Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek Voyager, I do however own this plot and the original characters.

Naomi Wildman woke with a start very early the next morning.

The half Ktarian frowned for a second, glancing around, not recognizing where she lay, but the feeling of someone holding her and the memory of her previous night rushing back eased her and she relaxed. Part of Naomi was unbelievably content, and the other made her heart soar with the realization that she was finally with Icheb in a capacity that she had been yearning for, for entirely too long. Why had she resisted him for so long? Many times that night, Icheb was completely attentive to her, keyed in to her needs in a way she didn't know was even possible. It wasn't to say he was the one doing all the work though, she had equally sought to pay him back thoroughly.

As though their minds were linked in a collective, they seemed to know intimately how to make the other writhe and cry out in pleasure. Naomi shivered at the intense memories. If she had known it would have been a knee-buckling, awe-inspiring, glaringly electrifying experience to be with him, she might not have fought him so hard. She wasn't even just meaning the sex either. They connected in a profoundly deeper level that went far beyond just that, but it was only exponentially heightened by it.

Naomi closed her eyes again, reaching out her senses. She could feel Icheb all around her, his heat surrounding her like a miasma, nearly lulling her back to sleep. He lay behind her, spooned up to her. One of his arms was tucked beneath her neck, providing a nice support, while the other was draped across her waist. One of his legs was bent, slightly pressing over hers. His whole body language screamed possession and Naomi had to bite her lip to keep from grinning like a fool, but failed spectacularly.

"What's so funny?"

Naomi jumped slightly at the sudden, low rumbling voice near her ear. She craned her head back to look at him and saw that he was wide awake, gazing at her intently. He had a pleasing shadow over his cheeks and his eyes were warm and inviting. "You," she said simply, smiling at him adoringly. The sight of his exposed, powerful body behind her stirred her body alive again quicker than she had ever thought possible.

Icheb's eyebrow popped up questioningly at her response. "Me?" He didn't move from his comfortable spot, his body wrapping around his love's, shrouding her in his protective embrace. "Why am I funny?" he asked curiously.

Naomi flushed. "...How long have you been awake?" she asked instead of responding, avoiding the question. No need letting him know how much she liked the idea of Icheb possessing her, he'd be impossible to deal with if he knew. Of course, she was intimately aware of his persistence, and knew if he wanted to get information out of her, he would find a way... and now that he had intimacy at his disposal, it would be that much more impossible to resist him. It was only a matter of time and persuasion.

Icheb narrowed his eyes slightly and Naomi felt her heart kick up, knowing he had sighted her deflection. "For a little bit," he responded anyway. "I was dozing, but you started to wake up, so I waited for you," he answered simply. "Now," Icheb pulled her close, sliding his hand over her bare belly suggestively, trailing down. Naomi sighed inwardly, knowing he wouldn't let it drop. "Why am I funny?" he demanded again softly, his lips playing patterns over her shoulder, trailing a line to her exposed neck. "Clarify," he ordered, his hand reaching further down.

Naomi's treacherous body betrayed her, reveling in his deliberate strokes. "Y-You're... possessive..." Naomi gasped, unable to stop herself from yielding to his insistence as his touch coerced her to tell him. "Not so much funny as... arousing," she admitted, rolling her eyes at the little smirk that graced his attractive mouth. Icheb's hand stilled it its journey between her legs, but continued to gently massage her thighs. Naomi shuddered, trying not to let him get to her. To distract herself, Naomi turned away from him and decided to stretch, trying to get her blood flowing to other parts of her body for a change. The movement, however, was not lost on her partner, who suddenly gripped her hips tightly.

"Naomi..." Icheb murmured in warning.

"Yes?" the half Ktarian replied.

"Don't do that..." he scolded weakly, his hold around her tightening when she squirmed again, pressing her tighter against him.

Naomi's brow lifted but then she realized how closely she was pressed against him and smiled to herself, figuring this could make a nice payback for torturing her earlier. "What? This?" Naomi moved into him again, grinding herself against him hard. She grinned in triumph at the effects it had on him, spurring him to life. She squeaked embarrassingly when Icheb abruptly pulled her and rolled over her, trapping her beneath him.

"Yes, that," he growled playfully. "Not unless you want to retain the ability to function properly."

Naomi reached up and stroked the lines of his face, smiling at the light prickling of morning scruff on his normally clean-shaved face, finding it gave him a roguish appearance. "Is that a challenge?" she asked with a slow grin, sliding her legs up his until she was able to wrap them around his middle and pull him to her. Icheb did not resist her intention and fell against her, wrapping his arms around her while he sought her lips. Their hands did not remain still as their mouths consumed every bit of oxygen and sense they had left. They took their time, exploring their bodies, hands moving over curves, over swells, arches, and dips.

When they pulled away, it was then in the clarity of the morning after that Noami was able to appropriately admire him, exploring him with her hand, grateful that Icheb held still this time as he hovered over her. Icheb had doubled, maybe even tripled in size since his adolescence, and not just his height. His body had filled out with the rigors of Starfleet training. His forearm alone was much thicker than her hand could circle around.

Sliding her hand over his arm, his shoulder, and down his chest, she dragged her fingernails, smiling when he shivered at her touch. He had a very fine, light scatter of hair on his unreasonably refined chest, mostly at the center. Usually she didn't like hairy men, but the lightness of it on him worked very well for him. While she had previously determined he was not overly muscled, he nevertheless had a breathtaking figure. Naomi would say he had the body of a runner, but he seemed bigger than that, maybe a soldier, conditioned for tactical situations.

There were a few implants in a few key places that she could see, such as a very small oblong disk like slight protuberance over his sternum, no doubt controlling his reinforced cardio pulmonary systems. When she reached around him, feeling his strong back, she could feel what felt like metal beneath the skin along his spine. Aside from a few other small places, he was perfectly clean of Borg tech and practically screamed masculinity. Naomi finished by trailing her fingers back up along his muscled shoulder, running them through his short, messy hair.

"Have you finished your assessment of me?" Icheb asked softly, leaning in to her touch.

"Maybe," she replied just as softly, a blush peeking on her cheeks.

"What is your conclusion? Am I acceptable?"

"More than acceptable," she smiled. "Addictive," she admitted, leaning up to him again and taking his bottom lip between her teeth gently.

"Addictive, am I?" Icheb murmured against the kiss, leaning in to rub his body into hers in a sweeping motion, making her hiss with pleasure as he wrapped her legs more securely around him, once again locking her in place. Icheb placed both hands on either side of her and rocked forward solidly, instantly connecting them.

"Yes," Naomi bit out her double-meaning response, her head falling back from the sensation. Naomi's heels pressed against the bed, her head rolling back as he surged into her, rolling her body into the sheets with almost as much fervency as the night before. Their breaths left them as Icheb began to push forward harder, one hand still keeping himself upright over her, while the other slid over to trail along her leg with his repeated pistoning motions.

Naomi soared up off the bed, her efforts to keep up with him bringing her to crying, blinding explosive completion, though it did nothing to stop him as he carried off undaunted by her tightening completion. Their eyes never left each other as they lost themselves in their renewed passion, though at a much reduced frenzy from the previous night, having almost reached a point where they could finally think a little more clearly.

A little later, as they lay there, their fire having dimmed down enough for them to relax momentarily, Naomi found herself draped over him contently, but her earlier worry from the previous night crossed her mind again, making her stiffen against him. They hadn't been careful, hadn't stopped to consider the consequences of their many actions. "Icheb?" she began, her voice slightly small.

Icheb heard the concern in her tone and focused on her. "What is it, Naomi?" he asked, reaching to caress her, try to soothe whatever was wrong as his fingers tangled in her hair.

"What if I... what if..." Naomi took a calming breath. "We didn't use protection," she explained, hoping he understood.

"I... don't believe it will be possible for you to conceive from me," Icheb told her apologetically and slightly crestfallen.

Naomi frowned, suddenly bothered by the idea. "Why do you say that?" she asked, tilting her head up to look at him.

"Our genes are too different," he informed her carefully. "It is difficult enough for two different species to conceive someone such as you for example. You're half human, half Ktarian, and I'm Brunali with a genetic alteration. That are too many factors contending with each other."

"I see..." Naomi murmured, resting her cheek back against his warm chest. While she was not prepared to have a child right now, the idea of having her own family in the future had always brought a smile to her face.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, craning his head to kiss her cheek tenderly.

"No it's... it's okay," she shook her head. "I don't need a baby to be happy," she smiled reassuringly, shifting slightly so she was facing him, reaching up to stroke his jaw affectionately.

"You say that now..." he mentioned regretfully. One of his hands held her hip steadily, while the other ran through her hair, not getting enough of her silky tresses.

"All I need is you," she said in a factual tone, shrugging simply. It wasn't meant to be a cheesy line, or to make him feel better, it was simply the truth. Icheb remained silent, completely trusting her word but feeling like in the future that might change. Maybe he could figure something out? He was pretty good with genetics, after all. That is, if she chose to stay with him. "...So there's nothing to worry about?" she asked then, a little playful smile lifting her lips.

"Highly improbable," Icheb assured her. Naomi grinned and reached for him, figuring if there was nothing to worry about, they might as well make the most of it. Icheb could hear the dulled tone in her voice and knew she wasn't completely okay with it. He would soothe the heart ache she was no doubt trying to hide, he would make her forget... at least, for the moment. He rolled them over abruptly and settled himself over her again, gazing down at her intently. He decided he would do something to both fix that, and repair the damages he had done before to her, the moments in the holodeck, and then the time in the turbo-lift.

Naomi lifted a brow at the sudden change in position but flushed at the decisive look in his eyes, knowing he had something planned. Her own eyes widened a little when Icheb leaned back slightly, trailing his hands down the lengths of her soft legs, only to hoisted them up over his shoulders, on either end. "Naomi, could you move in a little closer to me?" he asked, his hands rubbing her calves lightly. Naomi hesitated for a second before crawling into him more. He smiled reassuringly at her as he helped slide her over to him a little more before lifting her up easily, giving him complete access to her.

Naomi felt her heart begin to race. "Icheb?" she questioned with a tremble in her voice, overcome with astonishment at what she now knew he was intending on doing. She once again was overwhelmed with curiosity at how much experience he had gotten during his time in the Alpha Quadrant. Her eyes flicked down to the familiar little smirk playing on his sensual mouth and shivered with longing.

Icheb leaned in a little and very slowly kissed one of her calves, making a show of it while his eyes locked with hers, one hand running up and down the length of the other leg, as though to calm and entice her at the same time, while the other held her steady. "I wish to rectify the mistakes I made to you days earlier, the lost moments you had," he explained as he lifted her up a little more.

Naomi knew what he was saying and quivered slightly. "I'm... pretty sure you already did?" Their night had been anything but tame, so she had figured he had made up for it... apparently he thought differently. "Besides... the last time you said that..." Naomi trailed off watching in mute anticipating fascination as he laid a trail of hot open-mouthed kisses down her leg to her inner thigh.

Yes, Icheb knew, the last time he said something similar she had been at the edge of her pleasure and he had been forced to stop before she could go over it. Not this time. "It will not happen again," he said between slow kisses. "This time you will feel it," he promised, his eyes full of determination.

Naomi shivered, already aching painfully for him. "You don't have to... do this..." she said softly, her eyes glued to the purposeful trail of his lips.

"I want to," he smiled against her and pulled her closer.

"Ich-" with one final tug of her body to him, one purposeful movement, he effectively silenced her protest instantly.

Naomi felt her body ignite with furious burning, feeling his hot mouth on her. She threw her head back, contorting in anguishing pleasure, though no sound was able to escape her parted lips, too overloaded with sensation to react normally. If she thought that moment on the holodeck was surprising, this was something on a whole new level. Her legs shook from the intensity against his wide shoulders, but she did her best to resist choking him with them. She clenched the sheets beneath her so tightly she heard her knuckles crack. Icheb held her still, not allowing her to help him or herself either way, while working her into a frenzy, taking his time with agonizingly deliberate strokes of his tongue. Naomi clenched her teeth, tried to hang on, but he found her clit and she could not stop from the unbidden, unadulterated cry of rapture from ripping out of her, her body locking up quickly.

Naomi thought that was it, but she was so wrong. Icheb continued his assault on her aching core, unfazed by her first climax. She had known Icheb was very good at doing things as efficiently as possible, but what he was doing to her now bordered on sadism. Icheb used the hand he hadn't been holding her up with to aid him, filling her just enough to add that extra bit of unyielding pressure, finding himself moaning in desire at how slick and warm she was, but he wasn't done yet. When he found just the right spot again, he pushed in a little closer and hummed low against her, using his already deep voice to his advantage. Naomi, panting with the effort to not alert the ship, was again overcome, the weeping cry of pleasure making her throat hoarse. Still he persisted, and she could feel him smiling against her.

"Icheb... please, I... I don't think I..." Naomi's body shook, the successive orgasms making her lightheaded and wanton beneath him. She didn't know how much more she could take, how many more times in a row she could burst apart underneath him, but Icheb was anything if not determined.

"You will," he said firmly. "I am not finished repairing my mistakes. You will orgasm again a third time," Icheb promised her, now using his mouth and fingers to wreck her. Icheb had tormented her three times, in his room, on the holodeck, and in a turbo-lift, so his mission was to make her come three times successively. And his persistence usually got him what he wanted.

Icheb's resolute promise, telling her that she would come again in that firm, factual tone of his, nearly did her in right then and there. "I... Ich..." Naomi's mind fogged over with carnal hunger, sheets twisted up around her as she struggled, her head swimming as he increased the eagerness of his undertaking. She had expected Icheb to be thorough, but then he began to suck on her aching clit, plunging a second finger into her at the same time, twisting in with each incessant pump, forcing her shaking legs to stay apart.

Icheb finally forced her body to obey his demands, just as he said he would. Naomi arched nearly completely off the bed, only the back of her head touching the pillow as a guttural howl tore brutally from her strained throat. The sensation of savagely, hotly locking up blinded her, ending her then and there with a resounding crescendo. Icheb held still for a moment, waiting patiently for her to ride the wave of her pleasure to the end. He rubbed her legs soothingly, feeling her whole body shake from the effect.

Once Naomi had gone limp in his arms, eyes still clouded over slightly, he leaned over and gently set her back down. Icheb then knelt back on his haunches, wiping his mouth with his arm slowly and smiled softly down at her. "Am I forgiven?" he asked tenderly.

"...Yes..." Naomi breathed, still staring at the ceiling in shock. She would never again doubt Icheb's sexual prowess. Icheb's eyes softened and he slid back down over her body to caress her cheek, waiting for her to get back to her senses. When she looked back into his eyes, he leaned in and captured her mouth, hoping she didn't recoil. Naomi was too far gone to care about inconsequential effects from his effort on her, too addicted to his mouth to care one way or another. Her need for him shuddered back to life when she felt him press against her again, wondering idly if he had an off switch... not that she'd ever consider it, but he seemed a lot quicker to recover than most males. "Icheb..." she began, pushing on his chest slightly, her curiosity getting the better of her. "How are you so... ready so quickly?" she asked with a flush.

"Tech," he said simply, shrugging. "Don't ask me why or how, I would honestly prefer not knowing the details," Icheb shuddered unpleasantly, trying not to wonder at what the Queen did with her drones. "Suffice it to say, I have more control over my functions, than normal males." His control had saved him from embarrassing situations more times than he cared to admit, including the many times he was with or dreamed of Naomi after their reunion.

"That's... unbelievably convenient," Naomi muttered, still blushing deeply.

"Yes. Besides, I believe I had an appropriate amount of time to become aroused again while giving you pleasure," he explained simply, once again stating it in a factual, irritatingly unintentionally sexy way. Naomi wasn't quite sure how much more of this she could take, already feeling the strain within her, but was hopelessly unable to refuse him, willingly taking him back into her arms again. No matter how many times he gratified her, she felt like she had an endless appetite for him.

Some time later, when Naomi realized she was going to be late, she nearly passed out in her attempts to rush up off the bed and into the bathroom to get ready. The sudden rash movement, especially considering all the explosively strenuous physical activity she had recently undergone, made her legs buckle and forced her body to collapse to the ground. "Naomi! Are you alright?" Icheb shot up from the bed, irritatingly not effected. "Are you damaged?" he asked in concern, kneeling next to her.

Naomi would have smiled fondly at his familiar terminology, if she hadn't felt terrible at that very second. She did everything she could to keep the blood from rushing to her face, completely humiliated at her little introduction to Icheb's floor. Was she damaged? That was a loaded question. "I'm fine, Icheb," she muttered, doing her best not to ogle his naked form next to her as she gently got to her feet with his help. Icheb reached over and took her elbow, steadying her. Naomi winced in pain when she tried to make her way again and rolled her eyes inwardly. Leave it to Icheb to make her feel virgin all over again. His chest and arms were not the only part of him that raged masculinity. "I'll be fine now, I promise," she told him, looking him over and smiling appreciatively at him before snatching up her clothes and disappearing into his bathroom.

By the time Naomi had finished getting ready, Icheb was already dressed, no doubt waiting his turn, and drinking coffee. "I prepared some for you as well," he said simply, motioning to the cup next to him.

"I really wish I could join you, but I'm already late," she grimaced, making her way to his door, but hesitated, wondering how she could possibly explain leaving her Captain's quarters in the morning like this, especially considering the slight limp in her step. Naomi snorted inwardly, she thought he was kidding about his warning of removing her 'ability to function properly' earlier.

Icheb stood and walked toward her, making her have to step back at his quick approach. Her back hit his wall next to his door lightly and he smiled reassuringly. Bending over, his lips grazed her ear teasingly as he strained his hearing. "I am checking to make sure the 'coast' is clear," he explained in a low tone by her ear, his hands already pressing against her hips, sliding along them. Clearly he couldn't get enough either.

"Sure you are," Naomi mumbled dryly, her eyes shutting at the intoxicating heat of his body surrounding her. Her own body, as usual, betrayed her. She couldn't let him rope her into his insatiable desires again though! Not now! She was going to be so late!

Icheb drew back a little and smiled softly at her. "There isn't anyone in this or the adjacent corridors for the moment," he told her. His eyes bore into hers for a second before he starting leaning into her again, however, Naomi ducked under his arms and spun out of his reach.

"If I let you kiss me again, I'll never leave," Naomi mentioned, backing away from him. "See you later, Captain," she grinned at his impatient expression and essentially escaped his quarters. Despite trusting in Icheb's very attuned senses, Naomi still held her breath as she made her way to the turbo-lift quickly. She breathed a sigh of relief when it was clear and made her way to Astrometrics. She was forced to apologize a few times as she skirted around people in her way but finally made it there.

As she ran in, her supervisor leveled her with a stern look. "Cadet Wildman," Lieutenant Jeremiah chided as Naomi rushed into the lab over fifteen minutes late. "You're late!" he said, his voice holding a tone of surprise. Naomi was never later, she was usually there even before he was.

"I'm so sorry! I got caught up with... something. It won't happen again, I promise," Naomi explained lamely, trying her best not to blush. Even if she had been awake for over three hours, she still managed to get so caught up with Icheb that she was unreasonably late! Damn him. Well okay, it was definitely her fault too.

"Naomi," he sighed, shaking his head. Naomi tried not to roll her eyes at how dramatic her boss was being. Honestly, one time she was late and it was the end of the world. She just hoped he wouldn't put this in his report, or if he did he'd mention how rare it was. Soon though, the little mishap was forgotten as they set off to fine tune their calibrations, the excitement of getting close enough to completing their efforts overruling it.

"I think today is the day," Jeremiah grinned.

"I think you're right, sir!" Naomi all but bounced excitedly. They had succeeded in linking their calibrations with the device, ensuring it would be able to operate in a subspace neutrino two way communication.

"I'll go get ready, are you good to finish the report?" he asked.

"Of course!" Naomi nodded enthusiastically. When he left, Naomi set off to write the exiting report, completely putting her earlier morning activities and subsequent tardiness to her morning shift out of he mind. Funny how after an unforgettable night and morning with Icheb she was able to focus much more clearly on her work. Maybe Hannah had been right, maybe she just needed to get him out of her system... though she knew of course that once she got him out, he'd be right back in. Naomi sighed and tried not to physically roll her eyes at her own lewd mental words.

"Naomi Wildman."

Naomi jumped with a gasp at the familiar voice and spun around, not having expected him to be there. How long had she been working on writing her report? "Icheb, shouldn't you be getting the meeting ready? What are you doing here?" Disrespectful or not, he had scared the hell out of her! He really needed to learn not to sneak up on her like that.

Icheb lifted a brow at her unusual insistence. "I am fairly certain as Captain I have free reign of the ship? The better question is what are you still doing here? You're going to be late again, you're usually early. I came by to see if you needed any help?"

"If I'm late at all today it's your fault," she mumbled under her breath, knowing he'd be able to hear her anyway. "I'll be there in a second. I'm just finalizing the last bit of my reports before meeting," she explained, raising her own brow when he began to walk over to her slowly with clear intent in his eyes. "I'm confident that we're ready to try the device, today."

Icheb paused and grinned. "That's great news!" he said, honestly elated at the prospect.

"Just give me a sec and we can head over," she turned from him, wondering then if it was such a good idea to turn her back on him at this point, and set off to complete her work. She should have known that Icheb wouldn't have any intention of letting her concentrate. She felt him walk over to her, to once again peer down at her work. She could practically sense him smiling mischievously. "You can't wait for five minutes..." she muttered again, trying not to pay attention to him.

"I am not doing anything," Icheb said in mock protest, though he contradicted himself by sliding his hand over her waist. "Well, now I am," he amended, a clear smile in his voice. Naomi took a breath and continued, doing her best to finish her work, but Icheb stepped closer. He let his other hand reach down her hips in a slow, tantalizing manner, his body pressing up against her as he reminded her of their time together.

Naomi's mind blanked and she cursed under her breath, feeling herself react to his touch instantly. "Damn it, Icheb," she huffed in frustration and turned around, yanking him down to kiss her. Icheb grinned into the kiss and pushed her against the console, devouring her mouth urgently. His hands slipped behind her, pulling her flush against him. Naomi let out a sharp breath and physically forced herself to push on his chest before they got carried away, trying to get him at a respectable distance. "Icheb, what happened to your legendary control?" she asked, completely out of breath.

Icheb thought of the question. Did she really believe him to have that much control? Aside from his desire for her, the question of control had always been a struggle for him. In this case though, it was different and he had to smile a little. "It's all gone," he answered simply, though he stayed still, bracing himself on the console. "Forgive me," he grunted and stepped back reluctantly. "You are right as usual, we should go before we are both late."

Naomi ran a hand through her hair, studying him. "It's not fair that I'm always the bad guy," she scowled, crossing her arms in frustration.

"You are mistaken, Naomi Wildman. You are the good guy," Icheb disagreed, coaxing her to relax her rigidity, taking her hand and squeezing it. "My impulsive passions have always landed me into trouble; you help keep me focused. I am grateful for your evidently far stronger level of control," he said smoothly.

"That's sweet of you to say," Naomi smiled softly, shaking her head at the cheesiness all the same. "Anyway, Icheb you really better go now and let me finish."

"Yes ma'am," Icheb smiled and lifted her hand to his lips, laying a slow, tender kiss on her knuckles.

Naomi grinned at his chivalry, and watched him turn on his heels and walk out. She let out a relieved breath and went back to finishing up her report. Approximately seven minutes later, Naomi had finally finished her report and checked the time. She had just a few minutes to get to the meeting. That in mind, Naomi set off again, running through the halls at full-throttle, PADD in hand. "Sorry!" she yelled as she dodged crew members jumping out of her way. Once she reached her destination, he supervisor was already there, his brow raising at her abrupt entrance.

"Am I late?" she asked, winded by her efforts. She blinked in surprise when she saw who looked like Admiral Sisko on the view screen at the end of the room and held herself a little straighter, embarrassed by her entry. The Admiral merely smiled in amusement and shook his head, letting her know she was off the hook. She had been aware that he would be assisting them, specifically with their Cardassian guest, but hadn't realized he would be here so quickly.

"You're right on time," Kathryn smiled, motioning her to the 'front' of the room. "Icheb and Lieutenant Jeremiah mentioned you have some exciting news?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Naomi smiled happily, walking over to them. She related her report as elegantly as was usual to her, though with clear enthusiasm in her tone, to the senior staff, including Admiral Sisko. She told them they had managed to successfully link the frequencies, using Tetryon signals in correspondence with their Tachyon scan, enabling them to monitor everything coming in and out of the wormhole. At one point Icheb raised a brow, smirking a little at her choice of wording, but she powered through, ignoring him. She explained that it was the final piece to the puzzle and she was ready to aid them however she could whenever they were ready to activate the device.

B'elanna turned to her Captain. "No other tests can be run on the device. It is fully functional and little Wildman's efforts to connect the ships scanners to it are as flawless as she says," she explained. "We're ready when you are."

"All stations are operational and waiting for the green light," Harry reported, glancing over to Tuvok.

Tuvok nodded in agreement. "Indeed. Security is alert and waiting for the order to protect, should we encounter any threats."

"Just give me the word and I'll get us out of harms way lickity-split if things do go sour!" Tom added eagerly.

Sisko nodded. "The Defiant is standing by, ready to assist," he told him and smiled at the other Admiral.

Kathryn turned to the new Captain and grinned happily. "It's your call, Captain."

Icheb looked over each of them and felt the giddiness of an adolescent at the significance of the moment. "I suppose it's 'show time' then!"

TBC...

End A/N: As I mentioned in the original story, who knows what the Queen does, best not to think of it though. This chapter was influenced by "Float" by FTSE.

Shout-Out

MissSarahG1: Thank you, if you read the old version of this you'd know how vastly different my writing style is now!

The Cheshire Cheese: Oh that'd be hilarious! Clearly I need to add Neelix at some point. Steamy fault? Not sure I heard of that term lol. Yeah there's a few more steamy chapters planned a bit later on, but nothing to the degree of chapter 16, at least I think so. That was their first moment together, after all!