I do not own the characters, sadly Paramount does. I am just taking them out for a quick stroll through my imagination.
Rated T for now.
Enjoy the read and please do review
Pitter, Patter
Chapter One:
It was pouring rain on the Janeway farm. Kathryn and her younger sister Phoebe are sitting in the porch swing under the cover of the overhang, watching the rain pelt the ground in torrential waves. The constant shhhhh of the raindrops a beautiful background noise to their inner musings. The sound of rain always brought Kathryn a sense of serenity. She sat back in the porch swing, releasing a contented groan, and taking a sip of her coffee mug. Hmm, rich and bold.
"Katie, when will you bring your new beau to meet Mother and I?" Phoebe Janeway, a much taller version of her sister, looked down at Kathryn with skepticism in her eyes, and a smile gracing her generous plump mouth. Teasing her older sister about her current paramour is always an enjoyable hobby for Phoebe.
"Oh Phoebe, must you always call me Katie? I'll bring my companion by when I damn well please, now shush, I'm trying to enjoy this moment of quiet without any stress."
"It's always an enjoyable experience when you bring a date to family Sunday supper."
"Phoebes, please just leave it alone, all right? Now, let us go help Mother with preparing dinner; Mrs. Smith and her eldest son will be by in twenty-five minutes." Kathryn stood up from her comfortable perch and turned to head inside.
"Why must mother always invite that niggling woman? Samuel is quite the babe, Katie, eh?" She nudged her sister with her elbow then said, "What your 'companion' doesn't know won't hurt him." Phoebe followed her older sister into their wholesome farmhouse, and strode toward the kitchen. Their mother, Gretchen, was rolling batter on the counter for biscuits, covered in flour.
"Mom, must you always get covered in flour when you cook?" Kathryn looked at her mother with a wide smile on her face. Chuckling under her breath, she headed to the coffee machine to refill her now half-empty mug. She took a seat at the little table and watched her mother and sister move about the center island, preparing the meal.
"Hey Katie, why don't you make the biscuits?" Phoebe said with a chuckle under breath, well aware of her sister's lack of cooking talent. She ducked as a wadded napkin sailed in the direction of her head. Kathryn remained seated at the table.
"Mother, Kathryn has a new beau, and she promised to bring him by," Phoebe told her Mother, while she skinned the potatoes for the famous 'Janeway herb' homemade mashed potatoes; a chore given to Phoebe after Kathryn almost sliced her index finger off one year.
Gretchen gave a chuckle and said, "Kathryn please do bring him by, I would love to meet ANY person of importance in your life." Kathryn looked at her mother and rolled her eyes. Why did mother put an emphasis on any? She debated telling her family about her current paramour, Seven of Nine, a female ex-Borg. If she did decide to bring her by, boy, what a shock they would have, or perhaps not.
Kathryn cleared her throat and muttered, "Mom, Phoebe, do you think we can discuss this later, perhaps after the Smith's have left and I can have a stiffer drink than just coffee." Just as Gretchen was about to answer, the doorbell rang.
"Oh, I will let them in." Kathryn jumped up from the table as if the hounds of hell were on her heels, anything to escape discussing her love life. She opened the door to an elderly woman with curly white hair and a tall, black-haired, blue-eyed young adult male. The tall male outstretched his left hand to Kathryn in greeting, "welcome home Kathryn, it's so good to see you again." Kathryn glanced back; peering outside in the process noticing the rain from earlier had stopped.
"Samuel, I haven't seen you in five years. My word, are you tall now; you're about six feet four inches right?"
"Sounds about correct. You remember my mother, Isabel?" He looked down at Kathryn with a smile on his perfect lips, and a quick wink.
"Of course I remember Isabel, hello Ma'm."
"Don't Ma'm me young lady, I remember when you were 'this' high. Something sure smells delicious; let's head to the kitchen now, and quite gawking at Katie, Sammy." In response to his mother's chagrin, he blushed bright red and strode down the hall, Kathryn and Isabel followed at a much slower pace.
"Izzy and Sammy, how good it is to see you two again. I am so glad you both could make it. Dinner will be ready in about five minutes. Kathryn, why don't you and Sammy go set the table?" Gretchen looked at her daughter and her neighbor's son, and giggled under her breath at her craftiness. Phoebe just glanced over at her mother from her spot in front of the potato pot. It was an old game the two women played, trying to get Katie hooked up with Samuel, but she never seemed interested in the man. They would make such a handsome couple, though.
Samuel and Kathryn gathered the napkins and plates then headed to the formal dining room to accept their fate. The place settings were set in record time, and the pair strode back to the kitchen side by side having established the routine over many family dinners. Just as the pair reached the kitchen, Phoebe collided with Samuel on her way out of the kitchen headed to the dining room, knocking the mashed potato bowl all down his beautiful blue silk shirt.
Kathryn glared at her sister. "Phoebes, watch where you're going." She gave a deep sigh, and bent to pick up the not so famous anymore-scattered mashed potato goop. Gretchen and Isabel having heard the commotion in the hallway scuttled to the rescue, of Sammy not the ruined potatoes.
"Just go on upstairs to the washroom dear and clean yourself up. Katie, go fetch him one of your father's shirts, they are about the same size." An ordered issued that brooked no argument on Kathryn's part. Grumbling under her breath, she said, "Come along Samuel, the quicker we get you cleaned up, the quicker we can stuff our bellies, mashed potatoes aside of course." Klutzy Phoebe. Kathryn got Samuel a shirt and the pair headed down to eat.
After dinner, Kathryn and Phoebe walked Isabel and Samuel home. The earlier rain brought a chill wind, making Phoebe and Kathryn huddle together. On the way back to the farmhouse, Phoebe noticed her sister sighing every five minutes.
"Katie, just tell me what's on your mind. I guarantee you will feel better once it's off your chest." Phoebe looked down into Kathryn's eyes. Kathryn glared back at her sister, uncertainty in her eyes. The pair stopped walking.
"I will tell you, I promise, just not until we get back to the house, okay?" Kathryn turned and started strolling back to the house.
Gazing after her sister, Phoebe had no choice but to run after Kathryn. The pair headed to the living room for their traditional before bed drink. They also planned to enjoy the warmth of the fireplace. Kathryn settled on the couch with a neat whiskey, while Phoebe sat next to her with a Gin and Tonic. The sisters always sit on the couch together during the evening hours; it is a long-standing tradition in the Janeway household. Gretchen chose to drink a mug of hot chocolate, and sat in the armchair next to the couch in her bathrobe. An atmosphere of serenity overcame Kathryn, much as earlier on the porch. Too bad it won't last, Kathryn thought. She took a few sips of her whiskey and cleared her throat. Phoebe, sensing her sister was finally ready to discuss her love life, turned to her in anticipation. Gretchen set down her mug, leaning back in her chair in a position of relaxation for whatever her daughter had to say.
"So Phoebes, remember earlier when you kept teasing me to bring my 'paramour' by," Kathryn looked to her sister and briefly glanced at her mother. Getting a nod from Phoebe and an encouraged smile from her mother, Kathryn continued, "You kept saying him, bring him by, and well I gotta tell you both I'm not dating a him." She released a long held breath and took a bigger sip of her whiskey, then glanced between her mother and sister.
"What do you mean Katie?" Phoebe asked, glaring in confusion at her sister. Gretchen remained silent.
"Uh, UHHm. My companion is named Seven," glancing to her mother, she finished, "and she's a woman, and a very nice one I might add."
Phoebe and Gretchen looked at Kathryn with disbelief on their features. A few minutes of utter silence passed. Phoebe stated in an astonished tone, "So Katie, you're a lesbian; a gay lady?" In a louder tone, she said, "You like, like, women? In like a MMMhm kind of way?"
"Yes, I happen to be in love with one woman. I uh, I have a picture in my wallet."
Gretchen looked to her youngest and then her eldest daughter with a smile on her face. This explains so much now about my Katie. Just as Phoebe was about to question her sister further a deep male voice could be heard over the ship wide intercom, "Captain to the Bridge." Kathryn's holographic family remained unaware of the beckoning call. Captain Kathryn Janeway muttered an obscenity under her breath, and standing from her perch on the couch requested in a loud tone, "Computer end program."