PART ONE

She woke up and knew she was going to be sick. Blindly pushing aside the sweaty covers, she stumbled on unsteady legs across the dim room. She didn't make it to the lavatory before she collapsed to her knees in a nauseated haze and threw up.

A few heartbeats passed before her vision cleared enough for her to back up a few inches and lay her burning cheek onto the cool carpet. She could feel the thud of her heart in her cheeks, and her forehead was damp with sweat. Her hair was tangled and matted, and she reached out a hand to yank it from underneath her leaden body. Her temples throbbed relentlessly. She pressed two fingers against each side of her temple and squeezed her eyes tightly shut in an effort to shut out the pain, but finally gave up and clenched her fists as the full waves of her hangover came crashing down upon her.
* * *
She heard the soft patter of footsteps on the rug. Someone was right near her. The room was still and dark, and she wondered vaguely how much time had passed. Outside, the stars streaked by the window of the Riyalan vessel, blinding streaks of light that cut into her pupils like knives. She held up a hand to shield the glare and squinted gruffly through the darkness to see who was in the room with her.

“ Tom?” Her voice sounded hoarse and unsteady.

“ Yeah, I'm right here.” He replied quietly, in a voice barely above a whisper.

There was a moment of thick silence. Kathryn closed her eyes again and tried to sort through her muddled mind. All her thoughts were so fuzzy and uncertain, like trying to see through a thick mist. All she could come up with was, “ Is there any water?”

“ Yeah.” He replied quietly. For a few moments, nothing happened. Then, he inched up and crossed the room. She heard the faint sound when he replicated the water, and the small clink when he set the glass down on the table by the bed. His footsteps approached her, and his strong arms scooped her up.

She dangled in the air for only a second or two before he set her gently down onto the bed and pressed the cool glass into her hand. Kathryn didn't open her eyes when she brought it to her lips, and she forgot to thank him.

Paris backed a few paces away and sank wearily into a nearby chair, eyes troubled and distant. Kathryn wondered briefly what could be troubling him before she slipped back into a merciful sleep.
* * *
He was still sitting there when she woke again. His blue eyes were worried and his complexion blanched, his blond hair unruffled. His elbows were on his knees and he had buried his head in one of his hands.

“ I guess I don't hold my alcohol as well as you do,” Kathryn murmured hoarsely. He glanced up, at her, his eyes still troubled, but a shadow of a smile crossed his face.

“ I don't guess you do,” He replied quietly.

Kathryn glanced around the darkened chamber. It was his, the one the Riyalan diplomat had given to Tom. Her brow furrowed, puzzled as to why she was waking up in here. Tom was intently watching her expression. She glanced down at her own garb-- one of Tom's night shirts-- and it hit her like a thunderbolt.

“ Oh no,” She moaned. “ We didn't.”

“ We... did,” Tom replied quietly, running a troubled hand through his hair, carefully diverting his eyes away from hers.

“ Oh, God, no,” Kathryn murmured. “ I can't believe I did this.” She crossed her arms protectively across her chest and glanced around in ashamed dismay.

“ How will I explain to B'Elanna...” Paris murmured disconsolately. Kathryn glanced up at him, but her thoughts were on someone else. * Chakotay... Oh, God, what will he say about this?*

Neither of them dared to speak a word. A few minutes passed, Janeway shocked into silence, Paris wrapped up in his guilt. Finally, Kathryn dared to ask, “ How much do you remember?”

Paris took a deep, ragged breath. “ We... uh, were at the reception. I remember you wanted me to show you my reports... Well, that was before we got drunk. But after, I offered to show them to you, and we came back here... I guess I kinda blank out at that point, but the next thing I remember is you... and me.... Well, you know.” He shifted his stance slightly in embarrassment.

Kathryn moaned quietly and grasped her head in her hands. “I can't believe we did that.” They both were silent for a number of minutes, lost in their own troubled thoughts. Kathryn finally managed to push down her turbulent emotions and focus on damage control. She glanced down at her own attire.

“ I--I'd better get some clothes on,” She murmured.

Tom stood up. “ We'd better both get changed. If one of the crew stopped by to check up on us...”

Janeway's face turned crimson at the thought.

“ I'll-- uh... Go to the other room,” Tom stammered.

“ Yeah. That would be good,” Kathryn replied. She shot him an unsteady smile.

He smiled uncertainly back at her, and disappeared through the doorway. A few seconds passed before he bolted back in, ran an agitated hand through his hair, and muttered, “ I forgot to bring my uniform,”

“ That would be helpful,” Kathryn offered. They smiled again as he scooped up his traveling case.

“ Well, see ya,” Tom said, and clutching the gray case under his arm, scurried through the doorway.

Kathryn heaved a heavy sigh, and began fishing around the dim room for her uniform. She found it crumpled in the corner.

After pulling it on and smoothing out the wrinkles, she called softly, “ Tom?”

“ Yeah?” His head peered out of the next room. At her nod, he crept a few steps into the room.

There was an uneasy moment of silence.

Kathryn drew a steadying breath. “ Look, we made a mistake, but we can handle it. We're both mature adults,” She paused, “ Or at least *I* am,”

He grinned involuntarily.

“ Whatever you say, ma'am.”

He ducked back into the next room to finish getting changed, and Kathryn hunted around the covers for her combadge.

She glanced towards the door of the next room. * Hopefully, we can put this all behind us.*

She fastened her combadge to her uniform, smoothed out her hair, and quietly slipped towards the exit. She cast one last glance in Paris's direction, and thought, * But somehow, I don't think we can.*

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