Kathryn walked into the holodeck and sat down at her workbench in DaVinci's workshop. She immediately grabbed her paints and brushes and began working on her new work of art. She saw Leonardo and Leonardo saw her, but neither said a word to the other. She liked it that way - it was comfortable. Who would have thought that the one person on the ship she could be comfortable with was a hologram? Ever since the argument she had with Chakotay that day about the Borg and Species 8472, their relationship wasn't quite the same. Oh, they had both apologized to each other, and their command relationship was in tact, but when they were around each other for more than a few minutes, it was like they were walking on egg shells.
"Damn!" muttered Kathryn. Thinking about Chakotay made her lose her concentration, and she painted a blue streak straight across the canvas.
Leonardo DaVinci approached her workbench and stilled her hand. "Katarina, why don't you tell me about him?"
"Who?" asked Kathryn, confused. She had never mentioned Chakotay before in his presence.
"Nonesense, Katerina. You are in love. So, tell me about him."
"What? Maestro, I am most certainly NOT in love!" exclaimed Kathryn.
"Katerina, you forget that I can see more than shadows on the wall. Now, you will tell me about him," insisted DaVinci.
Kathryn stared at him helplessly for a moment. DaVinci assessed her rebellious face, before picking up a bottle of wine and bringing it over to the workbench. He poured a glassful and pushed it over to her, before one for himself.
Kathryn held her glass of ruby wine up to the light, seeking answers it the swirling depths. Unbidden, a rush of words cascaded out. "I've never met anyone like him before". She paused briefly. "He is so secure in himself, in his place in the great scheme of things. There is a sense of... I don't know... permanence about him. As though he is as old as the mountains, and just as lasting. Perhaps it his heritage". She paused again, drinking her wine. DaVinci obliging refilled her glass, and she nodded her thanks.
"His people are one of the oldest on our planet, with traditions even older". She fell silent.
After a moment DaVinci spoke. "This is very interesting, Katerina, but it does not tell me how you feel about him. Or how he feels about you."
She stilled briefly, then began speaking again. "Once, we were both infected with a virus, and for the safety of our... community, had to be isolated". She skipped over transporting to an uninhabited planet. All things considered, it probably was best. "I refused to accept that there was nothing that the doctor could do; that we would never be able to go home again. I couldn't let go, couldn't start making a new life. Only once did he ever comment on it. He just quietly went about making a home for us." She smiled softly. "He even built me a bath." She fell silent, remembering. "He never forced his opinion on me. He changed how I felt by making me feel welcome in the home he built. The life he made. In his life. And his heart."
When she didn't speak again, DaVinci cleared his throat before offering his opinion. "He sounds like a remarkable young man".
She looked at him, her face earnest. "He is, but so much more. Chakotay is my right hand. Without him I would be lost. I don't think I ever really realised it before, but it's true". She paused again, then laughed self-consciously. "Not that I would ever tell him so, of course".
DaVinci smiled. "Perhaps you should. It would certainly make an end to all this...soul searching". He waved one hand in the air.
Soul searching... Was that what she was doing? Probably. How did she feel about Chakotay? Were her feelings strong enough deal with the repercussion if she made them know? She could just imagine the look on Chakotay's face if she told him how she felt. She chuckled. It was almost worth it, she reasoned.
"What makes you smile, my dear Katerina?"
"Chakotay," she admitted. "I was wondering how he'd react if he could hear this conversation. I ---"
Suddenly, the ship gave a lurch.
Kathryn Janeway was already through the doors of the holodeck when Chakotay's voice said, "Captain to the Bridge..."