by Dakota

"You have the bridge, Commander."

"Aye, Captain." Chakotay acknowledged the order but didn't look up until the door to the ready room had closed behind the captain. He didn't know her well yet but something seemed to be bothering her. He considered his options then decided that if she had made him her first officer, she was going to treat him like her first officer. She couldn't spend the next seventy years keeping things to herself.

Twenty minutes later, Chakotay closed the file he was working on and stood.

"You have the bridge, Lieutenant."

"Aye, Sir." Tuvok waited until Chakotay had passed the Tactical Station before moving to take the captain's chair.

Chakotay entered the ready room to find the captain staring at the stars instead of working.

"What can I do for you, Commander?"

"I came to find out what's bothering you."

"Nothing you need to be concerned about."

"Look, you made me your first officer. You can't expect me to function in that capacity if you're going to keep things to yourself." He stared at her giving her a moment to consider his words. "Now, what's been on your mind the last day or two?"

The captain sighed and studied him a minute. "I'm feeling a lot like the Caretaker must have felt – a debt that can never be repaid."

"I don't understand."

"I owe a debt that I don't think I can ever repay… to you."

"To me?"

"Yes. You sacrificed your ship and a lot more to protect Voyager."

"My ship was damaged. We all stand a better chance of getting home with you than we would have on my ship. If you want, you can talk Starfleet into giving me a new ship when we get home."

"I need your people to run this ship. Even with all of you, we're undermanned. So I still owe you a debt and it's not a debt that can be paid by Starfleet; it's personal and I have no idea how to repay it."

Chakotay studied the woman in front of him. "Why don't we discuss this when we get back to the Alpha Quadrant?"

"You sound like you have something in mind."

"I do but I don't think either of us is quite ready for what I'm thinking."

"Oh?" Kathryn met his eyes.

Chakotay knew when she realized what he meant for she flushed and looked down. He stepped closer, reached out one hand to tilt her head up and kissed her. She tried to pull away but his other hand wrapped around her just tightly enough to hold her in place. Only when she finally relaxed and responded did he raise his head and drop his arms. She looked as shaken as he felt.

"Consider that a down payment. If you still feel you owe me anything when we get back to the Alpha Quadrant, we'll discuss it then."

"And if I want to make more payments during the journey?"

Kathryn's question surprised Chakotay. He tugged his ear and grinned. "Whenever you want."

She nodded and returned the smile. "I'll look forward to my next payment."