Janeway fought back a groan. She was bored and frustrated, plus she was beginning to feel a headache coming on. This was supposed to be shore leave for crying out loud! She let out a slow breath, trying to calm herself down. The only thing the Nastani had asked in return for showing her crew amazing hospitality was that the senior officers attend a few formal dinner parties; really a very small favor to ask, and Janeway had of course, agreed readily.

The crew had been restless lately. They were in desperate need of an extended shore leave off of Voyager and the Nastani home world had provided just that. The Nastani had been more than eager to share their world with the Voyager crew, and that's what most of the crew was off doing – enjoying their shore leave on the Nastani home world. Janeway, however, sat encased in a blue silk gown. It was Nastani custom that women, all women - even starship captains, wore dresses to formal occasions, and so Janeway had acquiesced to the patriarchal tradition in order not to offend her hosts.

She had also eaten a fair number of things that she couldn't begin to guess what were. Their Nastani hosts had been more than willing to tell them intricate details about each course but Janeway had found herself unable to concentrate. The Nastani were just so long winded.

"Kathryn, are you not enjoying your Telesqui?" inquired a soft voice from her left. Janeway turned to smile graciously at her host. "Oh no Devnoi, it's divine, I've simply been taking my time with it." To illustrate her point she picked up her glass and took a long swallow. The pinkish liquid slid smoothly down her throat, leaving a soft berry flavor in her mouth.

Mr. Neelix had spent nearly an hour earlier today explaining to Janeway and the other senior staff how the Nastani consider it extremely important that every guest eat and drink all that they were offered. Of course, Neelix had been unable to prepare her for Devnoi, one of the Nastani delegates who seemed a little too enamored of her. After only an hour of knowing her, Devnoi had asked if they could "divest themselves of the formalities" and call each other by their first names. Janeway had been less than thrilled with the prospect as she found Devnoi's idea of personal space to be a bit lacking, but, eager to make things flow smoothly, she had agreed.

The meal was almost finished however, so Janeway didn't have much more to suffer through. The Nastani ate their meals in exact time measurements, and this one would be over in another 15 minutes. Then Janeway could retire either to the lodgings the Nastani had provided her for a change of pace or back to her quarters on Voyager. Considering the fluttery feeling she was beginning to get from, she assumed, the Telesqui, she figured she would probably be heading back to the comfort of her quarters.

Meanwhile Chakotay glanced as casually as he could in the direction of the captain. She was seated on the opposite end of the long table from him, next to her 'escort' for the evening, Devnoi. A most annoying man, Chakotay thought irritably. Thankfully, he could tell from the captains subtle facial expressions that she felt the same as him. That thought made him smile slightly to himself. She wasn't so hard to read if you were as close to her as he was.

She looked so lovely tonight though. The blue silk gown she had chosen hugged her petite frame in all the right places, and yet as always she wore it with her ever-present grace. He heard her laugh low in her throat at something Devnoi said and he felt his stomach jump. God he loved that laugh.

Her voice, her laugh, they were so sexy, that low, raspy quality. He wondered if she had any idea how sexy it was, or the effect it had on him. He doubted it. He allowed himself a small moment of fantasy, envisioning her in his arms, his lips pressed against the soft, creamy skin of her neck while she whispered his name in that throaty voice of hers, "Chakotay," he could practically feel the need and urgency in it.

Suddenly he jumped as he realized that really it had been Malaki, his Nastani escort for the night who actually said his name. He wanted to know if he required more Telesqui, Chakotay shook his head in the negative, eying the drink thoughtfully. He was normally much better at containing his attraction to Kathryn; he rarely fantasized about her anymore, except for those occasional moments in the dead of the night when he was alone in his quarters.

He could feel a bubbly sensation, floating along his veins. He wondered if the drink was alcoholic, or had similar effects as alcohol on human physiology. He guessed that it probably did. He hadn't drank in a while, as being the second in command on a starship didn't leave much time for that sort of indulgence, but he knew well enough how his body worked under such conditions.

He had already drank one and a half glasses of the liquid, and he would have to finish the second as Neelix had reiterated to them thoroughly how offensive the Nastani would take it if you didn't consume all of whatever you were given. He wished he'd known to begin with the effect the drink would have on him, as he would have had only one drink.

He glanced over to Kathryn, wondering how much she had drank and how the drink would affect her. Their meal would be over soon though he thought, only another five minutes. He would have to get away from Kathryn quickly and back to the ship. He would request a hypo-spray for the effects from the doctor. He wouldn't want to be around Kathryn long though: he didn't know how well he could contain himself. Even now he couldn't keep his eyes away from her.

She was smiling at Devnoi now, and despite the fact that he knew she found the man irritating he couldn't help but feel his own irritation bubbling underneath his skin. Oh that crooked half-smile of hers, it got to him every time. He just wanted to kiss the little upturning edge of it.

She twisted her head the other way to address someone across the table from her, and he watched in fascination as the light glanced off of the varying shades of chestnut, auburn, and red in her hair. He wondered what it would look like fully down, how it would feel running through his fingers as he pressed her mouth hotly against his, molding her body to his.

Kathryn unfolded her body eagerly from her chair, more than happy to call the evening to an end. She had finished all of her Telesqui, just barely, and she was beginning to wonder if the drink had more to it than met the eye. She could feel a giddy sensation rushing along her veins. She would have to work hard to keep steady on her feet.

She graciously thanked her hosts, shaking hands with each of the nine members of the Nastani delegation that they'd dined with. Then she politely turned to her escort, Devnoi.

"I will take you to your lodgings now Kathryn, they are right next door to mine." He stated proudly, smiling down at her in an almost patronizing way. Kathryn could feel her ire rising and quickly fought to tamp it down.

"Thank you Devnoi, but that won't be necessary, I really think I should get back up to Voyager and check that everything is running smoothly."

"Oh Kathryn, I'm afraid that won't be possible tonight, there's a severe ionic storm outside and so we can't currently transport anyone to or from your ship. You'll have to stay here at least for tonight."

Kathryn nodded her head dully and strode alongside Devnoi, measuring each step carefully to make sure she didn't show any signs of how badly the Telesqui had affected her as they headed toward her temporary lodging. She really wished she would have been able to return to Voyager, as then the doctor could have given her a hypo to alleviate the affects this drink was having on her. As it was she would have to settle for calling it an early night, something she wasn't accustomed to... there were always more reports to be read over.

Devnoi chattered the entire way as they walked down endless corridors. Kathryn caught half of what he said and the other was lost as she tried to concentrate on keeping a straight path. She was also vaguely aware of her first officer and his escort following behind them; he must also have lodgings nearby to hers. It would make sense for them to be situated close to each other.

Kathryn allowed herself a moment of indulgence to imagine Chakotay as he was tonight. He had dressed in the formal attire worn by Nastani males, and Kathryn had well appreciated that fact. The pants were of a deep brown and fit snugly against his well muscled body. The flowing shirt tucked into those pants had only led her to memories of New Earth, and how broad and strong she knew that chest was.

Kathryn shook her head, to scatter the memories away, they were memories she didn't often allow herself to recall. Devnoi at this point was talking about the storm and Kathryn found herself telling Devnoi of her childhood fear of thunderstorms; at this point within the housing construct they could actually hear what sounded strikingly similar to thunder as it crashed outside.

"Oh well if you're scared, I could join you for a short while, to keep you company!" Devnoi offered enthusiastically. Kathryn was suddenly at a loss. She was sure if her mind hadn't felt so wrapped in cotton she would have an easy, polite way to turn him down, but in her current state her mind was drawing blanks.

They were stopped in front of the door to her temporary room now and he was looking down at her expectantly. He was rather a tall man, she thought irritatedly as she grappled for a response. Just then Chakotay and his escort rounded the corner, and she latched onto the fact enthusiastically.

"Unfortunately Devnoi, Chakotay and I have a lot of work to do tonight. He had promised to help me with our, uh, duty rosters tonight."

"Well then perhaps tomorrow night?" Devnoi suggested, looking only slightly put out. Then as Chakotay started to round the corner, "Well he seems to have forgotten, so perhaps I can keep you company while you work on them?"

"Chakotay!" Kathryn called desperately, causing him to stop and walk back toward her. "Did you forget about those, uh, those reports we needed to work on? Tonight? Right now?" She tried to place emphasis on the 'now' part hoping that he would catch her drift.

Chakotay had walked behind Kathryn and Devnoi as they headed toward Kathryn's quarters. He really wished they had waited longer to leave; the view was really starting to get to him. The subtle sway of her hips as she took each step, and the way the silk material swept gracefully across each of her buttocks as she would take a step had him in absolute agony. A cold shower was definitely in order, if the Nastani had showers for them to use that was. Damn, he wished he'd have been able to go to his quarters.

He watched as Kathryn and Devnoi stopped, they must be at Kathryn's room for the night. Chakotay fought the urge to walk the few steps over to her and just haul her up against the door right there. He was definitely not in his right state of mind and he was beginning to wonder if the Telesqui had really been an aphrodisiac.

As this thought entered his mind he became even more uneasy at the sight of Devnoi standing by her side. As they began to round the corner however, that throaty voice wafted out to him, "Chakotay"

He walked toward her. Damn that blue silk gown really set off the blue of her eyes, he noted with frustration. Damn, he hoped whatever she wanted could be quick. He needed to get away from her before he let his body act on the notions running through his mind currently.

"Did you forget about those, uh, those reports we needed to work on? Tonight? Right now?" She questioned, there was some emphasis on 'now'. He furrowed his brows, what the hell was she talking about? And it was so hard to concentrate anyway when all he wanted to do was kiss that lovely mouth of hers.

Concentrate man, concentrate! He glanced from Janeway's expression, she was clearly trying to tell him something, he just couldn't cipher what--then his eyes slid over to Devnoi. Devnoi looked almost expectant, then it hit him... she was looking for an excuse, an excuse to get Devnoi away from her... well he was more than willing to fill in that capacity.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Captain, it had completely slipped my mind. We can work on them right now though, absolutely," he said, stepping more fully toward the door, then following Kathryn's lead and quickly stepping into the room.

"Well thank you so much Devnoi, for a wonderful evening and a wonderful meal. I'll see you tomorrow night I'm sure." And with that Kathryn swiftly shut the door, letting out a deep sigh and dropping her back against it in relief.

"Thank you so much commander," she said softly, placing one of her delicate hands gently on his chest. Chakotay froze. He was locked in position. He could feel the heat of her, of her body on his chest. He took a deep breath, she would remove her hand in just a minute and he'd be fine, and then he'd just have to wait a couple more minutes to make sure Devnoi was gone, and then he would make his escape, just like that.

But she didn't remove her hand, instead she said his name. "Chakotay, Chakotay are you alright?" she questioned, tilting her head to the side, scattering her glorious hair her left shoulder and gazing at him in concern with those cool blue eyes. And then he snapped.

Kathryn suddenly found herself being pressed roughly against the door, Chakotay's strong arms coming around her as he ground his body against hers. His lips were on hers, demanding entrance. Kathryn was caught off guard, she was responding to him without even thinking about it, and suddenly his tongue was in her mouth, driving hers and she lost what little ability she'd had to think clearly. All she could feel, and taste, was Chakotay, strong, sensitive masculinity.

Chakotay ground his hips into hers, groaning as he crushed his lips against her soft, sweet mouth. He had one hand holding tightly onto her shoulder, the other was grasping her side tightly. He slid the hand along her side loving the feel of silk against his fingers, moaning as he felt her body shiver in response.

His hand was in her hair, that silky auburn, chestnut, red, multicolored mass, and he was pulling pins out rapidly, hearing the satisfying plink as they hit the ground. And then all of it was down, the glorious mass of it, spilling out over his hand. He groaned again loving the texture of it as it slid through his fingers.

Kathryn was lost, lost in a world of sensation. Chakotay's mouth was assaulting hers. And his hands! He slid one hand along her side and she felt her entire body react to the sensation. The sound of his groans as he ran his fingers through her hair was driving her mad. She'd never felt so hot and bothered before, her skin was on fire, and all she wanted was for him to touch it, to touch her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, one hand moving to run through the soft, short brown hair on his head. The other sat against the hot skin of his neck. Then without her even realizing it, he'd taken both his hands and cupped her bottom, he was lifting her up she realized in surprise.

She wrapped her legs tightly around his waist as he hoisted her up, her dress hitching up high against her now exposed thighs, and he growled against her mouth in response. Then his mouth was moving, his lips and tongue were against the soft, sensitive part of her neck, making her pant her response to the sweet sensation. She couldn't think, all she could do was feel.

Suddenly she felt herself dropped, dropped against something soft; the bed, her mind registered dully, and for a moment she almost had her senses back about her. But then his lips were against her neck again as he shoved her completely back and she lost all ability to form a coherent thought.

Chakotay's strong arms held himself taut above her as he ravaged her neck, god he needed her so badly. Then suddenly her hands were on him, lifting the hem of his shirt and running along his back. He was going to go insane if he didn't feel her soon.

He let his body drop, his hips falling atop hers. He knew that she could feel his raging erection, and then she wiggled her hips against his and he thought he was going to lose it right then. "You're driving me insane," he whispered hotly, as he pulled his lips away from her neck in order to use both his hands to grip the hem of her gown, then in one fluid movement he'd pulled it away from her.

He paused, staring at her body below him in awe. "You're beautiful," he whispered reverently, his eyes never leaving her body. Kathryn watched those gentle brown eyes as they roved over her almost naked body, filled with such...adoration. He simply admired her body, only clothed in a matching set of lacy blue lingerie that Kathryn had picked specifically to match the blue silk gown.

His hands were now sliding slowly, gently across the skin at her sides. The feeling was tantalizing. He seemed to have lost his urgency and was now in the mood for exploration. His lack of urgency, his slow tender caresses of her body gave her fevered mind time to cool a little and she began to process better what was happening. What couldn't happen.

Suddenly she rolled away from him, pulling the sheet from the bed and using it to wrap around her mostly exposed body. "Chakotay, we... we can't do this," she said softly, although attempting to think through the cotton around her mind wasn't easy. She stood up a bit shakily, pulling the sheet along with her and moving farther from his presence, attempting to distance herself from her body's desire to have his hands on her again, to have her hands on him.

Janeway slid carefully down into an armchair near the bed, and sighed, clutching the sheet tightly to her chest. "Obviously, the Telesqui doesn't exactly mesh well with Human physiology. If we were back on the ship I would just have us both get a hypo from the doctor, but since we are... unable to return to the ship I suggest you leave my room right now and we'll hope the effects have worn off in the morning."

There, good, that had sounded very Janeway she thought proudly. Very much like the captain of a starship who was in control of her body, who would not be ruled by her hormones like some adolescent teenager.

She'd managed to say that with only the slightest tremor to her voice, of course she still couldn't meet his eyes. Those eyes that just a moment ago had been roving her body with such affection, such lo... but it didn't matter, she'd said what had to be said. Now she just had to wait for him to leave. Once he was gone she could allow herself some time to get herself together.

Chakotay stared at her. He didn't know what to say. He should have expected this, but they'd never come so close before, even if they'd wanted to. Gods knew how he'd wanted to, had been desperate to touch her, to hold her, for so long, and now to get so close, to have her in his arms finally, only for her to reject him, once again.

"No," he growled. Her head jerked up at that, those bright blue eyes finally meeting his. He wondered if she really thought the sheet helped protect her modesty, if anything it only made him want her more. She looked like a woman who had been thoroughly loved, a sheet clasped tightly to her chest which was rising and falling rather rapidly, her hair down but in a tangled, snarled mass, and her lips swollen from his kisses. No, he needed her.

He quickly crossed the threshold to where she sat, he grasped her upper arms in both of his hands. Marveling at how tiny and petite she really was, it was so easy to forget with her domineering personality. But ultimately she was tiny, delicate, graceful, beautiful. "Kathryn," he whispered in her ear, his breath sending shivers down her spine, "don't fight this, please, let us just have tonight."

He wanted a whole lot more than tonight and he knew that, but he hoped saying that would maybe ease her concerns somewhat. He'd been walking this tightrope of hopes and desires versus protocol with Kathryn Janeway for far too long, not to know that the stakes were high now. He had never been more thankful to the Nastani, he doubted he would ever be so thankful again. He would argue about the future with her later, he just knew that he couldn't allow her to regain complete control of her senses, to build back up those barriers, or he'd never get them down again. Having gotten this close, if he let her turn him away now all that would be left between them would be polite formality. She would make damn sure of that.

She tried to speak again, but with his body pressed so close to hers, she could feel the heat and strength of him, she could smell that scent that was so uniquely Chakotay. It was masculine and yet vulnerable, it was clean and earthy. She was having a difficult time remembering why exactly they couldn't do this, and she certainly was struggling to form sentences that had any semblance of coherence. She took a deep breath in an attempt to clear her mind, but that didn't help, it only muddled matters further as she got a stronger whiff of him. Soft, gentle, a little spicy and somehow still completely masculine. She could feel the heat of his body, of his desire radiating off of him in waves.

She shook her head, sending her hair spilling across her shoulders. "No, Chakotay," she whispered, placing one of her hands on his chest. That innocent gesture that she'd used so many times before, but this time somehow it was entirely the wrong thing. She realized that as she felt the heat of her skin meeting his, the curly hairs of his chest crushed under her slim fingers. Her eyes were caught on that spot where her skin met his, mesmerized by the sight of his dark skin under her pale white skin.

She sucked in a quick breath of air and removed her hand, "we're both...intoxicated" she finally finished, struggling to find the right word in her muddled mind. "I am... a starship captain... I'm your superior officer, we can't... do this." She finished lamely, hoping to high hell he would just back down as he had all those times in the past when they'd come so close to expressing feelings neither of them should have felt.

Chakotay shook his head, swearing softly under his breath, "Kathryn," he whispered, his voice pleading, his mouth still right next to her ear, "please, all I ask for is tonight. It's shore leave, there isn't a ship to run.." As he whispered those words softly, lovingly into her ear, one of his hands had come around to bury itself once again in her hair.

Somewhere in her fevered mind she knew that if she kept pushing him away, he would leave. She knew that, but she wasn't sure she wanted that. She couldn't quite remember why this was so wrong, and it felt so right. So she gave in, letting the sheet slide down her body to pool at the floor as he growled his approval, scooping her into his arms and depositing her once more on the bed.

He placed gentle kisses along the side of her neck, working slowly now, taking his time and enjoying himself. He wanted this to be perfect for them. His hands searched her body, laying flat against her smooth stomach, then sliding their way up, until they met her silky bra. She mewled and writhed underneath him in pleasure as he gently squeezed her breasts through the material, then took each of her nipples into his thumb and forefinger, rolling them expertly as he watched her back arch in pleasure. As she did, he slipped his arm underneath, to unhook the back of her bra, then he carefully slid it across her forearms and tossed it across the room. He stared at her breasts for a moment in awe, they were lovely, perfect, just like her. How could one woman, one tiny woman, be so absolutely perfect?

Kathryn gasped slightly as the chill air hit her exposed breasts and watched Chakotay's face as he stared at her breasts, enraptured. "Perfect," she heard him whisper softly under his breath, and then his mouth was descending onto her breast and Kathryn felt her world explode as his lips grazed the peak of her nipple. Kathryn tossed her head back and moaned, giving him better access. Then she slid her hands up under his shirt, across his well-defined back, loving the hissing intake of his breath as she did so.

With her hands underneath his shirt, she quickly slid it over his head, tossing it onto the floor to join her bra. Then she felt along his arousal still encased in his trousers. "Dammit," he growled in frustration, pausing only briefly in his ministrations to help her to pull off his pants and boxers, throwing them behind him and then immediately returning his mouth to her nipple.

She slowly reached one of her hands up underneath him, gently running her fingers lightly over his arousal. He'd pulled his mouth away from her breast, "Oh god, Kathryn," he pleaded softly, his eyes glazing over with pleasure.

Then his hands were removing her underwear, sliding it down along her smooth legs. After he'd tossed it aside, he slid his hands back up, tantalizingly slowly he moved his hands along, slowing even more so as he reached the tops of her thighs.

Kathryn was absolutely squirming beneath him, tossing her head back and forth in pleasure. Chakotay smiled to himself. She was so beautiful like this, uninhibited. He'd never seen her with such complete abandon. He only hoped this wouldn't be his only time to see her like this, but he wouldn't think about that now, he wouldn't ruin this moment. He slowly drew his fingers along the outside of her slick folds, only barely grazing her skin.

"Chakotay," she gasped, "please." With those words, he dipped a finger into her soft folds, loving the look of tormented pleasure on her face as he slowly drover her mad with his fingers, working both along her clit and inside of her.

Her body was slick with sweat, her eyes glazed over in passion, "please Chakotay," she panted once again. But he wanted, needed more. He needed to hear her say more, "Please what?" he growled back, slowing the pace of his finger inside of her.

She moaned in frustration, biting her lower lip. God she was so sexy. "Please, Chakotay, I need you," she whispered in that low, throaty voice of hers, and it was his undoing.

"Oh Kathryn, you're so perfect," He whispered lovingly staring into her crystal blue eyes. Then he slowly slid his whole length inside of her, marveling at how wet and tight she was. "Kathryn," he whispered softly, lowering himself down more fully on top of her, so that he could place a kiss on the top of her forehead, trying to give her body time to adjust to his size inside of her.

Kathryn gasped as she felt him finally slide inside of her. It had been so long, and he was so large. She sucked in a deep breath of air, trying to adjust to his size. Then she began to rock her hips beneath him, she needed more, needed to feel him moving within her.

Chakotay sucked in his breath sharply as he felt her hips undulate beneath his, "Oh god," he panted, swiftly withdrawing himself from her and plunging back in. "Yes!" Kathryn cried out, raising her hips to meet his pace as he drove himself forcefully into her.

Kathryn's hands gripped his shoulder blades tightly as she moved along with him. She was so close, she could feel it building within her. "Chakotay!" She finally cried out as she felt herself shatter.

Chakotay couldn't hold on any longer as he heard her cry out his name, it was almost exactly as he'd dreamed of it so many times in his mind. And the feeling of her, clenching around him as her orgasm took hold. He gave a fierce growl, and then he was experiencing his own climax.

For a few moments they just laid there together, him still buried inside of her, holding himself slightly above her so as not to completely crush her with his weight. He pressed kisses along along her face, her eyelids, her forehead, her cheeks, her chin, and then her lips.

After a few more moments, he finally pulled himself from her, falling to her side, and immediately drawing her body flush against his. He kissed the back of her head. She was so perfect and he'd waited so long for this moment.

He kept his arms wrapped tightly around her waist. He could tell she was exhausted, and eventually he felt her breathing even out as he held her against his side. "I love you," he whispered softly, closing his eyes and allowing himself to drift off to sleep.