The BLTS Archive - Destiny: Painful Sight
by Kate Carter (starlightstables@gmail.com)

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Disclaimer: Paramount owns them, but they were stupid enough
to let Braga have something to do with them. So I'm
borrowing them, to let them have a quick bit of happiness
before being thrown back into oblivion.at least until
another fan fic writer brings them back out. Which won't be
long, since the thing every serious J/Cer loves most, of
course, is fan fic!

Spoilers: "Unimatrix Zero" Series: This is part of the Destiny
series, the other Chakotay story being "Invisible Man", the other 
Janeway stories being "True Irony" and the companion to this,
"Blessed Sight". I'm also working on more "Destiny" stories.
If you want to keep an eye out for them, they're the ones
with "Destiny: (title)". They'll also mention a companion
piece. To fully comprehend each story.read both.

Other: Please excuse me if the details aren't entirely
correct, it's been a while since I saw "Unimatrix Zero".
E-mail me any corrections, and I'll be happy to make them.

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Personal log, supplemental:

I'd never been so grateful for that transporter than I was
earlier.  When we got Kathryn, B'Elanna, and Tuvok back. I
hadn't realized I could run so fast. I almost knocked over
an ensign. But that run seemed to last forever. I couldn't
help but worry. Would she be all right? Would she have been
turned into a cold, heartless creature, like Seven?

No, I told myself. Seven had been raised in the Collective.
Kathryn, my Kathryn, could never become like that. She had
always been so caring, so compassionate, so full of life and
love for it.

Still, as I ran, matched almost step by step by Tom, I
couldn't help but feel that fear. What had the Borg done to
her? Had they cut off one of those graceful arms? Had they
taken one of her beautiful blue eyes? Had they taken Kathryn?

I burst through the door, and the sight that met my eyes was
so typically Kathryn. She was standing by the Sickbay
replicator, ordering coffee. If it hadn't been for that, I
wouldn't have recognized her, with her body covered in Borg
implants.

"Kathryn!" I cried. I could have hugged her, have swept her
off her feet, never letting her go, but she held her hand
up.

"No, Chakotay. Don't come any closer. I can still hear them.
They've broken Tuvok. I don't want them to break me too. I
don't want to hurt you." Her eyes were full of sorrow. She
gave me a weak smile. "Besides, I can't control these
things," she said, holding up her hand. Assimilation tubules
were popping in and out, in and out. "Don't want to
accidentally assimilate you."

So I stayed back, although it hurt me. I tried to shift my
focus to B'Elanna. Tom and B'Elanna were awkwardly hugging
each other, despite the risk factor. I noticed Kathryn
watching them, a wistful look on her face. She glanced back
at me, and her expression almost broke my heart. I started
to step towards her again, but she picked up her coffee and
headed for a biobed. I followed, and sat on the one next to
her.

"What happened, Kathryn?" I asked softly. She gave a shudder.
"I'd rather not talk about it right now, if you don't mind,
Chakotay." We didn't need words. I saw the terrible pain she'd
gone through, mixed with the determination to get the job done.
I saw her courage. I saw her hope. I saw her relief. I saw
something else in there, something that I've seen before, the
occasional flick that sustains me. It was love. She attempted
another smile.

"How's Voyager?" she asked, her tone as bright as she could make
it. So we discussed the ship for a while, then moved on to other,
impersonal things.

There's one good thing about having a hologram as a doctor;
he's fast. Within six hours, all three had had their
implants removed and were lying on biobeds, resting. I
stayed in sickbay the entire time.

I helped Tom with Kathryn, putting her medical gown on
myself. I'm sure she would be embarrassed to know that, but
I wasn't going to let Tom. Besides, I used a towel to cover
her as much as possible. But most of her skin was so
fragile, newly regenerated. The Doctor had replaced her
hair, and it laid in a tangled mess. She was still so pale.
I wanted to hold her, to never let her go.

I stayed there for hours more, but it didn't seem like it. I
waited to see her wake up. Finally, she did. Those beautiful
blue eyes, eyes I thought I might never see again, opened
and looked at me. Her lips came up into a smile.

"Chakotay."

I could do nothing but smile back myself. "Kathryn." I
whispered hoarsely. I couldn't say anything more. But she
knew.

My Kathryn was back.


End log.

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The End