Desperate Times

Chakotay had just settled comfortably on Kathryn's couch when a string of expletives caused him to jump. His head snapping around, he saw her smack the replicator panel and chuckled. "Is it broken yet?" If looks could kill, he would be doomed.

"I'm out of rations." Kathryn paused. "What's worse, so are you."

"That can't be," he said, frowning. "I still had twenty left this morning." Realization dawned on him as he saw her biting her bottom lip, something she only did when she didn't know how to break bad news to him. "My mistake. I forgot that what's yours is yours, and what's mine is yours, too." He sighed. "I guess that means we'll be eating in the Mess Hall for the next three days."

"If you think I'll go with Neelix's coffee substitute for three days, you're nuts!"

Chakotay shrugged. "You don't have much of a choice, do you?"

Folding her arms, she gave him a peculiar look. "Me. Three Days. No coffee. Ring a bell?"

He would rather it didn't. Memories he had carefully repressed returned at full force, making him wince.

"I see you remember," Kathryn replied not without a touch of humor in her voice, but her amusement was short-lived. She was looking on three days of coffee withdrawal, and the mere thought made her shudder, even though she wouldn't be on the receiving end of her foul mood.

With a desperate look on her face, she settled next to him. "What are you going to do about this?"

"Me?" Chakotay asked incredulously, his brows hitting his hairline. "I'm not the one who spent twenty rations on coffee. In less than 24 hours." He blinked as his own words sank in. "That's ten cups, Kathryn. In less than 24 hours."

"Your point being . . . ?"

"You could have exercised a little restraint, stretched ten cups over three days."

"You're right," she said slowly, but it didn't put him at ease. On the contrary, whenever she used that tone with him, it meant trouble. "But it's in your own interest to help me get coffee during the next few days for exactly two reasons. One, you're the one who has to deal with me more often than anyone else on this ship. And two, the senior staff will know who to blame if I'm deprived of coffee."

"When you put it like that . . . Let me think."

"Think fast. I need a cup."

"You must be kidding me! You already had at least ten cups today."

"Your poi-"

He held up a hand. "No, don't say it. I'm thinking already."

Chakotay was sure that, if he explained the impending doom, virtually every crewmember would be willing to provide Kathryn with coffee. They had been through this once before, and there was a mutual agreement that once was one time too many. On the other hand, there also was a mutual agreement that it was the First Officer's job to ensure they would never have to go through it again. If he didn't want to lose face, he had better come up with another solution. Fast at that, he realized, reckoning with Kathryn's infamous impatience.

Kathryn watched him closely, seeing the change in his expression the moment it occurred. "I'm not going to like this, am I."

"Depends on how desperate you are."

"I'm already not liking it, but keep talking," she said, leaning against his shoulder.

He wrapped his arm around her. "We could kill two birds with one well-placed bet in Tom's betting pool. We wouldn't only win lots of rations but also let the crew know about us without telling them." That had planned to do the latter for a while now, but there had never seemed to be the right place or time. But the more he thought about this new plan, the more he liked it. "Think about it, Kathryn. Seems as if the crew has given up on us ever getting together; the odds for that particular bet are astronomical. We'd win enough rations to get you through the next three months."

She raised a skeptical brow. "You're suggesting we bet on ourselves?"

"Think coffee, Kathryn." And with a dimpled smile, he added, "You could bathe in it if we win."

In the end, the prospect of coffee won, and a smile quickly blossomed on her face. That was all the answer he needed. Getting up and walking to her computer terminal, he quickly thought of a good place and time to put on their little performance, then placed their bet. It didn't matter that both of them were out of rations; they'd win. There was not a doubt in his mind about that.

*

"I don't believe this," Kathryn groaned into his chest. "How many times have we stopped on deck two now? I can't believe no one has left the Mess Hall in the past thirty minutes."

"Neelix may be serving something good for a change," Chakotay replied, wrapping his arms around her waist. Since no one seemed to need the turbolift, they had ordered the computer to stop between decks, which gave them the opportunity to reconsider their options.

Chakotay had to admit that it was a little trickier to get attention than he had anticipated. The turbolift ought to be the ideal place to pull off their stunt; someone was bround to run into them. And what better place was there to stop than deck two? The Mess Hall was the busiest place on the whole ship, usually bustling with activity. Except today.

Although he enjoyed kissing her time and again, he doubted she would last much longer without coffee. Last evening it had taken all his powers of persuasion to convince her to wait until the next morning, as they needed Tom to be awake in order to receive their rations immediately. She hadn't particularly liked doing without coffee for the evening, but his skilled touch had easily distracted her.

However, they had better be caught kissing soon, for the bet had included a specific timeframe, and they were quickly running out of time. In which case Kathryn was sure to retaliate. She would think of something to get back at him, probably already had a plan, but he had no desire to find out about it. Running his hands soothingly over her back, he racked his brains for alternatives. His hands stopped their movement when a thought popped into his mind. Why hadn't he thought of this sooner?

"Let's stop on deck one, Kathryn," Chakotay said with conviction. Her head snapped back so fast it almost made him dizzy to watch, and a disbelieving look crossed her face, yet he was undeterred. "Think about it. It's Alpha Shift, Tom is at the helm, and someone will definitely see us."

"Are you sure that's wise? Tuvok's up there, too."

"A little shock treatment can only be good for him. He's too uptight."

Kathryn burst out laughing, her head dropping back against his chest. "Can't hurt to give it a try," she said, her voice muffled. "I'm getting tired of this turbolift, and I'm in dire need of coffee."

"I rather like this turbolift," he replied, the grin evident in his voice. "It brings backs a lot of good memories. I'm still amazed at how vocal you can be."

Tilting her head backward, Kathryn flashed him a saucy smile. "We can refresh those memories later," she promised. "Unless we lose this bet, in which case I hope you have a strong hand, if you get my drift."

Had she lost her edge, or was his mind a bit foggy from the numerous kisses they had already shared today? Whichever it was, instead of the terror her comment should have caused, all he felt was a faint chill and a certain amount of self-confidence that he would be able to change her mind, should the need arise.

Chakotay maneuvered them into the center of the turbolift to ensure that they would be spotted immediately, then dipped his head to place a quick, but promising kiss on her lips. "For practice," he explained, smiling. "Ready?"

Wrapping her arms around his neck, Kathryn nodded. "Ready."

"Computer, resume turbolift. New destination: deck one."

The computer acknowledged the command with an affirmative beep, and the lift started moving.

With a twinkle in his eyes, Chakotay lowered his head once more to capture her lips. This definitely was the fun part of their plan, and he silently acknowledged that he wasn't all too unhappy about the earlier delay; he would never tire of feeling her soft lips.

Kathryn couldn't help but let out a small moan as he gently worked her mouth open, deepening the kiss. In spite of the unusual circumstances, none of his kisses had been any less exciting, and the one now was no exception. Her hands weaving themselves into his short hair of their own volition, she happily sighed into his warmth mouth, welcoming his tongue.

They were getting so caught up in the sensation that they didn't notice that the turbolift had stopped and the doors opened. Only when someone began to clap their hands did they become aware of the staring bridge crew, and slowly drew apart. Seizing the opportunity while the crew was still in a daze, Kathryn asked the computer for the time.

"It is 0900 hours," came the mechanical voice.

Huge grins spread across Kathryn's and Chakotay's faces; they had made it just in the nick of time. Had they arrived just a minute later . . .

"Tom," Chakotay called out while he led Kathryn out of the turbolift and to their seats, smiling as he noted that the pilot's mouth was agape. "Check your betting pool, would you? You owe us a lot of rations."

Tom blinked at that, snapping out of his stupor. "You bet on yourselves?"

"Yes," Kathryn replied cheerily and extended her hand, wiggling her fingers in anticipation of her overdue caffeine fix. "And now it's pay time."

Shaking his head in disbelief, Tom produced a PADD from beneath the helm and checked his betting pool. A moment later, his eyes grew wide, and he started to fidget in his seat. "Uhm, Captain?"

"Is there a problem, Lieutenant?"

"Someone else placed a more accurate bet for the event that you two would share a kiss in public." He gave her an apologetic look. "According to the rules, they win."

"You're kidding," Chakotay said, his tone pleading. "Tell me you're kidding. Lie if necessary."

"He is not." The command team swiveled around, staring at Tuvok askance. He still appeared rather uptight.

"How do you know?" Chakotay asked suspiciously, placing a restraining hand on Kathryn's shoulder to keep her from harming someone.

"He's the winner," Tom supplied from behind.

A wicked gleam appeared in Chakotay's eyes as soon as the initial shock had passed. "Congratulations, Tuvok. You're not only the winner of the betting pool, you're also the one who can explain to the Captain here why she's going to have to do without coffee for two days."

Then he let go of Kathryn's shoulder . . .

THE END

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