Kathryn pressed closer to him, her head on his shoulder, her fingers tracing patterns on his bare chest. His shirt had been unbuttoned and pushed back; she'd lost her sweater, and her skirt and been hiked up around her waist. They were both still breathing heavily and she shivered in the cool air. His arm tightened around her, and she nuzzled her face into his neck.

"We're too old for this," she sighed, kissing the moist skin beneath his ear.

He shuddered at her actions. "Speak for yourself," he replied, and she felt a quiet laugh rumble through his chest.

"You know, I never…" Her words trailed off, but he knew.

"You never made love on your bedroom floor," he whispered, his tongue tracing the edge of her earlobe.

And she nodded, her head moving against his shoulder. "Justin and I were too scared – afraid one of my parents would walk in on us. And Mark… He never liked floors very much."

Chakotay smiled into her hair, kissed the top of her head. "He didn't know what he was missing."

And she laughed softly. "Severe back pain if we don't get up soon."

He ran his hand along her side, reaching under the folds of her skirt to touch the smooth skin of her thigh. "Oh, I don't know. I'm very comfortable right where I am. Besides, I earned this."

Kathryn leaned up slightly, propping her chin on his chest, her eyes gazing into his. "How so?"

He grinned. "I climbed the stairs."

"Yes, you did."

His grin broadened. "All sixteen of them."

And Kathryn laughed again, loudly this time, rolling away from him, onto her back. "Neither of us is that good," she gasped.

He quickly rolled over, half on top of her, his right leg thrown across her lower body, pinning her underneath. "You know what they say about practice?" And he pressed kisses to her neck, down across her collarbone, her chest, his fingers pulling at her bra, exposing one breast.

Kathryn held her hand to the back of his neck, guiding his head, her breath quickening, her heart beating faster. She ran her other hand down along his back, reaching lower, under the waistband of his boxers, feeling the firm muscles beneath her touch, exploring, kneading…

"Aunt Katie?!"

She froze.

A door slammed.

Footsteps pounded at the bottom of the stairs.

She pushed at Chakotay. "Someone's home," she breathed raggedly, pushing again when he didn't immediately move off her.

"What?" he mumbled, apparently not hearing the sounds outside the bedroom door.

This time she shoved him, rather unceremoniously, off her body and got to her feet, pulling her bra back into place, straightening her skirt, looking around for her sweater. In the process, she quickly stepped over to the door and locked it.

"Aunt Katie?!" The voice was closer this time, the footsteps nearing the top of the stairs.

She found her sweater on the floor next to Chakotay's jeans, and she picked up both articles of clothing, throwing the jeans to Chakotay. He was sitting up now, still a bit dazed, adjusting to the abrupt halt in their lovemaking.

"That sounds like Ellie," she whispered loudly in the silence of the room, pulling the cream-colored sweater over her head.

Chakotay began to pull his jeans on, lying back on the floor and lifting his hips to settle them around his waist; he buttoned them, but zipping was proving to be a problem at the moment. He sat back up and started on the buttons of his shirt.

"I thought they weren't going to be here until after your mother got home," he questioned, finishing off the last button and reaching out to Kathryn.

Taking his hand, she helped pull him to his feet, steadied him as he swayed, and then reached down and zipped up his jeans.

"They're early," he breathed in sharply at the feel of her hands on him.

"Apparently so." She retrieved his cane, stuck it in his right hand.

"Aunt Katie?"

The voice was outside the door now, and Kathryn ran a hand through her hair, glanced in the mirror above the dresser, and sighed. "Just a minute, Ellie." And she crossed to the door and opened it, smiling down at her niece. "We were finishing up with Chakotay's therapy," she explained, taking a step back, allowing the girl to see into the room. "You remember Chakotay from the homecoming banquet in San Francisco."

The girl smiled shyly over at him, and he smiled back, standing unsteadily in the middle of the rug leaning on his cane, feeling a bit like one of Kathryn's trophies on display.

Kathryn leaned over and hugged her niece, kissing her on the cheek. "Where are your mother and Cooper?" she asked.

Ellie looked up at her aunt. "In the kitchen. Cooper wanted cookies."

And Kathryn smiled. "Well, you'd better go get some before he eats them all. Tell your mother we'll be right down." She patted the girl on the back, sending her on her way, then closing the door and leaning against it, releasing a heavy sigh.

Chakotay ran a hand over his forehead, wiped away a fine sheen of perspiration. "I may not be too old for the floor, but I may be too old for interruptions."

Kathryn laughed, stepping over and wrapping her arms around him. "This from the man who successfully made it through the Delta Quadrant?"

He couldn't believe she was laughing – he expected her to be more worried about the situation.

She pressed a kiss against his neck, ran her hands along his back. "You know what they say – all's well that ends well."

He shifted uncomfortably in her embrace, whispered in her ear. "This didn't end as well as I was hoping."

"Later," she promised, giving him another kiss. "Now, let's put your brace on."

~vVv~