Gretchen paced back and forth across the kitchen. Her bare feet padded across the cold tile. Twelve steps to the oven. Pivot. Twelve steps past the counter and cupboards, arriving at the table. Pivot. Again and again, she repeated her rounds. It wasn't helping. She needed to do something. Twelve more steps. The clock on the wall ticked with each passing second. Pivot. Despite Kathryn's reassurance that all was fine, Gretchen still worried. Eleven, twelve. So did Chakotay. Pivot.
She stopped, only to resume walking a few seconds later, but this time she didn't turn around at the kitchen table. She left the kitchen entirely. She walked through the hall, passed the pictures of Phoebe's wedding, and entered the living room.
Gretchen sat down on the love seat and looked at the man sleeping on her couch. Dark, mysterious, rebellious - and yet calm, reserved, and kind. It was an unusual mixture.
The past couple of days had been hard on him. Together, they had done all they could think of to discover Kathryn's whereabouts. They had contacted Admiral Paris and tried to locate the transport. They had brought in B'Elanna, Harry, and even Seven to help decrypt the location.
Gretchen grinned, holding back a chuckle as she remembered the encounter between the former couple. Awkward and forced was the only way to describe it, but they had survived.
Even with the help of their friends, they were unable to find out where the transport had gone. Whatever Kathryn had done was good. Good enough to foil Maquis, Borg, and Starfleet.
After giving up on the transport, they moved on to other ways of trying to locate Kathryn. She obviously didn't have her comm. badge so they decided to look in places she enjoyed spending her vacation time while on earth, but after all their searching they were no closer to finding her than they had been the night she disappeared.
Again, Gretchen looked at the man sleeping on her couch. He was a big man, and his feet hung off the edge, poking out from beneath his blanket.
Gallivanting across Earth in search of Kathryn with no success had taken its toll on the poor man. They had gotten to Gretchen's house very late the night before so she had grabbed a blanket from the laundry room, intending to take it upstairs to the guest bedroom. Instead, Chakotay took the blanket from her and fell onto the couch, immediately asleep.
She reached down and tugged the fabric over his toes. He couldn't sleep on the couch until Kathryn got back and he certainly couldn't return to the drab and uninviting quarters Starfleet had given him.
He'd stay with her.
She smiled and walked out the room with her hands on her hips, satisfied with her decision.
She opened the linen closet and reached for a clean set of sheets and a comforter. Her arms full, she carried the linens to the guest room and began making the bed. Once she was done, she returned to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
Twenty minutes later the table was set. Hotcakes with blueberry syrup sat in the middle of the table. Only the coffee was missing. Gretchen turned to check the pot and saw a very disheveled Chakotay pop his head into the kitchen.
"There you are. I was going to come wake you up soon." She indicated to the table. "Other than the coffee, breakfast is all ready."
"That's fine. I'm not a big coffee person, but I take it you are."
"Oh, yes. Where do you think Kathryn got that trait? Her father?" Gretchen laughed and shook her head. "If I remember correctly, Kathryn mentioned you're more of a tea person."
Chakotay chuckled. "Yes, that I am. Do you mind if I replicate some?"
"No, not at all."
Gretchen finished the coffee, complete with one sugar and a tad of cream. Kathryn may have gotten her coffee addiction from her mother, but Gretchen wasn't sure where she had gotten the taste for black coffee. Just thinking about drinking it like that made Gretchen gag. She served Chakotay the hotcakes, then sat down.
"Listen, Gretchen. I appreciate your hospitality, but I think I'm going to go back to my apartment."
"Nonsense. You can stay here. I have plenty of room." She shook her head, biting back a laugh. The conversation was familiar. Well, at least they're both stubborn.
"I don't want to impose. I'll just get my things and leave. After I eat this...where is that?" he demanded, pointing at a picture hanging near the table.
"That?" Gretchen stood and took the battered frame off the wall. She touched her two young daughter's faces, admiring how happy and carefree they looked with the lake behind them. "That's Lake George."
Chakotay shot from his chair. "That's where she is." He took the frame from Gretchen and pointed at the nine-year-old Kathryn. "That's where she is. Come on, we've got to go. Do you guys have property down there? Somewhere she would go?"
"An old family friend does. We haven't been there in ages. Are you sure?" She looked at Chakotay, seeing the longing is his eyes. "How do you know she's there, Chakotay?"
"We went there once. Just the two of us on the holodeck…after she almost died…in my arms."
Gretchen took the picture from him and hung it back on the wall. "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go get her. I sure hope she isn't dying, but I'd love to see her in your arms."
Noticing his bare feet, she changed her mind. "On second thought, Chakotay I think you should go get ready. Going to Lake George in you night clothes could be fun, but I'd recommend changing."
Chakotay went to the bathroom and took a quick sonic shower. Then he replicated himself a t-shirt and some jeans. He quickly combed his hair and slipped on his shoes. He wanted to get to Lake George as soon as possible. That's where she was. He knew it. It was the most logical place she would go.
All of their searching had resulted in failure and it had dampened his mood. He should had been happy they were finally home safe, but he couldn't help wishing they were still on Voyager. At least there he always knew where Kathryn was, even if she was ticking him off.
He left the bathroom and joined Gretchen in the living room. "I'm all ready now. Showered, dressed, and hair combed."
Gretchen chuckled. "Good, good. Yes, you're much more presentable now. I called my friend, but didn't get an answer. I think we should just stop by and see if she's there."
The two left the house together and made their way to the transporter station. They chatted while they walked. Their words were light, but on the inside Chakotay was anxious. He couldn't help but wonder if Lake George really was her chosen vacation spot. If he was wrong, he had no idea where to look next.
They transported to the lake and Gretchen led the way to the property of her friend.
"Chakotay, if you don't mind my asking, why didn't you tell me about Lake George before?"
He shrugged, a little embarrassed. "It's special. It was the first time she really opened up to me again after we were stranded on New Earth. We still talked. We were still friends, but that night the old spark was back like never before."
"I see. I hope we find her. You both deserve happiness. Ah, here we are." She walked toward a small house. "Kathryn always loved this place. Especially the garden. She tries to hide it, but underneath that science brain of hers she loves nature."
They reached the front door and rang the bell. No one answered. They rang again, but with the same result. Chakotay tried to peer in the window, but he couldn't make anything out.
Gretchen patted his shoulder. "If she's here, she's not home at the moment. Let's go check by the lake."
He nodded and let the older woman lead him away from the house.
Kathryn had spent the entire day walking around town shopping. Her feet hurt from all the walking. She'd gotten herself new clothes, makeup, jewelry, shoes, and a few other things. It felt good.
She returned home as the sun was setting. Entering the little house, she made the call to have her things transported over. There was no way she could have carried all of her bags and the overstuffed chair all the way back herself.
In a few moments, she saw the blue shimmer in the living room. Walking into the room she inspected the bags making sure everything was there. Last she checked her newest piece of furniture. Buying a chair wasn't the smartest idea since she didn't have her own house, but she had fallen in love with the chair the moment she saw it sitting in the store window. The deep burnt red color was so warm and welcoming. The cushion was huge and when she sat in it the first time she sunk into the seat. It felt like a hug. Perfect to curl up in and read with a large mug of coffee.
It was getting late, but Kathryn didn't care. She had to try out the new chair before she even thought about going to bed.
She made herself a cup of coffee and settled down in the chair. She pulled a light blanket over her legs and reached for the book Chakotay had given her. She had started at the beginning and was now almost finished. Taking a quick sip, she opened to the bookmarked page and continued to read.