Time and Distance

How far does one have to go to find the way back? Set season six, sometime post Equinox.

A/N: This is intended as a small gift for MissyHissy3, who will know why. Unbeta'd, and I'll be honest: I'm not entirely sure it'll work.

One

The repeating beep penetrated the shallow waters of her dream. Vague images fled as instantly as the sleep that had surrounded them, already as nebulous as the shades of distant stars outside her window even as her eyes flicked open. Not a red alert, her brain detected barely a second later, although by then her muscles were awake anyway, already tense, her body on high alert even if it had turned out that the ship wasn't. She stared at the ceiling of her quarters for another five seconds, heart recovering from the assumption of attack as she worked it out, realising at last that the sound was announcing an incoming commline: a subspace message, not an internal one. It was routing straight to the comm. terminal in her quarters rather than via the bridge.

Chakotay.

Another five seconds and she was on her feet, reaching for her wrap, throwing it around her shoulders as she made for her terminal, hand dragging through her hair. When she spoke she realised that her voice was just as tangled by sleep.

"Computer, open channel. Audio only."

A single bleep announced the computer's compliance, followed by a sliver of silence describing the tether that now connected them via the void.

"Commander?" Janeway prompted, taking her seat.

"Captain." The familiar cadence of his voice slid into her room, crystal clear. Beside her, yet light years away.

"What's happened?" she asked, "Is your team in danger? Give us your current coordinates, Tuvok will change course immediately."

There was a pause on the other end of the line.

"We're fine, Captain."

"Oh." She felt some of the tension seep away and sat back a little in her chair, taking a second to clear her throat. "Then… why the late call?"

There was another pause. "Late, Captain?"

Janeway turned her head, wondering for a moment if she was actually the one in the wrong. Her chronograph stood on the ledge beside her rumpled bed, its red display reading the current time on board ship.

"It's 03:00 hours on Voyager, Chakotay."

A brief and quickly muffled curse emanated from subspace. "I'm sorry. I must have misjudged the lag. I thought Alpha shift would have only been finished for an hour or so."

"Little longer than that, Commander."

"I woke you," he realised. "At least… I hope I did."

She smiled a little at that. "You did."

"That explains the audio only," he added.

Janeway looked at her hands, fingers entwined on the desk before her, at the soft folds in the crossed cuffs of her grey silk robe. "Quite."

"Please forgive the intrusion, Captain," her first officer said, discomfort entering his voice. "It was a foolish mistake. I'll be sure to double check in future."

Janeway felt a yawn building and fought to control it. "It's not a problem, Commander. Just out of interest, what time is it there?"

There was another pause. "Just after 0200 hours."

She raised an eyebrow to the dark. "Been out burning the midnight oil with your hosts, Chakotay?"

"No, Captain," he said, the faint trace of a smile in his voice. "I've… been having trouble sleeping." She could almost imagine his shrug. "I suppose the lag's affecting me, too."

"I see," Janeway said. "You have my sympathy - and my company, too, apparently. So what were you calling about?"

"I should let you get back to sleep."

"No need," she told him. "I doubt I'll sleep now anyway."

"I'm truly sorry."

She waved a dismissive hand, though he couldn't see it. "It wasn't deliberate. Tell me why you're calling."

He cleared his throat. "Nothing specific. Just to update you on our progress."

Janeway got up and crossed to the replicator. "Green tea, hot," she said, before raising her voice to him, "I've been getting your team's reports, Commander."

"I know," he said, as she returned to her seat. It seemed to her that his voice had become quieter.

"There was something you wanted to add?" she queried, sipping at her drink. Not her usual choice, but not even she would go for black coffee at this hour and still hope to sleep. More's the pity. She grimaced at the tea.

"Not really," he told her. "But this is what we used to do. Isn't it?"

Janeway paused, the mug suspended halfway between her lips and her desk. The silence stretched, a multitude of shared understanding surfing the narrow band of open space that was currently their only connection.

"I'll let you get back to sleep, Captain," Chakotay said, into the silence, his voice once again clipped back into formality. "Again, apologies for having disturbed you needlessly. You'll have my team's daily report by 0700 hours, as usual. Chakotay out."

A beep signalled that he'd severed the subspace link. Janeway put down the mug. She stared at the surface of the liquid within for a moment, her fingers still curled around its handle. Then she stood and, taking it with her, went back to bed.

[TBC]