Christmas, 2374
Christmas Morning and time for reflection. Christmas made her think of home and of her family and friends back on Earth. Her mom, Phoebe, her best friend Sylvie and……Mark. She usually thought of Mark on the lonely Christmas mornings, wondering if he was thinking of her, wondering whether they were thinking of each other at the same moment, imagining a connection between them that could span the thousands of light-years. Only this morning thoughts of Mark were forbidden. He wasn’t thinking of her. He would be thinking of his new wife and their Christmas morning. It was strange seeing her quarters devoid of their pictures; it didn’t seem right to keep them around when the sentiment was no longer true.
The door bell disrupted her thoughts. She rose, wrapped her dressing gown around her and ordered the door open. Chakotay stepped in, dressed in casual clothing, the usual for the ship’s Christmas.
“Merry Christmas, Kathryn,” he smiled, embracing her and giving a light kiss on the cheek.
He looked her up and down and gave a slight chuckle. “A little more casual than usual,” he said, remarking on her nightwear.
She blushed, “Captain’s privilege to get up late on Christmas morning."
They moved over to the Christmas tree they’d decorated together. She’d never wanted to have a tree in her quarters before this Christmas. The memories of choosing the perfect tree and decorating it with Mark had been too precious to paint over with new. This year she needed to erase them.
Chakotay gazed at the beautiful tree. He bent down slowly to place Kathryn’s present beneath. He looked up and upon noting the disappointment on her face he teased, “Haven’t we something to do first?”
Kathryn grimaced. It was their Christmas ritual, they’d started it a few years ago and usually Kathryn was happy to reflect on the past year, but this morning was different.
“Kathryn?”
"I know it’s our tradition but….,” she sighed and turned away, “I seem to have done a little too much reflection this morning.”
An awkward silence came between them; neither wanting to broach the subject of Mark.
Chakotay gently placed his hands on her shoulders eliciting a small sob from Kathryn.
“It’s today; it makes me miss him more than I do, more than I should,” she whispered.
“There’s nothing wrong with thinking about him Kathryn. He was and still is a large part of your life and your history. You can’t cut him out like he didn’t exist and I don’t think he would want you to."
She gave a small nod before turning to look at him. Her eyes were a little red but she was smiling.
“Can we do presents now?”
He laughed, “Always like a little kid….”
“Me first,” she said, kneeling beside the tree and pulling out his gift. “Merry Christmas, Chakotay.” She handed him the brightly wrapped present. He took it from her and placed it before him. It was bulky and quite large. He removed the purple bow tied around it and pulled open the paper. Inside was a gorgeous throw.
“I thought you could use it for your vision quests,” she said shyly, “I got the computer to find pictures relating to your culture.”
“You designed this yourself? It’s wonderful, Kathryn, thank you.”
Chakotay put the throw to one side and reached under the tree for Kathryn’s gift. It was very small in comparison to her gift. He handed her the tiny box. She took it hesitantly as if already understanding the significance of its contents.
Kathryn slowly removed the paper, savouring the mystery that came with Christmas presents. Stripping off the paper had left her with a small wooden box with “To Kathryn” engraved in the lid. Off came the lid and inside was a silver necklace. She reached into the box and lifted it out. It hung, glittering in the soft light. Two symbols Kathryn didn’t recognise dangled from the delicate chain.
“Great minds think alike,” Chakotay smiled.
A questioning crossed Kathryn’s face.
“The two symbols are from my culture,” he motioned to the throw, “they mean ‘Hope’ and ‘Knowledge’.
Reaching over, Chakotay took the necklace from her and began to undo the clasp, ready to place it around Kathryn’s neck.
“I thought they’d be perfect,” he stood and walked behind her. “You hope you’ll get this crew home, we know you will. You hope you can hold the crew together and create a community on Voyager for them, we know you have. You hope you’ll remain strong, you’re the strongest person I have ever known.”
Chakotay draped the necklace around her neck and whispered, “When you hope that there’s someone thinking of you, know that there always will be.” The clasp clicked shut.
Kathryn turned to face him with tears in her eyes. “Thank you, Chakotay,” was all she could say without her voice failing her.
They looked at each other for a long moment. Neither wanted to break what was perfect.
A ship wide announcement broke the silence.
“Christmas morning has begun! Time to give out the presents Father Christmas has left for the Voyager residents! Hurry down to the Mess Hall! Merry Christmas everybody!” It was Neelix, obviously excited about starting the festivities.
Chakotay grinned, “You’d better get dressed. We wouldn’t want to keep Neelix waiting.”
Chakotay headed for the door but stopped and turned at the light pressure on his arm. Kathryn placed a light kiss on his cheek.
“I’ll be ready soon.”
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