"Neelix wants to what?"  Kathryn's voice was a mixture of surprise, irritation and resignation.  The idea was reasonable and the purpose sound.  The only objection she had was that she didn't want to do it, but how could she say no?

"Neelix wants to have an egg decorating contest for the crew and then an Easter egg hunt so Naomi can have a first hand experience of another Earth tradition.  He thinks we don't focus enough on her mother's culture."

"We already did Valentine's Day for here and he's working on St. Patrick's Day.  Now he wants us to do Easter, too?"

"Come on, Kathryn.  Valentine's Day turned out pretty well, don't you think?  I know everyone is looking forward to a wild party for St. Patrick's Day."  Chakotay's voice took on a very different tone as his words reminded Kathryn of the change in their relationship in recent months and just how well Valentine's had turned out for her this year.

"Is he expecting me to enter this contest or hide eggs?"

"No, he's expecting the two of us to judge the entries. He might want us to hunt for eggs though, but I can talk him out of that I think."

"Ok, then.  As long as all I have to do is judge some eggs in a contest, he can have this celebration.  You're stuck with anything and everything else he wants from me so make sure he takes his questions and problems to you."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Easter is not crunch time, mister."

"I know, but now is.  Let's get back to what we were doing."  Chakotay reached for Kathryn and pulled her across his body before drawing her head to his for a kiss.  His hands wandered over her naked body, then slowed as she took the initiative.  Their physical relationship was still unfamiliar to both of them in many ways, but Chakotay had already learned that sorting out a request from Neelix was strange pillow talk but usually inspired Kathryn to some very creative expressions of her feelings for him.  He soon realized that tonight would be no exception. Kathryn broke the kiss and somewhat hesitantly posed a question.

"Talking about decorating eggs reminds me of something I've always wanted to try. How do you feel about chocolate body paint?"

"You taste sweet enough to me already but I guess it could be fun. I've used body paints before but only in tribal rituals, never in bed and never chocolate!"

Kathryn grinned and walked to the replicator.

"One jar of chocolate body paint. No cancel that. One bottle of chocolate syrup"

Kathryn picked up the bottle and returned to the bed.

"This should be easier to handle and just as much fun."

She climbed onto the bed, straddled Chakotay's hips and flipped open the lid of the bottle.

"Ready?"

"For you, Kathryn? Always!"

Kathryn inverted the bottle allowing a thin stream of chocolate syrup to flow onto Chakotay's chest. Slowly she moved the bottle lower drawing a line down his abdomen. She paused to fill his belly button with syrup before continuing downwards until the syrup mingled with the arrow of hair that sign-posted the way to his hardened member. Putting the bottle aside she traced the line of syrup with her finger spreading the sticky liquid over his warm skin. Bending forward she begin to lick the syrup from his chest. Her tongue flicked over his skin and her lips sucked at his flesh as she moved gradually lower and lower sending twinges of arousal shooting through his body. Her lips arrived at his belly button and she sipped at the syrup cupped within it.

Chakotay groaned with desire as he reached down to run his fingers though her hair. His hips arched upwards, rocking against her lips and tongue as they followed the chocolate flavored path to his groin. His breathing became ragged at he balanced on the edge of his passion, fighting to retain control.

"Spirits, Kathryn, I'm close", he groaned.

In a swift movement she ran her tongue up his body until her mouth met his. His tongue danced with hers, tasting the sweetness of the chocolate. Kathryn could feel his hardness pressing against with her stomach. She reached down and ran her finger lightly up his shaft. The gentle touch was enough to send him over the edge, his passion exploded showering her abdomen with his seed. 

"You weren't ready, I'm sorry", he said when he had recovered enough to speak.

"That doesn't matter, this was for you as much as for me and besides, I'm sure you'll make it up to me."

"You're right about that. Time for me to return the favor."

He turned Kathryn onto her back and reached for the bottle of syrup. Lying alongside her he propped himself up on one elbow as, with the other hand, he inverted the bottle over her stomach. With care and concentration he mirrored the design of his tattoo on the pale skin.

"That marks you as mine, at least for now."

"For always, Chakotay. You don't need to mark me with your tattoo to be sure of that."

He brought his mouth to hers in a long, lingering kiss. Their tongues fought a tender duel in and out of each other's mouths. He could still taste the chocolate as he sucked gently on her lower lip. Breaking the kiss he reached once more for the syrup bottle and drew small, chocolate circles around her nipples before lowering his lips to suckle on the first erect nub. Kathryn groaned with arousal at the warmth of his mouth, the sucking of his lips and the gentle tugging of his teeth. Slowly he moved to the other breast, marking the route across her chest with butterfly kisses. He carefully licked away the chocolate around the dusky pink nipple before taking it into his mouth and repeating his tender ministrations.

Pulling away he reached down to trace the lines of the chocolate tattoo with his fingertip.  Kathryn watched with growing arousal as he lifted the syrup from her skin and licked it from his finger. She found the sight of his lips around his fingertip intensely erotic. Her hand moved down to meet his on her stomach as she too covered her fingers with sticky sauce. She raised her fingers to his mouth allowing him to suck and lick the syrup from her hand. He copied her action, panting with desire as her mouth moved over his hand.

He bent to kiss her lips once more, she felt his renewed erection against her stomach and felt herself becoming wet with desire.

"Please, Chakotay. I'm ready. I need you in me now!" she breathed.

His hand moved down exploring her moist folds. His probing fingers found her clit rubbing it gently and sending tremors of arousal through her body. He continued to cover her neck with tender kisses as he straddled her body and positioned his arousal at her entrance. With a swift thrust of his hips he entered her causing her to gasp as her muscles contracted around his hardness. Their hips moved in a passionate rhythm as he thrust deeper and deeper and she arched upwards to receive more of him. The pace grew faster as they neared their climax until, finally they peaked together shouting their love and desire as the last contraction of her walls broke his control and he filled her with his juices. 

They floated gently down from the heights of passion, whispering tender endearments as muscles relaxed and breathing slowed. Finally they fell into a deep sleep, still wrapped in each other's arms and dreaming sweet, sticky dreams, all thoughts of decorating and hunting eggs gone from their minds.

=^=

Kathryn and Chakotay sat in the mess hall at their usual table nervously glancing at all the covered displays at the other end of the room.  It appeared that the crew had taken the egg-decorating contest much more seriously than either of them had imagined.  They had envisioned a batch of hastily colored eggs with stickers on them, perhaps even hand sketched designs on a few, but they had not envisioned the elaborate art work and glitzy decorations they had glimpsed as the displays were set up and then covered with soft cloths.  They exchanged glances as the chronometer slowly counted down the minutes remaining until they had to pick a winner.

"I thought you said only a few people were entering this contest."

"That's what I thought.  I asked Neelix last week and he said there would only be about a dozen entries.  It must be closer to fifty entries."

"I was hoping we could get out of here early tonight but with all those entries we will take forever to decide on the winner, then we'll have to wait the two hours for the egg hunting contest.  You never did tell me how Neelix managed to talk you into being part of that event.  I had counted on you keeping me company as everyone brought their finds back here to be counted."

"He just caught me when my mind was on other things and before I even knew what he had asked, I had agreed to hunt for eggs."  She smiled rather smugly when the look in his eyes told Kathryn exactly what had been on his mind when Neelix cornered him.  Kathryn's smug grin turned more thoughtful before she spoke.

"I happen to have heard about a secret and very special egg that is hidden somewhere on Voyager.  If you find it or are the first to figure out where it is, I'll let you tell the ship we're a couple."

"You really mean that?  All I have to do is find one egg in this hunt and we don't have to sneak around any more?"

"Yes, but you have to find a specific egg.  If you find the correct egg, there will be no doubt in your mind that it is the right one.  You have my word on it.  In fact, I'll make it easier for you; you don't even have to find the egg.  You just have to identify it as the egg I'm talking about, but no guessing so you'll have to keep an eye out.  Like I said, you'll definitely know when you find it."

"You know where this egg is hidden?"

"Yes."

"Then you planned this.  You intended to make me have to hunt for this egg all along.  You knew I would get in this hunt for that reward.  That's not very nice, Kathryn."

"No, I honestly didn't plan this.  I only just learned about you hunting eggs a few minutes ago and had only heard rumors of this special egg until a few hours earlier when I cornered someone who could describe it to me in detail and knew exactly where and when it was hidden."

"All right, I guess you couldn't plan this too far ahead.  You do realize you picked one of the few prizes that would have me searching the entire ship, don't you?"

"I know that, and I will tell you one other thing, Chakotay.  I honestly don't think anyone will find the egg if you don't and you will know when you have found it."

"You keep saying that!"

"Saying what?"

"That I'll know the egg when I've found it."

"You will know it.  I'm absolutely certain you will know when you have found the egg I'm talking about."

"All right!  I'll take your word for it, but I still don't know how you can be so certain."  Kathryn started to speak but Chakotay didn't give her a chance.  "Ok.  When I win, and I do intend to win, can I finally kiss you in public?"

A very insincere death glare turned toward some shining eyes and wonderful dimples.  The dimples deepened as the glare faded to a reluctant grin.  The moment of intimacy was broken by Neelix's enthusiastic voice announcing it was time to judge the Easter eggs that had been entered in the contest.  The Command Team reluctantly got to their feet to face the challenge of picking the best of the decorated eggs on Voyager.

An hour and forty-five minutes later, Kathryn sat down after watching Chakotay's back disappear out the door of the mess hall in search of the special egg.  They had studied the eggs for over an hour before going into a huddle to pick the best.  They had finally decided that the egg decorated by Jenny and Megan Delaney was the best.  Neelix had taken more than twenty minutes to present their award before announcing the egg hunt and outlining the rules and procedures.  The contestants had finally started on their hunt.  Kathryn sat back to wait out the two hour search period knowing that Chakotay would not find the egg.  Within minutes, she drifted off to sleep and a considerate crew, always mindful of the First Officer's opinion that their Captain needed more sleep, was careful not to wake her until the end of the egg hunt.

"Kathryn?"  Chakotay's voice woke Kathryn from a restful sleep.  She opened her eyes realizing she had fallen asleep in her chair.

"What?  How long was I asleep?"  Kathryn looked around to see who else was in hearing distance and relaxed when she realized the others were staying at the far end of the room.

"I don't know.  You were asleep when I came in just now.  You must have needed the sleep if you could sleep through the racket that is going on over there."

"I guess.  But it's your fault I don't get more sleep you know."

"I know.  In a few more minutes we can leave to get some sleep, but first Neelix wants you to announce who found the most eggs."

Kathryn rose slowly to her feet, shaking off the last remnants of sleep, and walked with Chakotay to the microphone where Neelix was waiting for her.  By the time she reached Neelix, she was completely the Captain.  She quickly scanned the results and was pleased to see that Tom had managed to give Naomi a run for the most eggs found but that Naomi had found three more than he had.  She read the results and congratulated the winners before mingling with the crowd.  After about twenty minutes, Chakotay touched her elbow and whispered something in her ear before leading her from the room. Once in the corridor, she relaxed and chuckled.

"You really think they'll believe that was ship's business that called us both away so suddenly?"

"Sure.  We've never tried that before so this time it should work.  Maybe even a second time if Tom didn't notice and no one else thinks to check out the impression that we were called to the bridge.  Now, I think you owe me an explanation about this so-called secret egg."  They had reached the corridor near their quarters.  "Your place or mine?"

"Mine tonight if you don't mind, Chakotay."  They continued to her door and entered.  Kathryn went to change her uniform and Chakotay put his jacket on a chair before heading to the replicator to get them something to drink.  He put the drinks down near their favorite chair before sitting down and pulling off his boots.  He had just settled into the chair when Kathryn returned wearing her robe.  She ignored her cup and took a sip from his teacup before making herself comfortable on Chakotay's lap.

"When are you going to explain this special egg, Kathryn?"

"I won't have to explain it once you figure out where it is."

"Well, I guess we could use that old child's game where I say 'cold' where you are far from it or 'warm' or 'warmer' as you get closer."

"What?"

"When you get closer to the egg, I tell you warm or warmer.  If you move away from it, I tell you cold or colder."

"So I have to walk around the ship with you tagging along saying warmer or colder?  I know I can't explain that to the crew."

"That's my best offer."

"All right, I'll take it, but I dread to think what Tom will do if he finds out."

"Don't worry, he won't unless you tell him.  Let's start now."

"Now?"  Thinking she would be trying to get up, Chakotay circled her waist with both arms.  "I'm very happy right here at the moment.  Besides, you were the one complaining that you needed more sleep."

"Now.  And right now I'd have to say you were very warm."

"What?"  If Kathryn hadn't been on his lap, Chakotay would have been on his feet searching the room.  He settled for a visual search of as much of the room as he could see from the chair.  Once sure Kathryn wasn't going to try to get up, he moved one hand to her head to pull it against his shoulder so he could see over her more easily in his visual search.  He was quickly distracted from his visual search as Kathryn brushed her lips over his neck.  He was ready to look for the egg in the morning.

"You're getting colder, Commander."  He barely heard her words whispered against his neck.

"What?  I haven't moved out of this chair."

"Think about it."  Her soft voice made Chakotay rethink everything Kathryn had said about finding this egg.  Then he tried to figure out how he could have moved away from the egg without moving from the chair.  He replayed his movements of the last few minutes.

"I haven't moved, Kathryn.  I've been sitting here holding you the entire time."

"You've moved."

"You mean when I pulled your head down on my shoulder?  I was touching you the whole time so . . ." Chakotay's voice trailed off as he finally realized where his hand had been resting before he moved it.  Slowly, cautiously, he moved that hand back to its previous location.

"Kathryn?"  She met his eyes smiling, waiting for him to put the question into words.

"Are you telling me you're pregnant?"  Tears forming in her eyes, she could only nod her head as she looked at him, half afraid to see his response.  Her fears vanished as a look of wonder and joy filled his face while his hand wandered gently over her belly.

"Yes.  We're going to have a baby.  The doctor just confirmed it this afternoon."  Her previous fears made one more showing.  "I know we didn't plan this baby, but . . ." He interrupted her and wiped a stray tear from her cheek.

"Shhhh.  I want this baby; never doubt that.  I love you; I love this baby."  Chakotay finally realized he had met the challenge Kathryn set for him.  "Does this mean we can hold hands in the corridors?"

"Yes."

"How about dancing really, really close together at the next party?"

"Well, as close as this baby will let us, yes."

"And I can put my arm around you at Sandrine's?"

"OK."

"How about kissing you on the bridge?"

"Don't push your luck, mister!"  Chakotay wasn't quite sure how to respond until Kathryn continued.  "The ready room is much more comfortable and for the next seven months this baby will insist on being comfortable."

"Then I think it's time for daddy to make mommy and baby more comfortable in bed."

Kathryn smiled up at him.

"Want to do some more egg decorating, Chakotay? That's how we got into this situation in the first place".

Chakotay stared at her for a moment then realization struck.

"The chocolate syrup? That was the time?"

"Yes, Chakotay. That's when we made our baby."

Chakotay grinned, flashing his dimples.

"Then I think Easter just became my favorite festival. Let's go celebrate."

He took her hand and led her into the bedroom.. 

=^=