Kathryn Janeway never considered herself to be a quitter or a coward. Well... she was a 'double doctor', (both PHDs in Quantum Physics and Biochemistry…thank you very much) but a failed relationship managed to make her flee San Francisco and States like a kicked puppy. She never thought relationship with her childhood friend Mark meant this much to her. After Justin, she refrained from getting involved with anyone for ages, finally Phoebe kicked her butt, dragged her to places and set her up with people and honestly Kathryn got together with Mark to stop all that harassment. She couldn't even think when that got so serious after all did. Mark was meant to be comfortable, safe, and predictable. Just like his books, philosophy and easy-going nature. They had this easy friendship and relationship, but Kathryn couldn't escape the feeling in her gut telling that her life meant much more than that. She denied it with all her might and threw herself over research and stuff that Mark never understood. In those times, she missed Justin and his deep understanding over her work as he himself had a decent scientific background and he was a doctor without borders.
She mulled over what went wrong in their relationship so bad that Mark suddenly broke up with her. Well, it came up as the reason he was fed up with her reluctance to move forward even after 3 years or the fact that he was involved with one of his grad students, Carla. Only silver lining in the situation was Kathryn had accepted a new job in University of Zurich and she was mulling over the fact how to break it to Mark when the breakup occurred. So, her move didn't seem like fleeing the scene without putting up a brave front, or at least she wished so. And she was somehow glad Mark didn't cheat on her, he at least came clean why he wanted to break up with her and that he wanted to move forward instead of being stuck with her.
So here she is now, month later in her new home in a new country, psychoanalyzing herself why she never felt right about moving forward with Mark. Well, she already settled in, loved her job and already had friends at work. Fellow Astrophysics Masters student Harry Kim and Tom Paris, a struggling part-time bartender trying to finish his Doctorate on Theoretical physics, already made friends with her. Along with her fellow colleague Dr. Joe Zimmerman and a spunky Quantum physicist/ MIT Engineer Lanna Torres, Kathryn never felt more ease at any place she ever worked in.
In-between them and her old friend, Professor Tuvaq Ali who taught in a nearby university, she felt much more at home in Zurich rather than she ever felt in san Francisco. Well, Phoebe is in Russia with her family and her mother in Indiana, Kathryn appeased them both with bi-weekly skype calls and emails to Phoebe, telling them about her new colleagues, work and of course her new puppy, Irish setter named Molly.
Sweet thing was the runt of the litter and was a sick puppy and Kathryn focused of getting her help and on her work, putting off the inevitable slam down of reality that her personal life is in shambles. She waited for the other shoe to drop but it almost never came (well, a girl is allowed to cry over her wine on a lonely Friday evening and that doesn't count as that…right?)
Instead she found her immensely enjoying her life and even going out with the group of rag-tag scientists and she could never forget the day she hustled Tom while playing pool. God, she wished she could frame that look in his face when she did that. And she loved going out for long walks with Molly on Sundays, with a coffee in her hands and sometimes joining Tom and Harry for breakfast before work.
Well, few months passed by and she failed to notice she had a new neighbor after all. She was immensely private person and she didn't want to go poking at other people's lives. But she saw her new neighbor coming home one evening, tall, dark and handsome (wait … where did that came from?) she didn't saw his face clearly, but she had this gut feeling that this one is trouble. She had enough dealing with men for a lifetime and she won't be even thinking about it anytime soon, if ever.
One fine evening, she called Molly from her patio and she came bounding over from the backyard, but she was not alone. A large black Labrador came along with her and Kathryn took a step back. Dog was rather menacing looking, but Molly was totally head-over-heels with this one and Kathryn noticed the collar around the Lab's neck. She slowly let the dog approach her and to her delight she found herself being licked and cuddled over by this new dog. A total sweetheart despite his looks, thought Kathryn. Warm brown eyes had her heart melted over in no time.
"Shadow..." a deep, masculine voice reached her ears after all that goopy, drooly dog kisses she was getting and the black Lab, turned his head towards the direction where the voice was emanating, licked her once more then licked Molly and disappeared under the broken wooden post of her backyard fence. She stood over only to see the delighted black lab wagging his tail over her naked-chested (oh god!), clad-only-in-running-shorts neighbor.
She put it to her mental list to mend her backyard fence, but she just let it slide because, at least Molly was having a nice time and that is 180-degree change from where her private life was right now. And she didn't want to be jealous of her dog. But it took a vet's visit to remind Kathryn that Molly was not neutered or either was Shadow, so she was going to be the proud owner (or aunt?) of seven more little puppies. Shaken by the news, Kathryn came home and took care of Molly's needs on autopilot and poured herself a glass of wine and thought about her options.
Soon enough Kathryn found herself snickering at the situation. She had to remind herself that it was her dog who was pregnant and not her. So, discussing this with her neighbor will be far easier task. And to think her life got to the point of confronting her neighbor about his dog knocking up her dog. When did her life get this pathetic? Checking the time on her old grandfather clock, she decided that this issue needs to get over with. Besides, she could see lights on his living room, she supposed it was, from her living room window and took her coat from the hanger and set off to her neighbor's house, for the first time.