“How do you know our schedules, Naomi?”

“I asked the Commander a few days ago. I am the Captain's Assistant, remember, and I need to know where to find you and the Commander at all times.”

Kathryn sighed; she had been listening to Naomi for ten minutes and knew Naomi would not give up unless something happened or her mother came looking for her. She also knew that Sam Wildman was on duty until 1800 hours today and that it was unlikely the Doctor would come looking for Naomi unless called to take her back to her studies.

“Since the Commander has already agreed, I guess I can't let you down.”

Naomi interrupted before Kathryn could say more.

“Oh, thank you, Captain. Here's what you need to wear. Be there promptly at 1830 hours. The Commander's part will be over by then and yours will be ready to begin. Here's what you need to wear.” Naomi thrust a padd into Kathryn's hand and was gone before Kathryn could reply.  The Captain sighed again and read the padd.  When she saw what she was wearing, she wondered what she had let Naomi talk her into this time.

Naomi made a beeline for Chakotay's office when she exited the ready room. One down; one to go. She signaled for admission after checking that she had everything she needed on the remaining padd she carried.

Chakotay looked up as she entered.

“What can I do for you, Assistant?”

“It's ok, Commander. This is not an official visit.” Chakotay smiled.

“Ok, then what can I do for you, Naomi?”

“I'd like you to participate in a new holodeck program Uncle Tom helped me write. It won't take very long.  Please?”

Chakotay looked at Naomi and wondered what she had planned. She just smiled at him innocently looking very hopeful. The fact that Tom was involved in the program did not reassure Chakotay. He turned his head slightly and looked at her from the side of his vision but her demeanor did not change. No, he did not trust little miss innocent, but that smile was too endearing to deny. It was as bad as dealing with Kathryn in a wheedling mood.

“Well, all right, IF you have holodeck time and it fits my schedule, I'll help you with the program.”

“Great! Here's a padd with the details. You told me the other day you were off duty after 1800 hours today and I already traded for the time on the holodeck. Be there right at 1800 hours. Everything else you need to know is on this.” Naomi quickly thrust the padd into the Commander's hand and was out the door before he could speak. What worked with the Captain also worked with the Commander. What dismayed the Captain also dismayed the Commander.

Naomi was on her way to finish her homework now that she had her victims. She didn't understand all the reasons behind the costumes Uncle Tom had suggested but they sounded like great fun so she had gone along with them.

Kathryn walked down the corridor toward Holodeck 2 wearing an outfit that looked like a black fairy godmother dress but the sparkling patterns of the gauze outer skirt looked more like a web than the usual mesh design.  Having heard Tom's name mentioned by Naomi, she was extremely unsettled because, except for narrow straps repeating the web design across her shoulder blades, the dress was completely backless dipping well below her waistline. Several members of the crew passed her and managed to act as if there were nothing unusual about the captain's attire.

Naomi was waiting at the entrance to the holodeck dressed in a long dress with a full skirt. "Captain, you look beautiful!  Come on." Naomi took Kathryn's hand and pulled her onto the holodeck. "You know the story of Sleeping Beauty?" At Kathryn's nod, she continued. "Well, this is Sleeping Handsome and you're the princess who is going to wake the sleeping prince but first you have to solve the puzzles on the path to the castle and find your way to the chamber at the top of the tower."

"Naomi, you're dressed like a princess, why don't you be the one to save the prince?"

"I can't.  I had to make up the puzzles as part of my entomology class so I can't be the princess. Now, the path starts here. All you have to do is solve the puzzle or answer the question correctly to move on."

Twenty minutes later, Chakotay was starting to get bored. He had been lying on this slab in a castle tower that made the biobeds seem like the finest beds in the galaxy. Naomi had made him promise not to move until the princess kissed him awake. Only her pleading eyes had elicited that promise from him once he realized who the princess would be and what Naomi had in mind. He had spent most of the last twenty minutes making plans for Tom's 'reward' for his assistance in this program. Just as he was debating whether to have Tom sweep Voyager with a whiskbroom or limit him to leola root for a year, he heard a step on the stairs and Naomi's whisper. "You're almost there, Captain."

Chakotay heard the rustle of stiff fabric and knew Naomi had managed to get the Captain into a costume that he hoped was as unusual as the one he wore. He didn't know what sources Tom used, but the overly tight tights and doublet were probably based on actual clothing from some era but the cape was so flimsy that it looked like insect wings. His first reaction when he saw it was that he looked like a fly missing a few legs. The rustling stopped and the silence told him that Kathryn was taking in the scene and his costume.

"Ok, Naomi, I've solved all the puzzles and answered all the questions and reached Sleeping Handsome. Are we finished now?"

"Not quite. All you have to do is wake the prince and then we're finished."

Kathryn decided to wake the prince as she would Chakotay. "Wake up, Prince. Come on, rise and shine."  Chakotay struggled to keep a smile off his lips. Kathryn clearly was reluctant to wake him according to fairy tale rules and, after all, he had promised Naomi, so he kept his eyes closed.

"Captain, you know there is only one way to break the spell on the prince. The princess has to kiss him."

Kathryn knew when she was cornered. She also knew temptation when she saw it and she was getting an eyeful of it at the moment. Chakotay in uniform was bad enough, but Chakotay in tight tights was more than she had been prepared to handle. Mentally bracing herself, she approached Sleeping Handsome.

Chakotay could hear Kathryn moving toward him. He waited, unsure what she would do. He heard her skirts move and then felt her sit down. The next thing he felt was the pressure of her lips on his. Instead of a fleeting kiss, he felt her start to draw away, then increase the pressure again before it ended.

Kathryn had meant to give Chakotay a butterfly kiss, but as she was pulling away she yielded to temptation for just a moment and extended the kiss. "Wake up, Handsome."

Chakotay's eyes flashed open and met hers. Before either could say anything, Naomi broke the spell. "That was wonderful! Thank you so much for helping me with my program. Come on, Uncle Tom is waiting so I can tell him how it worked. Computer, end program."

Chakotay barely made it to his feet before his bed disappeared. Naomi had opened the doors and Tom had entered the holodeck and had started discussing the program with Naomi. Kathryn and Chakotay exchanged looks. "Would you care to join me for dinner, Commander?"

"I'd love to, Kathryn." Chakotay held out his arm and they exited the holodeck.

As they left, Tom muttered to himself, "'Step into my parlor,' said the spider to the fly."