June 20, 2379 early morning Kathryn & Chakotay's Quarters
Chakotay woke and stretched like a big cat. He looked next to him at the beautiful sleeping form that was his wife. It was rare for him to be the first to wake, but he wasn't going to complain, he loved to just lie next to Kathryn and watch her sleep.
He wondered what time it was, probably about the time their alarm usually went off. They'd decided to not set it last night and let themselves sleep in, as they had arranged to have the day off, so they could celebrate their anniversary, but force of habit had caused him to wake up anyway. Well, he'd find out soon enough what time it was, when Kathryn's grandfather clock chimed. He'd repaired the clock about two weeks after he'd moved into Kathryn's quarters; it had bothered him to have a non-functional chronometer in the quarters. At first Kathryn was delighted that he'd figured out how to repair it, and he'd taken all the credit for it, though in truth B'Elanna had helped him a great deal; but then the chiming kept her awake at night. Chakotay had had to work hard to convince her that she'd get use to it in a while and sleep right through it, and of course he was right about it.
Maybe it was thinking back to fixing the clock, but suddenly Chakotay found himself wandering down memory lane about his and Kathryn's first year of marriage. It had been a good year, not just for them, but for Voyager as well.
For the first time since being thrown into the Delta Quadrant, they had had a sustained period of, not only knowing what lay ahead of them, but also having the company of another ship. The Confederation had assigned a vessel to escort them through their territory, and for the first three months that responsibility had been granted to the Sentinel.
Having the Sentinel just a few thousand kilometers away, meant that he and Kathryn got to spend time with Terpe and Pakrité, and others of their crew had struck up friendships as well. There'd been no hostilities; well, aside from a few snide remarks from a few admirals in Star Fleet about his and Kathryn's marriage, and no shortages. The only troubles they'd encountered were a few plasma storms. He'd actually begun to worry that the crew was getting a bit soft.
As Chakotay thought back to the first month or so of his and Kathryn's marriage, he remembered with embarrassment a trip to the sickbay. He'd been a bit impatient to make love to her one day after their duty shift, and so had taken her up against the bulkhead just inside their quarters, but as things progressed, he had a change of heart and decided he wanted to take things to the bedroom after all. Unfortunately, his back wasn't quite up to what his libido had in mind and he both heard something pop and felt something tear.
The doctor was his typical clucking self and told Chakotay in no uncertain terms that he was getting out of shape, he'd put on a couple of kilos and his muscle tone wasn't what it should be. The EMH was a bit amazed, as the commander was always one of the fittest members of the crew. He grilled Chakotay about what he was doing differently of late, and it was then Chakotay realized that he'd created his own troubles. Before he married Kathryn, he had an extremely active social/athletic life. He played hoverball or velocity every morning and every evening with a different member of the crew, on their holodeck time. It meant he got a good workout twice a day without depleting his holodeck time and he got to touch base with all of the crew at least once about every 10 weeks. He also played a lot of parisi squares before marrying Kathryn, and he boxed whenever he got frustrated with her; but after their marriage, he became somewhat jealous of his off duty time, wanting to spend every moment of it that he could with her. So his only physical activity of late was lovemaking, and while it was usually pretty aerobic, it didn't appear to be quite enough to offset his normal 2 or 3 hours of exercise a day, especially when he continued to eat as he always had.
Chakotay resolved to get back in shape again. He began by setting up co-ed matches of hoverball, velocity and parisi squares with Kathryn as his partner or teammate. He knew he couldn't get her to go at things with the same intense pace he was used to, so he devised an exercise regime for himself in addition to all the matches. He'd get up a little earlier in the morning than he usually did, still after Kathryn usually got up, and he would jog the decks and climb from deck to deck in the Jeffries tubes.
Chakotay smiled when he thought about one particular morning run, he'd gone down to deck fifteen and was making his way up through the ship deck by deck, around each deck then up the Jeffries tube to the next deck. He was almost done, and as was his habit, he'd skipped over his own deck, deck three, and was just coming out on to deck two, which he intended to circle before climbing home to deck three, when he heard the swoosh of someone's door opening.
Chakotay leaned out the Jeffries tube, but didn't come out on the deck. From his vantage point, he saw Neelix kissing Kikki Merouw, the Sentinel's chief medical officer. The kiss was not a simple peck on the cheek, but a deep passionate kiss such as lover's exchange. Given the early hour, it didn't take a genius to realize that she'd probably spent the night with Neelix. Chakotay could her them whispering words of love to one another. He felt an odd mixture of emotions. He was glad Neelix had found someone to care for but was embarrassed to be spying on the couple. He was also concerned for how his friend would feel when Voyager and Sentinel parted company.
That had happened about a week before Chakotay and Kathryn's first major fight. It was a strange fight really, considering what had provoked it and how it unfolded. Kathryn had taken an all female away team with her to visit a member world of the Confederation that was even more matriarchal than Tépekan. Chakotay was finding her absence very difficult to cope with whenever he wasn't on duty. He found himself easily distracted and unable to eat or sleep well. He'd replicate something to eat, take a few bites and then put the dish down somewhere and wander off to pick up a book or a carving project, never getting back to the food.
Chakotay lived for Kathryn's subspace communications, but when she called all he could think to talk about were Voyager and Kathryn's away mission. He always told her he missed her and couldn't wait for her to be home, but the words couldn't really express how lonely he felt without her. The nights were the worst. He couldn't sleep without her next to him. He found that a bit ironic; when they'd first married he'd wondered if he'd ever get use to sharing a bed with her. They were poorly matched, in that he was a light sleeper and she was a restless one. Her tossing and turning would wake him up, and after about the third time he was woken in a night, his brain would just give up on trying to sleep, as though it just couldn't trust that he would actually be allowed to sleep. But eventually he got used to her restless ways, just as she got accustomed to the chiming of the clock, and there he was unable to sleep because she was on an away mission and therefore wasn't next to him.
Finally the day came when Kathryn would be coming home. Chakotay looked around their quarters and shock his head at what he saw. The place was a mess! He hadn't made the bed or put any dishes in the recycler since she'd been gone, and his dirty clothes were strewn everywhere. His carving projects and the shavings were on the dining room table and there were books and pads everywhere. He needed to clean the place up, but first he was going to make a little oasis for his Kathryn. He replicated scented candles and bath salts and placed them in the bathroom along with her big plush terry bathrobe.
Just as he was about to start on the clean up project Chakotay got a call from Tom, he and Harry and Ken needed one more man for their Parisi Square team or they'd have to forfeit their match. Chakotay hesitated but he knew Kathryn wasn't due back for about four hours and the Parisi Square match couldn't last that long. Well, it didn't, but he'd underestimated how anxious the women on the away team had been to see their men. Just as the match finished, with his team victorious of course, Tuvok called to say the Delta Flyer had docked. Chakotay was furious that the Vulcan hadn't thought to contact him earlier to let him know the change in the timing of the rendezvous.
Chakotay ran through the corridors with his Parisi Square mallet in hand, trying to get to their quarters before Kathryn and get the place cleaned up, but she had beaten him there by just a few moments and stood there stunned at the mess she found. When Chakotay arrived a few moments later, all sweaty from his athletic endeavors, she exploded at him. He tried to apologize and started to clean up the mess but she ordered him out of their quarters.
A dazed Chakotay went next door to Tom and B'Elanna's and poured his heart out to them, oblivious to the fact that they too were anticipating a reunion. He offered them the explanation Kathryn wouldn't listen to, about how hard he'd found their first separation and how he'd meant to clean everything up, but that first he'd spent time preparing a surprise for her, and then he'd joined Tom and Harry and Ken in the holodeck, not knowing the women would come home early.
In the meantime, Kathryn cleaned up their quarters alternating between anger and sorrow. She had taken the condition of their quarters as a sign that Chakotay had been enjoying a brief return to his bachelorhood and hadn't really missed her at all, while she on the other hand had missed him fiercely. At one point, she was about to fling his latest carving project and tools in the recycler, but she just couldn't, as she remembered that nearly every project was meant for some member of the crew.
After listening to her "brother" practically blubber about Kathryn being so angry at him that she'd thrown him out, B'Elanna decided the only thing that was going to get Chakotay out of her quarters, so she could get a proper welcome home from her husband and child, was her going over and talking to Kathryn. She related everything Chakotay had said, and asked Kathryn if she'd found Chakotay's surprise. Kathryn hadn't. She'd been so busy picking up the main living area and the bedroom that she hadn't made it to the bathroom yet. When she saw what Chakotay had prepared for her, her heart melted. She asked B'Elanna to go and tell Chakotay to come home.
Chakotay sighed as he remembered the great "make-up sex". He was almost tempted to pick fights after that.
A few weeks after their first big fight they got some mixed news, the Sentinel had received news that they were to be replaced as their escort ship, but before that Terpe was to be granted his long desired transfer to a science vessel. A transport ship would bring a new commanding officer for the Sentinel and then take Terpe to his new command; a few weeks after that a new vessel would arrive to relieve the Sentinel and its crew would be granted leave to their home worlds.
As Chakotay and Kathryn dined one night with Terpe and Pakrité, they helped their friends see that this change in plans actually meant that they had a chance to be together. Pakrité could resign her commission and apply for a position on the civilian science team that would be assigned to the science vessel. Of course there was the chance the civilian team might not accept her application but it was a chance they were willing to take. As soon as Pakrite's resignation was official, the couple was married in Voyager's holodeck.
At the wedding reception Chakotay noticed that Neelix seemed pensive, he decided to mention what he knew about Neelix and Kikki to Kathryn.
"Neelix doesn't look like he's enjoying himself very much," Chakotay observed.
"He does seem rather withdrawn," Kathryn replied.
"I wonder if something has gone wrong between him and Dr. Merouw?" Chakotay speculated.
"Is he involved with her? Since when?" Kathryn asked rather sharply.
"Well, yes I'm pretty sure they are involved. I mean one morning when I was out jogging I saw them come out of Neelix's quarters, he kissed her rather passionately and she said she loved him," Chakotay replied.
"When was that?" Kathryn demanded to know.
"A few days before you went to Hualtia," Chakotay responded, wondering what Kathryn was on about.
"Why? What do you know that you're not telling me?" he asked with curiousity.
Kathryn pulled Chakotay aside to a quieter more secluded spot. "Kikki is pregnant with twins," she told Chakotay.
"How do you know that?" he asked a bit incredulous.
"I overheard the doctor telling her when I went down for one of my routine exams," Kathryn said the latter with disdain, as she disliked having to check in so frequently with the doctor, but knew it was necessary if she and Chakotay were to one day have a healthy child.
"Does Neelix know?" Chakotay asked thinking that if the Talaxian knew he wasn't as excited about the prospect of fatherhood as Chakotay was.
"I don't think so, the doctor started to say something about congratulating the father to be and before he could say anything more, Kikki said no, she wasn't going to tell him because she couldn't see anyway for the two of them to raise the "kittens," as she called the babies, together," Kathryn answered.
Before Chakotay could voice his feelings about how unfair Kikki was being, Kathryn interrupted his thoughts, "Chakotay do you think we could make room on this ship for one more doctor and a couple of Talaxian-Meoan 'kittens'?"
Chakotay smiled broadly, "Yes, my love, I think we could. Come on let's talk to the doctor and then we can talk to Neelix and Kikki."
With very little persuasion, they convinced the EMH that Kikki would make a good addition to 'his' staff and Chakotay began plotting how he could shift some of his counseling duties to her. Chakotay went off to corral Neelix, while Kathryn got Kikki. They'd agreed to bring the couple to their quarters and then offer Kikki the opportunity to join Voyager's crew.
Neelix fidgeted nervously in the quarters of the captain and first officer, as he and Chakotay waited for the captain. He wondered if he was in trouble for having a relationship with Kikki. He knew Harry Kim had gotten in trouble for something similar, but Harry was Star Fleet and Neelix wasn't. And besides he thought, 'I don't care what anyone says, loving Kikki can't be wrong, I just wish I could figure out a way for her to stay here with me on Voyager.'
When Kathryn entered with Kikki, Neelix quickly stood and began defending his relationship with the woman he loved, "Captain, I don't know why you've brought Kikki here, but I can assure you she's done nothing to harm Voyager and-"
"Wait, wait Neelix calm down. We're not here to accuse you or Kikki of any wrong doing," Chakotay reassured his excitable friend.
"No, no Neelix on the contrary, we've asked you here to, well be a support, to Kikki as she thinks about an offer we'd like to extend," Kathryn said, then looked at Chakotay, willing him to take it from there.
"Yes, Neelix, you know there've been times when Voyager has very much needed a flesh and blood doctor, and we certainly could use a ship's counselor as well. We were hoping Kikki might be willing to take on those roles," Chakotay explained as he looked at the Meoan doctor.
Kikki couldn't believe what she was hearing. They were offering her a chance to stay with Neelix. To raise her kittens with the man she loved. But would they want her if they knew she were pregnant? Could they take on not just her, but her babies as well, and what would Neelix think when he learned she was pregnant? Would he be angry that she hadn't told him? Would he even want to be a father?
Kathryn interpreted Kikki's silence as hesitation. and wondered if perhaps the thought of leaving her family and friends was too much for her.
"Of course we'd understand if you felt you couldn't leave your family or-"
"I don't have any family. They were all killed by marauders when I was a child." Kikki answered. "I'm sorry, you must be wondering why I'm hesitating. Believe me, I want to come with you, but I'm wondering if you'll want me to when I tell you-" she hesitated and looked at Neelix.
"Tell us what Kikki?" Neelix asked, wondering what was making his lover hesitate to take this wonderful opportunity.
"In just a few months, I won't be able to do the jobs you want me to do, at least for a while and then well, we'll be even more of a drain on resources than you planned," Kikki began awkwardly explaining.
"Kikki what are you talking about?" Neelix asked truly confused.
Kathryn felt really good about the other woman when she realized she was thinking about Voyager, of course she also knew that Kikki probably felt insecure about how Neelix would take the real news.
Kikki looked Neelix straight in the eye and said, "I'm pregnant. I'm going to have kittens, babies."
Neelix looked at her and tried to process what she was saying, "Are you saying, I mean am I-"
"Yes, Neelix you're going to be a father. Please believe me, I didn't realize we could conceive without assistance, its uncommon for my species to be able to easily interbreed with other humanoids," Kikki began falling back on medical facts as she waited for Neelix to process the information and become angry. She didn't have to wait long.
"And when were you going to tell me this, if the captain hadn't made this generous offer?" Neelix asked heatedly.
Kikki swallowed, and then held her head high as she answered him, "I wasn't going to tell you, because without the captain's generous offer there would have been no way you could have been a part of the kittens' lives without leaving Voyager, and I couldn't ask you to do that. I couldn't ask you to leave you're friends after you'd already left your home world so far behind" she said and waited for his reaction.
"You should have at least let me decide that for myself," Neelix said angrily.
"Hey, you two what does any of that matter now?' Chakotay interjected. "You don't have to make any sort of sacrifice here. We're offering you a way to have it all. Neelix can stay here on Voyager with his friends and you can join him. The two of you can raise your 'kittens' together."
As Chakotay's words sunk in, Neelix and Kikki fell into one another's arms.
"I think we can take that as a yes to our proposition," observed Kathryn.
As Chakotay thought back upon Neelix and Kikki joining their lives, he had to admit it had had a lot of positive outcomes. Kikki was a wonderful addition to sickbay. She help design a "fertility monitor" for the female members of the crew to help cut down on the need to report to sickbay for monitoring of various biochemical levels that would signal a return of fertility.
Kikki's counseling abilities were also a boon, Chakotay would never have survived counseling all the newlyweds on board, nor could he have dealt as effectively with the "lonely hearts" - the members of the crew who hadn't paired off. And the upheaval with Seven of Nine or as she was calling herself nowadays - Annika, would have probably sent him to an early grave without Kikki's calm voice of reason.
Annika had suddenly decided she wanted to explore her humanity and what she wanted most to explore were romantic situations. Chakotay couldn't decide what was more disruptive, her off duty attire, sort of early 21st century streetwalker outfits, or her dating 2 or 3 men in a single day. She'd caused a major rift between Harry Kim and the doctor that had taken all of Chakotay and Kikki's considerable skills to repair. Kathryn had commented that it was as though they had a hormone-crazed teenaged daughter on their hands. When either he or Kathryn wasn't talking about throttling her, they could almost see the humor in the situation.
Another benefit of Kikki and Neelix getting together was a vast improvement in Neelix's cooking. It turned out that during pregnancy, Meoan females became extremely sensitive to odors, most Talaxian spices made Kikki nauseous, so Neelix had to either completely abandoned or cut way down on spices in his dishes or make his wife sick, that, coupled with the dearth of leola root, meant that meals were becoming not only palatable, but in some cases down right tasty.
Chakotay found himself extremely busy trying to redesign quarters and create a nursery for all the babies that would soon be making an appearance on the ship and trying to rework duty rosters. After a rather tiring day he had gone home with one thought on his mind - Kathryn. Holding his wife in his arms and making sweet love to her would sooth all the stresses of the day, so it was of course a bit of a shock to his system when she said 'No'.
Kathryn then went on to explain she'd gotten official confirmation, her fertility had rebounded and now they couldn't have unprotected sex on certain days of her cycle, as that might result in a pregnancy before the levels of the mutagenic byproducts of the neutralized boosters had decreased to a safe level. So a harried Chakotay found himself reviewing a list of options on pre-booster contraceptives. They settled on using the fertility monitor to tell them when they needed to use a barrier and decided the oldest known contraceptive was probably the best. Of course, after the first time they used a condom, Chakotay had serious doubts and several complaints, but Kathryn could be very persuasive. She'd simply said "it's this or abstinence on my fertile days," and he'd complied, maybe not happily, but he'd complied.
As Chakotay lay in bed contemplating his wife's sleeping form, he thought about the birth of Neelix and Kikki's children a few months ago. The "kittens", as Kikki called them or cubs as the doctor referred to them, were adorable. The girl, whom they had named Alixia after Neelix's sister, looked like a miniature of her mother, in other words like a bipedal cougar. The boy, whom they had named Rarme, on the other hand, was a mix of his parents. He had his father's spots and mane over his mothers tawny fur. It made him look like a cross between a jaguar and a lion. Chakotay thought the boy might be rather ferocious looking when he grew up. At this stage though, both kittens were as cute as kittens should be. There was one major problem with the kittens at this young age. Meoan children developed physically rather more rapidly than most humanoids, and so the kittens were already getting about at a rapid crawl and showing signs of walking in the very near future, but they hadn't yet learned to sheath their claws at appropriate times. This wasn't a problem for Kikki as her dense fur protected her, but Neelix and the kittens' favorite Uncle, Chakotay, had an almost daily ritual of running a dermal regenerator over the scratches the kittens inflicted.
Chakotay sighed, he thought back about 6 weeks and remembered how excited Kathryn had been one evening. He could tell she'd been waiting to tell him something all day, but apparently it wasn't ship's business, so she'd waited until they were off duty. The doctor had told her that the level of mutagenic byproducts from the neutralization of the boosters had finally decreased to a level that Star Fleet medical considered safe for conception. In other words they could start trying to make a baby! He'd been overjoyed and they'd used the fertility monitor to their advantage, knowing when Kathryn was most likely to get pregnant and in Kathryn's words, "going at it like bunnies." Kathryn did get a bit curious about Chakotay's insistence on taking a hot bath before they had sex, using primarily the missionary position and abstaining on certain days, and a few other things he was doing that seemed odd to her. Then one day she found a pad with some research on it about increasing the odds of conceiving a girl. She had laughed at him and waved the pad in his face. He so wanted a little girl and she thought that was "cute". Spirits! He hated it when she said something he did or said was cute, or even worse when she said he looked cute. Didn't she know she was the only cute one in the family?
It was getting harder and harder for Chakotay to resist the temptation to wake Kathryn. He so wanted to make love to her. He was also a bit worried about her sleeping in lately. He thought she might be slightly depressed. He knew that when her period came about a week and a half ago she'd been tremendously disappointed, and now the fertility monitor wasn't giving them signals that she was ovulating again. He finally decided he couldn't resist temptation any longer and began placing soft, little kisses on Kathryn's face. She sighed and stretched a little. He stroked her face.
As she opened her eyes he said, "Hello sleepyhead, Happy Anniversary".
She smiled at him and put her arms up to loop around his neck and pull him down for a kiss. Soon the light kisses they were sharing gave way to more passionate kisses. He began to kiss her breasts, but when he began to suck on a nipple, she indicated to him in a non-verbal way that her breasts were tender, so he returned to simply kissing her breasts. He teased his fingers over her inner thighs and played a bit with her labia and clitoris. When Chakotay felt himself harden sufficiently, he positioned himself over Kathryn preparing to enter her. Suddenly she pushed at him almost franticly.
"Get off! Get off me! I'm going to be sick!" she wailed.
As he rolled off her, she bolted from the bed. Chakotay became at first very concerned and then delighted. He joined her in the bathroom, holding back her long hair as she vomited and supporting her as best he could. When it seemed the retching had stopped, he got her a damp washcloth so she could clean her face.
As she rinsed her mouth, he said with a grin, "This must be your first bout of morning sickness".
"No you lunkhead, it can't be, or don't you know anything about human biology? I had my period just a week and a half ago. I can't be pregnant yet and I certainly wouldn't be experiencing morning sickness this early if I were," she answered testily.
"Well then, if this isn't morning sickness, we better get you to sickbay, maybe you've picked up a bug of some sort," Chakotay replied, trying not to let the disappointment and hurt he felt at her stinging words creep into his voice.
"No, I don't want to spend our first anniversary in sickbay," she replied.
"And I don't want to spend it worrying about you. Don't argue with me; just humor me. We'll head down to sickbay after breakfast and the doctor can check you out, " Chakotay countered.
"Oh alright, but we may as well go as soon as we can get dressed because the way my stomach feels there's no way I'm going to be able to eat breakfast," Kathryn relented.
The command couple made their way to sickbay amongst a flurry of "Happy Anniversary" wishes from the crew, but despite the crew's good humor, Kathryn was in a particularly bad mood by the time they arrived in sickbay. In fact, she balked at going in, but Chakotay wouldn't hear of it, so at last they stood before the EMH.
"Well Happy Anniversary, what can I do for you two today?" The EMH asked in a cheery voice.
"Explain why I threw up this morning and then give me something for the nausea," Kathryn said rather irritably.
"Hmm, let's see," the doctor said as he passed a medical diagnostic tool over the Captain and looked at the readouts on the medical tricorder.
"Well, I'm surprised you didn't guess this yourselves, considering how much you've wanted this. You're pregnant!" the doctor proclaimed.
Even before Chakotay could react, Kathryn began contradicting the doctor, "But, but I can't be I had my period about a week and a half a go".
"Hmm," the EMH said as he looked at some read outs on the medical tricorder.
"Was your period particularly light and short?" he asked.
"Yes," Kathryn conceded.
"That wasn't a period, that was a rather rare phenomena that some women experience upon implantation of the fertilized egg in the uterine wall," the EMH paused and looked very directly at Kathryn.
"You are pregnant, about 5 and half weeks. The baby is do in mid February."
At that point Chakotay felt he'd contained himself enough. He picked Kathryn up and swirled her around saying, "Oh Kathryn, my love, my love."He was so overcome with emotion his eyes filled with tears and he buried his face in the tresses of auburn hair at her neck.
"Oh Chakotay, please don't spin me around I'm getting sick again," Kathyrn said and he immediately put her down.
As a hypospray hissed into her neck the doctor said, "Here this will help with the nausea."
"What is it?" Kathryn asked, feeling concern for her unborn child.
"An anti- nausea medication which contains a high level of vitamin B-6, it will help reduce your symptoms and is actually very good for your baby," the doctor explained.
"I can't wait to tell B'Elanna and -" Chakotay began but Kathryn cut him off.
"No, I don't want anyone to know just yet," Kathryn said.
"But why not, sweetheart?" Chakotay asked perplexed.
"I don't want anyone to know I'm pregnant until we're sure I'm not going to miscarry," Kathryn said, thinking how devastating it would be to loose the baby, but how much more so if she had to endure everyone's sympathy.
"Well, I'm fairly sure you're not going to, if you do everything you are told to in terms of proper prenatal care" the doctor said, hoping the prospect of preventing a miscarriage would make his most recalcitrant patient behave herself.
"How can you say that which such certainty?" Kathryn asked.
"Well, for one thing early morning sickness is a good sign that the fetus is developing normally, there are a variety of hormones and growth factors produced during pregnancy that the mother 's system often finds nauseating, plus I've done a genetic screening on the fetus and I can find no signs of genetic anomalies," he turned and looked pointedly at Chakotay when he said the last part of his statement, as he knew the commander was concerned about passing on the "crazy gene" That ran in his family.
"None?" Chakotay asked wanting to confirm what the doctor said.
"None, your child has not inherited the gene for sensory tremens," the doctor stated clearly to put the commander's fears to rest. The commander noticeably relaxed and put his arm around his wife.
"We can keep your pregnancy our secret for a little while if you want Kathryn," Chakotay promised.
"By the second trimester, which is only about 7 weeks away, your risk of miscarriage will have dropped to an extremely low level," the EMH reassured her.
"OK, we'll announce it then, and I suppose you have a long list of dos and don'ts for me," Kathryn said smiling at the EMH.
"Oh, it's not that long but I do want you to pay close attention to it," he said as he handed her a padd.
When Kathryn entered her second trimester she decided Chakotay could start carving the baby's cradle and they could officially announce her pregnancy. Never was a birth announcement more anti-climatic. Kathryn was actually a bit hurt that no one seemed surprised, but B'Elanna explained that the idiotic smile that graced Chakotay's face at odd moments, coupled with his hovering over Kathryn and her actually deigning to eat three nutritious meals a day gave them both away. Over the first few weeks after the couple learned they were pregnant, various members of the crew had became aware or at least suspicious of their captain's condition. By the time she was ten weeks along the entire crew knew and everyone had begun making plans for baby gifts. The crew also went out of their way to make sure the captain was having the healthiest pregnancy she possible could aboard a ship.
November 22, 2379
Early in Kathryn's third trimester Chakotay began to be increasingly anxious about Kathryn and the baby's well being. He was so protective of her that at times she felt like she was suffocating in his attention. They had numerous conflicts arising from his concern for her. One day he found her in a Jeffries tube making repairs on an EPS conduit.
"What the hell do you think you're doing," Chakotay bellowed at his wife, and she dropped the hyperspanner she was using in surprise. She began to try to extricate herself from the cramped compartment as she began to explain to him.
"I'm simply replacing an EPS conduit that is long overdue for maintenance," Kathryn said calmly.
"That's something a maintenance crew can do, a pregnant woman doesn't need to be crawling around in Jeffries tubes," Chakotay commented hotly.
"Perhaps so, but I'm pregnant, not disabled. Besides, I'm bored," she replied. She noticed members of the crew passing by who seemed torn between giving their commanding officers privacy and wanting to stay near to make sure things didn't get out of control.
"Bored?!" Chakotay yelled. "Well, if you're so bored, you go remake the duty roster for the umpteenth time, and I'll make the repairs in the Jeffries tubes. Spirits be damned, Kathryn, why do you have to do stuff like this," he roared.
"All right, that's enough!" Kathryn commanded. "Let's take this disagreement to a less public place," she suggested.
"Fine!" Chakotay said in a quiet but intense voice, he took Kathryn's arm by the elbow and began guiding her towards the nearest turbolift. When they entered the lift, he called for deck three and the couple journeyed in silence to their quarters.
"All right, you want to tell me what's wrong with you lately? Ever since we left Confederation space you've been a bear to live with," she accused.
"Oh, so you did notice that we've left Confederation space, that we are right back to the Delta Quadrant status quo, where we don't know what lies ahead of us. We don't know if and when we'll find another M class planet to gather supplies from, nor do we know whether the next alien species we encounter will welcome us with open arms, or shoot first and ask questions later," Chakotay recited impassionedly.
"We lived like that for years Chakotay and I've never seen it make you so stressed out before," Kathryn observed.
"I never had a pregnant wife to worry about before," he retorted. He took several deep calming breathes. "Damn it Kathryn, why do you have to make this harder on me? Why can't you just take it easy and play things safe?" he asked plaintively.
"Play things safe, does that really sound like me?" Kathryn said with a bit of a laugh.
"I guess not," Chakotay reluctantly agreed and let out a sigh.
Suddenly Chakotay sunk to his knees before Kathryn and hugged her to him, placing his head on her pregnancy-swollen belly. "Can't you understand that I'm scared for you and the baby," Chakotay said, then moved his face away from Kathryn's belly and looked up at her as he felt the baby kick.
"I don't think the baby likes hearing Daddy say he's afraid," Kathryn told him with a grin.
Chakotay placed his hands on Kathryn's belly and spoke to his unborn child, "Daddy's sorry sweet one, but Mommy keeps doing things that stress Daddy out."
"Oh," Kathryn said as she ruffled Chakotay's hair, "Alright you win. I'll stop doing things that might make you more stressed out, OK?"
Chakotay looked up and gave Kathryn his full dimpled grin that was guaranteed to melt her heart. "Thanks and I'll try to keep the paranoia at a minimum," he promised.
"Come on," she said pulling him towards their bedroom. "I'll take it easy and you can massage my feet," she offered.
Just as he started to follow her towards their bed, all thought about what he had been up to when he spotted her in the Jeffries tube gone from his mind, his commbadge bleeped.
"Torres to Chakotay" came B'Elanna's voice.
"Chakotay here," he replied and kissed Kathryn's hand.
"Hey did you get lost?" B'Elanna teased.
"Uh, no just sidetracked," he flashed a grin at Kathryn, "I'll be there in a few minutes," Chakotay assured his Chief Engineer and "little sister".
"Sorry, honey but duty calls," he told Kathryn.
"What are you and B'Elanna up to now?" she asked coyly.
"That's for us to know and you to find out," he teased, obviously in a much better mood.
"Are you two remodeling MORE of my ship?" Kathryn asked as she leaned forward from her spot on their bed to keep Chakotay's retreating form in view.
"Only if you let us start working on deck one, cause we've done everything else we can think of with the rest of the ship," he answered.
"Deck one is definitely of limits, at least until this one gets here, maybe then I'll let you put a nursery in my ready room," she answered rubbing her belly and he nodded.
"I'll be back after duty to give you that foot rub," he promised just before he left their quarters.
January 23, 2180 Sickbay
Kathryn went in for her weekly check-up. The EMH hemmed and hawed and finally opened a communication line with the bridge.
"Commander Chakotay, please report to sick bay as soon as possible," the doctor requested.
A few minutes later Chakotay strode into the sick bay. He saw his very heavily pregnant wife propped up on one of the biobeds.
"What's up, doc?" Chakotay asked and the EMH glared at him for a moment until he realized the commander wasn't trying to make a joke.
"I'm placing the captain on temporary medical leave," the doctor informed him.
"Why? Is there something wrong with the baby?" Chakotay asked in a worried tone, as he slid himself behind Kathryn on the biobed to support her.
"No, there's nothing wrong with the baby, however on Kathryn's last couple of check ups her blood pressure has been elevated and she's shown marked edema. She's also complained of headaches and blurry vision. All of these are symptoms of preeclampsia. For her health, and the baby's, I want her to spend more time off her feet and I want her to have as stress free an environment as possible," the doctor explained.
"I'm turning command of Voyager over to you Chakotay, until sometime after the baby is born," Kathryn told her husband.
"All right," Chakotay said and then kissed his wife. She giggled.
"What are you laughing about?" he asked a bit confused, and maybe even a bit affronted.
"Well, I've never seen a change of command end with the new commanding officer kissing the former commanding officer," Kathryn said with more laughter.
Chakotay grinned and then said, "Well, if it's alright with you doctor, I'll take my wife home and then get back to the command of this ship."
"That's fine, Captain," the EMH said.
"Captain Chakotay?" the EMH repeated the title and added Chakotay's name when he got no response to addressing the man as captain.
"Oh yes, I guess I have to get use to that title again," Chakotay said.
"Is there something more doctor?" he asked.
"Make sure that she stays off her feet as much as possible, but also make sure she gets a bit of exercise each day, perhaps walking around the decks or light exercise in the holodeck. Also make sure she gets back in here for her check ups," the EMH said.
"OK, will do," the new acting captain responded.
February 7, 2380 1315 Bridge of the USS Voyager
"Captain, I'm picking up a signal ahead, it appears to be a warp capable vessel," reported Ensign Harry Kim.
"Open a communication channel, Ensign. Let's see if we can establish first contact in a friendly way," Chakotay said. He was glad he wasn't hooked up to any sort of medical monitors because he was sure his pulse was racing and his blood pressure had spiked. His level of anxiety had gone through the roof.
"This is Captain Chakotay of the USS Voyager, we are on a peaceful journey towards our home in the Alpha quadrant. We seek passage through this area of space and would gladly engage in trade, if you are so inclined," he hoped he didn't sound as strained as he felt. He was very nervous about contact with this or any alien species right now.
"Sir, we are getting a response," Kim reported.
"Put it on screen," Chakotay order rather sharply.
"Greetings Captain Chakotay of the USS Voyager, I am Commander Kernda of the HMS Adventurer," said the Humanoid on the screen in front of them. Commander Kernda looked rather human, though his coloring was a bit redder than any human's and his head was covered with feathers rather than hair.
"We look forward to rendezvousing with your vessel to discuss the terms of your passage through our space and any possible trades that might be beneficial to our two peoples. We should rendezvous in three cycles. I look forward to working with you," the alien commander said.
"That would be most welcome. We will meet you in three cycles," Chakotay responded with a forced smile.
"Alright anyone tell me what three cycles works out to?" Chakotay asked.
"Two hours 15 minutes," Tuvok responded.
"Sir do we want to form an away party or bring a party on board from his ship?" Tom Paris asked.
As Chakotay's acting first officer it was Tom's responsibility to make his commanding officer aware of options.
"I would recommend allowing Commander Kernda to come to Voyager with a small entourage," Tuvok quickly interjected.
"Yes, I think that's a good idea," Chakotay said, glad his officers were handling things as his anxiety was threatening to get the better of him.
"Any feeling for the intentions of these aliens," Chakotay asked.
"They seem sincere enough to me," Tom ventured.
"Yes, well lets just be sure we're ready if they turn out to be less friendly than they seem on the surface," Chakotay addded, hoping he didn't sound as paranoid as he felt.
February 7, 2380 1500 Shuttle Bay of the HMS Adventurer
Commander Kernda turned to his first officer, "Camby, I think everything is going to go just fine, but this Captain Chakotay radiates incredible amounts of anxiety. I don't sense overt hostility, but a nervousness and an extreme protectiveness, as though he were a male animal protecting his mate and young. Stay alert," he warned.
Camby nodded, he knew his captain's empathic abilities were amongst the strongest of his people. If Kernda thought there might be trouble, he'd be sure to have the ship ready. He clapped his commanding officer on the shoulder and told him as much. Kernda told his officers and the shuttle pilot to stop delaying and get them on the way to Voyager.
February 7, 2380 1530 Shuttle bay of the USS Voyager
Chakotay was agitated as he waited for the arrival of the aliens. He and Harry and Tuvok would escort the aliens from the shuttle bay to the conference room off the bridge. After the alien shuttle arrived and the small entourage of officers disembarked, introductions were made and the group proceeded to the turbolifts. As they moved down the corridors, Chakotay saw Kathryn and Miral walking towards the group. The little girl spotted him and began running towards him.
"Uncle Tay! Uncle Hawy!" she called out. The little girl reached her arms up to be picked up. Chakotay swept Miral into his arms and hastily made his way to his wife's side.
As Kernda took in the site of the other commander with a small female child in his arms and his arm around a very pregnant woman, he realized that his analogy of a male animal protecting his mate and child were correct. Now, he not only felt Chakotay's fierce protectiveness, but also his overwhelming love for the woman and the child.
"Please allow me to introduce my wife, Kathryn Janeway and my niece, Miral Paris," Chakotay said, as he allowed the little girl to slide down to the floor but kept a restraining hand on her.
"What lovely women you have in your family," Kernda said.
"Please don't let us keep you from your meeting," Kathryn said as she took Miral's hand and headed off towards one of the ship's new nurseries.
When the group from the Adventurer were settled in the conference room, Kernda decided he should speak to Captain Chakotay.
"Captain, I feel I must tell you something. Many of my race are empathic, myself included. When I first spoke to you over subspace, I was concerned at the amount of anxiety I felt from you. But since meeting your spouse and your niece, I think I understand. Your anxiety was not entirely about our vessel suddenly appearing in your path, but was more truly a natural extension of the anxiety of an expectant father, no?" Kernda asked Chakotay to confirm his suspicions.
Chakotay felt an immense relief when he realized this man understood his anxieties. He suddenly had a good feeling about this first contact.
"Yes, I'm afraid that's true. This is our first child and well being out here, virtually alone and not knowing what dangers may lie ahead of us, has truly ratcheted up my fears," Chakotay admitted.
"I remember how nervous I was when my wife was expecting our first child. I drove her to distraction with my constant worrying," Kernda told Chakotay.
Chakotay nodded and began relating stories of things he'd done that Kathryn found "suffocating". Soon the two groups were talking like old friends, by the time the meeting ended Kernda had assured Chakotay that Voyager could have safe passage through the Alliance's territory and had arranged for some very beneficial trade agreements. Chakotay had also made sure the Alliance knew of the existence of the Confederation and thus Voyager was in a position to provide introductions between the two groups. The Alliance's territory wasn't as large as the Confederation but at least Chakotay knew that for the next six months or so his family and community would be traveling through friendly territory.
February 14, 2380 0200 Kathryn & Chakotay's bedroom
"Chakotay," Kathryn said softly but urgently.
"Hmm?" the sleepy man managed.
"Chakotay, wake up! It's time!" she said, a little louder this time.
"What?" he managed, a bit more coherently.
"It's time for me to go to sickbay. I'm in labor," she informed him.
"Uh huh, that's nice," the sleepy man responded on autopilot.
She shoved him as hard as she could and he fell out of bed with a thud.
"What? Why'd you push me out of bed?" he asked bewildered.
"We need to go to sickbay, the baby's coming," she said, trying valiantly not to get angry with her exhausted husband. She had wakened him several times this week with false labor and he was definitely sleep deprived, but this time she was sure she was in labor, it felt different, more urgent.
"Oh," he said, the words finally registering in his sleep-fogged brain. Once he realized what she was saying, he began the age-old expectant father song and dance. Starting and stopping several different essential activities such as getting dressed, helping Kathryn get out of bed and contacting the doctor. Finally Kathryn decided she needed to take charge and began issuing orders to him.
By the time Kathryn waddled into sickbay with her husband's help, both of Voyager's doctors were waiting to help her with the delivery of her child. And so it became a matter of waiting.
February 14, 2380 0800 Bridge
When alpha shift started, the bridge crew realized that Tuvok's presence in the center chair probably signaled the imminent arrival of the command team's first-born child.
"Has anyone heard how things are going?" Harry asked.
"Neelix said Kikki thought it would be another six or seven hours," Tom answered.
Tuvok considered reprimanding the two officers for the non-duty related conversation, but he realized that the birth of the Kathryn and Chakotay's child was very important to the entire crew.
February 14, 2380 1630 Sickbay
"Push Kathryn!" the EMH urged.
Looking every so slightly demonic, Kathryn levered her self up by pushing against her husband's hand, which she had already crushed and gouged, to scream in the doctor's holographic face, "Say that one more time and I'll decompile you!"
"Come on honey just one more time," Chakotay tried to cajole his wife.
The invective that spewed his way would have shocked him earlier that day, when he was sure his lovely wife didn't know swear words in that many languages, but as her labor had progressed he'd begun to wonder if she was possessed. He was definitely glad he'd spoken to other fathers who had told him that once the baby was born, she'd forget all about the pain of the labor and her various threats to divorce, maim or murder him.
"The baby's head is crowning, with the next contraction bear down hard!' the EMH ordered.
"I can't!" Kathryn wailed.
"I know you're tired but you can do this!" Kikki told her.
With another push the baby's head was cradled in the doctor's holographic hands; one more push and the baby's shoulders were delivered.
Soon the EMH was cleaning off and taking the vital statistics of a beautiful baby girl, who was filling the sickbay with the lusty cries of a newborn experiencing the world outside her mother's womb for the first time.
"Oh Kathryn, Chakotay you have a beautiful daughter!" Kikki told them.
She looked at the couple and saw tears of joy streaming down both faces. Then the EMH placed the baby in Kathryn's arms and she began the ancient ritual all new mothers know, as she counted her babies fingers, stroked her dark hair and gazed into her daughter's dark brown eyes.
Kikki looked into Chakotay's face and saw the same longing in his face that she'd seen in Neelix's when the kittens were born. She knew he was torn between wanting to hold his newborn daughter and not wanting to take the baby out of Kathryn's arms. Just as she thought to say something, Kathryn looked up into her husband's face and realized his desire.
"Chakotay, would you like to hold our daughter?" Kathryn asked.
"Yes," he answered in a soft emotion-choked voice. He reached out his strong hands to take his baby girl in his arms. As he looked down at his daughter, he didn't really see her dark hair and dark eyes that marked her as his daughter, instead he saw the delicate features and skin tone that mirrored her mother's.
"She looks to be a beautiful blend of you two," Kikki commented.
"Do you have a name for her?" the EMH asked.
Chakotay looked at Kathryn, wanting to see if she'd let him give their daughter the name he'd chosen for her before she was even conceived. Kathryn smiled and nodded.
"Dulcinea, her name is Dulcinea," Chakotay declared.
"Ah, a beautiful and fitting name for a child so long desired," the EMH said, as he realized the source of the child names.
"EMH to bridge," the doctor intoned.
"Yes, doctor?" answered Tuvok.
"I'd like to inform you of the addition of a new member to Voyager's crew. Dulcinea Janeway arrived at 1650 today, weighing 3.23 kilograms. Parents and daughter are doing fine," the EMH reported.
Cheering and various comments could be heard over the comm. Chakotay was fairly certain it was Tom who said something about Dulcie being her Daddy's Valentine, and Kathryn was positive it was Mike Ayala who gave a big cheer because he was sure he'd won the baby pool.
"I will enter it into the log," Tuvok replied, then he added before breaking off the communications, "Extend my congratulations to her parents," for Tuvok that was darn near an effusive display of emotion.
Kikki brought a chair out from the doctor's office and offered it to Chakotay to sit in. Once he sat he realized he was exhausted. Chakotay handed Dulcinea back to Kathryn so she could nurse the baby. The doctors quietly left the sickbay, so the new family could spend time together bonding.
The EMH insisted on keeping Kathryn and the baby for a 24-hour period of observation; during that time sickbay was like Grand Central Station with members of the crew coming and going. The crew again gave the commander their communication time so he could contact his sister and Kathryn's mother to give them the news.
The biggest shock of the day was the appearance of Q Jr. He declared his God-cousin gorgeous and said his parents' present to the newborn was their absence, as they were beginning to understand that they tended to upset Chakotay and Kathryn. Q Jr.'s present for Dulcinea was a silver rattle that he said was enchanted. Should the "little princess', as Q Jr. called her, ever really need him, all she had to do was touch the rattle and think of him and he'd be there in a heartbeat. Kathryn was of the opinion that her godson was the one enchanted-by her little girl.
February 15, 2380 2000 Kathryn & Chakotay's Quarters
Kathryn was tired after her first afternoon and evening back in their quarters, so she had gladly allowed Chakotay to take over the job of diapering Dulcie and putting her down to sleep while she rested on the couch. But after a few minutes she heard Chakotay singing to their daughter, and she became curious to see him interacting with their child.
She peeked into their bedroom and saw her husband dressed in his pajama bottoms and their daughter in a diaper. He was holding her close to him, his golden skin against her baby pink skin. Chakotay was shifting his weight from foot to foot, swaying back and forth to the rhythm of the song he was singing. She recognized the song as the one that had inspired Chakotay to name their daughter Dulcinea. She leaned against the doorframe and listened to his warm baritone voice as he serenaded his daughter.
I have dreamed thee too long,
Never seen thee nor touched thee, but known thee with all of my heart,
Half a prayer, half a song,
Thou hast always been with me, though we have been always apart.
Dulcinea ... Dulcinea ...
I see heaven when I see thee, Dulcinea,
And thy name is like a prayer an angel whispers ...
Dulcinea ... Dulcinea!
If I reach out to thee,
Do not tremble and shrink from the touch of my hand on thy hair.
Let my fingers but see
Thou art warm and alive, and no phantom to fade in the air.
Dulcinea ... Dulcinea ...
I have sought thee, sung thee, dreamed thee, Dulcinea!
Now I've found thee, and the world shall know thy glory.
Dulcinea ... Dulcinea!
Chakotay could sense Kathryn in the room with him and Dulcie, so he was not surprised when she placed her arms around him. He turned and smiled down on her, his heart too full to allow him to speak.
Kathryn knew that their daughter was collecting nicknames at an alarming speed. She was "Voyager's little Valentine," "Princess," "The little Commander," "Sweet One," but to her, her daughter would always be Dream. She was her parent's dream come true.
"Come on Chakotay put her in the cradle and let's go to bed, this is one dream that will still be here when we wake in the morning."
The End
Author's Note: Well, I tied up most of the loose ends and filled in some of the gaping holes in the scripts that had so bothered me over the years (though I probably created a few of my own along the way). I've no plans for any sequels but if anyone would like to move forward from here with Voyager's character and use some of the original characters introduced In Some Dreams Can't Wait please let me know what you have in mind and if it seems in keeping with what's here already then I'll give my blessing to your endeavor. Hope you've enjoyed this little Novella