I've got to warn you about this one....it's not J/C. *watches nervously as people begin to pick up some tomatoes.*And I've got worse news.....it's J/N.
*ducks and screams as all the tomatoes fly at warp speed towards her head.*
OK....*dripping with tomato gunk*...I suppose I deserved that.
BUT IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK! It's actually kind of a sweet story...I was reading Jim Wright's review for "Fair Haven (http://www.treknews.com/deltablues/fairhaven.html), and he brought up a certain point a 
couple of times: *Neelix seems to have a crush on Kathryn*. At first I laughed at the idea, 
but then some wheels began to spin in this old head of mine....Maybe I can blame it on 
exam stress....But please, at least give it a read. If you don't like it, tell me so. If you like 
it, tell me so. But please, give it a read. And email me with feedback! 
celestia@innocent.com


DiSCLAiMER: Paramount is the dreamer, and the dream. I just like to eavesdrop and try 
to do that lucid dreaming thing.....it's never worked....:(	

Sweet Dreams
by Celestia


	She comes here sometimes, last at night with only a cup of coffee, a padd, and the 
stars outside the viewport.
	I try not to stare, but it's hard not to. She never notices. So I stare as I wipe the 
counter with a dishrag that's full of soap bubbles, crumbs, and memories.
	I stare because I feel something I know I shouldn't feel.
	I've tried to bury these feelings before. To forget about them. But it's hard. They 
always come bubbling back to the surface, like a pot beginning to boil. I suppose Mr. 
Tuvok is the only one with the privilege to burying his feelings.
	She never seems very happy when she comes in here. She *deserves* to be happy! 
She does so much for this crew, these people...
	Sometimes I wish I could be the one to make her happy. But I know I can't.
	I used to think that the person to make her happy was Commander Chakotay. I 
asked him about it, last week at Sullivan's. He just shrugged, said that the Captain had her 
own way of expressing happiness. He'd gestured towards where she was dancing with that 
holocharacter, Michael. "She doesn't look too unhappy to me," he'd commented. Then he 
walked away.
	I hate to say it, but I don't know if I quite believe that our captain has fallen for 
photons and force fields. She always struck me as the "tall, dark, handsome, doesn't-need-
a-battery" type.
	Not that I fit that bill, either.
	But everyone, at some point in their lives, longs for something they can't have. My 
sister, Alixia, longed for adventure. Kes, my sweeting, longed for freedom, and then for a 
longer lifespan in which to experience it.
	And I, Neelix, as strange as it may seems, occasionally long for my captain.
	The captain and I had one of our late night talks last night. I wanted to tell her 
everything. For a moment, I felt like I could.
	It was a very short moment.
	So, I sat down beside her, and offered her some more coffee. She held out her 
mug, and I poured.
	"Captain...have you ever wanted something that you knew you couldn't have?"
	The captain lowered her much and stared wistfully at the stars. "Of course. I think 
everyone has, at one time or another." She sipped her coffee and looked at me. "Children 
want toys they can't have. Many Earth citizens before mid-21st century dreamed of flying 
through the stars. And I, as Captain..." She lowered her gaze to the carpet. "Well, I 
suppose I want a lot of things that I can't have." She looked up at me with shining eyes, 
and she put her pale hand over my spotted one. I felt a tingle move its way up my spine.
	Thoughts moved though my head at warp speed. *But you deserve the galaxy! You're beautiful! You deserve to be happy! Your courage and strength are tougher than 
3-day-old Kanastar steak, which even the sharpest toothed Rachmel can't bite through!*
	But I spoke not one word.
	She got up, stretched, and turned to me. "This crew longs to get home. And I've 
made a vow to make that something they *can* have." I smiled at her. She smiled back. 
"Thanks for the coffee, Neelix. I best be going to bed."
	"Goodnight, Captain. Sweet dreams.
	She walked out, and I couldn't help admiring her vow. She's willing to go without 
so much to get this crew home. I suppose she'll always be that way. Married to her 
mission.
	But that doesn't mean that I can't dream.

*****Fini******