and applause in the background. Once he had to break for air, he released Kathryn, kneeled in front of her, and kissed her swollen abdomen. This action resulted in more applause from the guests and a few peals of laughter.

Once Chakotay pulled himself back to his feet, Nechayev announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, may I present Admiral Kathryn Janeway and Captain Chakotay, husband and wife," to further applause.

@~;~~

It was pretty late when Kathryn and Chakotay made it to the suite Admiral Paris had rented for them, so both headed directly to the bedroom and sat down upon the bed.

"This has had to be one of the strangest days of my life ever. I go to work depressed over your not being by my side on the Federation love day and leave work married to you," Kathryn commented, fishing a bottle of non-alcoholic champagne out of a nearby bucket and looking around their honeymoon suite for a corkscrew. "For months I feared you were dead – or worse."

"I wasn’t dead, love) just unable to call. I did promise I would come back. But I should have known you would fear the worst. Admiral Nechayev still doesn’t have the best of reputations when it comes to the DMZ, so I understand your fear that my mission may have all been a setup," Chakotay reassured Kathryn, handing her the corkscrew. "Non-alcoholic champagne? I recall that a small amount of alcohol is okay during pregnancy," he commented while Kathryn opened the bottle and filled two flutes sitting on the bedside table.

"Admiral Paris knows that I am taking no chances with this child. I don’t even drink coffee any more, only tea." Both Kathryn and Chakotay picked up their flutes, Kathryn raising hers.

Chakotay decided to file that last comment away for later as he raised his glass to Kathryn’s in a toast to their marriage.

The couple drank their champagne in silence. Eventually, Kathryn moved her feet to Chakotay’s lap – not an easy task given her size – so that he could remove her boots for her. He understood what Kathryn was asking and gently removed her boots, massaging her feet after her boots hit the bedroom floor.

"Oh, that feels good, Chakotay," Kathryn whispered, tracing her fingers along Chakotay’s chest.

"It should. Kathryn, I would like to celebrate our wedding day and Love Day by making love to my beautiful wife."

Kathryn’s eyes widened in shock. "Chakotay, I’m huge! How are we going to make love with this one in the way?" Even so, she began to unfasten Chakotay’s uniform jacket and eventually opened it enough to remove it.

He said nothing but instead raised his hands to Kathryn’s collar, unfastened it, and slid his hand all the way down so that he could remove her uniform.

Pants and undergarments soon followed and eventually both were laying naked on the bed, Chakotay spooned up to Kathryn’s back, one hand gently cupping her breasts, the other resting protectively over her abdomen, willing the child within to remain quiet for this moment. They lay that way for quite some time before Chakotay, sensing Kathryn’s readiness for him, pushed forward and entered Kathryn’s body.

Slowly, he began to stroke in and out, his movements matched by a surprisingly agile – and hormone-sensitized – Kathryn. After some time had passed, they ended up moving faster and faster until both hit their peak almost simultaneously.

For several long minutes, while their breathing slowed, they remained joined, reveling in the sensation of once again lying next to another. Eventually, Chakotay slipped out of Kathryn and drew her back to his chest, assuming the same position he had before, and fell asleep.

And in those few minutes before sleep claimed her too, Kathryn knew that this was forever.

The End

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