by Dakota

Chakotay had just taken his usual seat after being relieved by another crewman at the helm. Kathryn exchanged smiles with him before turning her attention back to the view screen where Earth hung in the dark sky. She barely noticed the ships that joined Voyager as she watched the planet spin slowly in the sky and certainly did not notice that one small ship had not taken up a position stationary to Voyager's course.

Suddenly, five men dressed as security exited the turbolift.

"Captain, we're here to take Commander Chakotay into custody."

"What? What's going on? Who issued your orders?" Kathryn was out of her seat as she turned to face the intruders on her bridge.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. We have our orders. You'll have to discuss this with Starfleet Command." The officer in charge turned to Chakotay.  "Sir, if you'll come with us now."

Chakotay seemed unsurprised and didn't speak as he stood. He stopped next to Kathryn briefly as he walked toward the men.

"It'll be ok, Kathryn. They are only following orders."

As soon as he had joined them, the men formed a small circle around him and ordered a beam out by their ship. A minute later, the small ship moved away from Voyager at high warp.

"Track that ship, Harry. Tuvok, find out who else they took."

"Aye, Captain." Harry's hands danced over the controls. "They took an elliptical path away from us and seemed to be headed to the asteroid belt."

"What? Was that really a Starfleet ship?"

"According to all our readings, yes."

"Captain." Tuvok caught Kathryn's attention. "Commander Chakotay is the only person who was removed from Voyager. My readings confirm that it was indeed a Starfleet vessel. They also indicate that they had their weapons charged and at ready while their team was on Voyager. They powered down weapons as soon as the return transport had been completed."

"What the hell is going on here? Get me Starfleet Command!"

Kathryn sat back down, but was no closer to knowing what had happened after talking to Starfleet Command. They merely assured her that 'someone' would explain after she was debriefed.

As soon as they achieved a parking orbit around Earth, Starfleet Security boarded Voyager and took all the Maquis into custody. B'Elanna was transferred to a secured section of the hospital at Starfleet Command. Kathryn could get no explanation of Chakotay's whereabouts. The officer in charge of transferring the Maquis was demanding that Janeway turn Chakotay over to her men when they were interrupted by the head of 'fleet Security who told the woman that someone else had handled Chakotay's transfer. The message was terminated before Kathryn could ask a single question.

An hour after entering orbit, Kathryn left her bridge and headed for her quarters. She slowed as she passed Chakotay's door, then entered. Someone would have to assemble his things for him and B'Elanna wasn't available now. When she entered, she noticed that many of his personal items had been packed in boxes although a few things were still in their places. She walked over to his table and found a padd and a peace rose. Slowly she picked up the rose and breathed in its scent. Memories flooded back and she smiled sadly.

Kathryn picked up the padd wondering whether it was intended for her or someone else. Realizing the only way to find out was to turn it on and read the first few lines, she keyed up the solitary entry. One sentence was all she needed to know it was for her. She could hear his voice.

"I can tell you a story. It's an ancient legend among my people… and in that way, the warrior found the true meaning of peace and love.  Wait for me. Please."

Kathryn knew the last few words had been added since she first heard that legend. Somehow he had known he would not get to talk to her if they reached Earth and had left her this message, a message that would mean very little to anyone else. After reading the legend a second time, Kathryn deleted it and recycled the padd. She wasn't sure she could explain its meaning to anyone and didn't want to try. Taking the rose, she slowly left Chakotay's quarters and went to her own.

A month later, Kathryn finally left the debriefing room knowing that any more questions would be about minor details and handled by a commlink or quick conversation over lunch. She sighed and made her way to her quarters. She was going on leave for at least two months. After that, she wasn't sure. She entered her quarters and headed for the terminal to look up transit information to her mother's home. She didn't notice the rose next to it until she sat down with a cup of coffee.

A peace rose was in the shadow of the terminal. Slowly, Kathryn picked it up and smelled it. Only one person could have sent it. It reminded her of the last part of the message – "Wait for me. Please." She smiled and wondered who had delivered it.

Thinking about the 'who' reminded Kathryn that she still had no idea what had happened to Chakotay. It also reminded her of all the questions that had been asked when, three days after taking them into custody, Starfleet had released all the Maquis with no explanation. Curiosity made her pull up Chakotay's personnel file from Starfleet Command. She scanned it quickly to the end, finding it all quite familiar yet incomplete. Suddenly she realized that nowhere in the file did it mention his involvement with the Maquis. Puzzled, she called up B'Elanna's file and read it. Again, there was no mention of her involvement with the Maquis. She quickly checked Ayala's file and half a dozen others. If you didn't know they had been Maquis, nothing in their files would tell you that. She called up Tuvok's file and scanned it for his assignment to infiltrate a Maquis ship. It was there but no details were included and although the file didn't say it explicitly, anyone reading it would think he had rejoined Voyager before they were caught by the Caretaker's beam.

Kathryn knew something was going on but had no idea what. She smelled the rose again. Either Chakotay knew or someone was going to a lot of trouble for no apparent reason.

Kathryn spent the next few weeks at her mother's just relaxing. They talked about friends and family and all that had happened. Kathryn told her mother about her crew and over the weeks, most of them came to visit for an afternoon or evening. They made so many trips to see Tom and B'Elanna that Miral was as comfortable with them as with Tom's family. The night that the Parises had joined them for dinner was pleasant and they stayed late talking. The few hours difference in time and the fact that Owen had arranged for a 'fleet shuttle as their transportation home meant that it was extremely late when Kathryn and her mother finally went to bed.

Only when she found the rose on her pillow did Kathryn realize that another month had passed. She was saddened to realize that she hadn't thought about Chakotay for nearly a week. After seven years, she had adjusted to his absence after only a handful of weeks. She fell asleep that night with the rose on the next pillow. The next day she searched her things until she found the dried remains of the first two roses and located two small frames for them. She would save them and keep them out where they would be a constant reminder.

It was three months later when Kathryn approached the outer door of what was to be her office at Starfleet Command for the next year or so. Her aide was at her desk and stood promptly at attention when Kathryn entered. The tall young woman was clearly nervous about meeting her new boss.

"As you were, Ensign."

"Yes, ma'am."

"You're new around here, aren't you?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Well, I expect a lot and set a high standard but I spent seven years with the same people and have learned to work in a more relaxed atmosphere. You need not snap to attention if it's just me passing through but I'd appreciate a respectful welcome or acknowledgment. As for the 'ma'am', I prefer 'captain'. Now is there anything urgent I need to know?"

"You've been invited to join Admiral Paris for lunch today and there is a meeting scheduled with personnel this afternoon."

"Personnel?"

"It seems they have a few blanks in the files of some of your crew and are hoping you can fill them in."

Kathryn was surprised that they were bothering her with those questions. The ship's personnel officer would normally handle such matters. Then she realized that Chakotay had served in that capacity.

"Anything else?"

"No, ma'am." A quick glance reminded the ensign. "Sorry, Captain. I'll try to remember that."

"You'll get used to it. They will be delivering a box with some of my personal things later today. If I'm gone when it arrives, you can have them put it on my desk. By the way, what's your name? They didn't tell me that yet."

"Yes, Captain. Susannah Thompson."

"Do you mind if I call you Susannah?"

"My friends call me 'Sally'."

"Sally it is then, if you don't mind. Well, continue with whatever you were doing. We both have new jobs to learn."

Kathryn moved toward her office and entered. She stopped dead. On her desk was a vase holding a dozen peace roses.

"Sally, could you come here a minute."

Sally was at the door in only a few seconds.

"Yes, Captain? What's wrong?"

"Do you know how those flowers got on my desk?"

Sally looked over Kathryn's shoulder and gasped slightly.

"They're beautiful, Captain, but they weren't there when I checked your office when I first arrived. I only left for a few minutes to get some supplies down the hall. A messenger must have delivered them while I was gone. Is it important?"

"No, I was just curious how they arrived. That's all. Thank you."

Sally took that as her dismissal and returned to her desk. Kathryn smiled to herself. The young woman had good instincts about what Kathryn expected.

Kathryn walked over to her desk and smelled the roses. She didn't even bother to look for a card – she knew who had sent them and that there was no card. She looked around the room for a better place to display the roses. The arrangement was too large to remain on her desk. She decided the low table in front of her desk would be suitable. She could see them easily while she worked.

Quickly Kathryn moved the roses and returned to her desk. She stared at them for a few minutes before the vase caught her attention. It had a vaguely familiar design. She stood and went back around her desk. She rotated the vase slowly, following the design and easily recognized why it seemed familiar. Although wrapped around the vase at an angle and distorted by the shape, the design was definitely the same as the tattoo Chakotay wore. He wasn't taking any chances that she not know who had sent those roses. Kathryn smiled and returned to work.

Over the next few months, Kathryn settled into her responsibilities at Starfleet Command. The roses continued to arrive each month and Sally quickly learned that trying to catch the messenger delivering them was impossible. She and Kathryn both gave up when the rose appeared on Kathryn's desk while both were in the outer office discussing something. Instead, Sally took it upon herself to find a different frame for each rose and arrange them on the wall where Kathryn could see them. Sally never asked who sent the roses but she knew whoever it was meant a great deal to Kathryn.

Kathryn had put the dozen roses in a single larger frame that served as the center of her rose display. The vase was still on the table but now it held two red roses and a single peace rose.

Kathryn was happy with her job but could not get used to having so many people around all the time. She was restless and uncomfortable with her surroundings. After a year, she asked for an assignment to a smaller facility, preferably in deep space. In only a few days, they offered her a post at a Starbase still under construction near the edge of Federation territory. When finished, it would be a large bustling base and active commercial center for the area. Although run by Starfleet, it would be home to many civilians and the site of local offices for a dozen corporations from all over the Federation. It was also incorporating a lot of the technology brought back by Voyager. To Kathryn it sounded perfect.

Kathryn accepted the assignment almost immediately then made a personal visit to 'fleet personnel. She requested that Sally be assigned as her aide on the new Starbase but did not want her forced to take the assignment. The personnel officer who was in charge of staffing the new base said she understood and would handle the offer herself to make sure Sally was not pressured. She also took advantage of the impromptu meeting to explain how they would be handling the staffing of the base until construction was completed. Both left the meeting satisfied that there would be no problems that couldn't be worked out easily.

Three days later, Sally returned from lunch smiling broadly and went straight into Kathryn's office.

"Guess what, Captain?  I'm getting transferred!"

"That's wonderful, Sally, You sound very pleased." Kathryn already knew where Sally was being transferred. "I'll be sorry to lose you."

Sally's face looked shocked then her grin grew even broader.

"Don't scare me like that. You know I'm being assigned to your Starbase. Why didn't you tell me you had requested a transfer? I've been wanting to get away from HQ for ages but didn’t want to leave you. This is perfect! They told me that I would be getting a week's leave before we go but that you still hadn't picked a date."  Sally paused for Kathryn to speak but continued before Kathryn could catch up with the conversation.  "So, when do we go?"

"I was waiting to see whether you accepted the assignment. I'm still catching up with the leave I accumulated in the Delta Quadrant so I'm taking two weeks. You can have a couple days here to clean up without me bothering you, take your leave and that will still give you a few days to sort out the supplies and equipment we'll need to take with us. Then we'll take a week here going over everything together before we leave."

"A week?"

"I think we'll need it. Not us so much as all the people who will want to give us advice, have one last lunch, that sort of thing."

"Good point."

"I'll start my leave next Wednesday. You can finish out the week before you start yours. That will give you an extra weekend."

"What about your rose?"

"My rose?"

"The next one will arrive while we're gone."

"Somehow I think I'll get my rose no matter where I am."

"Ok, I'll find you another frame while I'm on leave."

"One other thing, Sally. They are sending us on a commercial liner most of the way, so pack some civilian things for our journey. It's going to take us about six weeks to get there with four of them on the liner. Plan on shipping most of your personal items and clothing with the equipment and supplies."

"I'll do that. Thanks for warning me. I'll start sorting things tonight." Sally's step was still light as she left the office. "I'm so excited."

Kathryn smiled and turned her attention to clearing the last items on her desk in preparation for her transfer.

Just over a year later, Kathryn entered her office to find another rose on her desk. She and Sally had stopped wondering how they were delivered. There had been no interruption in their arrival other than being a day or two late a few times and a day early once. Even on the commercial liner, they had appeared with no one on the vessel able to explain their presence since they had no peace roses on board. Kathryn had come to accept their arrival but even she had been amazed when she entered her office at the Starbase – with only a few pieces of furniture – to find three dozen roses on the desk in a vase differing from the one a year earlier only in color and size.

Kathryn picked up the rose and smiled as she inhaled its fragrance then glanced at the wall and her slowly growing collection of framed dried roses. The first vase was in its place on the table in front of her desk and the framed collection was along the wall opposite the entrance. Behind Kathryn's desk on the corner table stood an elaborate yet delicate display. Sally had somehow found metal frames shaped like roses on long rods so they resembled long stemmed roses. Each of the three dozen roses was in its own frame and the group was arranged in the vase they had arrived in.

Kathryn took one last breath of the latest rose and sat down, placing the rose on the desk next to her work area. Things were picking up at the Starbase as the third of five sections neared completion.

Kathryn scanned her latest messages from Starfleet Command. Finally, they were expanding her administrative staff. In some ways, Kathryn was disappointed despite knowing it was necessary. She and Sally had been dealing with all the administrative matters for the growing base and both knew that eventually Kathryn would be assigned a first officer who would take over many of the responsibilities they now shared.

Kathryn looked for any messages from 'fleet Personnel and was pleased when she read what they had said. Kathryn had requested that Sally be given charge of running the administrative offices and a less experienced officer be made Kathryn's aide. That would make Sally senior to all but Kathryn's first officer and allow them to continue working closely together. Personnel had already selected Kathryn's new aide – a young Vulcan just out of the Academy. He would arrive on the next scheduled supply transport along with the aide for her first officer. Her first officer's aide was slightly older and had spent a year on Qonos in an exchange program. She was married to an engineer who had been working on the base's construction and had requested an assignment there as part of the permanent staff. There was only a brief mention of her new first officer. The person had been selected, would be arriving sometime in the next four to six weeks and would bring all files and papers with him.

Kathryn called Sally in and gave her the files that changed her assignment on the base. Once Sally had calmed down a bit, she and Kathryn got to work on all the things they needed to do in preparation for the additions to their staff and the staff for other departments.

Five weeks later, Kathryn entered her office and was disappointed not to find a rose. For the first time since Voyager returned to the Alpha Quadrant, a rose had not been delivered to her. It was now over a week late and it worried Kathryn. She wondered if something had happened to Chakotay.

She was still puzzling over the meaning of the missing rose when there was a brief knock on the door. Kathryn glanced at the chronometer and saw that she had been sitting for over an hour lost in thought. It was probably Sally with the latest problems with housing. More than fifty people had arrived on the last transport but they had been told only thirty crew were coming and so had been quite unprepared for the additional people. Someone had neglected to mention the fact that twenty of them had husbands or wives on the same transport. Despite their best efforts, the new aides were just not familiar enough with the base yet to be much help so Kathryn and Sally had been dealing with the problems for the last two days.

"Come!"

The door opened and someone stepped in and waited. Kathryn looked up.

"Chakotay?" Her voice was a whisper. "Is that really you?"

"Hello, Kathryn."

"Chakotay?" Kathryn stood and moved toward him and into his waiting arms. The years apart fell away as she held him. "What are you doing here?"

"Reporting for duty as ordered."

"You? You're my new first officer?"

"Yes. Is this how you greet all your new officers?"

"No. I'm sorry." Kathryn started to pull back, but Chakotay held her firmly where she was.

"Good and don't be sorry." He smiled down at her and glanced around the room. "I brought you something. I guess you can add it to your collection."

Chakotay let go of Kathryn and held up a single peace rose for Kathryn. She carefully took the rose and breathed in its fragrance. "My rose. I didn't know what to think when it didn’t appear last week."

"I planned to be here last week but was delayed. By the time I knew I'd be late, it was too late to arrange for a delivery."

"Where have you been?"

"I can't tell you that. In fact, I can't tell you much except that in addition to being your first officer I'm also Chief of Security for the Sector and that includes the Base. Oh, they will send us someone else to do most of the work, but I'll have the final say on all security matters. It's taken me nearly a year to get this assignment but I finally managed it. One thing I can also tell you is that if you ever get transferred, I'll be transferred with you, but we're more likely to be here for a very long time."

"How can you be so sure? They could transfer either of us tomorrow and there's nothing we can do about it."

"I just am -- sure about our assignments here, that is. I'm not so sure about us yet."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, that was a pretty warm welcome, but are you ready to make a commitment knowing I'll never be able to answer a lot of your questions? I can tell you right now that from time to time, I'll have to leave with no warning and no explanations. It means trusting me, no questions asked, now or ever."

Kathryn was sure about her feelings but not so sure about controlling her curiosity and concerns. She had spent years on Voyager hiding her feelings and two years since hoping for a chance to be with him. She had a hundred questions and a lot of suspicions that she would like to have confirmed or denied.

"I'm sure of my feelings and yes, I trust you, but I know I'm going to ask questions. It's not like me not to ask."

"I won't answer them but I don't mind if you ask as long as you don't push for answers I can't give you."

"I love you, Chakotay. I received roses for two years from you and waited. I made that commitment a long time ago."

Chakotay sighed in relief. "There a justice of the peace on this base yet?"

"Three – one Federation, one Romulan and one Klingon."

Chakotay stepped away from Kathryn and took her hand.

"Come on, we going to the Federation one right now."

"Now?"

"Now, Kathryn."

Kathryn started to protest. "You haven't even kissed me yet."

Chakotay kissed her quickly. "Now, come on."

Kathryn, stunned by her reaction to his kiss, allowed herself to be pulled out the door. As they passed their aides and Sally, Chakotay barked out a string of orders.

"We're going to be inspecting the base today. Don't contact us except for emergencies and reschedule all her appointments for today and tomorrow morning until later in the week."

Kathryn's aide raised an eyebrow. Chakotay's confused aide acknowledged the orders, "Aye, sir."

Sally had seen the rose in Chakotay's hand and recognized its significance so she just grinned and got back to work making sure the other two did the same as the two ranking officers of the base left the office hand in hand. She turned her attention to Kathryn's calendar to cancel all her appointments for the next three days - just in case.

Chakotay led Kathryn by the hand down the hall to wait for a lift. "If I'd known this is how you responded to a kiss, I'd have kissed you a long time ago, Kathryn."

"You haven't said why we're going to the justice of the peace, Chakotay."

"To get married."

"But why?"

"Ahh." Chakotay smiled and hugged Kathryn again.  "I love you. I told you that a long time ago. Remember? You showed the angry warrior the true meaning of peace and love."