--Disclaimer-- Paramount owns all rights to characters, sets, yadda yadda yadda. I own nothing but the plots. All hail Paramount and TPTB…unless of course you're referring to Endgame. Then shoot them.

--Warning-- I am an avid J/Cer. If you are offended by this, do not keep reading. The following material may contain oodles of unbelievably cheesy J/C. Deal with it.

--R/R ing-- Please r/r. Flames welcome, as long as they're not along the lines of 'I hate this story. It sucks.' Flames gotta have a REASON. Then I'm fine.

--A/N-- SCHOOL IS OUT! Well, it's been out for a few weeks. I've just been…kind of bored and disgusted with where this story is going, to tell the truth. It's too sappy and cheesy and detailed and not light enough. This is supposed to be a funny, light story. Not a heavy, boring J/C, ending in a deux ex machina. No me gusta. Also, I'll be in Europe for the next couple weeks, so no update for awhile.

Anyway, The romance starts here. Sort of. Well, you'll see. It gets less humorous and more heavy in this chapter, but I'm trying my best to lighten the mood. Happy reading :)

--Another A/N -- I hate it when people write in all caps, but…DID ANYONE ELSE BUY HOMECOMING PART 1? IT'S…CRAZY. I REFUSE TO ACCEPT IT AS CANON. It's well written, but Christie Golden's work always seems a little bit forced and unoriginal. One more bone to pick…Chakotay DOES NOT have family. They are DEAD. Pathways CLEARLY states that Chakotay's family was killed on Dorvan V by the Cardassians. So he couldn't possibly have a sister and a mother as shown in Homecoming. Blah. Here's the story.

--Coffee Problems--

--Chapter 4 – Dinner--

Kathryn rang the door chime to her first officer's quarters.

"Come in," a voice called from inside.

She stepped inside the doorframe, and paused in amazement. Although the lights were off, numerous candles were placed strategically around the room, giving off enough illumination to be able to see. The air faintly smelled of roses, and, in the shadows, Kathryn could vaguely make out the shapes of vases filled with flowers. The table was covered with an elegant, lacy cloth, and a single candle illuminated a single maroon rose.

She was interrupted out of her romantic reverie by Chakotay calling her name. "Kathryn? Are you ready for dinner?"

"What? Oh- yes. Of course. Chakotay, this is gorgeous. Why- ," she broke off suddenly and blushed.

He grinned at her, dimples flashing. "Kathryn, just relax and enjoy it."

"Yes, sir," she countered with a smile. "Oh, by the way, this is for you." She handed him the book she had replicated earlier, and he put it on a nearby shelf.

"Thank you, Kathryn. Sit down. I'm just going to get dinner. I'll be right back." He left the room, leaving Kathryn alone with her thoughts. This was all so pretty. It must have taken Chakotay ages to put all the candles in the right place and replicate all those roses. Sometimes it seemed like that man had far too many rations for his own good.

Chakotay stepped back into the room, laden with a tureen and a bottle of wine. Kathryn could smell the spicy aroma rising from the dish, and her mouth began to water. He gently set it down and spooned thick, meaty soup into two delicate bowls. The scent of thyme and rosemary combined with rich broth tantalized Kathryn's deprived senses. Pouring the wine into glasses already on the table, Chakotay sat down, and he grinned at the expression on her face.

"A penny for your thoughts."

"Oh…well…this all looks so delicious, but I wasn't expecting anything fancy. I told you that I would be fine with-"

"That you would be fine with something simple," he interrupted. "Yes, I know. But I though it would be fun to make something tastier and more complicated. Plus, I felt sorry for you."

"For me?"

"Yeah. With no coffee, you would need something that at least tasted good."

Kathryn laughed. "Thanks for reminding me, Chakotay. I was almost beginning to forget about my lack of coffee."

"Anytime, Kathryn. Now, are we going to talk all night, or are we going to actually eat this food?"

In response, she merely gulped down a large spoonful of the soup, sighing in delight. Chakotay raised his eyebrows but said nothing. Instead, he started to drink his own soup as well. They ate in silence; Kathryn was relishing the first real food she'd had in days, and Chakotay made no attempt to push her into conversation. After both their bowls were empty, he flashed her another grin.

"I'm going to get the entrée. Stay put." He was back in a minute, carrying a dish filled with pasta. He cleared the bowls and set the dish of pasta onto the table. The simple fettuccine alfredo was a perfect compliment to the stew that had preceded it. Chakotay handed her a fork. Taking some pasta onto her own plate, Kathryn took a bite. It was every bit as rich as the soup. But then, what else could she expect from her diligent first officer?

"So…I've been wondering. Have you had any coffee cravings yet?"

She made a face. "Plenty, in fact. I tried to read a book earlier, but I realized I had no idea what I'd just read. I gave up after that and went to take a bath. These random thoughts about coffee kept springing into my head. It was horrible."

He laughed. "Kathryn, you have no idea how incredibly funny this is. You're forcing yourself not to drink coffee. Do you know how long we've all been trying to get you to do that?"

"Oh, shut up. Commander," she deadpanned, with heavy emphasis on the rank.

"Aye, aye, Captain."

Suddenly, Kathryn began to feel dizzy, but she chalked it up to fatigue and the discovery of her recent allergy. Shaking her head, she smiled at Chakotay.

"Kathryn? You okay?"

She shook her head again and said, "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine."

"Okay…but if you don't feel well, make sure to go to sick- Kathryn?"

She had collapsed into her pasta; luckily, her arm was covering her face, saving Kathryn from a faceful of fettuccine. Still, that wasn't good.

"Oh, hell. Chakotay to Sickbay. Kathryn's passed out. Beam us directly there."