A/A: Huge thank you to everyone who has stayed with this series that I never expected to become a series. I hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think if you have the time. I apprecaite it all. Happy reading!

Voyager sped towards the Alpha Quadrant at high warp. Captain Janeway was trying to make up for lost time after her run in with an insect forced her to remain on an uninhabited planet. Chakotay had chosen to remain with her and their relationship there had developed into full blown intimacy, even resulting in a short lived pregnancy that had ended just a few weeks ago.

After their return to the ship and to their respective duties, Chakotay had honored her wishes and kept his promise to back off and not continue their relationship. The contrast between the warm, comfortable nights she had spent in his arms and her new lonely bedtime routine was palpable. Still, she had a ship to run and a home to get everyone back to and so she carried on in her private life alone.

This morning on the bridge, she glanced over at Chakotay who sat as he always did in his second chair next to her. He was busy perusing the latest ship rosters and reports and did not seem to notice or acknowledge her gaze as he normally did. She turned back to the helm and was soon distracted by Paris.

"Captain, I'm detecting an incoming message. We're being hailed by the Kazon."

Janeway stood up and everyone's attention went to the Captain. It had only been a few months since the Kazon had overtaken Voyager abandoning most of the crew on a barren planet until Tom had arrived with Talaxian reinforcements to help take their ship back. "Kazon? I thought we were past their space?"

Tom rechecked his data. "Harry, can you confirm what I'm reading?"

Harry looked up from his station and said, "Yes. But to clarify, it is specifically Commander Chakotay who is being hailed, not Voyager."

Chakotay slowly rose and stood next to the captain. "Seska," he whispered.

Janeway heard and asked, "Why did you say that?"

Chakotay ignored her question and said aloud, "On screen."

Instantly, Seska's face flashed in front of them. Her full Cardassian features were now apparent and she frowned as she saw the Captain and Chakotay standing together on the bridge. "Well, how quaint, Chakotay. Always by her side, aren't you? That will change."

Chakotay stepped forward. "Seska, to what do we owe the displeasure? Finding the Kazon a tedious alliance already? I believe I warned you about that."

She smirked and said, "I've actually been enjoying myself quite a bit. Why don't you join me, Chakotay?"

"I'll pass," he said flatly.

"Actually, I think you'll change your mind when you hear what I have to say to you."

Chakotay chuckled. "I highly doubt that but what the hell." He glanced around at the bridge crew and said, "We could all use some entertainment. What do you want, Seska?"

Seska lowered her eyes. "Actually, what I have to tell you should really be done in private."

Chakotay lost his smile. "Not happening. You have something to say to me? Say it, now. Or get the hell away from us before I order Voyager to test its new defensive capabilities. We could use a test run."

Seska's brow arched as her gaze returned. "New? I see you're doing well without my expertise or bluffing badly. Still, it's heartening to know that Captain Janeway trusts you enough to calibrate the ship's weaponry. I know that's been on your agenda from day one, Chakotay. Congratulations on chinking her armor a bit. So what's the final plan for her as if I didn't know already?"

"Tuvok," Janeway said.

"Oh, don't bother calling for red alert, Captain," Seska interrupted. "This is a personal visit. But since I see no one's in the mood to greet an old friend and make small talk, we'll get right to the point."

"Please," Janeway muttered.

"Patience, Captain," Seska said. "You, especially, may not like what I have to show him."

"Show me?" Chakotay said.

Seska stepped back so the view screen could show her entire body. The swell of her abdomen made her big news all too clear.

Chakotay felt the breath leave his body as he took in Seska's pregnant form. He tried to think back to the last time they had been in his bed. It was during the mutiny attempt and he didn't like the math. Still, he said, "Should I congratulate you and Cullah on expecting your first child, Seska? Did you expect us to throw you a baby shower?"

Seska smoothed her hand over her stomach. "I'd love for you to. But, I'm afraid you'll be the one celebrating by my side, not Cullah."

Chakotay couldn't breathe or dare to look anywhere but at her as he let her pronouncement sink in. The bridge was silent as he said, "What exactly does that mean?"

Seska stepped back so only her face encompassed the screen again. She gave him a big grin. "Why, congratulations, Chakotay. You are going to be a father."

Janeway's mouth dropped as she watched the scene play out before her. Chakotay had walked in front of her as he spoke to Seska so she could not see his face but she knew instinctively what he was feeling. As her empathy grew, she was also caught off guard at her own reaction to Seska's words. It was a primal anger and not for the right reasons.

Janeway realized she was incensed, not only by Chakotay's difficult situation, but by the fact that another woman was now going to make him a father by carrying his child. A child that he would adore. That had been her job and would still be had their child lived. She was the one who should be pregnant right now, not this witch.

Janeway was almost horrified at the jealousy and contempt racing through her and she did her best to distract herself by shaking her head as the view screen went dark. Silence continued to permeate the bridge as the crew stared at their First Officer. Chakotay's eyes still rested on the blank screen trying to comprehend what he had just heard.

She moved to him and laid a hand on his back. "Chakotay."

He looked down and she saw the confusion and fear in his eyes as he stared at her. He felt her hand try to grasp his but he just shook his head and pulled away. Clearing his throat, he said, "Permission to leave the bridge, Captain."

She opened her mouth to speak but caught the slight shake of his head warning her against it. She remembered they still had an audience and stepped back. With a stiff nod, she said, "Permission granted, Commander. Take as much time as you need."

"Thank you." Chakotay glanced around before he put his head down and walked to the turbo lift. The crew discreetly busied themselves at their respective consoles as he moved past.

"Chakotay?" Janeway called.

He stopped as the lift doors opened but could not look at her.

"Commander, if there is anything I or any member of this crew can do for you, just say the word. That child, if it is yours, is a member of our crew as far as I am concerned and we will stand with you in whatever decision you make."

Chakotay heard her words and was honored by them. He knew the depth of the emotional pain Seska had just caused her and it frustrated him that he couldn't let her know that he recognized that right now. Glancing back over his shoulder, he managed a quiet thank you before stepping into the lift and allowing the doors to close.

Chakotay made his way quickly to his quarters, ignoring the greetings of his fellow crew members along the way. He knew they would learn of his situation fairly quickly through Voyager's grapevine. As he walked in, he looked around the room and grabbed a clay bowl that sat on a table. With a howl of rage, he hurled it against the wall and watched it shatter in pieces across the floor.

His blind rage overtook him as he grabbed everything and anything he could find to throw, toss or smash. Eventually, his fingers found a small wooden carving that he had kept from his time on the planet. As he grasped it, he stopped and drew in a deep breath as his eyes watered. It was the plaque he had made for Kathryn depicting a mother and a father cradling their newborn child. He had made it as a gift for her when she had told him about their child. He had never had the chance to give it to her before that dream and their child was lost.

He fell to his knees and sat down on the floor and cried as he looked at the serene picture he had carved. The perfect envisioning of his future family. Now a child he had thought lost existed once again but not with the mother he wanted nor any child deserved.

Chakotay took some more deep breaths and said, "You are a fool, Chakotay. You are exactly what your father always said you were. Disrespectful of the tribe and its teachings and look where it's gotten you. You've created a child with a monster for a mother and a father who has to figure out a way to get to you. Protect you and keep you safe from your own mother." He looked up at the ceiling and raised a fist. "How do I do that?" he yelled. "Tell me how to do that, father!"

He wiped his wet face and looked around at the mess he had made. Sifting through the shattered pottery and glass, he found what he was looking for. Picking up his medicine bundle, he noticed it was dusty from the broken clay but still intact. "I'm sorry," he mumbled as he rolled it out in front of him.

As he smoothed the fabric and placed his personal items on it, his door chimed. "Go away!" The door chimed again. "Go away!"

He cleaned a small space around his medicine bundle as the door chimed a third time. Chakotay jumped up and stomped towards the door. As he released it, he said, "Did you not hear what I said? I said go away!" He stopped as soon as he realized who his visitor was. "Captain?"

Janeway looked at his anguished face and placed her hand against his sweaty cheek. Their eyes met as they silently acknowledged each other's pain. Taking her hand, he pulled her into his quarters. As the door slid shut, he shook his head and said, "Please don't look at me like that. I don't want you here. Just go."

Janeway squeezed his hand. "No."

Chakotay's eyes narrowed. "Get out. Now. I don't want you here."

She squeezed his hand harder and repeated, "No."

He threw her hand away and shoved her. "Get out!"

She caught herself and said, "I'm not going anywhere! We can fix this, together."

He flew into her face and said, "What are you going to fix, Captain? There is nothing you can do unless you teach Seska how you end a pregnancy…"

Chakotay's look of horror at his own words were almost enough for her as she challenged him and said, "Step away from me, Commander, now."

Chakotay immediately backed up and mumbled an apology. He kicked some shattered wood across the floor and sank down on his couch tossing the small plaque he still held in his hand onto the table.

Janeway watched the small wooden carving clatter and she stepped towards it for a closer look. Chakotay noticed her movement and quickly snatched it up again and dropped it behind a cushion. "It's nothing. Look, Kathryn, I'm sorry for what I said. I just…I swear I didn't mean it. Please, what do you want?"

She looked around and saw his medicine bundle on the floor. She looked back and said, "I'm sorry I interrupted you, Chakotay. I just wanted you to know that you are not alone."

He sighed and said, "Well, apparently not. I have a child now. With her."

"You don't know that."

"Why don't you give Seska permission to come on board at her earliest convenience? We can plan the party. Maybe Tom will let us use Sandrine's."

Janeway stepped in front of him. "Oh she has permission to come on board, all right. Because I want that child tested immediately so we know exactly what we're dealing with. May I ask you what makes you so sure it's yours?"

Chakotay gave her a look of disbelief. "You were here that night, remember?"

Her mind flashed back to finding Seska in this very room wrapped in Chakotay's bed sheets. "Yes, I do. But that only means you are one possibility. Do you really think Seska has been a saint while she's been away with the Kazon? Or while she was even on this ship with you before she left?"

Chakotay bit his lip. "It's mine."

"How do you know?"

"I know!" He jumped up and ran his hands through his hair. "Can you please get out of here?" He walked away and stood in front of a window staring out into space.

Janeway bent over to fish the wooden carving from the sofa. As she drew it out, she saw the picture of new parents marveling over their infant child. She fingered the artwork and blinked back tears knowing immediately for whom he had made this and when. "This is us, isn't it? And our baby."

Chakotay whirled around and saw what she was looking at. He started towards her but she pulled the carving into her chest and pointed a finger at him. "Don't! Don't you dare deny what this is! I know you made this for us when you…when I told you…"

Chakotay rubbed his face and took her by the shoulders. "I wanted to give it to you as a present straight away but you were so upset…"

She looked at it again and said, "I know. You were waiting until I was more comfortable but then…" She sighed and said, "It's beautiful, Chakotay. Thank you." She wiped away a few escaped tears. "May I keep this now?"

Chakotay swallowed and stepped back. "Of course, you can. I made it for you."

She smiled and said, "You made it for us. The three of us." She watched him bow his head again and drew in a deep breath as she squared her shoulders. Smoothing her forehead, she said, "So, what are you and I going to do about this bitch?"