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THE BET
(PG)
When Chakotay entered the ready room with an armload of padds Kathryn rolled her eyes and rose from her desk to go to the replicator. "We're going to need lots of coffee." "Since when do you need an excuse for that?" he said with a grin as he unloaded the reports onto the desk. "It never ends. Reports, requisitions, inventories, rosters." she complained. "Sorry. You did offer to help." Chakotay said. He sat down and picked up a padd. Kathryn returned with the coffee and sat down sliding a mug toward him. "Remind me to stop doing that," she said with a mock scowl and picked up a padd. A few minutes later she leaned toward him. "Don't you think you let Ensign Taylor off lightly?" "It was his first offense." "Still..." "You've always believed in second chances, Kathryn," he said, lowering the padd in his hand. "Look what you did for Tom Paris. And for a certain half Klingon Maquis that you saw fit to put in charge of Engineering." Kathryn opened her mouth to reply but Chakotay couldn't seem to stop talking. "And we certainly can't forget yours truly. Making a Maquis your first officer? Talk about second chances!" Kathryn couldn't help the smile that curled her lips. And still he went on. "So I ask you, Kathryn, doesn't Ensign Taylor deserve a second chance as well?" "Point taken," she said and picked up another padd. "I appreciate your passion for our people." "Thank you," he said and calmly resumed reading. "Speaking of second chances, and passion, I wouldn't mind another chance to beat you at pool." His eyes met hers. "As long as the stakes are the same." Kathryn tried to focus on how wonderful one of his sand paintings would look decorating a wall in her quarters but her thoughts kept returning to three nights earlier when Chakotay had claimed his prize. It sent a shiver of desire up her spine. "I think that could be arranged," she said. Damn. She was never going to get that painting if she kept letting him win.
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