by Dakota

The sparkle of Kathryn's laughter echoed across the room attracting Chakotay's attention. Kathryn stood in a small group caught up by an anecdote told by the gesticulating station manager from Lunlea Station where Voyager had stopped to make minor repairs and trade for supplies. His delivery, if not the actual story, had definitely amused the entire group.

This informal reception represented one of Lunlea Stations traditions – celebrate anything and everything you can. Someone from the station had already evidently explored some of the material about Earth's holidays that they had shared as part of a cultural exchange. The decorations, an eclectic collection from many Earth holidays – eggs of all colors, red hearts, yellow stars, white roses, orange pumpkins, blue diamonds, purple horseshoes, and green shamrocks honored the station's guests.

Chakotay recalled Kathryn's Irish heritage as the light glinted off her red hair. His smile turned to a chuckle as he recalled his all too frequent encounters with her Irish temper. Almost as if she could hear his thoughts, Kathryn looked his way and allowed her eyes to meet his. She smiled slightly before turning her attention back to the station manager.

Chakotay smiled and shook his head slightly. Kathryn always kept one step ahead of him, always seemed to know his location. She didn't surprise him often after nearly seven years together on Voyager, but when she did, he always enjoyed it. Her determination to get them home and get them home faster than the currently projected thirty-five years had not faltered. Having taken only seven years to get the original projection of seventy years down to that thirty-five, he believed she would succeed.

Eventful inadequately described their years in the Delta Quadrant and their efforts to return home. Although most of the journey could be described as relatively peaceful, even Tuvok would label the events surrounding their major advances as "interesting". That applied to their journey, but is also applied to Kathryn. The more challenging the situation, the more interesting to observe the woman. The more interesting the situation, the greater the challenge to keep up with the woman. The sparkle in her eyes glowed brighter then.

Interesting? Chakotay chuckled at his choice of words. Interesting barely sufficed. Try amazing, fascinating, extraordinary, intriguing. Intriguing – a word that described Kathryn perfectly. He knew her so well yet he kept discovering new facets, new pieces of her personality.

Telling Kathryn something couldn’t be done merely increased her determination to try one more time. To call forming an alliance with the Borg foolhardy drastically understated the situation, but they had managed to move past them. Being trapped in one type of anomaly or another merely sparked her to find new solutions. When confronted by the combined resources of the Think Tank, Kathryn had proved she willing and able to deal with others on their terms. Chakotay smiled as he remembered some of their worst fights over her decisions at those times. Those advances had also seen some of their closest moments. The night before they made their attempt to use slipstream technology served as an excellent example. They had taken one wild ride the next day. In fact, he would call the last seven years as one wild ride with Kathryn.

Chakotay turned his attention back to Kathryn. She had moved on to another group now. Her laughter drifted across the room as Tom finished saying something. The others in the group smiled with her. She made some remark and they laughed. Chakotay marveled at how easily she captivated those around her. She attracted them to her like bees to a flower, a bright, beautiful flower.

Flowers. Kathryn loved flowers, especially roses. She reminded Chakotay of the roses she loved – soft and gentle but with thorns to defend herself when handled improperly. She could defend herself and her ship when necessary and had done so many times. No, no hothouse had pampered and protected this beauty from the harsh realities of the universe. Kathryn stood stronger, more resilient and self-reliant than that. She faced the universe like a wild rose, able and willing to protect herself and those who gathered 'round her. 

Chakotay's eyes found Kathryn now in an area adorned with shamrocks and leprechauns and they reminded him once again of her Gaelic heritage. A phrase from an old ballad came to his mind. His eyes sought Kathryn's again and she saw him, smiled and nodded ever so slightly. His smile deepened as he gazed at his wild Irish rose.