Disclaimer: Paramount owns them. I'm just playing.

"Dammit, where's that pen?" Kathryn's frustration was evident.

Chakotay raised his head to watch Kathryn as she frantically searched through the PADDs and other items on her desk and table. "Pen?" he asked.

Kathryn heard him, but didn't stop searching. "I know it was just here," she mumbled.

Chakotay knew she was talking more to herself than to him, so he waited, not overly concerned. She would tell him when she was ready. He returned his gaze to the PADD he was reading. They had been working on these reports for hours now and the end was in sight. He softly sighed to himself, looking forward to a relaxing evening in his quarters. At that thought, his mind began to wander.

"Chakotay!" Kathryn snapped.

Chakotay's head jerked up at the command. He hadn't realized Kathryn was standing right in front of him. Her stance indicated that she had been standing there long enough to be annoyed. Her glare confirmed it.

"Well," she prompted, her foot tapping.

Kathryn knew Chakotay hadn't been paying attention to her. Usually she thought this was an endearing trait of Chakotay's, but not right now.

He hated to say it, he really did. "Well what?" he meekly asked.

Kathryn threw her hands up in exasperation. "I knew you weren't listening to me." She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, tamping down her frustration. It wasn't his fault that she misplaced her favorite, and only, pen. "Have you seen my pen?"

At Chakotay's blank stare, Kathryn's impatience returned full force. She gritted her teeth, enunciating each word, "the one my father gave me, remember? Pen, graduation gift... pen to paper... "

When Kathryn was about to continue, Chakotay cut her off in mid-sarcasm, "Yes, I remember the pen Kathryn, I just haven't seen it. Sorry."

Kathryn looked around her quarters somewhat helplessly. Chakotay was surprised at how vulnerable she looked at that moment. She sat down heavily beside Chakotay, her sigh evidence of her defeat. When she dropped her head into her hands, Chakotay knew he had to resort to drastic measures.

"I'm sure you'll find your pen somewhere Kathryn." Chakotay held in his grin, pursing his lips to maintain his compassionate facade, "In the meantime, it's not like you don't have Pooh to cheer you up."

Chakotay knew he had her when Kathryn's head snapped up.

"Pooh?" Kathryn asked, frowning in confusion.

"Isn't that the name of your puppet?" Chakotay asked innocently, elaborating. "The one you take everywhere with you, including the Delta Quadrant?"

Kathryn grimaced in embarrassment. "He's not a puppet," she mumbled, cheeks turning red. "He's a stuffed animal."

She forgot she had told Chakotay about her favorite classic childhood story, Winnie the Pooh. Her sister gave her the stuffed Pooh on her first commission, 'to remind you to be young at heart' she had told Kathryn. Phoebe always thought Kathryn was far more serious than she needed to be and knew it was the perfect reminder that Kathryn was more than just a Starfleet Officer. Kathryn cherished it to this day. But, because of its very nature, she felt it was best kept secret. Until one night, after one too many glasses of wine on the holodeck, during one of Neelix's many morale boosting parties, she had let her little secret slip to Chakotay. Until this moment, he had never brought it up again.

"Oh. Sorry," Chakotay said. He tried to be serious, but he couldn't hold back the chuckle that escaped him. He turned it into a cough, but Kathryn was on to him.

"You're an ass," she stated, deadpan, before grinning and swatting him playfully for teasing her. "Besides," she continued, "that little bit of 'Kathryn' trivia was supposed to remain under lock and key."

During their teasing, they both had leaned back against the sofa, completely comfortable with one another and the familiar teasing.

"Oh, believe me," Chakotay replied, "I wouldn't tell a soul. I mean, what would the crew think if they knew their Captain cuddled up to a stuffed animal named Pooh every night?"

Kathryn's glare didn't frighten Chakotay a bit. He knew she loved being teased and if he didn't take the opportunity when it presented itself, then who would? So he continued. "It would completely demolish their trust, morale would be at an all-time low. It would be tragic." Chakotay shook his head in mock despair.

"Okay," Kathryn gave in, laughing, "enough, please." She then looked sidelong at him, an idea forming.

Oh, oh, Chakotay thought. He knew that look well.

"Do you have anything you need to keep under lock and key Chakotay?" Kathryn asked, leaning forward slightly. She rubbed his upper arm for good measure. "Anything you'd like to share?" she continued, her voice husky.

Chakotay cleared his throat, unable to form a quick response. He knew she had won this round. It wasn't hard for her to reduce him to a puddle of incoherentmush when she wanted. And obviously, at that moment, that's exactly what she wanted.

Chakotay jumped up from the sofa. "Uh, I'll let you know if anything comes up."

Kathryn's smirk clued Chakotay in to his unintentional double entendre. He made a hasty retreat before he really got himself into trouble.

After Chakotay left, Kathryn sat for a moment longer, pleasantly satisfied with her small victory over Chakotay. She stretched, arching her back deeper into the cushions. That's when she felt it. Something was poking into her. What the hell? she thought, reaching back to remove the offending object.

"My Pen!" She shouted, her laugh echoing off the bulkheads. She had been sitting on it all along. After several moments, she finally contained her mirth, wiping the tears from her eyes. This called for a celebration. Kathryn went to the replicator. "Champagne," she ordered after a brief hesitation.

When the flute of champagne appeared, Kathryn philosophically shrugged away the remaining doubts she had about the indulgence. Why not? she thought. After all, life is made up of little moments like these, and if you can't celebrate them, what can you celebrate?

Kathryn raised the glass high. "To finding my pen and to friendships," she toasted out loud. With the glass hovering inches in front of her lips, Kathryn smiled a secretive smile and whispered, "to friendships... with possibilities."

THE END
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