=/\=

"Mmm. Mmmm…. I believe in Karma, what you give is what you get returned. I believe you can’t appreciate real love ‘til you’ve been burned. Mmmmm…."

I smile as I listen to my co-worker singing to herself. I hate this job but Darlene always makes it interesting. Who would have thought a 63-year-old woman would like Savage Garden?

Shaking my head I finish wiping down the shower stall. There’s nothing more disgusting than cleaning someone else’s bathroom, but hey, I’m getting six bucks an hour to clean up after tourists so I’m cleaning.

At least we’ll be done early today. I love it when it’s mostly stay-overs. I’ll be outta here by noon. And I don’t have to work tonight.

Wow! I might get time to check my e-mail and work on that C/K story I’ve got going. Poor Harry and Chakotay. I’ve had them stuck at the beginning of a sex scene for a month and a half. Good thing blue balls is just a myth or they’d be in trouble.

I slip the appropriate towels onto the rack and step out of the bathroom in time to see Summer bringing the vacuum.

"113 isn’t out yet so you can go to 115."

"All right, Summer."

Darlene and I push the charts down two doors. I knock gently and opened the door a little way when I got no answer. "Housekeeping…"

I step forward into the door and take a quick look around. I freeze. There in the middle of the bed…

I step back and lock the door. "There’s someone in there."

Darlene looks at me for a second. "Okay. It’s 119 next then."

I walk around the laundry cart and start to push it down the hall. It couldn’t have been Harry and Chakotay in that bed. Or Garrett and Robert. It had to just be two men who look like them. It had to be. I was thinking about them that’s why I saw them when I saw those two guys going at it.

Yeah that’s it.

"I’ll do this bathroom, Darlene."

"But this is one bed and you just did the bathroom."

"It’s all right; I don’t mind." Just in case I’m hallucinating I want no where near a bed.

She smiles at me. "If you’re sure…" After all, my knees are younger.

I grab two rags and a bottle of cleaner. I walk into the bathroom and pull the shower curtain to one end.

And there stand Harry and Chakotay naked as… NAKED!

"AHH!!!!!"

"What is it? Did the rod fall down again?" I can hear Darlene coming from the other side of the room.

"No, no, I just knocked a towel off the curtain rod off onto my head. It’s nothing, Darlene."

"Okay."

For several moments I stand there staring. Sure I’d pictured them both naked before… a lot… but to actually see….

"Do we finally have you attention?" Chakotay asked softly.

I nod. A talking hallucination… how crazy am I? Who do I know who’s a psych major?

"We want to know why we’re on hold, Karah. I mean six weeks…"

"I haven’t had time," I whisper not wanting Darlene to hear me talking to myself. "I work two jobs. I’m not sleeping enough."

That’s got to be it. Sleep deprivation. I’m seeing things because I’m sleep deprived.

"Well, why did you say something?" Harry asked. "We thought you’d just forgotten about us. If you’re working that much, then just say so and we’ll understand."

I nod. Forgiving sleep-deprivation-induced hallucinations… I really am a nutcase.

"We’ll let you get back to work, now. Just don’t leave us hanging like this again. Let us know next time you’re really busy."

Harry smiles and leans down to kiss me on the forehead. He grins and nudges Chakotay who chuckles and kisses me on the cheek.

"Just don’t forget about us while you’re busy with your life, okay?"

"Okay."

Then they’re gone. And surprisingly the bathroom sparkles.

I shake my head and smile. "Thanks, guys."

The End