TITLE: A Battle Won
AUTHOR: Sally
SUMMARY: Evening activities for the senior crew. BYOP (Bring Your Own Pillow)
RATING: PG
DISCLAIMER: They belong to me… er… no, the story belongs to me. The characters? Not mine, nuff said!
“A pillow fight?” Kathryn’s voice echoed in the silence. “Neelix, are you serious?”
“I am, Captain. Since several of us will be camped out in the mess hall while repairs are being made, I thought it would be a lovely idea to invite Mezoti, Rebi, and Azan down and make it a sleep-over. The company would be good for young Naomi.”
“Except I doubt there will be very much sleeping done, Neelix. And the children still don’t sleep properly. They require regeneration.”
Neelix sighed. “I know. But, well, the circumstances are unusual, Captain.”
“And there will be members of the senior staff sleeping there as well.”
The Talaxian looked dejected. “I’m sorry, Captain,” he said as he began to walk backwards to the ready room door, padd still clutched tightly in his fist. “It was just an idea. I’m sorry to have troubled you.”
Kathryn sighed inwardly. At times there could be nothing worse than an upset Neelix. “Okay, Neelix. I’ll think about it. Is that fair enough?”
He beamed. “Absolutely, dear Captain. I cannot ask for more than that.”
He scurried out the door, leaving the path open for Chakotay to slip into the ready room before the door slid shut again. “What does he want this time?”
Kathryn waved him over to the couch and got up from behind her desk. “Tea?” she asked him, stopping at the replicator to refresh her own drink before joining him.
“Yes, please. I take it he’s just made another unique request?”
She half-smiled as she handed over his mug. “Since some of the crew are going to be sharing sleeping quarters in the mess for a few days, including the Wildmans, Neelix is proposing that Naomi had a ‘sleepover’ and invite the other children to join in.”
The first officer chuckled. “I told you it might have been best to bunk up for a few days.”
She glared at him. “Next time I’ll know better. But if I issue the order now it will look like I’m trying to avoid this thing.”
“Which you would be.”
“Yes, thank you.” Chakotay was treated to another glare again. “I just didn’t want to run the risk of more crew coming down sick with this Amaxia virus that the away team picked up. I know we’re nearly through it but I didn’t think we should do anything to cause it to start up again, and the doctor agreed with me.”
“So we’re left with the messhall and a slumber party?” Chakotay questioned.
Kathryn sighed. “Pretty much. My concern is that because the children don’t sleep they’ll be awake all night. And since we’re all be bunked out there as well we could be in for some sleepless nights.”
The first officer leaned back against the couch. “Might take a bit of shuffling of the schedules but if we make sure it’s only for one night and that we all have some time off as well. Face it, Kathryn, with everything that’s happened we could probably do with it.”
The captain stood up and began pacing the upper level of the room. “I’m not keen on the idea,” she began. “We’re still low in manpower in some areas and we still have so much repair to do.”
In a moment he had reached out and grabbed her arm. “Tell me something, Kathryn. When was the last time you took even half a day off? By my count you’ve been on the go for more than a month now due to the flu and the maintenance. It’s the same with B’Elanna, and Tom, even Seven. We all need to take a break on occasion. I suggest you tell Neelix yes to this scheme of his and let it go.”
She shrugged his hand off her arm. “Oh, you do, do you?” Kathryn shook her head. “I’ll be honest though, I’m really not looking forward to the idea.”
He grinned up at her. “What? Never had a slumber party before, Kathryn? You surprise me.”
“Have you?”
Chakotay just shook his head. “I was a boy. Boys don’t do that kind of thing. In case you hadn’t noticed.”
“Trust me,” she said ruefully. “I noticed.”
“Okay, then. Tell Neelix yes, for one night only. I’ll rearrange the schedules and notify the senior staff and you can have the joy of telling Sam Wildman that you’ll be chaperoning her daughter and friends tonight.”
Seven hours later Kathryn walked into the messhall and was immediately assaulted by a cacophony of noise, making her instantly regret her decision. In the middle of the floor Tom had spread out some kind of mat with coloured dots on it and had the four young children involved in a complicated game which seemed to involve them being tangled up together on the sheeting. There was much shrieking and giggling as Naomi appeared to get herself trapped, hands contorted and ankles crossed, before collapsing to the ground and causing a miniature pileup.
In the kitchen Neelix was adding to the assault on Kathryn’s ears. She didn’t know what he was cooking, only that he must be cooking something, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to try it. Whatever he was making it was causing him to have a pan of something hissing on a cooking ring, while he chopped up something else and sang a merry tune to himself.
In a corner of the room, apparently oblivious to the noise was her chief engineer, looking as relaxed as Kathryn had seen her in a long time. Dressed totally out of uniform, feet curled up under her, B’Elanna appeared to be engrossed in an old-fashioned book. Kathryn couldn’t tell from this distance what it was but it evidently had caught the younger woman’s attention. Every so often her hand would snake out to grab her mug and take a drink from it, but her eyes never left the publication.
“Gotcha!” she heard Harry call. To her amazement she spotted Tuvok sitting at a table with Harry, playing a game of Kal’toh. Harry’s cry of achievement must have been presumptous because, as she watched them, her friend casually moved a piece and created the geometric shape desired to win again. Kathryn struggled to suppress a smile as she heard the ensign’s groan followed by Tuvok’s consoling words.
“You are still learning, Mister Kim, but you are improving.”
“Coffee?”
She smiled at the first officer coming toward her, mug in hand. “Thanks. I see everyone’s here then?” she said, accepting his gift.
“Almost everyone. I think the doctor is still trying to get Seven to see the relevance of this occasion.”
“I think I’m still trying to see the relevance of it.” She took a sip of her coffee. “How the hell am I going to get any sleep here?”
“The object of this evening, Kathryn,” he reminded her. “Is not to sleep but to have fun. You can sleep tomorrow.”
“Where?” she demanded. “My quarters are on the list of those needing repairs, in case you’d forgotten.”
“B’Elanna’s got a team there right now.”
Her eyes widened. “So what’s she doing here then?”
Chakotay laughed. “Call it Joe Carey’s gift.”
She shook her head. “Still…” she sighed as an idea came to her. “I see she’s got her head buried in a book. Maybe I should go get mine.”
He looked at her. “If I let you go, will you come back?”
Kathryn smiled brightly. “Of course I will, Chakotay.” She patted him gently on the arm. “See you later,” she called back cheerily as she left the messhall, mug in hand.
Five minutes later she entered her ready room by the rear entrance and called for the lights to come on. Her head nearly hit the ceiling when she realised she had company. “What the hell are you doing here and how did you get here before me?”
“Picking up a book from your quarters, Kathryn?” he asked, eyebrow raised. “And I got here via transporter with the chief engineer’s authorisation plus the doc who was ready to cry medical emergency.”
“I take it he persuaded Seven then.”
“Her and Icheb. They arrived just as you left.” The commander took a look around the room. “Planning on sleeping here, were you?”
“No.”
“Yes,” he corrected her. “Why?”
She looked a bit sheepish. “All the children, the noise. I don’t exactly do children or noise well.”
He looked over at her. “That’s a lie. You do fine with the children, from what I’ve seen. And the noise is just part of the fun.” There was no response from his captain. “Fine,” he shrugged, before leaning back and stretching out his body on her couch.
Kathryn took a few hesitant steps towards him. “What are you doing?” she asked, suspicion blazing in her eyes.
“If you’re staying here then so am I.”
“You can’t do that.”
“Why not?” he asked as he closed his eyes.
“Well, what would people think?”
“Exactly,” he muttered.
She shook her head, confused. “Please, just go back to the messhall?”
“Why should I?”
She relaxed as she began to see his ploy. “This is blackmail, isn’t it,” she stated.
“No.”
“Yes.” She paused. “I don’t care for blackmail, Commander.”
Then come back with me, Kathryn? Please? Its only for one night.”
“One night?” she repeated.
“One night.” He opened up one eye. “It would be good for the rest of the senior staff to see you there.”
Kathryn had to admit defeat. She usually did when he tried this line of reasoning with her. This was the true blackmail. “I suppose it would be better than them speculating on you staying here,” she sighed.
The other eye opened and he sat up slightly, leaning on an elbow to look at her. “Absolutely.”
“Okay.”
“What?”
“I’ll go,” she said.
“Good,” he replied, swinging his feet off the couch and standing up.
“Just don’t make me regret it.”
Back in the messhall the game the children had been playing had now been packed away and Tom was standing by the replicator handing out pillows to everyone who approached him. Kathryn groaned aloud when she saw him. “I knew this was a bad idea,” she lamented. “I should have specified no pillow fights when I allowed this evening.”
Chakotay laughed. “Hey, what slumber party would be complete without a pillow fight?”
She looked at him sharply. “I thought you’d never been to a slumber party,” she accused.
Her first officer shrugged. “You don’t have to have been to one to know what goes on.”
“Hey, Captain, Chakotay,” Paris called over. “You’re just in time. Come and get your pillows.”
Chakotay dragged the reluctant captain forward and silently she took her pillow, holding it close to her as though she was loath to let it go. In a moment Naomi and Mezoti had bounced up to her and announced that it was, “girls against boys,” and that she was on their team. She cast a beseeching look at her friend who just smiled at her as she was led away.
B’Elanna was also on the team and working on strategy. “Okay, Naomi and Mezoti. Go for Rebi, Azan and Icheb if you can. I’ll be aiming for Tom and Harry. Captain, strike where you know best.”
Kathryn gazed at her. “You mean Chakotay, don’t you?”
“Of course,” the engineer grinned back. “I’ll help you where I can.”
Her planning was interrupted by the loud voice of Seven protesting vehemently against taking part in such a futile exercise. “I do not see why I need to take part.” She was staring at both the doctor and Tuvok. “If you are not taking part then I do not know why I must.”
“Aw, come on Seven,” Tom coaxed. “Look, the doc can’t participate. What would happen if his mobile emitter got knocked loose, we lost him and then we had a ship-wide emergency?”
“I do not think we need worry to that extent, Mister Paris,” the doctor commented. “Though I should be on hand to tend any bumps and bruises.” He took a look at the two young boys already practicing their shots on each other. “And I suspect there will be a few of those.”
“And what about Commander Tuvok?” Seven questioned.
Tom snorted. “He’s Vulcan, Seven,” he explained as though it were obvious why Tuvok would not be wielding a pillow. “Anyway, he’s got to officiate this.”
Kathryn shook her head. “Since when is there a need for someone to officiate a pillow fight?” she asked B’Elanna.
The engineer shrugged. “Since Tom decided to make up rules for it, I suppose. Besides,” she grinned. “Can you see Tuvok hitting someone with a pillow?”
Kathryn giggled. “I guess not.”
“I am Borg.” Seven was onto her next line of defense. “The Borg do not participate in such activities.”
This statement caused a great deal of laughter throughout the room. Tom cast a glare at the woman before shoving a pillow in her hands. “You’re no longer a Borg. Take your pillow, Seven, and go report to your team leader.” He stared at the motionless Seven. “That’s B’Elanna.” He paused again. “Comply,” he finally snapped.
She sniffed distainfully at him and stalked off towards B’Elanna and Kathryn. “Lieutenant Paris told me to report to you. Please explain what I am to do.”
B’Elanna fought back the urge to laugh. “Follow our lead, Seven,” she suggested. “But aim for Icheb. He’ll be your specific target. No doubt he’ll be told to aim for you.”
“Everyone ready?” Tom called out. While he’d been dispensing pillows and instructions the other men had been moving chairs and tables against the walls and there was now a large space in the messhall. “Okay, here are the rules. Clean fight. Any bleeding and you report to the doc immediately. Game’s over when it’s over. Understood?” He looked across at Tuvok and nodded.
“Form up,” the Vulcan commanded. And face your opponant.”
To Kathryn’s amazement everyone, including herself, obeyed. Opposite her stood a grinning first officer and she felt the overwhelming desire to knock the smirk off his face. If it took a hefty whack with a pillow to achieve that she was going to throw all her weight into the act.
“You may begin,” Tuvok stated and then drew himself away from the scene to stand against the counter which divided mess from kitchen.
The children were the first to rush forward, attacking each other with massive sweeps of pillows. The adults followed, at a more sedate pace until they too were caught up with the infectious enthusiasm of the younger people.
Two minutes later, after a flurry of feathers, and several muttered voices saying, “Sorry, Captain,” Kathryn stood on a chair and called a halt to the proceedings. Standing with a pillow in one hand and plucking a feather from her hair with the other she took in the scene before her. Already, B’Elanna appeared to have an advantage over Harry who was lying flat on his back waving his own pillow wildly. Chakotay, meanwhile, had Mezoti under one arm while Naomi was beating up on him desperately as if it would help free her friend. The captain shook her head and shouted, “Enough.” Several sets of eyes looked up at her and it looked as though Chakotay was going to open his mouth and make a retort. “The next person,” she continued, waving her pillow for emphasis, “To say ‘Sorry, Captain’ will be working extra shifts. And I’ll create those revised schedules myself.” She waved the pillow again. “So, no apologies, no ranks. Got it?” She waited for every last person to nod an acknowledgment. “Good,” she said. “Proceed.”
She jumped off the chair and advanced upon Chakotay. “You thought I was going to stop the fun, didn’t you?” she questioned. “Thought I was going to be the party-pooper, didn’t you?” Each question was emphasised with a distinct hit of the pillow on her friend. “How wrong you were. Just shows you don’t know me completely, do you?” Another hit connected her pillow with his torso.
“Kathryn?” he cried out, trying in vain to get his own pillow to do some retaliatory damage. “I thought no such thing,” he panted, straining with effort.
“Yes, you did. Argh!” Having given up trying to strike from her level, Chakotay had stuck out a foot and had her stumbling down to the ground. He towered over her now, feet each side of her waist, and was waving his pillow dangerously in the air. “Bad move,” she hissed at him, before striking out with her pillow in one hand and grabbing at an ankle with the other. In seconds he was down on his knees and she was wriggling her way out from under him.
“I’ll still win, Kathryn,” he retorted, even as her head was becoming level with his.
“Want to bet?” she grinned at him, even as she delivered a resounding whack to his backside.
The impact had him tumbling forward so that his hands landed on the carpeting. His head had come to a halt on his captain’s chest. In one swift move she spun them over so that she was on top. “Well?” she asked.
“I’ll still win,” he repeated, a grin growing at the corners of his mouth.
It was enough to make Kathryn freeze. He was so close to her now and once again the old feelings he caused within her were sweeping through her. Just one slight movement from either of them and she could guarantee Tom Paris would have a winner for his betting pool, complete with witnesses. And although she realised that she might just have been willing to submit completely to the torrent of emotion flooding through her, the noise around them was enough to make her recover. “Chakotay,” she breathed.
He seemed to sense the thoughts going through her brain; enough to let her go and push her slightly back. “Agreed,” he muttered, pushing himself up off the ground. “Kathryn, I…” he began but the pressure on his legs suddenly disappeared as she jumped off him and was off chasing Harry.
A short time later a weary Tom called a halt to the proceedings. Feathers were everywhere and the doctor was tending to scratches on Rebi, while B’Elanna was shrugging off what looked a slight limp. A feather pickup party was called amid many groans but Neelix swore that he was not going to tolerate finding feathers of any kind in his soup. Finally Seven proceeded to march the children back to the cargo bay to regenerate, while Tuvok returned to the bridge. The others retreated to the couches by the windows. Harry took one, Tom and B’Elanna finally decided to share another while Kathryn opted for the one furthest away from the door.
To her surprise, Kathryn found that Naomi came over to her, as if wanting to stay with her. She found herself smiling at the girl and pulling her into her arms as she lay down. Seconds later, Chakotay came by and placed a blanket over both of them, smiling gently. It was no surprise to anyone that he opted to place his own blanket and lopsided pillow on the floor beside them.
Soft snores satisfying her that Naomi was asleep, Kathryn turned her head slightly to one side to regard her friend on the floor. As if feeling his gaze upon him he opened his eyes and smiled. Releasing one hand from Naomi, she extended her fingers towards him. It was a simple gesture but one that she knew he would not be slow to take advantage of. His own hand quickly grasped hers and they drifted off to sleep.
Three hours later, Kathryn was awoken by the sound of the messhall doors sliding open. Looking up she saw Ensign Wildman cautiously approaching, obviously looking for her daughter. “Sam,” she hissed. “Over here.”
Looking relieved, Sam strode over. “I’m sorry, Captain,” she whispered. “It took a bit longer than I anticipated to finish the section I was working on.”
“That’s okay,” Kathryn smiled. “She’s been absolutely no trouble. Are you staying here? If you are, I’ll swap places with you.”
Naomi’s mother smiled back. “No, thank you. Lieutenant Ayala passed me on the way here and offered me his quarters while he was on duty.”
“Wow, that was nice of him.”
“A complete surprise but I think he’d heard about the events in here and took pity of me.”
Kathryn bit her lip. “It did get a bit wild, I’m afraid.” She began to sit up slowly so as not to wake the small girl sleeping in her arms.
Sam reached out. “Its okay, I can’t think of a more suitable bunch of babysitters.” She hoisted the small girl into her arms. “Thank you.” It was then that she appeared to notice the man lying at her feet. “Although I do have to wonder about the mixed bunks situation,” she grinned.
Kathryn swung her feet over the edge and followed Samantha’s gaze. “He’ll sleep through almost anything,” she groused before looking up. “And speaking of those who’ll sleep through anything. Get yourself a site to site back to your quarters before your daughter wakes up, my authorisation.”
“Thank you, Captain.” Sam turned to go but then swung back. “Oh, I almost forgot. Lieutenant Carey wanted me to tell you that your quarters are repaired. You may return at any time.”
“Thank you, Sam. This couch was beginning to ache a bit.” After watching the mother and daughter disappear as the transporter beam caught them, Kathryn turned her attention back to the sleeping first officer at her feet. She sighed, shook her head and then leaned down to shake his shoulder. “Chakotay,” she whispered loudly. “Chakotay, wake up!”
He came to slowly. “Where’s the emergency?” he muttered before his eyes focused clearly on her. “What is it, Kathryn?” He paused and then appeared to look around her. “Where’s Naomi?”
“Sam came for her,” Kathryn replied. “And she says my quarters are fit to sleep in now. I don’t know about you but quarters are preferable to being here.”
He grinned at her. “Okay.” Slowly he pulled back his blanket and stood up.
Seeing him turn to pick up his pillow Kathryn smiled and began to walk towards the door. Something had begun earlier in the evening, she knew, and she was suddenly intrigued to see where it could continue. She was nearly at the door when she realised that she was alone. Turning she saw that Chakotay had opted to take her place on the couch, deciding it was preferable to the floor. She sighed. Obviously he had not taken the hint, or maybe the hint hadn’t been clear enough.
She walked back to him and looked down at him. “Well?”
Her first officer squinted up at her. “Er, goodnight?” he offered.
Kathryn shook her head, grinning at him as she held her hand out to him. “Actually, I was offering you a warm bed. It’s got to beat any type of couch.”
He took the hand hesitantly. “Are you sure?”
Her hands grasped his firmly, pulling him to his feet. “Yes. Though I’m not sure it’ll be anything more than a warm bed.” She felt a little embarrassed, thinking about what she wasn’t saying. “Just so’s you know.”
Chakotay stood up. “I’ll take what I can get. And you’re right, a bed of any kind, in any place, is better.” He rubbed a hand over the couch seat. “I don’t know how you stood it tonight.”
She laughed softly as she led him out. “Like you’d forget I’ve slept in my ready room on more than one occasion.”
He returned her smile. “I wasn’t going to bring that up.”
They entered her quarters some fifteen minutes later, after stopping to chat with some of the repair crews that were scattered throughout the ship’s corridors. To Kathryn’s surprise, no one seemed to notice that her and Chakotay were walking through Voyager together so late at night. Thankfully the turbolift was empty as she called out the command to take them to her quarters. Had someone been with them she didn’t know what she would have done.
“They’ll know we’ve gone, you know,” Chakotay told her as if reading her thoughts.
“I know.” She seemed to relax a little, leaning back against the wall. “Its just…”
“Its just nothing,” he told her. “If it’s anything its just two people bunking up while repairs are being made. Hopefully my quarters will be fixed by tomorrow night.”
They exited the turbolift into the silence of the corridor where the captain’s quarters were situated. “Hopefully?” she repeated quietly.
He leaned on the wall by her door and looked down. “Actually, no.”
Kathryn smiled at him. “Good. I’d hate to think that you really couldn’t wait to get back there.”
He followed her in. “Why the change, Kathryn?” he asked guardedly. “What was it tonight that’s made you change your mind? If you have changed it, that is. Godds help me, Kathryn, but I have no clue what’s going on here.”
She took his hand and led him towards the bedroom. “For now, sleep. But yes, I have changed, and no, I don’t know.” She smiled shyly up at him. “I’m sorry.”
A shake of the head accompanied by a smile indicated that she had nothing to apologise for. “Sleep sounds good,” her friend acknowledged. “I think those kids wore me out earlier. How about you get changed in the bathroom and I’ll change here. Sound good?”
Ten minutes later Kathryn crawled under the covers to snuggle up to Chakotay. “Mmmn,” she sighed. “This is good. I should have changed my mind earlier.”
“I think you did,” came a chuckle in her ear. “I think we can say I won, can’t we?”
She turned over and propped herself up on her elbow. “I thought that was a pillow fight that we debating about,” she said, eyes narrowing dangerously.
“Really?”
“Ah, humph,” she groaned, lying back down onto her side, keeping her back to him. “You don’t play fair.”
An arm snaked out to pull her back close. “Neither do you at times.”
She elbowed him in the ribs. “Now, that’s just not true.” She wanted to say more but her thoughts were lost as Chakotay’s arms tightened around her and she felt his breath on her hair.
“Goodnight, Kathryn.”
It appeared that he didn’t want to get involved in this topic of conversation but Kathryn still wanted to hear his voice. “Chakotay…”
The kiss to the top of her head effectively cut off her speech. “Goodnight, Kathryn,” he repeated.
She smiled and relaxed. “Goodnight, Chakotay.”
FINIS