"Shall we sneak out of here quietly? We need some time to ourselves." Chakotay asks as he leans towards Kathryn.
"We'll head back to my cabin then shall we?" Kathryn asks she finishes off her wine.
"I'll go get our coats and then we can head out. I'll be right back." Chakotay says as he kisses Kathryn's cheek.
Kathryn smiles. Chakotay has been lovely throughout the entire process. "I'll see you all tomorrow. Enjoy the rest of your evening." Kathryn says as Chakotay comes back across the room. He helps Kathryn into her coat and she buttons it carefully. Chakotay slips his full length coast back on and buttons it up. He pulls his gloves out of his pocket and slips them on. Kathryn ties her scarf around and pulls her gloves on. Chakotay puts his hand on Kathryn's lower back. They head out into the cold weather. The wind has picked up and Kathryn huddles closer to Chakotay as they cross the snowy meadow. The doors to the holodeck whoosh open and closed when they walk through. The holo-snow disappears as they reach the hallway. Kathryn sighs as the warmth of the hallway seeps back into her fingers and toes. The rest of the crew is still at the party and the hallways are empty and silent. The turbolift quickly brings them to deck 3. Chakotay and Kathryn walk towards her cabin hand in hand. The door of Kathryn's cabin opens and then closes behind them leaving them in pitch darkness. "Computer, bring the lights up to 70%." Kathryn says forcefully. Immediately the lights brightly illuminate the cabin. Kathryn flops, as best she can in her gown, onto the couch. Chakotay follows her across the room and sits next to her. Kathryn watches the stars fly past. Chakotay worries that she's shutting down on him.
"What are you thinking about?" he asks gently. He doesn't want to interrupt her thinking, but he wants to know if something is bothering her.
"What's going to happen next with us? I'm a little worried about how this is all going to turn out." Kathryn says as she continues to watch the stars go by.
"Don't worry about all that now. We can't predict the future. We just have to live in the present. We will do the best we can." Chakotay says as he holds Kathryn in his arms.
"When did you become such a wise man? I wish you'd been around in my life a lot earlier. I could have used your good advice when I was younger. Thank you for reassuring me. I needed that from you. I doubt myself more than I should." Kathryn says sinking her head onto Chakotay's chest.
"We can do this Kathryn. We have a strong base. We're close friends and we trust each other already. That should make the relationship easier. Let's just be natural with this." Chakotay says as Kathryn lays her head in his lap. Chakotay starts pulling the pins out of Kathryn's hair and untwists it. He runs his fingers through her lovely red hair. He's trying to reassure her that everything will be okay. Kathryn sits up and places one hand on Chakotay's cheek and kisses him on the lips. Chakotay bends Kathryn backwards as they continue to kiss and Kathryn feels the zipper of her dress dig into her back.
"Ow! Ow!" Kathryn cries as she pulls back from the kiss. She flinches at the pain of her zipper.
"What's wrong?" Chakotay asks as he watches Kathryn's facial expressions.
"My zipper is digging into my back." Kathryn whines slightly.
"I'm not exactly comfortable in this suit either. Why don't we both go change and meet back here in ten minutes?" Chakotay asks as he rubs the spot in Kathryn's back where the top of her zipper sits.
"That's the best idea I've heard since I put this dress on six hours ago." Kathryn says as she slips her silver pumps off.
"I'll be back in 10 minutes then." Chakotay says as he kisses Kathryn's cheek and exits the room.