Disclaimer: Paramount owns all, no infringement intended. Author's Note: This story was written for SaRa's "What's Cooking contest.

All is Fair in Love and Cooking

by Holly

"Janeway to Chakotay," Kathryn said, taping her comm. badge.

"Yes?" Chakotay asked, just finishing getting ready.

"Umm..." she started, not wanting to tell him.

"Kathryn, you didn't?" he told her, picking up the bottle of wine that was on his table and walking out the door.

*Chime*

"Come in Chakotay," Kathryn called out.

Chakotay walked in to find Kathryn leaning against the replicator, looking at a blackened object, smoke billowing from it.

"The roast," she stated.

"Again?" he asked. She nodded her reply.

"Kathryn, how do you do it?" he asked.

"Do what?"

"For one, you burn the same recipe over and over again. And for two, it's a replicated meal, a meal that the computer makes."

Kathryn looked at him and started laughing. "I have no idea Chakotay," she told him in-between laughs. "I told you the replicator held a grudge."

She walked over to the couch and slumped down on it, putting her feet up on the table.

"Kathryn..." he started, looked at her, and then chuckled. In the process, gracing her with his dimpled smile.

He put the wine down on the able and went to the sit down next to her.

"You are never replicating a meal again," he told her, putting his feet of on the table, next to hers.

"Deal," she replied. "I guess you can be the house wife. You can make all the meals, clean, and tuck the children in to bed at night."

"And what will you do?" he asked.

"Well, I'll work of course," she smiled.

"Ah, I see."

They sat there for a few moments, realizing what they had just talked about.  A life, spend together, with kids.

"I don't want to be the house wife," Chakotay laughed, braking the silence.

"Well either do I."

"Take turns?"

"Deal."

"Well then, I think we better teach you how to make something," he said, taking her hand and pulling her to a standing position.

"Chakotay?" she asked, wondering what he had in mind.

"Come on," he told her.

Her hand still in his, he lead her out of her quarters. They shared a quiet walk, until they came upon their destination.

"The mess hall?" she asked as they entered.

"Yep," he replied. "Well, aren't we lucky?"

"Why is that?"

"No crew members are here to witness their Captain attempting, yet inevitable failing, to cook."

"Are you saying you are going to try and teach me?" she asked, a slight smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"Why not?"

"Boldly going where no one has gone before?" she joked.

"You bet."

"Right."

Chakotay cleared his throat. "Um, anyway, what do you want to cook?"

"I can't cook."

"Come on Kathryn," he tried, getting no response  from her. "Okay, what would you like to attempt to cook?"

"I don't know."

"You're not much help."

"I know," she smiled.

"Fine...let's ask the computer."

They walked over to the replicator.

"Computer, randomly select a dinner idem from Voyager's database," Chakotay asked the computer.

"Pizza," the computer replied in its monotonous voice.

"Computer, replicate the necessary ingredients to make one pizza."

"Please specify the type of pizza."

Kathryn smiled at Chakotay, hoping he would give up, seeing that this might become a hassle. "Computer, coffee, back," she said, before Chakotay could continue his specifying.

"A regular pizza..."

"Please specify."

"Damn it," Chakotay said, getting annoyed.

Kathryn laughed. "Chakotay, let me handle this one," she told him, patting him on the shoulder. She took a sip of her coffee. "Computer, replicate the needed ingredients for a pizza, according to Tom Paris' personal database. Oh, and a padd with the recipe on it."

As she said this, the pizza ingredients appeared in front of her and Chakotay.

"Thanks," Chakotay mumbled.

They moved the ingredients over to the galley.

"Okay, first we must add the ingredients together for the pizza crust," he told her as he set the padd on the counter.

They worked  in companionable silence, mixing together the flour, yeast, and all the other ingredients. After this was done, they both started to kneed the dough, their hands constantly touching. They both stopped, looking each other in the eyes, their hands gripped together, all the while tangled in the dough.

"I'm not too hungry anymore," Kathryn said in a low, quiet voice.

Chakotay leaned down to her, and lightly brushed his lips across hers.  They then kissed, lightly at first, and then deeper, with more passion. Chakotay's hands went to Kathryn's hips, as her hands snaked around his neck, and then into his hair.

They finally broke the kiss, looking each other in the eyes. Suddenly Kathryn began to laugh. Chakotay was somewhat perplexed by her behavior. What could be so funny about their first kiss? he wondered.

"What?" he asked.

"Your...hair..." she managed to get out, still laughing.

Chakotay lifted his hands up, noticing the dough on them, and slightly touched the top of his head.  He brought them back down, a clump of dough in his hands. Suddenly it dawned on him; their hands had been covered in the pizza dough.

"You think this is funny?" he asked.

"Uh..." she tried, laughing some more. "Yeah."

With that, he took a clump of dough and smothered it in her hair.

"That wasn't nice Commander," she replied, glaring at him playfully.

"Well, war isn't always fair," he smiled.

"Ah, so this is war?" she asked rhetorically, taking a handful of tomato sauce and smearing it all over his face.

Wiping the sauce from his face, he took the whole bowl and dumped it over her head.

As he did this she took some pepperonis and threw them at him, a laugh escaping her lips as she did so. In response, he dumped all of the cut up vegetable on her.

Kathryn, having the most sauce on her, hugged Chakotay, wiping the sauce all over him as she did so.

He grabbed her hand and dragged her over to the edge of the counter, to where her earlier mug of coffee, now cold, stood. Chakotay took the mug and dumped in on her.

"Chakotay!" she yelled, giggling and slapping his arm.

"What?" he laughed.

"That was perfectly good coffee, I could have warmed it up."

He kissed her in response.

"All is fair in love and cooking Kathryn."

The End

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