The BLTS Archive - Breakfast
by JacobedRose (djfogh@sbcglobal.net)

---

Published: 01-09-07

Updated: 04-05-07

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Always a night owl anyway, Kathryn found her inability to sleep
increasingly annoying. More annoyed however at not asking Chakotay to
schedule her for a later shift.

It was within her power to do so, but Chakotay was working the early
shift and genuinely enjoyed early hours she found insane even without
the convenient sunrise.

"If some alien doesn't get me, these mornings will," she thought
ruefully as she pulled a book off her bookshelf. It was really too
early to be asleep by her clock anyway, but she was on shift in a few
hours.

Knowing that reading in her quarters would only increase her annoyance
with the ever-present obligation to sleep, Kathryn headed for the mess
hall, counting on the relative quiet to relax with a story.

To her pleasure, a late night chess game was the only other
distraction in the remodeled mess hall. Opening the old fashioned book
to the first page; Kathryn let the cares and concerns of the day drop
away as she entered the world of fiction.

Two cups of coffee and two hundred fifty pages later she'd lost track
of time aside from the subconscious knowledge the mess hall's other
patrons had left awhile ago.

"Couldn't sleep?"

Kathryn jumped at the words both startled and feeling stupid for the
action at the same time, but, after all, while helping detectives
track down a murderer was not a time to be snuck up on. "Chakotay,
what are you doing here? Aren't you on duty in a few hours?"

Chakotay laughed, the easy laugh that made even the most tense
situations relaxed, "It's more like half an hour and so do you. You
didn't strike me as a morning person," he teased.

Kathryn tossed him a mock glare. "I'm not, but they haven't caught
the bad guys yet."

Chakotay refilled her coffee and offered her a muffin as he joined hr
at the table. "Something less suspenseful would make it easier to
sleep."

Kathryn smirked. "True, but they're less fun. Why are you up so
early?"

Chakotay buttered his own muffin. "Like I said shift starts in half an
hour and some of us don't just pick up a cup of coffee on the way.
Breakfast is good for you." He laughed as Kathryn made a show of
eating a bite of her muffin. "I was surprised when you requested the
early shift."

Kathryn barely avoided choking on the bite of muffin; she hadn't
thought up a good excuse for this yet. Chakotay wordlessly covered her
slip up, pushing her coffee closer, waiting till she took a sip before
continuing, "It just seemed odd. I know how much you hate mornings."

Whether her surprise or lack of sleep caused it, she let her words go
uncensored, "So what, you trying to avoid me by taking the morning
shift?"

This time it was Chakotay's turn to be surprised. "No, actually I was
trying to free up the afternoon shift for you. Although I would miss
seeing you every morning," he paused, laughing to himself, "Especially
when you've been up all night 'catching bad guys' and arrive clinging
to your coffee like a life preserver."

Kathryn scowled, unable to hide a smile, "Well, at least it's better
than when I don't have coffee"

"There is that." He took another bite of his breakfast, "Thank you for
taking the morning shift even if that wasn't my intention."

Her eyes grew serious, even as she once again tried to hide it behind
a calm exterior. "Miss waking up every morning to go to work and hear
you teasing me?" She gestured with the muffin. "For the occasional
impromptu breakfast?"

Chakotay met her eyes. "You changed shifts purposely to be with me?"

Kathryn blushed. "Well, I sure didn't do it to listen to Tom describe
his last date or brag to Harry about his new holodeck program. I don't
know how he manages to have enough holodeck hours for all of them."

Chakotay gently, cautiously took her hand. "We could make breakfast a
habit. You can tell me which bad guys you caught and we can sample
Neelix's newest cuisine."

"Supply the coffee, and you've got yourself a deal," Kathryn forced
her reply to remain casual even as her heart leapt.

Chakotay grinned. "I feel compelled to remind you, my dear Captain. If
you slept more you'd need less coffee."

Kathryn smirked. "If I slept more I'd never be on time for my shift
at whatever insane hour of the morning you've scheduled it."

Chakotay grinned. "We're going to be late for shift soon anyway if we
don't head to the bridge."

Kathryn shot a disparaging look at the wall clock. "Lead the way. It's
still too early for anyone to be up anyway."

"This from the woman who spent all night reading mysteries," Chakotay
answered, opening the mess hall door.

Despite Kathryn's hopes, the bridge was not quiet. "I can't believe
you let me be captured by my arch nemesis!" Tom said over his shoulder
to Harry. Morning Captain, Commander."

Kathryn and Chakotay exchanged amused looks.

"What would you have done? Shot the evil bad guy or talk to his cute
side kick lady?" Harry shot back.

Tuvok used to ignoring his coworkers' arguments, caught the look
between his commanding officers. "Is there something humorous?"

"Yes," Tom exclaimed, "Harry left me hanging in the clutches of an
evil super villain to flirt with a hologram!"

Kathryn blushed. "No, everything's fine." She exchanged looks with
Chakotay, "More than fine." She turned back to Tuvok, "Status report?"

"The super villain was a hologram too," Harry defended himself
oblivious to the other conversations vocal or not going on the
bridge.

---

Kathryn could count on one hand the days in the past she had been
eager to get up in the morning. Today was one of them.

The thought of willingly leaving her nice warm bed to walk on the cold
floor to go to work early in the morning was not a thought that
excited her. She remembered telling her mom that mornings would be
wonderful if they started two hours later.

This morning however she found herself not being able to wait for her
alarm clock to get her up in the morning. The irony didn't escape her
as she deactivated the alarm over an hour before it was set to go off.
After not sleeping at all the night before she had gotten to bed at a
reasonable hour and, up early, found herself at a loss for what to do.

The normally unshakable captain found butterflies erupting in her
stomach. "It is not a date. It can't be a date," she told herself.

It wasn't long before she found herself completely bored and thought
she would go insane if she stayed in her quarters one more second.
Heading to the mess hall a thought occurred to her, she would surprise
Chakotay this morning.

Chakotay arrived at the mess hall early, not actually expecting
Kathryn to be there yet, but definitely not wanting to be late. The
doors to the mess hall opened to admit new visitors. Chakotay glanced
around the room, finally finding Kathryn behind Neelix's kitchen
stove.

Chakotay grinned, impressed and amused. "Good Morning, Captain,
though I'm not sure Neelix would appreciate you commandeering his
kitchen."

Kathryn looked up surprised, then smirked. "Well then he should get
here sooner. Besides this was my dining hall first."

Chakotay conceded. "What are you making?"

"Apple pancakes." Kathryn grinned. "One of the few cooking lessons I
mastered."

"Smells delicious," Chakotay answered; "Quite a surprise though."
Kathryn looked up suddenly her face full of mock anger before he
finished quickly, "This is the second morning in a row you've gotten
here before me."

"Well, you're a good incentive," she answered flirtatiously before
she'd even realized what she was saying. He smile was a mixture of
happiness, flirting, and just hidden embarrassment.

Chakotay's smile grew. "I'm glad. I couldn't wait to see you this
morning. I was hoping I'd beat you here."

Chakotay's words made her pause. Warm tendrils encircled her as she
felt equal parts excitement and nervousness, but she did not miss the
easy out he'd given her. "Why?"

The question was non-descript and left Chakotay wondering which one to
answer. Kathryn forced herself not to fiddle as she waited for his
answer as she realized her mistake.

"Why shouldn't I be looking forward to spending the morning with you?
This'll be the first time apart from yesterday we've had breakfast
since New Earth," Chakotay finished leaving the statement open to all
the implications of their brief stay on the planet. Kathryn blushed as
he helped her wash and put away a few dishes before they ate, "And
because I had an idea similar to yours and wanted to introduce you to
something my grandmother always made me for breakfast," Chakotay
finished.

Kathryn reveled in his closeness as they chose chairs next to each
other. "There's always tomorrow. I can help."

"I'd like that," he agreed, carrying the plates to the table for them.

Kathryn poured them each a cup of coffee. "To early mornings and good
company." Chakotay teasingly raised his cup in a cheers motion.

"Well, at least to good company," Kathryn revised with a laugh.

They had barely finished breakfast, still lingering over coffee, when
a red alert called them to the bridge, their plates abandoned but a
single cup of coffee still stubbornly in Kathryn's hand.

That call to the bridge turned out to be a trio of Borg cubes they had
stumbled upon while investigating a nearby dual star system. The Borg
had been less than welcoming or maybe too welcoming depending on how
you looked at it.

---

Hours later they had escaped to the temporary hiding place of a nearby
nebula, but sooner or later they would either be forced to leave the
protecting nebula or be flushed out when the Borg eventually adapted
their sensors to identify and search out their prey.

Kathryn hated feeling like prey.

Needless to say she was in a foul mood as she inspected different
sections of the ship, overseeing repairs. Kathryn fought to keep her
voice positive as she patiently encouraged her crew, but as it drew
close to four in the morning, Chakotay knew she was growing impatient
despite the fact the crew could work no faster. She needed a
distraction and a refill on her long cold coffee.

Chakotay was waiting for her when she returned to the bridge after hr
fourth trip this hour through the ship, her pace growing faster with
each trip.

"Status report!" she demanded.

"Repairs are coming along ahead of schedule," Chakotay reported, "Can
I talk to you in your ready room?"

Kathryn met his eyes, surprised but relieved he could see for
something more constructive to do. She nodded, walking to her ready
room. Chakotay followed half a step behind.

Kathryn dropped the façade of calmness as the doors closed behind
them. "What's going on Chakotay?"

Chakotay smiled supportively. "While I'm sure you are now very
familiar with the intricate details of every damaged system on the
ship and getting plenty of exercise; the crew could work faster if
you're not looking over their shoulders."

Kathryn looked annoyed for a second before settling for an amused
smirk. "Did B'Elanna call you?"

Chakotay's smile grew mischievous. "I cannot tell a lie, but I
promised not to tell."

Kathryn laughed relief nearly palpable. "Thank you for that."

"No problem," Chakotay answered, happy to see her laugh for the first
time since this tense day had begun. "I can't fix you the proper
breakfast I was planning on, but I had Neelix send up the closest
thing to eggs and bacon he could find." Chakotay transitioned to part
two of the distraction plan. "He says it's pretty good, but I haven't
tried it yet."

Kathryn gave him a knowing smile. "Sounds excellent, but I'm going to
get used to all this if I keep eating breakfast."

Chakotay laughed. "I happen to know you haven't eaten since yesterday
morning."

"I had coffee," Kathryn argued.

"One can't live on coffee alone," Chakotay teased.

"I suppose you're right," Kathryn conceded, "So where are these
delicious eggs?"

Chakotay took her hand and led her toward the table set in front of
one of the couches. "This is good," Kathryn agreed taking a bite, "But
not exactly eggs either."

Chakotay smiled. "I'll tell Neelix. So what are you're plans for after
these Borg are taken care of? I heard a rumor about this new
holoprogram that takes place in..."

"Do you think we'll make it through this okay?" she asked, for the
first time showing doubt.

Chakotay's eyes turned serious. "Of course, you'll get us through
this."

Kathryn smiled, putting a hand on his arm, "Then I'd love to." She
grinned. "But I think this is turning into a very long day. How
about tomorrow morning after breakfast?"

Chakotay put a hand on hers. "This time I'm cooking though and don't
be late."

Kathryn opened her mouth to protest, but the comm channel came
through first. "Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay to the bridge.
We're ready to leave the nebula."

Kathryn, again the captain of a lone Starfleet vessel, smiled
regretfully, the reverie broken. It was time to get back to work.
"We're on our way."

---

Successfully escaping the Borg, Voyager limped into orbit around
Denarius Two. Feeling safe for the first time in days, the crew and
her captain took the much needed opportunity for sleep as a skeleton
crew continued repairs.

Kathryn glared a glare, more deadly than anything she'd turned on even
Tom over the past few years, when her alarm persistently announced the
time she had told it to wake her in the morning. "It's just not
possible," she muttered to herself.

Pulling herself to her feet, she walked to the replicator on memory,
with her eyes closed. "Coffee, hot."

The warm bitter liquid slowly but surely awoke her to the facts of the
morning, her quarters in disarray , her ship holding it's own but
still recovering, a shift starting in a few hours and the one thought
that pushed away all temptation of returning to sleep, breakfast with
Chakotay.

A smile formed on her lips and she allowed her eyes to close for half
a second before snapping open again, determined motions for getting
ready for another day in the Alpha Quadrant this time with a bright
spot in her day and a hope that it would never end.

---

The crew was just starting to come alive again when Kathryn entered
the mess hall, padd with status report and coffee in hand.

"Good morning, Ensigns, Crewman," she greeted a group at a table near
the door, before glancing up to find Chakotay behind the counter of
Neelix's galley, the tension on her face melting into a genuine smile.

"How does Neelix feel about you taking over his mess hall?" she
teased, reminding him of his comment two mornings ago.

Chakotay grinned, handing her a plate. "I gave him the morning off."

Kathryn's eyes got wide. "You're making breakfast for the entire
crew?"

"It was the only way I was going to get to use the stove," he
answered.

"That and three hours of holodeck time," Tom added helpfully as he
accepted a plate. "Neelix is taking Kes to Talax."

Chakotay glared at Tom even as Harry politely thanked him for the
meal. "That was smart, Tom," B'Elanna added her own disparaging look
to what was directed at Tom.

"What?" Tom asked innocently.

B'Elanna rolled her eyes as she chose a chair out of earshot to
explain the obvious to her friends.

Kathryn's expression turned form surprise to gratitude, "Well, the
least I can do then is help. It's delicious. What is it?"

"It's a mixture of a lot of things."

Kathryn took another bite, savoring the taste, "Okay. You're in
charge. What can I do to help?"

Chakotay bit back laughter at the expression on her face as he
directed her at how to prepare breakfast.

After a few attempts, Kathryn managed to copy Chakotay's technique for
preparing the food.

"You're idea is improving the crew's morale," Kathryn answered
appreciatively.

"It's certainly improving mine," Chakotay answered, suppressing
laughter as he corrected her chopping technique.

Kathryn ineffectively hid a blush.

"Are you sure?" Harry asked B'Elanna across the room.

"Can you think of any explanation that makes sense?" B'Elanna asked.

"He's been helping out in the mess hall. Maybe he did something to
make her mad and he's trying to make up for it," Tom joked, knowing it
would annoy B'Elanna.

Harry shook his head, "No, if she was mad we would know about it.
"Maybe he's trying to get promoted?"

"To what?" Tom scoffed. "He's second in command."

B'Elanna rolled her eyes. "They've rearranged their work schedule to
be together, they eat almost every meal they can together, now they're
serving food together... The way they look at each other, how they
talk... and it would explain the other morning on the bridge,"
B'Elanna explained, forcing patience.

"What on the bridge?" Tom and Harry asked in unison.

B'Elanna stopped trying to pretend patience.

---

Kathryn was grateful the revised repairs schedule didn't require
either she or Chakotay to be on duty till mid-afternoon because the
breakfast hour had come and gone long ago before the crew had all
eaten.

Having eaten and sampled as they went the two washed dishes, Chakotay
teasing Kathryn about her lack of cooking experience and Kathryn in
turn teasing him about his particularness.

Slipping the last clean dish back into the cabinet, Chakotay met her
eyes, cautiously taking her hand. "We're starting rumors, you know?"

Kathryn grinned. "Do you mind?"

Chakotay laughed. "No, It's not their business unless you want it to
be."

Kathryn met his eyes. "They'll find out eventually, so let's let them
wonder for awhile."

Chakotay grinned. "I have to say I'm surprised though."

Kathryn's eyes turned curious. "I seem to be doing that a lot lately.
Why?"

"I half expected you to tell me how a relationship wasn't possible on
a starship." Chakotay held his breath.

Kathryn put a hand on his arm. "I'm still not sure, but this... I'm
okay with this. And I'm willing to try... but we'll need to take it
slowly."

Chakotay smiled, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, "Thank
you. Thank you for taking a chance on this... on us."

Kathryn would have stayed in that place with Chakotay forever, but all
too soon the mess hall doors swished open to reveal more crew members
looking for food or a place to socialize. "If we're going to go see
that new holodeck program, we better leave now before you end up
cooking lunch too."

Chakotay slipped one arm around her waist. "I think you may be right.
Tom said you'd love the program."

Kathryn waited till they were out of sight before putting her head on
his shoulder. "I'm sure I will."

---

Colorful banners, singing bards, dancing and juggling jesters, and the
cheers of the crowd made up the couple's first impression of their
holodeck surroundings. Chakotay watched Kathryn's reaction as it
registered they were in the hall of a great castle during a
Renaissance ball.

The expression on her face was worth the time it had taken to program
the detailed program into the computer. "Chakotay, it's beautiful!"

Chakotay grinned offering his arm. "I hoped so, I remember you told me
about Leonardo's workshop and I was hoping you'd like to see more of
Leonardo's world."

Kathryn took his arm. "It's wonderful. But how do you know so much
about this time period?"

Chakotay made a face. "I had a teacher in school who was semi-
obsessed with the artists of the Renaissance. She made sure we knew
more than I thought ever necessary about this time period. And I did a
little research."

"Well it's paying off." Kathryn smiled. "So what is our role in all
this?"

"We," Chakotay said proudly, pleased he had made a good choice with
the holodeck program, "are the Duke and Duchess of Venice. We are
guests here of the Emperor and Empress of the Roman Empire."

"I'm not sure we fit in," Kathryn commented, glancing at the uniforms
that would be conspicuous if the holograms weren't programmed to
ignore them.

Chakotay laughed. "I'm sure your maids can find you something to
wear. I'll meet you here and then we can dance. You do know how to
dance their dances. don't you?"

Kathryn smirked. "I'll figure it out. If I can command a starship, I
can figure out how to dance."


Kathryn smiled at her appearance in the mirror; she admired the
beautiful dress her maids had found and precisely placed the last hair
pin in place and headed back out to the main floor where she found
Chakotay also dressed in time period appropriate clothes waiting for
her.

"You look quite handsome," Kathryn said in greeting, "But now I'll
have to worry about all these girls staring at you."

Chakotay took her hand in formal greeting, kissing it. "Not after all
the young men ask you to dance."

Kathryn smiled. "So you seem pretty confident about this whole
dancing thing, I don't suppose your research involved the dancing
customs of the era?"

"It just might have," Chakotay agreed, "Though I haven't had much to
practice yet, so my apologies to your feet."

Kathryn smiled. "At least you'll know what we're doing."

Chakotay guided them out onto the dance floor and then there was not
much time to dance as they tried not to laugh at themselves or each
other as they learned the complex Renaissance dances. Eventually they
fell into the pattern as it thankfully slowed to a slower, quieter
dance.

Neither cared to track the time that had passed when a very
un-Renaissance call broke the graceful playing of the musicians, "The
time is 1500 hours."

Kathryn didn't know which direction to glare at. "I'm sorry we
weren't able to stay longer," she said to Chakotay.

Chakotay smiled gently. "Don't worry. It's always here when you're
ready to come back."

---

Half an hour later, they reported for duty. "Captain on the bridge,"
Harry announced.

"Thank you, Ensign." Kathryn answered. "As you were. Status report."

"Everything appears to be normal," Tuvok answered. "All systems are
operational."

"Good news." Chakotay smiled at Kathryn.

B'Elanna and Tom exchanged meaningful looks. "I told you so."

---

Kathryn paced her quarters, debating whether or not to go to breakfast
this morning. She'd never really eaten breakfast before she had
started joining Chakotay for breakfast and, even as she debated her
decision, Kathryn knew she would be leaving soon for the mess hall.
Rationalizing, Kathryn told herself she would hurt Chakotay's feelings
if she cancelled breakfast, but she knew she'd hate to miss seeing him
this morning.

As she approached the mess hall, Kathryn attempted to temper her bad
mood. While she had gotten to bed at a decent time last night she'd
been awakened early because two ensigns and a crewman had attempted to
turn cargo bay one into a softball field, grass, dirt and all and
probably would've escaped detection (at least for awhile) if they
hadn't hit a homerun that dented one of the cargo bay walls setting
off a structural alarm.

Since it had been years since anyone had used that bay for more than
storage they had creatively relocated, she had eventually given in to
their request, provided they appropriately fix and restructure the
wall to prevent further damage.

Hoping to return to her quarters, she'd been interrupted once again
when a lieutenant crashed half the computer core when he decided to
rewrite the computer's main programming.

It couldn't have been ten minutes later when Tuvok announced he had
uncovered another semi-illegal betting pool, which she would normally
have ignored if the subject of said betting pool set up by a certain
piloting lieutenant hadn't pertained directly to her and Chakotay's
social life. There was such a thing as privacy.

Though she had no doubt the bets would continue perhaps Tom would be
more discreet about it now.

By the time Harry had approached her with a glitch in the primary
sensor grid, annoyance, exhaustion and lack of coffee had her reacting
badly and feeling guilty.

Reaching the mess hall, the large door swished open. Chakotay looked
up from the table where he sat. "I hear you've been up awhile."

Kathryn held up a hand. "Please don't remind me." Taking in the
table and the stacks of waffles and coffee, she smiled, taking the
cup. "Coffee. You know me too well." She took a sip and closed her
eyes in quiet contentment before speaking again, breaking her own
rule, "How many things can possibly go wrong in one morning? You know
that B'Elanna and two of her engineers are using replicators off a
pool they won based on gossip about us?" She paused, but Chakotay
knew she was not really done. She took another sip. "We have half the
crew trying to fix the ship, presumably by breaking it, and the other
half betting on how serious we are! And Harry's probably working a
double shift to fix the sensor bleep and is afraid to talk to me."

Chakotay smiled a little. "Well I hope you didn't shut down the
betting pool. I could get lucky if I enter anonymously."

Kathryn scowled at him before giving into a laugh. "Only if you
promise to share."

"What happened with Harry?" Chakotay asked, preferring to drop the
subject but knowing she'd be kicking herself for it all day if she
didn't talk it out.

Kathryn took a bite of her waffle and sighed. "Oh, after everything
else that had happened this morning, he came to report that this area
of space is interfering with collecting sensor data and I lectured him
about it. It wasn't even his fault."

Chakotay rubbed the back of her hand. "He'll be okay. Besides I'm
sure he'll find something fun for us to investigate."

Kathryn met his eyes in the guilty, half teasing way only she could.
"I suppose so. So I guess we should start over. Good morning,
Chakotay. Did you sleep well?"

Chakotay barely held back a laugh. "Very well, Kathryn. How about
you?"

"What I got of it was very good," Kathryn grinned. "These waffles are
delicious. Did you make them yourself?"

"Yes, but I won't have to after I win Tom's betting pool." Chakotay
winked and happy laughter filled the messhall.

---

Tom sank angrily into the chair at the helm. Harry looked up
cautiously from his station, the night shift leaving the bridge nearly
deserted. "Should I even ask?"

Tom immediately jumped on the excuse to explain. "You know that bet I
set up last week?"

Harry nodded, knowing it was a rhetorical question, but answering
anyway, "Yeah, I lost four days worth of replicator rations."

Tom scowled at him. "The Captain confiscated what was left of the pot
and told me to shut it down."

"Sounds like that worked well," Harry commented sarcastically, already
having cast his bet for the bet set to expire at midnight.

Tom's scowl turned to a glare. "Yeah well, the new passwords didn't
last long, Chakotay cleaned me out!"

Harry didn't try to hold back laughter. "Are you serious?" His
amusement fled. "He's not going to turn us in is he?"

Tom rolled his eyes. "No, not yet at least?"

"Does the Captain know?" Harry asked.

"How would I know?" Tom demanded.

---

Chakotay was in a very good mood. Relishing in the extra replicator
rations, he replicated a feast for them. He'd asked Kathryn to join
him for breakfast in his quarters. It was more personal and they could
celebrate without being conspicuous or being discovered, for although
he was sure Tom knew of his anonymous cover and, if Tom knew then
B'Elanna and Harry knew too, but at this point that was probably it
and if he intended to continue it would be best to keep it a secret as
long as possible.

The doorbell chimed. "Come in," he called.

Kathryn entered, a small grin on her face. "I see you did well. Oh I
bet Tom was furious!" She laughed a little.

Chakotay grinned. "I'm glad you like it. Have any favorites you don't
already see?"

Kathryn looked around at the feast. "Just how many replicator rations
did you win?"

"Enough to keep us in breakfast for a long time," Chakotay surmised.

"Crepes with fruit and cinnamon rolls?" Kathryn suggested.

"I'm sure that goes together... somehow," Chakotay teased. "I was
thinking what we should do to make news with this betting pool."

"After you wager on it first, of course," Kathryn answered in mock
sternness. "It'll blow your cover."

"I think I'd be willing to take the chance," Chakotay commented,
pulling her closer.

Kathryn stopped breathing as he pulled her into his arms; strong arms
holding her close, cognitive thought became impossible and as their
lips met everything else fell away and she couldn't imagine anything
else existed.

When they broke apart, neither moved. "Do you think that would work?"
Kathryn asked.

Chakotay grinned. "Can't be sure. Maybe we should do it again.

Kathryn laughed, putting a hand on his chest. "We could, but I'm not
sure it counts for the bet if no one can see us."

"Who cares?" Chakotay asked.

Kathryn smiled, giving into the kiss.

"It could be a good way to let the crew in on our secret. Besides I'm
not sure how much longer we can go around hiding it, especially after
how well Tom and B'Elanna did."

"We're on duty in twenty minutes," Kathryn began. "If we make it
public on the bridge, everyone will know by the end of shift. Besides
Tom will be there to witness for us."

A deep laugh rumbled up in Chakotay. "Well, we don't want to be too
obvious that we planned it."

"Course not. I'm all for spontaneity," Kathryn teased.

---

It had been a long and uneventful shift, especially for those who were
waiting eagerly for something to happen. The not so subtle glances
were traded in a general pattern around the bridge, only Tuvok seemed
to will himself out of the obvious unspoken game.

B'Elanna threw Tom a warning glance as he looked meaningfully at the
commanding officers in the middle of the bridge.

Harry smiled, holding his breath to keep from laughing.

Chakotay squeezed Kathryn's hand, trying very hard to contain his
amusement.

Kathryn put up a valiant effort, trying to concentrate on a report she
was reading and realized she'd read the same sentence seven times.
Finally she stopped rubbing the back of Chakotay's hand and looked up,
and his smile made all her carefully planned words disappear.

"As fun as this has all been, I think I'm going to make an appearance
around the ship, see how things are doing," Kathryn started.

No one on the bridge breathed and even Tom stopped his fiddling.

"I'll catch up with you later at dinner," Chakotay answered.

Kathryn leaned in, capturing his lips. "It's a date."

Motion suddenly resumed on the bridge as Tom stared open mouthed at
Kathryn and Chakotay.

B'Elanna grinned, nearly jumping in her chair with excitement as she
immediately sent a ship wide communication, with pictures of course.

Harry couldn't remember the last time he'd smiled so much and without
thinking started to clap.

Tuvok, for his part, regarded his commanding officers with a raised
eyebrow, and for those who knew him best, a hint of approval and
happiness in his eyes.

---

The breakfast became a late dinner - even when they weren't meeting
new species or fighting hostile ones, there was no end of work on
Voyager. Even at this hour though, the mess hall still had its share
of patrons.

Kathryn smiled at Neelix across the room as she poured herself a cup
of coffee and took some food from the counter.

Chakotay waved at her from a nearby table, setting down a padd. "For
a moment there, I thought you were going to stand me up."

"Never," Kathryn answered, sitting down. "I was busying being told
how happy everyone was for us. Tuvok said and I quote: 'Although
public displays of affection are discouraged, it is my belief that
your and the Commander's relationship is good for the moral of this
crew.'"

"It certainly is," Neelix interjected, "Sorry for interrupting, but
ever since B'Elanna sent the news, people have seemed generally
happier, more positive. In fact, I've been authorized by a good
percentage of the crew to borrow rations to make you a special
dessert."

Kathryn blushed. "That won't be necessary Neelix, but thank you."

Neelix shook his head. "They insisted. Harry said not to let you
leave till you were done with it." He pouted a little. "Besides, you
wouldn't want to insult them, would you?"

Kathryn turned to Chakotay for support who promptly turned to Neelix
and grinned. "Of course not. Please give them our thanks."

"Will do." Neelix nodded happily as he walked towards the kitchen.

"Now look what you've done," Kathryn said, bumping his foot under the
table.

Chakotay laughed taking her hand. "What you should have done. What
else did Tuvok say?"

Kathryn grinned, her eyes teasing him. "That regardless of our
positive effect on morale, we should refrain from regular public
displays of our relationship."

"I object," Chakotay answered. "I don't plan on ever stopping."

Kathryn wasn't sure which of them moved first, but it wasn't long
before she found herself comfortably encircled in his arms. "Good.
I'd be angry if you did."

They sat in comfortable silence for several minutes, neither needing
to talk, but simply enjoying being together.

Neelix approached with a chocolately concoction that looked a mix of
cheesecake and cake. He grinned, putting down the dis. "Now remember,
you can't leave till it's all done."

Kathryn accepted the plate, "I wouldn't dream of it."

---

The End!