"Kathryn, wake up!"

Kathryn groaned as someone shock her to wake her up, "I am awake." She replied tiredly. Then she opened her eyes to find Tom Paris looking at her, she sat up and stared at him, she stared her then looked away, slightly blushing. Kathryn looked down at her chest, where he had been looking to find her nightie strap had fallen down her arm and her breast was half exposed, she quickly repositioned the strap back on her shoulder, "How did you get in here?"

"You never sealed the front door, and when you didn't answer I got worried and came in." He replied. "So how's the hangover?"

"I don't have a hangover, how could I if I never got drunk?" she put a hand on her forehead, feeling a headache about to come on.

"You left the evidence at the scene of the crime." He smiled.

Kathryn was about to ask what he meant then realized that she had left all the empty vodka bottles on the table. "Could you get me a coffee please while I get changed?"

"Black?" He asked as he went to stand by the door.

"Black." Kathryn confirmed, and then Tom walked out to the living area.

Kathryn pushed the covers back and got out of bed. Out of all the people who could visit her it had to be Tom Paris, the former helmsman on Voyager, if they were still on Voyager she swore that everyone would know that she had a hangover quicker than she could say 'Coffee. Black.' She walked over to her wardrobe and pulled out a shirt, then got a pair of jeans from her chest of drawers. She quickly got changed in to them, brushed her hair then walked in to the living area, Tom was sat on a sofa drinking and there was a cup of hot black coffee on the table, the bottles were no longer occupying it.

She slumped down opposite Tom, picked up the cup and took a long sip, slightly cursing herself about her late night drinking, she felt awful. She put the cup back on the table, folded her arms loosely across her waist and sighed. "So, why did you come here, expect to make me coffee?"

"Sam's worried about you." He said bluntly.

Kathryn stared at him. "If she's worried about me, then why are you here?"

"Because she asked me to talk to you. She would have asked Chakotay but she doesn't know where he is." He replied, putting his own cup of coffee on the table.

"Oh," Was all he got.

"So is there something you want to talk about?" He asked.

Kathryn sighed again and looked down at her lap, maybe if she told him he would be able to help, maybe he could kill that bitch, "I'm seeing someone, but there's a problem." She said quietly.

Tome stared at her, confused. "Well, it's great you're seeing someone. Who is it? Why's there a problem?"

Kathryn sat in silence before saying. "It's Mark."

Tom thought for a moment. "You mean your ex-fiancé Mark. Isn't he married now?"

"That's the problem." When Tom didn't answer, Kathryn looked up at him; he was staring at her with a mixture of shock and disbelief on his face.

"Wait, let me get this straight, you're seeing your ex-fiancé who is now married, does his wife know?" He said, coming out of his shock.

Kathryn shook her head. "No, but I wouldn't be surprise if she suspected something was going on."

"How long have you been seeing him?"

"Today will be our fourth day." She answered, and then quickly added, "I don't need help or advice, Tom, I just needed to tell someone, just in case I need to talk in the future."

Tom nodded, "Okay, we'll if you need to talk, just call and I'll be straight over." He stood up. "I've got to go, I'll see myself out. Bye."

"See ya." She said as Tom left the apartment. She didn't have anything planned today, maybe I'll go and see Mark, she thought as she drank the rest of her coffee.

****

"Oh God!" Kathryn gasped. She was sat on top of Mark, her legs stranded across him, one hand clutching the pillow near his head, the other lying on his chest, her nails slowly beginning to dig in to him.

She had left her apartment not long after Tom went, she came here, her and Mark had an argument about what happened the other night when she came round for dinner, then they ended up in his bed – no, in his and Carla's bed.

Mark's hands rested on her hips, moving with her as she thrusted in to him, then with one final hard thrust, they climaxed together, Kathryn crying out his name as she did.

Kathryn laid down on her lover, lying on her left arm that rested on Mark's chest, not moving.

"Kath, are you alright?" Mark asked looking at her.

She slowly turned to face him; sweat forming at her hairline, her cheeks flushed red, her quickened breath on his neck. She answered, "Fine, my love. I'm fine." She rested her hand that was on the pillow on to his cheek, she couldn't tell if it was her hand or Mark's cheek, but her hand felt hot at the touch of his skin.

Then she moved her face in front of his and kissed him passionately. Then she slowly trailed kisses down his neck, working down to his chest, circling her tongue around of his nipples, before continuing down to his navel then –

"Mark!"

 Kathryn and Mark both shot up in to a sitting position, and looked at each other.

"Mark, are you home?!" Came Carla's voice from downstairs.

"Oh shit." Kathryn leapt off Mark and begun to collect her clothes off the floor, Mark also finding his clothes and getting changed. Kathryn dumped her clothes on the ruffled covers of the bed, quickly getting changed in to them. "I thought you said she would be out all day."

"That's what she told me." Mark replied as he pulled on his trousers and did them up, then he put on his socks before walking over to Kathryn, who was just finishing doing up her shirt and was putting on her jeans, he kissed her forehead. Kathryn pulled on her socks, put on her shoes then quickly ran her hands through her hair, trying to neating it out, with no success, if anything, it looked worse.

Then she followed Mark downstairs and in to the kitchen where Carla was. Carla turned around and was about to walk over to Mark, but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Kathryn standing beside him. "What's she doing here?"

Mark answered before Kathryn could, "Kathryn came round to talk, I was just showing her what I was planning to do with Kevin's room."

That's a lie, Carla thought, he stank of sex – he stank of that whore beside him. Trying to catch Kathryn out, Carla asked. "What do you like about it most?"

Kathryn stared at her, thinking about her answer, and then replied. "Mark's creative use. It's nice to know he can use it in the bedroom and not just the kitchen." She smiled.

 Did she mean that as a harmless remark, no she didn't, Carla thought when she saw Kathryn had a smug smile on her face, and Carla wanted to slap it off her. Then in a burst of anger she screamed, "Get out of my house, you whore!!" then launched herself towards Kathryn, only to fall in to Mark who sat her down on one of the stools.

He turned to Kathryn, "Kath, I think you'd better go."

"Okay," She to leave, but stopped and turned back to face Carla. "Carla, thanks for helping Mark look after Molly, it's nice to know she has another bitch to play with." With that she turned on her heel and walked through the hall, hearing Carla shout all sorts of abuse at her. She smiled to her self as she left the house, and carried on smiling back to her apartment.

****

Kathryn sat heavily on her sofa and sighed, she had stopped smiling when she entered her apartment, and she had Carla's words to thank for that. 'You whore' was she, did sleeping with a married man make her a whore, no it doesn't, she thought.

She turned her laptop towards her, maybe Tom could give her some advice, it didn't take long for him to answer, is he waiting by his computer for me to call and say I need help, she wondered.

"Kathryn, trouble already?" He smiled.

Kathryn glared at him. "No. I was wondering if you thought I was a whore."

Tom stared at her, gob smacked. "Why would I think that?"

"I'm sleeping with a married man, Tom." She reminded him.

"Doesn't mean I think you're a whore. Who said you were?"

Kathryn sighed at having to say her name. "Carla." It was like drinking poison. She eyed at Tom who stared at her. "Mark's wife." She told him.

"Yeah. But that's because she hates you, right?"

Kathryn nodded, "Yes, so I'm not a whore." She smiled. "Thanks Tom."

"Ah…yeah, sure." He answered not really knowing what he said to cheer her up. He her face expression, it changed from smiling to looking like an idea had just slapped her. "Kathryn, are you alright?"

"Yes, I have to go." She ended the transmission then rested against the sofa to think.

****

Carla waited at the bottom of the stairs until she heard Mark switch the shower on, then she walked over to the phone and picked it up to dial his number in.

It rang a few breath times before he answered. "Hello, is this Neil…oh hi, I'm Carla, a friend of Sandra…I was wondering if you could do me a favour…well I was wondering if you could help me, I have a problem." Carla paused, and then said, "and I need her sorted out…"

****

Kathryn walked up the steps to the Johnson's house; it had been an hour since she had spoken to Tom, now she had to speak to Mark. She knocked on the door, Mark answered it, dressed only in his trousers, she pushed passed him and in to the living area. She spun round to find him just walking in to the room. "Leave her."

Mark stared at her, shocked by how blunt she was. "What did you just say? Did you just tell me to leave my wife?"

"Leave her Mark. If you love me – wanted me – as much as you tell me – show me – you do, then you would, right away. For me." For some reason Kathryn felt tense, she hadn't thought that she would be explaining herself, she pictured she come in here tell him to leave Carla and he would, no questions, no hesitating, no nothing. But then nothing in her life went according to plan.

Mark started pacing back and forth, "Kath, I can't believe you're telling me to do this."  He ran a hand through his hair, then stopped pacing and looked at Kathryn; she stood in silence looking serious.

She walked up to him and softy said. "I love you, I want you and I know you feel the same, but I don't want to share you." Mark looked in to her eyes, then bent down to kiss her, to his surprise, Kathryn stepped back from him. "No, Mark. I can't – we can't – not until you decide. Her or me."

"What about Kevin?"

Kathryn had forgotten about him, she couldn't bring up a three year old, especially one that wasn't hers. "The bitch can look after him."

"Stop calling her that." Mark said, slightly angry.

Kathryn laughed. "Well, if she put her collar back on I would what to call her."

Mark backhanded her around her face; Kathryn's head flew to the side, almost knocking her to the floor. She put her hand up to her stinging cheek, and looked at Mark through watering eyes; she had never seen him look so angry.

"Carla is still my wife and you will show her some respect."

Kathryn walked up to him, staring in to his brown eyes she spat. "In Hell I will." Then walked out of the house, slamming the door closed, regretting going there.