 |
RED ALERT
(PG)
Chakotay came out of the ready room, went down and plopped into his chair then raised the center console, glaring at it though all he saw was red. He forced himself to unclench his jaw when it began to ache and cursed himself for letting her get to him so easily. Obviously she was having one of those days when nothing seemed to please her and everything seemed to irritate. He'd had them too, plenty of them, but he kept them to himself and got through with a minimum of damage. Kathryn seemed bent on making him suffer with her. Of course, he refused to believe that her bad mood had anything to do with his joke from the night before. They'd finished dinner and moved to the sofa with their wine. When Kathryn had pulled off her socks and planted her feet on the coffee table, Chakotay covered his eyes and told her that among his people, the sight of a woman's bare feet was considered highly erotic. Kathryn had quickly put her socks back on, mumbling that maybe he should fill her in on the customs of his people before she had to marry him or something. Barely able to contain his laughter he took it a step further and told her that, as a matter of fact, red paint on the toenails signified the woman's desire to deepen the relationship. That was when she had jumped to her feet, told him to see himself out then disappeared into her bedchamber closing the door behind her. Rubbing his forehead Chakotay sighed. Life would be so much less complicated if he could just make up his mind to get over her. Yeah, right. Maybe when Borg drones started handing out lollipops. Kathryn strode out onto the bridge and took her chair. Chakotay fought it but felt himself stiffen. If she crossed her left leg over the right instead of the usual opposite, it would mean she was still pissed. It had only taken him two years to figure that one out. With relief he saw her legs cross in the normal fashion. A moment later she began to swing her foot slightly, another good sign. Maybe the bad mood had passed. Concentrating on the duty roster he purposely avoided looking at her but from the corner of his vision noticed her glancing in his direction several times. Finally, she leaned toward him and spoke very softly so only he could hear. "I'm sorry, Chakotay." He nearly dropped the padd. "Forget it," he answered without looking at her. If he looked into those eyes he'd be lost, and he really wanted to hang on to his pout for a little while longer. He kept his eyes on the padd. "No, I'm really sorry. Forgive me?" Against his own will, his eyes met hers. Shit. "Absolutely." he said quietly with a small smile. Her smile grew and she glanced around to be sure no one was paying them any attention, and then spoke even softer. "I'll make it up to you. I promise." There was mischief in her eyes, but somehow he knew she meant...his chest tightened. "Don't tease me, Kathryn. It's cruel." "Oh, I'm not teasing. I've finally made a decision - one I think you'll be very pleased with." He eyed her warily. "Really?" Again making sure no one was looking, she bent forward and reached into the top of her boot. Slowly she pulled a bottle of red nail polish up long enough for him to see it then shoved it safely back in. "What do you think of that, Commander?" she asked with a smirk, eyes twinkling. He gazed at her and saw his future, the way it was meant to be. "I think the Borg won't be handing out lollipops anytime soon." His loud laughter at the expression on her face drew the attention of the entire bridge staff. Sobering, he softly cleared his throat. "I'll explain later."
 Flip back to the Poems & Prose Index page! |