Kathryn stood at the front door, watching Seven walk around the corner. Minutes passed, and even though Seven was out of eyeshot, Kathryn still remained, like her feet were cemented to the spot. Her hand drifted towards her mouth, the tips of her fingers tracing over her lips, which still tingled from the passionate kiss.
Finally, she heard movement coming from behind her. Turning around, she saw Chakotay walking in with Amelia. He had an unreadable look on his face, one that even after seven years of friendship and twenty years of marriage, she had not seen before.
Amelia ran immediately upstairs to return to her studies, grumbling, and mumbling about wanting to be left alone to focus. The sound of her bedroom door locking told Kathryn it would be hours before she would see her daughter again. Kathryn closed and locked the front door and walked towards Chakotay, but he walked past her, not even looking her in the eye.
She chose not to read too much into it, and instead went into the kitchen to chop vegetables for the salad. A few minutes later, Chakotay came in and walked directly to the stove to start cooking. She poured a glass of red wine and took a long sip before softly touching his arm to demand eye contact.
"You know, if you don't say what's wrong, I can't exactly fix the problem," she smirked, before taking another sip.
"Who said there was a problem?" he said, turning back towards the stove.
"You're giving me the silent treatment. This is how Amelia expresses anger, not a grown man in his sixties," she said.
He huffed and turned back around to face her, a hint of pain was struggling to remain hidden in his eyes.
Realizing this was perhaps more serious, she put her glass down on the counter and cupped his face.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"When was the last time you kissed me like that?" he asked.
She felt a pit form in her stomach. Her hands fell away from his face, unsure how to react, and even more unsure of how he was about to react.
"You saw," she stated.
"I did."
"Look, Chakotay, that was nothing. It was two women ending a chapter that never really had a beginning."
There was a long silence as Chakotay processed her words.
"Do you ever regret marrying me? Do you… do you ever think your life could have been better had you been with her instead?"
Her eyes softened, and her hand found his, their fingers twining.
"I'll tell you exactly what I told her. I loved Seven, but in my heart, I never doubted that I loved you more. When I'm around you, I feel complete. I can't even explain it, but you are the other half of my soul. I chose you to spend the rest of my life with, and I have never looked back, not for one second. It was always you, and it will always be you," she said.
He smiled and kissed the top of her head before bringing her in for a hug.
"I love you," he whispered.
A spark of desire coursed through her veins as she looked in his eyes with a devilish grin.
"Show me," she dared.
He laughed before surprising her by picking her up and placing her on the counter.
"You're gonna regret doing that when you wake up tomorrow!" she giggled.
"Worth it," he said, his lips hovering over hers.
He grazed her lips with his own before pulling her bottom lip between his teeth.
"What about dinner?" she asked breathlessly.
"It's simmering, we have a while," he replied.
His hand rubbed up and down along her thigh.
"What about Amelia?" she asked.
"She's studying. I'd be surprised if she came out of her room in time for dinner tomorrow night."
He leaned in to capture her lips in a kiss, but she dodged him playfully.
"She might hear us," she teased.
"Well, then I guess you'll just have to be quiet."
He wrapped a hand around the back of her head and pulled her into a searing kiss that would have left her weak in the knees had she not already been sitting down.
Seven walked down the hall, taking a deep breath before knocking on Raffi's apartment door. On the third knock, the door swung open. Raffi looked a bit shocked. She walked out into the hall and closed the door behind her.
"Seven I-" Raffi paused, noticing the streaks of dried tears on Seven's face.
"I went to Indiana." Seven said with a sad smile.
"Oh, Sev," Raffi whispered before pulling her in for a hug.
Seven took comfort in the safety and security she felt being in Raffi's arms.
"You were right. I needed to do that. I needed to put the past behind me." she said, her voice slightly muffled by the hug.
They pulled apart, and Raffi's hand cupped Seven's cheek.
"I'm so proud of you," she smiled.
"Aren't you going to invite me in?" Seven asked, stepping towards the door, but Raffi nervously blocked her.
"Well, actually I-" Raffi was about to explain when the door to her apartment opened again, revealing a young man.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," Gabriel said shyly.
"That's okay," Raffi said before turning back towards Seven.
"I shouldn't have shown up unannounced. I'll leave you two to enjoy your evening," Seven said.
Before Seven could walk away, Raffi touched her arm.
"Gabriel and I were just about to have dinner. You can come over tomorrow, unless...you'd like to join us now?"
"I'd like that," Seven said with a smile.
The two women shared a loving glance before Gabriel interrupted.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, my mother's told me so much about you," he said.
"All good things, I hope?" Seven said with a hint of playful sarcasm.
Gabriel and Seven shook hands before the three of them walked inside to start what would be a wonderful evening.