Author's Note: This story idea came to be during one (of many) random text conversations with ArgyleTrekkie. But because I'm an extreme procrastinator, I barely sat down to write it out. Not quite sure where this is going (I have several ideas) OR how long it will be OR if the rating will change, but I promise you, it will get finished. This is my first fanfic in almost two years so please be gentle with my poor soul. Also, I've set this in modern-day Los Angeles because 1) I'm completely obsessed with the recent modern day AUs that have been published and 2) I live in the area so it's easier to write about. One more thing, this has not been betaed, so I apologize in advance for mistakes. And pardon the cheesy AF title.

"Absolutely not!"

"Please!"

"No!"

"But mom!"

"Don't you "But mom!" me!"

Chakotay entered the kitchen and discovered why no one had opened the door for him. He was glad he had decided to use his spare key to get into the house after waiting countless minutes on the porch. He knew someone was home since the car was parked in the driveway which led to a moment of panic when he realized something awful may have happened to them. But now that he was inside he understood what was preoccupying both.

Chakotay sat down at the dining room table without either Sekaya or Edgar really noticing. Well, they probably noticed but they didn't acknowledge his presence. He wasn't sure what the argument was about but he couldn't help being impressed with his nephew's determination on whatever it was they were going back and forth about. After observing them for a bit longer and coming to the conclusion there didn't seem to be an end in sight, Chakotay pulled out his iPhone to go through work emails.

"I'll do everything, mom. I pro-"

"Chakotay, can you try this sauce. I think it needs... something." Sekaya continued to stir the contents of the large pot with one hand while checking the cabinet by the stove for other seasonings with the other. "It's not salt, I know that's not it," she said, more to herself than to anyone else.

"Mom! Don't ignore me!

"Sweetie, I'm not ignoring you. I just can't have this conversation again right now, okay? Please understand. Go do your homework and we'll talk about it later at some other time."

A loud sigh filled the room followed by a rather depressing "fine."

Once the boy left, Sekaya continued to peruse through her spice cabinet. She lifted a small container and squinted, trying to read the label. "Cinnamon!? Gosh no, not cinnamon." She placed the offending spice back in its place. "Chakotay! Are you going to try this or not?!"

Chakotay glanced up from his phone. "What?"

"The sauce. I asked if you could taste the sauce." Sekaya gestured with the dirty wooden spoon, red droplets landing on the white tiles of the kitchen floor with every motion. "And wipe that stupid look off of your face. I hope you don't greet people at the museum that way."

"No, I reserve that look for family only. Helps me blend in."

"Ha-ha." She stretched her arm out with spoon in hand toward Chakotay's direction. "Taste. Please," she added with a smile.

Chakotay rolled his eyes and set his phone down. "Hello, by the way." Sekaya ignored his sarcastic remark as he walked over to her and she handed him the utensil. "What are you making?"

"Enchilada sauce."

Chakotay turned and faced his sister, slightly confused. "You've made enchilada sauce a million times before. What's so different about this one?"

"I don't know," she said as she opened the refrigerator door and examined its contents. "I just wanted to add some pizzazz to this one, I guess." She pulled a wine bottle from the shelf. "Add something new to the restaurant menu. Change it up a bit, you know?"

"Ah! You've been watching The Barefoot Contessa again, I see."

"Maybe." She winked. "Want some?" She asked as she poured herself a glass of wine.

"Nah, I'm good. I'll stick to water."

"Oh...still on the girlfriend imposed diet?"

"It's not girlfriend imposed. I could lose a few pounds."

"Ya and you could also lose that girlfriend of yours."

"Sekaya, not now."

"Fine, fine. I'm sorry. I'll drop it. I...I just don't get it."

Chakotay stirred the sauce. "Ya, well," he mumbled as he tried the sauce, "not your life."

"I know. I just want you to be happy. That's all."

"Sugar."

Sekaya set down her wine glass. "Excuse me?"

"Have you tried sugar?"

"Well, no." Sekaya walked over to her brother. "Should I?"

"I think it would be interesting."

"Is this a hunch or do you have previous experience in this area because you aren't one to go wild with your cooking."

Chakotay walked across the kitchen to the cabinet where Sekaya kept her sugar container. "Previous experience."

"Oh?"

Chakotay knew Sekaya wasn't going to let him get away without telling her about his discovery. He brought the glass container over to the stove and placed it by the pot. "Remember a couple years ago when I kept telling everyone I didn't need reading glasses?"

"Oh, yes! Vividly!" A pleased expression spread across Sekaya's face. "I'm not sure which incident I enjoy more: the time you accidentally told off your boss via text thinking it was me or when you accidentally donated $1200 instead of $100 to the animal shelter."

"Hey! Sekaya and Sergio look very similar on an iPhone. That could happen to anyone."

"Sure..." Sekaya laughed. "Only to you," she murmured into her wine glass, taking another sip.

"And I had every intention of donating that amount to the shelter. They needed it."

"Uh-huh."

Chakotay's shoulders sagged knowing he wasn't fooling anyone. "I didn't realize I clicked on the monthly donation for a year instead of the one-time button." Chakotay sighed. "It could happen to anyone."

"Oh, yes, of course. Anyone...that needs glasses!"

"So, do you want the rest of the story?"

"Yes. Please, continue."

"Well, one weekend I decided to replicate mom's enchilada sauce from memory. I always wanted to try making it but never found the time." Chakotay slowly added some sugar to the sauce and continued to stir. "It was during the time Seska and I were on a break and-"

"Ohhhh."

"Ya."

"So was that the first, the second, or the eighth time you guys were on a break?"

"Sekaya..."

"Sorry. I won't interrupt anymore."

"Anyway, as I was stirring the sauce I felt it needed a bit more salt, but instead of grabbing the salt I grabbed the sugar. And to make matters worse, the container slightly slipped out of my hand and I ended up dropping the entire thing inside the pot."

A muffled snort filled the room. Chakotay glanced over at his sister who was making every effort to hold back her laughter. One hand covered her mouth while the other barely held onto the wine glass.

"Just let it out or you're going to explode."

Sekaya tried to control the giggles. She took a deep breath as she placed her hand on her chest. "I'm good. I'm good." Another giggle escaped and after a minute or so managed to gain control again. "I mean, how did you confuse the containers?"

Chakotay sighed. "Seska went through this Pinterest phase whe-"

"Seska? Pinterest? Wow, that woman is like two completely different people."

"Tell me about it." Chakotay moved to the side and handed Sekaya the spoon. "Here, try this."

Sekaya somewhat reluctantly grabbed the spoon while eyeing Chakotay. "If I die, tell Edgar I love him."

"Just taste it for goodness sake!"

Sekaya sniffed the sauce before taking a small sip. Her face immediately lit up. "Oh wow! This is actually really good." She took an even bigger spoonful. "Mmmmm, it has a nice sweet-spicy kick. This is going to pair so well with the queso fresco."

"I'm glad my misfortune has helped you out."

Sekaya planted a kiss on Chakotay's cheek. "Thank you, big brother. I would be lost without you." She stirred the sauce a bit more, covered it and set it aside. "So what brings you here on a Tuesday night? I wasn't expecting you until the weekend."

Chakotay moved away from the stove. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned his back against the kitchen sink. "Just didn't feel like going home tonight."

"Trouble in paradise?" Sekaya emphasized paradise with air quotes.

"No. Everything is fine. She was just going to have a couple of friends over for dinner. I really didn't feel like being there."

"You mean the same friends that were at her birthday dinner a few months ago?"

"Yup."

"Then I don't blame you." Sekaya served herself some more wine. "You know? I don't think I've ever met anyone that was that loud, ignorant, and unfunny as those three ladies."

Chakotay didn't feel comfortable discussing this. Any time Seska became the focus of Sekaya's conversation, it usually ended in some sort of disagreement between the two. One time it had led to a full on argument where both of them didn't speak for over a month. He just really wanted to avoid any drama today and needed a change of topic.

"So, what was that about earlier?"

"What was what about?"

"You and Edgar and the beginning of World War III."

"Oh, that. He wants a pet. Well, not any pet. He wants a dog. And he wants it as his birthday present."

"Not demanding at all."

"No, definitely not," Sekaya laughed.

"I tried to explain to him that a dog, well any pet, is a lot of responsibility. Requires a lot of time and they need constant attention. Both things we really don't have a lot of." Sekaya walked over to the fridge and peered into it. "You hungry?"

"Somewhat. I was just going to grab something to eat on my way home."

"Stay. Eat with us. I don't feel like cooking, though. Pizza? Or is pizza not part of the diet?"

Chakotay rolled his eyes. "Pizza is fine."

"So ya, I tried to compromise with Edgar." Sekaya opened a drawer full of takeout menus and other knick-knacks. "Told him we could maybe think about getting a hamster, or a fish, you know something small."

"Oh Seky, you don't want to get a hamster. Remember Rosie?"

Sekaya cringed as she finally found the menu she was searching for. "Oh man, how did I forget about Rosie."

"Maybe because you weren't the one that found her body under the bed two months after she disappeared."

Sekaya snapped her fingers. "I know! Tell Edgar that story during dinner. That might make him change his mind."

Chakotay just stared at his sister. "I'm not...no. That's perverse. No."

"Ya, I guess you're right. Eh, I'll figure something out. So is a veggie pizza okay?"

"Sounds great. Can you also get a Caesar salad? I've been craving one of those for days. You know what," Chakotay took the menu from Sekaya's hand, "I'll order. It'll be my treat."

"I won't argue with that," Sekaya smiled.

Once the pizza was delivered, they sat at the table to eat where the conversation was mostly Edgar talking about how wonderful pets can be and Sekaya, without much luck, trying to change the subject. Chakotay finally managed to get Edgar off the pet topic when he asked him about the upcoming science fair at school. By the time they had finished dinner and Edgar had provided all the details of his science project, Chakotay had decided it was probably safe to return home.

"I should better get going. It's kinda late and I don't want to keep you up."

"Nonsense. I'm not going to sleep early. It's a Netflix and chill for one kind of night."

Chakotay pretended to be grossed out by his sister's innocent comment. "Too much information there, sis!"

"No! I didn't mean it that way! Get your head out of the gutter."

"Of course you didn't." Chakotay yelled back as he made his way to his car parked on the street.

"Text me when you get home." Sekaya yelled from the porch.

"Will do."

The drive home was fairly uneventful. Chakotay always liked driving home later at night since it meant less time stuck in traffic. The drive from Sekaya's home in Silver Lake to his in South Pasadena could be brutal during rush hour traffic.

Chakotay let his thoughts wander as he drove but they kept roaming back to Edgar and his desire for a pet. He understood why Sekaya didn't want the added responsibility. She already had enough on her plate as a single mom and owner of a restaurant. He was incredibly proud of her and knew he didn't tell her enough.

By the time Chakotay exited the freeway and made his way to his home on surface streets, he felt he had come up with the perfect solution to Edgar's request. When he finally pulled up to his driveway he called Sekaya before getting out of his car.

"I said text me not call me."

"Am I interfering with your alone time?" Chakotay laughed.

"Shush. You okay?"

"Ya. I'm fine. As I was driving something came to mind. What if I got Edgar a cat?"

"Chakotay! No! I can't take care of-"

"Wait. Here me out. The cat would belong to Edgar but would live with me. I'll buy the food, the litter, and pay any of the vet bills. Edgar could come over and visit any time he wants and maybe some weekend it can spend it with you two. I dunno, we can figure out the details later. That would be my birthday present to him. On top of Disneyland because I already told him I would take him and I can't back out now."

"Oh, Chakotay. You would do that?"

"Anything for my nephew. And sister."

"But you're forgetting one minor, or major, detail."

"What?"

"Demon woman."

"Don't call her that. And she actually likes cats and dogs or any other animal really."

"She probably likes them because she uses them to brew her potions."

"Okay, hanging up now."

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I just can't help myself. Sorry."

"It's fine. So is this idea fine with you?"

"Seems great but let me just sleep on it."

"All right. Let me know what you decide. Have a goodnight. Tell Netflix I won't interfere anymore."

Sekaya laughed. "Oh I will. Love you."

"Love you, too."

Chakotay ended the call, gathered his work materials from the passenger seat and made his way inside.

[TBC]