Title: Ominous Games
Author: Ky (venom69)
Fandom: Star Trek: Voyager
Rating:
Age Friendly.
Summary: “Have we taught you nothing, Harry?”
Character/Pairing: Janeway/Chakotay
Spoilers:
None… the show’s ended!
Warnings: None, really.
Prompt Number for ![[info]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif)
fic101: 27 - Cheat
Author’s Notes: Song belongs to Joe south. Something short and sweet.
Disclaimer:
Usual guff. Not mine, promise to put them back where I found them.
Date: 18/01/07
***
Oh the games
people play now
Every night and every day now
Never meaning what they say now
Never saying what they mean
***
“Are
you cheating?”
“No, Captain.”
“But you’re going to win, aren’t you?”
He
was meant to do that without cheating? “Yes Captain.”
“Good. Voyager’s reputation is at stake
here, remember that.”
Tom Paris gulped. “Yes Ma’am.”
They’d been in the Nami system
for almost two days, taking shore leave.
Tom had beamed down for his eight hour break with every intention of hunting
for a nice surprise gift for B’Elanna.
But there’d been a bar and then Harry had showed up and they were
suddenly involved in the Nami version of Poker and the next thing he’d known, the Captain was behind him wearing a
really,
ahem, ‘interesting’ dress and telling him that they had to win in order to save the crew’s – and by
default, her – reputation.
Excellent.
“Are you in, Paris?” Vlay, their Nami guide, was sitting
across from him.
Tom was pretty sure it was Vlay that had roped him into this game in the first place.
He
glanced at the card-like-things that he held and nodded. “Deal me in.”
Harry leant closer to him. “Do
you know how to play?”
“Not a clue.”
“How are you going to win then?”
Tom
shrugged. “I’m going to cheat.”
“The Captain said…”
“Which do you
think she’d prefer? That we cheat and win or play fair and loose?”
“I get your point. But how can
you cheat if you don’t know how to play?”
Damn Harry and his logic. “We’re just going to have
to figure it out, aren’t we?”
***
“You told him to win?”
Kathryn nodded as she
poured them more wine.
“Do they know how to play?”
“I don’t think so.”
Chakotay
chuckled. “So they’ll cheat?”
“No, I told Tom that they weren’t allowed to do that.”
He
laughed aloud at that. “You’re evil, Kathryn.”
“Pretend you don’t love that about me.”
“You
know I wouldn’t do that.” He smiled at her across their table.
Vlay had recommended this place when Chakotay
had enquired about somewhere romantic for dinner. The flowers and candle-like things on the table provided the perfect atmosphere
for what he’d been after.
He and Kathryn had been spending a lot of time together lately and he’d actually
heard her refer to it as dating when she spoke with her mother in their monthly communication with the Alpha Quadrant.
He’d
been delivering a report to her and, while it had been her mother that had mentioned the ‘d’ word, Kathryn hadn’t
denied it.
Well, whatever she called it, the little black dress that she was wearing was certainly being perceived
as date material.
“So, do you know what you’re having for dinner?” She asked.
“Vlay
said that the assortment platter was good. A little bit of this and a little bit of that. The perfect way to experience what
the Nami have to offer cuisine wise. And no Leola root.”
Kathryn raised her glass. “I’ll drink to
that!”
***
Harry looked nervous, Tom thought.
More than nervous, the kid looked ready to throw
up all over the table and then pass out. “Buddy, you OK?”
“Not really.”
“What
did you eat?”
“The things that the waitress was passing around. I don’t think I want to know what
they were.”
“You ate the
food?” Tom scoffed quietly, wary of their companions. “Have
we taught you nothing, Harry?”
“I know.” He waved his hand and looked sheepish. “But she was…”
“Hot.”
Harry
had the decency to blush. “Yeah.”
Tom patted his friend on the back. “Maybe I have taught you something
after all.”
***
“Did you enjoy that?”
Kathryn rubbed her full belly, wondering why
she wore such a tight dress when there was so much delicious food on offer.
Oh yes, the man across from her.
What
she wouldn’t give for a pair of slacks with a button or two she could open right about now. “Thoroughly. Though
I may have over-indulged.”
“I think it will do you the world of good.”
“No lectures
about my eating habits Chakotay, not on the first date, at least.”
He sat back and laced his fingers together
as they rested on his equally full stomach. “So you admit it’s a date.”
“I…” Her
comm. badge chirped. “Saved by the bell.” She tapped the link open. “Janeway here.”
“Uh...
Captain…”“Mr. Paris?”
“Yes, Captain.”“What can
I do for you?”
“I, ah, need your help.”She could hear sounds in the background.
Ominous
sounds.
Ominously
familiar sounds. “Tom, are you in jail?”
“Yes Ma’am.”Again.
Kathryn sighed. “What did you do?”
“Actually ma’am, I’m not specifically in
the cell.”“Then who is?”
“Harry, Ma’am.”“Why is
Harry in jail? And stop calling me Ma’am.”
“Yes ma’am.” She heard Tom sigh.
”It
seems he was cheating at the game we were playing. They caught him. Apparently they take their games seriously here.”“He
was
cheating?”
“Yes ma’am.”“We’re on our way.” She
sighed as she closed the link and smiled apologetically at Chakotay.
“I guess we didn’t win then.”
“Probably
not.”
Chakotay rose and took her arm as the headed towards the exit, nodding gratefully at their gracious host
for the evening. “So, will you admit it now?”
“Admit what?” She asked, curling her body a little
closer to his as they leisurely began the walk towards the local jail.
Kathryn was glad that she’d enquired
about the location before giving Tom and Harry permission for leave.
“That we were on a date.”
“Maybe.”
She shrugged. “Are we still on for lunch in the Town Square tomorrow?”
“Of course. I’ll meet
you there at one.”
Kathryn winked at him. “It’s a date.”
***
End
