Kathryn sat at the small dining table in Justin's quarters and watched dots moving on the console. The program she'd written to tell them when the corridor was empty so she could leave discreetly was working perfectly.

"I never realized we had a morning rush hour," Kathryn called out to Justin as he finished throwing on his workout gear in his bedroom. "I'm about ready to send a ship-wide message that says 'Lieutenant Tighe and Ensign Janeway are dating. Deal with it.'" She looked up at him as he walked into the room and she sighed in exasperation. "I'm getting tired of hiding."

"Just three more weeks." He kissed her on the cheek, his strong hands stroking her shoulders. "But you're right, it does feel like we're back at the Academy, making the walk of shame the morning after a date."

She looked up at him with interest. "Did you do that much?" They hadn't talked about previous relationships beyond what they'd said the first night they'd been together.

He looked at her with an expression that said Me? Seriously?

Instead of answering her, he walked over to the replicator and ordered two mugs of coffee. For a moment she thought the conversation was over. Instead he returned, handed her one, and joined her at the small dining table.

"I had one girlfriend," he began, "during my first year at the Academy. It was over about as quickly as it started. Once I found out Admiral Edaaw was considering me for the Rangers I didn't even think about bothering with another relationship. I couldn't waste my four years by being distracted." He looked at her appreciatively. "I think I made the right choice. If you'd have been there when I was at the Academy, I wouldn't have gotten anything done."

This made her throw her head back in mock laughter. "I can't imagine I'm that distracting."

A smile escaped his lips. "Oh, you're pretty distracting, Kathryn Janeway." He began to lift his mug to his mouth, then paused. Quietly he said, "I miss working with you."

Kathryn didn't feel like she could say the same. Working for Darren Ditillo was day to the night that working for Justin had been. Darren—he insisted on first-name terms, even when they were on duty—was an extroverted man who went beyond simply dividing up the work to outright offering her the pick of the tasks to be done on any given day. Sometimes he even asked to be proved wrong and then followed her lead when she did. Even though she was only working only half time, she left her shift each day feeling more satisfied than she had in the last six months.

Telling Justin, 'I like you but you're an obnoxious, micromanaging boss,' somehow didn't seem like a very romantic thing to say in response to his flattery. He and Kathryn had found a rhythm after one week together and were down to one or two minor squabbles a day. She was secretly hoping to get through dinner before today's episode of bickering happened.

Quietly she offered, "I miss you while I'm working, too. I think about you quite a lot, actually."

That wasn't a lie, right? Just a minor…redirection. And the second half was absolutely true. It was work to keep him off her mind. Differential geometry paled in comparison to thoughts of his eyes, his arms, his chest, his fingertips exploring the length of her body…

Stop it, she thought to herself. He's right in front of you, all you have to do is ask. That'll definitely get him to forget your little half-truth, there. But he gazed at her. A gentle smile appeared on his lips and she knew he wasn't the wiser.

Hoping to disguise her own reluctance to continue this topic of conversation, she took a deep swallow of coffee and was surprised by what she tasted. The burned, bitter flavor was unmistakable and made her stare at the mug, then looked up at Justin.

"Justin, what is this?"

"Last time I checked, it was called coffee?" he joked.

"Of course it's coffee," she answered seriously. "Did you give me decaf?"

He looked at her, perplexed. "You can tell?"

She fixed her most withering glare on him. "Yes, I can tell. And at 0700 you are not to even attempt to hand me decaffeinated coffee if you'd like to live past your lieutenancy, is that understood?" she teased, voice serious but unable to keep the grin off her face.

He grinned in return and took the mug back. "Yes, ma'am." Turning around, he returned to the replicator to recycle it for her. She recalled his first order, a simple default request for 'Coffee, hot, two cups.' This time, he specified, regular as he asked for a new cup.

"Why on Earth are your defaults set to decaf?" she chided as the new cup materialized.

He looked at her seriously as he walked back and took his seat across from her. "Regular coffee makes me too anxious. I can't be nervous and suddenly be called on to make life-or-death decisions." He paused in memory, speaking more quietly when he continued, his eyes fixed on her. "I got the call about you at 1000 hours. If I'd been hyped up on a latte or two it could've gone even worse than it did."

Kathryn blinked as she realized what he was saying. "Justin, you're talking as if what happened was a failure. We got out. You got me out."

"And I drew my phaser when I should've realized it wasn't operative. And I wasn't situationally aware enough to avoid breaking my own ankle."

He was being ridiculous. "It was pitch dark, Justin, there was no way you should blame yourself for that." The look he shot her now said Are you crazy?

The frustration seeped into his voice. "Kathryn, I was wearing night vision contact lenses. There isn't a nocturnal animal on Earth that can see as well in the dark as I could that night. I broke my ankle because I wasn't paying attention."

All she could do was blink. Well, look who's standing on a ledge of self-blame, she thought. There's going to be no talking him down from this one. But there was nothing cathartic about watching him beat himself up until he'd emptied himself out. And so she stood up, leaned across the table and reached out to pull his mouth to hers.

Her fingers tangled in his hair, her eyes drifted closed and she kissed him softly. For a moment she couldn't think, lost in the feeling of his soft lips against hers, the night's beard growth rough on her hands. The lingering notes of coffee, bitter as it was, made the kiss that much sweeter.

She pulled away, still cradling his face in her hands.

"What was that for?" he asked, confused.

She fixed her eyes on his and admitted what she knew. "For the fact that I don't have the words to tell you what you need to hear."

A long moment went by before he responded, his voice almost inaudible.

"I don't know what I need to hear."

She leaned in and kissed him again. "That's fine."

He reached up and pulled her by the arm over to his side of the table, sitting her on his lap. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around his neck. His slipped around her waist and they kissed again.

"Don't go," he breathed. "Stay. At least for breakfast. You're not on duty for an hour."

"You know it won't be breakfast, it'll be breakfast in bed." At his sad half-smile, she continued, "I've missed breakfast with them twice this week already. Any more and they'll start asking questions." She paused. "Unless you want me to just send that message to the whole ship about us sleeping together and get it over with," she joked. He rolled his eyes.

"Fine, fine." With the hand that wasn't still wrapped around her, he turned the console to face them. A quick glance at her program showed that the corridor was emptying out, and she stood. He rose with her.

"I should be going, then," she said. But instead of responding, he reached up and adjusted the pip on her collar. It caught her off guard.

"It couldn't have slipped out of place already," she worried.

He stepped back to take in her whole image and shook his head. "It hadn't. I just wanted to see you ready for the day." The emotion overwhelmed her like a tidal wave.

I love you, Justin.

It took every ounce of her strength not to say it. Who knew how he would react? I think he feels it, she thought, but what if he doesn't?

"We should say goodbye," she said instead.

He nodded. "I'll see you after lunch? I'm looking forward to you showing me this tennis game you keep talking about."

"I keep telling you, don't get so excited. It's not that interesting."

"I'll be the judge of that." He pulled her to him and kissed her farewell, separating reluctantly. "Enjoy your duty shift, Ensign."

She nodded and they glanced down at the console again. The diagram of the corridor was blank at last.

"Coast is clear," he said.

She hurried to the door. Before she tapped the keypad, she kissed her fingertips and held them up for him to see across the room. He smiled back. The doors parted for her and she slipped out into the hallway.