It was already dark when Chakotay finally made his way down the path leading to the front door of Kathryn's childhood home on Friday night. He'd been forced to cover a class for another instructor who'd taken ill, which meant that he hadn't been able to quit the campus until early evening, already past the dinner hour in Indiana. After beaming to Bloomington he'd briefly stopped at Kathryn's hotel to drop off the things he'd brought for the weekend, and then had walked the short distance to the Janeway estate. The house sat just outside the town perimeter, surrounded by a large open field bordered by a neat row of trees. Another tree, this one a tall, massive oak with wide overhanging branches, stood a little distance away. Rosebushes framed the entrance to the garden path Chakotay was now traversing, surrounding him with their sweet fragrance and calming his somewhat jittery nerves.
He was actually surprised by how nervous he was about meeting not only Kathryn's mother but more members of the family as well. She'd told him a little bit about her sister Phoebe, but apart from the notorious Aunt Erica, her other relatives were still unknown quantities. Due to his Starfleet lifestyle, he'd rarely encountered family members of any of the women he'd gone out with, and the thought of meeting the whole clan at once was a little overwhelming.
The chatter of many voices filtered through the closed door, causing Chakotay to wonder if anyone would even hear the bell. Straightening his shoulders, he rang it anyway, and stepped back in surprise when the door burst open only a second later.
"About time!" a female voice said in an admonishing tone. "I was about to call and ask what's keeping you −" The speaker abruptly stopped when she caught sight of Chakotay. "Who are you?" She was slightly younger and a few centimeters taller than Kathryn, with chestnut-colored curls framing her face. By the shape of her eyes and the tilt of her head Chakotay assumed that she was Kathryn's sister.
"Hi, are you Phoebe?" he asked.
Her eyes narrowed. "Maybe. Who's asking?"
He put on his most disarming smile. "I'm Chakotay. Is Kathryn there?"
In a flash, her expression changed from suspicion to curiosity. Without taking her eyes off him, she bellowed over her shoulder, "Kathryn! You've got a visitor!"
It only took a moment for Kathryn to appear. Her face was flushed, her eyes shining brightly, and as soon as she saw Chakotay, she pushed the other woman out of the way and pulled him into the house, chiding, "You could have asked him in, Phoebe."
Phoebe was looking Chakotay up and down with obvious interest. "You didn't tell me you were bringing someone."
"I told Mom," Kathryn replied off-handedly. She was not wearing shoes, so she had to stand on tip-toes to be able to kiss Chakotay on the lips.
"She didn't tell me, either," Phoebe complained as she closed the door, glowering at Kathryn. "You both left me to stare at him like a fool, because I didn't know he was coming. And how come you never mentioned him before?"
"I did, but as I recall you were busy 'talking' with Leo at the time," Kathryn shot back.
Phoebe blushed. "We were making up," she mumbled defensively.
"Well, if you didn't fight as much, you wouldn't have to make up all the time," Kathryn stated, possessively taking Chakotay's arm as if to demonstrate that her own relationship was above such petty squabbles.
Chakotay had wisely kept quiet during the exchange, but now seized his chance to escape further outbreaks of sibling rivalry. "I should say hello to your mother," he told Kathryn, holding up the bouquet of flowers he'd brought.
She gracefully took the hint. "Yes, you should," she nodded and turned to lead him into the back of the house. "Are you coming, Phoebe?"
"I −" The younger Janeway sister was spared a reply when there was a sound from outside. Phoebe yanked back the door. "Leo!"
Chakotay was glad to escape the tirade which befell the unsuspecting young man on the doorstep. He leaned down to whisper in Kathryn's ear. "Her boyfriend?"
"Worse." She grimaced. "Her fiancé. Although I honestly don't see them agreeing on anything long enough to actually set a date, let alone plan the wedding. I keep wondering how they ever got engaged."
Chakotay grinned. "A misunderstanding?"
Kathryn laughed out loud. "Probably!" She held him back just before they reached the doorway to the living room. "Are you sure you want to do this? It's not too late to escape."
"It is. Phoebe's seen me," he pointed out and Kathryn sighed. "But yes, I'm sure. I'm looking forward to meeting your mother and the rest of your family. Is your Aunt Erica here tonight?"
"No, thankfully she's not. She went to the theater with a couple of old friends. But you'll be meeting her tomorrow," she supplied.
"Her, and the neighbors, and whoever else your mother invited." He slipped his free arm around Kathryn's waist and pulled her close for a kiss. Now that she was with him, his nervousness was almost gone. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. We'll be fine," he stated firmly, as much to reassure her as himself.
"Okay." She stepped back, gave Chakotay and herself a quick visual onceover, smoothed out a wrinkle in his shirt and finally, with a deep breath, opened the door.
-==/\==-
In hindsight, Chakotay found that he needn't have been nervous. Kathryn's mother Gretchen greeted him warmly and, after accepting the flowers he presented her with, ushered him to the dining table where the remains of dinner sat waiting in a warming unit. While he ate, she and Kathryn pointed out other family members through the open archway to the living room, so that by the time he finished his meal he had a pretty good overview of those present.
Apart from Phoebe and her fiancé, there were two of Gretchen's brothers with their wives and children, some of whom also had partners and children themselves. All in all, almost twenty people populated the Janeway household that night, including two babies and a toddler who'd fallen asleep on the rug in front of the fireplace. Since there weren't enough sofas and chairs for everyone, most of the younger folks were sitting on the floor while the others mingled about the living and dining room, with the occasional foray into the kitchen.
Despite everyone seemingly talking at once, the atmosphere was warm and cozy, and it reminded him of occasions on Dorvan when the whole tribe would gather for weddings, funerals, or seasonal festivities of various kinds. After they joined the others, Chakotay soon found himself engrossed in a discussion with two of Kathryn's cousins, an architect and a terraforming engineer, about the pros and cons of weather control networks for agrarian-based societies.
There was a constant coming and going, with parents taking the children up to bed and others bringing refills for the various beverages that were being consumed or raiding the kitchen for after-dinner snacks. Chakotay had been introduced to the group at large upon first arriving, but as the evening wore on, everyone seemed to want a word with him in some fashion. He answered many curious questions about where he was from, how he and Kathryn had met, and what he was doing on Earth now. By the time he sank down into an armchair to try and catch his breath, he seriously wondered how he would survive the next day, with its coming onslaught of more relatives and family friends.
Kathryn appeared at his side, passing him a glass of wine before perching herself on the stuffed armrest and leaning close enough to whisper in his ear. "Ready to bolt yet?"
He turned his head so he could steal a quick kiss. "Just about. You said these are all family on your mother's side? I could have sworn your cousin Danny was Aunt Erica's son."
"He's a bit nosy," Kathryn agreed, chuckling. "But contrary to her, he'll back off once you start getting evasive."
"That he did," Chakotay nodded, "but not before inviting me to join him for a weekend at some lake I forget the name of."
"Lake George? That's our favorite family retreat. We used to go there at least twice a year when I was little." At Chakotay's nod, Kathryn leaned in close again. "But if anyone takes you there, it'll be me. And I'll make damn sure that there won't be anyone close by to spoil our fun." She punctuated her statement with another brief but passionate kiss.
The sound of breaking china caused everyone's heads to turn. Gretchen Janeway jumped up and hurried into the kitchen, closely followed by Phoebe. A moment later, Gretchen reappeared with one of the older children, a girl of about ten years, who was covered from knees to feet in brown goo.
"Looks like there will be no chocolate pudding for dessert tomorrow," Kathryn remarked as she rose. Chakotay made to join her, but she waved him back down. "You stay here. I'll go help Phoebe clean up."
She had barely left when a tall woman with green eyes and short brown hair sank down into the chair to Chakotay's right. "Hi. Chakotay, isn't it?"
"That's right," he confirmed, trying and failing to remember how she fit into the family structure.
"I'm Belinda Jameson, Danny's wife," she saved him from further racking his brain, jerking her chin in the direction of Kathryn's talkative cousin. "Lieutenant Commander Belinda Jameson, actually. McKinley Station security."
"Oh, Kathryn didn't tell me that there were any other Starfleet officers in her family. That's a lot of lieutenant commanders in the house tonight," Chakotay quipped and then immediately wished he could take the words back when Belinda's eyes cut towards the kitchen.
"That's right, I heard about Kathryn's promotion," she nodded. When she looked back at him, he braced himself for a potentially inquisitive question. Belinda tilted her head and regarded him thoughtfully. "Say, you look familiar somehow. Class of '47?"
Taken aback by the sudden shift in topic, he needed a moment to gather his wits about him. "No, '48," he finally replied.
"Hmm." She frowned. "Were you on the parrises squares team by any chance? Or hoverball?"
Chakotay shook his head. "I tried out for hoverball but didn't make the cut. And parrises squares was never quite my game."
"Any other sports?"
"I did some boxing," he shrugged, intending to brush off the topic and steer the conversation in a different direction, but her eyes lit up in sudden recognition.
"Of course! I knew you looked familiar – you're the Black-Eyed Terror!"
Chakotay glanced around furtively, hoping that no one had heard her. Just then Kathryn reappeared, and by the expression on her face he knew immediately that she'd caught Belinda's exclamation.
She once again perched on the armrest of his chair and smiled at Belinda in a suspiciously innocent way, putting Chakotay on his guard. "You two know each other?"
"Not exactly. But you could have warned us that you're bringing home an Academy legend."
Kathryn looked from Belinda to Chakotay and back again. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Didn't he tell you? He was three times Light Heavyweight Champion during his time as a cadet. Youngest ever, if I recall correctly."
"No, he didn't," Kathryn said slowly, and Chakotay could almost hear the wheels turning in her head. He tried to stop her by catching her eye or lightly poking her in the ribs, but in vain – eyes gleaming, she leaned across him and prompted Belinda, "Please tell me more."
Grinning widely, the other woman was only too happy to comply. "It was in my third year. I was going out with Chuck Hennings, the reigning Light Heavyweight Champion. He was getting ready to defend his title in the annual SFA boxing tournament, assuming he'd have an easy time of it, and he did win the first couple of rounds as expected. He was so sure of himself that he didn't pay much attention to all the other contestants. Only after reaching the finals did he decide that he wanted to watch the second semifinal to prepare for his last opponent." Belinda paused, still grinning.
Chakotay eyed Kathryn warily. "Are you sure you want to hear about this? It's really not that exciting."
"If it weren't, you would have told me the other day on campus," she pointed out and turned back to Belinda. "Go on."
"One of the contestants was Kravarsh-Niku, a burly Grazerite, the previous year's vice champion. Of course everyone's bets were on him. His opponent was a newcomer, a second-year cadet who'd unexpectedly defeated round after round of seasoned fighters. Still, no one expected him to stand a chance against Kravarsh-Niku, who was hell-bent on claiming the title he'd failed to win the year before."
As Belinda's narrative went on, Chakotay found both women's eyes on him.
"Chuck and I were in the audience, close to the ring. There was a delay of some sort and everyone was getting restless. I could see Kravarsh-Niku waiting off to the side, talking with his coach. Then suddenly there was a small commotion, with staff rushing this way and that. At first we didn't know what was going on, but then your friend here climbed into the ring." Belinda grinned at Kathryn and indicated Chakotay with a nod of her head. "He had a black eye and several bad bruises, and he looked mad as hell. But before anyone could start asking questions, the bell rang and the fight began." She paused again, and Chakotay felt that she wanted to give him the opportunity to add his own view of the events.
He made a dismissive motion with his hand. "Go on," he told her. "You might as well tell it all now."
"If you insist," Belinda shrugged. "It was a long fight, eight or nine rounds I think. Quite vicious, too – the referee kept shouting warnings left and right. In the end, Chakotay knocked out Kravarsh-Niku with a ringing left hook. The photo on the campus news the next day showed him just about to strike the final blow, his face contorted in rage and his black eye clearly visible. The caption read 'Black-Eyed Terror defeats Would-Be Champion', and that quickly became his fighting name afterwards."
Kathryn was staring open-mouthed at Chakotay, and he found himself squirming at her expression of disbelief. It only emphasized how little they still knew each other – she'd had no idea about this explosive and potentially violent side of his.
"The tournament final the next day was rather boring in comparison," Belinda continued, saving Chakotay from having to explain for the moment. "Both Chuck and Chakotay were guarded, not giving each other much opportunity for a good attack. After ten rounds, the win was announced by points. You were ahead by what, two, three?"
"Two, I believe," Chakotay replied quietly.
"Chuck was disappointed of course, but he kept saying that he was glad you didn't turn as murderous on him as you had on Kravarsh-Niku. Both graduated shortly afterwards, but the story of the fight went down into Academy history." She finally stopped watching Chakotay and looked at Kathryn instead. "I'm surprised you've never heard of it."
"I never cared much for boxing," Kathryn shrugged without taking her eyes off Chakotay. "What happened before that semifinal?" she asked, her voice low and compassionate.
He could have cried with relief. She didn't focus on the loss of control he'd displayed during the fight, or the fact that he'd knocked out an opponent who was older, stronger and more experienced than himself, only because destructive rage and adrenalin had given him superhuman endurance. Instead, she'd picked up on his questionable appearance before the fight, and had rightly guessed that the key to his aberrant behavior lay there.
"I was ambushed on my way to the gym," he said, holding Kathryn's gaze and willing her to see that he trusted her to draw her own conclusions and not judge him before she'd heard the whole story. When she nodded slightly, he continued. "Apparently Kravarsh-Niku had watched my earlier matches and was a little worried that if the win came down to points, I'd have an advantage. So he decided that it was safer to make sure I wouldn't show up for the semi in the first place, and be disqualified. The plan was sound; everyone would have assumed that I was scared and had backed out. So he sent three of his friends to take care of me."
"You took out three of Kravarsh-Niku's cronies before you went to fight him?" Now it was Belinda's turn to look on in disbelief. "How'd you manage that?"
Chakotay allowed a small smile to play around his lips. "Lucky for me, they weren't quite the fighters he was. All muscle and no brains. But they did get lucky with a few punches, which is how I got the black eye. Once I managed to shake them off, I had to hurry to get to the gym and made it just in time. A minute later and they really would have disqualified me as a no-show."
"What happened to them later?" Kathryn wanted to know. "Were they expelled? And why was Kravarsh-Niku allowed to graduate?"
"They weren't cadets, but local guys he'd met at a bar down by the harbor. Fleet security tried to track them down, but they'd vanished. Since there were no witnesses to the attack..." Chakotay let the statement trail off. "As for Kravarsh-Niku, I believe he graduated on probation. I don't know what became of him."
"He died two years later during shore leave on his homeworld," Belinda said. "As far as I know, there was an unexpected volcanic eruption. His village was buried under a lava flow too fast for evacuation."
A somber mood settled over the small group. Chakotay noticed only now that Kathryn had taken his hand and was passing her thumb back and forth over his knuckles. He smiled up at her and squeezed her fingers, earning a small smile in return.
Belinda finally roused herself. "I need to check on the baby, she still tends to wake up around this time. Did Danny invite you to Lake George?" When Chakotay nodded, she smiled knowingly. "Then maybe we'll meet you there sometime. For now, see you tomorrow."
Shortly afterwards, Kathryn and Chakotay bade their goodbyes to the rest of the family. It was almost an hour after midnight when they walked back through deserted streets toward their hotel. After his long day in the classroom, Chakotay felt tired, but he forced himself to stay alert and listen to Kathryn's running commentary about the buildings they passed, even though he couldn't see very much of them in the darkness.
Once they reached the hotel, her flow of words ceased. They rode the lift in silence but with their hands loosely clasped together.
When the door to her room closed behind them, Kathryn turned to Chakotay. "I'm sorry," she offered.
He was surprised. "What for?"
"For the way things turned out with Belinda. You said you'd be there to shield me from unwelcome questions, and instead that story gets dragged up..."
Closing the distance between them, he smoothed back her hair with both hands, kissed her lightly on the lips and enveloped her in a warm embrace. "It's okay. I probably should have told you as soon as you first mentioned hearing the name."
She looked up at him. "Did you really win three times?"
He nodded. "I managed to defend the title in my third and fourth year. And before you ask, I still box occasionally, but not competitively."
"Okay." She leaned her head against his shoulder and they stood holding each other for another moment. Much as he relished these moments of closeness, Chakotay soon found himself getting drowsy. When he yawned, Kathryn stepped back. "Let's get you to bed. There's still a lot to prepare for tomorrow."
"Yes, Sir," Chakotay chuckled.
Kathryn raised one eyebrow. "That's 'Ma'am' to you."
"If you insist." Still chuckling, he mimicked a salute. "Yes, Ma'am."
Laughing, she smacked his arm. "You just wait until I make captain and throw you in the brig for insubordination."
"I look forward to the day."
Amidst more banter and teasing, they eventually retired for the night.
-==/\==-