Christmas, 2370
"For the last time…" Kathryn growled, giving her aggressor one final shove. It was to no avail however, for a moment later she was pinned to the bar.
"Come on human, it is your season for giving after all, and I'm a big believer in Christmas bonuses."
Across the bar, a man watched as the Cardassian male towered over the petite female. Her unique appearance, with long blue hair and a strip of leather he assumed was meant to be a skirt, had assured his attention from the moment she had entered the bar. Now, knowing she didn't stand a chance against the Cardassian, he decided the time had come to step in. He knocked back his drink and stalked over to their position.
"I believe the lady wishes to be left alone."
Any initial relief Kathryn might have felt at her rescue disappeared as she caught sight of her rescuer's face. She barely managed to school her features before the Cardassian had hauled her in front of him.
"Call this a lady?" he snarled, before throwing her aside. He moved towards the human male but was stopped by the arrival of two burly security guards. Each grabbed an opponent and dragged them away from the scene, leaving Kathryn sitting in the corner.
"I'm getting too old for this," she muttered.
A hand appeared before her, and as she took it she felt a data chip pressing into her palm. The owner of the hand pulled her to her feet, and just as he was turning to leave she caught the stoic features of her security officer, Tuvok. She felt some small measure of pride that he had been able to adapt their original plan so flawlessly.
Kathryn dusted down what little clothing she had on, and started to wander towards the exit. Tonight hadn't gone quite as planned, and certainly wasn't how she would have liked to spend the holiday season. She knew encountering the renegade Starfleet Officer Chakotay had been a possibility, but being approached by a face that she had been studying on intelligence photos for months was more than she had anticipated. Containing her recognition had certainly tested her captain's mask to its limits.
"Some Christmas," she mumbled to herself as she walked past the bar.
"Cheer up love, maybe next year will be better," the bartender replied.
"Yeah, next year I'm spending Christmas at home."
Authors' Notes: This year the calendar nicely coincided with our annual Prixin Dinner meet up, so it seemed fitting that the attendees co-wrote the first part. If you want to know who's really to blame for what we've put under the name of the Prixin Pixies, then we guess you can pin it on LauraJo, Lin, Karma, Gadget, Diane, and Morag. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately for her at least, Shiv had to leave before the calendar madness began <g>
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