Christmas, 2392
It was refreshing not to hear an alarm clock waking them up in morning. It was Christmas Eve and Kathryn and Chakotay were both officially on holiday. The children's school was finished for the festive season and they were all looking forward to a relaxing week. Thankfully the Christmas shopping was also done, a task which Kathryn thoroughly detested, preferring to avoid crowds of harassed shoppers. In fact, Chakotay had done more than his fair share this year, yet another reminder of why Kathryn was very lucky to have such a wonderful husband. Just as she snuggled nearer to him she heard the unmistakable sound of young feet bounding into their room. Without a doubt it was Leah...
"Mom, Dad!" exclaimed their boisterous daughter.
Kathryn didn't know whether to pretend to ignore her in the hopes that she might decide to go, or to give in and see what was on Leah's infinitely inquisitive mind today.
It was Chakotay who replied. "Morning sweetheart," he said kissing her on the head. "Why are you up so early? You do know it's not Christmas morning yet," he teased.
"Of course I do!" scoffed the adorable auburn-headed girl, settling herself on her father's knee. "I've been awake for a whole ten minutes. And Mom told me that I had to wait ten minutes when I woke up to see if I went back to sleep again. But I didn't go back to sleep. And you promised me that you'd show me the holoimages today. You know, the ones of all the old Christmases and things."
"Okay, but how would you like to help me make breakfast for everyone first? You can help me with the pancake mix."
"Oooh, pancakes! Can we put Blueberries in them? They're Mom's favourite. And Duncan's too!" Leah's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Absolutely. And, I have a great recipe for alcohol-free eggnog that your Grandma Janeway gave to your Mom and I."
Kathryn smiled as her daughter took Chakotay's hand firmly and led him to the kitchen. She knew the stubborn, determined streak Leah had came directly from her and indeed the contrast of Leah and her older brother couldn't be more startling at times.
"Ugh, doesn't she ever shut- up?" Duncan came into his parents bedroom rubbing sleep from his eyes.
Kathryn gave her son, who had turned ten only two weeks previously, a fierce hug. She was very much looking forward to spending this time with her family as it had been a busy year for all of them. She could scarcely believe how quickly Duncan and Leah were growing. It really did seem like only moments ago they were toddlers.
"Tell you what," said Kathryn wrapping her arm round her son. "While the chef and her assistant are whipping us up a delicious breakfast, why don't you help me finish wrapping the rest of the Christmas presents for our friends?"
Chakotay was showing Duncan and Leah some of the masses of holoimages they had collected over the years. Duncan was looking intently at their collection of Scotland - he was extremely interested in earth history and, unlike Leah's budding interest, did not seem to share his parents love of space. After breakfast they had taken a long walk, and just as they had reached home a few tentative flakes of snow had begun to fall, prompting shrieks of delight from Leah who desperately wanted a white Christmas. Kathryn was secretly hoping for the same thing, for they were due to travel to her mother's that night to spend Christmas and she knew that blankets of snow on the sprawling Indiana plains really was a sight to behold.
"Mom, I don't feel so good."
"What's the matter honey?" Kathryn asked as she bent down beside the couch where her daughter was sitting.
"I think I might throw up."
Kathryn felt her daughter's forehead and she did seem to be running a slight fever. Moments later Leah was on her feet running towards the bathroom.
When it finally seemed that her stomach had settled for the time-being, Kathryn gave Leah a cold compress for her forehead and tucked her up with a blanket. She wasn't initially too concerned, believing that it was just a stomach bug. But by later in the day Leah began to develop a rash and shake a little as though she was cold. Around four in the afternoon she finally managed to fall asleep after much crying and more vomiting. Though Leah did tend to be a little on the dramatic side, Kathryn was now more than a little worried and agreed with Chakotay that it would be best to call the doctor in.
"Okay, we'll call you tomorrow Mom. I love you."
"I love you, Kathryn."
Kathryn switched off the holo-screen and returned to the living room where Leah was now lying with her head resting on her Dad's lap. She had been diagnosed as having an allergic reaction, most probably to the eggnog they had drank earlier in the day. The doctor had assured them she would be back to normal in a few days, and in the meantime he had given her some medication and advised plenty of rest. After some discussion, Kathryn and Chakotay had decided to forgo the trip to Indiana that evening, believing it was best for Leah to stay at home to avoid both travelling and the near-chaos of the extended Janeway family Christmas.
"Did you talk to your Mom?"
"Yeah, she said to give her baby granddaughter a hug and told us not to worry. Phoebe and her family are there, it sounds like they are having a great time. We'll go over in a couple of days' time, as soon as Leah is feeling better."
"Cool!" exclaimed Duncan. "Jack promised he would show me his new holoprogram of ultimate combat fighting. Dad, is it ok if I go call him right now?"
"Sure. And be sure to tell him not to eat all of the turkey tomorrow!"
Kathryn sat down beside her daughter and stroked her forehead. Of course they were all disappointed for Leah that she was so ill at Christmas, and that they wouldn't be able to spend the day in Indiana with family. But the snow had continued to fall and now everything was covered in a beautiful, fresh blanket of white. As she stared out of the window, Kathryn had the feeling that this was going to be a good Christmas after all.
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