ICE PRINCESS

Kathryn stood up and stretched, feeling her muscles protest after the long duration of sitting. She'd intended on getting to bed early, but the stockpile of PADDs on her coffee table had called to her. "Well, Janeway," she muttered to herself, rubbing a tense shoulder, "you know what they say about the best of intentions."

One sip of her coffee had her grimacing; it was stone cold. Just how long had she been working? "Computer, time."

"The time is 0124."

She dumped the offending coffee into the recycler and sighed, imagining the doctor squawking about too much work, too much coffee, too much stress, too many late hours. What was that phrase Tom had used the other day? Ah, yes. "Yada, yada, yada." She spoke out loud, as if in reply to the doctor's invisible scolding presence. At least she didn't have Alpha shift today, although she knew she'd probably be up early. After twenty years of rising at basically same time, her body clock seemed to have set itself, no matter what her actual schedule was.

Kathryn rubbed her hands together, then wrapped her arms around herself. As often happened when she was tired and worked too long in a cramped position, she was chilled. It was as though her circulation went to sleep before she did.

The replicator tempted her, but she ignored its seductive call. Even she knew it wasn't wise to have a coffee at this hour. "See, Doctor?" Kathryn stuck her tongue out at the absent hologram.

A bath would warm her and she turned to the bedroom, but with each step, the fatigue that had been hovering on the edge, swarmed and overtook her like an invading force. By the time she entered the quarters' private area, all she wanted was bed. Good thing she had an automatic bed warmer that had been activated a while ago.

Kathryn stripped off her uniform and tossed it into the recycler. Shivering as Voyager's cool night air met her bare flesh, she grabbed for her nightgown. The satin was chilly against her skin, and no help in her quest for warmth, so she quickly slid under the covers.

It was warmer, but not what she needed, so she burrowed toward the center of the bed like a small animal seeking the haven of its nest, stretching forth her frozen hands and feet. She was a heat-seeking missile.

Chakotay awoke with a start. "Gods, Kathryn!" His voice was foggy with sleep. "One of these days you're going to give me a heart attack, and then who will keep you warm at night?"

She snuggled closer, pressing her cold lips against his neck. "I do have a reputation to live up to, you know."

Sleep gone, Chakotay rolled her chilled body beneath his, briefly capturing those cold lips with his. "And I know just how to melt the Ice Princess."

Kathryn rocked against the increasing heat of his body. "And you do it so well, too."

Shifting long enough to draw her nightgown away, he licked her nipple with a hot tongue. "So glad to be of service."

A warm, happy sigh was her only response.

The End

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© Brianna Thomas, January 2003 Please email me to post/distribute elsewhere.