Yawning and stretching, Pavel Chekov rolled over and squinted at the display next to his bed. 6:03 A.M.. He briefly considered nuzzling back into bed, but thought better of it. The day was waiting and he was hungry.

The woman in bed beside him hadn't stirred. He smiled at the mop of blonde hair and leaned back, propping himself up on his elbow. Twisting one of long locks between his fingers, he softly declared, "It is time to get up."

"Hmm?" She stirred briefly then fell still again.

"Good morning! Wake up! It will be a good day today." He brushed his fingertips down her arm. "I'm starving! Do you want pancakes? I'm going to make them. How many do you want?" He closed his eyes and inhaled, enjoying the light, fresh scent of her.

"So hungover," the woman groaned into the pillow.

"I thought you might be. The pancakes will soak up the extra alcohol!" Chekov smiled fondly. The poor girl, wearing last night's clothes, was cradling her head.

"Okay," the woman replied, her voice muffled in the pillow. "This isn't my room," she realized. She lifted her head and squinted through raccoon eyes at him. "Oh, god."

Chekov grinned sheepishly. "Ah, no. It's my room. I'll make some breakfast for you! I'll come wake you up when they're ready. Go back to sleep. I'll wake you soon." He slid out of bed and padded quickly across the floor. Cold tile on bare feet was a surefire way to wake someone up. Humming to himself, Chekov showered off and got dressed, commenting "You are a fine-looking gentleman," to himself in the mirror before striding off to the kitchen and greeting everyone he saw along the way.

"Morning, Mr. Chekov!" Scotty greeted him over his coffee when he sauntered into the kitchen. "Particularly energetic spring in your step this morning." He winked. "Do I need to ask why?"

"No more than usual!" Chekov laughed as he pulled out the griddle. "I'm making pancakes! Do you want some?"

"What kind of man says no to pancakes?"

"Excellent! You make breakfast tomorrow, aye?"

"You do not want Montgomery Scotty to make the breakfast," Jaylah added from behind Scott, a coy smile on her face.

Back in Commander Chekov's room, Cat Greenberg was blinking herself awake. The sweet yet manly smell of the sheets reminded her of the previous night's events. Blurry memories flooded to the surface but didn't all connect. She groaned and rubbed her eyes. When she pulled her hands away and found them covered in black mascara, she sat up. The room spun slightly, but she stumbled to her feet and to the bathroom vanity to salvage herself.

Cat was Doctor McCoy's counterpart, but she scoffed at that idea. He was always running here and there with the crew, leaving Dr. Greenberg in the medical bay by herself. On most days that was fine; red shirts came in with cuts and burns and occasionally an illness would break out. Other days, when missions went awry, things got messy and it became clear that there were indeed supposed to be two doctors on duty.

Cat imagined what her nurses would say when she told them of her exploits. Everyone in the medical bay was obsessed, to put it lightly, with Commander Pavel Chekov. Cat had admired him from afar since her first day aboard the Enterprise nearly two years ago. Whether it was because he was her age or because of his knack for thinking through problems brilliantly, she couldn't put her finger on it. The nurses under her command swooned over his boyish good looks and fought over who would treat him, if he ever needed medical attention. Yet the man seemed fit as a fiddle and Dr. Greenberg had only ever bumped into him in the corridors and during meal times.

Running into Chekov the night before had been a complete fluke. The medical team was celebrating a nurse's birthday at the bar when Chekov had sauntered in. He ordered a drink and sipped it slowly as he video chatted with someone off-ship. The nurses elbowed each other and pushed up their cleavage. Cat stole glances at him every few minutes, wondering if he would engage the crowd of tittering females or simply go on his way. On her tenth glance his way, Chekov looked up and caught Cat's gaze. She quickly stared down at her drink and blushed.

"Cat," a human nurse named Emily sighed, "go talk to him." She sighed dreamily. "It's meant to be. You're the galaxy's youngest doctor. He's the youngest navigator. You're on the same ship. In the same bar. On the same night."

Cat rolled her eyes and leaned on the bar. "What would I say? 'Hey Commander, so you're a genius and gorgeous, so that's a ten of ten for me?' Yeah, totally not awkward. May as well throw in there that I've totally been creeping on him since I stepped on board, huh?"

In lieu of a response, Emily was biting her lip and staring at something just past Cat's shoulder.

"What?" Cat asked, waving a hand in front of the nurse's face. She reached for her drink and wondered how many she'd had.

"Decter Greenberg," a thick, dancing accent came.

Cat spun around on her stool, knocking her drink to the ground in the process. "Oh!"

There he was. Pavel Chekov was perched on the bar stool next to her, smiling and waiting for her to respond. "I'm sorry! I did not mean to startle you," he offered sheepishly before reaching down and snatching the cracked glass from the floor before she could.

"No! I, it's, no," Cat stuttered as she wiped the errant drops of cocktail from her pants. Her cheeks burned. "Hi." She laughed nervously and quickly smoothed her long hair. Her lips were tingling and the room had spun a little when she turned about, but she took a deep breath to pull herself together.

"Hello." Chekov tapped his empty glass on the bar and nodded at the bartender. "Another, please, and another for ze beautiful decter." He turned back to Cat. "It's on me!"

Trying to hide her wide smile, she nodded. "That's too kind." Cat did her best to ignore the silence that had fallen over the rest of her party as they watched the long-awaited interaction.

Chekov noticed the audience too, and swallowed. Speaking to women had never been daunting to him, but this time was different. He'd invested hours in hypothetical conversations with the doctor. He was nervous. The alcohol had helped, but he couldn't help but second-guess every word that came out of his mouth. The crush of nurses suddenly surrounding them added extra pressure, but he cleared his throat and continued nonetheless. "Decter, I do not think I have seen you here. Ewer. What brings you out?"

"I've told her she's really missing out!" Emily giggled. "No, she's always cooped up in the medical bay waiting for some dumb red shirt to hurt themselves."

"I am certain they keep you busy, Decter!" Chekov chuckled.

"You have no idea! But it's Freya's birthday," Cat answered. "The entire medical department is out, except for McCoy."

Chekov nodded. "I forget he works in the medical department, sometimes! He is always on ze bridge." As the bartender sat their drinks down, he grabbed his and raised it. "I am certainly glad you decided to come out. Here's to the most beautiful decter on the Enterprise and all of space."

Cat clinked her glass against his. "And to navigators too charming for their own good."

Now
Chekov whistled as he flipped pancakes and kept an eye on a pan of bacon. He did his best to keep his thoughts on the task at hand, but they kept wandering to the American girl. Since she'd come aboard the ship Pavel had found her breathtaking and personable, if only from afar. So young, and so advanced in her field. Any time someone had been hurt, he'd volunteered to escort them to the medical bay, hoping to finally meet her. Unfortunately the captain always squashed that plan. Now, a wide smile spread across his cheeks and he chuckled to himself. The evening had progressed much more quickly than he'd planned, but he couldn't pretend he was disappointed.

"All right, lad. You've been dancing around and the like all morning. I'm curious. Who was in your room last night?" Scotty blurted.

Jaylah stared at him in horror. "Montgomery Scotty. You do not ask to somebody that question. That is rude!"

"Yeah, well." Scotty winked at the girl. "Have you seen him in such a mood?"

"Well, no," she conceded. "Maybe I do want to know. Was it the welder girl in your room to make you so happy? I have heard her talk about Pavel Chekov."

"No, no, no, it was the cook, the one who's always showing up and lurking around when the lad's in the break room." Scotty guessed. "Right?"

Before Chekov could answer, Jaylah shook her head and blurted out, "The electrician. She asks me always about Pavel Chekov."

"And the black haired engineer. Maybe both of them?" Scott stroked his chin. "They're good mates, always together."

Chekov raised an eyebrow. "You think I have all of these women?" He laughed, then fell quiet as he realized they were serious. "No, no! Maybe zey talk about me, but I haff not- I haff no idea!"

"You did not know?" Jaylah replied. "These women think you to be handsome man. Maybe they are not wrong."

The tips of Chekov's ears burned red. "These women- zey haff said nothing to me!" He plated a few pancakes and popped them in the oven to keep them warm. "Does ze crew think I haff all of zese women?"

"Who has what?" Sulu asked as he walked in.

"Mr. Chekov is quite the ladies' man," Scotty replied. "He doesn't seem to believe it."

"Of course everyone thinks that," Sulu answered nonchalantly. He poured a cup of coffee and sat down.

"Oh chert voz'mi! No! I am not!" Chekov gasped. He shook his head frantically. "I do not want ze crew to think zis! I go on some dates, yes, but-"

"Didn't I see you getting thrown out of an Orion girl's room not too long ago?" Sulu asked as he poured a cup of coffee. "Literally thrown?"

Chekov's cheeks turned the color of his ears. "Aye, Mr. Sulu, but-"

"Why she throw you?" Jaylah asked.

"I – I do not know!" Chekov rubbed the back of his neck. "Please, no more! This is different. Really!" He flipped a short stack onto a plate and slid it across the table to Scott. "Please, do not give ze decter this impression. I do not womanize the ladies! I have respect!"

"Doctor?" Jaylah repeated.

"Doctor Greenberg?" Sulu asked, his eyebrows rising in surprise. "You and Doctor Greenberg?"

The smile quickly reappeared on Chekov's face. "Always I have found her so beautiful and kind, but never got ze chance to talk to her! Can you believe we were in the same place and same time finally?"

"Good on you, laddie!" Scott exclaimed through a mouth full of pancake.

"Thanks." He rummaged through the cupboards until he found a tray. "Now I am bringing her breakfast. Please, do not make her believe zese stories!"

Scotty and Jaylah exchanged smiles as Pavel marched out the door.

Five Hours Ago
The drinks had flowed, egged on particularly by the medical department. "Another round! The doctor never comes out!" "One more!" "To the doctor!"

"Dector," Chekov laughed, his accent even thicker now due to the alcohol, "I would hate for you to go bek and hide in ze medical bay. Will I see you again?"

Cat laughed and finished the rest of her sex on the beach. "Maybe if you get sick. Some of us don't get to run all over the Enterprise during work hours."

"Perheps I get injury. Is wery dangerous werk in a starsheep," Chekov suggested with a wink. As Cat giggled, he cocked his head. "What is so funny?"

"Your accent!" the doctor replied. "It's so cute." She laughed. The conversation had been easy, but that was likely due to the fact that she was drunk when he'd walked in. Now she had tried to dial up the charm without revealing her year-long crush.

"I think yours is cute," Chekov replied. "Where een America are you from? This is not an Iowa accent like ze keptain."

"Minnesota," Cat said, pronouncing the "o" with extra oomph. "The accent doesn't come out much unless I've been drinking."

"I love it! Zen we'll drink more! Anuzzer round, please!" Chekov called to the bartender. "Two wodka's, neat."

"Ooh, I don't know," Cat hesitated. "I have to work in the morning! Vodka's so strong."

"C'mon, Cat!" Emily exclaimed over the dull roar of chatter. "You can't stop now! One more!"

"I hawe to work, too! This will be ze last round." Chekov reached out and squeezed the doctor's shoulder. "It is not late, it is only-" he checked the clock and did a double take. "Okay, zes is definitely ze last round."

A moment later Cat squeezed her eyes shut and slammed back the vodka when the bartender sat it before her. "Oof-da." She pursed her lips and waited while she was assured the alcohol would stay down. Her medical experience told her she'd be very drunk when she stood up, but Cat figured she was allowed one night out.

Chekov drank down his drink and smacked his lips. "Perfect way to end ze night!"

It's now or never! Pouting her lips, Cat batted her eyes at Chekov. "It's too bad it has to end." The words shocked her as she spoke them. You go, girl.

Emily giggled and rolled her eyes from beside Cat. "Doctor, I'll see you in the morning. You're all right?"

Cat nodded. "Right as rain." She giggled then held on to the bar to steady herself. "Whoa. Maybe right as wodka," she laughed, slapping Chekov's arm and letting her arm rest there.

Chekov laughed. "How do you say-" he scrunched up his nose and attempted a Minnesotan accent: "you betcha?"

"Have a good night," Emily called as she strolled out with the rest of the nurses. "Wouldn't want my supervisor to see me out so late!" She winked before turning out the door.

"Decter, where is your room? I'll escort you back." Chekov said, giving his head a slight shake to steady himself. "I learned ze hard way to make sure to heve backup when going home from ze bar. Ze hallways all look ze same – you'll wander for hours."

Cat sighed. The evening had been fun, but now she wasn't certain when she'd get a chance to see Chekov again. Their paths rarely crossed. Who knew the next time they'd run into each other? She stood and stumbled into the bar. "Oops." Laughter bubbled up and out of her and she snorted. Here comes the alcohol.

Chekov smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist. "You're okay, I've got you!" He steered her toward the corridor. "Decter -"

"No, not doctor! I'm not doctoring right now," she replied. "Call me Cat!"

"Cat," Chekov repeated. "I like zat."

"I like you." Cat giggled and stumbled along, knowing damn well she wouldn't remember this point of the night tomorrow morning. The thought struck her as hilarious. Her laughter continued until she was doubled over in the corridor, holding onto the man's arm for support.

Though he had no idea what was so funny, Pavel caught the contagious giggle and was soon leaning against the wall and laughing just as hard as she was.

"Excuse me," a voice came. "This is a residential sector and it's definitely past quiet hours," one of the night crew scolded the pair.

"Off course, off course," Chekov answered. "My apologies. We are coming from a birthday party!"

"Well please move along," the yellow shirt replied, scowling. "I'm surprised you haven't been ticketed already for being so disruptive."

"Come, what sector is your room in?" Chekov asked, quickly wrapping an arm around Cat's waist as she hobbled back and forth in her high heels. "I need to make sure you do not break your ankle in zose shoes!"

"Block J," Cat replied through her laughing. "And my shoes are perfectly fine!"

"Zey look fine, but you are not walking so fine." Chekov pulled her closer, afraid she'd take a wrong step and break her leg. "I've got you, decter! We'll be at Block J in no time."

Cat giggled. "I couldn't think of a better scenario." She tossed her hair and flashed Chekov a smile. He smiled back, but his expression quickly changed to horror as Cat tripped, squeaked, and landed on her hands and knees with a thud.

"Cat!" Pavel exclaimed, dropping to his knees beside her. "Cat, Cat! Are you okay?"

Embarrassed but unhurt, Cat nodded and sat up, trying to stifle laughter. "My fuck me shoes have never betrayed me before! Damn shoes!" she exclaimed. She fussed with the heel's buckles, but quickly realized she was too drunk to take them off.

Chekov gently brushed her hands away and squinted in concentration as he fussed with the buckles. "Your what shoes?"

Cat exploded in laughter once more, gasping for breath as she guffawed. Though she realized she was a drunk mess, she couldn't control her laughter. Better than being a mean drunk, she thought happily to herself.

"That's it-" a voice came from down the hall. "You're both getting ticketed. I warned you to keep it down!"

"No!" Chekov exclaimed. "I have a clean record! I cannot get a ticket!" He pulled Cat to her feet. "Come on! Come on!"

Cat snatched her shoes from the ground and followed. Pavel grabbed her hand and laced his fingers through hers. "Hurry!" He pounded down the hallway, throwing glances over his shoulder every few steps.

"Hey, stop!" the yellow shirt yelled down the hall. "I order you to!"

"Come!" Pavel looked over his shoulder and gasped. "He is wery fast! Come on, Cat! In here!" He pulled her down a corridor and continued to run.

A wide smile spread across Cat's face. It had been a long time since she'd misbehaved, and it had certainly never been on the Enterprise. "Where do we go?"

"Almost there," Pavel exclaimed.

"I order you to stop!" the yellow shirt's voice came.

"We almost lost him! Go, go, go!" Cat exclaimed. She followed Pavel around another corner and collided with him when he suddenly came to a stop.

Pavel's hands flew over the security keypad. When the door opened, he ducked inside and pulled Cat with him. They gave a unison sigh of relief as the doors slid shut and left them in a dark room.

"Don't you think he knows who we are?" Cat panted. She searched for Chekov's face in the darkness and identified it thanks to the ambient glow from a display screen somewhere in the room.

"Maybe he does," he replied. When Pavel caught his breath, he realized how close Cat was to him. I didn't let go, he thought in surprise. His hands were still on her hips from when he'd pulled her inside. He looked up to see her biting her bottom lip and gazing at his. "Decter," he breathed. His heart thudded and he suddenly became aware of how loud the pounding was.

Though she was drunk, Cat was thinking clearly enough to know this was better than she'd ever imagined, and Pavel Chekov was as intriguing as she'd always hoped. "Come here," she whispered seductively as she wrapped her arms around her neck and pressed her lips against his. The hardness of his body was everything she'd fantasized about.

Pavel eagerly pressed his palms against the small of Cat's back. A warmth spread from his chest and threatened to pull his lips into a smile. Instead, he returned the kiss, which was quickly evolving from curious and cautious to passionate and fiery. My God! So soft! So plump! Pavel momentarily worried about his vodka breath, but the thought had left his mind a moment later.

When he wrapped his arms around the small of the doctor's back, Cat shifted her weight and pressed against the motion of the kiss and the darkness of the room was the final blow to Cat's compromised balance. The room spun and she staggered to the side, breaking the kiss with a soft "oof!"

As Pavel held fast to her waist to keep her upright, Cat giggled. "Sorry, oh, geeze." Her face grew hot and she knew she was blushing for the twentieth time that night.

"Do not be sorry," Pavel replied breathily, a soft smile on his face. He took a breath and cleared his throat. "I think we stay here- that yellow shirt will be out there waiting for us. I do not want to get you a ticket." He laughed nervously.

"It'd sure be the talk of the ship. Where are we?" Cat asked, stepping back and looking around.

"Ah, is my room," Pavel said cautiously. "I do not mean to-"

Raising an eyebrow at Pavel, Cat coyly cut him off, "Don't worry. I don't think you're a scoundrel." She reached out and touched his chin. "You're too cute."

"Aye-yi," Pavel breathed, puffing out his cheeks and exhaling slowly. He cleared his throat and flipped the lights on. "Make yourself comfor-" he started. An instant later, his words were muffled by Cat's lips against his. He surrendered into her kiss and let his hands slowly feel their way down her body. "I am wery glad you decided to come out for once," he muttered as they stumbled across the room and collapsed onto the bed.