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Story Notes:
      Parmount owns them ... I just occasionally like to play "what if" with them. Inspired by Adele's "Rumor Has It."
Author's Chapter Notes:

 


             

         "I heard," the Doctor said conspiratorially over coffee, "that there's trouble between Seven and Chakotay."
          Kathryn's expression didn't change. "I'm sorry to hear it," she said quietly.
          She wouldn't gloat, the Doctor realized, though he knew she'd been terribly hurt when Chakotay married a woman nearly half his age.
***
          Kathryn was browsing through the market a few days later when she felt an almost forgotten presence behind her. 
          "Hello, Kathryn."
           She turned in disbelief.  "Hello, Chakotay." It was all she could manage.
            He'd put on a few pounds; they just intensified those dimples that made her heart flop.
           "What are you doing here?" she asked when she finally found her voice.
          "I'm here for a few days on business. I heard that there's a new restaurant on the wharf that has a lively bar."
          "The Rumor? I've heard about, it," she said.
          He screwed up his courage. "Would ... would you like to have a drink?" he asked.
          She hesitated for just a moment.  "All right ..."
***
          After a bit of awkwardness, they found their rhythm again and began to talk like the old friends they were.  Drinks slipped into dinner, and into after-dinner coffee.   He walked her to the transport station.
         "I've missed you, Kathryn," he said as he kissed her cheek.
         "I've missed you, too," she said sincerely.

***
          They had dinner the next night, too.
          "I hear," he said over the appetizer, "that you're involved with someone.”
           She smiled thinly. "I have been. Dan owns an engineering firm. We’re taking a break ... trying to sort something out."
          At her door, he kissed her mouth. It was soft, and sweet, and she responded with a passion that surprised her.

 ***
          "You need to know," B'Elanna said over lunch, “that I've heard a rumor about you and Chakotay."
          "Hey, it's just dinner," Kathryn said as she waved aside the comment with her free hand. "We do have a history, remember?" she said, giving B'Elanna a look that dared her to disagree.
         Janeway sounded a bit defensive, and B'Elanna knew enough not to push. "Is he looking for a shoulder to cry on? I've heard there's trouble at home."
         "I try to discourage that particular subject," Kathryn said wryly. She'd heard the rumors about Seven and that young professor in Vancouver.
         "Have you heard from Dan?" B'Elanna asked hopefully.  She and Tom had joked about Kathryn taking up with another Irishman ... a real one. But Dan O'Hara had brought their former captain out of the shadows left by Voyager. For that, her friends were grateful.
          "No," Kathryn replied quietly. "I believe he's still in Paris."
           "Maybe you should give him a call," B'Elanna suggested
          Kathryn raised an eyebrow. "It's best we don't talk right now," she said, using her best admiral's tone.
          Must have been one hell of a fight, B'Elanna thought. Then again, she suspected that two Irish tempers could produce fireworks ... in and out of the bedroom. But it would be a shame if pride kept those two apart.
           "I've learned with Tom that it's best not to let things simmer for too long," she said casually.
           

***
          An hour before their date, the vid in Chakotay's hotel room buzzed.
          "Chakotay, I'm sorry, but I won't be coming to dinner," Kathryn said. She looked distressed.
         "What's wrong?" he asked anxiously.
          She shook her head. "I've been thinking about last night ... I realized that this can't go any further. Too many people could get hurt."
          "Kathryn ..."
           "I'm in no position to get involved right now. And you have a wife."
           "Our marriage was a mistake. Annika and I both know that."
           Kathryn smiled sadly. "Then let's not compound it by sliding into something we both could regret."
           "You don't understand ... Kathryn, I love you, I always have," he said desperately.
           She just shook her head. "Don't ... please don't do this. It doesn't change anything."
           "I will make this right," he vowed just before the screen went black.
***       
  

          After a sleepless night, Chakotay went home determined to end his marriage, only to find that Seven had beaten him to the punch.  He found a notice of divorce on the hall table, the only piece of furniture she hadn't taken.
          The next few days were a blur of attorney meetings and tying up loose ends.  He called Kathryn ... no answer.  Her office was no help; all they would say was that she was on leave. He even called her mother, who was polite, but would only say that Kathryn wasn't in Indiana.

***
          Tactician that he was, he decided to try the element of surprise. So here he was on Kathryn's doorstep at 0700.
           The door opened to reveal not Kathryn, but the Doctor.
          "Good morning Commander; this is a surprise," the Doctor said, raising his voice to make himself heard over the dogs barking in the background. 
          A moment of dread seized Chakotay. "Is Kathryn all right?"
          The hologram chuckled in realization. "I'm sure she's fine," he said, waving Chakotay inside. "But she's not here; I'm just the dog-sitter."
          "I ... I was hoping to talk to her," Chakotay said as he stepped in.  "Will she be back soon?"
           "No," the Doctor said affably. "They're not due back until next week."
         Chakotay's head jerked up. "They?"
         Unlike Kathryn's, the Doctor's subroutines allowed for a bit of gloating.  Ah, I suppose you haven't heard. Our former captain has tied the knot with Dan O'Hara," he said cheerfully.
          Chakotay swallowed hard. “When?"
          "Oh, two days ago. They had a small wedding in Indiana; mostly family," he said, deciding not to mention that he was there.  "They're honeymooning at their home in Dublin."
            "I see," Chakotay said quietly, looking around the living room in an effort to avoid the Doctor's gaze.  It was a nice room, sunny, with various paintings on the walls.  It also was obvious that Kathryn probably hadn't lived  alone, as evidenced from the pair of men's boots next to the coffee table, and the sweater ... too large for her ... casually draped over a chair. Perhaps that's why she hadn't invited him in that night.
            "I was under the impression that she and ... Dan ... weren't together," he finally said.
            "Oh, well, I think they had a spat," the Doctor said offhandedly. "I've learned that when it comes to lovers' quarrels, organics can say things they don't mean."  He smiled broadly. "I believe some of our former crew is planning a party for the newlyweds. I'm sure you and Seven will hear from them."
           Chakotay looked him in the eye. "Annika and I are divorcing."
            It was the hologram's turn to be surprised.  "I'm so sorry," he said solicitously. "If you need to talk to someone, I can recommend a ..."
            "Thank you, but no," Chakotay said, cutting him off. "Please tell Kathryn I stopped by."
            "I'll do that," the Doctor called as Chakotay turned and walked out the door.

             "Well, that was enlightening," the hologram murmured to himself.  He did feel a bit remorseful about breaking the news that way. He certainly understand Chakotay's shock --  he saw the same look on O'Hara's face when he'd casually dropped the news about Kathryn's recent dinner companion.  He smiled; that spur-of-the-moment trip to the Paris Opera had been a success on several levels.

             As for the divorce; it really was too bad.  "But I suppose that's life,” he said to the image of Kathryn and her new husband as he placed the frame on the mantel. 
            He made a note to call B'Elanna later: She'd want to hear the news.
          

 


             

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