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A Winter's Tale

Chapter One

2379

With a glass of warm red wine in his hands, Chakotay watched as his captain and crew danced in celebration of their homecoming in the magnificent hall of Hotel Rosalere. Behind him were glorious arched windows that reflected golden candlelight, and outside them snow fell softly on a rugged black mountain. Many Starfleet parties had been held in this prestigious hotel over the years and it was here that Starfleet had chosen to welcome back to Earth its Delta Quadrant heroes. The hotel was over two hundred years old and was said to be haunted by many ghosts, but it was ghosts of a different kind that haunted Chakotay as he watched Kathryn dance.

"What's this?" the Doctor said as he approached. "Our handsome Commander Chakotay a wallflower? I would have thought you'd be fighting off the ladies!"

"I'm just taking a breather," Chakotay replied. "And I could say the same about you. I haven't seen you dancing in a while."

"That's because I've been in great demand," the Doctor answered. "I've given no less than five interviews in the last half an hour. Five." He sighed. "Some say celebrity is a burden but I'm quite sure I'm going to enjoy it."

"Then you are welcome to my share," Chakotay smiled. "I've never been one for the limelight. But I know we maquis owe our exoneration to our celebrity so I have to be grateful for that."

"Indeed. I'm so happy that you've been exonerated. It would have been just awful had officers carted you former delinquents off to jail as soon as Voyager touched ground! I'm so glad they pardoned you. Oh it's been a great day, Commander, a great day. When Admiral Davies promoted Harry Kim to Lieutenant, and Admiral Paris made the Captain an Admiral, my holographic heart almost burst from joy and pride! All the other promotions were well deserved too, no doubt about it, but those two especially got to me."

"To me too," Chakotay confessed. "But I'm also glad that you've been recognized as a sentient lifeform and that Seven has been welcomed with open arms. I feared she'd be regarded with hostility because of her Borg history."

"I did too, but she's quite the heroine!" He paused. "It seems I owe you an apology, Commander. I insinuated earlier that your feelings for Seven are more than platonic, when it turns out I got the wrong end of the stick. I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted, Doctor," Chakotay said. "But what gave you the idea in the first place?"

"Something I heard. But I was wrong and I'm glad Seven corrected me before I made a public fool of you, her and definitely me." Just as he was about to make a public remark on their 'courtship', Seven had drawn him aside and confessed that her only relationship with Chakotay was with his hologram.

Chakotay laughed softly. "Look ere you leap, Doctor. Seven has a great mind and is a very beautiful woman, but I have no romantic feelings towards her."

"Just as well," the Doctor said. "Because I've just heard from Reginald Barclay that a group of self-liberated drones were picked up a few months ago by a ship in deep space and that Seven's former virtual boyfriend, Axum, is one of them. He is all she can talk about now and any feelings she might have had for you are well and truly history. Which is a happy ending for you, just not for me."

"Don't be so sure, Doctor," Chakotay replied. "Woeful beginnings often have happy endings."

The dancefinished and Kathryn approached. She was wearing a strapless gown of blue satin and Chakotay could hardly breathe as he gazed at her.

"How are you enjoying the party, Doctor?" she asked.

"Immensely," he smiled. "And may I congratulate you again on your promotion."

"Some would say punishment," she teased. "Keeping me behind a desk keeps me out of space."

A tall woman with black hair called from behind the banquet table to the Doctor and he waved back with a smile. "Excuse me, comrades, I'm wanted. See you soon!"

With that he left, leaving Kathryn and Chakotay alone.

"I can't believe this is really happening," Kathryn said, "that we're really home. I keep thinking I'll wake up any moment and find myself back in my bed on Voyager."

"It is happening," he smiled. "At least I think so."

Kathryn laughed softly and then picked up a glass of wine from a stand. "I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders and yet...and yet I'm going to miss Voyager too."

"So am I."

"It's going to be so hard to say goodbye to everyone. I never thought about that. All I ever thought about was getting us home."

"And you did," Chakotay said. "I always knew you would. I'm just sorry that our homecoming has to be celebrated here. You always said you wanted it anywhere but here."

"I know. But now that it is here, I really don't mind. I'm too happy to care. Our crew is home and that's all that matters." She paused. "I'm going to be staying here for a few days, just to make sure everyone's ok. What are your plans? You must be eager to leave for Trebus."

"Yes. But I'm staying on here for a few days too."

Kathryn lowered her eyes and gazed into her wine. "How long will you be gone? I mean...how long will you stay on Trebus?"

"I don't know. A few weeks, maybe. I've been offered a research post in New Mexico and I'd like to take it. I don't want to serve on another ship, at least not for a while. The Delta Quadrant has more than satisfied my hunger for exploration."

"Ditto."

Their eyes met again and for a long moment they gazed at each other. Then Kathryn put down her glass and held out her hand to Chakotay. "Dance with me. We always said we'd celebrate getting home with a waltz."

"We did," he smiled. "And I'd love to."

Kathryn smiled in return and Chakotay reached for her hand, but just as he was about to take it, a tall admiral with black hair took it instead.

"I claim this dance, Katie," he said. "Your First Officer has seen your face every day for the passed seven years, I want the privilege of having it all to myself for at least five minutes."

Kathryn laughed and turned to him. "Brett Andrews, you never change. A charmer to the end! But this dance is spoken for."

"It is," he said. "By me. You don't mind, do you, Commander?"

"No," Chakotay replied quietly. "Be my guest."

The man beamed a smile and kissed Kathryn's hand. "You're all mine, lady."

Kathryn laughed inspite of herself. "Very well, but for this dance only. Chakotay, reserve me the next."

The Admiral led her onto the dance floor and Chakotay watched them dance for a while. They danced well together, sweeping gracefully across the floor as though they'd danced together a thousand times before. Perhaps they had. Even though Chakotay knew Kathryn better than he'd ever known anyone, there was still so much about her that he didn't know. She rarely opened up to him about the personal. On Voyager she had insisted on keeping a barrier between them and he wondered if she would now. He hoped with all his heart that she would finally let it down, that she'd finally let him love her, but Kathryn was like a gust of wind: impossible to hold. Over the years he had tried hard to stop loving her, but the harder he had tried, the more he had loved her. Now that love was like a constant ache, an ache that he suffered every day, and he could only hope that it would either end by being requited or extinguished. Slowly, Chakotay turned away from the dance floor to the window behind him. The view over the winter wonderland outside was breathtaking, but as Chakotay looked out at the snowy mountain below, it wasn't the view he was seeing, it was something else. It was the ghost of a young woman with long auburn hair running desperately into the icy wilderness.

End of Chapter One