(I own nothing. The characters are not mine and I make no money from this.)
Nightly Visitor
Janeway was just settling down to sleep, when she was alerted to an unusual noise coming through the walls from Chakotay's quarters next door.
Bangs, thumps, rhythmic squeaks followed by muffled curses and yelps continued for a few minutes.
There was no way Janeway could sleep now. Her mind was ticking over at full impulse and though she pulled her covers higher and tried to push away the sounds, she found herself unconsciously straining to hear what was going on.
When an extremely loud thud hit her headboard wall and was quickly followed by a rapid series of squeaks and a yell, she had no choice but to reach for her commbadge.
Next door, Chakotay was stood on his bed, towel in hand, swiping frantically at the large spider that had taken residence on his ceiling. With a growl, he swiped again, but the 8-legged fiend merely scuttled forwards out of his reach. He jumped off his bed and dragged his bedside table into position, he was just about to climb up when his commbadge merrily chirped.
"Janeway to Chakotay."
Shit. He paused, mid-swipe.
"Chakotay here, everything alright Captain?" He growled as the spider scuttled further away.
"I was about to ask you the same, Commander?" Janeway's voice sounded intrigued.
Shit, could she hear that next door?
"Err, all ok Captain. Sorry, did I wake you?" he asked, dragging his bedside table back into better position, grunting as he did so.
"No, but I just wondered what was going on, I was afraid you were being beaten up."
Chakotay panted as he climbed onto the chest and swiped again, "No, no…" he yelped as the spider ran at him and leapt onto the wall behind him. "I just have a visitor."
Kathryn's eyes bulged and she flushed, swallowed hard and tried to ignore the grip of jealousy that ripped at her insides. God, he was….with someone! Oh, the shame! She could never look at him again! She would have to move quarters!
"Oh! Erm, forgive me, Commander, I apologise for the interruption, I'll leave you to your guest," she said hurriedly, hoping her voice sounded normal, despite her brain and heart screaming in devastation.
"No! Spirits, Kathryn! No, not like that, not that kind of visitor!" Chakotay yelped, swinging out as the spider leapt to the floor and ran around him.
"Oh, its none of my business…"
"It's a spider! A blasted spider that refuses to leave!" Chakotay cried out, desperate for her to know he wasn't in the middle of a midnight rendezvous with a crew member.
"A spider?" Janeway's voice faltered and he could almost hear the smirk.
In her quarters, Janeway did a little dance of happiness, he wasn't having sex! Thank all the Gods!
"Yes, remember when we called at that planet for provisions? It seems Neelix brought some extra friends on board with his plant collections." Chakotay explained as he chased the spider with a glass.
"And now one is in your room?" Kathryn asked, shuddering at the thought. She hated those damn creatures.
"Yes, every time I go to sleep, the damn thing runs over my face. I can't catch it! I'm sorry I disturbed you, Kathryn," Chakotay added.
"Quite alright," Kathryn grimaced at the thought and ran her hands frantically over herself, checking there wasn't one on her. She moved in front of her mirror, twisting herself to doubly check. The thought made her skin crawl.
"Err, Kathryn, I don't suppose you're good at catching spiders are you?" Chakotay's voice wafted towards her, pausing her mid-twist.
"Oh, no! Useless! I mean…I can catch them, I'm not afraid of them you understand, but I'm in my nightwear. You're on your own I'm afraid!" she babbled.
"I imagine you only have to give it your command look and it'll run for the hills!" Chakotay chuckled leaping over the creature as it ran at him.
"I don't know about that!" Kathryn blanched at the thought, "Anyway, good luck!"
She closed the comm line just as Chakotay's voice echoed over the line and was completed through the wall as he swore adding, "Get off my chest!"
"Lucky bastard," Kathryn sighed as she settled back to sleep but not before she had thoroughly scanned her own quarters, looking for any of the unwanted stowaways.
The following night, Kathryn was just getting ready for bed when right there on her bedroom wall was a large, hairy and seriously pissed looking spider.
Chakotay was just enjoying a herbal tea, when Kathryn's scream echoed through the wall, followed by a series of extremely strong swear words.
Racing out of his quarters, he practically ripped Kathryn's quarters doors out of their sockets expecting to find her battling off some unknown alien.
He raced towards her bedroom and the source of the swearing, only to find her stood on a chair, wielding a full cup of steaming coffee.
"I'll do it! I'll drown you in this! Now, get the hell off of my ship!" she was saying at the wall, her voice quivering despite the commanding words. That's when Chakotay spotted the offending nightly visitor.
"Oh, thank God , Chakotay! Can you get rid of it?" Kathryn cried, pointing at her unwanted guest.
"Put down the coffee, Kathryn, nobody needs to get hurt in this! The coffee is innocent!" he said, trying hard not to laugh.
"Chakotay! Please! Help me!" she cried, coffee slopping over the rim.
"I thought you weren't afraid of them?" he asked taking the coffee out of her hands and thoroughly enjoying the sight of Kathryn in silky pyjamas stood higher than him on a chair.
He found himself thinking how young she looked when she was afraid. Almost childlike. "I tried looking at it, but it laughed at me!" she admitted.
"Laughed?" Chakotay's eyebrows quirked. He was struggling not to laugh too, but as the spider gazed back at them both, he couldn't help but chuckle.
"Yes, laughed! Look at it!" she waved her hand at the spider as if to prove her point.
The spider scuttled closer eliciting another yelp from Kathryn.
Chakotay laughed heartily this time, thoroughly enjoying seeing this new side to the fearsome Captain Janeway.
"Ok, ok, I'm scared of them!" she admitted, eyes closing on her shame, "Please just get rid of it for me!" She gave him a pleading look that set his loins a-quiver.
Swallowing back that thought, Chakotay grinned and grabbing her dressing gown off the bed, moved towards the creature.
20 minutes later, the spider was permanently evicted through an airlock on deck seven and Kathryn and Chakotay were stood outside Kathryn's quarters.
"Thank you for that," she smiled at him, friendly patting his naked chest.
"You're welcome…and now," he grabbed her hand, "I just hope you know….you owe me."
"Owe you?" she swallowed, fully aware that her hand was trapped within his against his chest. She could feel his heart pounding, a beat that was literally matching hers.
"Unless you want me to tell everyone your dirty little secret?" He gave her a look that sent a shooting wave of desire right to her core.
"You wouldn't dare…." she scowled, pulling her hand back and trying to look as commanding as she could in her silky pyjamas.
"Well….guess you'll have to find out!" He leaned in closer so she could smell his aftershave, "Until next time, Kathryn."
Tom was about to walk around the corner, when he spotted the command team up ahead. Both in states of undress, Janeway in silky pyjamas and Chakotay in soft pants and stripped to the waist. He watched as Chakotay said something in Janeway's ear and how she blushed visibly.
She turned and slipped back into her own quarters and Chakotay entered his own next door.
Tom shook his head, "Totally doing it," he murmured to himself.