"I decided it will be you Chakotay." Kathryn said as she placed her hand on his knee
"Oh Kathryn that is great news, I am extremely happy." Chakotay replied as he pulled Kathryn onto the bed
"Chakotay!" Kathryn yelped
She started laughing and could not fight to get him off. He pinned her arms above her head as he positioned himself to be straddling her.
"Come on Kathryn where is that Starfleet fight gone" He teased
"Chakotay please get off. I need to get some sleep, please get off." Kathryn said still trying to move Chakotay
"Nope sorry not moving" He said with a smile on his face
Kathryn finally stopped moving and made it look like she gave up. He loosened his grip and leaned down to kiss her. Just then Kathryn used all her strength and managed to make him fall off the bed.
"Ouch." He said as he hit the floor
Kathryn was laughing so hard that her mother came rushing in.
"What in the name of…" She started but as soon as she saw Chakotay grab Kathryn and pull her on top of him. She quickly closed the door.
"Mom what the hell is going on?" Phoebe asked as she came down the hall
"It's okay Phoebe Kathryn has finally decided who she is going to be with." Gretchen said as she walked back in to her bedroom.
"Who Mom who did she choose?" Phoebe questioned as she rushed in after her
"You will find out tomorrow Phoebe now go to bed. Your husband will be missing you." Gretchen said as she slowly got into her bed
"Fine. Night mother." Phoebe said as she closed the door to her mother's room. She went into her room and saw that her husband was still fast asleep, she got into bed beside him and she was out like a light.
"Kathryn wake up its 10:30!!" Yelled her sister who was standing at the bottom of the stairs. "There mom I called her, now we have to get going." Phoebe kissed her mother goodbye and her husband hugged Gretchen then they left for the transport station.
"Kathryn. Are you awake?" Chakotay whispered in Kathryn's ear
"No! Go away, five more minutes." Kathryn mumbled
"Kathryn you need to get up. We have to meet with Mark today to let him know what you have decided remember?"
"I know. Fine I am up" Kathryn said as she slid out of bed and walked to the bathroom to have a shower.
"Chakotay can you hand me my uniform from the closet." She yelled from the bathroom
Chakotay got up and grabbed the uniform from the closet and walked right into the bathroom.
"Here Kathryn." He said with a smile
"Thank you" she said with her back to him. As she turned around he was standing there smiling with nothing on
"Well Captain I see some things never change." She said smiling and looking at him up and down
"Well what can I say; you bring out the best in me." He replied as he closed the bathroom door and moved swiftly towards Kathryn.
"Stop right there." Kathryn ordered with a sharp tongue, which made Chakotay stop in his tracks.
"I need to stay focused and I need to get dressed. Alone!" She said as she pointed to the door.
"Go get your uniform from the replicator behind the picture of the solar system, then you can have the bathroom to wash up." She said as she turned and got into her uniform
Twenty minutes later they were both walking down the stairs and into the kitchen to see both Edward and Tayla were eating the breakfast.
"Good morning mom, good morning kids." Kathryn said as she took a cup of coffee and handed it to Chakotay and then took one for herself.
"Dad?" Edward said
"Hey Edward how are you son." Chakotay replied
"Where have you been? Mom said you were never coming back." Edward said with a puzzled look on his face
Kathryn put up her hand to keep Chakotay from speaking. "Edward, I told you that your father had past away in an accident. But it turns out that he didn't I was lied to. But he is back and will never leave us again."
"Okay mom" Edward said and got up ad hugged his dad then his mom. Collected his school notes and met up with his ride outside the door.
"Tayla shouldn't you being getting ready for school?" Kathryn asked her daughter
"I don't feel well mom." Tayla replied
Chakotay stepped forward to place a hand on Tayla's forehead but she flinched and looked uneasy at him
"Here lets see" Kathryn said placing her hand on Tayla's forehead
"You feel warm. Chakotay could you get me the medical tricorder from the medicine cabinet please." Kathryn asked
He handed Kathryn the tricorder and she scanned her daughter.
"Hmmm… you have a fever sweetheart. I would like you to go up to bed please and I will contact the doctor and see if he will pay a house call." Kathryn said as she went to the office to contact the Doctor.
Half hour later the Doctor had finished his scans and gave Tayla a hypo to bring down the fever.
"Make sure she stays in bed and no school for two days." The EMH said
"Thank you Doc." Kathryn said
"Chakotay it is good to see you again. I hear Starfleet has given you your rank as Captain back and a teaching job." The EMH said
"Yes it was very kind of them. Now all I have to do is find a house for my family to live in." Chakotay said as he opened the front door to let the Doctor out
"Good luck." Was all the Doctor said then he walked down the driveway to the transport station.
Noon
"Tucker!" Kathryn said as picked up her son "I missed you."
"Kathryn how are you?" Mark asked
"I am good Mark." Kathryn replied as she gave Mark a hug and a kiss on the cheek
"Chakotay."
"Mark." Both men shook each others hand and sat down at the table in the restaurant that Kathryn chose for the meeting.
"Okay, now we all now why we are here. It has been a very difficult decision for me, but I have made up my mind." Kathryn started
Both men sipped their drinks and listened to Kathryn.
"So I have decided to remarry Chakotay. I know Mark, that look on your face says it all; it was not an easy decision but the correct one. I will always be there for you and OUR son." Kathryn said as she held Mark's hand.
"It is okay Kath, I understand, truly I do. Our son will grow up with both his parents; even though we may not live together he can still have both of us." Mark said as he squeezed Kathryn's hand gently.
"Mark you will always be a member of our family. You took amazing care of Kathryn and you have a beautiful son to prove it. I would be honored if you would be my Earth brother." Chakotay said putting out his hand to shake hands with Mark
"Chakotay, I…. I would be honored to be your brother." Mark said shaking Chakotay's hand
"Good I am glad you to are going to get along," Kathryn said with a big smile on her face.
They all talked for hours until the waiter asked if they could go some where else because they needed to shut down and clean for the dinner crowd.
"Kath I need to take Tucker home, I will call you guys later." Mark said, shook Chakotay's hand and gave Kathryn a hug. Kathryn kissed Tucker on the head.
"See you later Tucker." Kathryn said.
Two years Later
"Chakotay this house is amazing." Kathryn said while relaxing on the front porch of their new house
"I knew you would like it as soon as I saw it. And the kids seem to like it too. It might have taken me two years to find the perfect house, having to move from house to house but this one is great. " Chakotay explained
"Mom!" Yelled Tayla as she cam running from the back of the house
Kathryn looked up to see her daughter came running up the front few steps and jump onto her lap
"Oof" Kathryn said as her daughter landed in her lap. "Tayla you are getting to big for that." Kathryn Laughed
"Sorry mom, I was just so excited I couldn't help it." Tayla said
"So Tayla what has made you so happy?" Chakotay asked
"The backyard it's so big and my bedroom is so big." Tayla replied with a big smile on her face
"I am glad you like it." Chakotay responded. "Tayla I think its time I told you something." Chakotay began
"Mark is not your father. I am, you were born a few years before I had the accident. I am not surprised you don't remember it, but it is true I am your father." Chakotay explained as he looked at her and noticed tears forming in her eyes
"No, it can't be, Mark is the only father I know, you can't be. I will not believe it." Tayla got up and moved quickly for the front door.
"Tayla!" Kathryn yelled
"I think I should go talk to her." Chakotay said as he moved to get up.
"No I will go see her. Why don't you go make supper." Kathryn said as she walked into the house.
Knock Knock
"Tayla may I come in please?" Kathryn asked from outside her daughter's room
"No go away!" Tayla yelled back
Kathryn slowly opened the door "Tayla I need to talk to you please, I am coming in."
Kathryn entered the room and closed the door behind her.
"Why mother?" Tayla asked
"Why is he your father?"
"Yes I thought that Mark was my father, I look like him don't I?"
"Tayla you have Chakotay's smile, and my eyes and hair colour." Kathryn said
"I know I have the same colour eyes and hair as you. I still wish Mark was my father. He was my father for a every long time."
"I know Tayla you are still young."
"Three more years and I can go to Starfleet mother, I am not that young." Tayla snapped
"Oh sweetheart you are and one day you will see."
"This house is great, took him log enough to find the perfect place, but the backyard is great, lots of forest to walk in."
"You know Chakotay decided on this house for you and your brother." Kathryn explained
"That was nice of him. But I still don't believe him to be my father."
"Tayla! That is enough. Here is the recording of your birth, watch it and see for yourself, and this is a PADD with the DNA of your parents. Watch it and review it if you don't believe me or your father." Kathryn handed the video file chip to her daughter as well as the PADD and walked to the door and just as she opened it Kathryn looked at her daughter.
"The true hurts sweetheart, but it's worth it in the long run." Then she walked out of the room closing the door.
"How is she?" Chakotay asked as Kathryn came down the stairs
"She will be fine, she just needs sometime to digest what she has been told." Kathryn replied
They sat down at the kitchen table and chatted about what Kathryn and Phoebe are going to do with their family home since their mother past away just last year.
"Keep it of course Phoebe has always wanted to live there and we can go visit when ever we want. There would have been no way we would have sold that house." Kathryn said while holding onto her coffee cup
"Excuse me Kathryn dinner should be just about ready to come out of the oven." Chakotay explained as he got up from the chair and walked over to the oven.
"That smells great, what is it?" Kathryn asked
"Well it's Fresh Garden Zucchini Casserole if you must know" Chakotay replied
Kathryn smiled at Chakotay and proceeded to get the plates and utensils out to set the table
Moments later dinner was out and being placed onto each plate on the table. Kathryn called to her daughter to come down for dinner. Edward had just walked in to the house after spending the day with on a trip to the Mars station.
"Glad you can make it for dinner Ed. How was the trip?" Chakotay asked
"It was great. I really enjoyed it. I can't wait to apply for Starfleet." Edward said as he sat down at the table
They all eat dinner together and talked about school and Starfleet.
"Edward there is an early application program that you could join. It gets you ready for Starfleet. You should apply for it." Chakotay said
"Thanks dad that's a great idea, Mom could you help me with some of the forms?"
"Sure Edward I will help you." Kathryn said
Beep Beep
"Sorry Edward give me a second then we can send the application." Kathryn said. Edward moved to the sofa near the bookcase in Kathryn's office and sat down and waited.
Kathryn's face changed to show worry and fear but only for a second.
"Mom are you okay?" Edward asked, he had seen the look on Kathryn's face
"Edward go get your father now!" Kathryn ordered
Edward ran out of the office and Chakotay came rushing in a few seconds later.
"Kathryn what is wrong?" Chakotay asked
Kathryn placed her hands on the desk slowly and looked up at Chakotay who was standing in front of her desk.
"A.. umm. A Borg Cube was just destroyed thanks to the new technology we brought back with us." Kathryn started
"Well that's great news." Chakotay replied
"Yes it is,"
"But." Chakotay finished Kathryn's sentence for her
"Starfleet lost four of the ten ships defending a section of Federation space. Captain Carlos Esposito's ship destroyed, Captain Lindsay Turner's ship destroyed, Admiral Harvey Moore's ship destroyed and Captain T'Mel's ship destroyed. The other six were damaged and had casualties, they are still counting the dead and missing. Damn Chakotay we are letting our son get in this, why? So we can mourn the lose of him when the Borg try again? It took the damn Borg this long to regroup, I will not lose our son." Kathryn began to raise her voice and gave a look that meant business.
"Kathryn this was one attack the Borg are just seeing if we can be broken, but we destroyed their cube and we will keep destroying the cubes and spheres until we have destroyed every signal one. When you joined Starfleet you knew that you could be killed and yet you still joined, when your father died you stayed in Starfleet. Why don't we let Ed decided what he wants to do. Tell him about this and see what he says. It is his decision Kathryn." Chakotay explained
"Okay fine I will talk to him." Kathryn said and Chakotay left the office and Edward came back in.
"So you see Edward this is your decision, I told you about the deaths of men and women that died during this attack and even though very fiber of my being is screaming out to stop you from joining Starfleet this is your decision." Kathryn said
"Okay mom I understand. Did you quit Starfleet because bad things happened to you? No and I will not walk away from my dream, I know joining Starfleet is a dangerous decision, but I want to explore space and meet new people and one day command a starship." Edward said
"You are growing up so fast Ed. I am proud of you, and I know if your grandfather was alive today he would be so proud that you have his name and that you are a Starfleet officer all the way." Kathryn said as she got up and walked over to Edward to give him a hug.
"Now let finish the application." Kathryn laughed