A Matter of Principles

Rating: M
Pairing: J/Kashyk, J/C
Summary: Principles, principles, can she disobey her almighty principles?
Disclaimer: Paramount/Viacom own the series and the characters that are related to Star Trek: Voyager, but the story is mine.
Length: 481 words
Date: January 1999

Chakotay felt betrayed. He had left Kathryn alone for the past two months now, and she hadn't said anything to him outside of ship's business.

Maybe he had lost her, maybe it was just time for him to admit he had lost her to himself, and to the Captain. Maybe he was just so lost in the events that had transpired that he didn't know what to do. Maybe he was jealous... maybe he needed to talk to his spirit guide. She always knew how to help him. He needed solace and he needed to either close this chapter of his life story, or write a new chapter. Either way he needed some sort of closure when it came to Kathryn Janeway.

Two months. It had been two months since Kashyk had left. Two months since she and Chakotay had parted in many ways. Two months since she had died. She had started to realize a month ago what was going on with her, why she had been so irritable. Why she had cried and laughed and needed to be close to someone... Chakotay. She was pregnant, and it was the inspector's child. She had denied it for longer than she should have, and she had neglected to see the Doctor, but it was only a matter of time before someone noticed, and that someone would no doubt be Chakotay. She was alone in her quarters, and realized that she could hold back the dam no longer, and the tears began to flow.

Chakotay needed to work this out. He had tried to contact his spirit guide, but she had been disjointed. She had only said something about a reconciliation, and closure to a relationship. Kathryn's spirit guide had been in the background. He didn't know what it meant. He needed to talk to Kathryn; he needed to put this all behind him. He needed to know. He walked up to Kathryn's door and rang the chime. He needed to talk to her; he needed to see her in the capacity of Kathryn not the Captain. He needed to know, and he intended to get what he needed.

"Go away Chakotay, I don’t want to see you."

That was it, this had gone too far. He used his override commands and walked into her quarters. The sight he saw, he never expected. Kathryn Janeway sat crying and looking at a holopic of the inspector. She was writing a letter. He walked up and looked at the start of the letter, it read:

"Dear baby, this is the story of your conception: this is an explanation...

TBC in PART IV