Title: The Most Important Job
Rating: K
Series: Star Trek: Voyager
Author: Singing Violin
Summary: A special day brings sadness to the captain. Can Commander Chakotay cheer her up?
Disclaimer: The Star Trek characters and universe are not mine.
Author's Note: I'm having the best Mother's Day ever. My husband and in-laws took the kids away so I could catch up on sleep...and as it turned out, they gave me enough time to do a little writing too!

The captain gazed across her desk at her first officer, who remained standing even though she'd dismissed him. "Is there something else, Commander?"

Chakotay peered at his captain curiously, then braced himself for backlash. "I was going to ask you the same thing. You seem a bit ill-at-ease today."

Her face softened, saddened slightly as she sighed. "It's just the day, Commander. I'm sure you're aware."

He panicked for a moment, racking his brain. It wasn't her birthday...that wasn't for over a week...wasn't the day they got stranded...wasn't the day she was scheduled to get married before they got stranded in the Delta Quadrant...wait, did she even have a date? Maybe that was it. But how would she expect him to know about it? Were there any other anniversaries of which he ought to be aware?

She interrupted his thoughts, gathering his lack of knowledge from his hesitation. "It's Mother's Day, Chakotay. Don't you celebrate Mother's Day in your culture?"

The commander shook his head. "No, but I am aware of the custom. I just wasn't aware of the date, and frankly, I'm surprised it's something that particularly affects you."

"My mother's very far away," she replied contemplatively, looking down at her desk and fiddling with her fingers.

"Mine's dead," he answered.

At that she started, looked up again. "Oh Chakotay, that was insensitive of me. I'm so sorry."

He smiled sadly at her. "It's fine. I asked, you answered. But if I may, why does it bother you that it's Mother's Day?"

She paused for a moment, contemplating the question. "Well, you're not far off, thinking I wouldn't care about such things. I never did, really. Once, I had some sort of ship-wide crisis, and I forgot to call my mother. She was livid. We fought, actually...how could she think that some silly - and for that matter, kind of sexist - day, was more important than my job, than the lives of the crewmembers under my command?"

Chakotay nodded. "While we don't have Mother's Day, there were similar things my mother would have been angry about, had I not complied with tradition. Come to think of it, there were a lot of them. Only, I deliberately ignored those traditions. I guess that's why they called me a Contrary."

Janeway chuckled lightly. "I can imagine." Then her voice trailed off into silence.

He broke that silence, speaking softly. "I'm sure she'll understand why you haven't contacted her today," he offered. "And someday, you can be the cranky mother, yelling at your own kids for the same thing. Or perhaps..."

He stopped abruptly as she looked up angrily.

"Oh," he continued awkwardly. "You're...not going to be a mother someday?"

"Not at this rate," she replied sadly. "And anyway, it may already be too late."

He understood. "There are other ways, Kathryn. We have all sorts of fertility technology, and orphaned babies of all different species that you could adopt..."

"No," she answered curtly. "If it's not going to happen naturally, it's not going to happen at all. You know as well as I do that it will never be a good time, and I won't be able to justify the extra resources it would require. I certainly can't be raising a family while captaining this ship, and I'm not going to start as an old woman when we get home."

Chakotay contemplated arguing with her, but thought better of it. Instead, he reached over and took her fist in his own. "I get it, and for what it's worth...I'm sorry."

She sighed heavily, covering his hand with her own, sandwiching it between her two. "It's all right, Chakotay. And absolutely not your fault."

One week later...

"Captain, I was wondering if you would care to join me for breakfast in the Mess Hall? I owe you one, ever since I turned down your invitation shortly after we came to Voyager."

She was visibly touched. "I can't imagine how you remembered that! But...why did you turn me down, then?"

He smiled enigmatically in return. "I remember my mistakes, Kathryn, and I try to avoid repeating them. So, what do you say?"

She gave him a crooked grin. "I suppose it can't hurt anything. After all, you said it yourself...you owe me one."

He motioned for her to precede him, and they walked together in silence until they reached Neelix's kitchen.

When the door opened, she froze, stunned for a moment, much as she had been years ago when she'd entered alone after Chakotay had declined to join her, only to discover that Neelix had taken over her private dining room. This time, however, instead of a room full of steam, she was greeted by her entire crew, who surrounded a large table laden with food and drinks. The crowd parted for the command team, and Chakotay led her to the spread.

"Eggs benedict with asparagus," he announced, pointing at a hot tin with a small fire beneath. "Strawberries and cream," he continued, pointing at two large bowls, one containing each of the items he had just mentioned, "and many other treats. And," he continued as he noticed her mouth open as if she were about to speak, "I have not forgotten the most important thing: real, brewed Earth coffee. I got some beans from the 37's, and was saving them for a special occasion."

Finally she found words. "And what is the occasion, Chakotay?"

At that, Chakotay nodded at the small girl who ran forward and tugged at the leg of the captain's uniform, then as the captain looked down, handed her a handmade card.

"Happy Captain's Day," she said as she delivered her gift.

Kathryn bent down and drew the child into an enthusiastic hug. "Thank you, Naomi."

The captain rose again, then looked gratefully at Chakotay. "Thank you, too," she said.

The commander grinned. "You're welcome."

Then he turned to the crowd. "And thank you all for helping me with this. Welcome to the first annual Captain's Day breakfast."

"Please, eat," the captain added.

When the noise level in the room rose sufficiently as people began to chat and eat, Chakotay, who was carrying an overflowing plate of Kathryn's favorites, led the captain, who was holding Naomi's card in one hand and a steaming coffee mug in the other, to a table.

"I got you something else," he told her as they sat, and he placed her plate in front of her.

She raised an eyebrow. "As if this isn't enough? Chakotay, this is wonderful."

The commander chuckled. "Look at your cup."

She hadn't thought to look for an inscription on the mug she had been handed by her first officer; she'd been too distracted taking in the delightful aroma. "Best Captain in the Universe," she read. "Oh, Chakotay...how can I ever thank you enough?"

She reached a hand towards him across the table, and he took it in both of his. "You've got the most important job on this ship, Kathryn, and it's time we started appreciating everything you've done for us, including what you've given up in order to do those things. So, no need to thank me at all. We should have been doing this all along, and I hope we will continue in the future."

She smiled and sipped her coffee. "I'd like that. But no worries...I won't yell at you if you forget."

He laughed. "I won't forget. It'll always be two days before your birthday."

She raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you have something special planned for that, too?"

There was a mischievous twinkle in his eye as he replied, "You'll just have to wait and see."