Title: A Belated Father's Day

Series: Voyager

Rating: G

Synopsis: The long-delayed celebration of a Father's Day.

Author's Notes: Yes, it really is G-rated, we can write G material (it's just not a lot of fun ;-P). This story is not part of any of our universes--believe it or not, it fits perfectly (we hope) into Voyager canon in Season Six. It was inspired by a Father's Day challenge on another group. Originally posted to ASC on June 2, 2005.

Acknowledgements: Paramount owns all the marbles, we just have a lot more fun playing with them.

Feedback is always appreciated, posted or e-mail.

Whoa Nellie's Romance Star Trek Fan Fiction Stories

http://whoanellie.fortunecity.com

A BELATED FATHER'S DAY

"More!" Greskrendtregk demanded loudly, slamming his empty glass on the bar.

Quark hurried over to take the glass before the drunk broke it. "Hey now, there's no call to be belligerent about it. Besides, it seems to me you've already had quite a bit. I'm not one to turn away a paying customer, but I'd rather not have anything broken."

"I've got a lot of catching up to do," he snarled.

Ezri heard the commotion from her table. With an understanding nod from Julian, she went over to the bar. "Hi, Gres, why don't you join Julian and me at our table; Quark can bring your drink over there."

He lurched to his feet, leaning on Dax until the room stopped swaying. "Sure, why not."

Back at the table, Julian recognized the drunken man as well. "I understand you got a letter today," he commented casually.

The man bellowed and slammed his fist against the table. Before he could get a single word out in response to Bashir's comment, he choked up and burst into tears. His whole body shaking with sobs, he slid a PADD across the table.

"She's beautiful," Ezri commented, looking at the image on the PADD. "Who is she?"

Greskrendtregk took the PADD, tears flowing freely down his cheeks, and pulled up the letter he'd received along with the image. He slid the PADD back to Ezri, gesturing for her to read it out loud.

"Gres, my darling," Ezri began reading. "It's been so long and I miss you more now than ever. I got your letters; I'm glad Starfleet did that, you'll never know how much those simple communications from back home meant to everyone here. There's so much I need to tell you that I'm not sure how to begin. There's no easy way to tell you this, but the image I'm including in this message is of your daughter, Naomi. I discovered that we had been successful in our efforts to have a child after we'd been stranded in the Delta Quadrant. While it was hard, it was also a link to you and for that I was happy; I had a small part of you still with me through our child. Every time she kicked or moved, I felt a connection to you. There was a complication during her birth and this is where things get a little complicated. Our Naomi actually died and, for a while, I wished I could die too. I felt like I'd lost you all over again when that last remaining connection to you died. We were tangled up with a duplicate Voyager at that time and they also had a version of me giving birth and, while that baby survived, they were being boarded and had to self-destruct. That Captain Janeway sent their healthy infant to me so that she could live. It was so confusing, grieving for the very child I held in my arms and I wanted you to be there with me more than ever, just to feel your arms around me.

Naomi is such a precious child, the light of my life here on Voyager; I know you'd adore her. You would have been such a wonderful father to her, I've told her all about you and I keep a picture of you out where we can both see you every day. The rest of the crew has been wonderful, especially a Talaxian we met here named Neelix. I named Neelix her godfather and he's been like a father to her, taking care of her while I work my duty shifts, reading to her and playing with her; I'm not sure I could have managed by myself. It's comforting to know that if anything were to happen to me here in the Delta Quadrant, Neelix would raise her as if she were his own.

I miss you so much and there isn't a milestone of Naomi's that I haven't thought of you. I've included a recent image of her and I'll try to include some of her baby pictures as I'm able to in future messages.

All my love, Samantha

and love from your little girl, Naomi."

Greskrendtregk snorted derisively and downed his drink in a single gulp. "Apparently, in the past five and a half years, I lost a wife and a child, I have a wife and a child but they're on the other side of the galaxy. It's okay, though, because they've replaced me with some Talaxian who's more of a father to my daughter than I'll ever be. Do I mourn, celebrate or be angry and jealous?"

"All of the above," Ezri whispered, "all of the above."

**FINIS**

*Note: we did not make up the name Greskrendtregk, that was the name given Samantha Wildman's husband in canon and canon also holds that she left him at DS9 before Voyager headed for the badlands, hence the setting of DS9 for this vignette.

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