Disclaimer: For the record, Paramount owns all, but who really cares as long as they end up in the same place in the end? :P

Note: The idea for this little ditty popped into my head while watching the show “Sex and the City” on HBO. I began wondering how the ladies of Voyager would view such a topic.

Kathryn laughed at her companions and made a show of studying her drink as the topic of discussion turned to more personal topics. B’Elanna had brought up Seven’s venture into the world of dating and was giving her a list of do’s and don’ts. She couldn’t help but shake her head, she never would have guessed the fiery chief engineer to be one to follow dating rules, she’d always expected her to act on impulse and live in the moment. She supposed it just went to show how different people could be from the impressions they gave others, she herself would probably have been the one in the group that others would have suspected as the dating rule type, but honestly she’d never thought about. She had always been the one to do whatever came naturally while with a member of the opposite sex, and it had always lead her into some unique experiences, some of which she’d rather not repeat, and others that had left her with fond memories.

Kathryn’s head snapped up as she caught something B’Elanna had said, “And never, ever have sex with anyone on the first date, they lose all respect for you and the relationship is over before it began.”

Seven frowned, “But I was under the impression that the purpose of dating was to lead to eventual copulation, why is it unacceptable to achieve the goal on the first encounter?”

“Well,” B’Elanna toyed with her drink, “some men only want one thing, so for them sex on the first date is okay. But others are looking for someone to have a relationship with and when you give yourself to them on the first night they get the wrong impression and move on, looking for someone who is perhaps a little more--virtuous.”

Kathryn’s snort drew Seven’s attention, “You do not agree Captain?”

She shifted uncomfortably then, she had hoped to stay out of this particular conversation, too late now. “Well, actually I’ve never given it any thought.” She quickly took a drink of her ale before continuing, “I guess it really depends on how well you know the person, and how long you’ve known him.” She considered her words carefully as she nibbled on a pretzel, “If you have only just met the person, then depending on each other’s expectations for the evening sex may not be a very good idea. But if you’ve known the individual for a while and you both know what you want from the relationship, then by all means go for it.”

Torres stared at her, “You’ve got to be kidding me? Even if you’ve known him you have to admit its a little,” she searched for a word, “I don’t know, precocious to sleep with him after only one date. Who knows what is likely to happen, if you decide later a relationship isn’t a good idea then you’ve ruined a potential friendship.”

“Not necessarily,” Kathryn interjected, “very good consensual sex between two adults can only ruin a friendship if it’s allowed to. Maturity is a virtue and when employed can overcome any awkwardness.”

B’Elanna’s eyes narrowed, “Alright Captain-Know-It-All, when was the last time *you* had sex on the first date, hmm?”

She grinned as she lifted a pretzel and broke off a small piece, “Six months ago,” she popped it into her mouth and winked. She stood then, leaving them to gape after her.

The half-klingon’s jaw dropped open, “What!? With who? You’ve been holding out on us?” She quickly walked over to catch her captain before she could leave the holodeck, “You can’t leave me hanging like that.”

Kathryn gave a long, contented sigh, “My lips as they say, are sealed.” She left them with that, chuckling to herself as she walked back to her quarters.

Later that night she posed the question to another, as she lay in his arms, “Chakotay, how do you feel about sex on the first date?”

“I beg your pardon?” His brows popped up and he was staring at her, an amused grin spreading across his face.

“Well I mean, in general, what do you think of it?” She shifted in his embrace, propping herself up on her elbow and gauging his reaction.

“Well,” he frowned, considering it carefully, “I suppose it depends on who I’m with. Why?”

“The girls brought it up tonight, B’Elanna was explaining to Seven that it was always a bad idea, I was just wondering what you thought.”

He chuckled, “If you’re wondering if I think any less of you because we had sex on our first date then you can rest at ease. I don’t, we’ve known each other for five years, I don’t think it really matters for us. However,” he added, “I usually don’t take a woman to bed on the first date, it really depends on the circumstances. But we’re all adults, if we can’t handle it then we don’t belong in any sort of relationship.”

She grinned and snuggled close, “That’s sort of what I told them.” Then she laughed, “And I kind of leaked our little secret.”

“Leaked it? How?” He was definitely amused now, the secret had been her idea to begin with.

“Well, Torres wanted to know how long it had been since I’d had sex on the first date, so I told her the truth.” A smug smile crept across her face, “I didn’t have to tell her with who, but she’s biting at the bit for details, I think I’ll let her suffer for a while.”

He laughed, “She’s probably more shocked that you turned out to be such a harlot, jumping into bed with your first officer on the first date, tsk tsk Captain, whatever could you have been thinking.”

She rolled over him and purred, “Why don’t I show you?”

“Why don’t you...”

She did.

End..