Seven of Nine worked diligently to decode the encrypted missives from home filtering in from Starfleet High Command through the subspace array. B'Elanna worked silently beside her- the latest missive addressee's name materialized, finalizing the transmission.
Seven looked to her colleague, "that's a batch of thirty, take these to Neelix and take a break, I'll continue with the encryption."
B'Elanna looked over to Seven and nodded gratefully, she had seen a missive for Tom in this batch and was eager for both a respite and to bring him the good news of a letter from home. She walked toward the Turbolift and glided into the Mess Hall a few minutes later. It was 1800 hours, which meant as she walked into the large room, there was a buzz of activity, she spotted Tom and Harry huddled over a game of cards with a few other crew members and also glimpsed the Captain, Chakotay, and young Keira seated at a table in the corner over bowls of the Talaxian stew du jour, the aromas of which were strong and wafting through the Mess Hall. B'Elanna reached into the carrier containing the latest batch of missives and grabbed Tom and the Captain's, the rest she handed carefully to Neelix to distribute in his capacity as Ship Morale Officer.
Approaching the family's table, B'Elanna came up behind Keira and rubbed the youngster's back in a warm greeting- she was very fond of the young Janeway. "Good evening little one, Captain, Chakotay." Keira beamed up at the Engineer.
"B'Lana," Keira greeted, mushing syllables of the half-Klingon's name together in the same way she had since she had first started to speak. "I'm going to the holodeck tomorrow, I'm going to see Earf with Prefect Gardener!"
"Earth you say? How exciting Keira, I'm very jealous. You'll have to tell me all about it- shall I pick you up after school tomorrow afternoon and you can tell me about your trip?" Keira nodded before turning back to her stew, satisfied wholly by her exciting update and news that B'Elanna would pick her up the following day.
"How lovely B'Elanna, Keira loves you so- I also can't wait to hear about this class trip."
B'Elanna smiled at Janeway, "I have exciting news for you as well Captain, Seven and I decrypted the latest batch of missives from home - there's one in it for you" She passed the Padd to Janeway over the table and nodded to Chakotay, "I'm going to join Tom for dinner, if I can pry him away from this last round of Treforian poker…" Looking to Keira before moving from the table, B'Elanna whispered "I'll see you tomorrow young lady"
B'Elanna having departed, Chakotay looked over to his wife, "missive from home, I do hope it's better news than mine" Chakotay paused, thinking back to two days earlier at the painful news that the Maquis force in the Alpha quadrant had been decimated by the Cardassians- it had been devastating news for him and the rest of the ex-Maquis on Voyager- their friends, comrades, family had been wiped out in the terrible conflict back home. For many, it had been a debilitating blow, to know that home, if they ever made it back, would be missing most of the closest connections they had left behind. "Who is it from?"
At the end of his question, Chakotay sensed a shift in Janeway, her face had gone from a lighthearted smile to a set straight line, there was a pause before she answered. "It…" her voice cracked and she restarted as her eyes rapidly sped through the words on the screen, "it's, it's from Mark." Chakotay stilled beside her.
"Your fiance."
She gave Chakotay a stern glance, "my ex-fiance."
"Is he dutifully waiting for you? Has he been patiently awaiting the return of his woman after these 7 long years?" Chakotay's voice projected a joking facade, but the underlying tone of and meaning powering his words belied a tension. His mind raced as instinctual jealousies pushed their way forcefully into his mind, he worked to push them aside but the thought of his wife loving another man, another man loving his wife, another man touching his wife, and gods forbid another man inside his wife suddenly flooded his consciousness. The pangs of jealousy were heightened by the idea that this man was still waiting for his lost fiance, Chakotay's woman, his Kathryn, and was reaching out even now in the hopes of staking his claim, of reconnecting across thousands of light-years of empty space. Kathryn was his and his alone, his hand curled with unconscious tension as he worked to move past the jealousies blocking his mind- a battle he was losing.
Janeway knew her husband, knew his protectiveness stemmed from the customs of his people, his tribe. Noting his now-clenched fist, she put the Padd down and put her hand out, covering his hand with her own and squeezing gently, "easy now, love." She locked eyes with him, hoping to bring him back into the moment, "Chakotay- " she started.
He interrupted her, "I asked you a question."
"I'm not going to answer your question as it will only inflame your emotions right now."
"So he's waiting for you."
"I didn't say that Chakotay, you have no reason to be jealous."
"I'm not jealous, I'm asking you what your lover-"
"Ex-lover" Janeway corrected.
"What your ex-lover wrote. I will not have another man lusting after my wife."
"Chakotay, I want to encourage you to realize the ridiculousness of that statement. You can't control that. And even if he was waiting for me, which I'm not saying that he is, but even if he was, what does it matter? I love you, I am with you- nothing can change that."
"Do you think of him? Do you wonder what if?" Chakotay asked in a hushed accusatory tone.
Janeway widened her eyes, "Cha-ko-tay." There was exasperation in her voice and she dragged out each syllable of his name to highlight her frustration- but it came out louder than she had intended, and she noticed as crewman at the next table flicked their gazes ever so briefly towards her and their First Officer, the utterance grabbed Keira's attention as well. Their daughter's eyes turned up from her concentrated focus on consuming her stew to rest on both her parents.
"Momma is mad" Keira observed in a childish way that revealed an innocent disinterest.
"Yes, Keira, Momma is mad." Janeway responded to her daughter's words, but directed her gaze and her tone towards her husband.
"Kathryn, my people believe that when a man and a woman join, it must be a total joining- that there can be no claims on either of the couple from external forces- that it can destroy the sanctity of the coupling. I am trying to move past my instinctual jealousies and I know that frustrates you- but I also need you to understand where it is coming from."
"Love, I know that- it's just hard in this moment to placate you- I haven't done anything, nothing has changed- this man I lov-" she changed course before using the l-word, even in the past tense, to avoid triggering Chakotay further "this man I was involved with is still light-years away and I still met, fell in love with, chose, and will forever continue to choose you. I carried your child inside my body for 9 incredibly long and painful months- there are no claims on me except your own." At her reassurance she saw as Chakotay relaxed into her words, she drew her hand up under her chin and kissed him briefly and delicately her lips brushing against his for a few nanoseconds. She used her hand to direct his gaze across the table at his daughter, their daughter, "Chakotay look at that- look at what we made."
He smiled as Keira looked back up at her parents, not at all grasping the trajectory of the night's dinner table discussion, "we did make that."