BREWING UP SOME TROUBLE
[Part 2]

by ALM_Voyager

DAY TWO, 06:33 hours:

Kathryn Janeway tried to open her eyes an inch moer but it was absolutely impossible. She sighed as the messhall doors opened and looked around to make sure no one was there. She would have been surprised, actually, if there had been someone to greet her -- the first breakfast shift wasn't until 07:30 hours and Neelix didn't start anything until 06:45 hours.

She moved forward, with quick steps, and punched in a few override codes. 'I can do without almost anything,' she thought to herself, 'anything except this.' If she had tried to replicate it in her quarters the smell would have definitely floated down towards Chakotay's quarters and that would be the end of it.

"Coffee, black," she stated to the replicator. The machine whirled a bit and then stopped producing one cup full of pure sin.

"Computer," Chakotay stated, "locate Captain Janeway."

"Captain Janeway is in the messhall," it replied.

"Odd," said Tuvok, "what would the Captain be doing there at this hour?"

"Perhaps we should go and find out," Chakotay suggested and felt a great deal of satisfaction when Tuvok nodded his agreement.

Kathryn looked down at the mug and told herself she'd only have one sip. Just one. And then she'd recycle the rest -- so, in fact, she wasn't depleting the energy banks . . . that much. Her hand slid around the cylinder shape that held the dark liquid and she sighed as its warmth permeated her skin, the steam rising up to surrender itself to her parting lips.

Just as her lips parted, she heard the unmistakable sound of the messhall doors sliding open.

"Captain?!" Chakotay and Tuvok both exclaimed, in surprise, at once.

Kathryn whirled around to face the two men and forgot the mug that was still slanted towards her lips. She turned so sharply that the hot coffee sloshed over the rim and onto the front of her uniform.

"OWWWWWWWW! HOT DAMN! HOT! HOT-HOT-HOT!" she yelled, dropping the mug and grabbing at her shirt.

"That's what you get for breaking the rules . . . all for a cup of coffee," Chakotay accused.

Kathryn glared, dripping with proof of the crime.

"I'm sorry, Captain. As much as I hate to do this . . . you know the rules," Chakotay tried to act as sympathetically as he could. But, quite frankly, he just didn't have it in him -- all he had in him was a gut full of laughter pushing to get out.

Kathryn paced her room, "Exactly how long will I be confined to quarters?"

"The rest of the trip," Chakotay stated.

"Until you agree to see the EMH," Tuvok corrected.

"There is nothing wrong with me," Kathryn roared.

"Oh, that's right, you're only addicted to caffeine," Chakotay said quietly.

"There's a difference, a big difference, between liking coffee and being the Captain of a Starship who breaks the rules she set to get a cup o'joe," Chakotay's voice was steadily increasing in strength.

Tuvok could sense something more between his Captain and the Commander that was being brought to the surface from the incident. No doubt their lust for one another. "The Commander is right," Tuvok said as stoically as any Vulcan could. 'Perhaps they should just 'do it' and get it over with' he thought to himself but let no expression show on his face. It would be the most logical thing they could do in the god-forsaken-delta-quadrant.

"Let me ask you this, Captain," Chakotay pushed the point and Kathryn stopped pacing -- the first time in the past twenty minutes. "If it came down to Tom Paris and Coffee . . . which would it be?"

Kathryn paused.

"You can't be serious, Kathryn," he said and made a note he shouldn't have said her first name in front of Tuvok.

"I was merely thinking about how ridiculous a question that was, commander!" she defended herself. "No doubt about it though, the coffee," she stated under her breath.

"Nevertheless," Tuvok supported the Commander, "it is troublesome. Until you agree to see the EMH, in your own best interest, I would advise you, Captain, to stay and rest." He turned, with Chakotay, to leave.

"It'll be a cold day in coffee-land before I go see the Doctor!" Kathryn shouted at them as they left her quarters.

CONTINUED IN PART 3!

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