The Valentine Proposal
NC-17
Disclaimer: All Voyager characters are the property of Paramount. No copyright infringement is intended.
I would like to thank Gillie for the inspiration she provided with her pic "J/C Spooning" posted in Artwork on January 16th.
The couple slept curled together, her back against his chest. He held her close in his arms, skin-embracing skin, bodies spooned like flatware in a drawer.
=^=
Kathryn moved, pushing back against him, finding pleasure in the solid feel of his body behind hers, and joy in the fact that they were here together. She shifted again, thinking how she nearly lost him, and delighted in the feel of his arms around her.
She drifted in that hazy place between asleep and awake, thinking. She remembered the shock she felt when her older self told her of Chakotay’s marriage to Seven, how she had cried herself to sleep that night and every night after they got back to the Alpha quadrant. She mourned until she realized that what had been, didn’t necessarily have to be, and she made up her mind to fight.
She knew that Chakotay and Seven’s relationship was new. She had the advantage of her own deep friendship with him. A friendship sustained by the fact they honestly liked each other, enjoyed the same things, laughed at the same jokes, and knew most of the other’s deepest secrets. There had to be a way to get him back. She just had to find it.
Starfleet Command set up a welcome home party for Voyager’s crew, as soon as the debriefings were over, and because those were finished in early February, they decided on a Valentine’s Day theme.
Kathryn thought this would be a perfect opportunity to stake her claim on Chakotay. She made a vow to herself that he would at least know how she felt before the night was over. If she lost him, it wouldn’t be from lack of trying.
She put her plan in motion by arranging a shopping trip with her sister. She knew she was no raving beauty, and had never been one, but maybe with the right outfit she could get his attention. The artist in Phoebe took over, and Kathryn put herself in her sister’s capable hands.
Kathryn wasn’t sure about the dress Phoebe picked out, she had never worn anything so revealing, but the color was perfect and matched her mother’s Regulian gem earrings. It was certainly revealing but did accentuate her femininity.
She took care of an escort herself. Captain Paul Jacobsen although young, had made rank and a name for himself in the Dominion war. She dismissed the rumors of his womanizing ways and thought his good looks would help draw attention. Chakotay wasn’t the only one who could show up with a blond on his arm.
On the afternoon of the party, she took a long relaxing bath trying to control her nerves. By prearrangement Phoebe came to fix her hair and to see to it that Kathryn actually wore the dress. It was very daring and left her nearly naked from the waist up and the skirt even though it was floor length, wasn’t much better.
Even Captain Jacobsen gave a low appreciative whistle when he picked her up to go to the party. Coming from a man well known for his affairs with many women, she took it as high praise.
The festivities were already in full swing when Kathryn and her escort arrived. She paused just a moment, allowing the music to end, then took Paul’s arm and made her entrance.
=^=
Chakotay awoke slowly, enjoying the warmth of Kathryn in his arms. He felt her shift back against him, putting more of her skin against his. Not wanting to disturb the moment, he lay still contemplating the seven-year journey that ended with them here together.
He and Kathryn had been slowly drifting apart lately, the distance between them growing so great, he thought surely she had ceased to care about him, and when Seven offered him a little diversion, he took it.
He knew something was wrong when the older Admiral Janeway came through the rift from the future. That Kathryn laughed with more ease, it was almost as if she had returned to the personality she showed early in the journey, and the way she was when time had fractured and her younger self ask him just how close they had gotten. Then he began to remember promises he had tried to forget, and as he remembered he understood what seemed so wrong. He realized that it was himself that was missing. Kathryn had come back alone, came back to die for them alone, and he felt shame.
He had told Seven that they shouldn’t give up on desires for fear of what might happen, now he knew that he had given up on his desire for a life with Kathryn because he feared she no longer wanted him. He finally realized that he was just using Seven, and that was intolerable. Within a few hours of returning to the Alpha quadrant he ended the relationship with the Seven, and began to look for a way to forge new bonds with Kathryn.
He hoped to start by making a connection with Kathryn at the party and was watching for her when she made her entrance. She was a vision that amazed him. Nearly every other woman there showed up wearing some shade of pink or red but Kathryn was beautiful in a long teal dress, her hair piled up on top of her head. Then she stepped forward and he saw just how little the dress covered, the halter-top barely concealed her breasts and the slit up the side showed an ample portion of her thigh. Finally he realized she was with someone. He hadn’t expected her to come with an escort, and certainly not one so young or so blond. He moved back into the shadows and watched, the anger building inside him.
=^=
Kathryn wanted to look for Chakotay, but Paul had other plans, as soon as they passed through the receiving line, he maneuvered her out on the floor. Then firmly pulled her against his chest and placing his left hand possessively on the bare skin at the small of her back.
She tried pulling back a little to let him know she didn’t appreciate his intimacy, but only got a heated whisper from him. "Come now Admiral, you’ve been without a real man too long. Just relax and by morning you’ll have had a night worth remembering. I guarantee it."
The sight of the other man’s hands on his Kathryn were just too much, Chakotay came charging out on the dance floor, and pulling Kathryn away from her partner he hissed, "What are you doing, Admiral? Trying to make a spectacle of yourself. There is nothing more pathetic than a half naked woman hanging all over a younger man."
Kathryn, already angry with her escort, turned to him, her eyes blazing. "How dare you tell me what to do? You’re the one with the young lover, where is your latest blond by the way? I thought surely she would have you all assimilated by now!"
"Just what in the hell do you mean by that?" he retorted and so the argument began.
Their anger fed the other’s, voices raising, until everyone’s attention was drawn to the pair on the dance floor.
"You have no idea what you’re talking about, Kathryn. At least she wants me, that’s more than you ever did."
"Oh no, Chakotay, don’t lay that at my feet, it was you that didn’t want me, so don’t start trying to tell me what to do now."
The angry couple suddenly realized the room had grown quite as other people backed away from them. Chakotay grabbed her hand, "Come with me Kathryn, we’re going to finish this once and for all."
He practically dragged her out of the ballroom, and toward the lifts that accessed the rooms above. As the exit door closed behind them, a voice sounding suspiciously like Tom Paris could be heard, "It’s about damn time!" followed by the sound of applause.
=^=
The trip up to his suite was coldly quiet with each of them standing on opposite sides of the elevator, glaring at each other, anxious to end this now. When the doors opened they both stalked down the hall and entered Chakotay’s rooms.
As soon as the door closed behind them, they both cut loose.
The battle was spectacular. They fought pouring out all the pain, disappointment, hurt and anger that had build up from seven years of denial. Kathryn screamed Riley and Kellin, and Seven of Nine at him, while Chakotay countered with Kashyk, and Jaffen, and Michael Sullivan, his voice coldly quite, dripping with fury.
Through all the expression of pain, in fact by the very acknowledgement of it, the anguish lifted. It floated away and the intense love they each harbored for the other spread into those vacant places filling the void left behind. The emotion build until there was nothing else to do but make those final movements toward each other. Before their minds had time to record the change, their bodies were crushed together, mouths pressed to the other’s. The fires of anger receded to be replaced by the flames of a desire that burned through the couple consuming them.
Chakotay felt the vibration of Kathryn’s moan as she pressed even closer her tongue brushing along his lips, the fingers of one hand combing through his hair. His arms tightened as he felt the soft mounds of her breasts pressed to his chest, and he rubbed his hands down her bare back and delighting in the small shivers and twitches his touch conjured.
They kissed, mouths mating, tongues caressing, all senses focused inward. Long sensual minuets passed and they still kissed, pulling back only long enough to take quick breaths, then pushing forward to kiss again.
He reached up to her hair finding the old-fashioned pins that held it up. His lips never left hers as he pulled the pins out one by one, allowing the pile of soft curls to fall down like silken threads into his hand, and still they kissed.
Finally lips parted as Kathryn pulled back, her hands seeking the bare skin of his chest. She was past thinking, in fact she refused to think past this and for the first time in her life lived in one single moment.
"I want you," her words colored by the unbelievable waves of desire that washed over her. "Chakotay give me this, I love you. If only this one time please love me," she sobbed with need.
Those words fueled his arousal like no others could. "Almighty Spirits, Kathryn, you know I want you too, but I cannot do this for one night only, I need forever, I love you."
Kathryn let his words flow over her for just a moment. "I love you too, I have always loved you, Chakotay. I will always love you. There will be no turning back for me, not now."
With a groan he fumbled with his jacket, finally pulling it and his undershirt over his head. Then he reached for Kathryn pulling at the fastener that held the dress on her body. Loosened, the weight of the silk carried the dress to the floor to pool at her feet, finally he swept her up into his arms and headed for the bedroom
He laid her down on the bed, tugging at her underwear until he had freed her body. Then he stepped back to kick off the last of his clothing.
"You are so beautiful," his awe evident, as he tumbled down next to her pressing his body against hers. He placed heated kisses on her face and neck, groaning as her fingers caressed his flat male nipples, then moved to his back caressing the smooth skin there.
He moved down her body leaving a trail of kisses until he reached her breasts, and paused to take a nipple into his mouth. His hand continued its journey reaching the curls at her center, and dipped his fingers in, touching and caressing her core. The sensation of his touch caused tingly jolts to travel down the backs of her thighs.
He touched, and nibbled and kissed at her body until need throbbed through her like an extra heart beat. Finally he began to kiss his way back up her body until he held her in his arms again and she cradled him between her legs. Softly murmuring love words to her, he slowly began to push into her heat.
Her body held his in a perfect dichotomy of soft strength, a damp tightness that felt like heaven that felt like home. It wasn’t until he heard her draw a harsh breath, that he realized how long it had been for her, and that all the lovers he had accused her of having were only figments of his own jealousy.
"Kathryn?" he stilled fighting the desire to thrust deep within her. "I thought…"
"Don’t stop," she begged. "I’ve waited long enough for you, please don’t stop."
He held her, his penis buried within her warmth, waiting for her body to adjust to his.
As the stinging eased, she moved her hips up, drawing him in deeper. "I love you,
He slowly began to move, drawing almost all the way out only to plunge back in deeper and faster, his passion fueled by the thrashing movement of the woman underneath him. They moved together, passion building, struggling to reach the apex. It became hard and fast, fueled by their desperation.
Kathryn screamed out her joy, the spasms of her orgasm milking him until he followed her with a deep groan, his seed exploding deep inside her, and with their release, they collapsed onto the bed.
He rolled to his side, still holding her close. His hands rubbed down her back amazed that it was Kathryn here in his bed, in his arms. "I love you." he whispered over and over.
"I love you too, Chakotay. I love you forever."
Sated the couple fell into a deep sleep.
=^=
So they awoke spooned together, skin against skin.
"Good morning, Kathryn," his soft velvet voice caressing her
"Good morning yourself, my love. This is a wonderful way to wake up."
His lips nuzzled at the back of her neck. "I could arrange it so that we could wake up like this for the rest of our lives."
"Is that a proposal?"
"If you want it to be, it is. Do you want to marry me Kathryn, even after the ass I made of myself at the party?"
"Yes, I want to marry you, I love you, and you didn’t make anymore of an ass of yourself than I did. Really all I wanted was to get your attention."
"You did that alright!"
"I know we each said some hard things, but Chakotay, I think they needed to be said. We needed to release all our negative feelings so we could be free to move on together."
"I let the fear that you cared for others, drive a wedge between us without trying to find out what you wanted, Kathryn. That’s the real problem with silence. If you never acknowledge a problem you cannot solve it. I nearly let the fear of your rejection keep us apart forever. I’m sorry for that. I love you so."
"You were not alone in your fears, Chakotay. I let the fear of losing another lover keep me from you, but I realized that having you no matter how long or short a time, is far better than losing you completely. I love you too, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
She turned in his arms and pressed a kiss to his lips.
"I’ll take that as a yes," he laughed nuzzling the soft place under her ear.
"So we are now engaged huh, do we make it official at the brunch this morning?" she moved down brushing her lips across his throat.
"If you keep doing that, we’ll never get down to eat," he laughed pressing his growing arousal into her stomach.
"I always believed in being fashionably late…"