Epilogue: In which a party is held.

Sally turned up the music.

It ain't no joke, I'd like to buy the world a toke and teach the world to sing in perfect harmony...

With a wild grin she danced from the 'stereo' - really, just an interface with the computer to control the sound system, but it was the thought that counted - to the trestle table that bore the punch bowls, and tasted the contents of one. With a shake of her head, she grabbed a bottle from under the table and poured more tequila into the bowl of green liquid.

"Are -" Neelix blinked, and raised his voice. "Are we ready to start!"

"You bet your sexy li'l arse we are, Neelix!" Sally called back, surveying the Mess Hall. Yup. Punch on this side, kegs on that side... and casks of goon near the doors, though she knew Neelix had no idea why she called the wine that.

"Good," he replied, a trifle hesitantly. Sally grinned and checked the music lineup. Damned if she hadn't dug through Voyager's entire archive of music she'd recognised for this party. She'd been surprised to note that a lot of the musicians of Voyager's past were the same as those of her own - although, oddly, in this universe Britney Spears had never been. Go, as the Americans said, figure. It was hardly a loss.

People were starting to arrive. Sally accosted Seven as she entered to warn her about the punch, aware of her friend's famously nonexistent alcohol tolerance. "Only drink the red!" she told Seven firmly. "The green is strong and the blue is lethal."

"Noted."

"Good." Sally managed, with the ease of practice, to dance back from Seven to the beer kegs without spilling a drop from her glass. There she began filling a line of pint glasses, ready to be handed out to guests.

Choosing the beer had taken research, too; the replicator had defaulted to some kind of weak piss she'd swear had to be American. Death first.

"Captain!" she called, seeing the short redhead standing in the door, wide-eyed. "C'mon in!" Sally boshed over to her and pressed a beer into her hand. "Join the party!" The music had changed, was now some pounding dance music by a DJ who hadn't existed in Sally's world, but whom she'd found she liked.

This would be one hell of a party - or Sally would die trying to make it so.

It was several hours later.

Lieutenant Torres had proved herself a surprisingly good dancer, joining Sally on the floor after a couple of glass of punch to try her hand - and other body parts - at Sally's kind of dancing. Sally knew B'Elanna mostly through Tom, but began delightedly to dance with B'Elanna rather than near her. The engineer had taken up the gauntlet easily, and together they had ground out some of the sexiest dancing Sally had ever taken part in.

Tom, not to be outdone by his friend, had moved to cut in and instead had just been included. It broke the ice, and soon most of the attending crew had hit the floor, frequently breaking to get more drinks.

Seven watched all this with a great deal of interest, sipping the non-alcoholic punch. Kathryn had stayed for a few minutes before returning to the bridge, promising not to miss the entire party. Seven was just thinking about this - and missing her - when Sally emerged from the dance floor, wiping sweat from her forehead.

"You're not dancing!" she said, over the music.

"Indeed." Seven surveyed the crowd. "I do not think -"

"Nonsense," Sally said breezily. She poured herself a glass of the green punch and knocked it back. "C'mon, I'll show you how." She grabbed Seven's hand and pulled her out onto the floor.

Sally began dancing, demonstrating the ways for Seven to move her body. Seven attempted to imitate the actions, and was slightly stung by Sally's sudden laughter.

"Sev, you're way too stiff," Sally told her, shaking her head. "Like this."

She moved behind Seven and put her hands on her waist, moving close behind her so Seven could feel Sally's body along the length of her own. "Move with me," Sally said into her ear, beginning to dance again.

Feeling awkward at first, Seven followed the motion of Sally's hips, gradually getting an idea of how to follow the music. She began experimenting a little, and Sally moved a few inches away from her, returning to her front. "Good," Sally complimented her, then looked past her to the doors. "Hey, there's Kathryn. Get her to dance with you!" Sally grinned wickedly and gave Seven a gentle push towards her lover. "I'm going to have another drink."

It was much later yet.

Well aware that she was entirely rat-arsed and loving it, Sally surveyed the results of her handiwork. Tom and B'Elanna were necking in a corner. They weren't the only happily ensconced couple in the room by far. Sally surveyed it all and saw that it was good.

Finishing her beer, she wandered out into the corridor, stepping over a couple more warm bodies as she did so. That Bajoran brunette she'd seen working in Astrometrics was coming towards her. Sally remembered dancing with her a few times during the party.

"Hey," Sally greeted her, raising her glass in salute.

"Hi." Sally wondered if she could remember the woman's name. Oh yeah - Celes. Tal Celes. "You leaving?"

"Yeah," Sally drawled. "Figure it was about time to get to bed."

"Alone?" Celes replied, with a saucily raised eyebrow.

Sally grinned. "Unless I get a better offer between here and the turbolift."

"Hmm." A theatrical look at the distance separating them from the door, and a lingering look along the length of Sally's body that left no doubt in the anthropologist's mind as to her thoughts. The night was looking up. "I think that could be arranged."

"Could it now." They began walking towards the turbolift doors.

Kathryn held Seven's hand as they headed towards the turbolifts. The hormone-tingling dance they'd shared at the party had meant they'd both had an awful lot of... energy... and had gone to Astrometrics for some quiet and privacy. What had started with kisses had ended with something that Kathryn knew meant she would never look at the dais beneath the viewscreen the same way again. She was anxious to return to her quarters to continue where they had reluctantly left off.

The turbolift doors were just closing as they turned the corner. Kathryn ran to the door to summon it back. She just made it, and the doors opened again before the turbolift had taken off. She raised her eyebrows at what she saw.

Sally Kingston apparently noticed that she and her new friend weren't alone any more, glanced up, and grinned. "Captain. Seven." Her companion blushed as she saw who had joined them, though Sally seemed utterly unfazed by it.

"Sally." Seven sounded amused. The turbolift ride was mercifully short. Kathryn took pity on the young ensign and stepped out as soon as the doors opened, though she didn't escape a slight leer from Sally as she and Seven left.

Oh, well. So long as her crew enjoyed themselves, she supposed...

finis