Her fingers smoothed over the surface of her sequined dress before they came to rest on her hips. Kathryn turned again, admiring herself in the mirror. She had never thought of slipping back into the role of Queen Arachnia, yet here she was. She couldn't decide though whether she liked it or not. Tom Paris had suggested a Captain Proton themed Halloween Party and as this was her only fitting costume, Kathryn had no choice really. Ever since their adventure with the photonic beings, people had been curious about what she had looked like as the queen of the spider people and now the time had come to show them.

She turned again, this time admiring her backside in the mirror. God, she did look good in this dress, even if she had to say so herself. It was a snug fit, highlighting the feminine parts she usually hid under her uniform. Kathryn craned her neck, raising her chin before ogling herself in the mirror. The role of queen certainly suited her. She liked wielding power and Arachnia certainly reflected that. Her makeup, hair and nails were over the top, of course, but Kathryn couldn't keep the smile of her lips when she imagined her staff seeing her like this. She was sure a few mouths would drop open. Chakotay's certainly would. Well, she hoped at least.

She glanced down at her bosom, evaluating her assets before she fidgeted with the dress. There was plenty to see already, probably more than there should be given her position as the captain, but this was a party and she was supposed to look the part. A little more mounded skin wouldn't do any harm. And if a crewman or two happened to look down her cleavage and appreciate her for the woman that she was, who was she to complain? Surely there was nothing wrong with that. It was natural, after all. Besides, she had to show the crew that Seven of Nine was not the only woman on board with breasts worth lusting after. Not that Kathryn needed anyone to lust after her, of course not, but… well, she was desirable too.

Ayala sometimes stole a glance, but it wouldn't be so awful if perhaps one or two other men would start to steal glances too.

She pulled down the fabric on her cleavage a little more when her alarm started to beep. The party had been in full swing for half an hour already, but Kathryn had decided to be fashionably late. She was the queen after all, and as such she had to make a grand entrance – one where all eyes were on her. Not Seven, not the Delany sisters, no – on her. Alone. She took a deep breath before she looked at her figure one last time in the mirror. A crooked smile caressed her lips before she pulled an eyebrow up at herself. "Time to WOW your subjects, your majesty."

Breasts.

It was all he could see.

He swallowed.

Breasts in abundance.

Chakotay tugged his ear, pretending to listen to the conversation they were engaged in. The Doctor, dressed of course as the President of Earth, had been talking for ages and Chakotay struggled to focus his gaze and attention on anything other than Queen Arachnia's cleavage.

Lord, how could such a small woman have such grand looking... tits ? They were more than a handful. They had to be. He was sure of that. He was probably imagining things, but ever since Kathryn had entered the holodeck, he felt like she was flaunting her body at him. It was probably just wishful thinking on his part, but he couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to it than what met the eye.

"Kathryn, would you like a drink?" Chakotay interrupted the conversation and all eyes turned to him. She smiled and nodded.

"That would be lovely, Chakotay. Thank you."

Chakotay nervously brushed a few tiny pearls of sweat from his forehead as he trotted off towards the bar. If he didn't snap out of it soon, everyone would notice his fixation. No one had expected the captain to show up as the infamous Queen Arachnia, nor had anyone expected her to look this hot in that gown. Least of all him. He thought Paris had been messing with him when Tom described her as looking deliciously epic.

Chakotay was dressed as Count Dracula and the high collared shirt and old fashioned cravat made him feel like he was about to suffocate. Deep down he knew the problem wasn't his costume but Arachnia, but he didn't wish to go there. Thinking about what that woman does to his more masculine senses was not something he should be doing in front of her, nor was a crowded holodeck the place for such unholy fantasies.

"Anything I can help you with?"

Chakotay looked up and was surprised to see Tom smiling at him. Chakotay had been so lost in thought that he hadn't realised he had already reached the bar. He stopped tugging on his collar and rested his hands on the bar before his fingers began drumming the surface while he read the menu.

"Two Mojitos, please."

Paris smiled. "For you and the Captain?"

"Yes."

A nod. "Coming right up."

Chakotay smiled, before pointing towards the toilets. "Thanks. I'll be just a minute."

"Sure."

Chakotay's body still felt flushed and he had to get his shit together if he wanted to survive the evening without an embarrassing incident. Queen Arachnia was going to be his undoing if he continued drooling over her this way. Splashing some cold water into his face to bring him back to reality seemed like a good idea.

Tom, dressed as Captain Proton, watched the commander leave, before mixing the drinks. After he poured the cocktails, Tom pulled out a tiny bottle from his pocket which was filled with a clear liquid. Harry, who had been watching his friend over the counter, drew in a sharp breath. He knew all too well what Tom was up to.

"If she finds out about this, she's going to kill you."

Tom waved him off.

"Relax Harry, nobody will find out… all I'm doing is helping her relax… so the rest of us can relax too and enjoy the party. Even though she's dressed as Arachnia, she's stiff and strict like Captain Janeway. Really, I'm doing this for the crew's sake."

Harry shifted uncomfortable as he watched his friend uncork the little glass. "How charitable of you."

Tom was carefully pouring a few drops into one of the glasses as Neelix squeezed past him with a tray filled with food. "Sorry, coming through," was all the Talaxian could muster, bumming Tom and causing him to pour the entire bottle into the Captain's drink.

"Shit" Tom hissed as he stared at the glass in front of him. That had been waaaay too much Numtardian alcohol essence for one person. Even a Klingon would have trouble keeping himself upright if he drank all of that. He didn't want to think about what it would do to their petite captain.

Harry, who had been watching wide eyed, leaned even further over the counter. "Quick, Tom, do something. Chakotay is coming back!"

Paris swallowed.

'Right. Do something. Do something.' he muttered.

He eyed the two glasses in front of him and quickly grabbed Chakotay's glass, downing the majority of it in one large gulp. As soon as he put it back down, he poured some of Kathryn's glass over until the drinks were equally filled. He chucked in a few more ice cubes to make them look fuller before he decorated them with a few slices of fruit. To top it off, he pushed one pink and one blue straw into the glasses. He gave Chakotay a friendly smile as he approached, handing him the two drinks.

"Thanks, Tom."

Paris nodded sweetly, watching his superior officer leave. "Any time, Commander."

Harry glared at Tom, who let out a deep breath.

Tonight, things were going to get interesting.

Kathryn's shriek was so loud that Chakotay fell out of the bed. Had it not been for his glorious morning erection, he would've peed himself at the shock of such an unexpected wake up call. By the time he had stumbled back onto his feet and covered his genitals with a pillow, Tuvok was standing in the doorway pointing a phaser at him.

Chakotay was confused.

A fairly naked Kathryn clung to a set of white Starfleet issue bedsheets, covering the front of her body from a grim looking Vulcan. Only God knows how Tuvok had managed to enter Kathryn's room this quickly. He must have been just passing her quarters as she screamed. Clothes were scattered randomly all over the floor and it took Chakotay a few long seconds to realize that he was definitely not in his bedroom.

He blinked as he tried to assess the situation. Kathryn's hair looked positively wild and her neck and collarbone were covered with a bunch of bruises. She held onto the blanket so tightly that her knuckles had turned white and the look on her face was a perfect illustration of horror with a dash of confusion, shock and uncertainty.

"Commander Chakotay, may I enquire what you are doing in the Captain's bedroom?"

He looked at Tuvok bewildered. If he only knew himself, he would've only been too happy to give Tuvok a reasonable explanation, but he did not. Last night's memories were more than a little foggy. In fact, some of them seemed completely gone. He only knew that his head was pounding like hell and that his heart was racing at Warp 10.

"I… I'm not certain" he stuttered at last and Tuvok raised a questioning eyebrow. He slowly lowered the phaser before he turned to look at Kathryn.

"Given the fact that your scream echoed through almost 2 decks I assume you did not invite the Commander to stay with you, Captain!?"

Kathryn's mouth fell open. She would've liked to state that his assessment of the situation was correct, but she was not certain. Last night's memories were more than just blurry. In fact, some of them were gone. She only knew that she had a terrible headache and that she had seen everything that was possible to see from Chakotay.

"I… I'm not certain" she admitted and Tuvok raised another questioning eyebrow, before letting out a small breath.

"I see," was all he responded before he put both of his hands behind his back. "As I do not believe you in any grave danger, I will resume my security patrol, Captain. Commander." He nodded at both his superior officers before leaving the two of them to figure it out by themselves.

Chakotay did not dare to look at Kathryn, so he fixed his gaze at the joint where the bedframe and the mattress met. He was still holding one of her pillows against his crotch while his other one tugged nervously on his ear. His hair was ruffled and stuck up in all directions while a pillow print, as well as something that looked like scratches, graced one of his cheeks.

"Uhm… I…"

He wasn't sure if an apology was going to cut it. Heck, he didn't even know if he had anything to apologize for. If they… If they did it , then he was certain it was consensual. Even drunk he wouldn't dare force himself on a woman, least of all his captain and secret love.

"Did… Did we…?" Kathryn's voice was shaky. She bit her lip, looking at Chakotay as if she expected him to know more than she did. He didn't.

"I... "

If the painfulness of his erection and balls was any indication, he was fairly certain they hadn't. Usually in the morning after a round or two of hanky-panky his nuts felt… lighter .

"I don't- …I don't think we have."

He raised his gaze to look at her and Kathryn licked her lips nervously. She knew she could sort-of check by snaking a hand down between her legs to feel if there was any evidence left. In a drunken state they probably would've not cleaned up and she certainly wouldn't have… dried on her own had he… emptied himself into her.

Good god, but could she, with him watching her? He was her XO.

"Kathryn…" he began and she knew he was going to prompt her to do it. Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment and the grip she had on the blanket tightened. She really didn't want her commander to ask her to touch herself in front him, no matter how naked or attractive he was. They were far from sharing this kind of intimacy.

"Could you... Could you turn round?"

He pressed his lips into a thin line before he turned his back to her. Kathryn gasped lightly when she was suddenly exposed to his finely shaped ass. His buttocks was as tanned as the rest of him. His defined muscles, undoubtedly from his boxing sessions, ran down his back. As he bent to pick up something from the floor, Kathryn averted her gaze before carefully sliding a hand under the covers.

She let out a relieved breath as the feared evidence was not to be found. While Chakotay pulled up his pair of briefs she dared a quick glance under the covers to see if her hips showed any visual signs of large hands grasping them to hold her in place. They didn't.

Kathryn felt a wave of relief wash over her. Chakotay landing in her bed had not been intentional. She knew how her drunk self could be and she was glad that yesterday's Halloween escapade had spared her the embarrassment of a frantic one-night-stand with her second in command.

"Well?" he wanted to know after he had slipped on his underwear, still facing away from the bed.

"No."

He took a slow and deep breath. "Good."

Chakotay was honestly glad that all he had done in his delirium was to enter the wrong quarters, only to sleep in a bed that didn't belong to him. He hadn't wanted his first time with Kathryn to be a series wild quickies all over her quarters. Although, it didn't sound half bad.

He tugged on his ear. "I will… pick up my stuff then leave."

Kathryn found herself nodding before she responded with a silent "Yesss". She wouldn't leave the bed until he was gone. She watched him as he picked up his costume pieces, which were mingled on the floor between bits and bobs from her Arachnia outfit. He slid into his trousers and his white shirt, heading towards the door, hesitating for a moment at the threshold.

"Kathryn, I'm really sorry about this. I didn't mean to break into your private space and frighten you. I must have been very drunk to not realize I was entering the wrong room," he mumbled, facing the darkness of her living room. He didn't dare turn round to face her.

She wasn't quite sure how she was supposed to respond, so she waved him off with a simple "Apology accepted. See you on the bridge, Commander."

He nodded.

Usually they shared breakfast together in the mess hall, but somehow it didn't feel appropriate to ask her. Chakotay could feel his ears burning from embarrassment, so he was sure he wouldn't be able to share a meal with her pretending this hadn't happened. At least not yet. He left without another word, hoping nobody beside them and Tuvok was aware of this humiliating misunderstanding.

Chakotay felt like he was doing the walk of shame. He had showered and changed with warp speed, trying to get this day over and done with as quickly as possible, but as soon as he stepped into the livelier corridors of Voyager he felt like all eyes were on him. Passing crewmen suppressed grins, while some pointed at him before whispering. Apparently his sleepover in the Captain's quarters had made its rounds faster than expected. He hadn't thought Tuvok a gossip, but apparently he had been wrong.

As he entered the mess hall some crew members welcomed him with whistles and applause, making him want to disappear into thin air. He could feel the blush crawling up his neck, but he pretended to be unaffected by the buzz around him. Just as he reached for a tray to pick up some food, Ayala slapped him hard on his shoulder.

"It's been a while since I've heard you make a woman scream, Chakotay."

Annoyed, Chakotay pressed his eyes shut before he shifted uncomfortably. "Soooo... you've heard!?"

Mike grinned at Chakotay mischievous, before he leaned in to whisper. "I think half of the ship heard her. Although I must admit I thought you'd make her scream in pleasure and not out of fear."

The Commander looked up sharply, terror rooting him to the ground. Great.

Ayala noticed his friend's discomfort and placed a finger onto his lips before shaking his head. "Don't worry, only the security detail with Tuvok this morning knows."

Yeah, right. That didn't make him feel better. At all.

Ayala smiled as he said it and given the crew's reaction when Chakotay had entered the mess hall earlier, he was fairly certain Ayala was messing with him. Voyager was a small ship after all and him leaving the captain's quarters in the same clothes as the day before, was sure gossip gold. Not to mention Kathryn's scream, which apparently was heard over multiple decks and by half the crew.

The more Chakotay thought about it the more he wished the ground would swallow him whole. He didn't know what was worse - the crew thinking he and the captain had it off like a pair of rabbits until she screamed, or the crew thinking that the scream was not one of pleasure.

Okay, perhaps the ship knowing he had sneaked into her quarters last night like a creep was much worse then them assuming he had slept with Kathryn... Or was it?

Nervously he tugged his earlobe. God, he knew already that he'd never hear the end of this. How would he wiggle himself out of it without having to live with the shame? Ayala laughed at his fidgeting, patted him on the shoulder again and moved on to drop off his food tray.

"It's not that bad, trust me!" Alaya assured.

Chakotay watched him for a moment before resuming to pick up his breakfast. He couldn't dwell on it, not here with all eyes on him. His butt had barely hit the seat when B'Elanna slid into the chair opposite.

"How are you feeling?"

He remained silent as he looked up and Torres gulped.

"WOW, you look like you were engaged in a battle with a wildcat."

She watched him poke his fork into the grey mess on his plate. He didn't need to say anything for B'Elanna to know that something was up. The scratches on his face and neck were definitely worse than yesterday night and B'Elanna could feel the tension in the air. She shifted forward in her seat.

"Listen, Chakotay, I wanted to apologize for yesterday. I know I had no right to go in between the two of you, but if I hadn't I'm certain the situation would have escalated. Things got too heated and I wanted to stop it before irreparable damage was done."

He let out a huff. Great. Drunken him had engaged in a fight too.

He put the fork down. The food really didn't look appetizing and his gut felt too upset to eat something anyway. Chakotay knew he had a tendency to pick fights when he had too much to drink, so this really shouldn't have surprised him. When he had joined Voyager he vowed to himself to become a better man, for the ship and for Kathryn, but obviously after 6 years he had finally hit the point where he started to fuck things up. Oh, why did he have to go to this damn party last night? Tom Paris was a dead man. Chakotay would kill him for his ideas and lethal drink concoctions.

"Was it that bad?" Chakotay asked.

She shook her head. "I think it depends on your definition of 'bad' . Both of you were pretty out of it last night and it was a long time coming, so I guess it didn't surprise anybody."

He rubbed his hand over his face. Long time coming? Christ, which crewmen that he wasn't keen on, had he hit? He couldn't remember shit. Well, he could remember a few things about a very intoxicating Queen Arachnia, but nothing that had made him violent.

"How are you feeling?" she enquired again.

He shrugged. His headache was nothing compared to his heartache and the feeling of shame that crawled all over his skin.

"Alright I guess. A bit of a headache."

"Perhaps you should call into sickbay before you head to the bridge. I'm sure the Doc can give you something that helps. Plus your claw marks need to be taken care of. They look really bad."

She then grinned and pulled up an eyebrow as if she was mocking him, before getting up and waddling off. He guessed if B'Elanna could laugh about his injuries, the fight really hadn't been that bad… that or he had lost badly.

His head snapped up.

Oh god, had he lost? Had he had his ass kicked in front of the entire crew? Oh please, no. No. No. No. Not a lost fight on top of an assumed one-night-stand with the captain. Please no. He couldn't live with the humiliation of it all.

She had debated with herself for the last 15 minutes and through a whole cup of coffee whether she should visit sick bay or not. The bruises didn't look pretty, but she could hide them under her turtleneck. Nobody would see them, but then again, she had a Velocity match scheduled with Seven later today and there was no way she could wear her turtleneck shirt through that.

Kathryn loathed spending time in sickbay when it concerned her own health, especially when she couldn't explain where the injury came from. A bruise on the leg or an arm was easy to explain, she could've knocked something unconsciously, but how the heck did she manage to get them on her neck and collarbone? She knew very well what they looked like, but she was certain that that cause was out of the question. She wasn't 14 anymore nor had she been hiding with her first crush in a hay barn.

She took a deep breath before stepping into sickbay. She knew despite his programming the Doctor was a nosy individual and she already dreaded his questioning. He was busy rearranging med-kits when Kathryn entered.

"Ah, good morning Captain. I see you have recovered from yesterday's… excitement ."

She smiled as she moved to sit on one of the biobeds. He was in an extremely cheery mood, so she summarized that he had enjoyed himself at the Captain Proton Party.

"How may I help you today?"

For a second she cringed and hesitated, before she hooked a finger into her turtleneck to pull it away so he could take a glance down her neck.

"I must have fallen yesterday…" she began, but stopped as the Doctor pulled an eyebrow up at her, as if he was visually asking her if she was serious.

"I didn't know it was possible to fall against Commander Chakotay's lips."

Kathryn's fake smile dropped. "Excuse me?"

The Doctor continued to admire her neck, before grabbing a dermal regenerator in an unhurried manner. "I believe the human term for this type of bruise is 'hickey' ."

She let go of her turtleneck, causing the fabric to snap back against her skin. She straightened her back before she glared at the EMH. The gossip of Chakotay waking up in her bed sure had made its way around quickly.

"Just because he woke up in my bed doesn't mean we engaged in… activities !" she snared, which caused the Doctor to still his movements.

"You took him to bed!?"

By the way his eyes went wide and his attention was solely focused on her, Kathryn felt like she had just said something she shouldn't have. He looked like the cat who got the cream and not for the first time today, Kathryn didn't know what was happening. She was just about to ask how he knew, or better why he assumed, that Chakotay had given her hickeys when the sickbay doors opened and Tom Paris walked in.

"Good morning, your majesty." Tom grinned as he bowed, while waving his hand in circular motion.

"Good morning, Mister Paris" the doctor greeted friendly, while he finished pressing buttons on a hypospray before pushing it against Kathryn's neck. Her headache suddenly vanished and Kathryn wondered how he had known that she had needed it. She hadn't mentioned her headache. "You seem cheery today."

"I am." Tom gaped for a second before he pointed towards the doctors office. "May I see you for a minute?"

"Sure. Just let me finish treating the Captain."

Paris clasped his hands together in front of his body, before he stretched himself and waited for the EMH to continue. Kathryn suddenly felt really uncomfortable. She didn't want her apparent hickeys treated in front of Voyager's know-it-all, so she took the dermal regenerator out of the Doctor's grasp.

"Actually, Doctor, why don't you take care of Mister Paris? I'm sure I can manage this myself."

He gave her a disagreeing frown, but before he could protest she waved him off.

"Don't worry, I will bring the regenerator back to you in one piece. You have my word."

With that she hopped off the bed, looked at the two men, nodded and headed towards the exit. She'd be damned if Paris ever found out she had a whole bunch of love bites on her neck.

The morning on the bridge was quiet. Kathryn was reading a report on one of her padds while Chakotay leaned towards the middle console and pressed a whole bunch of buttons. They had barely looked at each other and only conversed when necessary. She assumed he was still embarrassed about earlier and she couldn't blame him for it. Waking up in someone else's bed, naked and without any knowledge of how you got there was nothing she wanted to experience. Least of all with her boss.

She considered striking up a conversation several times, but he looked so deep in thought that she hadn't dared to disturb him. His cheek and neck were still covered in horrible red gashes and she wondered how he had gotten them.

Chakotay tried with all his might to concentrate on the nebula readings in front of him, willing himself to be interested in the subject when all he could think of was how he could avoid Kathryn for the rest of the day. The readings were 2 days old and didn't really need to be analyzed again, but he was in desperate need of an occupation that looked important. Kathryn loved detailed analytics of the things they had found, so she sure wouldn't disturb him in his task of filling Voyagers database with Delta Quadrant intel. She hadn't said anything to him, for which he thanked the heavens, and he hoped that they could just brush it under the carpet and pretend this morning never happened.

Tom tapped his fingers on the console covering in front of him before he spun round in his chair to face his senior officers.

"Captain, may I turn the viewscreen off?"

Kathryn looked up from her padd.

"There is nothing to see in this dead stretch of space…"

She was slightly perplexed by his odd request, but she nodded. If anything was out there Harry's consoles would alert them in time. "If you wish, Mr. Paris."

Paris turned around again and Kathryn looked back at her padd. It wasn't until a stifled laugh could be heard from Harry, that she looked back up. He covered his mouth quickly with his hand, before he looked back down at his console, pretending to read something. She took a deep breath and was about to get back to her padd, when suddenly something in the corner of her eye caught her attention.

She raised her head to look at the view screen, which was slowly displaying photograph after photograph from last night's party.

"What is this, Mister Paris?" she inquired, causing Chakotay to look up and focus his attention to the slideshow on the viewscreen.

Tom turned his chair again and smiled sweetly. "Our screensaver, Captain."

She raised a questioning eyebrow at him. A screensaver? On a starship? Just as she was about to question his sanity, an image of Neelix tripping over popped up. His mouth was wide open as he plunged forward, one hand gripping a serving tray while the other tried to catch a flying piece of hors d'oeuvre. The image had captured the little appetizer mid-flight perfectly. Neelix was tilting the serving platter, which caused the other snacks to roll sideways too.

Kathryn almost choked on her unexpected laugh. She remembered Neelix falling over, but she hadn't thought it that funny at the time. She should've known better than to let the slideshow continue to run, but the next image showed Naomi standing next to her mother. They were dressed in matching monster costumes and Naomi was holding up a bag of sweets, grinning from one ear to the other. She looked adorable and Kathryn slumped back into her chair, enjoying the sight of her happy crew.

While she hoped that those images might jumpstart her memory, Chakotay shifted uncomfortably in his chair. As good as the images were so far, he feared that there might be one of him getting a beating. A scolding from the captain for picking a fight - on top of this morning's mishap - was more than he could possibly bear. He dreaded every new image.

Chakotay's body relaxed when a photo of Arachnia and himself shimmered into existence. She was clinging onto him, her hand possessively touching his chest, while his hand curled around her hip to hold her up. She was saying, or rather shouting, something at the camera man and her facial expression suggested that she might have had a drink or two too many. Chakotay was clearly stopping her from falling over and it made him giggle.

At the sound of his muffled laughter Kathryn looked over to him, before sliding slightly deeper into her chair in embarrassment. Great, drunken Arachnia got handsy with her XO. She took a deep breath and lifted her chin. He couldn't remember this last night either so there was bound to be a humiliating picture of him too somewhere. All she had to do was wait for it.

The next few images were of various crewmembers enjoying themselves, but all Kathryn could concentrate on was herself in the background, her hands still all over Chakotay. A blush worked its way up her neck and onto her cheeks, which in the blink of an eye turned into a crimson flush.

She was pressed against a wall. Her skirt was hitched up to her hips while her naked legs cradled Chakotay, pulling him closer to her. His mouth was latched onto her neck like an octopus, sucking on her delicate skin.

Kathryn's hand flung up to her mouth to cover a pained moan, while Chakotay did a double take in blinking. Harry struggled to suppress his hysterics, while Tom wiped away tears of laughter.

The longer she looked at the image, the worse it got. Chakotay's hands were…

She tilted her head.

Good god, where were Chakotay's hands? From what she could make out, both disappeared under the fabric of her dress. One looked like it was firmly grabbing hold of her buttocks underneath her costume while the other…

She swallowed.

...while the other vanished somewhere in between her thighs.

Kathryn's breath started to come out in short, uneven puffs while her fingers began to shake. No way in hell did they do that… in front of the entire crew. Slowly the picture dissolved and a new one appeared.

This time Chakotay's mouth was crashing down hard on hers, making out with her like a teenager who was starved of touch. One of her arms wrapped around his neck, while the other took hold of his cheek and chin, her fake fingernails leaving red marks on his skin. One of his hands was grabbing her breast, his thumb stroking over the exposed flesh over cleavage.

If Chakotay had thought this morning couldn't have gotten any worse, he was clearly wrong. Obviously he had been all over his captain last night and she seemed to have let him. Nervously he tugged his ear while he chewed the inside of his lip. This was bad. So very, very bad. No wonder the crew had applauded him this morning, because by looking at these pictures, they seemed to be more than just friends and it was understandable why they thought he had scored.

The next image was hard to make out as Chakotay's hand was half covering the picture, as if he was trying to push the photographer away. On the clear side of the image B'Elanna could be seen trying to pull the two of them apart, but judging by his facial expression, Chakotay was not too happy about the Klingons intrusion. Kathryn's costume was rustled and out of shape while her hands grasped his shirt as if to stop him from leaving.

The bridge was filled with an orchestra of stifled laughs, giggles and snort and Kathryn snapped. She jumped out of her chair before a loud "ENOUGH" thundered through the room. Tom instantly snapped to attention and turned the screensaver off before looking at his captain. Her face was bright red, but her stare was one that could kill.

"Mister Chakotay, my ready room. NOW!"

She glared down at him and Chakotay shifted uncomfortably before he swallowed. Her dropping his rank and calling him 'Mister' was not a good sign. He was a dead man. Even the rest of the bridge staff knew it. He could tell by the way they looked at him.

"Oh-Oh." Tom mumbled as he watched Chakotay rise. "Someone's about to be killed."

Kathryn, who was heading towards her office, froze in her tracks before she turned and glared at Tom. She pointed a warning finger at him. "You will be next, Mister Paris."

Tom swallowed. "Yes, ma'am." He then pressed his lips shut and straightened his posture. She didn't need to tell him that he was in trouble about the screensaver stunt because it was written all over her face. Tom's fingers could already feel the toothbrush with which she would make him scrub conduits.

Chakotay rubbed his face as he trotted off towards his untimely death. Mere seconds after the ready room doors had closed behind him, she spun round, both hands on her hips and a death glare in her face.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself, Chakotay!?"

He frowned. "What?"

She let out an annoyed huff before she shifted her jaw left and right. "Your behaviour last night is unpardonable. What gave you the right to do… that… in front of the entire crew?!"

He blinked, his mouth dropping wide open at the accusation of this being entirely his doing. He could see her bottom lip tremble due to her having worked herself up, but he wouldn't have it. Not this time. This was not merely his doing alone.

"Are you suggesting that I… forced myself upon you?"

She dropped an arm and let it hit the side of her leg. "Well, didn't you? Those pictures looked pretty incriminating, obviously you were the one who initiated it."

"Are you freaking serious, Kathryn!?" He waved his hand randomly through the air before he stepped closer to desk and placed it forcefully onto the surface of her table. "What is this? Sexual cannibalism*?"

She pulled her head back and let out snort. "Excuse me?"

She wasn't a praying mantis who would kill her male after mating.

He leaned further over the table, his face grim. "The spider queen luring males into her web, entangling them, engaging with them in sexual activities only to verbally castrate them afterwards."

She gaped. "I… I did NOT lure you."

"Oh no? You were flashing your body at me all night taunting me with your cleavage, possessively touching me. Or did I imagine that?"

She wanted to say yes, but she secretly wanted to get handsy even before she arrived at the party. Those pictures out there proved of that… but a slight touch was certainly not an invitation for him to grope and kiss her.

"You pressed me against a wall, Chakotay, publicly I might add. You violated my personal space, put me in an embarrassing situation and caused injuries to my neck."

He sarcastically half-laughed before he pointed at his face. "Then what do you call these scratches, Kathryn? These were your doing. Yours. Besides, it looked very much like you enjoyed being pushed against that wall."

She gasped, a red blush still covering her cheeks. "I did not."

"Oh? Then why did your face look like you were seconds away from an orgasm?"

She did a double take in blinking. She had not looked like she was about to have an orgasm. She might have had her eyes closed and her head might have fallen backwards against the bulkhead, but that was not her orgasm face…. or was it? She'd never seen herself orgasm.

"I was not .. ."

"No? Then what about you moaning into my mouth while kissing? Or the picture where you cling onto me like your life depends on it when B'Elanna tries to pull me away? Your naked legs trapping me, pulling me towards you...?"

Oh. Chakotay might have a point in that being not entirely his doing. She did kind of look like she had been enjoying his dominance, his kisses and his touches. She might have even wanted them. She had always been attracted to him and she knew her drunk persona was way more likely to pursue a man she was interested in then her sober self. And, whether she liked to admit it or not, she was interested in him. Way more than she should be.

Kathryn knew that she was beaten. He was right, of course he was right. She had just been too stubborn, too embarrassed and too proud to admit it.

"I… I am sorry, Chakotay." She rubbed her temple. "You're right. I did my bidding too."

Surprised at her admission he straightened himself. "Do you admit to seducing me?"

She could feel her lips twitch at his wording and with all her might she swallowed her pride before answering with a silent "Yes".

Chakotay's face suddenly dimpled and he let out a laugh, which made Kathryn frown.

"Do you find me admitting guilt funny?"

He shook his head. He was still smiling and his eyes sparked with joy. "No. It's just… the whole thing of it… Kathryn Janeway seduced me. Me, Chakotay."

Kathryn couldn't stop herself from smiling either. She had to admit it, it was truly a little bit ridiculous. She crossed her arms in front of her chest before she leaned against the table and pulled an eyebrow up at him.

"Kathryn Janeway didn't seduce you, Chakotay. It was Queen Arachnia. A very drunk one."

He bit his lips, observing her. "I like Queen Arachnia. She's bold… and sexy… and very wise."

"Wise?"

He gave here a cheeky smile as he nodded. "Yes. She chose me. That is a very wise decision. Perhaps Kathryn Janeway should learn from her."

She had to stifle her laugh. He did have a point though. Arachnia certainly knew what she wanted and had no shame in going after it. Perhaps Kathryn should do the same. She and the Commander had been battling with their feelings for long enough. Kathryn knew she wanted him, just as much as she knew that he wanted her. She wasn't brave or bold enough yet to admit it though. She needed more time to get comfortable with the thought of disregarding Starfleet regulations. So, instead of agreeing with him and letting her walls finally crumble for good, she decided to playfully tease him.

"Do you really think that's a good idea? Just minutes ago you claimed to be the victim of sexual cannibalism from Archina. Do you really want to risk that with Kathryn too?"

He laughed. That damn woman was flirting with him again instead of finally giving in. How much longer was she going to keep him at arm's length? He knew she'd cave in eventually, but if she wanted to play tease, who was he to stop her?

"Actually it was Kathryn who almost cannibalized me, not Arachnia. We landed in bed together, then you freaked out and here we are… only inches from the grave you dug for me", he joked.

Kathryn's face suddenly dropped and nervousness shot through her veins. Did he just say they…? Did they…? She thought she was certain that they hadn't done it, given the fact that she couldn't find any evidence with her hands, but perhaps she had been wrong. What if they had and had cleaned up? Was his joke an implication that perhaps he did remember and had been too embarrassed to say it this morning? Her reaction to his presence in bed certainly hadn't been a warm, welcoming one. Assuming they hadn't done it due to some… medieval checking technique didn't exactly prove anything. Oh god, what if they did do it?

Chakotay was still laughing when her tiny hand reached across the table and grabbed him by the collar, pulling him over the desk. He almost lost his balance at her unexpected attack, then frowned when he stared into her panic stricken face. Maybe his joke had been too much.

"Kathryn, what's wr-"

"Did we?"

"Did we what?"

"You...you said this morning we didn't…"

He blinked confused. "What?"

She shuddered while breathing. "Did we or did we not have sex last night, Chakotay?"

Her face had turned all serious again and Chakotay was unsure what had brought on this sudden change of countenance. He shrugged as best as he could with her hands still gripping his collar.

"I don't know. What does it matter anyway, Kathryn?"

"It does."

He didn't understand. Sure, having their first time after a drunken holodeck party that neither could remember wasn't the ideal scenario, but they both god damn knew they would be doing it eventually. If they did it yesterday already, did it today or would do it tomorrow didn't really matter that much.

"Why does it matter so m-"

Before he could finish his question, she slightly shook him before she blurted dead serious: "I'm not on boosters, Chakotay!"

He wasn't either, nor could he honestly remember either if they did have sex or not. He didn't think they had, but if they did…

His face dropped.

Oh shit.

Chakotay's face was white. No one had ever thought he could look that white given his natural bronze skin colour. Silently he strode over to his chair, only to sit down and run his hand over his face and through his hair like he was at wits end.

Tom's pulse was racing at Warp 10. If Chakotay came out of the ready room looking like this, he didn't even want to begin to imagine what she would be doing to him if she ever found out about his spiking their drinks. He glanced over at Harry, hoping his friend would be able to reassure him, but he too looked seriously worried. Whatever Kathryn had done to Chakotay, it had finished him. Sure, she only knew of him mixing strong drinks and pulling a picture prank, but that too could end badly for him.

Harry nodded in the direction of the ready room, prompting Tom to get up and go in there like the captain had ordered earlier, but Tom shook his head. No way in hell was he going to go into the dragon's den. Harry glared at Tom, nodding again towards her office, but Tom ignored him point blank. Paris shook his head again while silently mouthing 'No way'.

Tom's blood froze as he heard the ready room doors swish open, before her husky voice echoed through the room. "Mister Paris."

He quietly whined as he stared down at the console in front of him, before pressing his eyes shut to say goodbye to all his favourite vintage cartoons and race flyers and snacks. She was going to end him and he'd never see any of them again.

"Tom", she said again and he could feel his insides turning. Slowly he spun his chair to face her.

"Yes, ma'am."

Kathryn hovered near the banister and to his surprise, she didn't look half as sour as he had imagined.

"You have the bridge while Commander Chakotay and I take care of some business."

Confused he blinked. "Oh-Okay."

She nodded before looking at Chakotay. "Commander?"

Wordlessly Chakotay got out of his chair and walked up to her. Together they exited the bridge via the turbolift, leaving a very confused crew and an immensely relieved Tom behind.

She obviously wasn't mad at Tom anymore and he grinned like an idiot as he turned again to face Harry. Happily Tom waggled around in his chair before turning the screensaver back on to look at the glorious pictures from last night. Oh, what fun this had been.

Libiamo ne' lieti calici,

Che la bellezza infiora;

E la fuggevol ora

S'inebriì a voluttà.

Loud opera music echoed through sickbay and the doctor sang with everything his voice could give. Ever so often he stopped and waved medical equipment through the air like he was performing for a large crowd and ambiguous hand gestures were required to emphasize the drama.

He was standing on top of a biobed roaring into the air, his eyes half closed while using a hypospray as microphone when the sickbay doors swished open. Both, captain and commander, stopped in the doorframe to exchange a glance.

"Computer end music" Kathryn demanded, but the music and the Doctors singing were so loud, that Voyager didn't pick up her command. She looked again at Chakotay before fully stepping into the room.

She had to almost shout her command for the orchestra to seize playing. The Doctor exhaled annoyed, but when he realized it was the Captain who had dared to disturb his perfect performance he smiled friendly before he greeted them.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?", Kathryn demanded and the EMH hopped off the biobed. He laid the hypospray on a med tray.

"Well, performing of course. An artist has to keep practicing if he wishes to reach brilliance." He arrogantly waved a hand through the air. "Not that I need to practice to be brilliant at what I'm doing, of course. It's already in my programming, but I enjoy the exercise."

He smiled at them, but Kathryn didn't feel like smiling at all. She was just about to tell him off when she felt Chakotay's hand on her arm. Instinctively she turned to look at him and was instantly reminded why they were here. Scolding the Doctor before diving into a very personal subject wasn't exactly the right way to go about this.

"How can I help you?", the Doctor enquired and Kathryn nervously licked her lips.

"Well...uuh.." She intertwined her fingers, kneading them while trying to find the right words. She slightly swayed back and forth, fighting with herself to say the words, but they didn't want to come. Thankfully Chakotay was there to help.

"Doctor, is there a way to determine whether two people have engaged in… reproductive activities?"

The Doctor stared at him. "I assume with reproductive you mean sex?"

Chakotay tugged his ear. "Yes."

Silently the Doctor eyed them. Given yesterday's very public incident between the command duo and the fact that only this morning the captain mentioned Chakotay waking in her bed, it didn't take him more than a nanosecond to figure out what they were asking this not on behalf of a distressed crew member, but for themselves. The Doctor was nosy however, so he couldn't stop his inquisitive subroutines from asking the question they both dreaded.

"Am I right in assuming that you two wish to know if yesterday ended in the two of you jumping each other's bones , like they used to say on Earth?"

Kathryn frowned, finding the floor exceedingly interesting to look at while Chakotay pulled his earlobe again before shifting from one foot to the other. Again, it was Chakotay who found his voice first.

"Yes, Doc."

"I see."

The EMH started to press a few buttons on one of the medical terminals before he picked up his blinking little scanner. "Please have a seat, Captain."

Wordlessly Kathryn sat down on one of the bed's while the Doctor waved the device over her abdomen and hips.

"Hmmmm… Interesting…", he mumbled while glancing at the monitor.

Kathryn could feel her stomach tighten and instinctively she placed her hand on her belly. Interesting was far from how she would describe the situation and the intensity with which the hologram stared at the monitor unsettled her even more. She wasn't ready to have Chakotay's baby. Not yet, not aboard Voyager, not without actually having a relationship with him.

"Hmmmm…", he hummed again before he pressed a bunch of buttons.

Chakotay chewed on his bottom lip as he watched the Doc do his thing. The suspense was killing him. "What is it, Doc?"

Surprised the EMH looked up. He had quite forgotten that he hadn't told them of his findings yet. "There are no traces of sperm, so no spider babies today I'm afraid."

"Spider babies?"

"Well, since you and Lt. Paris had lizard babies; it would've been only rational to call any child of Queen Arachnia a spider baby." He half-laughed at his own wordplay, but even though Kathryn was relieved not to have engaged in reproductive activities with Chakotay yet, she didn't find that particular joke very funny.

"What's interesting then?" Chakotay inquired and seriousness returned to the EMH's face. "Is something wrong with the Captain?"

He pointed at the screen. "There is nothing wrong with the Captain, but I'm detecting a rather unusual large amount of alcohol traces in her bloodstream. As far as I'm aware we do not have any beverage aboard this ship that could cause such a high reading so many hours after their consumption."

Kathryn pulled her eyebrows together. "Then what are you suggesting?"

"It looks like your drink was tampered with, Captain. Your delirious state yesterday was no accident."

Her mouth fell wide open before she looked at Chakotay. He had brought her the drinks, but she suspected that he wasn't the cruel pit. Chakotay stared back at Kathryn before balling his hands into fits and gritting his teeth.

Tom Paris sure was a dead man.