Christmas, 2376

By Karma

"I'll bring the croutons."

That was the olive branch she had extended to her friend several months ago.  The holiday season was upon them once again, and the salad and croutons arrangement had gone unfulfilled...  Until now.

Too much time had passed before Kathryn had made good on her promise.  Salad after crouton-less salad had been warily offered, only to meet with excuses of being busy, tired, or both.

This, she decided, was a debt best paid with interest, and that meant croutons made from scratch.  And since croutons were made from bread, the bread must therefore be made...  You guessed it.

Chakotay looked up from the PADD he was studying.  The repetitive thumping noise that was reverberating through the adjoining wall from Kathryn's quarters was making it hard to concentrate.  Chakotay asked the computer for the time.  It was only half an hour before he was due to arrive next door for dinner, and from what he was hearing, she was enjoying herself immensely.  He wondered if he should arrive as planned, or give her some extra time to... compose herself.

A large lump of bread dough sat in a circle of flour on Kathryn's dinner table, recovering from the last barrage of kneading.  Dusting her hands off onto her trousers, she answered the door, leaning wearily against the doorframe.

When the door slid open, a tall, slightly uneasy man and a breathless, tousled woman surveyed each other.

"Am I interrupting something?" Chakotay asked.

Kathryn stepped aside, allowed him in, and followed.  "I didn't think it would take this long," she said, indicating the work in progress on the table.  "I suppose the entire ship will be deprived of croutons this time."

Chakotay smiled as Kathryn told him the whole story, but replicated croutons were the last thing on his mind.  At the forefront, he reflected upon his reaction when he thought Kathryn was otherwise occupied.  Her olive branch was far from received, but his feelings for her had been restored back to the way they were before it even had to be offered.

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