Finally the last chapter! There is so much more I could've written but it needed to end at some point. Thank you all for reading and reviewing. I hope you enjoyed xD.

Paris was shrugging a blue sickbay gown over his head when Chakotay and Be'lanna burst through the doors obviously having sprinted from the transporter room.

"What the Hell is going on?" Be'lanna screeched, taking in the blood that still covered much of Tom making his stick together in dirty clumps.

Tom looked down at his bloody hands and tried wiping them on his gown. "It's not mine," he mumbled.

"Doctor?" Chakotay called, striding over to the edge of the force field the EMH had erected around him and his patient mainly to keep a worried, overprotective Tom out.

"Can't talk," the Doctor called back, "I am busy trying to save the Captain's life."

"Tom," Kes said gently, taking him by the arm, "You are hurt. Let me help you."

Tom shook her off. "I am fine Kes, most of it is Kathryn's blood," he said, all his attention focused on the Doctor working over his mate's still form.

Again Kes took his arm and tried to lead him to a nearby biobed. "You do have some injuries I should take care of-"

"Kathryn! Since when have you been on first name basis with the Captain?!" Be'lanna demanded, cutting Kes off.

Tom ignored her and Kes. Instead he moved to join Chakotay at the edge of the force field. "What happened? How did you know too beam us up?" he asked, not looking at the big Indian besides him.

"Tuvok noticed something on our long range sensors. After running a few tests, he concluded that it was the same ship we ran into not too long ago that gave us so much trouble. He then contacted me after he couldn't reach the Captain. We beamed up all the away teams expect for you and the Captain. We couldn't even find your bio-signatures until suddenly they just appeared." Chakotay shot him a look, knowing exactly why the pair had not read on Voyager's scanners. Tom didn't meet his eyes, he just nodded absently.

Be'lanna however, had had enough of being left in the dark. She bustled over to where the two men were standing and got right in Tom's face. "Paris, what is going on?! We couldn't find you on the planet, then suddenly we could and when we finally beam you up, you are naked and covered in blood with the equally naked, bloody Captain of this fucking starship in your arms! And now here you are acting all protective of her like you're her lover or something." Be'lanna laughed uneasily, "But that's impossible right?"

Now Tom looked at Chakotay, silently asking for help, but the Commander stared on impassively. He hadn't forgotten his anger at the young pilot. Seeing Chakotay was going to be no help, Tom sighed and turned away, stalking over to a biobed and throwing himself down upon it.

"You can fix me up now Kes," he muttered gruffly.

Be'lanna correctly interpreted his silence. "Kathless! You are sleeping with the Captain, with Kathryn fucking Janeway!" She stared at him, shocked, not knowing what else to say.

"I can't believe this! You really are a pig Paris," she finally said, throwing her hands in the air before stalking out of sickbay in anger.

As the irate Klingon left, Chakotay wrenched himself away from the operating theater to look sternly at the subdued pilot. "What happened down there Mr. Paris? What the hell did you do to her?"

"I tried to protect her," he said looking down at his clenched fists resting on his thighs. "I tried to protect her and I couldn't do it."

"Protect her from what?"

"The invisible aliens, the same aliens that we ran into on that ghost ship. They feed on thoughts and memories and they almost took Kathryn."

Chakotay clapped him in the shoulder because he could understand the heartache that came along with protecting Kathryn Janeway. "I'll expect it all in a report in 24 hours time. Don't worry about the ship; it has been taken care of."

Both men looked up at the sound of the force field disengaging. The Doctor held up a hand in a gesture he no doubt picked up from the Captain, to forestall their inevitable barrage of questions.

"The Captain will live. She is currently in a coma but that is to be expected after the loss of so much blood. She should wake from it naturally in a few days. Commander, Lieutenant, I am sure you both have many more questions. If you would sit down in my office, I can answer them all."

Chakotay nodded and moved across the room. Tom, however, lingered behind.

"Hey Doc!" he called, "Can I stay with her?"

The Doctor, remembering the intimate position he found the pilot and Captain in the last time they were in his sickbay, nodded his permission. He watched as Tom clasped Janeway's still hand in his and kissed it tenderly.

XOXOXOXOX

When Kathryn opened her eyes, she immediately regretted it as the bright lights of sickbay sent lightning bolts of pain ricocheting through her skull. She quickly shut them again with the futile hope that that would stop the pain. Knowing she would have to call the Doctor to ask him how she got here and how bad shape she was in, she slowly peeled her eyes open again.

Kathryn was surprised to see a sandy blond head resting on her right arm, his hand clutching hers tightly. Then she frowned. He shouldn't be here if they were to keep their relationship a secret.

"Tom," she tried to say but her dry throat protested and she broke into coughing. She wondered why the EMH didn't come running at the noise she was making, but it was enough to rouse Tom.

"You're awake!" he grinned joyfully before reaching for a cup of water. "You really worried us for a time there," he said as he held the cup to lips and allowed her small sips.

"Thank you," she said, her voice back, "Why am I here?"

Paris frowned at her, "You don't remember? We were in a pretty wild fight and you were seriously injured."

"The aliens!" Kathryn gasped, struggling to sit up.

"Whoa, relax Kat," Tom said pushing her back to the bed. "We took care of them. Chakotay and Tuvok took out their ship and we "dismantled" the ones that were planet side." He laughed softly, "Harry actually managed to find a way to make them visible. A solution of salt and water tossed on them strips away the chemical their bodies' produce that causes the invisibility. I have to say they were pretty grotesque which is probably why they wanted to be invisible."

Kathryn laughed which turned into a groan as her hand instinctively went to her injured side. Tom frowned in concern, lifting her blue gown to look at the angry red line that ran down her side. "How are you feeling? The Doctor said there might be some lingering soreness but there was no permanent damage."

"I'm fine, just sore. Where is the Doctor anyway?"

Tom smiled sheepishly and shrugged, "I turned him off a little while ago. He was getting on my nerves. Especially after I told him we could turn into giant cats, he wouldn't leave me alone with all his questions and medical theories."

"You told him!" Kathryn's voice rose by several octaves.

"Kat I had too. You almost died! He needed to know and besides he kept asking about a strange rumbling sound we make. It took me forever to figure out that he could hear us purring."

Janeway blinked at him. "Fine, turn him back on so he can get me out of here."

Tom realized she was shutting him out. He grabbed her chin and gently turned her head so he was looking into her wide gray eyes. "I did what I thought was best. I wasn't going to lose you. And…" he trailed off.

"And what?" she prompted.

"I told Tuvok and Harry too." Seeing the look on his mate's face he hurried to explain, "They saw the alien bodies we ripped apart. Both saw the claw marks and knew something was up."

"So my entire senior staff knows now? If Neelix knows then so does the whole ship. What is the crew saying?" Now she just sounded resigned to her fate rather than upset.

"Actually Neelix and the rest of the crew do not know. The few people who know about our unique situation are keeping their mouths shut. The crew, however, is busy gossiping about our relationship. To say they are surprised is defiantly an understatement. Neelix is a bit put out that he wasn't the first to know or even to suspect."

"How did the crew find out if no one told Neelix?"

"That would be Mr. Paris's own fault," the Doctor announced his presence with his usual tact. "He refused to leave your side for the eight days you've been unconscious."

"Eight days!" Kathryn gasped.

"Yes," the Doctor informed her, "You were in a coma. I am actually surprised you woke so soon. It must have something to do with your new abilities…" he trailed off under Janeway's death glare.

"Let me make one thing clear," she stated, struggling to sit up so she could face the EMH full on, "You are not to talk about that ever. There will be no medical documents or even footnotes and you will quit pestering Mr. Paris about it. Understood?" The Doctor nodded meekly. "Good. Now when can I go back to my quarters?"

XOXOXOXOX

It took her two more days to get out of sickbay. The first day was fine. She was still too weak to protest much and slept most of the day. However by the second, she was beginning to feel trapped and somewhat self conscious.

Another crewman with an injured hand walked through the door and stared at the Captain and chief Pilot ensconced in the far corner of sickbay. He didn't look away until Kes directed him to a biobed near the door with his back to the couple.

Kathryn could feel the eyes on her, but she refused to look up. She focused all her concentration in picking at the silver blanket covering her legs. She continued until a pair of long, slightly calloused fingers covered her own.

"Kat, stop worrying about it. In a few days we will be old news, an accepted aberration."

"Don't call me that."

"What? I think it fits." He gave her a grin that simultaneously made her want to push him away in annoyance and kiss him lustily.

"Fine," she huffed exasperated, "But only in private. Call me that on the bridge and I will not hesitate to demote you."

Tom responded by kissing her. He didn't mean to deepen it but when his mate sighed and parted her lips, unconsciously asking for more, he was happy to oblige. He had missed doing this, missed being this close to her. It was minutes later that they were interrupted by coughing coming from somewhere behind them and they reluctantly parted.

"Captain, I am glad to see you are doing better," the EMH stated, looking down at the pair half entwined around one another, "I think I can release you to your quarters, provided you promise to rest for another day before starting some light duty shifts."

"Doctor, I am well enough healed to return to the bridge," Kathryn protested.

The Doctor heaved a dramatic sigh, "I insist of at least one day of rest in your quarters."

"Come on," Tom said, tugging gently on her hand, "Escape while you have the chance."

Kathryn opened her mouth to protest some more, but before she could get a word in Kes interrupted. "Captain I brought you some clothes. I did not think you would want to walk through Voyager in that gown."

Sighing, Janeway stood and took the simple shirt and leggings from Kes. "Very well Doctor. I will see you at the staff meeting tomorrow morning."

The EMH opened his mouth to protest but wisely said nothing when he saw the stormy look on his Captain's face.

"Come on Kat, I'll take you to your quarters," Paris said once she was dressed. He pulled her by the hand out of sickbay. However, once in the hall Kathryn fought to escape his grip. Tom wouldn't let her go. "Kat, the entire crew knows about us. We don't need to hide it."

"We also don't need to flaunt it either."

"Holding hands is not flaunting. If I was too push you up against a wall in the mess or engineering and passionately kiss you in front of everyone, then that would be flaunting." He gave her a rakish grin.

Even as her heart beat quickened at his words, she admonished him, "You will do no such thing."

"You saw that now," Tom replied, wiggling his eyebrows at her in a playful manner and laughing Kathryn allowed him to take her hand again.

In retrospect she didn't mind. The crew knew and there was nothing she could do about it now. It was better to let them know that Paris was hers now. She grinned possessively as she entered her quarters and knew that would give some passing crewmen something more to gossip about.

XOXOXOXOX

The senior staff meeting went worse then she expected. Now she was slumped over her desk, safely sequestered in her ready room, trying to forget the past couple of hours. She wished she could talk to Tom, but he was at the helm and they had agreed long ago that their personal lives would never interfere with their duties. So instead she thumped back down on her desk and thought back to where the staff meeting began to go wrong.

Kathryn should have known sitting down at the head of the table in the conference room that this meeting was going to be a disaster just by the moods of her senior officers. Tuvok was sitting impassively but she knew she was going to have to have a long talk with him soon and come clean about everything. She dreaded that.

Next to Tuvok, Harry Kim was fidgeting in his seat and didn't look up from the pad he clutched with white knuckles. Janeway frowned, he was acting like she was going to turn into a giant feline and rip him to shreds any minute now.

Her attention was drawn away from the young ensign but the arrival of a characteristically exuberant Neelix with Kes trailing behind. The Talaxian was gushing over with congratulations for the Captain and pilot. While she was glad that he was no longer upset about not being the first to know, his excitement was a tad overwhelming. It took the gentle but firm hand of Kes to get him seated and to tone down the ringing endorsements.

She noticed that Be'lanna wouldn't stop scowling straight ahead of her at the chair Tom usually sits in. Kathryn thought she heard a growl from deep in the Chief engineer's throat, but wasn't sure. Most of her anger was directed at Tom it seemed and she wouldn't look at Janeway at all. Could it be possible that she was jealous? Now it was her that felt a possessive growl rise in her throat.

Luckily she was distracted by her first officer leaning over from his seat to her right. "I talked to Torres last night," Chakotay began, "I had to tell her some things to make her understand your and Tom's unique position."

"What do you mean?" she asked in a low voice.

"I think Be'lanna was feeling a little betrayed after finding out about your relationship with Paris. After that blood fever thing she kind of saw Paris as hers even if she vocally denied it. She didn't understand why Paris was with you. So I told her how the two of you don't have a choice."

"Chakotay…" she began wanting to make him understand that she and Tom had not been forced together. They could manage without each other. But seeing the set features of her best friend, she decided not to waste her breath. He wasn't going to change his mind.

Thankfully Tom Paris slid into his seat at exactly 0800 and grinned cheerfully at her, ignoring the mercurial moods of everyone else in the room. Kathryn returned his grin with a small crooked smile before smoothing her features into her "Captain's mask".

"Alright people. I've been gone for over a week. I want full reports from each department. Mr. Tuvok, if you would begin."

The Vulcan nodded his head in her direction and began his report. Kathryn sat back in her chair, relaxing slightly and hoped Tuvok would set a professional tone for the rest of her staff. Apparently it was too much to ask.

Ensign Kim couldn't meet her eyes and mumbled his report into the table top. Janeway felt slightly bad asking him to speak up but she was justified in her position as captain. Harry blushed bright and glanced up at her quickly before looking back down and finished his report, albeit in a louder voice. Be'lanna gave her report in terse, clipped tones obviously struggling to hold her anger back. Neelix was quite the opposite, trying to hold in his excitement and sincere happiness. Tom didn't have much to report having just returned to the helm himself and Chakotay gave his report calmly as always.

In retrospect, Kathryn guessed it was her fault for addressing the elephant in the room. But the uneasy tension between everyone was eating at her.

"As you all have probably heard by now, Mr. Paris and I am in a relationship." Neelix and Be'lanna both opened their mouths but the Captain held up her hand and stopped their words in their throats. "I would like to make a couple of things clear. This was not the way we wished to tell the ship, but the Delta Quadrant has a habit of throwing us curve balls. And second, I can promise you that Mr. Paris and I will both act professionally and that this relationship will not affect our duties in any way. However, I would thank you to remember what happens off duty is personal and that you respect that privacy."

She sat back down and watched as the room erupted.

Finally she shook her head to clear the thoughts of the morning senior staff meeting. She didn't want to think about it anymore. It was what it was, and as she tried to focus on her work, for the first time in a long time she wished that the end of shift would come faster.

XOXOXOXOX

End of shift came and Kathryn was uncharacteristically glad to fall into her mate's arms and take comfort from him. She was quite content to stay curled up on his lap on her couch for the rest of the night. If only she didn't have her boots on still. And her pips were digging into her neck. And she wasn't sure if Tom was really comfortable with the way she draped across him. Sighing she pulled away from him and sat next to him, leaning down to pull of her boots.

"It wasn't that bad," Tom said softly, rubbing his hand up and down the length of her spine.

"I'm pretty sure no other Starfleet captain had a senior staff riot when he or she tried to have a relationship with someone on their ship."

"I'm pretty sure no Starfleet captain has ever come to experiencing all the things you have gone through. I say you deserve it."

She sat back up to look him in the eye, "I deserved that…that mess?"

"No, not that madness. I meant a relationship."

Kathryn slapped him on the chest and stood, discarding her jacket on the way to the replicator. "You only say that because you are the other half of the relationship."

"No," Tom said softly in her ear, causing her to jump and almost drop her dinner. "I say that because you deserve it. I am just the enormously lucky one to be that person you can let go with."

Dinner safe on the corner of her desk, Kathryn reached up and cupped Tom's cheek. "No matter what the others say, I did have a choice. And I chose you," she whispered fiercely.

Tom brought his lips crashing down on hers as she reached up to meet him halfway. Hands moved over hard and soft planes and clothing was disarranged. Finally Tom made a noise that was something like a grunt of frustration mixed with a moan of passion and unwilling to part his lips with hers, picked her up and staggered into the bedroom.

XOXOXOXOX

A while later as the afterglow was beginning to fade, Tom's self confidence flagged somewhat. "If this bond hadn't been created between us, would we have ever gotten to this point?"

Kathryn, who had been snuggled comfortably along his side, sat up and frown at him. "Do you mean if we had never gone through that ritual that turned us into giant felines, would we have never been lovers?" she clarified, pushing her mussed hair out of her face.

Tom nodded sitting up as well. Kathryn nibbled on her lip and looked out at the stars, silent. She was quiet for so long Tom was beginning to debate whether to ask her again or let it go.

"You know that Chakotay loves me," she finally said and Tom blinked at her because that was not the answer he was looking for. "And he actually prepositioned having a relationship with me, not long after New Earth. He gave me a reason why we could be together for every one that I had against it. I still turned him down."

"Why?" Tom asked in a slightly strangled voice.

"I guess it was because I didn't love him like he loved- loves- me. But what I feel for you is different than the friendship I feel for him. And I like to think what I feel for you goes deeper than our physical bond."

"I love you too, but you never answered my question."

Janeway sighed and looked again at the stars. "I am the Captain and this ship and this crew will be my responsibility until we get home." She was quiet for some time. Then, "No, I would have never allowed myself a relationship with you had this not happened. But it did and I wouldn't change it for anything."

"Okay."

"Okay? That's it?" Kathryn was a little incredulous.

"You were honest with me. That is all I can ask for. And if I am to do the same then I have to tell you, I never thought we would ever be in a relationship either. Of course I had a crush on you, I've had one since back when I was a cadet, but it was a type of unrealistic fantasy."

Kathryn grinned and snuggled back into his side, rubbing her body up and down his in a cat like manner, "Well it's all pretty unrealistic."

Tom laughed and curled tightly around her, smiling contently as she started to purr softly, "But I wouldn't change it for anything."

End