Series: From A - Z
Part: 22
Title: Verification
Author: Chuckles
Feedback: chuckles_cpfic@hotmail.com
Pairing: C/P
Series Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: Paramount's, not mine!
Summary: Chakotay and Tom make an unexpected discovery.

Note: Hope you like this part, Leone, because it's especially for you. Lots
of love, Mae.
 

"D'you know something, Chakotay?" Tom asked quietly, lightly stroking the
smooth skin of the older man's thigh. "I never imagined I could love anyone
as much as I love you." He shifted slightly on the bed that stood in one
corner of the room, moving his hand upwards to run his fingers through
Chakotay's hair. "You're my life, Cha," he said softly.

Chakotay smiled, leaning forward to kiss the tip of Tom's nose. "And you're
mine, Tom," he replied, pulling Tom close, then nuzzling his neck. "You're
everything I'll ever want. Everything I'll ever need," he said, before
finding Tom's lips and gently kissing him. "You make me whole."

Tom sighed softly, closing his eyes as Chakotay lightly nipped at his
throat. He moved his fingers from Chakotay's hair, trailing them down his
lover's back, tracing his spine, until he finally grasped Chakotay's cheeks
and squeezed gently. He pulled Chakotay to him, pressing their erections
firmly against each other, then slowly began to rock, enjoying the older
man's soft moans. "I want you, Chakotay," Tom whispered.

Chakotay moved away from Tom's neck, gazing into his lover's eyes. "Then,
take me, Tom," he answered quietly, "I'm yours."

Tom leaned forward, lightly brushing his lips across Chakotay's. "I love
you," he murmured. He began to explore his lover's mouth, gently licking and
nipping his lips before kissing him slowly and deeply, trying to convey all
his feelings through his actions. He gripped Chakotay tightly, rubbing
insistently against him as the kiss continued and their thoughts began to
merge. Chakotay knew then what Tom wanted, and he moved, rolling away from
his lover and rising to his knees. He bent, resting his head on his folded
arms, as Tom knelt behind him.

As Tom gazed longingly at him, Chakotay could feel the younger man's arousal
course along their link and spread rapidly throughout his own body. He knew
what Tom was going to do, the knowledge causing a tremor to run through him
even before Tom's tongue licked teasingly at his balls. He groaned loudly,
spreading his legs as an invitation to Tom, wanting him to explore further.

Tom moaned as Chakotay's arousal grew and pervaded his senses, mingling with
his own. Their combined pleasure surrounded them, flowing back and forth
along their link, building in intensity with each wave until it was almost
unbearable. At that point, Tom took control, reining in his own emotions and
gently blocking some of Chakotay's, bringing them back to a manageable
level.

As the intense sensations began to subside, Tom returned his attention to
Chakotay's balls, carefully sucking each one into his mouth, continuing
until Chakotay could no longer stay on his knees and collapsed onto the bed,
breathing heavily. Tom gave a soft sigh of pleasure, then moved, trailing
his tongue up between his lover's cheeks to lick and probe the opening
there. Chakotay moaned, squirming as the younger man's hands grasped his
cheeks, pulling them apart, and Tom's hot tongue pushed inside him. "Please,
Tom," he begged as Tom probed deeper, pushing in as far as he could.
"Please."

"Soon, Cha," Tom promised softly. He allowed his tongue to continue its
explorations, leaving a warm, wet trail across Chakotay's skin, then rolled
the older man over and gripped his erection, pulling and massaging until
Chakotay was panting heavily. "Now," Tom whispered as he moved his hands to
Chakotay's hips. "I'm going to take you now."

Chakotay groaned loudly. "Yes," he breathed as Tom's fingers ran lightly
over his chest. "Take me, Tom." He pulled his legs up, raising himself off
the bed as Tom reached for a pillow and pushed it beneath him. There was no
more preparation, it wasn't necessary. They had discovered that in Azai's
room they could do whatever they liked, there were no physical restrictions,
everything was controlled mentally. Whatever they willed here, would happen.

Tom bent forward, moving between Chakotay's spread legs, his erection
seeking entrance into the older man's body. Chakotay reached up and grasped
the back of Tom's head, pulling him down until their lips met, kissing him
over and over as he felt Tom slide easily inside him. "I love you," he
whispered as Tom began to move, thrusting slowly and deeply, their eyes
locked by their shared passion.

"Touch yourself, Cha. For me," Tom said, bending again to his lover's lips
and kissing him gently. "Please."

Chakotay complied, wrapping his hand around his own erection and stroking
himself, matching Tom's pace as he continued to gaze into Tom's eyes. The
younger man groaned and moved faster, waves of love and desire passing
between them as he lessened his control of their mental link, allowing a
heightening of their combined emotions. Tom thrust hard and fast, aware of
Chakotay's pleasure as he moved inside him, then moaned loudly, feeling
Chakotay start to tighten around him as the older man shuddered and came.
Both men cried out, and Tom erupted deep inside his lover's body, still
thrusting until the last drop of semen had left him. He fell forward then,
resting his head on Chakotay's heaving chest, hearing the older man's
rapidly beating heart gradually start to slow, his own matching it. "Every
time," he whispered. "It's so good, every single time."

"It is," Chakotay agreed, wrapping his arms around Tom and holding him
tight. "It always will be."

For a long while, they lay silently, then Tom shifted to gaze down at
Chakotay. "Cha, I've been thinking," he said quietly, a serious look on his
face. "This link we have it's... Well... It's gonna last forever, right?"

"Yes, Tom, I believe so. Does that bother you?" Chakotay asked as Tom moved
off him and snuggled against his side, trailing fingers back and forth over
Chakotay's stomach.

"No, it doesn't bother me," Tom replied. "It's just that... I wondered if...
You know... Oh, God! I don't know how to say this!" he floundered,
desperately searching for the words he wanted, his hand now flat on the
other man's chest.

"Say what, Tom? What is it that's got you so flustered? Can you tell me?
Because you're making me nervous," Chakotay said, frowning and holding Tom
even closer. Tom shook his head, his hair tickling Chakotay's chin. "I don't
know, Cha. I..." Words failed him again, and he stopped, burying his head in
Chakotay's neck.

"Tom, please. Tell me. Whatever it is," Chakotay begged, looking down
worriedly at his lover. "You're keeping your thoughts to yourself at the
moment, as well. Is it something so bad that you can't  even share it
through our link? I love you, you know. I want to help."

"Okay," Tom said a few moments later as he struggled to sit up. He ran his
fingers nervously through his hair, then took a few deep breaths. "I was
thinking that... Maybe... Maybe we should get married," he said, staring
down into Chakotay's dark, concerned eyes.

"Married?" Chakotay queried. He pulled himself up to sit alongside Tom, then
looked carefully at the younger man. "Really?" he asked.

"Um, yeah. I thought... I thought it might be a good idea. Our link's gonna
last for as long as we do, and even without it, we'd be together anyway, so
I thought... I thought, y'know, let's sort of make it official," Tom
stammered. "That's if you want to, of course," he added. "Do you, Cha?"

"Is this a proposal, Tom?" Chakotay asked as he slipped his arm around Tom's
shoulders, drawing the nervous man close and nuzzling his neck.

Tom swallowed heavily as Chakotay nipped at his throat. "I... Yeah. I guess
it is," he whispered, pulling Chakotay's head up until they were face to
face. "So, Chakotay," he continued, feeling bolder now. "What d'you say?
Want to marry me?"

Chakotay leaned in and captured Tom's lips, kissing him slowly and lovingly,
his hands reaching up to grasp Tom's head as the kiss deepened. "Of course I
want to marry you, Tom," he said when the kiss ended several minutes later.
"If you like, we'll go see the Captain as soon as we get back to Voyager."

"That'd be great, Chakotay. I'd like that," Tom said with a smile and a
small sigh of relief. He leaned in for another kiss as contentment instantly
replaced his nervousness, then pulled Chakotay back down to snuggle under
the blankets. "It's funny, y'know," he remarked as he stroked his lover's
hair. "When we first entered this room and found out that time sort of stood
still here, I thought it'd be really difficult to leave. I don't mean
finding out how to return to our physical bodies, we know how to do that
now, just that I wasn't sure I'd actually ever want to go back. Do you know
what I mean?"

"Yes, I do," Chakotay replied. "We have almost everything we want here,
whenever we want it. For as long as we want it. We could stay here together
for eternity. The decision to leave was always going to be difficult."

"Yeah," Tom agreed. "Almost impossible. But as happy as I am here, I don't
want to stay any more. I want to get back to Voyager as soon as possible."

"Then we'll leave, Tom," Chakotay said decisively. "After all, there's no
reason for us to stay longer. We've studied everything that Azai left us;
from basic equations and chemical formulae, to mechanics so advanced that
B'Elanna wouldn't have made it past the first few diagrams; plus everything
in between. Not to mention technology that would put the Borg to shame. I
know we're still not clear yet about what we're supposed to do with all this
knowledge, whether we can use any of it to help Voyager, but I can't see
that we're going to figure it out by staying. Azai seems really fond of
giving us information in parts, and I think this part's finished."

"Yeah, I think you're right. And besides, I'm really fed up with feeling as
though my brain's some sort of sponge. I don't think it can absorb anything
else at the moment."

"Well, I suppose a 'sponge' is a pretty accurate description of the brain,
but I know what you mean," Chakotay agreed, smiling. "We've reached
saturation point."

"Definitely. Although I have to say it's been an amazing experience. I don't
totally understand everything we looked at, but I can recall it all in
detail. It's incredible. I would never have guessed I could store so much
data." He paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. "I wonder if anything
will show up on the Doc's scans when we go for our next check-up?"

"That's a good point, Tom, but I don't think it will be a problem. Our
mental control is far more advanced now; we'll be able to manipulate the
Doctor's tests pretty easily."

"Yeah," Tom replied, nodding. "If we make everything appear normal, maybe
he'll leave us alone. No more trips to sickbay."

"I don't know about that," Chakotay said, shaking his head. "He'll probably
want to examine us a couple more times to be certain of the results. But if
he keeps getting the same readings each time, he should lose interest in
us."

"I hope so," Tom muttered, snuggling closer to Chakotay. He moved his lips
to the older man's neck and kissed him softly. "So, Cha," he said, licking
his way to Chakotay's mouth. "How long before we leave here and return to
the real world?" He didn't wait for an answer though, his tongue continuing
it's explorations as it traced Chakotay's lips.

The older man smiled, then closed his eyes as he was kissed again, lovingly.
"Tom," he whispered when the younger man eventually broke away. "Let's go
now. Let's get our mission over with, return to Voyager and get married."

Tom raised himself up on his elbows and grinned down at the man below him.
"Okay, future husband of mine," he said, nipping the end of Chakotay's nose.
"Let's go."

As soon as the decision had been made, Azai's room began to fade away.
Before either man had time to process the change however, they once again
found themselves standing next to Harry, Tom's finger poised to complete the
'key's' sequence. As before, Tom continued to move his finger forward,
touching the shape.

"How did you do *that*, Tom?" Harry asked incredulously as part of the rock
in front of them began to shimmer, then disappeared, leaving a rectangular
gap that was big enough for the men to walk through.

"I dunno," Tom shrugged, peering through the entrance to what appeared to be
another room. "Luck, I guess. Let's have a look what's in there."

"Use the tricorder first, Harry," Chakotay instructed as he caught hold of
Tom's arm to prevent him stepping through the doorway. "There were no
unusual readings when we scanned this area before, let's see if anything
registers now."

Harry nodded. "Yes, Sir," he answered, pulling the device from his pocket
and activating it. He frowned at the readout, then looked up at the
Commander. "Our previous scans showed the beacon was still quite a distance
away, but according to this, it's inside," he said, passing the tricorder to
Chakotay for him to check the display.

"You're right, it does show that," Chakotay confirmed. "But it doesn't
indicate any danger, so let's take a look inside," he said, returning the
Ensign's tricorder, then moving forwards.

Tom followed the others through the doorway and into the dark chamber, his
mind on another matter. /You haven't forgotten our time in Azai's room, have
you, Cha?/ he enquired, concerned that maybe he would be the only one to
recall the details of their time there.

//No, Tom, I haven't forgotten. I remember it all, Sweetheart.//  Chakotay
replied as he continued to visually scan the room.

Tom snorted, then smiled at the endearment, and Harry turned his head to
look at him. "You okay, Tom?" he asked, wondering about the amused
expression on the pilot's face.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Harry. Just thought I was gonna sneeze, that's all."

"Oh," Harry said, nodding his head in understanding. "Must be the dust."

"Yeah," Tom agreed, then continued his silent conversation with his lover.
/Just because we're gonna get married, Chakotay, you don't have to go all
mushy on me, you know./

//Me? Mushy?// Chakotay responded, coming to a halt in the middle of the
dimly lit room, then turning to grin at Tom. file://I don't know what you mean.//

/Of course you don't,/ Tom replied, walking over to stand in front of the
older man. He took advantage of the fact that Harry was standing a few feet
further on, facing away from them, and leaned in for a quick kiss, running
his hands over Chakotay's hips as he did. "I love you, Cha," he whispered
into his lover's ear.

"I love you too, Tom," Chakotay whispered back, then stepped away as Harry
turned around.

"Commander? I think I might have found the beacon," Harry said, pointing to
a low table that stood almost hidden in the shadows about ten feet away. It
had a small black box sitting in the centre of it, with a smaller and
transparent, circular object to one side.

Chakotay walked quickly across to see what Harry had found, Tom following
him. "What does the tricorder show?" Chakotay asked as Harry activated the
device, pointing it at the box first. "Is it the source of the signal?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, Commander. But I'm afraid I can't tell you what the
other item is; the readings aren't specific enough," he said, after
completing his scans.

"Can you tell what it's made of?" Tom asked, stepping forward to get a
closer look at the glass-like object. He bent down next to the table,
studying the small disc.

"No, Tom, I can't. Sorry," Harry replied, shaking his head. "The results are
inconclusive."

"Okay," Tom said, standing back up, then looking at Chakotay. "What do we
do, Commander? Think it's safe to touch?" he asked, then added silently, /I
don't think it'd be dangerous, Cha. It's gotta be something that Azai's left
for us, and we know we can trust him. He wouldn't hurt us./

//I'm sure you're right, Tom,// Chakotay answered via their link, then spoke
aloud for Harry's benefit. "If we want to find out what it is, then I don't
think we have much choice but to touch it. It appears pretty innocuous, so
let's take a closer look," he said, reaching out to pick the object up. As
he did so, a tiny red light shone from the base, flickering, then changing
to green as his fingers connected with the disc's surface. He removed his
hand, stepping back as an intense beam of white light shot upwards from the
object, shimmering, then steadying, before it coalesced into a recognisable
form.

"It's a three-dimensional star chart!" Tom exclaimed excitedly, "And I think
I know what region this is," he added after walking around the table several
times to study the spherical chart from different angles. "We'd have it to
show Seven for verification, but I'm pretty sure that's the nebula we
travelled through," he said, pointing to a glowing cloud towards the centre.

"There seems to be a route mapped out as well," Harry remarked, observing a
continuous blue line that wended it's way through tiny representations of
star systems. "I wonder who did it, and why?"

//The path to happiness,// Chakotay commented silently, the thought flashing
unbidden into his mind as he stared at the sight before him.

/Cha?/ Tom questioned, glancing up and gazing at the thoughtful expression
on Chakotay's face.

file://Look where the line ends, Tom; the destination,// Chakotay instructed,
peering at several dark points where the blue line finished. // It looks as
though Azai might have provided us with a way to get Voyager home.//
 

TBC