Disclaimer: Paramount owns them, tra la la, I don't, tra la la laaaaa. No harm intended.
Authors note: This is a response to a Jupiter Station challenge. Feedback is a good thing. Please, I beg you. Let me know what you think. Enjoy.
Early Morning Fiasco's
The ship was silent, as always at 0300 hours in the morning. Tom sat alone in the mess hall staring out the porthole but not paying attention to the stars. He figured that if he couldn't sleep at 0300 hours he might as well not hang around in his quarters. He raised his head to the sound of the doors sliding open and shut and he watched Captain Katherine Janeway glance at him and head right to the replicator.
"Coffee. Black." After retrieving her beverage she headed over to him.
"Captain. Have a seat."
"Please Tom, its 3 in the morning. Call me Katherine."
"Sure thing. Couldn't sleep huh." He stated not knowing what else to say.
"It seems to be a common thing." She looked at him over her coffee mug and was about to ask him why he couldn't sleep when a sudden tremor passed through the ship.
"I thought only Neelix's coffee could do that." he joked as they both instinctively jumped up and headed towards the door. Before she knew exactly what was happening she felt herself come face to face with, a wall? Instead of hitting the floor she was caught by strong arms and allowed to regain her balance.
"You okay Captain?" Paris asked all business
"I'm fine."
"Looks like the doors jammed." He observed and tried manual override.
"Janeway to the Bridge."
"Captain." Tuvok greeted. "It appears that there was some kind of energy displacement that has been directed through the ship. No serious damage, but there are reports of malfunctions throughout the ship. I'll dispatch repair crews immediately."
"Good. Please send a team to the mess hall. Mr. Paris and I have been sealed in."
"Will do captain." With a bleep their communications ended.
"Will do? Looks like Tuvok has been hanging around People too much." Tom smiled at her.
"Yes, or a certain Talaxian. Well Tom, I never thought I'd end up in the mess hall at 0300 hours talking about Tuvok's personality with you."
"Well, you know these spacial anomalies. They just come out of no where." After a half an hour of chatting and Tom eluding every question as to why he couldn't sleep, Janeway got impatient.
"Janeway to Tuvok."
"Yes captain?"
"What is taking so long?"
"The turbolifts have broken down as well as the transporters. The team will be there shortly." He cut off the comm. link and she turned to Tom.
"Guess we'll have to wait a little while longer." She tried to sound casual but he could hear the hurt in her voice. Probably because she had been brushed off so easily, he knew exactly how she felt.
"Come on Katherine, I'm not that bad of company." He feigned hurt, smiling when he received a laugh.
"No, your not. This just wasn't how I'd planned to spend my morning." Getting up and walking over to the replicator, he commented.
"When I needed comforting and didn't feel like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, I had Jell-O."
"Jell-O?" She asked, now curious, and followed him to the replicator.
"You don't know what Jell-O is? Well, now your going to find out. He smiled at her.
"Two bowls of raspberry Jell-O." He ordered. They waited a moment and were greeted by some very strange sounds coming from the machine.
"That doesn't sound right." He commented and jumped back as it started to spit out red gelatinous blobs that kept coming and coming.
"What the…" he stepped up to the controls and frantically started to stop the mess. Janeway couldn't help but to stand by and watch, amused. After a few minuets the machine abruptly stopped replicating the Jell-O and Tom stepped back sighing.
"Replicators never seem to get my orders right." He commented dryly looking down at his sweat pants and shirt that were dyed partially red and had Jell-O stuck all over them.
She couldn't help it. Being Captain, she should have been able to control her emotions, and she did try, really. Unfortunately after her first giggle she burst out laughing.
"What?" He demanded when she didn't stop laughing. She tried in vain to answer him, but his face had that look on it and he was covered in Jell-O.
"You…" she gasped for breath. "You…"
"Try again Captain." He said with a mischievous edge to his voice.
God I wish I had the Doc's holo imager right now!" She cried, still trying to control herself.
"So do I," He said matter of factly, "because I think this is the first time in Starfleets history that a 'Captain' has been covered in Jell-O." He smiled and just as she realized what he had said, "SPLAT." The red jelly slid down the front of her shirt and some slipped under the collar. Before she could do anything, "SPLAT," this time it hit her shoulder. She squealed not very Captain like but she no longer cared.
"Why you little…"she was cut off as a blob hit her in the forehead. In an instant Tom and her were in a full-fledged Jell-O war, rolling around on the ground, smothering each other in the stuff. Their laughter could probably have been heard three decks down and they didn't stop until they were interrupted.
"Captain! Tom! What are you doing?!" Neelix cried as she stood and tried to compose herself with difficulty. Tom hastily stood beside her, Jell-O dripping from his hair.
"Neelix!" he exclaimed. "The replicator broke, you'll need a clean up crew. Captain." He gave a quick nod and retreated through the doors, leaving the crime scene. She decided to follow his lead.
"I'm glad you fixed the doors. I expect a report in the morning." With that she briskly walked out, leaving a dumbfounded Talaxian behind.
"The doors were never broken." He mumbled before calling maintenance.
She walked through the door into her quarters and was about to ask Tuvok for an update when she noticed something on her table. As she neared it she saw a plate with a large letter made out of Jell-O. Beside it was a picture of her and Tom, huge smiles plastered on their faces as they attempted to smother each other in the red Jell-O. She looked back at the letter "Q" and smiled. This was one piece of advice that she would take the being up on. She walked over to her counsel and punched in a few buttons before heading to the sonic shower. She hadn't felt this good in a long time.
Tom paced his quarters reprimanding himself. Jeeze! He'd just started a Jell-O fight with the Captain. The Captain! A Jell-O fight in its self was not something that should happen on a starship, especially not with the Captain. But she had asked for it! He was about to collapse onto his couch when a beeping from his counsel stopped him. He got up and looked at his message. * 1900 hours. Mess hall. This time, we'll try eating the Jell-O. *
A huge smile suddenly erupted on his face. This was starting to look like a great trip.
End.