by Dakota

Kathryn stared into the glass and watched the bubbles rise to the surface and float around. It was a steady yet random pattern. She swirled the flute once and watched the bubbles spin on the surface.

She glanced across the room at the happy couple. Tom grinned at his friends but when he looked at B'Elanna, Kathryn thought he was staring at something rare and fragile. She smiled as his eyes met hers briefly.

When Tom looked away, Kathryn turned her attention back to her glass. The bubbles were still rising. One popped into oblivion, then another. Ever so gradually, the number popping increased as the number of new bubbles decreased until only a few remained.

Kathryn sipped from the glass and considered how like her life the bubbles were. A journey working her way to the top to achieve some goal just to enjoy a brief moment of happiness before it vanished and she had to find a new goal, a new challenge. It had been true during her childhood and at the Academy. She had spent long years before achieving her own command where her brief moment of happiness lasted only a few weeks before that bubble popped and she found herself seventy-five years from home.

She glanced back at Tom and B'Elanna. She had started the journey toward the goal they were celebrating only to have the bubble pop before she achieved it. Eventually she had tried again and again the bubble had popped.

Bubbles at the bottom of her glass caught her attention. They clung to the side trying to avoid the long journey to the surface and certain obliteration once their journey ended.

"What do you find so intriguing about that champagne?"

Chakotay's voice startled Kathryn and she jerked the glass loosening a few more bubbles near the bottom. She glanced briefly into the brown eyes staring at her then back at the bubbles still clinging to the bottom of the glass. Again, she saw herself only this time she was clinging to the bottom and the illusion of safety it represented, afraid to start a new journey, afraid it would end before she reached the top, afraid the time on the surface would be too short.

"I was just watching the bubbles."

"The bubbles in champagne always tickle my nose and make me smile."

"The ones on the bottom can't do that."

"Ahhh, but they do. They are there when I take the last sip and are the last I enjoy. In some ways the ones on the bottom are the best."

"So you like the bubbles on the bottom."

Kathryn looked back into his eyes wondering what he thought of her questions. The sparkle in his eyes and gentle smile were all the answer she needed, but the nod of his head was comforting all the same.

Kathryn lifted her glass to his. "To the bubbles on the bottom. May they always make you smile."

If you enjoyed this story, you might enjoy the sequel: Rising Bubbles