Author's Note: Star Trek and its characters do not belong to me. I just use them for my stories. This is a post End Game story that I thought of and hope you will enjoy! Thanks for reading! Please excuse errors and such. This is my first story. I just want to have fun with it!
2404:
Elsa stepped off the transporter and searched the perimeter. Her mother had said she would be arriving at any moment. She watched from the corner of her eye as Kolopak's image appeared nearby. He was tall and handsome, just like his father. He had decided to get the tribe's tattoo above his eye just as Chakotay had. Elsa had met Chakotay before at different parties and on campus at Starfleet Academy, but she had not spoken to him much. Kolopak was one of her only friends on campus, but by far her most treasured one. She smiled to herself as she remembered the date he had promised her just before they transported.
"Elsa?" Her mother's voice brought Elsa's mind back to the present. "Come on sweetie, let's go or we'll be late." Elsa scanned her mother's face as she caught sight of Kolopak. She sensed disdain in her mother's face just before it set back to its usual stone-like appearance. Promptly, her mother grasped her wrist and walked to the ground car, insisting that they take the car back to their home. Elsa turned and waved to Kolopak, who returned her motion with a nod of the head before he turned to Chakotay. Elsa's eyes scanned Kolopak's father from a distance. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, his eyes dark and his face emotionless. He was incredibly handsome, nonetheless. She had often wondered why her mother barely spoke of him. After all, Chakotay had been her mother's Commanding Officer.
Elsa punched in the key code to the house and entered. She barely noticed the decorations that had been added since the last time she was in the house. She pulled her bags in to the living room and fell onto the beige couch. It felt more comfortable than the last time she had been there. Or maybe she had been away at Starfleet Academy too long. She propped her feet up on the low table between her and the console and happily accepted her mother's gift of coffee.
"Oh thank goodness," Elsa whispered after her first sip. Kathryn looked at her daughter with an amused look.
"What were you expecting?"
"Well, after last year, I was half expecting you to hand me 'Tea, Earl Grey, Hot'", she responded, imitating Picard's favorite request. Kathryn's soft laughter filled the room as she remembered her dear friend. He had passed at the age of 99 just before their twenty-fourth anniversary. Tom Paris came up with the bright idea to only serve Earl Grey Tea at their party in his memory, much to the disappointment of many people, including herself and Elsa.
"So have you got big plans this break, Elsa?"
"Well I thought maybe I should go visit Grandma Gretchen." Her mother nodded in approval, but remained silent in wait for the remainder of her answers. "I might walk around or read some books, maybe star gaze."
"Is that all you have planned?" Elsa was almost surprised at her mother's question. Although, she knew Kathryn better than that. Kathryn knew she was holding something back.
"Well, not exactly. I have something sort of planned with a guy," she admitted, "He's from the Academy, and he's really nice and handsome. He asked me to comm him this afternoon at 1500 hours." Kathryn sighed pleasantly at her daughter's enthusiasm.
"Well that sounds like fun." Kathryn glanced at the clock. It was nearly 1500 now. "Well you better get to calling him soon. He'll think you stood him up." Elsa jumped up from the couch, filled with excitement. She grabbed her bags and headed to the stairs. She grasped the railing as her mother asked her one last question.
"Elsa? Do I know him?" Elsa's heart stopped. She had been dreading a question revealing his identity. Especially after her reaction to Kolopak at the transporter station. Her head turned to her mother and she tried to play it off.
"Hmm, I don't know. Probably not." Elsa stormed up the stairs before her mother could ask any more questions.
The comm link established as Kolopak's smiling face appeared on the view screen. His dimples dug hard into the side of his face, and his eyes looked brighter than ever.
"Hey Elsa," his thick, deep voice greeted. She returned his smile, butterflies forming in her stomach.
"Hi Kolopak," she kept her voice smooth and calm. He fidgeted with his tricorder, clearly nervous. When he did not say anything, she continued. "So do you want to meet up tonight?" She smiled reassuringly at his image. He put the tricorder down and assumed a more confident position.
"How does tonight at 1700 hours sound? I've got some ideas of things we can do. I think I remember where your house is from last year's Voyager gathering."
"I can send you the coordinates," she suggested smoothly. He nodded at her response. They smiled at each other for a long moment before she held up a hand to her mouth for a moment. Elsa checked to see that her mother was still down stairs before she returned to Kolopak.
"What's up?" He asked when she returned.
"Is your dad around?" She asked, temporarily avoiding his question.
"No, he's out in the garden. Why?" His face was etched with concern.
"Well, my mother doesn't know you're my date for the evening," her sigh of confession almost startled her. He reciprocated her sigh, and she looked at him inquisitively.
"I haven't told my dad yet either. I don't know why, but he gave you a strange look at the transporter today." Elsa's eyes grew wide.
"My mom did the same thing to you!" She clapped a hand over her mouth, not realizing how loud she had been. She listened to her mom's footsteps padding up the stairs. "Okay, 1700 hours. I'll send you the coordinates. We'll figure this out. I'll see you then." They smiled at each other before he said goodbye and stopped the link. Her mom entered the room seconds later.
"Are you alright?" Kathryn asked. "I heard you down the stairs and thought I should check on you."
Elsa smiled sweetly before answering her mother. "I guess I'm just excited about my date tonight. He's coming at 1700 hours. We've got to be somewhere soon after that, so he probably won't come meet you."
Kathryn raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Well, I'll be awake until 2300 hours if you guys come back before then." She left the room and walked down the stairs. Elsa sighed and sent the coordinates to Kolopak, and warned him that her mother would be home. He responded almost immediately with a short message.
I'll tell my dad I'm going out with a friend. I'll see you at 1700.
Elsa got ready for her date in silence. She had picked out a red strapless dress that fell to just above her knees. Around the mid-section of the dress laid a black belt, tight against her flat waist. She put on a black jacket that matched the belt and put on a pair of black flats. She had finished applying make up when she heard her mother tap on the door.
"Come in mom!" She yelled, half looking behind her shoulder as her mother entered. Kathryn gathered Elsa's hair in her hands and brushed the rich auburn strands, giving each stroke love and affection. Tears gathered in her eyes.
"You look so beautiful," she whispered, barely audible. Elsa saw her sweet, sad look in the mirror. It was a look she had seen all too many times, but now more and more frequently. Kathryn completed her process of brushing Elsa's hair in silence.
"Mother? What was father like?" She had asked this question so many times before. Kathryn's eyes fell. She had not thought about Elsa's father in such a long time. She had not even seen her father since the day he left. The day she found out she was pregnant.
"He was sweet and gentle, but he had thoughts and plans all his own. I haven't seen him in such a long time, he seems like a distant memory. Sometimes, I regret the day I ever met him, but he left me with such a wonderful girl." She turned Elsa's face to her own, cupping it in her hands. "Some days, I miss him, but other times, I wish he had never existed. I guess I just wish he wouldn't have left us." Kathryn fell silent. Elsa had heard a majority of the story in the times she asked previously, but she had never admitted that her father left them. She also had never revealed his name.
"Who was he? Who was my father?" She sounded nearly demanding. Kathryn's face lifted up slightly as she remembered his name and spoke it, softly and sweetly:
"Commodore Jonathon Gears. He was a brilliant man. He first captured my attention when he began talking about molecular displacement in the sub-regions of space," she sighed dreamily.
Elsa cut in: "Did you love him?" Her question shocked Kathryn. She tried not to show it, but Elsa could sense her shock. Kathryn fumbled around for a moment before deciding to be candid.
"No. I didn't," She paused, "but he gave me the best present ever." Kathryn rubbed the side of Elsa's face with her thumb. They exchanged soft smiles before Elsa glanced at the clock.
"It's almost 1700, mother. My date is waiting." As though to confirm her statement, she received a comm bleep on the monitor.
I'm outside waiting for you.
She rose and grabbed her black and red satin purse from the dresser and hugged her mother. They exchanged goodbyes and Elsa left the room, Kathryn close behind.
"By what name may I call your date?" Elsa froze mid-step. She sighed and turned to her mother. Mother was completely honest with me, so I need to be honest with her.
"Please don't be mad at me mother." Kathryn raised a confused eyebrow at her daughter. Elsa sighed and continued, "It's Kolopak, Chakotay's son." Kathryn's body stiffened at the sound of Chakotay's name. Her gaze was distant and her mouth formed a tight, thin line. Elsa reached for her mother's arm. "I'm sorry. I should have told you at the transporter station." Kathryn shook her head and licked her lips.
"It's alright. Go have fun," she stated, robotic and flat. It was almost as though it was an old sentence that had been rehearsed for years. There was no meaning, and little emotion. Elsa thanked her mother and ducked away, not waiting around for Kathryn to change her mind. Kathryn watched her daughter leave the house, standing still on the fourth step, frozen like ice. She saw a flash of light and heard a beep from her tellecommunicator. It was from Elsa.
Do you still want to meet him?
End chapter 1.