As usually thanks to my amazing beta TB.
Memories
By cassiana
The woman sat on the veranda, wrapped in a soft plaid Jacquard design. In her hands she had a cup of coffee. She inhaled the scent as she watched the open field in front of her. The dark color of the ground turned over to rest for the winter, contrasted with the brightness of the sky, announcing an oncoming snowstorm. Kathryn blew on the coffee and took a sip. She didn't know how long she was out there, her bones were aching but she found comfort in the cold. This helped her to keep emotions at bay. The news had surprised her and it had hurt her more than she had expected.
She had loved him very much and now the announcement of his death had reminded her of all the good times she spent with him. She felt a sort of nostalgic longing digging into her. It was so long ago since they had seen each other. They kept in touch after returning from the Delta Quadrant, but then the ups and downs of life separated them almost totally. Kathryn sighed, her eyes grew moist, and rested her gray head on the back of the bench.
What a waste of time ... sometimes Kathryn thought her life was, in fact, a race against the inexorable passing hours and left her no way to achieve the goals she had set. Had she achieved those goals then? Kathryn, now that she was an old lady, still didn't know. She smiled ironically. The self-pity had always been her favorite pastime. Her smile widened. She wondered what he would say: he certainly would have spurred her to react as he always did. The cold wind had blown away some red, crisp leaves. Kathryn looked after them, clutching a bit more of the blanket tighter around her. The cup was cold in the her hands and she laid it beside her with a small puff. She closed her eyes and let the memories of him flood her mind.
She had always liked his way to calm, his quiet authority. From the beginning they were friends before lovers, and now Kathryn felt the regret of not having been able to keep that friendship alive at least. Their separation was much harder for her to bear than it had seemed. In those early days she proved, even more strongly with the other, the more she felt desperate and she wet the pillow in the lonely nights. She missed him in a way that was almost unbearable, but she had never allowed this weakness to disrupt her job. And knowing that he had chosen another woman had, again, thrown her into an abyss of misery. She could not make it a crime to him and she never really believed that he would really have expected her to, yet somehow, deep in her heart she hoped.
A crunch of footsteps on the wood caused Kathryn to open her eyes. A beautiful brunette woman smiled and called out. "Mom! Here at last. ome in, you'll get sick if you stay out here!"
"I was just taking in a little air."
"Since you received that message you are sad." The woman sat down next to her mother, stroking her arm.
"It's the price that the old ladies have to pay, Shannon. The friends go away and the survivors are to be submerged by the memories." Kathryn smiled and stood up slowly. The daughter gave her her arm for help but Kathryn, with a flick of her usual independence, walked alone to the door. The fire's warmth in the lounge was nice after the cold outside. Kathryn kissed her daughter on the cheek and walked to the consolle.
A few minutes later she felt a hug from behind. Kathryn turned and smiled. The man had white hair but his eyes still shone with malice and his smile warmed her over the fire in the fireplace.
"What are you doing?"
"Writing my condolences to Mrs. Johnson."
"I'm very sorry for Mark." He said, kissing her temple and squeezing her in a soft hug. Kathryn let herself be lulled into his arms, grateful to have him by her side after all those years. Mark was very important to her but Chakotay was the man of her life.
