Title: A Rude Awakening
Rating: T, to be safe
Series: Star Trek: Voyager
Summary: Janeway wakes up with a startling problem.
Dedication: For Aunt Kathy, and she knows why.
Disclaimer: The characters are not mine.
Feedback: Always welcome.
"What seems to be the problem, Captain?" the Doctor asked cheerfully as Janeway sat upon the biobed.
Embarrassed and worried, Janeway looked down at the floor.
"I woke up with a nosebleed," she admitted, mumbling. "And I can't remember the last time I've had one."
The Doctor frowned as he quickly repaired the damage. "Very puzzling. Computer, replay video of Captain Janeway's quarters, from…when did you go to bed last night, Captain?"
"Oh two hundred," she stated.
He gave her a reproachful glare. "You really ought to set yourself up for more than four hours of sleep, Captain. I know your duty shift starts at oh six thirty, and I imagine it takes you at least half an hour to get ready."
She sighed. "Are you going to berate me, or are you going to tell me what's wrong with me, Doctor?"
He sighed back. "Computer," he repeated, "Replay video of Captain Janeway's quarters, from oh two hundred to oh six hundred this morning."
"Belay that order!" cried the captain. "You have video of my quarters? Like, when I'm sleeping?"
The EMH grimaced. "Of course, Captain. It's for security purposes. We keep video of every room on the ship, including crew quarters. I'm surprised you weren't informed. But nobody on board has access, except the chief security officer and myself. And protocol dictates that they are not to be accessed except in the case of a crime investigation, a credible threat or, in this case, a medical emergency."
"Medical emergency?" she cried. "Who said it was an emergency?"
"You're here, aren't you, Captain?"
She gulped. "I was just a little…worried. It's not an emergency. I can come back another time, or if it happens again."
"No need, Captain. Now is as good a time as any. Computer, replay video as previously requested."
Immediately video appeared on the screen.
"Fast forward," commanded the Doctor. "Factor of sixty."
They watched as she tossed and turned…and suddenly rose from the bed…
…and walked straight into a wall, then returned to the bed and lay down, only to wake with her hand covering her nose, blood spurting through her fingers.
"What the…?" the captain asked, incredulous.
"It would seem, Captain, that you are a sleepwalker. Would you like to see video from other nights to find out whether this is a common occurrence?"
"That's not necessary, Doctor. At least the mystery is solved."
"Captain," he queried, "Were you planning to do anything to prevent a recurrence?"
She thought for a moment. "I have an idea," she said without elaborating, then turned on her heel and left.
"Even the captain forgets to turn me off," the hologram grumbled, then went off to find some work to do.
"Are you sure about this?" Chakotay asked, looking askance at the woman lying prone on her bed.
"I'm sure," she said, nodding. "Now, if you please. As the Doctor said, I need to get more than four hours of sleep, and I've only got five."
He smiled, then eagerly began his task.
Her right wrist was first, and he kissed it tenderly before tying the rope as gently as possible around it. Her left wrist was next, and then her feet.
When she was bound completely, he looked askance at her. "Still okay?"
She smiled wickedly. "Absolutely. Now, help me get to sleep."
He grinned. "With pleasure, Captain."
Chakotay was carefully unwrapping his captain's limbs as her eyes blinked open.
She gave him a warm smile. "Hi there. Were you here all night?"
He coughed. "I kind of…fell asleep too."
"Well," Janeway said, "I happened to have just had the best night of sleep in…as far as I can remember. And I have a feeling it has nothing to do with the restraints. Do you think you could stay every night? I might not even need the ropes. Though…if you'd prefer…"
"Kathryn," he interrupted, stroking her cheek. "You know I would love more than anything to spend every night of the rest of my life sleeping next to you. But under one condition…"
"Anything, Chakotay!" Janeway replied excitedly. "Anything at all!" Then she amended it. "Other than giving you my job."
He chuckled at that. "No, I'd just advise disabling the video camera in your quarters," he explained.
"Wait…it can be disabled?" she asked.
"Of course," he said. "It's a Maquis trick. May I?"
She nodded.
He then took out his phaser and aimed it straight at the wall, burning a slight hole. "All better."
Janeway stared. "How did you manage not to set off the alarms?"
His dimples showed. "Go see for yourself."
She rose and wandered over, all the while peering up at the hole.
Before she realized it, she'd walked into something else.
"Dammit!" she cursed as she raised a hand to her face, blood once again spurting through her fingers.
Chakotay dissolved, and she sat up in bed.
"At least it was a good dream this time," she mumbled to herself as she headed, once again, for Sickbay.