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Fatherly Pride
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Teens & Up

Title: Fatherly Pride
Author: Ky (venom69)
Fandom: Star Trek: Voyager
Rating: Teens & Up
Summary: The winds of his vision were swirling around him, singing their song.
Character/Pairing: Janeway/Chakotay
Spoilers: None… the show’s ended!
Warnings: None, really.
Prompt Number for [info]fic101: 46 - Son
Author’s Notes: Song belongs to Art Garfunkle.
Disclaimer: Usual guff. Not mine, promise to put them back where I found them.
Date: 03/02/07

***

All my plans depend on you
Depend on you to help them grow
I love you
And that's all I know

***

"Father?" Chakotay watched the retreating figure with a slight shiver of trepidation. "Father!"

The winds of his vision were swirling around him, singing their song. 'Follow him.'

Chakotay did as they said, following in the footsteps of the man with the grey hair as he walked through the forest, towards something unseen.

Or perhaps he walked towards nothing, merely away.

He didn't know, but he was going to find out.

"Father!"

He wasn't really sure that it was his father, but Chakotay didn't know any other grey haired men that would want to seek him out in a vision.

The hair was short, closely cropped – so, not his grandfather - but sometimes Father appeared that way.

He never understood why.

Perhaps it was supposed to be a representation of the Maquis, or maybe even Starfleet.

Father had told him that he had made his peace with both organizations and his son's involvement.

"Father!"

Calling as he walked, Chakotay dodged the greenery around him, ducking and weaving under branches as he tried to keep the other man in sight.

Rocks, twigs and dirt stabbed at his bare feet - next vision, he was going to imagine comfortable boots as he came into it - pulling at the skin and making him wince.

"Father! Wait!"

Every step was carefully measured to provide the least amount of damage to the soles of his feet. Father, if it was him at all, continued to walk at a fast pace, seemingly deaf to Chakotay's shouts.

He didn't know how long he had been walking for - it felt like hours - but he was still no closer to the figure ahead. Always, no matter how hard he pushed himself, there was, at least, over a hundred meters between them.

This is hopeless, he sighed.

The winds around him stirred again, a breeze blowing across his skin and through the open shirt that he wore.

He took the hint.

Pushing his legs into a run, he ignored the burning pain in his body until he was within breathing distance of the man he had been chasing. Panting and sweating, he felt a surge of pride in himself.

"Father!" He tapped the shoulder blade in front of him. "Why did you run from me?"

The man turned around. It most certainly was not Kolopak. "Son, you have to work for some things in life."

Chakotay had seen some odd and unexplainable things in his visions before, but he had never been hurt and he had never feared the beings that came to speak with him, in whatever shape or form they chose to take. His spirit guide, though he had not seen her, would protect him if the time came. He wasn't afraid. "Who are you?"

"Someone who is here to give you a good kick up the ass."

Well. That was a new one. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me." The old man gestured to a large rock just ahead. "Sit with me."

Following him, Chakotay sat on the rock, his aching legs stretched out in front of him. "What is this about?" He'd taken the vision to calm his nerves, built up from several weeks of boring space, not to be faced with riddles.

"You are in love, son."

Well, there wasn't a soul on Voyager that didn't know that, with the exception of, perhaps, one stubborn redheaded woman. "Yes."

"And yet you are not with her?"

"No."

"Why not?"

He shrugged. "She doesn’t want it."

"Has she said that?"

"Well, no, not in so many words. But..."

The other man clicked his fingers and smiled. "Exactly."

Chakotay wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean.

"You're a Maquis, are you not?" The old man continued.

He hadn't thought of himself as Maquis for over five years, but it was instilled in his blood. "Yes."

"Perhaps you should act like one, then."

"What are you saying?" Act like a Maquis? With Kathryn? He could imagine her laughter if he pulled on the old leathers and tried to stage a mutiny on her.

"I'm saying that you are never going to get anywhere by sitting around and acting like the loyal best friend. That is not what she needs."

"How do you know what she needs?"

"She was attracted to you the first time you beamed to her bridge."

Chakotay knew that. He'd felt it when she'd stepped up to him in order to stop him from killing Paris on the spot. "What's your point?"

"Why do you think she was attracted to you?"

Well, he'd never thought about that before. "I don't know."

"She was engaged at the time, if you recall. Her second engagement, to be exact."

"I know."

"And yet, this engaged woman would have, quite possibly, run away with you had you'd asked."

Chakotay didn’t bother to respond. He wouldn't have asked and he seriously doubted that she would have said yes, even if he did.

"So why do you think that is?"

"I don't know." He didn't know a lot today, it seemed.

"Because you were dangerous?"

"I doubt it."

"The leather? Women like a man in leather, don't they?"

"I don't think that's really something she goes for." But he was certainly willing to try it on again if she asked. Chakotay suspected that his companion knew this.

"Then why?"

"There was a connection."

"Exactly. And has that died over the years?"

"No, of course not." They'd had their fair share of arguments, both petty and meaningful, but they’d always gravitated back together again. Their bond had, often, forced them together to sort out their differences and move on. He'd be lost without her friendship and he hoped that the same was true for her. She is his best friend, no doubt about it. "It's gotten stronger."

The other man nodded. "And you haven't pushed it, because....?"

Chakotay sighed. "If I push her and she doesn't want it, I could loose her. I'll take her friendship over nothing any day."

"She does want it. She wants you. She's just having a few problems admitting it."

He wasn't willing to risk everything he had on the word of a dead man that he didn't even know. "How can you be so sure?"

"I know. Trust me, I know." The other man smiled. A knowing smile that really didn't make Chakotay feel any more confident. "You're about to leave."

"What?"

"Your vision is almost finished. You've got what you came for." The older man patted him on the arm. "Remember what I said, son. My daughter is stubborn, she gets that from me. She needs a good push from you if you're ever going to move forward."

His mouth fell open and the urge to salute washed over him. "Admiral Janeway?"

Chakotay felt himself being pulled out of the vision, the other mans face smirking at him as the artificial world around him faded. He tried to hold on to the meditative state, but realistically he knew that when it was time to end, there was little he could do.

Opening his eyes, he could see his quarters around him. The lights were low, only 25% and shadows danced off his furniture.

Tapping his communicator, he took a deep breath. "Chakotay to Kathryn."

She answered automatically, before he could really think about what he was going to say.

"Kathryn here." He could hear the smile in her voice.

Their duty shift was long over and he always refused to hail the Captain - barring a red alert - unless she was working.

"Are you busy, Kathryn?"

"No, why?"

"Good. Come to dinner, my quarters. No shoes necessary."

"I..."

"Half an hour. Don't be late." He closed the link before he could force himself to offer her an out. Should would come, he knew she would.

And he would do her father proud.

***

End

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