ORIGINAL AUTHOR:   KJ

A/U AUTHORS:  Shannon O'Donnell & Logan Sommers
RATING:    G

DISCLAIMER:
Star Trek: Voyager, Captain Janeway, Chakotay, Tom Paris, B'elanna Torres, Harry Kim, the EMH, Neelix, Seven of Nine and other characters of the series are the property of Paramount Pictures. Other characters have been created by the author and will remain the author's property. No infringement is intended upon Paramount Trademarks or Copyrights. All stories are a product of the author's imagination and will, likewise, remain the author's property. The author's stories are intended for entertainment purposes only, and not for financial gain.

A/U AUTHORS' NOTE:
This fanfic is an A/U story based on KJ's original Red Velvet & Roses. The story is complete on its own, however it is recommended that you read the original first , in order to better understand the A/U.
You will find her story here: "Red Velvet & Roses"
Please note: We did not edit this story without permission. We had KJ's written permission to write an alternate ending & made her a promise that we would retain as much of the original text as possible.
KJ's Red Velvet & Roses won Astrogirl's "Hearts Ablaze Contest" this year. It's well worth the trip... Click here to read the original: "Red Velvet & Roses"
Thanks to KJ for the great original story.

Confessions of the heart...
This version of KJ's Red Velvet & Roses was only meant to offer an alternate ending to an already great story. Thanks Logan for helping me come with a credible ending to an already acclaimed fic. Thanks to my writing partner - Jude - for allowing me to tag along to a 'Toast Masters' speech competition, where I heard about the 'dash'.

=^=

RED VELVET & ROSES

How in the hell had this gotten so out of control? Kathryn paced her living area trying to decide what to do. The entire crew was expecting her at the party, she has made it clear weeks ago that she would attend, but she really didn't feel much like socialising. Knowing everyone was anxious to see the Commander and his 'secret' valentine didn't make it any easier. For once Kathryn was at a total loss, she had no idea what she should do.

Still trying to make sense of things, Kathryn wandered into her bedroom and absently fingered the soft velvet of the dress that hung there. It was a beautiful dress, designed especially for tonight, designed to remind them all, especially him, that their captain was still a woman. It had thin satin straps a low back and a heart shaped neckline just low enough not to be too revealing. The red velvet was snugly fitted, hugging her waist and hips then falling straight to the floor with a slit on the right side that ended just above her knee. It was simple, alluring, and yet elegant, and when she put it on she had no need for pips to take command. She had replicated this for him, and now he wouldn't even be there. She sat on the bed remembering how strangely it had all started out.

~~~^^~~~^^~~~

Sitting at her desk, she wondered just how long it would take Chakotay to follow her into the Ready Room. She would have had to be blind to miss the looks passing between Ops and the helm when she entered the bridge, something was up and from the nervous glances Chakotay was receiving, he knew what it was. She stayed on the bridge trying to catch a hint of the plot, and she was sure if Tom was involved, it was a plot! Nothing happened, so finally she had retired here. She had turned back just before the door closed and caught a quick glimpse of Tom urging Chakotay on. She simply let it slide shut, replicated some coffee and waited... It didn't take long.

"Come." She called at the chime, pretending to be engrossed in something on her screen.

"Captain." He stood in front of her desk.

"Yes, Commander, what can I do for you?" She didn't look up.

"Can I have a word with you?"

"Is this ship's business?" Glancing up she couldn't help the smile. "Have a seat Commander, please."

"Thank you, yes actually it does concern the crew."

"So what has Tom put you up to?" She leaned over her desk resting her chin seductively in her hands.

"What makes you think Tom has put me up to anything?" He smiled back, cautiously.

"Tell me, Chakotay, does the entire crew think that I'm stupid, or just the senior staff?" She sat back in her chair tucking her arms across her chest.

"No one thinks that you're stupid, Captain. Why would you think that?"

"You're changing the subject, Chakotay. Just what does Tom want you to convince me to go along with this time?"

"Now, Kathryn." He gave her his most indignant dimpled smile.

"Put those things away."

"Huh?"

"Please! Pretend you aren't trying to persuade me with those dimples." She rolled her eyes at him. "Cut to the chase, Commander. What do you want from me?"

"Oh, Kathryn, be careful..." He chuckled with a wistful look in his eyes.

"Disregard that." She threw her hands up and shook her head. "What does Tom want me to approve?"

"Just a little party."

"How little?"

"No duty shifts will have to be altered - only the off duty personnel need attend."

"An intimate little gathering?" she laughed. "Is there a reason, or at least some kind of excuse for this 'get-together'?"

"Mmm hmm," he began slowly, not sure she would be keen on the idea. "By the old Earth calendar, in just two weeks it will be February 14th."

"Oh that explains it!" Janeway retorted sarcastically.

"It does, Captain?"

"Enlighten me?" she insisted.

"Valentine's Day," he hesitated, "you know, flowers, cupid, love..."

"Yes Commander, I get it. Do you honestly think this is a good idea?" Apprehension danced across her refined features.

"I think it's a wonderful idea, Captain." He circled to face her. "What better way to cheer the crew up than a little romance?"

"Oh, you are hopeless!" she mocked as she passed him towards the replicator. "Tea?"

"Yes, please." He watched her as she walked to the replicator. "A little romance is good for the soul."

"Okay."

"People could celebrate friendship as well as love..." he turned to follow her to the sofa.

"Okay."

"It would be good for crew morale, and a little fun for everyone."

"Okay."

"Everyone needs to relax, and if things remain as calm as they are, I don't see any reason to deny them, or us, a little fun."

"Chakotay?" There was a comfortable silence, as the Captain handed the Commander his tea.

"What?"

"Do you ever listen to me?"

"Of course, I do."

"Good! Then what did I say?"

Chakotay was stumped, but he didn't want to play into her hands, "uhh... you said. 'Do you ever listen to me?'"

"Before that."

"Ummm... 'Chakotay'?" he enquired.

"Yes, and before that?"

"Before that you said - umm..." he raised his head and smiled, gracing her with another dose of dimples, "you said 'Okay'." He chuckled.

"Very good," she returned the favour with her crooked grin. "Now, can I have my coffee in peace?" Kathryn lowered herself seductively onto her couch and gazed out of the viewport. She knew he was still standing there, but she wanted him to squirm a little longer.

"Only if you agree to attend the party."

"Okay, I'll go... but..." she teased.

"No 'buts'!" he stipulated emphatically.

"Only one..." She leaned back on the couch and gave him a mischievous grin, "or the deal is off!"

"Okay, Kathryn... one 'but'..." He exhaled theatrically. "What is it?"

She smiled thoughtfully, "you have to accompany me." He tried to hide his stunned expression; his failure made her laugh. "What? You don't want to go with me?" They usually went to ship functions together but she had never openly insisted on it, it was just understood.

"No! Umm... I mean... Yes! Of course I want to go with you," He shifted with embarrassment.

"Good. Then it's settled." She sipped her coffee. "Tell Tom that I want to see the plans for this thing, and Tom had better make sure they're good!" her cheekiest grin alighted her face.

'God, I love it when she smiles like that.' "Yes ma'am," he nodded curtly, and responded with an equally cheeky grin.

~~~^^~~~^^~~~

Well she had to do this - they were expecting her. Sighing, she pinned her hair up, started a bath, and headed to the replicator for a cup of coffee. She needed to relax. It wouldn't do to let the whole crew know how disappointed she had been tonight.

~~~^^~~~^^~~~

He was due on the bridge in forty minutes. It should have been Tuvok, but in light of his recent injury and the fact that Chakotay believed he had nothing better to do anyway, he had taken the shift. He consciously took note of her bath running, and wondered if she would still go to the party. Had she forgotten her one condition? The crew would be disappointed either way. He certainly was.

On his way to the shower, he stopped to finger the soft petals of the rose that had started this fiasco. He laughed to himself, he could not imagine Kathryn being the type to send flowers to a man. It had started out so innocently. He was convinced, from the first rose, that Kathryn has sent them herself.

~~~^^~~~^^~~~

The first surprise had arrived while he was in the mess hall. He had just finished breakfast with Tom and B'Elanna. He stood to clear his tray when Ensign O'Donnell approached him in full dress uniform.

"Good morning, Commander." She smiled and saluted him.

"Ensign." He returned her salute with a sideways glance at his bewildered breakfast mates. "What can I do for you?"

"Nothing, sir. It's what I can do for you." She smiled and handed him one long stemmed red rose. "The message you will find attached reads. 'The way you let me read your thoughts in a single glance.'"

Chakotay hesitantly took the rose, unravelling the tiny scrolled message to see its origin. No name. Just the message the ensign had delivered. "Ensign?" he looked up but she was gone.

"A secret admirer, big guy?" Tom teased him.

"Good morning," - the captain joined them out of nowhere before Chakotay could muster an answer. "Nice flower, Commander."

"Uh... good morning." He stuttered. He eyed her quizzically but her expression was guarded. "Yes. I don't know who it's from."

"Oh! A secret admirer! Interesting..." She raised an eyebrow as she took the seat next to B'Elanna.

"I guess..." he smiled uncertainly. "Well, I have to go. See you on the bridge?" Kathryn nodded. He gave her one last nervous look, and left the mess hall.

The second had arrived on the bridge, of all places! The region of space they were travelling through was unremarkable. The captain had just returned from her Ready Room to settle in her chair. The turbolift doors opened exposing Ensign O'Donnell. She was in full dress uniform, another long stem red rose in hand.

"Permission to enter the bridge Captain."

"Granted." The Captain studied the young woman, with intrigue. "What can we do for you, Ensign?"

"With your permission, Captain, I have a delivery for the Commander."

"Oh?" The captain eyed the Commander, "well, don't let me stop you. Permission granted, Ensign."

"Commander", Ensign O'Donnell nodded defferantly, the message says, 'The confident attitude you have when you think you're right!'. She handed him the rose; red and long stemmed like the first.

"Thank you, Ensign." He looked down trying to avoid Kathryn's inquiring gaze, "but Ensign," he glanced up only to hear the lift doors closing behind her.

He could hear the suspicious sounds of laughter dotted around the bridge, but no one spoke. The captain continued to study whatever was on her padd, a surreptitious grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Perhaps you should put it in water," she said without looking at him.

"Yes, I'll do that as soon as my shift is over." And then tried in vain to catch her eye.

When shift ended, Chakotay wanted only to get off of the bridge and away from the mocking glances of the senior crew. He headed immediately for the turbolift.

"Oh, Commander..." she tapped his shoulder and he turned to see her crooked smile. "You forgot this." She said, taunting him. "Now don't neglect to put it in water. It is too beautiful to let die." She handed him his rose and stepped past him through the waiting door.

"Thank you," was all he could muster in his mortification, and growing confusion.

The quiet lift ride deposited them on deck three, which also seemed to conspire against him with its increase in traffic, even for shift change. He hurried toward his quarters trying to ignore the looks he and his rose attracted from curious crewmen. He had almost made it when she stepped in front of him, dress uniform and all. "O'Donnell?"

"Commander," she smiled brightly and extended the next rose. "The message reads 'The fact that you even laugh at my silliest jokes.'" Once again she left him standing alone.

The fourth message had elicited a smile from him 'The assurance that I am constantly in your thoughts.', and was delivered in the same manner as all the others, this time it arrived just as he entered the mess hall for breakfast.
Number five arrived while he was checking on phaser maintenance. Its message read 'The way my heart rate accelerates in direct proportion to your proximity.'
Six caught him in astrometrics and earned him such a look from Seven that he blushed. This message read 'The way your dimpled smile weakens my knees.'
He had half a dozen red roses and still no confirmation who they were from. He assumed Kathryn at first, but she was admitting nothing, and the messages could have been from any of the eligible female crewmen. He had even considered O'Donnell, but she never stayed around long enough to ask, and frankly he wasn't ready to start chasing down all the women on the ship in search of the 'phantom flower sender'.

He managed to regain his composure at dinner when the seventh one arrived. He was eating with Kathryn in the mess hall. She had smiled amiably and indicated with a nod that he should look behind him.

"O'Donnell," he acknowledged her quietly, extending his hand to receive the inevitable rose.

"Commander, the message reads 'The secret glances you send my way when you think I'm not looking.'"

"Thank you," he mumbled knowing she was already gone. He shuffled uncomfortably in his seat, and glanced up to see Kathryn smiling at him. "Kathryn, are you doing this?" he asked accusingly.

She chuckled. "Me?!" Chakotay, what would the crew think? Personally I suggest that you find out who this is, before it really gets out of hand."

At breakfast he took receipt of number eight. 'The way your sultry voice on the comm rouses me from daydreams of you.'
As he left the morning briefing number nine arrived, 'A Starfleet uniform has never looked so sexy on a first officer until now.'

He was positive it was Kathryn. She continued to deny culpability.

Ten arrived during lunch with the message 'Your inclination to caress each syllable as you say my name.', and number eleven in the middle of his briefing with B'Elanna in engineering. 'When you smile you make me want to do naughty things with your mouth!'

"Has she admitted it yet?" B'Elanna laughed.

"No, but it couldn't be anyone else." He admired another perfect red rose. "No one else could get away with the deliveries; know where I am, when I'm on the bridge. Who on this ship could get away with that?"

"You mean other than Tom?" They laughed together.

"All the messages point to her."

"Your point?" B'Elanna's eyes challenged her friend.

Chakotay swallowed slowly. He hadn't considered the alternative of a practical joke. He was reluctant to share this concern with B'Elanna and quipped instead, "well I guess she will admit to it when she's ready," and then, changing his mind, he added, "and for both our sakes, I hope it's not Tom!" He got up and stretched. "Long day, B'Elanna, join me for a quick dinner?"

They headed for the mess hall. It had been a tedious and frustrating day and he was glad he didn't run into O'Donnell on the way.

After B'Elanna had returned to duty, he replicated another cup of tea to unwind. He turned back from the replicator and she was standing there.
O'Donnell delivered the last rose, 'Join me at the Valentines Party tomorrow night?'

Chakotay sat down in the brightly lit mess hall with a frustrated sigh. He wove the twelfth rose between his fingers.

"Problem Commander?" Neelix enquired kindly.

Chakotay looked up absently at the furry Talaxian, he nodded his head slowly debating what his next move should be.

"The roses?" he whispered discretely, and again his answer was a measured nod of the commander's head. "You know Commander, we have a saying on Rinax," Neelix smiled eagerly. He slipped into the unoccupied seat in front of Chakotay & looked sincerely into the troubled man's eyes, "Just because the accused isn't guilty, it doesn't mean they remain innocent."

As was often the case, Neelix's advice made no obvious sense at first light. "Neelix?" Chakotay hesitated, not sure he had the energy to try and figure this out as well.

"Well Commander what I mean is that," he glanced around the mess hall conspiratorially, making sure no one else was in on their conversation, "just because the Captain denies sending you the roses doesn't mean she wouldn't like to."

"So you're saying I should take a chance on a hunch?" Chakotay asked pointedly, attempting to confirm the advice he had just been given.

"Yes commander! Live your dash!" Neelix encouraged.

"I beg your pardon?" 'This was going to be a long night.'

"On Talax, when someone dies we lay a small memorial with which to remember them by. The memorial gives their name, the date they were born, a dash, and then the date they passed on to the Great Forest."

"Uh-huh," Chakotay offered, not sure where this conversation was going or what it had to do with the twelve red roses bestowed on him in the past two days.

"Well the dash between the two dates would represent your life - hopes, dreams, misfortunes." Neelix paused here, feeling he had said enough to make his point.

Chakotay thought back to the day he'd told her about the valentine's party. Her mischievous behaviour had been undeniably suggestive. Maybe he wasn't wrong after all. 'Let's go for broke!' he demanded of himself.
"Neelix!" he enthused with a bright and cunning smile, "I think you just solved my problem." He thumped the Talaxian passionately on the shoulder, and literally bounced out of the mess hall.

"Don't go doing anything stupid Commander" Neelix whispered to himself with a smile.

~~~^^~~~^^~~~

He had brazenly decided that he had endured enough embarrassment and would play things the Delta Quadrant way - the way things weren't usually done. After all, why couldn't he bend a few protocols? That's where it had all gone awry, Chakotay reflected to himself as he gazed aimlessly at a cosmos of unfamiliar stars.

~~~^^~~~^^~~~

He hurriedly checked the time with the computer. It confirmed that his shift ended in two hours. The computer also verified that the Captain was still in her Ready Room. Knowing her movements by heart, he set his plan in motion...

When Alpha shift ended two hours later, Kathryn stretched her weary legs and decided a long hot bath would be in order after such a staid and uneventful day. Sitting behind her desk in more or less the same position left her feeling stiff and tired. She happily handed over her bridge to Harry Kim, rode the turbo lift to deck three and punched in her access code.

She gasped in surprise at the exotic site that greeted her. Soft music billowed through the living area, filling her quarters. The lighting was low and alluring while a trail of fresh rose petals steered her astounded gaze from where she stood in the entrance, all the way to the sleeping area.
'What on earth is going on here?' she asked herself in disbelief. 'Am I in the right room?'
The intrepid Kathryn Janeway's guard was immediately up. She cautiously followed the rose-petal'd pathway that led to her private sanctuary.

She peered gingerly into her bedroom and was greeted by a sight that knocked her warp engines offline! A sensual, bronze, tattooed god lay across her bad in a decadent state of undress.

With a wicked grin Chakotay chimed, "how was your day darling? Need to unwind?"

"Chakotay! What do you think you're doing?" she demanded.

"I thought my intentions would be quite clear?" he replied silkily, gesturing with his hand across the crumpled bed. He kept his composure but was beginning to squirm under her steely glare. 'Maybe this wasn't such a good idea he chided himself.'

Kathryn fixed Chakotay with the legendary 'don't you dare mess with me' Janeway death-stare. Her voice was icy and static. She spoke slowly, ignoring the relentless desire that rushed around her mind. "Chakotay, you've pinned your hopes on incomprehensively misguided information. This is not the way I intended to spend my evening." She allowed her eyes to take in the length of his taut body, but she kept her guard up.
Her voice was even but her heart was racing. God she was going to curse herself in the morning.
"Take a few minutes to compose yourself. Put some clothes on, and meet me in the living area.

Hoping to leave her quarters with a modicum of self respect, he hurried from her bedroom, in uniform. A rage burned inside him like a wild fire and he could not stamp it out.
He attacked at once in self-defence. "I don't understand you Kathryn!" He spat her name at her, and continued unabated. "What possesses you to send such tortuous mixed messages? Are you playing me for a fool?"

Janeway glared at him. She opened her mouth to finish him off, her earlier desire for him now light years away.

Chakotay desperately wanted to have the last word, so he cut her off before she began. "You sanction the Valentine's Day party. You are adamant that I accompany you. You openly send me a dozen red roses. And, when I take you up on your understated innuendos you insist that my interpretation is mistaken!"

The trademark Janeway hand flew up to silence her first officer. She faced him defiantly, hands on her hips. 'God she was sexy when she adopted this stance'.
The exasperation was plain on her face, "What!? I told you... I never sent those damned roses! As for the party, how could I say no? You were so sure it would be good for morale! And, of course I would insist on going with you! We always attend ship functions together? A united front? Remember?"

"God Kathryn, that was seven years ago. I thought we were way past the 'professional' command relationship."

This last comment brought her to a turning point. It hurt like hell. He was her best friend. They had left the acceptable pleasantries of the command relationship behind them six months into their voyage home.

A brash retort eluded her and they both fell silent.

"Look... I'm sorry - " Chakotay began to apologise, but Janeway interrupted him, she was on a different train of thought.

"So, if I didn't send you those roses, who did?"

"How the hell would I know? I was completely convinced it was you."

"It would have to be someone who knows your schedule as well as I do," she mused. She was heading for the replicator when the thought hit both of them at the same time.

"Tom Paris!" they cried in unison.

"This whole Valentine's idea was Tom's plot from the beginning." Janeway reflected pensively. She returned from the replicator, coffee in hand, "tell Tom I want to see him in my Ready Room immediately."

Chakotay nodded and beat a hasty retreat to the captain's door. He had no inclination to watch Janeway discipline the recalcitrant young man; it would only serve to reinforce his 'misguided interpretation'. No, he wanted to be alone and nurse his wounded pride instead.

Janeway was back in her Ready Room standing impatiently at the view port. She wore her anger in the furrow of her brow, and escalated its intensity with the flexing and contracting of her left hand.
She demanded Tom's entrance when the door chimed and began dressing him down immediately. Her usually husky voice quivered under her control, "I'm putting you on report Lieutenant Tom Paris, for deliberately interfering in the personal lives of both your commanding officers. This is unacceptable behaviour from a senior officer, and will not be entertained or condoned by either myself or the commander." She paused in her speech to allow the severity of what she was saying to sink in.
"What were you thinking Tom?"

Tom stared at her in disbelief. It had only been a joke. Something must have gone especially wrong for her to react like this.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself Lieutenant?"

Tom faced her silently. He tried not to flinch under her unyielding gaze. He knew his captain well, and he was in no mood to push his luck with her today. "Yes ma'am. I was indulging in a practical joke. It was distasteful and displayed poor judgement. I apologise for my disrespectful behaviour captain." Truthfully, he didn't feel that bad. He'd play this game again. He'd simply be more subtle next time. Besides, he didn't want her to cancel the party, it promised to be a real humdinger.

~~~^^~~~^^~~~

The following Alpha shift saw a cautious Tom Paris mind his manners all day. The command team appeared to be avoiding one another, and seemed to be skulking around the ship in odd places. When they were present in each other's company the atmosphere in the room was so tense it could have been cut with a Klingon Bat'leth.

~~~^^~~~^^~~~

That evening Chakotay left for duty on the bridge without knowing whether she was still in her quarters, or if she had gone to the party. He could have asked the computer but part of him really didn't want to know. She had wanted to go to the party with him, and he wondered if she still would have. Well it didn't matter now. This was going to be a long, quiet shift with way too much time to think.

~~~^^~~~^^~~~

Janeway entered the holodeck to a rapt assembly. Many of her crew often forgot that she wasn't only a fierce Starfleet captain. She was a woman too. An extremely sensual woman in red velvet!
Harry welcomed her in and offered her something to drink. She accepted his offer and withdrew to a quiet table on the side of the dance floor. She was content to simply sit and watch the activities for now. Maybe she would indulge in a little dancing later.

~~~^^~~~^^~~~

He sat alone on the darkened bridge. It was again a quiet sector of space, and Voyager already knew where she was headed, so he had little to do. He had already read all the reports he could stand for one night, read some fiction, even played one of Tom's games and now all he had left to do was find a way to stay awake. When Tom proposed the idea of this evening's party it seemed like so much fun; he was actually looking forward to it. For once Kathryn had readily agreed, and had even hinted that she might be ready to openly go as his 'date'. His mind kept running over the same territory and it was beginning to drive mad.

'Boy, did you blow this one.' He shook his head as he began to pace the lower level. 'You work for seven years to win her over and then just when she is ready... Damn! I can be so stupid.' He walked around checking readings at all the empty stations, and then returned to the centre chair. "Well... two more hours and this shift, and this crazy day, will be over." He spoke out loud to the emptiness surrounding him.

~~~^^~~~^^~~~

'What am I so afraid of?' she asked herself. 'Of falling in love? It's a little late for that.' She watched her crew basking in one another's company. Not without a touch of envy, she noticed the intimate couples dotted around the dance floor. 'Why was she preventing herself from enjoying some of this? - especially since it had literally been offered to her on a bar of Latinum!' she giggled to herself.

The captain had obligingly danced with Harry Kim and, later, Joe Carey. Even Neelix managed to coax her onto the dance floor. Janeway debated whether Neelix's moves could be considered dancing, but when she sat down again, she was privately forced to acknowledge that she was miserable.

She loved this man, she decided, and loosing him was simply not an option. She resolved then and there to turn over a new leaf and bend the few protocols she had managed to uphold. Janeway thanked Tom and Neelix for the 'wonderful' party and excused herself, claiming she needed to wrap up the day's work. Without much more thought than that, she made her way to her first officer's quarters. Her plan fell into place as her destination drew nearer.

She hesitated, only briefly, before punching in the override code that would allow her entry into Chakotay's room. She had the computer select romantic mood music, she replicated a few candles, dimmed the lights and waited... She tried desperately to think of what she would say to him when he saw her there. According to the computer, he would be returning from his double shift in just a few minutes.

~~~^^~~~^^~~~

When his dreary shift finally came to an end he found he had drawn some alarming, personal conclusions. As much as he hungered for Kathryn, and craved the confession of her love, he needed her friendship more. He was determined to remedy the situation.

Instead of retiring to his own quarters when the lift doors opened on deck three, he let himself into the Captain's room once again. He set a respectable amount of lighting, checked his uniform and reverently sat himself down on the single-seater in her living area.
He was going to wait for her... He would wait until she returned from the party, and try to repair the damage he had done.

In the meantime, Janeway waited in Chakotay's quarters, for over an hour, for her new resolution to walk through the door. The time seemed to drag on after the second glass of wine. Then it dawned on her that he had probably decided to join the folks at what was left of the Valentine's Day party. She grew tired of waiting and chose to return to her quarters. She would find some time the following day to discuss her most recent decision with the commander. She quickly recycled the candles, leaving the room they way she'd found it, and left.

Upon opening the door to her living area, she was startled by the level of the lighting. Surely it hadn't been this bright when she left? "Computer, dim the lights," she instructed. She hadn't noticed Chakotay until his soft snoring reached her ears.
A gradual smile grew across her face. Her had fallen asleep waiting for her. She moved closer and stroked his cheek with the back of her hand. It did not wake him. "Chakotay," she whispered hoarsely, "Chakotay wake-up. Let's get you into bed."
He staggered to his feet with her help. She silently thanked the gods for leaving the sleeping hunk on her sofa. Clutching his hand, she dragged his large form to her private sanctuary and deposited him in her bed. She smiled clandestinely to herself as she changed into silk pyjamas and snuggled up close... Maybe she wouldn't have to wait until tomorrow after all...

=^=