Part Two: Cooking Lessons
Author: Turtlewoman
Rating: NC-17
March 22, 1999-Oct.1 , 1999

She balanced forward on her knees, gathering the lumpy mass between her wet hands. Giving the lump a half turn, she pressed the heels of her hands into it.

"No! No! You sprinkle the water on it and give it a small turn. And lean harder on one hand than the other, twisting it a little as you do."

She leaned back in disgust. "Is this really necessary? I've been at this all week and I'm not improving. And why do we have to do this in native costume? If I'm not getting mine caught in this mess, I'm grabbing at it trying to keep it on."

"Kathryn, for the very last time, if you insist on participating in first contact missions, and we both understand your need to participate in this one, then you have to put the same preparation into your role that everyone else does for an away mission." He dimpled at her, "It's Starfleet protocol. As for the 'luangitay', WE have to be able to move comfortably in them, which, at the moment WE don't."

She continued slapping water on the dough and kneading it as she grumbled, "Well WE can't believe people would voluntarily walk around in these oversized napkins. Look at this thing!"

Not one to violate a direct order, at least not this one, he did. Her entire costume consisted of a soft, silken cloth wrapped around her waist and legs. It hugged her bottom as she moved back and forth kneading the dough. From there it was pulled up and forward across her breasts, thrown over her left shoulder and tucked back into the waist area, leaving her right shoulder and most of her back exposed. Her hair was disheveled and strands of it kept falling into her eyes. Her bare feet peaked out from under the cloth. He was wrapped similarly, but with upper torso completely bare, and lower torso bare beneath it, he deemed it best to stop watching her and try to focus on what she was doing. By this time she had turned the dough into a sticky blob. "Kathryn, not so much water!"

"You just told me more water, now it's too much! Precisely how much water am I to use and how come you are such an expert!"

"I'm an expert because this is very much like the flat breads I used to help my mother make and there is no precise to it. You just have to feel it. You can't control or measure the dough."

"Oh for crying out loud, don't you dare start giving me a bunch of metaphysical hooey on making bread dough! Just tell me how to get the damn thing right!"

Chakotay managed to keep his interior hysterics limited to an exterior smirk.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" she spat.

"We have been eating your cooking for a week. Enjoy is not the first word that comes to mind. Here, I can show you easier than I can explain it."

"Then show me!" she said, throwing the dough back on the slab in front of her and attempting to move to the side without disrobing.

"Don't move. I'll guide your hands."

He moved in front of her and tried to guide her hands that way. This felt very clumsy for both of them. It wasn't any more efficacious from either side. Shrugging at her pointed look, he moved to kneel behind her and putting his arms and legs on either side of hers.

She sat up a little straighter and stiffened.

He dropped his arms but pretended not to notice her reaction. Keeping his voice reassuring and matter of fact, he said, "Take another handful of flour and sprinkle it over the dough. Rub some more onto your hands. Now put the heels of your hands against the dough."

Kathryn leaned forward again, following his directions. He again slowly put his arms on either side of hers, carefully placing his hands over hers. He held his body as far from hers as he could, but as they rocked back and forth kneading the dough, his nipples would brush against her bare back. At the first touch, she shuddered. But with each successive touch, her body lingered a little closer to his. Slowly, they both relaxed into the rhythm. Dance-like, each became attuned to the motion of the other. Back and forth, back and forth, in hypnotic motion, closer and closer, touching, fitting into each other as the dough beneath their hands became smooth and spongy. Rocking, rocking in silence, the dough almost forgotten, they moved with each other. She urged his legs further apart with her bare feet, then nestled her fanny against his lap. The silk of his wrap tented in response to her rubbing and she resettled herself against him, still rocking, rocking. He slid his hands beneath her wrap and raised his hands to cradle her breasts. And they rocked. He cupped her breasts in his palms and they rocked. She dropped her hands to stroke up and down his thighs and they rocked. She leaned her head back to nestle into the hollow of his shoulder. He feathered her neck with kisses and rolled her nipples between his fingertips. She pressed tighter against him and stroked his buttocks. They rocked. She dropped the silk covering her breasts and turned toward him.

Her communicator sounded. Each sprang apart, startled from the intrusion. "Tuvok to Captain Janeway."

Appalled, she realized what she had been doing. Looking guiltily at Chakotay, she pulled the wrap to again cover her breasts, answering, "Janeway here."

"Captain, I have preformed the scans you requested. Did you wish to read them prior to your upcoming shift?"

"Thank you Tuvok. I'll be right there." She stood, pulling her wrap tighter around her, isolating herself and refusing to look at the still kneeling Chakotay. "Commander, we have both crossed way, way over the line here. I take full responsibility for the lapse, but I think it would be best if we completed the rest of our preparations separately."

"Kathryn."

"No! Commander, don't say a word to me. Her voice dropped to a whisper, "Please. Please, don't say a word. Take the time you need to… Resume you duty shift when you have… Damn! I'll be on the bridge."

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Captain Janeway, her composure somewhat restored with her uniform, stepped briskly onto the bridge. "Tuvok, I will go over the scans with you in my ready room. Mr. Kim, you have the bridge."

The Ensigns Paris and Kim watched the duo depart the bridge. "Judging from her flushed face and the head of steam she had coming in, I'd say cooking lessons did not go as planned today," Paris said turning back to his station.

Harry nodded, "Poor Tuvok. I can hardly wait for Chakotay to come. It's going to be a long shift."

Once the doors slid closed behind them, Kathryn whirled to face Tuvok. "How could you wait so long to call me? Do you realize what a close escape that was? Fine help you are!

He regarded her calmly, "My apologies, Captain. I assumed you would have preferred, as ranking bridge officer, that I focus my attention on guiding our path through an unexpected quasi-warp flux field rather than on your mounting hormone levels. Obviously, I was in error."

She snapped back at him, "Don't they have some kind of rule on Vulcan regarding indulging in a petty emotion like sarcasm?"

"Sarcasm is not emotion Captain, but an efficient linguistic convention useful in conveying what should be an obvious truth."

Kathryn wilted back against her desk, "Point taken. I shouldn't direct my anger at you for my own weakness." She gave him an anguished look. "Oh Tuvok, how am I going to resist that man for two whole weeks of being together?" She looked away from him, "And in that luanga thing, he damn well looks gift wrapped."

Tuvok took a moment to school his face into impassivity, his eyebrows almost slipping into his hairline with the effort. "Perhaps Captain, it is time to accept the gift being offered."

Her eyes whipped back to lock onto his, "And you, of all people, are suggesting I pursue this, regulations be damned?"

"We are both aware that are no regulations against this, only protocols, guidelines. Guidelines are open to individual interpretation. I merely suggest that, over time, initial interpretations may no longer be valid."

"You approve of this?"

He moved closer to her, his forefinger tracing her jaw line and resting under her chin, and said gently, "Whether or not I approve does not relieve you of the responsibility, but would it be easier for you, Little Sister, if I do?"

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As she exited her ready room, she saw Commander Chakotay had resumed his post.

"Ah, Commander, you've come already," she said, resuming the command chair.

He muttered to himself, "Not by a long shot."

The Captain colored beside him and whispered, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean … well, you know. Are you all right?"

He cut her off, " Oh, I'm just peachy keen."

"Commander, about …."

"If you don't mind, can this wait until later? Off the bridge?"

She acquiesced and spent the rest of the their duty shift reviewing background information on the Narati and conferencing with Tuvok regarding his upcoming tenure as acting Captain. All the while she tried to figure out how she was going to diplomatically restore the parameter between them. All the while trying to convince herself that she was still required to follow protocol, even if she longed to reinterpret with every fiber of her being.

Chakotay spent their last duty shift discussing transfer protocol and scheduling with Harry. All the while his irritation mounted of the thought of Kathryn pushing him away once again, after having pulled him close, once again. Finally the shift ended and they were left staring at one another.

"Before you leave the bridge, Commander, I'd like to discuss a few things with you in my ready room." She breezed into her ready room, going immediately for a cup of coffee. In as light hearted a tone as she could manage she offered him coffee as well. He refused, folded his arms across his chest, planting his feet and waited for her to start trivialize what had happened between them. He could play this scene from memory. He stared at her with a seething intensity.

Seemingly unaware of his hostility, she started in with a depreciating little laugh, "As embarrassing as it is Chakotay, we need to discuss our little mistake on the holodeck. I am sorry…"

He erupted, "No! Don't you dare tell me this was just a mistake! Don't you dare try to erase what just happened! I'm not sorry and I won't dismiss it! You were as caught up in it as I was. This attraction is real, Kathryn. Why do you have to pretend its not there? If Tuvok hadn't called when he did, we wouldn't even need this conversation!" Chakotay turned away to stare out the viewport, muttering, "That man has the most damnable timing. I'd swear he has a scanning device that lets him know when I'm within two feet of you."

Kathryn gave a guilty start, glad his back was to her. Still, she tried to explain away their actions, "Chakotay, try not to make this more than it was. The situation and attire were such that we might have responded the same way with anyone."

"Neelix?", he retorted, turning toward her.

They both grimaced at the picture of Neelix in a luanga, caught each other at it, broke into grins, then chuckles, then full blown hysterical laughter.

"Okay," she said, relieved that he'd finally laughed, " not everyone. But you know what I mean."

He sobered instantly, "Oh, I know what you mean all right. Why is it so hard for you to admit that I aroused you?"

"Chakotay, the situation…"

His look silenced her. Bit by bit he pulled himself back through his eyes, colder and colder. "Fine, Kathryn. Have it your way. It was the 'situation' that aroused you. I couldn't turn you on if I was the only man on the planet! I should have realized that from our time on New Earth. Well, I will do my best to make sure a 'situation' does not arise between us during our time on Narat."

"Chakotay…"

"No! No more dual messages, Captain. You've made yourself quite clear here. You want hands off! Fine. That's it! I quit. You want a prim and proper First Officer attending you on our little vacation. You've got him. I'll even bring a copy of the regulations for light reading. He drew himself to attention. "Permission to be dismissed, Captain. I would like to meet with Ensign Kim before beam down tomorrow. We have a lot of work to do before he assumes my position."

"Chakotay…"

"Excuse me for interrupting, Captain, but I think this conversation has gone as far as it can go, Ma'am. Permission to be dismissed."

She bristled at the Ma'am, "Very well, Commander. Dismissed."

The door slid closed behind him.

"Oh nicely done, Kathryn, really smooth," she muttered to herself, "Now, for our next act, why don't we go steal candy from Naomi? Shit!"

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