Author's note:  I've always wanted to write this kind of story.  
However, when I began babysitting for a new family, the story turned 
into a series.  Yes, the title comes from the Spice Girls' song of the 
same title.  Why?  Because, IMHO, the "set your spirit free" line fits 
them perfectly.  If they (especially Kath) would let go, they could be 
together as they should be.  And that's that.  *Cheile descends from her 
soapbox*  :)

Disclaimers:  The usual B.S.  Star Trek Voyager belongs to Paramount.  
"Two Become One" belongs to the Spice Girls.  The story and Edward 
Janeway's tale are my property.

Rating:  This is PG-13.  Intimate stuff is hinted at, but not blatantly 
described.

Two Become One
by Cheile


        "You may kiss the bride."
        Kathryn Janeway smiled as she watched Tom and B'Elanna kiss.  How far 
these two had come--from almost enemies to flirting friends to lovers, 
and now husband and wife.  She couldn't have been happier for them.
        She glanced over at her tall, darkly handsome first officer, who had 
given the bride away.  She raised an eyebrow at him.  Chakotay shrugged 
in response.
        "I told you so," she mouthed.
        He grinned and shrugged again.
        Kathryn shook her head.  *You're incorrigible*, her look told him.
        *I know*, his look answered.
        Her thoughts were momentarily interrupted as she reached the couple and 
was immediately snatched up in an effusive hug by Tom Paris.  She gave 
him her congratulations and he thanked her for helping him turn his life 
around.
        "I wouldn't have come this far without you," he finished, releasing her 
from the hug.
        She smiled at him, squeezing his shoulder, then moved to B'Elanna.  Her 
hug was less crushing, but with the same gratitude as Tom's.  "Thank 
you, Captain."
        "No thanks necessary.  I'm glad to see you so happy."
        They separated from the hug.  B'Elanna looked up at Tom with shining 
eyes.  He smiled down at her gently.  "Shall we head for the reception 
area, love?"
        She nodded and taking his hand, they headed across the lawn where the 
tables were being set.  Kathryn watched them go, smiling herself.  A 
minute or so later, Chakotay approached her.  "Looks like someone needs 
an escort to the reception.  May I?"  He offered her his arm.
        Kathryn laughed.  "Certainly, Commander."
        They headed for the reception area.

        The next hour or so passed in a whirl of toasts, teasing, presents and 
laughter.  The second hour was basically time for everyone to eat, 
followed by the cake cutting.  Tom's hand slipped a little when he was 
giving B'Elanna the small piece of cake and got a small smear of 
frosting across her cheek.  It appeared that she didn't seem to mind or 
apparently she did, because when she fed Tom his piece, he barely got in 
half a bite before she smeared the rest across his face.  Everyone 
laughed.
        "Would you look at that?  She's abusing me already," Tom pretended to 
complain.  The group laughed again.
        After cake, Megan Delany set herself up as musician and the time for 
dancing began.  First, she played a Celine Dion song for the new couple 
to dance to alone.  Then she selected several random files of 20th and 
21st century love songs and some romantic instrumental music and began 
selecting tracks from those.
        At around the fifth song, Chakotay asked Kathryn to dance.  She 
accepted and they moved onto the floor as a soft flute and piano melody 
began to play.
        "I guess you were right after all," he said to her.  "I can see how 
well they compliment each other."
        Kathryn gave him her "I told you so" look, but she was smiling.  "Well, 
at least you and Tom will stop being at each other's throats," she 
teased.
        He chuckled.  "If we kept it up, B'Elanna would tear our hearts out and 
make us eat them."
        She shook her head, her smile growing.  "Would the 'father' of the 
bride like to have dinner at my place tomorrow night?"
        He grinned.  "I'd love to, Kathryn."
        "Then it's a date."
        "It is," he replied softly.


*

        At 1945 the next evening, Kathryn was preparing for Chakotay's arrival.  
She had already set up the table and two chairs, lit the candles--one of 
which was on the table, the other two on the low table in front of the 
sofa, and had the bottle of wine chilling in a bucket of ice.
        Now all she had to do was finish fixing her hair and when he arrived, 
replicate dinner.
        The latter would be nothing more than a simple command to the computer.  
The former, however, was becoming a problem.
        When *wasn't* her hair a problem?  And *why*, tonight of all nights, 
did it have to cause problems?  Grumbling, she finally succeeded in 
pulling the top layer back with a silver clip and let the rest, which 
had grown out to just below her shoulders, hang free.
        Kathryn hurried out of the bathroom. "Come in."
        The doors parted to reveal Chakotay, dressed in a loose white linen 
shirt and beige slacks.  He stepped inside, letting the door slide 
closed behind him.
        For a long moment, he stood there silently and admired the lovely 
vision of his captain.  She was in a dress of light sea green, slightly 
off-the-shoulder, that fell to just above the knee.  The color of her 
dress seemed to make her ocean eyes bluer and accented the rich auburn 
of her hair.
        Finally, he found his voice. "You look beautiful, Kathryn. "
        She smiled and blushed a little. "Thank you.  You look nice, too. "
        He grinned at her.  "So what's for dinner?"
        "Gagh and blood pie," she deadpanned.
        He laughed.  "Kathryn, you never cease to amaze me."
        She laughed in return.  "Actually, it's going to be lasagna--once I 
replicate it, that is."
        "Sounds good."
        Kathryn went to the replicator and made her request, then brought the 
plates over to the table.  She then made a second trip for the basket of 
bread, which she set in the center of the table.  Chakotay pulled out 
her chair for her then seated himself.
        They ate dinner and talked about various things.  When they had 
finished, Kathryn cleared away the dishes and came back with two 
glasses.  "Shall we try the wine, Chakotay?"
        He smiled.  "Sure."
        Bringing the ice bucket with him, Chakotay sat down on the couch.  
Kathryn seated herself gracefully beside him and set the glasses down.  
Reaching for the bottle, she set it down in front of her and carefully 
worked out the stopper.
        "So what is the wine?" he asked.
        Kathryn paused in pouring his glass to look up at him and smile.  
"Betazoid burgundy, 2309."
        "Was that a good year?"
        She raised an eyebrow at him as she handed him the glass.  "Are you a 
wine connoisseur like Tom, Chakotay?"
        He grinned again.  "No, I'm just teasing."  Then he held out his glass 
as she picked up her own.  "To our friendship, Kathryn."
        "To our friendship," she echoed softly, touching the rim of her glass 
to his lightly.  She tore her gaze away from his, feeling suddenly warm 
all over.  She sipped the wine for a few minutes when looking out her 
viewport at the stars streaking by outside.  When she glanced back at 
Chakotay, he was looking over in the direction of her wall shelf that 
held a few of her personal sentimental items.
        "What is it, Chakotay?"
        "I see something that looks like a miniature arch," he answered.
        Kathryn smiled.  She rose, setting down her wine glass and crossed the 
room, reaching her arm up to pick up the object in question.  Coming 
back, she sat down close to Chakotay and carefully opened her hand.
        "A rainbow," he said in surprise.
        Her smile grew.
        "May I?"
        She nodded and set the figurine in his hand.  The little glass rainbow, 
about an inch or so wide and two and a half to three inches long seemed 
dwarfed even more while resting in Chakotay's palm.  The glass had each 
of the seven colors in it and had two half-clouds, one on each end, for 
its base.  It sparkled brightly under the lights.
        "This is the original one my father gave me when I was only three years 
old."
        "It's held up through all the battles and beatings Voyager has taken?" 
he said in amazement.
        Kathryn had to laugh at that remark, then her laughter faded into a 
quiet smile.  "It's a tough little rainbow," she said, running a 
fingertip lightly over the arch.
        "So what meaning does the rainbow have?  Or is it just a present from 
your father?"
        "Actually, my father made up a little story that went with the rainbow, 
calling it 'my' rainbow.  'That's Kathryn's rainbow', he would tell my 
sister.  'No one but she can touch it, or it will lose its magic.'"
        "A magic rainbow, hmm?"
        "That's what he taught me to believe when I was little.  He used to say 
to me, 'Goldenbird, your rainbow is a magical rainbow.  It holds the 
magic of love.  For when you grow up, there will be a special man 
awaiting you.  And he will be your love at the end of the rainbow.'  And 
I would say, 'But I thought pots of gold were at the ends of rainbows.'  
To which my father would reply, 'Your rainbow is different.  At the end 
of yours is love, which is much more precious than gold.'"
        Kathryn paused.  Chakotay handed her the rainbow and she took it.  She 
stared at it silently for several minutes before speaking again.
        "I used to think Justin was that man.  But when he and my father died, 
I lost faith in everything that I had known.  I knew that Daddy made it 
up, but there was a part of me that always wanted to believe in 'happily 
ever after'."
        She carefully set the little rainbow down, then sighed.  Looking up at 
Chakotay, she tilted her head slightly to the side.  "Am I making 
sense?"
        He nodded.  "Perfect sense."
        Kathryn smiled sadly.  "You always understand me, Chakotay.  How do you 
do that?"
        "I guess it's because I know you so well."  He reached out a hand to 
lightly touch her cheek.
        Kathryn was startled by his tender touch, then realized that she 
shouldn't be.  She knew how he felt about her.  She knew that she spent 
most of her time denying how deeply she felt for him.
        Why had she denied herself the love she deserved to have?  As Q had so 
bluntly pointed out two years ago, she wasn't getting any younger.  And 
the dreams she had harbored of a child, *her* child, to hold in her 
arms, faded more with every new day.
        But she could fulfill those dreams now.  She knew Chakotay would give 
her that and more.  So what was holding her back?  Regulations?  
Protocol?
        *Protocol be damned*, her heart said fiercely.  *I'm sick of holding 
back.*
        She looked up at Chakotay.  His expression had changed--becoming more 
serious.  He looked deep into her eyes.
        "Kathryn," he said softly.
        She couldn't hold herself back.  He bent his head toward hers slowly.  
And when his lips brushed hers, she gave in.  She leaned in closer to 
him.  He brought his other hand up, gently cupping her face as he 
deepened the kiss.
        As the kiss ended, he gently caressed her brow with his thumb.  Her 
eyes slowly opened as his thumb moved down her cheek to her chin.  Then 
his hand moved to the back of her head, pulling her close to him to kiss 
her again.
        As Kathryn leaned into him, Chakotay's other arm slid around her waist, 
drawing her full up against him.  He deepened the kiss, his tongue 
dancing with hers.  Then he slowly began to rise, still holding her 
close.  Never breaking the kiss, he carried her across the room and into 
her bedroom.  Kneeling on her bed, he gently lay her down before him.
        "Kathryn..." he whispered once more.
        And they became lost in each other.

        Much later, as she lay in Chakotay's arms, Kathryn suddenly remembered, 
once again, the story her father had told made up when she was a child.
        *"Goldenbird, your rainbow is a magical rainbow.  It holds the magic of 
love.  For when you grow up, there will be a special man awaiting 
you...a love more precious than gold."*
        At long last, she had found her love at the end of the rainbow.


The end?  Maybe, maybe not.  :)  Hope you liked it.  ('Cause we *know* 
they are meant to be together.  IN YOUR FACE, KATE!!  :)

Story copyright September 1998 by Cheile.  "Kathryn's Magic Rainbow" 
tale copyright by me.  Feedback make Cheile happy!!!  :)  
cheile@hotmail.com