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FILLING THE VOID
He leaned back in the chair with a heavy sigh and rubbed his tired eyes with the heels of his hands. When his vision cleared after the rough treatment, he gazed out the viewport at the real culprit behind his woes. Another expanse of space much like the one the crew had dubbed 'The Void' a few years back. The trouble with the crew had begun only hours after Voyager entered the starless space and after two weeks, there seemed no end in sight. There was one bright spot this time. Kathryn had not sequestered herself in quarters. As a matter of fact, she'd been in an extremely good mood lately and had even engaged in a bit of flirting like in the early years. He tried not to get his hopes up, but it was difficult. Despite his efforts over the last couple of years to get past his romantic feelings where she was concerned, he'd never really lost all hope. Chakotay gathered his boots and jacket and stood to go to bed, his frown replaced by a small smile as he thought again of an almost suggestive remark Kathryn had made in the ready room earlier. With his mind on trying to decide what she might've meant rather than where he was going, he passed too close to a side table and the boots were knocked from his hand. He bent to retrieve them but froze in mid stoop when it registered the thud of his boots hitting the deck had been immediately followed by a noise from his bedroom. After dropping into a crouch, he inched his way to the coffee table and the phaser hidden beneath it. Aiming the phaser at the bedroom doorway, he stood up and called for lights. For a moment they stared at one another until Kathryn sank in relief against the doorframe and Chakotay quickly averted his eyes and lowered the weapon. "Chakotay! You scared the hell out of me!" "Me!" he cried and turned sharply toward her only to immediately avert his gaze again. Any further words died in his throat when he realized he had indeed seen what he *thought* he'd seen when the lights came up. Kathryn...his Captain, was standing in his quarters wearing about the sexiest damn nightie he'd ever seen. His next realization was that he still had his thumb on the phaser button which probably was not a good idea in his present state of mind. Carefully he placed the phaser down and swallowed. He was about to ask her what she was doing there when she spoke first. "You ruined my surprise." There was a mock pout in her voice as well as a smile. "Oh, I'm surprised alright," Chakotay said as he tugged an earlobe and kept his eyes aimed at the floor. Since he had no idea what to do with his hands, he bent again to pick up his boots and jacket but froze at the sight of her bare feet coming toward him. He'd forgotten how very slender her ankles were, how perfect her toes... Kathryn softly cleared her throat to break his trance and Chakotay straightened but still refused to look at her. He focused instead on the jacket in his hand, thankful his...condition was concealed behind it. She stood right in front of him, he could see the satiny black material of the nightie just beyond the red of his garment, but could not look up. She moved even closer and he took a step back. "I'm sorry I gave you a fright, Chakotay, but really, you're starting to hurt my feelings. Would you rather I leave?" "No, no," he said in a hoarse voice. He swallowed and tried again. "I think it's safe to say leaving is the last thing I want you to do." "And the first?" The grin in her voice convinced him it was alright to look at her, but, proving himself a typical male, his gaze involuntarily dipped to the swell of her breasts above the black lace that barely covered her nipples. With a groan he turned to one side. "That," he said weakly, "depends on whether you're sleep walking, or some alien disguised as my Captain, or I'm dreaming." "The answer is D, none of the above." "That's a relief. I think," he said with a nervous laugh. From the corner of his vision he saw Kathryn wave a hand in the direction of his dining area. "I brought one of your favorite dishes for dinner since you had to cancel on me again last night, but it got cold and I recycled it." She turned and took a few steps toward his bedroom. "I had planned to strike a provocative pose in the bedroom door when you came in, but instead I fell asleep waiting on you." Chakotay allowed himself a quick look at her before she turned around and came back. He was sure his heart would burst from his chest at any moment but there was a question he had to ask. "What's this about, Kathryn?" "I would've thought that pretty obvious." There was amusement in her voice as well as a hint of doubt. "I..I.." Chakotay closed his eyes for a moment, ashamed of his reaction. By sheer will he turned to face her and peered into her eyes. "I don't quite know how to say this." Kathryn smiled sweetly and placed a hand on his wrist. "In case you haven't already figured it out, Chakotay, this is no time to be shy." Her gentle tease enabled him to relax but only by a fraction and he managed a small smile. With unhidden affection, his eyes traveled over her face and up to her tousled hair as his smile faded and he became very serious. "I have to warn you, one night isn't an option." He regretted the words when a flash of hurt crossed her features and her gaze fell to the front of his shirt. "I thought you knew me better than that," she said softly. Chakotay started to apologize, hesitated, then took a different direction. "So did I." Kathryn looked up sharply and he smiled. "I'm fairly certain this little... surprise of yours has proven I don't know you as well as I thought." "Good point." She gave a crooked smile. "I have thrown a lot at you tonight, haven't I?" The moment the words left her mouth she pressed her lips together and squeezed her eyes shut. Chakotay barely contained a chuckle. "Believe me, I'm not complaining." He let the jacket fall to the floor then placed a curled forefinger beneath her chin. Kathryn opened her eyes. "I don't suppose we need to talk about anything first." This time, his look at her nearly exposed breasts was intentional. "Since it's clear you didn't come here to talk." "Too much too fast?" He let the boots fall and placed his hands on her waist. "It may have taken me a few minutes," he said as he pulled her very close, "But I've got the picture now. Which reminds me...I'd like to see that pose you mentioned." Kathryn was fixated on his lips and he smiled inwardly. He'd long been aware of her fascination with his lips, had caught her looking at them many times. His pulse quickened in anticipation of showing her just what he could do with them. "Pose?" she asked dreamily then lifted her eyes to his. "Oh! The pose!" With a sly grin she took his hands from her waist. "Stay right there." She walked to the bedroom door then turned to face him. She placed a forearm high on the doorframe, the other hand on her hip then glanced down. "No, wait." Quickly she changed the position of her arms and leaned against the opposite side of the door then watched his reaction when she bent one knee to reveal a thigh through the gown's side slit. Lastly, she tilted her head and attempted a sultry look, which was made difficult by her inability to contain a grin. Not that Chakotay was paying any attention to her face. "Well?" she asked. Stunned and speechless, he could only stare hungrily. Slowly, almost as if drugged, he began to pull his shirttail from his pants as he moved toward her. By the time he reached her he'd pulled the turtleneck over his head and let it fall to the floor, freeing his hands to pull her against him. "Very nice," he said breathlessly, "Got any more?" Kathryn wrapped her arms around his neck and again became mesmerized by his divine lips. "That's about it for poses." she said softly then looked up into his glazed eyes. "I do, however, have some positions you might be interested in." ~ end ~
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