Work Text:
Chakotay walked over to his computer console out of habit. Halfway through keying in the commands to bring up his messages, he stopped and sat down in his chair, his hands over his face. He looked back at the console, the incomplete command flashing at him patiently. Distrust spread across his face. For a moment he thought that he would never check his messages again. But then a voice inside his head, firm and insistent, pointed out that his career would probably suffer if he did something like that. And so would his friendships. And, right now, friendships were more important than any career, or any fear of messages.
He finished the command, and a list of messages appeared on the screen. A few messages from Headquarters, a long list from his friends. Then, his heart stopped. There was a message from her, sent only yesterday, from Deep Space 7. For one insane second he thought that it had all been a joke, a cruel mistake. He brought up the message, hoping desperately that she had sent the message herself.
Her face appeared on the screen, and she smiled.
'Hi! I'm just about to head off on another mission. I wish you were with me. Things have never been the same since we were split up on our return, but I suppose that Starfleet has the prerogative to do things like that. This should be an easy mission, only three weeks long,' for a moment she looked grim, 'but then, when have I said that before? I'm looking forward to seeing you next month - our ten year reunion, remember? I know I'll see you then, but I felt that I had to send this message now, to tell you something that I haven't told you nearly often enough. I want to say thank you, for your support for so long. It got me through those years in the Delta quadrant, and it has even brought me through some of the painful times back in the Alpha Quadrant. You are my family, and I love you dearly.' She paused. 'Well, I'm off! I'll see you when I get back from this mission. Goodbye.'
Chakotay sat at his terminal, tears running down his cheeks. He scrolled down to see the addresses, and realised that the message had been sent to everyone. Tom and B'Elanna, and Seven at the Academy, Samantha and Joe Carey, and Caitlyn McBride and Harry on the Enterprise, Naomi at her pre-Academy school, Tuvok back on Vulcan. Even to Neelix at Sisko's. And, she had sent a copy to him. The entire crew had received this message, and she hadn't known it was to be her last.
Though his tears were almost blinding him by now, he noticed an attachment to the message - written rather than video. He opened it; it was addressed just to him. And although he had shed enough tears in the last two days to fill an ocean, the tears kept spilling from his eyes as he read this special message, full of love and hope, missing him after having only been away for a few days, being briefed for the mission. There was no mention of the enemy fleet, getting closer and closer to DS7. There was no mention, because no-one had known until it was too late.
As he finished reading, he heard a cry from upstairs. 'Daddy! Daddy! Where are you? I want Mommy!' And the tears kept coming.