Disclaimer: Paramount created ‘em, I play with ‘em. No infringement intended, implied or inferred.

Authors note: This story is just a moment in time. Has nothing to do with anything except how I was feeling when I wrote it. Thank you to my beta reader—you’re the best!

Rating: S for sappy and G for general audience

Dedication: This is for Suz and anyone who appreciates their friends.

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Thank you for being a friend
Traveling down the road and back again
You’re heart is true, you’re a pal and a confidante
And if you threw a party, invited everyone you knew
You would see, the biggest gift would be from me
And the card attached would say ‘Thank you for being a friend’
    Theme from ‘Golden Girls’
    by Andrew Gold

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"Have I ever told you about the pen pal I had when I was younger?" asked   Kathryn staring out the viewport.

Kathryn and Chakotay sat relaxing in her quarters, talking.

Chakotay shook his head in response to her question. It was a rare moment when Kathryn Janeway shared any information about her past. He sat patiently waiting for her to continue.

"Her name was... Taril. I was never really entirely sure where she was from. I think I was about age nine or ten. Phoebe was three or four and driving me crazy even then." Kathryn turned her head to look at Chakotay, but didn’t really see him, her mind’s eye taking her back to the past. "I’m not even sure how it started. I think she sent me a message by accident. And we ended up staying in touch. We never talked over the viewscreen or knew what each other looked like. We always communicated by written messages."

Chakotay interrupted, "You mean, you typed?"

Kathryn glared at him playfully, "Yes, at one time in my life, I could type. Anyway...I remember rushing home from school and heading straight for my bedroom to seen if I got a message from her. I could talk to her about anything... my bratty sister, tennis, school, and science. She liked science as much as I did. Not many of my school friends understood why I liked science. Some even made fun of me for it, but not Taril. It’s amazing how much you can like someone you’ve never met."

With Kathryn deep in thought, Chakotay sat peacefully. He enjoyed simply observing the woman who he’d come to care a great deal about. Finally, he spoke, bringing her back to the present. "What happened to her?"

Kathryn furrowed her brow slightly. "You know, I don’t really know. I guess as you grow older, you get busier and sometimes you fade out each other’s world. I guess that’s what happened to us."

"What made you think of her?"

Kathryn moved closer, leaning towards Chakotay, stopping almost a breath away. She had an energy all her own and it was every thing Chakotay could do to keep his breathing steady. Kathryn fixed her blue-gray eyes on his and said, "I was thinking of you. I was thinking of friends I’ve had throughout my life...people who support me and more often than not, I did not appreciate that support. You know...took it for granted that they’d be there then suffered for it when they were gone." She looked away. "And then I thought of you ... and how I tend to take you for granted." Her eyes developed a layer of wetness as her voice got softer. "You’re always there for me." Suddenly filled with emotion, Kathryn started to tremble. She paused, momentarily unable to speak.

Chakotay sat patiently, watching Kathryn’s face. Kathryn regained her composure and slowly raised her eyes once again to his. Without warning, she leaned forward and kissed him gently on the lips and spoke softly against his cheek. "Thank you for being my friend."