Author's Note: So this came about in the strangest way. I was playing The Sims and decided (because I'm immature) to make a version of KJ and Chak. Well, of course, they got pregnant in two seconds (because I mean...it's them) and when it was time for KJ sim to have her babies...she didn't have one. She didn't even have two...she had THREE. I nearly choked...that has NEVER happened to me in this game before. So I decided to let the game just run...and wrote down the funny things that happened. I decided to turn it into a fic...so here you go!
=/\=
The sun hadn't yet risen when Chakotay opened his eyes. It wasn't often lately that one of the little ones woke him up this early, but he heard the whimpers just the same, his senses reaching out in the dark to figure out which of his children was in distress. A glance at the clock told him it was just after five in the morning, and he stifled a yawn behind his hand as he came further awake. Quickly but carefully sliding out of Kathryn's embrace so as not to wake her, he shuffled out of their bedroom and down the hall to the girl's room where he knew the crying was coming from.
Thankfully, Taya still slept soundly in her bed, her little stuffed bear pulled tight to her body, and tucked under her chin. It was Sekaya that whimpered softly in her crib, and Chakotay sighed as his heart clenched for the little girl.
Kathryn had caught a nasty cold at work earlier in the week and before she had made it to the doctor for a hypospray, it had quickly spread to Chakotay and all three of the children. Medications had been dosed for all, but the three little one's immune systems were still building up, and remnants of the symptoms had hung on for a few days. For Sekaya in particular, a nasty cough had settled in her chest and affected her breathing. Apparently her little body had been wracked with a coughing fit this morning, and the coughing had led to her being sick on herself, as evident by the mess now covering her pajamas and the blankets beneath her.
She looked up when Chakotay entered the room, her wide blue eyes finding him in the light of the night light on the wall. Her bottom lip began to quiver as the crocodile tears formed. Chakotay moved into action, scooping the little girl up into his arms. "Sh, it's okay, sweet pea. You're okay." He cradled her small body to his, smiling when her tiny arms came around his neck as her whimpers were muffled into his own t-shirt. "Let's get you into the bath."
He moved down the hallway slowly, not wanting to turn any lights on. He hoped a nice warm bath would lull his daughter back to sleep and he himself might be able to get another hour or so before actually getting up for the day.
He knelt down on the floor and turned on the tap for the bath. Adjusting the water to a temperature suited for his little girl, he poured in a capful on the lavender bubble bath Kathryn always used for night time baths; it worked wonders at relaxing all three of their children. The sound of the water filling the tub caused Sekaya to pull her face away from where it was snuggled into Chakotay's neck, looking up into his face in the darkness. Smiling down at her, he pressed a kiss to her sweaty forehead. "Computer," he spoke softly, "increase lights to thirty percent. Eliminate the blue spectrum." The lights came up softly in the bathroom, illuminating the room in an orange/pink glow. "You are a mess, aren't you sweet pea?"
Her coppery red hair hung limply around her face, stuck to her forehead where she'd been sweating and around her mouth where she'd been sick. Her eyes were watering from coughing or being sick, he wasn't sure which, and her pajamas were dirty as well. Glancing down at himself, he saw that he was also covered in a combination of her sick, her snot and her tears. She whimpered softly as he set her down on the floor, pulling off his t-shirt and tossing it aside, then going to work at unbuttoning and unzipping the blue footie pajamas she wore. She coughed gently and Chakotay hoped that it wouldn't increase into the wracking spasms she'd been through the night before. He had sat in the steam with her last night to loosen the congestion in her lungs that the hyposprays couldn't eliminate, until she'd finally fallen asleep in his arms.
He quickly divested her of her pajamas and diaper and lifted her into the warm water. She smiled up at him, seemingly comforted by the water and lavender bubbles surrounding her. "Where's fishy?" She asked as her hands began to splash around gently in the water.
Chakotay glanced around the bathroom. This was the bathroom shared by all three little ones, and the cupboards were filled with baby shampoo, soap, towels and toys. Pulling open the door nearest him, and felt around in the basket of bath toys until the rubber fish he sought fell into his hands. "Here's fishy." He handed over the yellow and orange rubber fish and Sekaya squealed, splashing the fish up and down through the bubbles. Chakotay turned the faucet off and scooted around so he knelt right next to the tub, sitting back on his heels. He'd let Sekaya play for a moment before finishing cleaning her up.
As he watched her drift into her own world of make-believe, he thought back over the nearly two years since she and her brother and sister had been born.
He remembered the day that Kathryn had told him that she was pregnant. They'd only been married for three months, and back on earth just three months before that. It had been a whirlwind, but finding out they were starting a family was the best news he'd ever heard, save for when Kathryn told him that she loved him.
When they visited the Doctor to find out the sex of the baby, they had been rendered speechless when the Doctor, wide-eyed and a bit apprehensive, had told them that they were expecting a boy...and two girls. Chakotay had choked on a laugh at the absurdity of the Doctor's cruel joke and Kathryn was quiet like she'd never been quiet in her life.
Once the initial shock had worn of, they both grinned like fools when three small bodies formed on the viewscreen at the Doctor's office. It was indeed two girls and a boy. Well, Kathryn had always done everything with gusto, so he didn't figure their pregnancy should be any different. In for a penny…
And when he'd sat on the bed beside her nearly nine months later, his daughters tucked securely in his arms and his son nursing at Kathryn's breast, he knew he wouldn't change a thing.
A splash of water and soap to his face pulled him from his thoughts as his daughter giggled at the bubbles running down his cheek. "Papa, you take a bath too." Her lilting voice pulled his dimples into his cheeks, matching the little ones mirrored on Sekaya's face.
"No, papa doesn't need a bath. But you do silly girl. You keep playing with fishy." Chakotay used one hand to wipe the water from his face while the other sought a washcloth in another bathroom cupboard.
Sekaya was the easiest of their three children to give a bath; she always played gently and quietly in the water with her little rubber fish. Even when she was sick she was calm, just a bit more needy for attention than usual.
Tipping her back gently, he wet her hair and massaged the baby shampoo into her dark red hair. She continued to play with her fish, pushing her tiny lips out to make a fish face as she jabbered at the rubber toy. After rinsing her hair he cleaned her face and body with the same lavender soap he'd poured under the tap. Sekaya continued her talking and humming, completely oblivious to her father's ministrations, yawning wide as she moved the fish through the bubbles in the water. "Okay sweet pea, stand up for me."
Holding Chaktoy's hands for support, Sekaya did as her father asked, swinging her toy around as if it were swimming in midair. Chakotay turned the faucet back on and pulled down the shower attachment, letting the warm water wash the soap suds off her small body. "Rinse fishy too." Chakotay chuckled at her request but made a grand gesture of swinging the attachment around, using it as a waterfall over her toy, washing the soap off.
"Alright, you and fishy are both squeaky clean." Sekaya giggled, making the squeaking noise she always did when he told her she was 'squeaky clean'. He kissed her cheek as she beamed up at him. "Okey dokey, two fish out of the water." He lifted her easily out and set her on the bathmat, pulling a towel around her before she caught a chill.
He pulled the drain and emptied the tub, noting a small puddle of water forming where Sekaya had stood. Making a mental note to clean it up after he had her back in bed, he scooped her up and carried her back to her bedroom. As he moved through the dark house he felt her weight leaning heavier and heavier into him. Good, he thought, hopefully she'll go right back to sleep.
After she was diapered and re-dressed in fresh pajamas he quickly put a clean sheet and blanket on her bed and lay her down. "Fishy sleep too," she yawned out at him as she snuggled into the blanket. Chakotay didn't have the heart to take her bath toy from her.
"Alright, just this once." He brushed her hair out of her face and pressed a kiss to her forehead, "Go back to sleep sweet pea. I love you."
"Love you, papa," she whispered back, already dropping off to sleep. Chakotay stood over her bed and watched her for a moment, listening to her breathing. Where last night there had been a bit of wheezing, in the early morning now, her lungs sounded clear. Saying a silent prayer of thanks to the spirits, he glanced over at Taya, still fast asleep and cuddling her stuffed bear.
He moved slowly back down the hall, glancing in Kol's room to see his son also deep in slumber, his shock of black hair all that was visible from beneath the covers. With a tired sigh, Chakotay went back to his own bedroom and thankfully sank down on the mattress next to Kathryn.
She stirred slightly when she felt him move beside her, sliding over to tuck herself up next to him, "What's wrong?" Her voice was roughened from sleep and Chakotay grinned to himself. He loved hearing her speak first thing in the morning.
"Kaya must have had another coughing spell. She got sick on herself and was crying. I gave her a bath and put her back to bed. She's already asleep." Chakotay yawned again, pulling Kathryn closer to him, "Her breathing sounds much easier than it did last night."
Kathryn made a soft humming sound in her throat. "Good. Poor little angel." She kissed Chakotay's chest where she could reach, "You could have woken me up. I know you were up late with her."
"It's fine. You've been putting in long hours at work this week. You need sleep too." He glanced down, noticing that she had already fallen back to sleep, proving his point. Kissing the top of her head, Chakotay quickly dropped off to sleep as well.
=/\=
Mornings with the Janeway triplets were always an adventure. Chakotay woke up to an empty bed, knowing Kathryn was probably already wrangling at least two of the children by herself. It was Saturday, and not bothering to get dressed, he just pulled on a fresh t-shirt and made his way out of the bedroom.
Sekaya was still asleep, and for that Chakotay was glad. The simple cold that she had really did a number on her immune system and he knew that she needed rest. Taya's bed was empty and he could hear Kathryn talking in the kitchen. Kol's bedroom was also empty so breakfast must be in the works. Chakotay rounded the corner...and stepped barefooted into a wet diaper that lay open on the floor.
Letting out a sigh of frustration, mostly at himself for not watching where he was walking, since this wasn't the first morning he'd done the exact same thing, he reached down and picked up the soiled garment and hopped on one foot the several paces to the children's bathroom.
He knew what he would see before he entered, but chuckled just the same.
Kol sat on the small potty chair in the bathroom, naked as the day he was born, a smile of triumph on his face. "I go potty, daddy." His raven black hair was a wild mess, as it always was first thing in the morning, and Kathryn's blue eyes shone back at Chakotay in his son's eager expression. Chakotay couldn't help but smile at his son, even as he hopped over to the tub to turn on the water and wash his foot. Thankfully, this morning, the diaper was only wet. That wasn't the case last time. "Kol, remember what I told you?" Chakotay's voice was firm, but he couldn't keep his lips from curving up.
"Come tell you if I have to potty." Kol spoke, watching his father sit on the edge of the tub as he rinsed and dried his foot. "But I had to go bad."
Chakotay chuckled, helping Kol get cleaned up and into a fresh diaper. "I know buddy, and I'm so proud of you for going potty by yourself. But next time, don't take your diaper off in the hallway, okay?" Kol grinned, his little dimples pressing into his cheeks.
"Okay." Once his son was diapered, Chakotay picked him up, flipping him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The little boy started giggling, laughing even harder when Chakotay started tickling his sides with the tips of his fingers. All of the noise brought Kathryn from the kitchen and down the hall.
"What are you boys up to?" She pressed a quick good morning kiss to Chakotay's lips and ran her fingers across the bottoms of Kol's feet, eliciting even more laughter from the little boy.
"Just gotta get this monkey dressed, then we'll be out for breakfast." Kathryn grinned at the two of them before going back to the kitchen, listening to Kol laugh as he hung upside down over Chakotay's shoulder.
Thankfully, breakfast that morning was fairly uneventful. A minimal amount of food ended up on the floor, and all three children focused on breakfast instead of each other or their parents. Chakotay sipped his orange juice, watching Taya try to use her small rubber fork to pick up her scrambled eggs. Kathryn had pulled Taya's hair into pigtails that morning, and Chakotay noticed that her bangs had almost grown out to a normal length. It had been just over a month since Kol had used his craft scissors to give his sister a haircut when mom and dad weren't looking.
Sekaya was up now and apparently feeling better; her appetite was voracious and her mood much improved from the day before. Kathryn scanned her quickly with the medical tricorder while she ate her oatmeal, glad that seemingly all her immune functions were back to normal.
After breakfast, the girls headed off to their playroom with Kathryn. Chakotay had built a little wooden dollhouse and wooden figurines for the girls, and they had been infatuated with it. Taya especially could spend hours in her own little world with her dolls and their little log cabin.
Chakotay told Kathryn that he'd built a miniature of what he'd had in mind for them on New Earth all those years ago, and he caught her on more than one occasion looking at the little wooden house when she thought he wasn't looking.
Kol wanted to help Chakotay clear the table and clean up in the kitchen, so after clearing the dishes and silverware from the table to be recycled, he helped Kol stand on a chair and wipe the table with a washcloth. Most of the crumbs ended up on the floor and not in the little boy's rag, but Chakotay knew the floor needed to be cleaned anyway, so no harm, no foul.
Kol quickly joined his sisters in the playroom to play with his 'medicine bundle'. Chakotay had made one for each of the children; a small leather pouch for them to keep their favorite belongings in. He'd only begun to teach them about eventually finding their animal guides, but they were still far too young to do it yet. They had all wanted a medicine bundle now, however, and each had one. Kol kept a stone 'like daddy's' in his, along with his favorite toy soldier and a green crayon. Chakotay came to sit next to Kathryn on the floor as they watched the little boy very carefully and seriously open his bundle, laying out his items and looking at them with reverence. Kathryn pressed a kiss to Chakotay's cheek as they watched Kol admire his items. "He is so much like you, Chakotay, I can imagine you just that way when you were little."
"I was never that calm when I was his age. I was always fidgety, never content with sitting still. He can stare at that broken crayon for a long time, waiting for his animal guide to find him." Kathryn chuckled low in her throat so as not to interrupt the little warrior's focus.
"I wonder what animal will choose him when he's ready?" Chakotay marveled at Kathryn's words, loving how accepting she was of all of his people's customs. He knew that Kathryn had her own animal guide and visited him with relative frequency, but it never ceased to amaze him how this woman of science had given herself over so readily to the customs of the spirit world of his people. It just made him love her that much more.
"I have a few ideas, but only time will tell." He draped his arm around Kathryn's shoulder, letting his fingers whisper up and down her arm, smiling when she leaned into his embrace.
Taya continued playing with their dollhouse, but Sekaya moved to the bookshelf, pulling down one of her favorite books of nursery rhymes, opening it to the middle and reading to one of her dolls. All the children were occupied for the moment, so Chakotay pulled Kathryn to her feet, putting a finger to his lips to keep her questioning look from finding a voice.
He moved silently out of the room, pulling Kathryn gently behind him until they were out in the hallway. As soon as they cleared the door Chakotay pressed Kathryn up against the wall, covering her body with his as his mouth descended on her lips. Kathryn moaned softly, closing her eyes as Chakotay's velvety lips slid against hers. Her hands came up under his arms, sliding through his hair. Chakotay pressed one hand to the wall beside her head for balance while the other came up to palm her cheek, his thumb brushing against her cheekbone. Her mouth opened easily for him, his tongue slipping against hers as he swallowed her second moan.
Kathryn's wandering hands slid down his chest and to the hem of his shirt, letting her fingers play underneath against the skin of his abdomen. He growled in the back of his throat, his kiss becoming a bit more insistent as his own hand traveled down to lightly palm her breast through her shirt.
Just as he began to apply a bit more pressure, a high pitched scream rent through the air. Pulling apart quickly, Chakotay let out a frustrated sigh as they moved back into the playroom. Kathryn groaned and Chakotay suppressed a chuckle at the sight that met them.
Sekaya stood proudly with one of Chakotay's paint bottles in hand, the blue one by the look of it since it's contents were squeezed out all over Kol's head, his shirt, and the floor. Kol was not pleased about it, as he was taking in a deep breath to let out another blood-curdling scream. Chakotay and Kathryn both stepped into action, just as if in a red alert situation, which this was quickly becoming. Chakotay snatched up Sekaya, taking the paint bottle out of her hands. Kathryn scooped Kol up off of the floor, shushing him before he screamed again. Kathryn and Chakotay glanced at each other, both nodding silently. Kathryn was generally the disciplinarian, but since Sekaya had damaged something of Chakotay's, she knew he would want to have a talk with his daughter. He carried her out of the room and Kathryn heard her start to cry as they moved away, the little girl knowing she was in trouble. Kathryn glanced at Taya, but she was engrossed in her dollhouse and completely oblivious to what was happening around her.
"Alright, little warrior, don't cry. We'll get you cleaned up." Kathryn carried the little boy out of the room.
"Kaya painted me. I didn't do it." Kathryn nodded as she brought Kol into the bathroom, cringing when she stepped in a puddle of cold water on the floor. Letting out a sigh, she balanced on one foot and pulled her wet sock off the other, knowing Chakotay hadn't cleaned up after Sekaya's bath that morning. With a sigh, she set her son down and turned on the faucet to prepare his bath.
Kol didn't appreciate having his head dunked back repeatedly as she rinsed the paint out of his thick black hair. Before long Kathryn was covered in just as much blue colored water as her son. Kol enjoyed bathtime when all that was required of him was playing in the water. When it came to washing his hair or his body, he revolted as much as possible. Usually, she left Kol's baths to Chakotay as he was better able to calm the little boy down, but since he was busy disciplining Sekaya, the task fell to Kathryn.
"Little warrior, I'm almost done, and then I'll get you fresh water to play in, alright?" She sighed, smiling gently at her son as he scowled, but nodded, keeping quiet as she continued to work the shampoo into his hair and rinse the remnants of the paint out.
When the water finally ran clear, Kathryn drained the tub and filled it again, getting his little plastic animal toys out of the bin for him to play with in the bath. She slicked his hair back out of his face as the tub filled again, marveling at how much he looked like his father. He may have Kathryn's fierce blue eyes, but the rest of him was one hundred percent Chakotay; Kol's raven black hair, dimples, even the shape of his lips was an exact replica of his father. He also had a love of the outdoors and Kathryn knew that he would be the first of the three to find his animal guide when the time came.
"Everyone okay in here?" Chakotay stuck his head in, glad that the blue paint was gone from his son, though he noticed many many blue stains on Kathryn's shirt, pants, and the floor.
Kathryn looked up, frustrated at the mess, but glad to spend time with her son none-the-less. She saw that Sekaya was red-faced and quiet, no doubt having had a stern talking to from her father, but she was no longer crying. "We're fine. Will you check on Taya?"
"Just did. She's still playing with her dollhouse." Chakotay's dimples flashed at Kathryn as he watched Kol play with his toy animals. He looked at the little girl in his arms, "Do you have something to say?"
Sekaya's lip quivered and fresh tears filled her eyes, though they did not fall. "Sorry Kol."
"Okay," the little boy spoke, splashing his plastic tiger into the water, not even looking up at his sister. Kathryn smiled at Sekaya's apology and had to press her lips together to keep from laughing at Kol's reaction. Now that he was clean, he was happy as a clam sitting in the water and playing.
All three of their children, for the most part, were very good at coming up with their own entertainment, both with each other and by themselves. Both Kathryn and Chakotay had made it a point to give them as little technology as was possible, allowing them to use their imaginations and companionship instead of PADDs and video programs for entertainment.
Chakotay took Sekaya back to the playroom where Taya quickly harranged both of them into the world of make-believe she had created, and when Kathryn brought a freshly cleaned and dressed Kol back into the room, Chakotay had a doll in each hand, using a voice several octaves higher than his own to speak for the figurines.
Kathryn chuckled to herself; never would she have believed that this version of Chakotay existed when she met him on the bridge of Voyager nearly ten years ago. He was the angry warrior back then; the Maquis freedom fighter and the composed Starfleet commander after that. Now he was daddy, often wearing tutus with the girls or camouflage face paint when he and Kol went out exploring in the woods together. She loved every side of him, and counted her blessings daily for getting to see all the different facets of the gem that was her husband.
Kathryn made quick work of cleaning up the paint from the wooden floor in the playroom while Kol went back to his medicine bundle and Chakotay continued on with the girls. When she was finished she came to kneel in front of Chakotay. "I can watch them for a bit if you want to work on your etching." Kathryn knew Chakotay hadn't spent much alone time with his crafting lately. The more mobile the little ones became, the more hands were needed to keep them corralled.
"Are you sure?" She saw a flicker of anticipation flit through his brown eyes. He was craving time in his workshop, not having had ample time to finish the etching he'd been working on for several months.
"Of course, love. Take your time." He leaned forward and captured her lips in a tender kiss of thanks. The kiss lacked the ardor from earlier but was filled with no less emotion.
"I love you.' He grinned at her, "I'll make lunch when I'm finished." Kathryn nodded.
"Hopefully I can get the three musketeers to take an n-a-p for a little while. I do have a few reports to read over before the meeting on Monday." She spelled the dreaded word, knowing it would bring instant wrath upon her from all three of them if it was said out loud. Chakotay nodded, pressing one more kiss to her lips before handing over the dolls he had been giving life to. He kissed the two little girls on the top of the head and ruffled Kol's hair on his way out the door.
=/\=
Kathryn did get all three of them to go down for a nap fairly easily, and she wondered what witchcraft might be responsible for all three of them being well behaved all at the same time. She tiptoed down the hall and into the kitchen to find Chakotay preparing salads for the two of them. "Those look delicious."
Chakotay turned to face her, wrapping her into an embrace as he leaned down to capture her lips again. "You look delicious." He growled into her ear as his lips slid up to nibble her earlobe. She laughed even as a shiver went down her spine.
"Chakotay, I'm covered in dried up paint, I feel fat, I haven't washed my hair in two days, and I honestly can't remember if I brushed my teeth this morning."
"Your point being?" He grinned at her, his dimples pressing into his cheeks.
She smiled lovingly at him, knowing that he wasn't just trying to placate her, but that he genuinely found her beautiful no matter what the situation and she loved him for it.
As they ate lunch together, they talked about the children, Kathryn's meeting on Monday and the PADDs she still needed to go over before then, and the gala in two weeks at which she was the keynote speaker.
"Mom is very much looking forward to having the kids overnight that night. But she's never had all three by herself overnight before. I'm afraid she'll burst into the gala dinner and demand that we come and get them." She chuckled, knowing it wasn't true, but picturing it just the same.
"She will love every minute of it and don't forget Aunt Phoebe will be there too. And the kids love their Granny. They probably won't want to come home."
Kathryn hummed in the back of her throat, knowing it was most likely the truth. She was just going to speak again when Taya entered the kitchen, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and still holding her stuffed bear. Kathryn got up and picked up the little girl, smiling when Taya wrapped her arms around Kathryn's neck and leaned into the embrace.
Chakotay's heart felt so full whenever he saw Kathryn holding one of their children like that. He'd met her as Captain. He'd admired her as Admiral. He had fallen in love with Kathryn, but 'mommy' was far and away his favorite side of her. He watched as Kathryn pressed a kiss into the girl's black hair, still in pigtails, but now slightly mussed from sleep. "Are you hungry, little monkey?" She spoke soothingly as she pulled up a highchair and carefully set Taya down in it.
Chakotay had made a pot of homemade macaroni and cheese for the children and Kathryn scooped some into a bowl, setting it and a small spoon in front of her daughter. He had also diced up several apples, so while Kathryn went to check on the other two toddlers, he got the other highchairs ready.
Lunch proceeded similarly to breakfast, and Kathryn kept eyeing Chakotay over the heads of the little ones as if silently asking him what was going on, and where were their real children. He just shrugged with a grin, happily watching the three of them eat and talk to one another. Halfway through lunch, Kathryn excused herself to her office to finish the reports she'd meant to look over the evening before.
Chakotay took all three children outside after they ate, allowing them to play in the sandbox he'd built for them. While the girls worked to build a castle for their dolls, Kol played with his army men in the grass beside the sandbox. Chakotay helped the girls form the top-most turrets of their castle and made a small flag for it with a small stick pierced through the end of a beach leaf. Everyone was still playing nicely, and Chakotay was simply enjoying being out in the fresh air, relaxing, watching his children interacting.
Kol left his army men behind in favor of helping his sisters build their castle, and Chakotay was shocked when no one screamed or threw a fit when he wanted to join. Chakotay had noticed, over the last few weeks, that the girls had started forming a tighter bond between the two of them, sometimes leaving Kol on the outside. Good though he was at keeping himself occupied, he had his father's gentle soul, and his little feelings were sometimes hurt by the exclusion. However, as afternoon turned into early evening, Chakotay was glad to see that that wasn't the case today.
Kathryn came out of the house a while later to see what her family was up to. She came to kneel by Chakotay, leaning her shoulder against his as they watched their children play.
"Do you mind watching them for a bit longer so I can go for a run?" Kathryn was already wearing her black spandex leggings, blue tank top, and running shoes. "I won't be gone too long."
Chakotay looked over at his wife, his dimples pressing into his cheeks, "Take all the time you want, love. I've got this."
Ever since the babies were born, Kathryn had started going to greater lengths to take care of herself; namely in the form of running and yoga. She had claimed that she wasn't getting any younger, and being pregnant with triplets had done a number on her small figure. Chakotay had always made sure she was aware that he found her beautiful no matter what, but fully supported whatever she wanted to do to feel more comfortable in her own skin, especially as of late. Glancing at her now, he couldn't help but stare at her scantily clad form. "You're beautiful."
"You're biased." She smiled, leaning in to press a quick kiss to his lips.
"Mmm," he hummed in response, "Doesn't mean it isn't true." He kissed her again, sliding his tongue along her bottom lip to keep her next to him for a moment longer.
She hummed low in her throat, gladly accepting and reciprocating the kiss for a moment, but finally pulled away, knowing that if she didn't get up to leave now, she wouldn't at all. "I'll make it a quick run, maybe just two miles."
Chakotay bumped her shoulder with his, "I know you haven't gone in a few days. Take as long as you want."
"You're amazing," she got up, giving Chakotay a lovely view of her retreating form as she stopped to see the children, giving them all a kiss in the top of the head before turning back to her husband, "I'll be back to help with bath time."
Chakotay nodded, watching as she walked around the side of the house and to the sidewalk that led to one of her favorite running paths through the park. Once she was out of sight, Chakotay got all three kids into clean up mode. Kol and Sekaya were helpful, putting toys away, but Taya kept playing with her dolls in the sand, humming to herself softly. "Taya, time to go in."
The little girl looked up at him, his own brown eyes reflected back as her sad expression met gaze. At just over two years old, she seemed to understand the power she held over her father and exploited it whenever possible. Pushing her bottom lip out just slightly, she gave him the look that Kathryn told him was the little girl's secret weapon. Though Taya was the most independent of the three, as far as entertaining herself, she was also a daddy's girl more than Sekaya, and especially in the evenings, she enjoyed cuddling and spending time with her papa.
Chakotay knelt down beside her, "Baby girl, we have to go inside because it's gonna be dark soon, but I'm going to make you a yummy supper, and we'll all watch a movie before bedtime, okay?"
Taya smiled and her dimples puckered into her chubby cheeks. She knew movie time meant daddy cuddle time, so she picked up her few toys without any more fuss and put them away.
Kathryn got back from her run just as Chakotay was finishing the girls' bath. After a quick sonic shower, Kathryn took Kol into his room to change, simply using a wipe to clean his hands and face, since he'd already had a bath earlier in the day. "Mama, we watch Mary Pop?" Kathryn laughed softly as she pulled Kol's green footie pajamas over his shoulders.
"It's your turn to pick. Is that what you want to watch?" He nodded as she zipped him up. "Alright, little warrior, then that's what we'll watch."
Kathryn followed Kol out into the living room where Chakotay had already set up the movie holo-projector; all he needed to do was call up whatever movie his son wanted to watch. They had movie night a few nights a week, and let the little ones take turns choosing a movie.
Chakotay came in a few minutes later, both girls freshly cleaned and their hair brushed. Kathryn sat down on the sofa with Kol on her left side, "Mary Poppins please, daddy." He chuckled, as he programmed in the movie and had the computer dim the lights, knowing that the children would probably fall asleep quickly. He sat down beside Kathryn, Taya already in his arm and Sekaya on his other side. She sat wide-eyed, leaning against Chakotay, eagerly waiting for the magical nanny to float down from the clouds, while Taya was already yawning, snuggling deeper into Chakotay's embrace.
The movie started and Kathryn leaned her head on Chakotay's shoulder. This was one of her favorite times of day, simply sitting with her family. Being a Starfleet captain had been an adventure, and one she wouldn't trade for anything, but being wife and mother was something wholly different, and so much more. She'd never known what her life had been lacking until she'd met and slowly fallen in love with Chakotay. On the day of their wedding, she'd never felt more complete, knowing her life couldn't get any better. But after the agony of nearly eighteen hours of hard labor, the three small bundles in her and Chakotay's arms had proven her wrong.
Now as she sat on the sofa, the heat of her husband beside her as he cradled their daughters while her son lay down with his head on her lap, she truly knew perfection in her life.
Taya was asleep before Jane and Michael spoke to their father about the kind of nanny they wanted, Sekaya slumped down into slumber before Mary Poppins arrived, and Kol's eyes fell shut just as the children learned that Mary Poppins was practically perfect in every way.
Chakotay and Kathryn focused more on the children and each other than they did the movie, but neither wanted to disrupt this perfect moment by stopping the holo-projector. Kathryn closed her eyes with a sigh as Chakotay pressed kisses into her hair, whispering words of love into her ear as his lips brushed across her skin.
"How did we get so lucky with these three little angels, Chakotay?" She whispered, shifting Kol slightly so he was nestled into her side. He just smiled, knowing her question didn't actually require an answer.
Instead, he turned slightly pressing his lips gently to hers, his free hand coming down to rest on the slight swell of her pregnancy, only starting to show in the last few weeks, "Ready to do it all over again?" He let his thumb drift back and forth over where their daughter was growing safely in Kathryn's womb.
She chuckled, "It's only one baby this time. It'll be a piece of cake."
He laughed, pressing his lips to hers once again.