TITLE: Reflections of the Water
AUTHOR: Matteabrit, 2002
SUMMARY: After the events of Q2, Kathryn is able to return to her bathtub – alone - to do some thinking.
RATING: PG-13
DISCLAIMER: Not mine – bugger!
THANKS: To Tina, who read through this for me and corrected some of my horrendous sentence construction!
Kathryn lay back in her bath and quietly reflected on recent events. It was peaceful now, and though unfortunately she couldn’t be certain that she would not be interrupted, she certainly hoped for the continued tranquillity. At least while she was having her bath.
Q, who had appeared amidst the bubbles, of which she was thankful there were many, had interrupted the last bath she’d taken. He had a knack for knowing what would irk her the most. A few years ago, when she had rejected his request that she be the mother of his child, he had accused her of having an affair with her first officer. “What’s he got that I haven’t?” he’d asked. Kathryn smiled, she probably could have named quite a lot, including the fact that he wasn’t as annoying as the omnipotent being usually was.
She probably could have dwelled on a lot more of Chakotay’s redeeming qualities, which was her usual activity while bathing, but there were other things to think on. Such as young Q. Now there was an interesting young man. He could have been her son, rather than her godson, and that might have posed a whole new set of problems. Given Q’s tendency to dismiss his son who possessed the same powers, a son who took his mother’s genes and proven to be a mere mortal might have led to her being the young man’s only parent.
Still, the young man had enormous potential, once he’d learned to harness his creativity and impulsiveness somewhat. He’d learned a valuable lesson, even though Kathryn had been surprised that the threat of being turned into an amoeba had been enough to make him work. The final lesson of Icheb’s severe injuries had been the decisive turning point. If he ever wanted a career in Starfleet, Captain Janeway would have been proud to sponsor him.
Idly, Kathryn ran the sponge over her shoulders, letting the water trickle down her back. It was nice to have such an uninterrupted time to herself, something that was all to rare during her time in the delta quadrant. She cherished these times. Placing the sponge back on the side rack she reclined, letting the water rise up to her neck. This was her time. Q might have taken that sanctity from her but she was determined to claim it back.
She remembered a bathtub long ago, on a planet far away. It was a special memory for her. After discovering she enjoyed her baths, Chakotay had made building one for her one of his first special projects. Many a night she had lain in it, carrying on a conversation with him as he sat inside their makeshift home. Sometimes she wondered what it might have been like had she had begun a relationship with Chakotay while they were there.
“This bothers the hell out of me,” he had said to her, when she had told him about Q’s wish for her to mate with him. He had also told her that he thought he had no right to feel that way, but she was glad that he had told her. So little of New Earth had been made mention of since their return that she was relieved to know that some things hadn’t changed simply because their location had.
Q and Chakotay. Neither could stand the other. How would Chakotay have been if she had been the mother of young Q? She’d like to think he’d have accepted the boy on his own merits, rather than his father’s shortcomings, the way he actually had. The simulation of the peace process had been… interesting, for want of a better phrase. Yet even after the boy’s cheating, Chakotay had made sure he was given a second chance.
Chakotay. She smiled at the thought of him. King of second chances, that was him. He’d given so many people renewed chances, including herself. But if she mentioned it, he always brushed it off, said that she’d given him one hell of a second chance and he’d grasped it firmly, determined not to let her down.
But he’d not just given her a second chance. There had been third and fourth chances as well; times when he would have been fully within his rights as second in command to act against her. As for their friendship off-duty, at times it was a wonder that it had survived as well as it had.
The sound of movement in the outer room made her smile. The intrusion was a rare one, in the sense that it was welcome. It made her realise just how fortunate she was in the way her life had turned out. All things considered, life in the delta quadrant could have been a lot worse, even if she did have to deal with all the issues that a Q presented.
“Is that you?” she called out, not moving from her position. The bubbles were gradually beginning to dissipate; the steam had long since stopped clouding the room.
“No, its somebody else,” the familiar voice called back. “Plan on coming out to say hello any time soon?”
“Perhaps.” But she knew she would have to move; the man in the bedroom was just too much to pass up.
He’d been a part of her bedroom now for the past few months, and she knew it was probably one of the best things that could have ever happened. She had finally taken one of those chances he’d offered and done something with it. She’d accepted Chakotay into her life on a more personal level and she had yet to look back. Now she couldn’t imagine a time when he’d not been in her life.
Sighing, she stood up, letting the water drip off her. Stepping out of the tub, she grabbed her robe and wrapped it around her wet body. Then she opened the door, and stepped into her lover’s arms.
FINIS
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