"Afterimage"

Prompt: Set in Season 7, immediately after “Shattered.” Voyager’s timeline has been restored, but the emotional residue lingers. Janeway and Chakotay are in her quarters, seated across from each other. The half-empty cider glass remains on the table—a quiet reminder of the surreal journey through fractured time. Janeway is subdued, her posture tight, arms loosely crossed. She’s grappling with the image of her younger self: confident, idealistic, unscarred by years of command decisions. The experience unsettled her—not because of what she saw, but because of how Chakotay looked at her then, with admiration she no longer feels she deserves. Chakotay senses the shift. He doesn’t press. His tone is warm, low, and steady. He speaks sparingly, letting silence do some of the work. He’s aware that Janeway is recalibrating—not just the timeline, but her own emotional boundaries. The scene should reflect restraint, mutual respect, and the ache of unspoken connection. No overt romance. Just two people sitting with the weight of memory and w