She felt his laughter rumbling in his chest, his shoulders drawing up with the effort. His warm breath puffed against her hair.
Kathryn still clung to Chakotay's body, her arms under his and wrapping up over his shoulders. His hands gripped her waist.
"I guess I did have too much of that…uh…what was it Chakotay?"
Her knees shuddered and gave out beneath her again. Her dress uniform rode up slightly as Chakotay kept her against him, steadying her from falling.
"Up we go Kathryn."
Chakotay readjusted his hold on her. He looked ahead and they continued down the stone path towards the transport site.
"Chakotay I'm so tired, are we on the ship yet?"
"No, Kathryn. Stay with me. We're almost home."
He kept more laughter from bubbling to the surface. It seemed the drink from the Aerran welcoming party would have a hearty kick before it faded from the captain's system.
Captain Janeway was always careful at these diplomatic parties. The alcohol wouldn't be refused, as a sign of trust, though the doctor had already scanned it, but she would always consume very little.
Tonight, she'd only managed to sip down a quarter of a glass, while Chakotay finished two full servings. She hardly ever drank real alcohol and only occasionally indulged in synthahol. Chakotay didn't drink often either, that's what baffled him about her reaction to the spirits. He knew it was likely harmless and she'd probably have a headache in the morning. Though she did manage to be extraordinarily endearing, even as she clung to anything solid in her drunken stupor.
At the party, she'd mentioned the late hour to him, and her stomach's disagreement with the evening meal. Naturally he would escort her back to Voyager as they made their discreet exit.
"Oh Chakotay," she moaned, "stop will you, I think I'm gonna be sick."
Soon after they'd left the building she'd clung to him and he'd noticed she was more drunk than tired. She still had herself wrapped around him. He decided to save her more embarrassment and instead of stopping he swung her up and cradled her in his arms as he hurried the last meters to the transport site.
He activated his communicator. "Two to beam directly to sickbay"
"Sir, is there something wrong?"
"Please initiate transport."
When the beam faded, Kathryn was dry heaving against Chakotay's shoulder. She drew into herself in his arms. Chakotay sat in a chair in the doctor's office. He pressed her chest to his, hugging her to him. He let his hands wander to rub over her back.
Reaching to his shoulder Chakotay hit his comm badge.
"Chakotay to Doctor, please report to sickbay immediately."
"Yes, Commander."
ooOOoo
Kathryn had fallen to sleep in Chakotay's arms before the doctor arrived from the surface of the planet.
Chakotay signaled for the doctor to stay quiet before he could grumble about being called from the festivities. Both men managed to get the sleeping woman onto the first biobed without disturbing her.
"I think you underestimated effects of the berry wine, the captain had very little, and she's turned out like this."
The doctor ran a medical tricorder over his charge then turned to scan Chakotay.
"How much did you ingest, Commander?"
"At least three times as much as she did."
"Have you been adversely effected in any way?"
He shook his head.
"No one else on the surface has shown any reaction to the drink, aside from the captain that is."
The doctor handed Chakotay a hypospray.
"Give this to her in a couple of hours and let her sleep if off. It's just a reaction with the caffeine in her system. I keep telling her to cut back..."
He injected the captain with the first round of medication he'd devised to neutralize the reaction between the alcohol and caffeine.
ooOOoo
Kathryn's opened her eyes slowly, and the first thing she saw was her handsome first officer's smiling face, haloed in soft light.
"Morning, Sunshine."
She smiled and stretched her arms and legs. She noticed she'd been divested of her boots, socks, and dress jacket. Each item was neatly organized beside her on the night stand.
"How long have I been sleeping?"
"Only a couple of hours, headache?" He held out a hypospray and a glass of water.
"Yeah, thank you."
She sat up and rubbed her face with her hands.
"I've made something to eat if you're interested."
"Yes, very, and thank you Chakotay. I mean for everything, especially getting me out of there last night; you saved me from quite the embarrassment."
"I wouldn't be your husband or a good first officer if I didn't."
He stood from his seat on the edge of the bed beside her, and offered a hand.
He pulled her up and held her hand as he led her to the living room.
The scent of mushrooms and garlic wafted through the cabin. The aroma of fresh bread and mint tea surrounded Kathryn and warmed her skin.
Without letting her hand slip from his, Chakotay pulled out a chair at the table for the woman beside him.
"It smells heavenly."
He brought her dishes to her.
"Of course, Kathryn, you didn't help me." Chakotay grinned
Kathryn paused halfway through her bite of bread to punch him lightly on the shoulder.
"B'elanna is really rubbing off on you…" he moved to a safe distance across the table.
"As long as you don't start chasing after Tom Paris."
"You're incorrigible!"
Kathryn brought another spoon of soup to her mouth.
The meal passed quickly in companionable silence.
ooOOoo
It was wonderful Chakotay. I couldn't have done better myself."
"I know." He ducked from her playfully swinging hand once more.
"Can't live with you, can't live without you." She smiled.
"You can't live without me, huh?"
"Better believe it mister!"
Kathryn walked up behind Chakotay as he stood at the replicator to recycle the dishes. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his back.
"Are you coming on to me Miss Janeway?"
"My, my, aren't we perceptive." She purred.
Kathryn ran her hands from his chest to his hips then up again. Chakotay tried to turn around from the replicator, but she hooked one of her legs around one of his.
"Kathryn, you need to rest. The doctor made me promise you'd eat then go right to bed."
"Spoil sport," she pouted "I'll go to bed…"
She relinquished her hold on him and turned to walk to her bedroom.
When Chakotay turned to watch her go he didn't expect her to run back to him and kiss his cheek. She gathered his hands in hers, and pulled him towards the bedroom with her.
"But only if you go with me and…"
She grinned up at him as the backs of her legs made contact with the bed. His eyes flared with the flames of his desire.
"And give me one of those wonderful back massages."
"Gladly." He'd hardly wavered at his surprise.
She'd fallen to sleep in a matter of minutes beneath his hands. Kathryn was fascinating when she slept; her emotions were easy to decipher. Occasionally she'd smile or moan or grab for the nearest thing to hug to her chest.
Sometimes Chakotay wondered what would happen if he wasn't there for her. He stripped down to his shorts and crawled into bed with Kathryn.
In her sleep, she'd felt him return to bed. She turned to her side and put her arms and legs around him, pushing her hips into his. Her head moved to snuggle into the crook of his neck. She sighed contentedly and relaxed into slumber once again.
Likewise, Chakotay wrapped himself around the woman he would always love. As he focused on her low, even breathing, he too fell to sleep.