Star Trek Voyager: Kesway

Part Two

Kathryn's doorbell rang the next night. She was off-duty for the evening and reading a favorite book of hers, which she nearly dropped with surprise at the sound, but then grinned. "Enter," she said.

The door opened and in stepped Kes, her arms wrapped around herself. "Hello, Captain," she said. "May I visit you, is it a good time?"

"Why, certainly," replied Kathryn, setting down the book. She wouldn't admit to Kes that she had been thinking about her right then before the doorbell rang, and that the book had been an unsuccessful distraction.

Kes walked over and sat on the opposite side of the sofa. Kathryn was relieved that she didn't need to invite her to sit. "How are things?" Kathryn asked.

Kes shrugged. "Neelix and I . . . we were never close. It was all pretend. And I hate to say it, but I don't feel like I'm missing much. I should, right?"

Ah. More Neelix drama. "There's no certain way you have to feel, and if you were never especially close to him, why should you miss something that was never there?"

"That's true." Kes looked down. "Last night, you said that you have gone through this before. How did you feel in my situation?"

Kathryn was taken aback slightly but did her best not to show it. "Well," she stammered, "I've never gone through this specifically, and everyone copes differently." She paused. "I had a lover back on Earth. His name was Mark. Occasionally, we would get into fights about something. I don't remember what. It was so long ago, I was another person." She hesitated, unsure what to say. Kes sensed it and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"You don't need to tell me, I shouldn't have asked. We don't need to talk about it."