Home Sweet Home
The following story line is mine. Don't try to copy it cause I'll get mad
In a like vein, Star Trek: Voyager and all characters are the sole property of someone other than me.
AN: A year later. So the kids are almost four. By this time Deneb has become a sort of Guinan on Voyager. People go to talk to her about their problems, but she's not an official councilor. You'll get the rest from the chapter.
Their relationship grew as life went on around them. Deneb completely shed her reservations about becoming part of the life aboard Voyager and was much happier for it. Chakotay spent every evening he could in her quarters, giving the kids baths and helping her with designs for her plays. She in turn tried to help with his responsibilities, but it usually just came down to giving him massages and cups of tea. But he didn't care that she was unable to assist him with his work. He didn't want her to anyway. He liked helping her with her daily chores. He liked helping her raise her children. He liked feeling like a husband and a father.
He consider these feelings carefully for a while. Had he truly reached that point in his life where he was ready to settle down, have a family? He didn't feel old, but the truth was he was over four decades old. In other words, he wasn't getting any younger. Helping to raise children, especially Deneb's children, would require vigor. There was no doubt that he loved her. He even loved the children. Was this enough to make it work, however? What about when they got back to the Alpha quadrant? Would he be charged for his Marquis work? If not, what would happen to him? Would he be able to support a family?
These were logical questions that he did not have logical answers to. He knew of someone who might though. He was not sure he wished to devolve his intentions to anyone, but he knew that he could trust his friend's complete confidence.
"No one can have the answers to these questions" Tuvok said simply. Chakotay frowned.
"Thank you Tuvok, you're a big help" he said. Tuvok picked up on his sarcasm.
"The fact that you have considered these questions would indicate to me that you are ready to make your union permanent" Tuvok added. Chakotay sighed.
"Thanks Tuvok" he said. But he was still not sure after this encounter. He felt he might somehow be doing her a disservice by endangering her future with his. He decided to talk to one more person.
"Father"
"Chakotay! Come and sit" his father beckoned him to the fire.
"What is troubling your soul my son?"
"I want to ask a woman to marry me" Chakotay said and then paused, giving his father time to speak. He didn't.
"But I'm worried about our future. I don't know what will happen when we reach our home again. There, I am still considered a criminal. I don't want to leave her alone"
"Your concerns are worthy of you, but do not be so worried about the future" his father finally responded, "You can not predict the future. Taking a woman as your wife is a serious commitment, but it is a commitment worth making" Chakotay nearly smiled. Two weeks later, which just happened to be the anniversary of Deneb's appearance on Voyager, Chakotay arranged to take her out on a romantic dinner. She had a romantic streak in her that craved candle lit dinners and dances in moonlight.
He was going to lead her onto a terrace overlooking the moonlit Pacific Ocean. Ivy and philodendra was going to creep across the railing and over the ceiling, and there were going to be soft instrumentals of her favorite songs playing in the background. The table was set with an off white table cloth and gold and ivory china, lit by floating candles. It wasn't exactly Chakotay's style. He'd gotten some help from Katharine. It would hopefully pay off.
"Hey. Ready to go?" he asked at her front door. She was wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Not what he had expected.
"Oh, Chakotay, I'm sorry! Damian has some kind of.Rykellian flu or something like that" she frowned, "Oh, this sucks. I really wanted to go with you too"
"It's all right" he told her, "I'll stay here and help you take care of Damian" She gave him a loving smile and a kiss.
"You're great, Ko" Then she sighed, "Not exactly the most romantic anniversary ever" He laughed.
"Kotay!" Damia cried when she saw him walk in and ran into him. He lifted her off the floor so she could wrap her little arms around his neck and give him a kiss.
"Hi, sweetie" She reminded him so much of her mother it was almost scary. She had the same facial expressions, the same hand movements, sometimes even the same tones. He gave her a soft hug.
"Will you play with me, Kotay?" she asked. The kids were too young still to use his full name. He didn't care. It was another affectionate nickname that he'd become used to.
"Maybe. I'm supposed to be helping with Damian" he told her truthfully.
"He doesn't feel good. Bones said he got the flu" she told him seriously, as if it were a grave matter, as long as Bones said it.
"Yes, I know" Chakotay told her and set her back down on the ground, "Why don't I go see how he is, and then maybe we'll play, okay?" Damia nodded happily and went to find a doll she was fond of.
"Damian? Chakotay's here" Deneb told her son, who was half asleep on the couch. He immediately tried to sit up. Damian, contrary to Damia, was almost nothing like his mother. Katharine was quick to point out that he was, actually, much more like Chakotay, although he was blonde.
"Kotay?" he asked. He looked a bit pale and perhaps a little feverish. He was curled under a soft blanket with colorful dinosaurs printed across it.
"Your mother says your not feeling well" Chakotay said.
"I'm cold" Damian answered, "And my tummy hurts"
"Well Bones gave you medicine. You should feel better by the morning" his mother told him, "Do you want some Coke?" Chakotay raised a brow at her.
"Well, flat it's called coke syrup and it's great for settling a stomach" she told him arrogantly, "Believe me, I've used it enough times myself to know" Just then Damia appeared with her doll.
"Are we going to play?" she asked, reaching for Chakotay's hand.
"I don't want to play" Damian protested.
"I have an idea" Chakotay said, "Why don't we all have some popcorn and watch a movie together?" Popcorn was a treat the children were always happy to have.
"Damian can't have popcorn" his mother informed them, however, "How about toast instead?" Damia was happy to get anything to eat after dinner (another characteristic in common with her mother) so she happily agreed and settled on Chakotay's right while Damian put his pillow on the visitor's lap and laid on his side to see the screen. Deneb brought their toast and settled on the other side of Damia.
"What're we watching?" she asked.
"Finding Nemo!" Damia yelled excitedly.
"Damian?"
"Yeah!"
"Finding Nemo it is" Chakotay said and settled in to watch the movie he'd probably seen at least a hundred times now. It was an ancient, to Chakotay, movie about these fish. But it was a great family video and it was entertaining enough.
By the time the credits were rolling, the two four year olds had been asleep for at least half an hour. The two adults worked carefully to transfer them to their beds without waking them, and then returned to the front room.
"Hey! Did you ever even have any dinner?" Deneb suddenly asked.
"No" Chakotay answered, realizing that he hadn't.
"Well, sit down boy. I may have ruined all your romantic aspirations, but I can at least feed you" She laughed at her own joke and ordered his favorite dishes from the replicator. She sat down with a bowl of pineapple, her favorite, to keep him company while he ate.
"So, what were we going to do tonight?" she asked, knowing he would tell her in that great story teller voice of his that she loved so much.
"We were going to have dinner on a terrace above the ocean" he told her, "There was a big full moon and soft music and candles. We were going to have grilled chicken in a white cheese sauce, tossed with garlic mushrooms, and for desert half a pineapple topped with half frozen strawberries. And then we were going to dance and you were going to fall madly in love with me" She smiled dreamily at him.
"Sounds perfect" she sighed, "We could still dance, couldn't we?"
"Of course. Computer, music from holographic program Chakotay-Beta- six" He stood up and bowed over her hand before she rose and joined him. He drew her close into himself, one hand around her waist and the other entwined with her hand. She rested her head on his chest and the top of her hair tickled his chin. He sighed contentedly. She felt so good in his arms.
"Marry me" It just came out, in a soft whisper, but without his thinking about it. She pushed away from him and he found himself looking at her narrowed gaze.
"What?"
"Deneb, I want you to be my wife" He looked into her eyes. He could see her fear.
"Oh, Chakotay.I don't.I don't think." She took a step back as she shook her head.
"I know it's frightening. Don't think I'm not a little frightened too"
"It's not that, it's just."
"Look" He took her hands. He had to make her listen.
"I'm not going to pretend that I believe you'll never hop again. You still could. In fact, Tuvok would suggest that since you've been here so long already, chances are you'll hop sooner than later. But we could be happy as long as you're here, however long it is, whether it's just another month or whether it's the rest of your life" She looked dubious still so he pulled her closer, looked down into her eyes.
"I want to be your husband. I want to be a father to Damia and Damian, and I want to be the father of more of your children. I want to come home and see you putting dinner on the table, or giving the kids a bath or watering your plants. I want to be there for you and I want you to be there for me" She sighed and looked down at her feet. Had he made the hugest mistake of his life?
"Do you love me?" he asked.
"Of course I do" she said as if it were the stupidest question he could've asked, "It's just that.sometimes that's not enough Chakotay. And sometimes it's too much"
"Deneb."
"Just.give me some time to think about this, okay? I.I can't rush into anything. Not again"
"I know" he said softly. He kissed her forehead, "I know" He repeated and then left. She stood looking after him, hands on her temples, wondering what she was about to get herself into now.
In a like vein, Star Trek: Voyager and all characters are the sole property of someone other than me.
AN: A year later. So the kids are almost four. By this time Deneb has become a sort of Guinan on Voyager. People go to talk to her about their problems, but she's not an official councilor. You'll get the rest from the chapter.
Their relationship grew as life went on around them. Deneb completely shed her reservations about becoming part of the life aboard Voyager and was much happier for it. Chakotay spent every evening he could in her quarters, giving the kids baths and helping her with designs for her plays. She in turn tried to help with his responsibilities, but it usually just came down to giving him massages and cups of tea. But he didn't care that she was unable to assist him with his work. He didn't want her to anyway. He liked helping her with her daily chores. He liked helping her raise her children. He liked feeling like a husband and a father.
He consider these feelings carefully for a while. Had he truly reached that point in his life where he was ready to settle down, have a family? He didn't feel old, but the truth was he was over four decades old. In other words, he wasn't getting any younger. Helping to raise children, especially Deneb's children, would require vigor. There was no doubt that he loved her. He even loved the children. Was this enough to make it work, however? What about when they got back to the Alpha quadrant? Would he be charged for his Marquis work? If not, what would happen to him? Would he be able to support a family?
These were logical questions that he did not have logical answers to. He knew of someone who might though. He was not sure he wished to devolve his intentions to anyone, but he knew that he could trust his friend's complete confidence.
"No one can have the answers to these questions" Tuvok said simply. Chakotay frowned.
"Thank you Tuvok, you're a big help" he said. Tuvok picked up on his sarcasm.
"The fact that you have considered these questions would indicate to me that you are ready to make your union permanent" Tuvok added. Chakotay sighed.
"Thanks Tuvok" he said. But he was still not sure after this encounter. He felt he might somehow be doing her a disservice by endangering her future with his. He decided to talk to one more person.
"Father"
"Chakotay! Come and sit" his father beckoned him to the fire.
"What is troubling your soul my son?"
"I want to ask a woman to marry me" Chakotay said and then paused, giving his father time to speak. He didn't.
"But I'm worried about our future. I don't know what will happen when we reach our home again. There, I am still considered a criminal. I don't want to leave her alone"
"Your concerns are worthy of you, but do not be so worried about the future" his father finally responded, "You can not predict the future. Taking a woman as your wife is a serious commitment, but it is a commitment worth making" Chakotay nearly smiled. Two weeks later, which just happened to be the anniversary of Deneb's appearance on Voyager, Chakotay arranged to take her out on a romantic dinner. She had a romantic streak in her that craved candle lit dinners and dances in moonlight.
He was going to lead her onto a terrace overlooking the moonlit Pacific Ocean. Ivy and philodendra was going to creep across the railing and over the ceiling, and there were going to be soft instrumentals of her favorite songs playing in the background. The table was set with an off white table cloth and gold and ivory china, lit by floating candles. It wasn't exactly Chakotay's style. He'd gotten some help from Katharine. It would hopefully pay off.
"Hey. Ready to go?" he asked at her front door. She was wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Not what he had expected.
"Oh, Chakotay, I'm sorry! Damian has some kind of.Rykellian flu or something like that" she frowned, "Oh, this sucks. I really wanted to go with you too"
"It's all right" he told her, "I'll stay here and help you take care of Damian" She gave him a loving smile and a kiss.
"You're great, Ko" Then she sighed, "Not exactly the most romantic anniversary ever" He laughed.
"Kotay!" Damia cried when she saw him walk in and ran into him. He lifted her off the floor so she could wrap her little arms around his neck and give him a kiss.
"Hi, sweetie" She reminded him so much of her mother it was almost scary. She had the same facial expressions, the same hand movements, sometimes even the same tones. He gave her a soft hug.
"Will you play with me, Kotay?" she asked. The kids were too young still to use his full name. He didn't care. It was another affectionate nickname that he'd become used to.
"Maybe. I'm supposed to be helping with Damian" he told her truthfully.
"He doesn't feel good. Bones said he got the flu" she told him seriously, as if it were a grave matter, as long as Bones said it.
"Yes, I know" Chakotay told her and set her back down on the ground, "Why don't I go see how he is, and then maybe we'll play, okay?" Damia nodded happily and went to find a doll she was fond of.
"Damian? Chakotay's here" Deneb told her son, who was half asleep on the couch. He immediately tried to sit up. Damian, contrary to Damia, was almost nothing like his mother. Katharine was quick to point out that he was, actually, much more like Chakotay, although he was blonde.
"Kotay?" he asked. He looked a bit pale and perhaps a little feverish. He was curled under a soft blanket with colorful dinosaurs printed across it.
"Your mother says your not feeling well" Chakotay said.
"I'm cold" Damian answered, "And my tummy hurts"
"Well Bones gave you medicine. You should feel better by the morning" his mother told him, "Do you want some Coke?" Chakotay raised a brow at her.
"Well, flat it's called coke syrup and it's great for settling a stomach" she told him arrogantly, "Believe me, I've used it enough times myself to know" Just then Damia appeared with her doll.
"Are we going to play?" she asked, reaching for Chakotay's hand.
"I don't want to play" Damian protested.
"I have an idea" Chakotay said, "Why don't we all have some popcorn and watch a movie together?" Popcorn was a treat the children were always happy to have.
"Damian can't have popcorn" his mother informed them, however, "How about toast instead?" Damia was happy to get anything to eat after dinner (another characteristic in common with her mother) so she happily agreed and settled on Chakotay's right while Damian put his pillow on the visitor's lap and laid on his side to see the screen. Deneb brought their toast and settled on the other side of Damia.
"What're we watching?" she asked.
"Finding Nemo!" Damia yelled excitedly.
"Damian?"
"Yeah!"
"Finding Nemo it is" Chakotay said and settled in to watch the movie he'd probably seen at least a hundred times now. It was an ancient, to Chakotay, movie about these fish. But it was a great family video and it was entertaining enough.
By the time the credits were rolling, the two four year olds had been asleep for at least half an hour. The two adults worked carefully to transfer them to their beds without waking them, and then returned to the front room.
"Hey! Did you ever even have any dinner?" Deneb suddenly asked.
"No" Chakotay answered, realizing that he hadn't.
"Well, sit down boy. I may have ruined all your romantic aspirations, but I can at least feed you" She laughed at her own joke and ordered his favorite dishes from the replicator. She sat down with a bowl of pineapple, her favorite, to keep him company while he ate.
"So, what were we going to do tonight?" she asked, knowing he would tell her in that great story teller voice of his that she loved so much.
"We were going to have dinner on a terrace above the ocean" he told her, "There was a big full moon and soft music and candles. We were going to have grilled chicken in a white cheese sauce, tossed with garlic mushrooms, and for desert half a pineapple topped with half frozen strawberries. And then we were going to dance and you were going to fall madly in love with me" She smiled dreamily at him.
"Sounds perfect" she sighed, "We could still dance, couldn't we?"
"Of course. Computer, music from holographic program Chakotay-Beta- six" He stood up and bowed over her hand before she rose and joined him. He drew her close into himself, one hand around her waist and the other entwined with her hand. She rested her head on his chest and the top of her hair tickled his chin. He sighed contentedly. She felt so good in his arms.
"Marry me" It just came out, in a soft whisper, but without his thinking about it. She pushed away from him and he found himself looking at her narrowed gaze.
"What?"
"Deneb, I want you to be my wife" He looked into her eyes. He could see her fear.
"Oh, Chakotay.I don't.I don't think." She took a step back as she shook her head.
"I know it's frightening. Don't think I'm not a little frightened too"
"It's not that, it's just."
"Look" He took her hands. He had to make her listen.
"I'm not going to pretend that I believe you'll never hop again. You still could. In fact, Tuvok would suggest that since you've been here so long already, chances are you'll hop sooner than later. But we could be happy as long as you're here, however long it is, whether it's just another month or whether it's the rest of your life" She looked dubious still so he pulled her closer, looked down into her eyes.
"I want to be your husband. I want to be a father to Damia and Damian, and I want to be the father of more of your children. I want to come home and see you putting dinner on the table, or giving the kids a bath or watering your plants. I want to be there for you and I want you to be there for me" She sighed and looked down at her feet. Had he made the hugest mistake of his life?
"Do you love me?" he asked.
"Of course I do" she said as if it were the stupidest question he could've asked, "It's just that.sometimes that's not enough Chakotay. And sometimes it's too much"
"Deneb."
"Just.give me some time to think about this, okay? I.I can't rush into anything. Not again"
"I know" he said softly. He kissed her forehead, "I know" He repeated and then left. She stood looking after him, hands on her temples, wondering what she was about to get herself into now.