Blueberries On the Hill
Guess who is back? LOL
Kathryn and Phoebe go and pick blueberries, set 6 months after endgame.
The sun had just barely risen and the house was already to hot. It was June, 6 months ago Voyager had made it back to the Alpha Quadrant. After 7 years of fighting off aliens, destroying Omega molecules, loosing members and gaining members of her crew, Kathryn was on leave. She hadn't decided yet if she would return to Star fleet, her life had revolved around Star fleet for so many years that frankly she was burnt out over anything even having to do with San Fransisco.
The press of course was still doing interviews on the crew, and she of course could not go anywhere without protection. Even her home was under security protection, apparently their were people on earth that still were not to happy about Voyager returning to the Alpha Quadrant. Apparently several important projects had been put on hold for the planet when Voyager appeared home that faithful day. Admiral Paris had told her that she had nothing to worry about from these people, but still he insisted on the security protection.
And then there was Chakotay. There was always Chakotay. He was the one person that she missed more then the rest. She missed his glare at her when she said something inappropriate at the gala dinner. He had turned almost red and she had bit her bottom lip, and tried not to laugh when she saw his reaction.
6 months earlier-
On their final night on board the vessel, the crew had a huge gala in honor of there departure from the ship that had been home for seven years. The only member that would not be present for the event was Tuvok. A few hours after she had been in contact with Star fleet regarding his medical condition, Star fleet had made it possible for Tuvok to return to Vulcan immediately.
The only member that had been allowed to say goodbye had been Chakotay and herself. Kathryn had hugged her dear friend that had been such a stable part in her life for so many years. Chakotay had taken the Vulcan's hand and smiled.
Then Tuvok did something that Kathryn to this day, still did not understand. The Vulcan looked at her and Chakotay and took both of their hands and put them together, and slid his hand on top for a few moments. He had said a few words that she didn't understand and then he left. She called out to him to ask him what he had said, but he never responded.
She never asked him but she could tell the Chakotay was just as puzzled by his reaction. He only stood silently for a moment transfixed by the sight of their hands touching, and then he looked back at her and left.
That night at the party Tom was retelling a story about how Chakotay had tried to start a fire on the planet and how he had used a portion of the captains hair to start it. Kathryn didn't know why she had uttered the next phrase but it had slipped.
She had looked over at the former members of her crew and then she looked Tom right in the face and said, "I was very worried Tom, I figured that if Chakotay couldn't start the fire with my hair we were all going to have to burn our uniforms." It was at that moment she noticed that Chakotay had turned bright red, and she noticed that the whole crew was speechless.
Chakotay simply got up from the table and left. And that was the last time she saw him. In fact it was the last time that any of the crew had even heard from him. She briefly looked into the matter, but Starfleet had told her that he had decided not accept a teaching offer with them, and that that was the last they had heard from him.
And after that she stopped searching for him. She had embarrassed him, after everything he had done for her, she had taken his privacy and his honor and tore it apart. She had destroyed in one moment everything that their friendship had been about.
But that had been six months ago, and today was the day that Kathryn and her younger sister Phoebe were going up to the hill to pick blueberries. In fact it would be the first time in years that she had been up the hill, the last time that either of them had been there was just before dad and Justin's death.
That was the past. She was just finishing her coffee when her sister came into the room. Her sisters hair was pulled back loosely. She had grown it out for several years now and it made her look much younger. The years had been good to Phoebe, despite the pain and suffering she had been through. Shortly after Kathryn had disappeared, Phoebe had lost her new husband, in a boating accident on Lake George. It was after that that her mom had sold the property, for Phoebe's sake.