WAITING ON THE DELTA MISS (PG) by Camryn, 7/07 Kathryn sat cross-legged on the deck of her new sailboat and watched the sun begin to rise over the ocean. With one of Aunt Martha's quilts to shield her from the chilled early morning breeze and a cup of freshly brewed coffee clasped between her hands, life seemed pretty good. Waves lapped at, and gently rocked, the boat as the live painting unfolded before her eyes. Yes, this was the life. Peace and quiet, no one to look after but herself, her own boat, lots of free time to sail. Perhaps, she thought as she lifted the coffee to her lips, today was the day she'd venture from the marina and take the Delta Miss for a spin. Or, perhaps not. Four days, more than long enough to wait. If she were truthful with herself, she shouldn't have waited at all. He had made no mention of visiting. In fact, they had barely spoken the day they'd left Starfleet to begin a three month leave. He had seemed unsettled and distracted, not at all like himself. Rumors had circulated during the time of the debriefings that there was already trouble in his new relationship with Seven, and Kathryn assumed that explained his uncharacteristic behavior. She knew it was presumptuous of her to think Chakotay would seek her out, but couldn't shake the feeling that he would show up sooner or later. They were friends, after all. The rising sun cast a golden glow on Kathryn's world and she was reminded of Chakotay's comment long ago about watching the sun set over an Arizona desert. She wondered if he had yet taken the opportunity to do that since they'd been home. There had been such longing in his voice. She couldn't imagine Seven of Nine finding enjoyment in sitting quietly to appreciate nature's beauty. Kathryn's gaze fell to the deck at her feet, and once again found herself trying to understand why he'd turned to Seven, of all the women on Voyager. Aside from the too obvious aesthetic aspects and basic companionship, Seven possessed few, if any, qualities Kathryn could see him drawn to. Then again, if he'd been as desperately lonely as she herself had been, being choosy wouldn't be an option. She had never deluded herself. She had always known that unless she changed her mind about becoming involved with Chakotay, he would eventually tire of waiting and move on. There had been more than a few times she had come dangerously close to crossing that line, but something had always come up to pull her back. Another confrontation with hostile aliens, a disagreement, an onboard romance gone sour between members of the crew. For every justification there were multiple reasons not to allow herself an intimate relationship. She loved Chakotay more deeply than any man in her life before, and his becoming involved with Seven surprisingly had not changed that. Without shame, she clung to the hope that he would find his way back to her. The sound of approaching footsteps on the wooden dock interrupted her thoughts and she twisted to look over her shoulder. She expected to see the nosey harbor master come to tease her again about taking the boat out. Instead, she saw the subject of her thoughts and object of her affection. She didn't care that she wore a fool's grin or that her true feelings were written all over her face. Never again would she hide anything from him. Chakotay's expression changed slightly from hesitance to curiosity as he drew closer. There was a moment’s pause as if he feared misreading her then he visibly relaxed. "Hi," he said softly. "Hi." The word barely escaped past the lump in her throat, yet spoke volumes. She swallowed and managed a few more. "I've been expecting you." "Expecting me?" Kathryn nodded slowly and didn't bother to fight the tears that pooled in her eyes. Chakotay stared at her for a long time, and she sensed he was still hesitant. Finally, he climbed aboard and sat beside her without once breaking eye contact. His voice was almost a whisper. "Kathryn?" "Chakotay." "It's finally our time, isn't it?" She drew a deep breath and exhaled, lost in the windows to his soul. "Finally." ~ end ~ Flip back to the Poems & Prose Index page!