Author's ramblings: I blame this whole thing *entirely* on
Krystyne. When I read her story 'Morning After' I got this
thought that Tom and Chak were bonded, and when I mentioned
it to her, she told me that was the idea and not to tell anyone. So,
I kept quiet and waited patiently (well, relatively) for the sequel.
It didn't come, and after a while I decided that instead of
nagging Krystyne every 2 minutes, I should try writing something
myself, and... voila, 'The Prince' was born. Thanks Krystyne. A
backrub from one of the boys is on the way. Hmm. I think I'll
have to talk to Paramount about an arrangement with Tom and
Chak. It seems that I'm always sending one or both off to give
someone a backrub or something. ~ Leone.
*****************************************************
Part 14
Commander Chakotay and Lieutenant Paris stopped just inside
the doors of sickbay and looked around in surprise.
The room was disorganized. Medical equipment lay scattered
here and there, and the doctor and Tarra were nowhere to be
seen.
The two men looked at each other, the same thought running
through both their minds. How on earth could a sixteen-month-
old child make such a mess in such a short time? Because there
was no doubt that this was Tarra's doing. The EMH always kept
his sickbay impeccably clean, complaining if anyone made a
mess.
Their thoughts were interrupted by a childish giggle, and as they
turned their heads in the direction of the sound, Tom and
Chakotay saw their daughter running towards them. The doctor
was right behind her, trying to catch her.
When she reached her fathers, Tarra stopped and held her arms
out to Chakotay. The Commander bent down and lifted her up
while Tom looked at the EMH, who had also stopped.
"Doc, how did Tarra manage to make such a mess?" Tom asked.
The doctor turned his head and looked at the pilot. "Apparently
she woke up early and somehow managed to get off the biobed
she was sleeping on," he answered sourly. Turning to glare at
the Commander, who was trying unsuccessfully to cover his
laughter, the doctor continued, "I was deactivated when she
woke up, and by the time the computer activated me, sickbay
looked like this."
Tom's lips twitched, but he managed to keep a straight face. "I
see," he said evenly. Glancing quickly at the little girl on
Chakotay's arm, Tom continued. "So, you commed us and then
tried to catch her."
The doctor turned back towards the pilot to answer. "Yes.
However, I didn't have much success."
Tom nodded. "Yeah, we noticed." The young man studied his
husband and daughter for a moment, then turned back towards
the EMH. "Tell you what, doc. I'll send Chakotay back to our
quarters with Tarra, then help you clean up sickbay. When we're
done, you can tell me what you found out about Tarra. All
right?"
The doctor nodded, and Tom turned to his husband. "You and
Tarra go back to our quarters. I'll be home as soon as I'm
finished with the doc, Okay?"
Chakotay smiled and leaned in to brush his lips over Tom's.
"Okay. See you later." With that he started toward the doors.
When Tarra wiggled in his arms, he stopped and looked at her.
"What, sweetheart?" he asked.
"Dada," the little girl said and looked over at Tom.
Chakotay frowned for a moment. Then the frown disappeared as
clarity hit. "You want to say goodbye to daddy?" he asked
softly. Tarra nodded and Chakotay turned back to Tom, who
held out his arms to his daughter.
The child practically jumped from Chakotay to Tom, and
hugged the pilot. After a moment Tarra removed her arms from
around Tom's neck and gave him a brilliant smile. "Bye-bye
dada," she said before she twisted around and held her arms out
to Chakotay.
Tom chuckled softly and handed her over to his husband.
"Goodbye Tarra," he said. With a teasing smile to Chakotay, he
added, "Be nice, both of you."
The Commander laughed. "We will," he promised. Then he
turned and left sickbay.
As soon as the doors closed after his spouse and daughter, Tom
turned to the doctor. "All right, doc. Let's get this place
cleaned."
The EMH nodded his agreement, and the two of them got to
work.
*****
Two hours later, Tom walked into the First Officers quarters,
expecting to see his husband and daughter. Seeing that they
weren't there, the young man frowned slightly and moved
towards the bedroom. When he reached the open door, Tom
stopped and smiled at the sight that greeted him.
Tarra and Chakotay lay on the bed, fully dressed and fast asleep.
Tom shook his head, wondering what they could've done for the
past two hours to make them that tired. Sighing softly, he moved
to the bed and picked up the child. Moving the few steps to the
crib, Tom gently tucked her in, being careful not to wake her.
That done, the young man walked back to sit on the edge of his
and Chakotay's bed. For a moment he just sat there, looking at
his sleeping husband, then he reached over to caress the other
man's face, waking him.
Chakotay opened his eyes and smiled at Tom. "Hi," he said
softly. Then he frowned slightly and asked, "Where's Tarra?"
Tom moved his hand to Chakotay's forehead, smoothing the
frown away, then answered, "The two of you were sleeping
when I came in, so I put her in the crib." Tom hesitated a
moment, then - eyes sparkling with amusement - asked, "What
did you do? It's not like you to take a nap."
Chakotay snorted quietly and sat up. "I chased Tarra all around
our quarters for over an hour before I finally caught her when
she climbed into our bed. Then we held a tickle-party and after
that. Well, I guess we fell asleep," he said.
Tom chuckled softly. "A tickle-party," he repeated as he rose
from the bed. "That explains your exhaustion." He held out a
hand to his husband and said, "C'mon Love. Let's go into the
living room, so we don't wake Tarra."
Chakotay smiled and took Tom's hand, letting the younger man
pull him to his feet. Then the two men left the bedroom, leaving
the door slightly ajar, making sure they'd hear the child when
she woke.
Once in the living room, Chakotay moved to sit on the couch
while Tom walked to the replicator and ordered two cups of tea.
When his order appeared, the young man picked up the cups and
went over to the couch. After placing a cup on the coffee table
in front of Chakotay, Tom sat down in a chair across from his
spouse, putting his own cup of tea in front of him.
Chakotay leaned back on the couch and watched his husband in
silence, taking in the younger man's thoughtful expression. After
a moment he sighed, drawing Tom's attention to him, and asked,
"What did the doc have to say?"
Tom looked at him, cocking his head slightly. He picked up his
cup and sipped his tea, taking a moment to gather his thoughts.
He put the cup down again and leaned back in his chair before
he answered. "Well, the test results were... interesting, to say
the least. According to Tarra's DNA she's a relative of mine."
Tom ran a hand through his hair, an odd expression crossing his
face. "A close relative," he added, watching his husband intently
for his reaction.
Chakotay blinked, startled. "A close relative?" he repeated, his
voice revealing his surprise. "But... That's impossible... Isn't
it?"
"Yeah. It is," Tom answered. "Or... It should be. Nevertheless,
that's what the DNA tests showed. *And* the blood tests. In
fact, *every* test the doc made showed that Tarra's related to
me."
Chakotay picked up his tea and sipped it, pondering this
information. After a moment of silence, he put the cup back
down and gazed at his beloved. Tom seemed nervous, worrying
his lower lip and refusing to meet Chakotay's eyes. Chakotay
wondered why. "Tom?" he asked quietly.
Tom lifted his eyes from the floor and gazed into his husband's
loving brown eyes. "Yeah?"
For a brief moment Chakotay considered the possible reasons
for Tom's nervousness. Then it hit him, and he asked, "How
close?"
Tom's eyes flickered, then returned to Chakotay's. Taking a deep
breath, Tom told him, in an almost inaudible voice. "She could
be my biological daughter."