First Christmas/Short Story

Chapter 31: First Christmas/Short Story.

Time: Two days after Faces. December 22.

Bini Filters POV

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I yawned and rubbed my faces as I took a sip of my hot chocolate and listened to Neelix go on and on about Christmas tradition. I knew the entire history of it. It was one of the most basic things we learned in school is the story of Jesus.

"Neelix, I know how Jesus was born. I don't need to be retaught this." I complained as we sat in the empty messhall late in the afternoon. He shook his head and then slide another padd towards me. The file he was on was titled "Mistletoe."

Yeah. No way in hell, am I letting him do this one.

"What about hanging the mistletoe above the entrances of the messhall?" He chirped. I shook my head "no." almost immediately as I thought through the horror of what would happen.

"Neelix, I have a genuine question. Do you understand the meaning of the mistletoe?" I asked before he could protest my option.

"Ah...No. I can't say I understand it well. But I am sure it will be fine." He said with a nervous chuckle.

"If you think sexual harassment reports from nearly every crewmember on board is fine." I snapped back and he blinked a couple of times, taking in my words before responding.

"Sexual harassment? Aren't you over-reacting?" He asked.

"I guarantee I am not. I will not sit here and let you do this to the crew!" I argued and slid the padd back. Suddenly, the messhall doors opened and a way to confident Tom Paris came strolling in with his own set of padds and a coffee in his hands.

"Tom, this is a closed meeting." I protested as Tom pulled up and chair and sat at our table in a heartbeat, then he dumped his...stuff on the table and grinned at us.

"I am here to help put some Kazaa at this party!" He explained.

"Wait, can we back up. Did you just say Kazaa? Are we just going to ignore that because that was strange." I argued. Tom rolled his eyes and slid one padd at Neelix and one towards me.

On this padd, it had instructions on a Christmas tree.

"We can't have a Christmas party, hell, Christmas in general on this ship without a Christmas tree. I think that is where we should focus on first." Tom said trying to pull us on track.

"A Christmas Tree...Where are we supposed to get a Tree?" Neelix asked irritated as he read the padd. He was losing control of this party and fast. He knows, Tom knows it, and I know it.

"Are you now part of this? Because you kinda just walked in here." I argued and Tom narrowed his eyes at me as I took another sip of my hot Chocolate.

"Yes, I am, Shadow. I am an expert at planning parties." He replied. "We are going to have used some body's replicator rations for the month. Who wants to give up their rations for a month?"

"What about the Captain?" Neelix nervously chirped in. Tom and I looked at him in horror.

"The Captain? The woman who leads this ship? Maybe I didn't hear you correctly...did you just suggested the Captain for this?" Tom said in an attempt to clear up the situation.

"Well, yes. We are all aware that the Captain drinks far too much coffee in one day and she needs to be more open to my...cultural food. They are very healthy and no offence but she has seemed a bit down lately." He said with genuine concern written on his face.

"We can't do that! We would be taking away coffee! Caffeine! That is what wakes her up in the morning. I assume it does at least. But the point is that once we take away her coffee, everyone's peaceful life on this ship is over for a month." I fired back.

"I am willing to take my chances." Tom said.

"Well, then. I guess that is it. It's your funeral." I said, concluding the part of our party planning.

"So far we are having a Christmas Tree (Which will be in the mess y'all.) at the party, some mistletoe hanging at the entrances--"

"I didn't agree with that." I snapped in, interrupting Neelix's thought processes.

"I am all for that. I am a superior officer. Neelix, I order you to put up mistletoes!" Tom barked. I rolled my eyes.

"Excuse me. I am thinking about that safety of the ship here-"

"You are a party pooper." Tom grinned at me.

"I am not!" I growled.

"So does that mean you would accept alcohol at the party?" He tested.

"Gah...um...No-Yes. Yep, yes. I do accept it." I stammered out and Tom leaned back in his chair.

"Finally we are getting somewhere."

"Moving on..." Neelix snapped in irritation at us.

-----

(Next Day. Date: December 23. Time: 6:30 am.)

Captain Kathryn Janeway's POV

"Computer, shut off the alarm." I weakly barked as I slide out of bed and stretched my arms out after a two-hour sleep. I was up working late last night, it that time of the month for crew evaluations. I yawned as I entered my dark living room and called for lights at 10%. The computer complied and the room lit up slightly, enough for my eyes to see without hurting at the sudden light change. I walked over to the replicator and ordered my usual coffee black.

"No rations available." The computer snapped back. I blinked a couple of times and looked at the replicator. Praying silently that I heard that wrong and ordered it again.

"No rations available." The computer repeated. So I wasn't hearing things. Great. Just great.

I leaned against the wall and gave a frustrated sigh. Last night I checked my rations, I had at least 10 cups left with some meals and now. It is gone. Why is that? It can't just disappear. Someone would have informed me. Except for maybe Chakotay and the Doctor. God, if it is them they better start getting ready for their lives to get very tough, very soon.

I went back into my room and quickly changed into my uniform. I pinned up my hair and hurried into the corridor and towards the turbo lift. I will even take Neelix's "Coffee" at the point.

---10 minutes later---

I entered the messhall hoping wither only Neelix was here or better yet no one based on my mood and the fact that breakfast hasn't really started yet. When I entered I noticed Neelix was puttering around the kitchen and Bini and Tom were in deep discussion with him, probably about the Christmas party.

Neelix was the first to see me and shoot up to attention, startling Tom and Bini, then they looked towards me and Bini started to start awkwardly grinning as Tom's eyes started to dart around and Neelix moved away from inside the kitchen and waved them away. Bini bolted for the other exit as Tom slowly back up then chased after Bini not long after.

"Neelix...What just happened?" I asked suspiciously. He nervously shrugged an "I don't know."

"I am not sure Captain." He said, but something in the way he was fiddling with his hands told me another story. A story that said he knew exactly what was going on. "Is there something I can help you with on this delightful morning?"

"Actually yes. I need coffee."

"Ah, wonderful! I just made a new batch!" He said and reentered the kitchen with a bounce to his step and quickly returned with a steaming cup of coffee in hand. I gently took it and looked down at it. It looked like coffee...almost smelt like coffee...I gently swirled it to confirm it wasn't jelly. Good. He took my advice for the most part.

"Is this decaf?" I asked.

"No." He simply put. He was acting strange and was having a horrible time at hiding it.

"Neelix." I rested one of my hands on his shoulder. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I am fine, Captain. Just overwhelmed with work." He insisted. I nodded and headed out of the messhall. Pushing the strange events of what happened this morning so far out of my mind and allowing work to take over. I should head back and wake up Sarah and Micheal.

-----

(Time: Lunch.)

Ensign Bini Filters POV

I rested my head on the table and groaned in pain. I slowly raised my head and looked across the table to a disgusted Tom as he shoved another piece of food into his mouth and looked back at me.

"We are so screwed." I groaned as I remembered the events of what happened this morning.

"At what point? Was it the point when we ran out of the messhall or when we almost ran into her as she left the bridge just now?" Tom replied sarcastically.

"You are really no help. You know that?" I snapped back.

"You weren't on the bridge this morning! Janeway walked around like a caged tiger around the bridge. She partially interrogated Chakotay, and he was really confused the entire time." Tom said and shuttered at the memories it brought back.

"Maybe we can bribe B'Elanna to give her some rations..." I suggested, to lessen the blow of hell that will rain down upon us when she eventually figures out it was us and Neelix.

"No, no, no. The damage has been done. We just need to wait this out. Until the party." Tom said and drank some water to wash down the bitter taste of his meal.

"Or we die trying." I muttered.

"We already are, Bini."

Suddenly there was a commotion as Micheal and Sarah came bursting in fuming, not caring who was in their way as they headed towards us with murder in their eyes.

"Oh shit, what happened to them?" Tom muttered as Micheal and Sarah, who I now noticed was followed by Mollie, who actually looked chill stood in front of our table with a screeching halt.

Micheal placed his hands on his hips and raised his chin, he was copying his mother's stare down at aliens to us as they both glared at us in the eyes. At this point everyone in the messhall as leaning towards our table, desperate for gossip.

"What did you do?" Micheal growled at me in dead seriousness.

"What did I do? That is a good question. Why don't you tell me?" I asked with a quick glance of panic to Tom, do they know? What do they know?!

He rested his hands on the table and leaned towards me, like those detectives during an interrogation in those 20th-century movies Tom used to show me when we were in the Maquis.

"You. Took. Away. Her. Coffee."

Shit.

Fuck.

Cluster Fuck.

I am dead. I felt my hands become sweaty as I started to chuckle.

"What...*Clears throat.*...are you talking about?" I asked innocently as I could. Micheal narrowed his eyes at me and Neelix watched us in horror as Kes was behind him, oblivious of what was happening.

"It was you! I know it! Don't try and deny it. It was both of you trying to make Mommy go insane!" Micheal raged.

"Insane? I seriously doubt that." Tom said with a smirk and suddenly Sarah reached and grabbed an unprepared Tom Paris and yanks him towards her. Well, as well as a five year old could to a fully grown man.

"You don't know Mommy as we do." She growled and let him go.

"You have until the end of the day. If you don't get her rations back...we will tell her, and after that, you should start praying she has mercy." Micheal snapped and then they stormed out the same way they entered. The entire messhall was quiet and then the action slowly returned to the area and Neelix came over with wobbly feet and sat with us.

"What just happened?" I slowly asked. Trying to process the event.

"We need to get those rations." Tom muttered. I gave a hostile look at Neelix before making up my mind.

"Neelix. Give me all your rations."

————

(Time: 7 pm.)

Micheal Janeway's POV

Part of me considered the thought that the Delta Quadrant might be making me insane. I think I was justified in this because Sarah and I were walking through the dark halls of deck 15.

We came to an abrupt halt and Bini came around the corner, emerging from the shadows with one of her hands tightly clutched.

We each stopped in the hallway, glaring at each other.

I crossed my arms over my chest and started to tap my foot.

"Well?" I asked and Sarah outstretched her hand towards me.

Bini looked down at her hand painfully and then leaned over and dropped the chip into her hand. Sarah examined the chip in her hand and then nodded in confirmation to me. Mommy's rations were back.

"Are we done here?" Bini asked with a hint of irritation. We both nodded. "I hope you know that you have ruined Christmas."

"I think you are over reacting." Sarah argued.

"I think...I know you two are insane. And you two aren't even on caffeine. That is the scary part." Bini replied with the shrug of her shoulders and then backed away into the shadows of the corridor.

"Let's go." I said and we quickly hurried off. Deck 15 was actually pretty scary.

———

(After another day of planning, I am skipping to Christmas. Because I need to get this story out by Christmas. Merry Christmas.

December 25. Time: 9 pm.)

I watched as Tom and Neelix placed the last few ornaments on the Christmas tree and we all backed away from the tree to get a new look at it.

"Something seems...off." I said. I couldn't pinpoint it but...something was off with it. It looked like a normal Christmas tree. It was a replicated green pine tree with Christmas ornaments.

"You know what the issue is. This room is too bright." Tom said.

We had another moment of silence...You know what. He was right. The lights on the tree and the lights we quiet literally took hours to hang up and figure out how to plug in because there are no outlets...Something I did not know existed until yesterday...were being ruined because the messhall lights themselves were murdering our lives.

"Computer, dim lights by 20%." Neelix ordered.

The lights dimmed and the messhall lit up with the multicolour Christmas lights around the area. I spun around and gave one last look at the party.

��We could have just used the holodeck." Tom snapped.

"Yeah, but what's the fun in that?" I cheekily replied. Tom rolled his eyes as the crew started to arrive in casual clothing. Mostly clothing that would keep them warm because SOMEONE (It was Micheal and Sarah) "accidentally" broke the temperature system of the ship because SOMEONE (Obviously, Bini Filters. Let's not lie right now.) bribed them and managed to teach them how all in 3 hours.

"Thank the lord that we were able to get heating in this room." I said. Tom and Neelix looked at me in confusion. "Don't look too much into it."

—10 minutes later—

The messhall was packed with all of the crew members and I stood to watch near one of the two entrances of the messhall because Tom put mistletoe on the top of the doorway and I assume everyone knows what happens then.

Tal Celes, who had her usual haircut with a Bajoroian earpiece, jeans, and the ugliest Christmas sweater and have ever seen, started towards the entrance and I immediately blocked her path. She gave a startled cry and stepped away.

"B-Bini? What is going on?" She demanded, still startled at my abrupt appearance.

"Trust me, Tal. Go to the other door." I ordered. She nodded slowly and walked off down the corridor. She was going to have to take the long way. Sorry, Tal.

I let out a sigh of relief and looked down the corridor. Thankfully it was clear and since the messhall was already packed I assumed everyone was in the room. I decided to join Neelix, B'Elanna, Tom and Harry who were huddled in the corner of the hall.

"Well look who it is. Are you happy to be back on Voyager?" B'Elanna beamed, she now looked like her usual self. Half Klingon as always.

"That depends on how you look at it." I replied with my own smile as we stood in our own circle. B'Elanna shot Tom a look.

"What did you do?" She asked him. Tom shrugged and pointed at Neelix.

"He was involved too!"

Neelix looked back at his flabbergasted. B'Elanna looked back Tom with an unimpressed look.

"You're an idiot."

"I couldn't agree more." I pitched in. Tom narrowed his eyes at me and I just shrugged and spun around, walking into the mass of people, headed for the replicator. I need a Hot Chocolate. I heard Harry laughing beside Tom as I left and then heard him yelp...that was probably Tom giving his a quick swift hit in the ribs to shut it.

Suddenly, I heard a gasp and something it the wall. People around me came to an abrupt stop and looked towards the doorway that had the mistletoe. I silently swore to myself as I saw who was standing there. The Captain was leaning against the door frame, blushing like crazy as she held her cheek and looked back at Chakotay. Chakotay had a cheeky grin, like a guy in high school who just kissed his crush, and chuckled to himself as he walked away.

Micheal and Sarah were behind their mother with Mollie. Just outside the room and kept looking from Janeway to retreating Chakotay in confusion. The crowd soon returned to normal and the rumour mill was running full speed almost immediately.

I know what the mistletoe represents and I was almost afraid to ask what happened when Micheal and Sarah joined me and Mollie went off to play with the crew.

"Um, what happened?" I carefully asked as we stood in the middle of the room. It was like a hurricane. There was chaos around us and we were in the eye of the storm.

"I think...Chakotay kissed Mommy?" Sarah said with trouble, seemingly unable to process the event as Micheal was fidgeting and running his hand through his thick boyish hair. I think he is in denial.

"Shit, I told him not to put up mistletoes." I snapped a bit too loud.

"Language." Micheal warned. I rolled my eyes and gestured them to follow me.

"Come on, let's go get a Hot Chocolate and hopefully forget about what just happened." I said as we walked head-on into the hurricane.

-----

(Three hours later.)

Neelix's POV

The party had started to go down and the crew headed out of the messhall either drunk or exhausted. I cleaned up the remaining plates with Tom at the counter of the kitchen. Suddenly we both heard soft snoring. We gave a quick look of confusion to each other and spun around.

The room was empty except for us and the occupants on the messhall sofa and floor.

Mollie had fallen asleep on the floor (like any dog.) but Bini and Sarah had fallen asleep next to her, using her as a pillow. On the sofa, the Captain had fallen asleep leaning on the armrest as Micheal had fallen asleep on her shoulder and finally Chakotay was asleep on the other side of the sofa.

I grinned and looked back at Neelix with a wonderful idea.

"Get me a holocamera, please." I said. Neelix smirked and ran into the kitchen.

Merry Christmas Voyager.

---End of Chapter 31: Next: ???---