AN: I don't own anything star Trek. But I wish I did. Just a story from my head using someone else's characters.
"Kathryn...Kathryn!" Hollered Gretchen Janeway. "You have an incoming transmission!" Gretchen waited a few seconds before she raised her voice to a level she hadn't had to use since Kathryn was young. "Kathryn! Hurry up! They are not going to wait all day!"
Still no response from her daughter. What could be keeping her? Thought Gretchen. She decided it would be easier at this point to go upstairs and find out what could be so important that Kathryn would be ignoring her own mother. As she started up the stairs, Kathryn appeared at the second floor landing.
"Did you holler for me mother?" Kathryn asked.
"I've been calling to you for the past 5 minutes. You have an incoming transmission." Gretchen replied with a bit more irritation in her voice then she had intended.
"I'm sorry mom. I honestly didn't hear you. I've been trying to meditate, you know, clear my mind a bit." Kathryn apologized. "Do you know who's calling for me?"
"No, its marked for you specifically. I figured it wasn't meant for my eyes and ears. Now please, just go answer the transmission so I can finish making lunch." Kathryn's mom was again calm and back to her normal reasonable self.
Kathryn hurried down the stairs and went into the den where she could receive the transmission with some privacy. She sat at the desk for a couple of seconds to giver herself a chance to straighten up for whoever it was that was trying to contact her. When Kathryn was ready she tapped the computer screen that sat in front of her on the desk. The Starfleet insignia disappeared and was immediately replaced with a familiar face.
"Hello, Kathryn. I hope I wasn't interrupting something important." Chakotay smiled, immediately setting the tone for his call.
"Not at all." Kathryn smiled back at her old friend and former first officer. "What do I owe this unexpected call?" Now it was her turn to set the mood for the rest of the conversation.
"I know its been a while since we last spoke but..." Chakotay started to explain, but was interrupted by Kathryn.
"You're right, it's been at least a month...or has it been longer?"
"I figured you could be keeping track," Chakotay teased good naturedly before continuing, "But you knew I was going to be out on an archeological dig and..." Deciding to put him out of his misery Kathryn again interrupted Chakotay saying,
"No worries, Chakotay. I was only teasing." She smiled and gestured to Chakotay to continue with what he was going to say.
"Well, Kathryn, I was really hoping that we could have dinner tonight. You know, if you don't already have plans." Chakotay seemed nervous to Kathryn and she wanted to know why.
"I'd love to, Chakotay. Its been awhile since we've had dinner together. It'll be just like old times."
"It sure will." Chakotay smiled.
"Well, where would you like to meet?" Kathryn asked.
"I was hoping you'd pick. My only suggestion is we pick somewhere that we can talk." Chakotay said.
"In that case, you should just meet at my house. My mom is going out on the town with Phoebe, so we will have the whole house to ourselves." Kathryn suggested.
"Sounds perfect!" Chakotay was genuinely pleased.
"Ok, see you here then around...what time do you think? 1800 or 1900 hours?" Kathryn asked.
"Lets make it 1800 hours, we'll have more time to talk that way."
"Great, see you then." Kathryn ended the transmission and slowly sank into her chair. Letting out the breath she didn't know she had been holding, Kathryn smiled to herself at the prospect of seeing her best friend again. To her, it seemed to have been an eternity since she had seen Chakotay last.
Voyager had been home from the Delta Quadrant for over a year. Since their return, life had been hectic to say the least. The entire crew dispersed like ants, all over the quadrant shortly after they had been released to do so. Chakotay and Seven broke up almost immediately upon their arrival home. Chakotay had explained that neither Seven nor himself wanted to pursue a relationship with each other and felt the quicker they ended things the better. Apparently their relationship had begun out of convenience and desperation, rather then any deep seeded romantic feelings or attachment. Either way, they were no longer together. Chakotay began working for the university archeology department in San Francisco. He was finally able to pursue his passion for history. Seven ran off to her aunt's house in Sweden. There she pursued her own humanity. Tom and B'Elanna decided to buy a condominium next door to Admiral Paris', so little Miral could grow up near her family. As for Tuvok, he did the logical and expected thing. He went home to unite with his wife and children. He then excepted a position at Starfleet Academy, teaching First Year cadets the art of logical decision making during times of extreme pressure. Harry Kim spent some time getting reacquainted with his adoring parents, but was quickly lured back into space as he was offered a First Officer position aboard the Constellation.
"Kathryn?" Gretchen poked her head around the partially closed door to the den. "Is everything alright?"
Kathryn smiled softly and turned toward her mother. "Everything is as expected." She replied quietly.
Kathryn's daydreams about her crew, her former crew, always brought a sense of melancholy to her. Sure, she was happy to be home; happy to have returned the majority of her crew home to their families and their friends. But, part of her felt lost, empty and longing for the days when everyone aboard Voyager was her friends and her family. Again, Kathryn silently corrected herself. She knew her former crew will always be special to her and they would always feel a closeness to their former Captain, but as the old saying goes: All good things must come to an end.
Gretchen saw that her daughter had a far-off look on her face. Her eyes were not focused on anything or anyone in the room. Gretchen came to realize her daughter always got that look when she got done speaking to one of her former crew members. She suspected this time was no different. Deciding it would be best to change the subject, Gretchen interrupted the daydream Kathryn was currently experiencing.
"Well, my dear, if you're hungry there is food on the table.' Gretchen half expected Kathryn to decline the offer and request coffee as a substitute for an actual meal.
"Sounds wonderful. What are we having?" Kathryn said surprising her mother.
"I made your favorite fresh garden salad with finger sandwiches. And of course some freshly picked fruit." Gretchen always tried to throw as much nutritionally sound food items together whenever Kathryn agreed to eat. Kathryn's expression changed to something resembling a 4-year-old who had expected chocolate cake as a meal and was presented with broccoli. This prompted Gretchen to add, "And of course I brewed a fresh pot of coffee to wash it all down."
Kathryn perked up immediately and said, "Oh mom, you had me at fresh-brewed!" Both women laughed sincerely and headed into the kitchen arm-in-arm.
Sitting across from her mom, Kathryn couldn't help but notice how much her mom seemed to have aged over the past 7 or 8 years. Her hair was more grey, the lines on her face a little deeper and there definitely were more of them. Kathryn knew much of this was due to the worry her mom must have felt when Kathryn was missing in the Delta Quadrant.
"Your sister and I are going to try that new Italian restaurant on Mill Avenue. You should come with us, I'm sure they have wonderful coffee." Gretchen was obviously still concerned about Kathryn's spending so much time alone.
"Im sure they do mom, but I actually have plans tonight." Kathryn said.
"Im sorry Katie, but I don't really consider staying at home alone pouring over student essays a good way to spend a Saturday night." Gretchen's voice was becoming strained with emotion.
"First of all I don't spend my Saturday nights reading essays...well not ALL of them!" Kathryn had to admit. "But it just so happens," Kathryn continued, "that I have an old friend stopping by and we are having dinner...here."
"Who?" Was Gretchen's skeptical reply.
"Chakotay." Kathryn decided to be equally succinct.
"Really? I thought he was on some archeological dig somewhere, elbow deep in long dead civilizations." Gretchen could never understand why he and her daughter never pursued a relationship. They always seemed enraptured in each other's company. It was literally like no one else existed when they were both in the same room.
"Oh, mother. He feels very passionate about history," Kathryn started to feel a bit defensive.
"I'll tell you what he should be feeling passionate about , and that's YOU!" There, she said it, Gretchen knew she promised not to bring up this subject again, but she couldn't help herself. Not this time.
"Mother, I thought we agreed..." Kathryn began to protest.
"I know, I know. Not another word...I promise." Gretchen sighed and looked around the room before continuing, "I hope you're not cooking!" The look of pure panic on Gretchen's face elicited a joyful, unrestrained laugh from Kathryn. A response she rarely had these days. It felt good to laugh, and the two of them eventually settled back down to a jovial silence.
"What's the name of the Italian restaurant you two are going to again? Maybe I'll order some food and have it delivered before he gets here. I can pretend I made it." Kathryn asked.
"Better yet, you order it and when you set it out on the table, keep it all in its take-out containers so Chakotay doesn't have to fear food poisening." At this both women chuckled and finished their meals.