Chapter Two
Chakotay slid open one of the glass doors and they walked in. The floor-length curtains on one side of the room were closed over, so it was darker than it had been outside in the late afternoon sunshine. Kathryn was surprised at how spacious the room was, whilst still managing to feel like a secluded retreat. B'Elanna had made it sound like there was still lots of work to do, but Kathryn thought they'd already created something quite outstanding.
"This is wonderful, already! I'll tell Tom I'll be expecting an invitation to the first Voyager reunion pool party here this summer. With no furniture like this it almost feels like a ballroom."
"That is a good idea. I'd love to be your escort, Kathryn. Can I mark your dance card now?" he asked as they stood just inside the door, taking in the space before them.
Certainly hard to refuse, delivered with full dimples and a grin. She punctuated her reply with a couple of playfully patronising pats to his upper arm. "Well, Mister Chakotay, that would be several months away still. My assistant tells me I'm still getting daily offers of marriage in my correspondence, so I'll have to let you know nearer the time."
"I see, it's like that is it." He took it on the chin and maintained the smile as he walked over to draw back the remaining floor-length curtains to let more light in. "Well, you can't blame a man for trying."
"No, you certainly can't. Now tell me I'm mistaken, because there's no way you can really be intending to sleep on that tiny thing." She gestured towards the day bed. "You won't fit!"
"I'll try not to take that to heart, Kathryn, but yes, I do intend to sleep on that. And I'm sure I'll be just fine."
The hands went to her hips. She squared up opposite him meaning business.
"Seriously, Chakotay, we should swap. You take the guest room – it has a king-sized bed - and I'll happily sleep out here. I don't mind roughing it, especially if it saves your aching old back."
"Less of the old, and my back does not ache, thank you very much. As I said, I'll be just fine out here."
"You're sure? It seems terribly unfair."
"Really. I'm sure. I've been looking forward to being the first to stay in here."
"Well, if you insist," she relented. "The guest room is lovely, and I've already settled in rather nicely."
She turned away from him to drink in the wonderful late-afternoon sun streaming through the floor to ceiling windows of the west-facing side of the pool house.
For once Tom Paris hadn't been exaggerating. She could easily see how this irregular hexagonal room would be the perfect flexible space to accommodate any Paris-Torres child or children's future demands for a play house, den, games room, safe haven ...as well as being an ideal space for adult entertaining. Fit a few emitters and it was almost big enough to work as a home-holosuite. There was a separate bathroom area, but save the day bed and a couple of brand new chairs, the main area was just wonderful empty space at the moment, waiting for someone's imagination to define it.
Chakotay deposited his things on the little bed and stood a while, hands in his pockets, savouring her obvious delight as she spun on her heels and took in the room itself and then the panoramic view the curtains had revealed.
Eventually he said, "Come on, let's go find our hosts and see what's cooking."
"Good idea. Perhaps we can help with preparing dinner?"
"Guess that might depend on how daring they're feeling these days." He winked. "Whether they're still prepared to take a few risks..."
An arched eyebrow accompanied her smile, but she conceded graciously, "Point taken. I know marriage does sometimes make people start to play it safe a little more."
"Do you think it'd have that effect on you, Kathryn?" His hand found it's way to the small of her back as they headed for the door together.
"That's a question I'd find hard to answer," she evaded. "Why do you ask?"
"Oh, just because. Kathryn Janeway and playing it safe don't seem to go together in my mind. You can't blame a man for being curious though."
"It seems you can't be blamed for much today."
"If that's the case, I'll just have to see what I can get away with then, won't I?"