I'm so glad so many people like this story! Yay!
Enjoy! –Coffee
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They rematerialized inside of a tent in the middle of the dessert. It was a scene straight from "Arabian Nights." Kathryn looked around at the opulence with a small smile on her face. The walls of the tent were covered with colorful tapestries. In the center of the floor was sitting area comprised of satin pillows and a low table covered in food. The air was filled with the scent of jasmine and the cooling night air. The tent flaps covering the door were open just enough for Kathryn to peep at a midnight blue sky filled with stars. The tent inside was lit with large lamps in each corner. A number of candles also flickered on the table, making the tent feel warm and cozy.
"Please, sit down," Q said politely, taking a seat himself. Kathryn looked at him and realized his clothes were different. He was dressed in a long-sleeved tunic that almost reached his knees with loose fitting pants and a ridiculously large turban. Kathryn was about to smirk at his appearance when a soft breeze blew through the tent flap and made her realize that certain portions of her anatomy were uncovered. She looked down and was unpleasantly surprised to find herself wearing some sort of harem costume in deep blue with gold embroidery. Her breasts were encased in a tight bustier. Her entire torso was bare from the bust to her hips, and while her stomach was undeniably good looking as far as stomachs go, she didn't enjoy being so scantily dressed...especially given her present company.
"You have appalling taste in clothing," she sighed, settling herself down on a satin pillow.
"Oh Kathy, I love it when you tease me," Q quipped, taking her plate and heaping food onto it.
"Not to mention the fact that I won't be able to fit into this thing if I eat all that," she said, eying the huge plate he set in front of her dubiously.
"Is that a promise?" he asked her hopefully. Kathryn rolled her eyes in response. Q chuckled and started to fill his own plate. "Besides Kathy," he continued, finishing with his plate and pouring her a glass of red wine. "You could use a proper meal. Between the slop your pet Talaxian feeds you and all coffee you substitute for actual food..."
"...And all the sleep I don't get, and all the stress I'm under...you didn't happen to talk to Chakotay today did you?" Kathryn was feeling obstinate and wondered if mentioning Chakotay would get a rise out of Q.
Q scowled at her, his nose wrinkling in disgust at the mention of her second in command.
"I don't see why I would!" he scoffed, shoving a fork full of rice into his mouth and chewing viciously.
They ate in silence for a few moments, and Kathryn, having brought him up, couldn't help but wonder what Chakotay was doing at the moment. Was he eating dinner with Seven? Were they curled up on his couch together listening to Tchaikovsky—something she'd always fantasized doing with her First Officer—or worse, were they in bed together...
"You're thinking about him now, aren't you?" Q exclaimed, causing Kathryn to snap her head up in surprise. "Oh Kathy! That's not fair!" he whined. Kathryn rolled her eyes and took a sip of wine. "Did he ever take you to dinner in a Sultan's tent in the middle of a moonlit dessert? I think not!"
"Well, he certainly never annoyed me as often as you do, Q," the Captain scoffed.
"Oh, rubbish!" smirked the omnipotent being, making a dismissive gesture. "You're just upset because you want me and you can't have me!"
"Ha! In your dreams, Q!" she said, her face turning red.
"Not quite, darling...although that thing you did last night was certainly beyond any of my expectations ..." His tone was the perfect blend of mocking and sex. Despite her irritation and mild humiliation, Kathryn involuntarily clenched her thighs together. She shot Q a look of pure loathing, and he met her gaze with a chuckle.
"You should enjoy the memory," she growled, lowering her voice to a dangerous timbre. "It won't happen again. After this dinner, we're through."
"Oh Kathy, honestly! You're such a tease..."
"I'm not teasing, Q!"
He shook his head at her as though she were a silly child having a temper tantrum.
"You'll regret it, ma capitaine," he said, his voice still mocking her slightly. He reached over the corner of the table to cup her face with one hand. Kathryn tried to pull back, but he was too quick for her. His fingers curled gently, but firmly, around the nape of her neck as he ran the pad of his thumb along her jaw line. Kathryn closed her eyes and tried to ignore the tingling sensations running down her spine. "Come on now, my sweet Kathy, don't be cross with me, especially when I adore you the way I do." Kathryn opened her eyes and found Q's face only inches from hers. His eyes bored into hers, dark brown, and their expression inexpressibly human. Time froze for a second, and Kathryn found herself unable to blink...then Q quirked a suggestive eyebrow at her and let his eyes slide down to her chest.
The Captain rolled her eyes at him and pulled away from his touch. What am I doing here? She wondered as she ate a little more food. She could feel Q's eyes on her. She felt a little ridiculous dressed as she was, miles away from her ship, subject to strange bursts of lust for Q...she felt completely disconnected from herself, and suddenly wished she were back on Voyager, in her uniform, commanding the bridge and being the Captain of a Starfleet vessel.
Then she remembered what Q had told her a few days before about being banned from the Continuum if he didn't prove his love for her. She wondered what he was going to do about that particular situation and felt a little bad. Obviously he did have some feelings for her, and although she did feel something for him, she was sure it wasn't love. She hoped that his situation would be resolved somehow, and wondered with some anxiety what he was going to do about it.
"Q," she said suddenly, looking up and placing her fork on the table. "You mentioned earlier that you were having problems in the Continuum..."
"The Continuum..." Q sighed dramatically. "They've been quite unreasonable about all of this..."
"You said you had a plan to placate them. Mind telling me what it is that you intend to do?"
"Of course, dearest! Didn't I tell you we had some things to discuss?" Q's sudden enthusiasm made Kathryn suddenly feel a little nervous. He reached over and clasped her hand in his. She didn't pull away, fearing he'd change the subject. "Actually, you gave me the idea during our conversation in your Ready Room, Kathy. I went straight to the Continuum afterwards to discuss the matter, and they agreed that it was an excellent course of action!"
"Great," Kathryn barked through gritted teeth. "What is it?"
Q was now clasping her one hand with both of his in earnest excitement.
"Ooh! It's just so good!" he crowed. Kathryn was about to kill him when he continued. "You said you could only pursue a romantic relationship with someone who cared about the welfare of your crew as much as you do, but he couldn't be a member of your crew..."
"Yes Q, but that wasn't..."
"Which is exactly why," Q continued, ignoring her protesting interjection. "The Continuum has agreed to make me human and let me live aboard your ship for the duration of my ultimatum!"
"What?" Kathryn cried, pulling her hand away from him. "You can't be serious!"
"Well of course I'm serious," said Q glibly. "As overbearing as the Continuum can be, I'd rather not be excommunicated. I do have a son to raise after all..."
"Q!" Kathryn exploded. "This is unacceptable! I will not have you gallivanting all over Voyager, bothering my crew and chasing after me!"
"Oh come, come, dearest Kathy. I promise I'll be the perfect house guest! You won't even notice I'm there!"
"Unlikely, Q," Kathryn stood and walked over to the entrance of the tent. The air inside was suddenly too stuffy for her. She took a deep breath of the cool night air outside, and then turned to face her would-be lover. "It's out of the question. I won't allow it. Even if you were committed to behaving yourself impeccably, which I'm sure you are, it doesn't change the fact that you're unpredictable. Even your sincerest intentions somehow end in chaos, Q. If you're not dragging my crew and I into the Continuum's Civil War, you're allowing your son to run amok on my ship..."
"Oh," scowled Q, waving a hand dismissively. "So we've had a few bumps along the road, ma capitaine. A few little lovers' quarrels shouldn't frighten you away!"
"They almost killed us!" Kathryn crossed the distance between them with quick furious steps, her eyes boring into his.
"Almost!" Q cried back in exasperation, a note of panic creeping into his voice. "Kathy, I love you! I'd never let anything like that happen to you again!"
"Oh no?" Kathryn murmured in that quiet tone that always meant danger. "Do you recall what happened to crew of the Enterprise when you were human aboard their ship?" A growing look of horror and surprise passed over Q's face. "Oh yes," she continued. "I read the reports. The Calamarian were so intent on getting to you that they jeopardized the entire ship, not to mention how they nearly prevented Starfleet from aiding the Bre'el!"
"Oh, it all worked out in the end, didn't it?" Q stammered. "You're forgetting how I selflessly saved them all, taking that shuttle craft and bravely going forth to meet my doom! Kathy..."
"No," Kathryn said, shaking her head and raising her hand to stop him. "I've made up my mind. Please take me back to Voyager."
Q was looking at her as though he intended to melt her with his gaze. Emotions were flying over his face almost too quickly for her to read. Anger, frustration, puzzlement, calculation...He stood there for a moment, starring at her, trying to figure her out. Suddenly, he smiled that seductive, teasing smirk that made her heart skip a beat.
"I know why you're angry with me," his voice was so certain, she wanted to believe him, but his smirk told Kathryn that he'd missed the point entirely. He reached up and slid the palm of his hand, blissfully cool, against her flushed cheek, and Kathryn gasped at the rush of lust that mercilessly flowed through her. Before she could manage to clamp it down, Q's mouth, wonderfully soft and gentle, was brushing against hers. Dammit, she thought, feeling her skin tighten almost painfully as goose bumps made their presence known all over her body. One of his hands had moved up to her head and proceeded to curl its fingers into her chignon. The other hand trailed feather-light fingers down the exposed curve of her back before pulling her to him.
Kathryn marveled silently at his proficiency for seduction. He made her more aroused than she could ever remember being. Every touch made her ache for release. His mouth left hers abruptly to trail kisses down her jaw line, to that special place on her neck that Mark had always paid special attention to because it drove her crazy. Q used his grip on her hair to move her head to one side and grant him better access, and Kathryn's legs felt rubbery. She shivered when his mouth left her neck and the cool air hit it. She felt, rather than heard, Q chuckle at her response. His chest rumbled.
"Forgive me," he whispered into her ear. "I made you tell me you wanted me, and I don't think I made it clear how much I want you."
"Q," she rasped and he returned to nibbling on her neck. "This doesn't solve anything..."
"Imagine," he cut her off, pulling her limp form a little closer to him, his fingers gently brushing the tender spot of skin in the small of her back. "You've had a long, exhausting day on the bridge, but when you return to your quarters, there I am: your willing slave. I'll talk to you, tease you, and make you laugh. We'll eat dinner together every night, you'll never feel lonely."
He was painting a beautiful picture in her mind of him as her perfect lover. Oh, Kathryn thought. It would be so wonderful to have someone...
"I'll love you like you deserve to be loved, and I'll make you come harder than you've ever come in your life..." For a moment Kathryn was shocked at Q's vulgarity, wondering where he'd learned to say something like that, and at the same time it aroused her more than ever. Q was kissing her again. His arms were like steel bands around her waist, holding her to him. She felt his hand glide seamlessly down her back and over her behind, gently squeezing the mound of flesh he found there.
"I love you," he breathed into her ear. "I love you!"'
Somehow, the repetition of those sacred words clashed inside her psyche and gave Kathryn the strength to push the irresistible Q away from her. His expression was curious and a little hurt. She was breathing hard, but when she met his eyes, her gaze was devoid of all emotion.
"I'm sorry, Q," she said quietly. "Please take me back to Voyager."
The look on his face was terrible to see, there was so much hurt in it. Hurt, sadness, anger, a touch of fear, and then it was gone in the blink of an eye. She was standing in the middle of her quarters, alone, and there was no Q in sight.
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Don't worry, he'll be back...unless people don't review. - Coffee
