Enemy of My Enemy -
Choose Your Friends Well...

by  Kath Tate, Vicki James, and Sheena McDonald

Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager and its characters are the property of Paramount. This story does not mean to infringe upon the trademarks or copyrights of Paramount.

EOME is a series of Voyager stories which are based on the premise that the Maquis ship was not destroyed in "Caretaker." Given that there is no name in canon for the Maquis ship, this series calls it "Fides," which is Latin for "Faith."

The order of the EOME series:
Confederation
Follow the Leader
Casualty and Confession
Food for Thought
Change of Command
Cracks in Time's Mirror
Fides Violare
Fletcher Christian Was in Starfleet
Far From My Home
Judas Kiss Part One
Judas Kiss Part Two
Wi-na-de-ya-ho (A New Day)
A Matter of a Moment
Rumours and Remedies
And Faith Shines Equal
Divide and Conquer (PG) or Divide and Conquer (R)
To the Victor Go the Spoils
Bridging Faith
Choose Your Friends Well...

Well, this was a long time coming, but fun to do nonetheless.  Please do not distribute without Kath's, Vicki's, or Sheena's permission. Thanks.  Many thanks as always to Jen for her editorial input!

*****

Nighttime in space was not marked by the setting of a sun or ended by the coming of a dawn. Nor could one follow the passage of the stars as an indication of the movement of time. Yet there were subtle indications which were used to imply the dark hours of the early morning. Fewer crewmembers roamed the corridors. Common areas of congregation, such as the mess hall, were dark and empty. Posts were manned by only a handful of people; their primary purpose to keep the ship running with other projects, such as Engineering's peak energy efficiency program, put aside until the Alpha shift came on duty.

And it was quiet.

Certainly, not completely silent. There was a constant thrumming sound which came from the warp engines, but it was so constant as to be almost part of the silence. Chakotay was sure that Kathryn could hear her ship; that she could feel changes of momentum. But for him, compared to the rattle and hum of his own vessel, Voyager was still.

The sound, or lack of it, was not the only difference between the ships. As he lay on his back Chakotay looked upwards out the portal to the stars. They were unfamiliar constellations, and upside-down ones at that, but he marvelled at the view. This was a far cry from staring at the underside of Kurt's bunk.

As much as the new Kurt resembled the old, Chakotay could not seem to reconcile them, as his bunkmate was a sound sleeper who liked the dark. Now, more often than not, it was Chakotay who was restless in the middle of the night, feeling the darkness close in with too many memories he'd rather forget. Listening to the gentle snoring of Kurt Bendera only accentuated the difference between him and the man who'd been lost.

But not tonight. Tonight Chakotay was on Voyager, lying in a large bed in a large room with a portal, with Kathryn Janeway curled up in his arms. She was on her side pressed against him, her right shoulder on his left bicep. Circulation to his hand had long been cut off but despite the discomfort he didn't move. Still staring out at space, thoughts random, he gently stroked her hair, her back, his touch too light to wake her, but reassuring to him that she was there with him.

Chakotay felt uneasy.

Things had been going very well for the two ships lately. Too well, in his pessimistic opinion. He felt as though it was just the calm before a big storm. A storm that would strike when their guard was down as they were lulled into a false security of several weeks of steady progress and no problems.

Then he chided himself for being so negative. More than likely they were in a peaceful region of the Delta Quadrant, or even an uninhabited one. They might go for months without running into any difficulties. He was just being over cautious because he was restless and couldn't sleep.

He was worried because he was afraid that the tight reign on his emotions was slipping and that he was finally turning away from the guilt and regret of Seska. Kathryn was to blame. Anger was easier to live with that this more dangerous and fragile feeling he felt for her. He loved her.

So now his mind conjured up endless possibilities that could take her away from him, just as Kurt had been taken away, just as Seska's love had been a lie. He hadn't tried very hard to resist his growing attraction to the Starfleet captain and he knew that any attempt would have been futile. He loved her and he was going to have to face any consequences of that love.

"Bridge to Commander Chakotay."

Chakotay reached out with his right hand to grab the communicator pin.

"Chakotay here."

"I've been asked to relay a message to you from Mr. Bendera. He wants you to go to Fides."

Chakotay frowned. What on earth could Bendera want in the middle of the night?

"Did he say why?"

There was a slight pause.

"I believe his exact words were 'Tell him to get his ass over here if he knows what's good for him.'" The ensign sounded embarrassed and added a hasty, "Sir."

"Thank you, Ensign," Chakotay said softly, signing off. He was puzzled by the summons but Bendera wouldn't have called for him if it wasn't necessary.

"Trouble?" mumbled a sleepy Janeway.

Chakotay eased himself away from her reluctantly and then leaned back to brush aside the tousled hair and kiss her cheek.

"I'm sure it's not serious, but I'd better go anyway," he said.

With eyes still closed Kathryn reached out a hand, which Chakotay took. Her fingers squeezed lightly.

"Let me know if you need any backup." She smiled and rolled away from him, drifting back into sleep easily.

Chakotay quickly pulled on his shirt and pants and grabbed his boots before exiting the captain's quarters.

Fides was as subdued as Voyager was. Chakotay met none of his crew as he made his way to the bridge. Kurt was not there and an uncomfortable Larson confessed he didn't know where Bendera was. Chakotay suspected he was lying, but he had no reason to accuse Larson.

Kurt was not in their tiny quarters, nor in the galley either. Annoyed at being called over in the middle of the night for an unwelcome game of hide and seek, Chakotay was tempted to page Bendera. He decided to try one more location before disturbing the sleep of the others.

The cargo bay was half full of supplies, cartons and containers of various shapes and sizes. The Maquis crew were mostly standing in the empty spaces, a few were sitting up on crates. There was a low rumbling of voices that masked Chakotay's entrance. He watched, his eyes wary. When he'd been feeling the oncoming of a storm, he hadn't expected it to come from his own crew.

"How long are we going to stand by and watch this happen?!" Jonas hissed, getting a murmur of agreement.

"I can't believe you people!" spat B'Elanna, standing close to Jonas in the centre. "Have you completely lost your minds?"

"Chakotay isn't thinking with his head anymore," Jonas said.

"If he ever was," was the comment from an unidentified source.

"What is it going to take to convince you that Voyager is our ally?" asked B'Elanna, trying to appeal to the crowd, but it was Jonas who responded.

"You are hardly thinking either, Bey. Where is your loyalty these days anyway? With the Maquis? Or with your pretty boy Paris?"

Jonas had anticipated the blow and moved just out of range. Ayala stepped in behind B'Elanna to grab her arms before she could launch a full scale attack.

"Hey, this isn't going to solve anything," he told her. "Calm down."

"Janeway has Chakotay wrapped around her little finger," Jonas continued. "If we ever do get back to the Alpha Quadrant she'll probably have him so programmed that he'll arrest us himself!"

"Did it ever occur to you Jonas that maybe Chakotay cares about Captain Janeway?" B'Elanna snarled. "Or is the concept of caring too much for your puny brain to grasp?"

Jonas ignored her.

"Seska. Seska had the right idea. We shouldn't be allied with a group of people tied to the Alpha Quadrant. We're never going to make it back home! We should be finding allies here, where we're going to be spending the rest of our lives." He turned his gaze down to B'Elanna, who had shrugged off Ayala by this time. "And if Chakotay cared about us then he'd be on his ship instead of banging Voyager's captain!"

"And if he were here, what advice would you give him, Michael?" Chakotay's voice was soft, deceptively calm, as he stepped forward into the group.

There was a moment of shocked silence while the Maquis waited to see what Jonas would do. The rebel was obviously thrown by his leader's sudden appearance. Kurt, perched high on a container, chuckled softly to himself.

"I..." Jonas was clearly at a loss for what to say.

"Would you tell him to follow Seska's advice?" Chakotay asked, as though he might be considering it. "Do you know what he would say to that, Michael?" Chakotay stood very close to Jonas now, so that their noses were almost touching.

"What?" asked Jonas, in a strangled voice.

"Seska...is...dead." Chakotay didn't blink; his dark eyes boring into the other man. Jonas wanted desperately to look away but found he couldn't. "That's what Seska's great advice did for her. It got her killed."

Chakotay swung around to make eye contact with most of the crowd, leaving Jonas to draw some deep breaths of relief.

"I'm hurt that I wasn't invited to this powwow," Chakotay said. "And I'm dismayed that you might think I'm being led by Captain Janeway."

The Maquis crew looked uncomfortable for the most part, with a few exceptions, namely B'Elanna and Kurt.

"If, and this is a very big if, but if we ever get back to the Alpha Quadrant Janeway is not going to arrest us."

Chakotay could see expressions of disbelief but also curiosity on their faces. He had to undo the damage of Jonas's speeches and regain their trust.

"She has promised me that should we return she will let us go back to the DMZ and she will not follow us."

"And you believe her?" Dalby asked, amazed.

"Yes, I do," Chakotay answered calmly. "I believe her promise even though she has a lot to lose by letting us go. I trust her because she has earned my trust. And yes, I do care about her," Chakotay continued before anyone else could intervene. "Very much. But my loyalty is not to her or to Starfleet, but to you. Getting you home is my priority and I will not let anyone, including Captain Janeway, try to imprison you. That's my promise."

Chakotay knew he'd won this battle, this time. All the inactivity of the past few weeks had given rise to this dissatisfaction with their alliance. Most of his crew accepted their situation and many had formed solid friendships with the Starfleet crew. Some, like B'Elanna, had formed even closer attachments. It was only in a moment of weakness and boredom that a fool like Jonas could stir up trouble.

No, Jonas was no fool. He needed watching or he would try this again.

"Does anyone have anything else to say?" Chakotay asked. No one came forward. "Then get back to your quarters and get some sleep!"

They filed out of the cargo bay silently, some giving Chakotay an awkward pat on the arm as they passed him, as if to reaffirm their position. B'Elanna gave him a hug hard enough to squeeze the breath out of him. When they'd all trickled out, Kurt hopped down from the container and faced his friend.

"Took you long enough to get here," he commented.

Chakotay said nothing to this. They turned and walked towards the door.

"Did Janeway really make that promise?" Kurt asked.

"Yes," Chakotay said shortly.

"You know what I think?"

"No, but I'm sure you're going to enlighten me." Chakotay was weary, bone weary, and he suddenly remembered it was the middle of the night.

"I think that you hope she never has to make good on that promise."

"I think that you think too much," growled Chakotay.

*****

Captain's Log

After weeks of fighting off boredom we have made a fantastic discovery! It appears to be a structure very similar to the Caretaker's array. It is not functional but after a preliminary scout Maquis crewmember B'Elanna Torres has reported that she is confident we can get it working. Even if we are unable to return to the Alpha Quadrant, the worst case scenario is that we shorten our journey by many years.

There is an aura of excitement on board both our ships that hasn't been felt in some time.

*****

He'd left them behind!

*****

Chakotay's head snapped up with alarm and momentary panic. Where was he? Where were they?

"Hey old man," a voice said softly. "You should be doing this in your own bunk."

B'Elanna was crouched beside him with a hand on his arm. They were in the galley where Chakotay had fallen asleep from sheer exhaustion sometime in the middle of the night.

It all came back to Chakotay in a rush when he saw the dried blood on B'Elanna's cheek. They had come through the array and it had been chaos. The ride had been bumpy, but nowhere near as bad as the first time. For some reason Fides had faired better than Voyager, which had lost propulsion, navigation, sensors and shields. The Maquis ship had suffered some engine damage but was otherwise unaffected. When Chakotay had asked B'Elanna why this would be so she'd mumbled something unintelligible about mass and energy which he hadn't fully heard.

While their calculations had been slightly off, they were now back in the Alpha Quadrant. Chakotay was just as happy not to have been thrust back into the Badlands. They were several days journey from the outer reaches of Federation space. Both crews had been working around the clock to bring the ships back to optimal and they were nearly there.

Chakotay stood up abruptly, rubbing his eyes.

"I thought I told you to get the holodoc to look at your eye," he muttered.

B'Elanna raised an eyebrow and was about to ask him just when she was supposed to have squeezed that into her schedule but something made her hold back.

"I'll go over there now," she promised.

"Good," he replied shortly, moving towards the door. He was nearly through it when he paused and looked back at her. "While you're over there," he added casually, "you might ask the Doctor for some supplies for our medkits. Since we lost Gerron no one's been looking after that sort of thing."

Their eyes locked and B'Elanna nodded slowly.

"Ok," she agreed.

*****

As it turned out the Doctor was more than willing to provide some supplies for Fides and B'Elanna found his almost pleasant manner a bit unnerving. Could it be that the hologram was developing a personality? She idly wondered what Starfleet Command would do with him once Voyager returned to Earth.

Having overseen the transport of the medical kits back to Fides, B'Elanna detoured to Engineering. Most of her crew had already returned to the Maquis ship; only Kurt and Dalby remained. B'Elanna overheard Carey telling his staff that the Captain had requested a briefing that evening and he wanted to be able to bring her good news.

B'Elanna scanned over a console to see the ship's status. She didn't doubt that Carey would have a positive report for Janeway.

"Bendera," she called. Kurt looked up and then walked over to her.

"Gather up our equipment. We need it to do a final recalibration check..." Her voice trailed off. Kurt nodded and moved over to Dalby.

"Sorry to take the guys away, but we have our own work to do," B'Elanna said awkwardly to Carey.

"Thanks for your help," Carey replied easily. "We couldn't have done it without you."

B'Elanna walked slowly around the warp coil, gazing up at it with an expression of satisfaction.

"It's sure been nice," she murmured.

Carey showed no sign that he'd heard her. And if he noticed that Kurt was appropriating tools that hadn't come over with B'Elanna's team, he chose to ignore that as well.

*****

In the end, Chakotay never made to his bunk to continue his much needed sleep. Something or someone kept interrupting him until he gave up even trying to get to his cabin. He hadn't even been aware of the time passing until he was hailed by Voyager to attend a briefing.

"Hell of a time of day for a staff meeting," grumbled Jonas, when he relayed the message. It was only then that Chakotay realized it was quite late. He somehow felt he wasn't going to get much sleep tonight either.

As he walked from the transporter room towards a turbolift Chakotay marvelled at how far they had come in their alliance. There had been a time when he was escorted everywhere on Voyager by a pair of Tuvok's security team. Now he roamed freely.

Kes entered the lift with him.

"Commander, I'm glad I caught you," she said.

"What is it, Kes?" he asked.

"Chell and I have worked very closely together in the hydroponics bay. I thought it would be a good idea if you started one on Fides so he and I transferred several plants over this afternoon. Chell told me you have ample space in your cargo hold; it would be a shame for it to go to waste."

Chakotay could only blink with surprise at this.

"Chell is a wonderful gardener," Kes told him. "He has a knack. I just thought he should have his own plot, as it were."

"Thank you, Kes," Chakotay finally said. The words didn't seem adequate somehow.

"My pleasure Commander," she said, as though she had no idea of the importance of her gift.

*****

B'Elanna hesitated outside the door. She knew she could key in the security sequence and enter the room. But she wasn't sure she wanted to do that. Tom was undoubtedly asleep and she needed him awake and upright to talk to him. She pressed the buzzer.

Her hand trembled slightly as she pressed it again so she clenched it into a fist. The door opened this time to reveal a sleepy-looking Tom Paris shuffling towards her dressed in nothing but boxer shorts.

He smiled when he saw her.

"B'Elanna," the call of her name turned into a jaw cracking yawn. He reached out to pull her into the room, to pull her close to him in an affectionate hug.

"I didn't expect to see you tonight," he whispered into her hair.

B'Elanna clung to him fiercely thinking that the universe was too unfair to have allowed her to love Tom and then to wrench him from her. She took a step back. Tom was gasping a little from her embrace, but he was used to her strength by now.

"I've come to say goodbye," she told him softly.

He understood immediately and she was grateful she didn't have to elaborate. Rumours about the Maquis ship separating from Voyager had been circulating since before they'd come through the array. Tom had chosen to ignore them, had chosen not to ask B'Elanna, as he was afraid of finding out the truth.

Now he stared at her with disbelief and sorrow, his heart pounding so loudly in his chest that he felt she must hear it. Then he turned abruptly from her and strode back into the sleeping area. B'Elanna followed him silently.

"Tom, I don't have much time. If Chakotay even knew I was over here..." She stopped when she saw him rummaging around his locker for a duffel bag. "What are you doing?"

"I'm coming with you," Tom said shortly, and began to stuff items into the bag.

B'Elanna grabbed his arm spinning him around to face her.

"Are you crazy? You can't come with us! Don't you know where we're going?"

Tom gently removed her tight grip on his arm and returned to his packing.

"It's nowhere I haven't already been, B'Elanna. And it sure beats going back to prison," he added.

"Tom no!" She succeeded in getting his attention once again and guided him over to the bed where they sat. "Listen to me. You won't go back to prison. Janeway gave you a field commission. She gave you rank; she gave you authority. Do you think she's going to just hand you over to the penal institution after all you've done?"

Tom looked away without speaking. He'd been tossing around possibilities of what going home would mean for him and he'd decided he would face the consequences no matter what they were. Even if it meant going back to prison. But now confronted with the possibility of losing B'Elanna his resolve had weakened.

"Paris!" B'Elanna's voice was sharp drawing his eyes back to her. "You must go back with Janeway. You must! Do you think she cares about Chakotay?"

Tom snorted with surprise at the question.

"She's crazy about him!"

"Well then. He's crazy about her too. So what do you think she's going to do when she gets to Starfleet Command? Organize another posse? Hardly! She's going to try to clear his name is what she's going to do. And if you defect over to us, it will only hurt her case. She needs you, Tom."

"I need you," Tom said softly.

"She needs you more," B'Elanna said firmly.

*****

The conference was a mixture of exhaustion and elation as Carey reported that they had propulsion and shields back and would have sensors before the end of Beta shift. Janeway praised his staff and formally thanked the Maquis, who were represented only by Chakotay, for their invaluable efforts.

As the other officers left the room, Chakotay came to sit beside Janeway. She was looking at her hands, folded on the conference table. Gently he took them in his, stroking her cold fingers with his thumbs. Slowly she looked up at him.

"I love you." She said it firmly, bluntly, as though in defiance, like a challenge.

Chakotay smiled. She let her eyes wander over his face, trying to memorize his expression. Too often Chakotay hid his emotions; rarely did he let down his guard. She gazed into his eyes remembering them. She could see in her mind his angry eyes, indifferent eyes, wary eyes, curious eyes, amused eyes, loving eyes, hurt eyes, and these eyes that looked back at her now: happy ones. She never wanted to lose sight of those eyes.

"Is this it, then?" she asked softly.

He nodded and opened his mouth to speak, but then nodded again. Janeway looked away, to the side and then down at their hands. There was no shock in this parting. She had known it was coming but the anticipation did not dull the pain.

Chakotay reached up with a hand to run his fingers lightly through her hair and then along her jaw, lifting up her chin. He brought his own head in towards hers until their cheeks were touching.

"I love you too. Never forget that," he said quietly.

Tears that had been threatening Janeway now spilled onto her eyelashes. She set her mouth in a grim determined line. She would not cry. She would not!

"How will I find you?" she whispered.

Chakotay pulled back slightly so that he could look at her face. He didn't answer.

The tears were winning the battle and now two of them trickled down her face. Chakotay brushed them gently away with his fingertips and pulled her close so that he could kiss her wet eyelids.

"You won't," was his soft response.

*****

When the door chimed again Tom fairly flew over to open it, expecting to see B'Elanna waiting on the other side. She had returned to bring him to Fides! She was staying on Voyager! They were going to be together!

In the corridor, Susan Lavoie looked nonplused at the door opening to reveal Tom standing with arms outstretched, ready to embrace.

"Aww, Tom, if I had a free hand I'd give you a hug," Suzie said jokingly.

She was laden down with a large haversack strapped over one shoulder and a heavy case held in the opposite hand. She glanced quickly up and down the corridor. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," Tom replied, looking curiously at her bags and the civilian clothes in which she was dressed. "What's up?"

Suzie dropped the bags to the floor and met Tom's gaze levelly. "I have no right to ask this of you, but I need a huge favour."

"Such as...?" Tom had a funny feeling he knew what she was going to ask.

"I need you to transport me over to Fides."

Tom's funny feeling had been dead on right. "You can't go to Fides, Suzie."

"I have to!" she said in earnest. Then, firmly, "I'm not going to lose him again, Tom."

"I understand, believe me," Tom said consolingly. "I just tried to go with B'Elanna. But she convinced me that I need to go back with Janeway to clear my name and that it would only hinder Janeway's efforts to clear the Maquis if I was to defect over to them. She said that Janeway could use my help. I don't much like it, but B'Elanna is right."

"Of course she's right," Suzie agreed. "You have to clear your name, Tom. But I don't. I was an honours student at the academy and I have an impeccable service record. My defecting to the Maquis is not going to hinder Janeway's efforts. It might even help to substantiate how close and trusting as allies the Maquis and the Starfleet crew became. Janeway doesn't need me here. No one needs me. Except maybe Kurt." She spoke the last words in a gentler tone.

Tom tried another tactic to dissuade her from her intention. "What about your family?"

Suzie smiled. "My parents always told me to follow my heart. That's what I'm trying to do."

Tom let out his breath in a sigh. "You're very set on doing this, aren't you?"

"Absolutely," Suzie nodded. "Look, I know it's not fair of me to ask for your help. But I don't have high enough security clearance to make an unauthorized transport and I thought that you, if anyone, would understand that I can't let Kurt go out of my life again."

"I understand what it feels like to be letting go of someone you love," Tom said, looking at the floor rather than at Suzie. His words were barely audible.

"I can't lose him again," Suzie repeated. "I loved the first Kurt, and I lost him. Then I got him back. Only it wasn't him, it was a different man. But I fell in love with him too. It would be too much to lose him as well."

"Suzie..." Tom said. But he couldn't continue as he couldn't think of anything more to say to prevent her from going. He couldn't think of any better reason for her to stay.

"Please, Tom. You can say I held a phaser on you and forced you to do it so you won't get in trouble, but please, you've got to help me! If I have to I'll steal a shuttle and follow Fides when the ships part ways, but I'm going. There would just be a lot less fuss this way."

"Okay," Tom said in resignation. "Okay."

"Really?!" Suzie said brightly.

"Promise you'll look out for B'Elanna for me," Tom said softly as Suzie grabbed him in a great hug of gratitude.

*****

As soon as Suzie's body had faded away with the shimmer of the transporter, Tom hit his comm badge.

"Paris to Kim."

"Kim here. What can I do for you, Tom?"

"Hail Fides and find Kurt Bendera for me. Patch him through to my comm badge."

"No problem," Harry said.

A few moments later Kurt's disembodied voice emitted from Tom's comm badge.

"Oh Tom, I knew you wouldn't leave without saying good-bye," Kurt said in jest. Tom grinned.

"Actually buddy, I just sent you over something you left on Voyager. I beamed it to your quarters but you'd better go check and make sure it got there alright."

"Sure thing," Kurt said affably, no doubt expecting that Tom had sent him over some small personal item he'd forgotten in Suzie's quarters on Voyager.

"Hey you take care...of everything...for me, okay?"

"You do the same," Tom replied. "I'll see you again, alright?"

"You bet! When all this is over I expect you to show me all those hotspots of Earth you've always talked about."

"It's a deal. Paris out."

"Good-bye friend. Bendera out."

*****

Chakotay saw that Voyager was not pursuing and still he remained on the bridge. He saw their course laid in for the DMZ and still he remained on the bridge. They were well on their way back home and still he remained. But eventually exhaustion won over and he wearily handed the bridge over to Henley, retreating towards his quarters.

He hadn't quite made it to the cabin door when Kurt intercepted him.

"Hey, where are you going?" asked Kurt with an overly friendly tone.

"To my bunk to get some sleep," Chakotay informed him with an unfriendly tone.

"Now?" Kurt seemed surprised.

"As soon as you get out of my way," Chakotay said, trying to move around his friend. Kurt blocked his passage to the door.

"I don't think that is such a good idea. I need to talk to you about something."

"Then let's go inside the room and you can talk all you want," Chakotay suggested, becoming annoyed.

"Er...ok, maybe you're right, maybe that is the best place for it," Kurt decided, stepping away from the door. Chakotay gave him a puzzled look and then entered their quarters. He stood inside the room staring with disbelief at the upper bunk. Curled up asleep in Kurt's bed was Ensign Susan Lavoie. Chakotay looked back to Kurt.

"Out!" he commanded, steering Kurt back into the corridor. Once the door had shut again, Chakotay raised his voice. "What the hell is she doing here?"

"I should think that's obvious," Kurt said, trying to keep his voice low. "She's coming with us."

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" Chakotay thundered.

"Because you would have said no," Kurt said. "What do you think I am? Stupid?"

"Have you lost your mind, Bendera? Do you have any idea what this means for her? Her Starfleet career is now over. She can't go back to Earth to be with her family unless she wants to go to jail. Did you think about any of that before you brought her on board?"

"Hey, I didn't bring her on board!" Kurt protested, his voice rising to match Chakotay's volume. "She came over all on her own."

"So what do you do? You install her in your bunk? What were you thinking?!"

"Maybe you should be asking me these questions, Commander." The voice came from behind them, in the now open doorway where Suzie stood.

"Ensign," Chakotay said shortly, trying to curb his anger. "We can't take you back."

"I am aware of that, Commander," Suzie said coolly. "I can assure you this is not a decision I made without thinking long and hard about the consequences."

"There, you see!" Kurt burst out. "I told you it was her decision."

"Why?" Chakotay asked. "Why would you choose to be an outlaw? To join a fight that isn't yours? To isolate yourself from your home and family?"

"I lost Kurt once. I will not lose him again."

Chakotay could not help but be moved by the force of her conviction. Her emotional bond with Kurt was so strong it was almost tangible. Chakotay found himself irrationally jealous of Kurt. There had never been any question of Kathryn joining the Maquis.

"Did either of you stop to think about what this might mean for Captain Janeway?" he asked, his voice calmer now. "How will it look as she tries to get our arrest warrants cancelled when a member of her own crew defected to the Maquis?"

"Maybe it will demonstrate just how close the two crews became during the course of our alliance," Suzie suggested.

"Yeah." Chakotay turned away. "Or maybe it will just add one more name to the warrant."

*****

Expecting to find Janeway at her desk when he entered her ready room, Tom was a bit unsettled to see her sitting on her sofa, gazing out through the viewport at the stars beyond.

It would have been easier to make his confession seated across the desk from her, subordinate to superior, the power vested in her as captain allowing her to mete out punishment from her position of authority behind that desk. Sitting with her on that sofa would eliminate the comfort to be found in the chain of command. Now he felt as though he would be admitting to a friend that he had done something to betray her trust.

However, it had to be done and Tom made his way over to the sitting area at Janeway's invitation.

"Have a seat, Tom," she said. She smiled slightly but the small gesture could not erase the strain the past days had carved into her face. "What can I do for you?"

"Captain..." Tom began, then faltered. He took a fortifying breath. "You're not going to like this..."

"I haven't found much to like in the events of the past few days so no need to tread easily with me, Tom. I don't think there's much that could dismay me further." Despite her words, Janeway sat up a bit straighter and her body went rigid, as though she was bracing herself for a blow.

Tom was surprised by her candid demeanor, by the fact that she would willingly admit that she was unhappy with the situation at hand. It stood to reason, however, as she was suffering a loss just as he was. Maybe she saw in him a kindred soul. Maybe she'd be a bit more sympathetic toward Suzie's decision then.

"Susan Lavoie has left Voyager. I beamed her over to Fides an hour ago."

Janeway blinked. "She's joined the Maquis?"

Tom shrugged. "She's joined Kurt Bendera. She said she couldn't lose him again. I don't blame her for going, Captain."

Janeway was silent for a moment, once again staring out the viewport rather than looking at Tom. He braced himself for the force of her displeasure at Suzie's defection and his hand in assisting her.

"I don't blame her, either," Janeway whispered.

Then she turned to look at Tom. "Oh, I know I should be angered at one of my crew running off to join the Maquis, and disappointed with you for allowing her to do so and in fact assisting her in doing so. But how can I justify those reactions when I know she's just doing what we wished we could do, deep down?"

Her reaction surprised Tom. He was a bit flustered by Janeway's openness and a bit bewildered by her apparent condoning of his actions. But her reaction pleased him just the same.

"That's why I helped her," Tom admitted.

"Does she know what she's getting herself into?" Janeway mused. "Starfleet will issue a warrant for her arrest now."

"She knows that, Captain. She thought it was worth the risk."

"In a way, I envy her, Tom," Janeway said quietly. Her gaze dropped from his down to her hands which were folded in her lap. "She had the freedom to go. We don't have that luxury. We have people we have to get home. If we didn't..."

Tom felt himself in the unaccustomed position of being at a loss for words. His captain, his superior officer, had just all but admitted that she'd thumb her nose at Starfleet, at the Federation, if not for the responsibility she had for her crew. He had no idea how to respond to that, or how to deal with Janeway's very noticeable torment as a result of the situation. She was his captain, for crying out loud! Captains weren't supposed to get upset! Not in front of lowly lieutenants, at any rate. But she was human, too, and Tom could commiserate with her, as he was dealing with the exact same feelings of loss and apprehension as she was.

His heart went out to her.

"Captain," he said softly. He slowly reached out a hand and placed it ever so gently on her shoulder. She looked up at him.

"We'll find them again, Captain. We have too. I'll do anything you want me to, to help. We'll find them," he repeated and as she hadn't yet shrugged his hand off he gave her shoulder a tiny squeeze.

Janeway gave him a tremulous smile. "Thank you, Tom," she said. Then she surprised him even further by placing both her arms around his shoulders and giving him a quick hug. He returned the embrace awkwardly, but not without feeling. Somehow, having Janeway share the emotional turmoil she was feeling helped to ease his own. He felt proud to be able to offer her some support. He was immensely pleased that she had trusted him enough to let down her guard with him. If he had thought he couldn't respect and admire Kathryn Janeway any more he had been mistaken.

As quickly as she had initiated the embrace she ended it, and Tom could see her face and demeanor return to that of The Captain once more. She gave Tom a brisk smile and rose from the sofa.

"Thank you for your report, Mr. Paris. Now let's set a course for Earth and get this crew home."

Continued in ...Choose Your Enemies Better

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