An unexpected invitation

"Wait, wait, wait…," Kathryn yelled even if the person who was calling her couldn't hear her.

Hastily she threw the things she was carrying on the desk in her study and tapped the button on her console to open the link. "Yes?" she asked out of breath.

"Katie!" Maya's happy face greeted her.

"Maya, that's a surprise. How are you?" she asked and sat down.

"I'm very happy! You wanna know why?"

Kathryn stifled a grin. "Tell me."

"My birthday is in…," she looked uncertain to her side and Kathryn heard Sekaya whispering in the background, "…two weeks. I'll be five years old!" she exclaimed with her hand raised and five fingers up.

"Five years... no that can't be true!"

"It's true," Maya replied, proudly. "I want to invite you."

"Me? Oh, of course I will be there."

Maya started to beam and without another word she crawled off her chair and Kathryn heard her footsteps vanishing.

Laughing, Sekaya stepped into view. "I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about," Kathryn laughed with her, happy to see Chakotay's sister.

"She is excited, she has to run to Chakotay and tell him," Sekaya rolled her eyes. "You really impressed her, she talks about you day in day out since she came back from San Francisco."

Kathryn felt a heat rising in her cheeks. "I didn't do anything special," she said and waved her hand dismissively. "We simply had fun that day."

"That's what Chakotay said too," Sekaya smiled. "Her birthday is Sunday in two weeks. She invited Miral with her parents, too, they're coming at about two in the afternoon but you can come earlier if you want."

"I don't know yet. Perhaps I will drive from Bloomington by hovercar."

"Oh yes, that isn't very far. Do you know where our modest, little village is?"

"Not exactly," Kathryn said, feeling embarrassed that she didn't know where her best friend lived.

"I'll send you the coordinates. We'll see you then," Sekaya smiled.

"Will do. Give Chakotay my regards."

Sekaya nodded and closed the link.

Kathryn sat back in her chair, the feeling of embarrassment still lingering. Why didn't she know where Chakotay lived?

He had told her that he moved to Ohio, to a small village near the Indiana border where his cousin and some of the survivors of his tribe, including Sekaya, lived. But he hadn't told her any specifics.

She had noticed that he hadn't been very forthcoming with telling her about his life. In fact, he hadn't been very talkative at all.

On Voyager they could talk about everything and nothing. She had loved their conversations, the attention they gave each other during those off hours they spent in each other's quarters. But when they had walked the familiar corridors the other day, it was strained, sometimes even awkward, and Kathryn had been glad Maya was with them. She loosened the atmosphere with her happy chattering and curiosity and Kathryn had the distinct feeling that Chakotay wouldn't have shown up in her office if Maya hadn't talked him into it.

She was glad they had, though, because even if he behaved different than she was used to, she still enjoyed his presence. She became aware of how much she missed him and wondered why she hadn't contacted him since the debriefings had ended.

If she was honest with herself, she knew the reason all too well. She was struggling with her own problems and hardly had time for anyone else.

Her struggle began with the debriefings. They were enduring and exhausting and had taken their toll on everyone, but she felt especially empty and tired when they were finally over. Starfleet had insisted that she go on a three months leave afterwards and she spent two weeks at her mother's house, thinking she would go insane. She couldn't sit around and do nothing. So she headed back to San Francisco, her leave of absence postponed for the time being.

She still felt tired and empty but she couldn't rest, couldn't shut down. She worked long hours, didn't give herself a pause to think back and she told herself that it had worked so far.

It hadn't, of course, and she felt the strain more and more each day.

To spend time with Chakotay had lightened her spirits and she felt better than she had since her departure from Voyager. The wish to renew their friendship, to get to know him again, learn about the life he lived now, grew in her and she decided that his niece's birthday was the best opportunity for a fresh start.