Chapter 9
They had chosen the name New Terra for the planet, and Meadowood for the town, since it sat in the middle of a vast grassy meadow next to the river. They had elected Chacotay as their first mayor, and Tuvok as the assistant mayor. Kathryn had declined to be in the running, as she quite frankly was enjoying not having the mantle of command anymore. Tom had teased her that she was just wanting to sit back and enjoy life, and she had told him that she was quite happy to let Chakotay and Tuvok run things. Secretly, Tom was happy as he still liked having her to himself.
They had almost finished the housing that they were building. Tom's home was still not really started, as he had said he wanted the others to get settle first. He told them that he could wait. They had started on his place, but for now it only had the outline laided out. It was about a quarter mile from his mom's place, and had two large shade trees in the front yard.
Tom was sitting at the table working on his padd when his mom walked out to the kitchen. She went and poured a mug of steaming coffee, and took a deep breath of the aroma before taking her first sip. Smiling, she sat down and picked up a piece of toast that her son had made. He was spoiling her. He always had a fresh pot of coffee for her in the morning, and toast ready. Some mornings, he went all out and made her eat a full breakfast, making her pancakes or eggs. She usually didn't eat a large breakfast, but she had to admit, he was spoiling her.
Now, he looked up and smiled at her and said
"Morning, mom got your breakfast ready."
He placed the padd down and stood to get her breakfast. He came back with two plates of eggs, potatoes and something that looked like sausages. He placed one plate in front of her, and sat down to eat his. She looked at him and said
"If you keep feeding me like this, I'll need to go on a diet!"
She picked up her fork and began eating. He laughed and said
"Mom...you don't eat enough to put on any weight. You look great."
He then got a sly smile on his face and said
"At least Chakotay thinks you're just right. He said that he loves the way you look."
She stopped mid bite and looked at her son. He had calmly just taken a bite of his eggs, but she could see the little smirk on his face. He loved to tease her, and it was worse when both of them did it. Tom and Chakotay had gotten really close since they had been here, and it warmed her heart. Chakotay had taken great pleasure in teaching him woodworking.
He had bragged to her that Tom has shown great talent and was a natural working with his hands. He even admitted that the younger man had surpassed him in the intricate carving. But he had told her with the light of love in his eyes. She was sure that he was beginning to think of Tom as a son. And she saw in Tom that he looked up to Chakotay and thrived on the praise that he received from him. Could he feel the love that he was receiving? She hoped so. Her son deserved a stable relationship and now he was getting it. How different would he have been had he received it all his life?
"So, you've been discussing your mother with the new mayor?"
She said with an amused voice. Tom just looked at her with a innocent look on his face. Then he smiled and said
"I'm just making a statement that's all."
She went back to eating her breakfast, and he did too.
In the few months they had been here, he had come a long way. More and more, he was coming out of his shell. He had so many friends among the crew now, and he was starting to form closer relationships. He and Harry were sometimes inseparable, and she noticed that both Ken Dalby and Greg Ayala had joined the two in many of their adventures. And B'Elanna. She and Tom were growing closer and she often joined the 'boys' in their adventures. Last week, they had all piled into the Flyer and were gone most of the day just exploring. When they returned, they had brought back a cat like animal with a large litter of kittens. The cat had seemed tame enough, and had attached itself to Tom, so now they shared the house with a cat and seven little kittens.
She had smiled when she got up in the middle of the night to get a drink of water and found Tom sitting on the floor in the kitchen right in front of the box containing the new family. He was talking to them and cooing at the kittens, taking them up and cuddling them. He truly had a kind heart and seemed to love the animals. When she had commented on it, he had said he was never allowed any pets as a child, and had always wanted a pet. But his father had forbid it, saying animals were dirty and a waste of time for a Star Fleet family. Now, he had determined to not only keep the mother cat, but also a baby too. He had already gotten homes for the others, but the one black and white one, he was keeping.
"So, what have you planned for today?"
She had finished her breakfast and had rose to take her empty plate to the sink and got another cup of coffee. He followed suit, and placed his plate in the sink, and ran water to clean up.
"Harry and I have decided to lay out a baseball field today. A lot of the crew have expressed an interest in playing some ball. We thought that maybe in the future we could also use it to play football too."
He had finished the dishes and returned to the table and sat down and picked up the padd again. He handed to her and continued
"See, we thought we could use the plot of land over by the square. It's flat and would make a great site, near everything. You guys didn't have any plans for that plot did you?"
She saw the look on his face and knew he was looking forward to the baseball field. She knew he had been on his high school and Academy team and that he had been a very good player. She smiled and said
"As far as I know, it's available."
His smile lit up the room. It was something she loved to see, that smile. He began to tell her all their plans.
Harry had come to pick up Tom at 1000 and they had gone to join the others that were going to help with the ball field. Kathryn had gone to shower and get ready for the day, so she hadn't seen Harry when he came, but she had heard Tom call goodbye. Now, she came out into the living room and settled down to read. It was a rare treat for her to have a morning to herself, and she loved to read. She was to meet Chakotay and Tuvok for lunch today at the dining room at 1200, but till then her morning was all her's. She was reading an old classic 'Withering Heights' and she was up to chapter ten, when her communicator bleeped. It was one thing they had decided to keep so they could communicate with each others at the moment. She tapped it and said
"Kathryn here."
"Kathryn, can we push our lunch back to 1300?"
"Sure Chakotay, what's going on?"
She could hear happy voices and the sound of the birds in the background,so she knew he was outside
"Tuvok and I have been helping Tom and his 'gang' lay out the ball field. We're almost done, and I wanted to finish helping. Do you mind?"
She chuckled as she replied
"So, my mischievous son had roped you two into his project hmm?"
She could hear him laughing as he continued
"Let's just say he issued a dare to Tuvok and, being a Vulcan, he couldn't resist it. I got pulled along."
"Don't worry, I had a late breakfast, so 1300 would be fine. I might even come a little early to see how this baseball field is coming along."
"I'll be waiting for you, see you then."
Kathryn went back to reading, thinking how Tom had a way with getting the help he needed to finish the field.
Kathryn walked up and saw they had finished the lot. There was a pitchers mound, and the bases were laid out. She saw a group of men huddled around Tom and Harry. They were all looking at whatever the two had on their padds. She moved over to Chakotay, who was a little to the side.
"What's going on? Looks like the field is coming along."
Chakotay smiled at her and said
"It is... now Tom and Harry are talking about building some bleachers, and an electric scoreboard. The bleachers should be no problem, but I'm not sure what he's come up with for that scoreboard."
She looked over at her son, who was talking, using his hands to get his points across. He looked so happy, and Harry seemed to agree with the points Tom was making. Finally, the others seem to agree and they started to break up for lunch. Tom turned and saw his mom and waved as he started to walk over to her. He leaned down and gave her a kiss on the cheek and then said
"What do you think? We got a lot done this morning. We want to build some bleachers for the spectators to watch, and this great scoreboard..."
He spoke with such enthusiasm that she had to grin. When he did something he believed in, he did it with all his heart. The sparkle in his eyes reminded her of the stars at night. She turned to Chakotay and saw the look he gave Tom, one of pride. She decided at that moment, that she loved Chakotay very much. He had always been there for her, and now he had taken Tom to his heart too, and she knew he'd always be there for him too.
"So, what do you think mom?"
"I think it's a great idea, and I look forward to our first game. I expect to see you out there playing."
She turned to Chakotay and said
"Did you know Tom was on the Academy Team three years in a row? He played third base, and was a champion. The last two years, they won the series. Tom hit a grand slam home run and won the last game for the Academy."
Tom was now blushing furiously and he hung his head slightly and said
"Aw, mom, I wasn't that good."
He still embarrassed easily and still had trouble accepting praise. Harry grinned and said
"Wow, Tom a grand slam?"
"It was nothing, Har."
"Well, as your mother I was never able to see your games, so I plan to be cheering you on in all your games."
She turned back to Chakotay and continued her praise of her son
"Did you know, he was Captain of the team his last year and..."
Tom blushed even more as he said
"Come on mom..."
Chakotay was just grinning ear to ear. He thoroughly enjoyed the banter between the two, and he loved to see Kathryn get the upper hand once in a while. He was beginning to really get comfortable with the two of them and could see himself in this family. It was then that he realized he loved Kathryn with all his heart, and that he had begun to think of Tom as his son. And it didn't seem strange to him at all. It was at this moment, that he decided he was going to ask Kathryn to be his wife. He looked at her and saw that she had love in her eyes, and it wasn't all for Tom.
"Come on everyone, lets go see what Neelix has for lunch. After the work this morning, I'm hungry."
He held out his arm, and smiling, Kathryn took it and they started towards the dining room. Tom poked Harry in the ribs and nodded towards the two as they walked off and whispered
"Two to one he asks her before the night is out."
Harry just watched them as he and Tom walked behind them and replied
"No bet, I would lose."
Tom smiled and said
"That you would Harry, that you would."
They all arrived at the dining hall, and went in for lunch. Tom saw the Doc sitting at a table with Kes and B'Elanna. He smiled at them and then joined Harry at the counter. Neelix was just dishing up a plate of vegetable stew for him.
"Hey, Neelix, boy that smells good."
Tom said as he smiled at the Talaxian cook. Neelix beamed at him as he said
"Why thank you Tom, Its from those recipes you found in the computer. The crew seems to be enjoying the meals a lot."
They could see that Neelix was doing a great job without the leota root. Once again Tom gave a silent thanks for the fact that it would not grow here. He took his plate, and went to join the rest. They had joined B'Elanna, Kes and the Doc. Kathryn and Chakotay were already eating and enjoying the conversation at the table. Harry and Tom joined them, and for the next hour, they enjoyed the food and the company, and both Tom and Harry told of the plans for the baseball field and how they wanted to set up teams and have a tournament. All through it, Kathryn and Chakotay sat and enjoyed the talk and each other.
Chakotay and Kathryn were relaxing on the couch after dinner. Tom had excused himself after dinner and went to talk to Harry and B'Elanna. He had left them alone because he was hoping that Chakotay would ask his mother to marry him. He was excited and was sure he would do it tonight if he had a chance. And Tom intended to give him that chance. He would be happy to have the first officer in the family. He so wanted a father figure and Chakotay fit the bill. He was kind, considerate, and loving. He had, in the last several months, given Tom something he'd never had with his biological father. A friend. He loved working on the furniture that they built together, and he was happy when Chakotay praised his work. It gave him a feeling of accomplishment, and it just felt good to know someone appreciated his handiwork.
He had never gotten any praise or acceptance from his father, and not having his mother as he grew up, he still had problems accepting the praise, but he had to admit, that he craved it. And he admitted to himself, that he was happy that it was from Chakotay. He had, when he first met Chakotay, admired him and had looked up to him. It had been months for him to realize that he was looking for a replacement for his father. Then, everything went wrong when he was captured on his first mission for the Maquis, and when he again met up with Chakotay, he had blamed Tom and called him a traitor. It had hurt, he hadn't betrayed them and when they had gone down to the Ocampa home world, he had risked his life to save the man he so wanted as a friend. Now, he had finally gotten the first officer's friendship, and maybe a new father. He hoped so.
It had been over two hours, and they had sat in the square by the fountain and talked about the day's activities. B'Elanna had finally solved the problem with the power grid, and now they were able to power the whole town. Harry was telling them how the solar power panels were almost ready to set up, and how it would be great to unhook from Voyager.
Now, Tom got up and stretched.
"Well, I think I gave them plenty of time don't you think?"
He looked down at his two best friends.
"Probably, I think that Chakotay has had plenty of time to pop the question."
B'Elanna said as she smiled. They all got up and the three walked towards home. B'Elanna had opted to stay on Voyager for now, but Harry had moved in with Ken, Greg and Gerron.
When they got to Tom's, he said goodnight to them and went in. Kathryn and Chakotay were still sitting on the couch, and were listening to some of Tom's smooth jazz music. He came over and sat down on the floor next to his mom and gently leaned his head against her leg. She reached out and began to softly stroke his hair. He sighed and closed his eyes. This was paradise, something he had never had at home with the Admiral. After a moment, Kathryn said
"What would you say to having Chakotay move in?"
He was silent for a moment and then turned slightly so he could look them both in the eye. He thought for a moment more before he said with a grin on his face
"Can I call him dad now?"
TBC
