"Mama's Boy"
by Andra Marie Mueller

Disclaimer: Paramount is the legal owner of the characters of 'Star Trek: Voyager'. I just borrow them for my own nefarious purposes and to give them real lives

**********************************

Inside the observation lounge, Voyager's senior staff was finishing their weekly briefing, with B'Elanna's status report on Engineering the final topic to be covered.

"...and the new energy relays should be completed by week's end," B'Elanna finished.

"Excellent work, Lieutenant," Janeway commended. "Well, if there's nothing else, I think we can call it a day. Enjoy your evening."

Getting to their feet, the officers filtered out of the room, but, motioning for Chakotay to stay, the captain waited until they were alone before addressing him. "You barely said five words during the briefing," she stated. "Are you all right?"

"Fine," Chakotay assured her, a little too quickly, earning him a knowing glance from Janeway.

"This is me you're talking to, Chakotay. What's wrong?"

Chakotay did not respond immediately, and when the silence dragged on Janeway's curiosity shifted to concern, until he at last answered.

"Today was my mother's birthday," he said quietly. "She would have been sixty-five."

Janeway flashed him a small smile. "I've never heard you mention her before."

Chakotay shrugged. "I haven't thought about her in a long time," he admitted, "but watching Samantha Wildman at her daughter's birthday party this morning triggered a few memories."

"Tell me about her."

Chakotay's handsome features creased into an affectionate smile. "Mama was the gentlest woman I've ever known," he remarked. "When I was a little boy, I thought she was perfect, and even as an adult I still seemed unable to find fault with her."

Janeway's smile widened. "I wonder what your Maquis cohorts would think if they knew their tough-as-nails Captain was a mama's boy at heart?" she teased.

Chakotay's smile widened as well. "Actually, while I was still living on Dorvan, most of my friends had a crush on her," he revealed. "Mama was beautiful...warm brown eyes, long black hair, and a smile that could light up a room. I remember being no more than four or five and telling my mother that I wished I had been a girl so I could look like her when I grew up."

Janeway chuckled. "I'm sure that went over well with your father."

"Oh, yeah. That was about the same time he decided I was old enough to learn to hunt," Chakotay said dryly. "And that, of course, did not go over well with my mother. I can still remember Mama standing in front of our house arguing with my father about the absurdity of the idea that teaching me to kill defenseless animals would somehow make me a man. Not to mention the fact that I was always bringing home any stray I came across and turning it into a pet."

"Who won the argument?" Janeway pressed.

"My mother did, by default," Chakotay responded. "Mama was nine months pregnant at the time, and she went into labor in the middle of their fight. My sister Gray Feather was born seven hours later, and the issue of my hunting lesson was never addressed again. My mother wound up teaching me to cook instead."

"Considering some of the meals we had on New Earth, you were obviously an excellent study," Janeway returned. "You were just as obviously very close to your mother."

"I worshiped her," Chakotay declared. "Up until the day she was killed, my mother was the most important person in my life."

"How did she die?" Janeway inquired softly.

A shadow of remembered anguish flickered across Chakotay's face for the briefest of moments, then just as quickly vanished as he answered. "Mama was killed in the same raid as my father. She was running through the village in an attempt to reach him when one of the Cardassian soldiers shot her in the back. She was dead before she hit the ground. Six weeks later, my youngest sister Tara was raped and killed in another surprise attack."

Janeway reached across the tabletop and covered Chakotay's hand with hers in a silent gesture of comfort, and he graced her with a faint smile before continuing.

"The last time I saw my mother was the day I left for Starfleet Academy. My father and I had spent most of the morning arguing about my decision, and it made me all the more anxious to leave. But Mama was determined to make sure I didn't feel guilty about the choice I had made. She told me that I was old enough to make my own decisions, and that I had to follow my own path, not the path my father had chosen for me. She told me that she loved me, and she would support me whatever I did."

"She must have been an extraordinary woman."

"I spent so much time dwelling on my conflict with my father, I let my relationship with her fade into the background. But talking about her now makes me realize just how much I miss her, and I wish I could tell her how much I love her."

On the tabletop, Janeway closed her hand over Chakotay's and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I'm sure she knew how much you loved her, Chakotay. Mothers seem to come equipped with a sixth sense that enables them to understand everything their children don't say."

"Is it anything like the sense that enables starship Captains to get moping first officers to confess their secrets?" Chakotay prompted lightly.

"I'm sure it's very similar," Janeway responded with mock solemnity.

Chakotay graced her with a faint smile. "Mama would have liked you," he replied. "She always told me that I needed a woman in my life who wasn't intimidated by my temper or my stubborn streak, and could give as good as she got."

Janeway smiled back. "Should I take that as a compliment or an insult?" she prompted wryly.

"Definitely a compliment," Chakotay assured her. "My father and I spent most of our time arguing over trivial things, but I always envied him his relationship with my mother. At first glance they didn't seem to fit. My father was proud, and stubborn, and larger than life; Mama was half his size, very soft-spoken and easy-going. Yet together they just seemed to be a perfect match. I could never understand why."

"Love doesn't always make sense, Chakotay," Janeway allowed, "but when it works, nothing else can compare."

"Spoken like a true romantic," Chakotay teased.

"I have my moments."

"My mother was the one person in my life I could always talk to about anything. Whether the issue was personal or professional, I knew Mama would give me a fair and honest answer. I never realized how much I depended on that until she was gone."

"Well, you may not want to look like me when you grow up, but you're welcome to bend my ear any time," Janeway offered lightly. "You've certainly been my sounding board often enough."

"Thank you for the offer," Chakotay responded. "However, since turnabout is fair play, I'd like to hear about your mother."

"Aside from her legendary cooking, most notably her caramel brownies, my mother is the smartest woman I've ever known," Janeway declared. "She always had an answer for whatever question I could throw at her, and she never grew tired of talking to me and Phoebe. With my father working so much of the time, we became the Three Musketeers. We used to talk at least once a week, either in person or via subspace, and catch up on each other's lives. I imagine the news of our situation has given them some fresh material to chat about."

"You'll get the chance to resume those weekly chats, Kathryn, I promise."

Janeway flashed him a warm smile. "I thought I was supposed to be cheering you up," she pointed out.

Chakotay returned the smile. "You did, so I returned the favor."

Janeway's smile widened. "Commander, I am firmly convinced that making you my first officer was the second smartest thing I've ever done," she declared.

"Only the second?" Chakotay prompted. "What was the first?"

"Making you my friend."

****************************************

The End