AUTHOR: Sally
RATING: PG
SUMMARY: Ten years is a long time
TIMEFRAME: After their arrival back on Earth
Disclaimer: Paramount and TPTB own these two characters though Luke is my uncle's!
He began the slow walk up the driveway, lost in thought as to what he might find at the end of it. Although his journey was one he had never taken before he felt as though he knew every step of it. Already he could see the house ahead, and could recognise the outline of a person standing by the front door. His breath caught temporarily as he realised who it was. It had been a long ten years, perhaps too long.
He wondered why she had not come to meet him when he left the compound. He wondered if she had even known of his impending release date. He shook his head. She probably hadn't, having retired from Star Fleet as soon as his sentence was handed down. She had told him that she wouldn't stay on if she couldn't have him by her side, that she had given too much of herself to Star Fleet over the years. He had attempted to reason with her, but deep down knowing that he couldn't live if someone else was by her side.
Ten years was a long time. They had spent nearly as long in the Delta Quadrant, forced to work together to ensure their survival. He had proven that he could be a trusted crewmember, and she had stated as much, if not more, at his trial. But his trial, he reflected, may as well have taken place in absentia. He'd been convicted even before his defense had called their first witness. He was lucky to be a free man even now. The prosecution had argued for stronger sentencing, but the Captain's reports and the general change of feeling towards the Cardassians had meant that he was now able to walk where he wanted.
Somewhere to the left of him a dog barked and he smiled. He had somehow known there would be a dog, of course there would be a dog. Its owner would not be who he had thought she was otherwise. Presently, he heard a scuffling through the leaves and a black Labrador came to his side and matched his pace. The dog barked again, now heralding his arrival as they came closer to the house. The woman at the door was now alerted to their presence.
"Luke? Luke," she called. The dog set off running to her side. "Hey, boy?" she said as she bent down to rub his back. "Who've you got with you this time, hey?" She straightened up and gazed into the afternoon, hand raised to shield her eyes from the setting sun.
"Hello, Kathryn," he said quietly as he came to a stop in front of her.
“Chakotay?” she asked.
He wondered for a moment why she might be incredulous. But ten years had not been the length of time handed down to him. It should have been a lot longer. Clearly she had not entertained the possibility of it being shorter. “Yes,” he answered.
“But how?”
He shrugged. “Let’s just say that the Federation had a change of heart.”
She reached a hand out to him and he took it, glad of its warmth. “How long have you got?”
“As much time as I want. I’m a free man.”
She smiled at him. “Well then,” she said. “I suppose you had better come in.”
And he let her lead him over the threshold.
It had indeed been a long day, a day of doing everything and nothing. She sighed as she stepped out of her front door, prepared to wrestle with the multitude of weeds that would plague her like Tom Paris' stunts on a slow haul through quiet space.
Tom Paris. She hadn't seen him in ages, nor his wife B'Elanna. She had retired from Starfleet upon her arrival home, upon "his" conviction. She still shuddered at the thought of it. Everyone else who had served in the Maquis had been freed, including Tom and B'Elanna. But not him, not their leader. It was ironic, she thought. Without him they wouldn't have ended up serving Starfleet and being able to continue with their lives once they reached Earth.
She shook her head. It was all so long ago, the chances she thought she had were gone and were never going to come again no matter how much she thought of it all. She looked again at the land around her, debating where to start.
Alerted by the sound of a dog barking she turned her head toward the noise. Her precious black labrador, now the only highlight of her life, had found a friend it appeared. She couldn't make out just who it was at this time but it appeared to be human and male.
"Luke? Luke," she called out to the animal. Immediately Luke came running by her side. "Hey, boy," she said, reaching down to rub his back. "Who've you got with you this time, hey?" Luke sat back on his haunches and smiled up at her, tongue out and panting heavily. She sighed, she'd get no answer from him. After all it was only spirit guide animals that spoke in words she could understand. Straightening up, she placed one hand on her hip and the other up to shield her eyes from the sun.
The man got closer and spoke. "Hello, Kathryn," he said quietly.
She thought for a moment she must be dreaming. "Chakotay?" Had the spirits brought him here? When it came to Chakotay she had learned to trust in the spirits. They would not lie to one of their own and, as a result, she trusted them to be true to her also.
"Yes."
"But how?" For one awful moment she wondered if she really was seeing things; that perhaps this was just a vision brought on by death, his death.
He shrugged. "Let's just say the Federation had a change of heart."
She reached out for him now, desperate to confirm that he was truly here, after so long. His hand extended to grasp her's and she felt its warmth permeate into her. "How long have you got?" If he had to return to his prison then she did not want to waste one single moment.
"As much time as I want. I'm a free man."
With those words her heart soared. Perhaps it wasn't too late, after all. Perhaps they could have the chance that first she and then the Federation had denied for so long. She smiled at him. "Well, then," she began. "I suppose you had better come in." Weeding be damned, this was much more important.
She turned and led him back into her home. This time, if he asked or told her an ancient legend, she would not deny him.
FINIS