Family Traditions by kncrowder88
Summary: There are some things that family can't help but follow.
Categories: Characters: None
Challenges: None
Series: None
Chapters: 1 Completed: Yes Word count: 2512 Read: 3862 Published: 11/09/21 Updated: 11/09/21
Story Notes:
I did not tag for JC in this fic because there is no actual JC interaction. However, towards the end any JC fans should be able to pick up on certain things that basically confirm it was there. I would also like to thank TrekFlower for helping to beta.
Chapter 1 by kncrowder88

Elsa loved going to work with her parents. Those were her favorite days. Especially if she got to go up to one of their ships and visit all the special places they got to work from. Every noise on the ship and all the sights she could see, made the various ships her parents spent time on treasured adventures to her. She loved her mommy’s office on the bridge where she got to command people from. Her daddy had an office too, but it was down where people went when they weren’t feeling good. She liked that he made them feel all better, but she really didn’t like feeling good so her daddy’s office wasn’t the best.

Though, if she had to pick her favorite place her parents worked over the years, it would have to be home. It took some time, but as she got older her daddy was the first to stay home. Going to work with him was the best treat in the whole world because she got to be his little assistant and carry his PADD around whenever he didn't have to see someone. She even got to wear his blue coat and sometimes she'd find treats in the pockets. The nurses were super nice too and always kept her busy whenever her daddy had to go do something really important that she couldn't do as well. It was her favorite time in the whole world. She loved it so much that even when school was in session, she convinced her daddy to let her come to work after every school day.

That changed once her mom got reassigned. Things were different by then, she was older. The ship was still cool but more because she could get up to things on it. It was hard to get up to things in a hospital where everyone already knew you. She could hide, even sneak away, but they'd made sure she knew how serious the place was that she couldn't really do much of anything in the building unless an adult was with her. Once her mom was planet side, well things were different. She liked to go see her mom's new office, but it was a school. Going from school to another school was not her idea of fun. So, she often would end up at her dad's office instead. She loved her mom, but she had no intention of getting wrapped up in school for the rest of her life.

By the time Elsa was a teenager, she had fallen out of the tradition of visiting her parents’ offices. She stopped on occasion with a friend or two before running off to get up to whatever the latest daily scheme was. When her presence at the Academy became more frequent both her parents had a suspicion on why, and neither suspected it was due to an interest in actually attending the academy herself. Neither were all that surprised when their daughter married into Starfleet a few years into her college career. Nor were they surprised when she graduated top of her class at medical school. She was, after all, her father's daughter.

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Gretchen was the sweetest little girl that any parent could ask for. Her adoration of her father came as no surprise to her mother, Elsa. While she spent much of her early years in her mother's office, the times she could she was up on her father's ship exploring just as her mother had done when she was little. Gretchen loved the ship. She loved all the people on the ship as well. Her daddy got to bring her on board only when it was docked and only because the captain was nice enough to let the families tour the ship. It wasn't a family ship, her daddy explained, wasn't meant for anyone but Starfleet personnel. She wanted so badly to be one of those one day. To get to be just like her daddy.

Her daddy made the ship work. It was an important job, he explained to her. Without him, then the ship couldn't go from place to place. No one would be able to get home to their families, he wouldn't be able to get home to her. He explained the entire ship to her. How every person was important, it didn't matter their job or rank … what they do helps make sure the ship is okay. She may be young, but she knew what that meant. That meant they were all a family. Which was really important. Afterall, family looks after each other, supports each other, and loves each other no matter what.

Gretchen was only six when she first started to hate the uniform she once loved. Every time she saw it her stomach twisted and bubbled, heat seemed to wrap around her body, and she wanted to scream. Her daddy used to find her sneaking into that uniform, trying to make his long sleeves fit her tiny arms, and now … now he never would again. Now he was never coming home again. He was gone and she blamed every single one of them, even if she didn’t fully understand. Didn’t get why her daddy wasn’t coming home. All she knew was that he said they look out for each other, that everyone in that uniform took care of each other, and no one in that uniform was doing anything. They said he was gone but they weren’t doing anything. If family was supposed to look out for each other, then why weren’t they looking out for her daddy? Why wasn’t he coming home? Why was he gone?

By the time her mother remarried she was older, had a better understanding. She was still angry with Starfleet but not in the same way. Not like she was when she was just six. No, it was different. She was, after all, ten now. She knew that her father wasn't just gone or disappeared but that he had died. The man that her mother fell in love with wore the same uniform. She never held it against him, in fact he was sweet and kind and loving. Even took it off before being around her. Asked her if he could marry her mother, asked her and her little sister - just a baby when their father died - if he could be a father to them. Annie, her sister, had agreed immediately.

Gretchen didn't agree until she went to his office. Her mother had an emergency and had to drop her off and he was so kind, apologetic, even offered to take her somewhere else. She had felt bad, guilty even, that this man was going to stop everything because she didn't like some uniform? When she couldn't answer, and he asked her so kindly what was wrong she told him everything and he simply listened. He wrapped her in his jacket, held her tight, and she told him he could be her new dad if she could visit his office more. She liked it there, it was calm, and she could talk to him.

It was years later, when she was older and entering her own time in college, that her father introduced her to the man that would soon stand at her side. It didn't take her long to find herself happily married into the very thing she once thought she would never stop hating. Nor was it not too long till she finished up her own degree. The family home passed into her hands, and she began teaching at one of the local schools. As the innovator she was, and educator she became, there was no doubt that she was both her father's daughter.

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Katie was a well-known figure within Starfleet, and she was proud of it. She absolutely loved spending as much time as she could with her father. Loathed whenever he had to leave on his ship or any other ship. Whenever he was back, and she could visit the ships, she thrived. The various personnel aboard took to her like she ran the place, and she had every intention of doing so one day. Her favorite place though was his office. She loved his office at home because it WAS at home. Most of all, she loved his office at headquarters.

She loved going there and getting to be the Little Admiral. At one point she was the Little Captain but once her daddy got promoted she did too. It was fun watching the way some of the people around her would act. Especially whenever she would get to wear her daddy's uniform jacket. Those were her absolute favorite days. As everyone would pretend she was actually in Starfleet. She would even get to give orders and be saluted. They were the best days, and her daddy always let her wear the jacket home. So, she got to see so many people those days. Though, sometimes, if he worked late enough, she fell asleep in his arms … those days were great as well.

His aide was the best, always bringing her a drink as well whenever The Admiral got his coffee. She didn't get coffee though - it was gross anyways - but some hot chocolate or Vulcan spice tea instead. She didn't mind not drinking the same thing as her dad. His beverages were weird anyways. Not to mention his food. What mattered was, when she was able to, she got to spend time with him enjoying the quiet moments as he talked all about Starfleet. About the different ships, the different bases, the species that made up the Federation, and so much more. He always quizzed her too, making sure she knew everything perfectly.

She absolutely loved her daddy's friends too. They were really fun and always could be counted on to keep her distracted when her daddy was busy. Sometimes Uncle Owen was busy with daddy too, so she'd have to go to Uncle Theo. The best fun was calling them by their rank - Admiral Paris or Admiral Patterson - and watching them try to figure out how to react to her, her daddy loved when she did that. She knew a lot of the other admirals, the only one that really scared her was Nechayev. Katie didn't really know what to think of her, she was always so serious, but she did know she wanted to grow up and be like them. She was going to be a Starfleet Captain, have her own ship, discover new planets, new civilizations … or maybe she would just study some really cool nebulas.

None of this really surprised her mother, Gretchen, after all it was bound to happen. Kathryn - Katie as she was known at a younger age - was very much her father's daughter. Constantly at his hip, constantly playing games with him that often involved answering math questions of all things. Kathryn was a brilliant little girl who was set on following her father from the moment she could make up her mind, which was rather early on in life. There was no surprise when the path that Kathryn took led to command, after all she is very much her father's daughter.

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Phoebe Sekaya and her twin brother, Edward Kolopak, were much loved amongst their parents’ staff. Though, that was to be expected given they were also much loved by their parents’ former crew. The twins were well known figures, not just because of news coverage, but because anyone who stopped by their parent's office could expect to see at least one of the twin's present. Even as they got older and began school they were often found with their parents when the school day was over. If they weren't with their parents, then they were most likely with their Nana Gretchen or Auntie Phoebe; sometimes, though that depended on a variety of things, maybe Auntie Sekaya.

The twins absolutely loved being with their parents. At first, it was more often just their mom's office as dad was often out on mission. That was okay though, they got all the stories from visitors to their mom's office. They learned about the ship's previous journey's and trusted their dad would make it home, Voyager was a survivor after all. They absolutely loved Voyager. It was their favorite ship. It was fun to watch dad call in to the office, even if they didn’t get all the jokes he shared with their mom sometimes. It was also fun to pretend to be their mother's aide and direct her calls whenever her aide had to take a break or needed to go do something.

They absolutely loved being with their mom and dad at work. Once their dad started teaching that became a lot of fun. Going into the classroom with him was the best. Sure, they had to do their own work but sometimes they got to pretend to teach and that was even more fun. The best part was when both their parents were at the academy. Then could bundle up in their uniform jackets when they were grading assignments or just pretend to be them. It was so much fun, especially if the Cadet's played along. Sometimes Grandpa Owen stops by too, and they get to pretend they were actual officers and snap to when he entered. He was funny.

Mom's old crew was really fun too. Uncle Tom always brought something for them and always acted like they were really the ones in charge. Uncle Harry always calls them Captain - which was so much fun. Auntie Seven was amazing because even though they knew she was normally very serious she always brought them something - usually a toy, a game, or some candy but if they were really lucky all three. She also always asked them for permission to speak to their mom or dad as if they were the ones in charge not their parents, it was the funniest thing - especially when they were little. Auntie B'Elanna also gave them stuff but was probably funnier than Auntie Seven, because nothing was funnier than watching their dad's face whenever she stopped by and dropped Miral off (he usually complained he wasn't running a daycare).

As the years passed, and the twins got older, no one was surprised to discover the path they went down. None were surprised when they followed into the Academy. When they took up the uniform. When they, like the parents they so emulate, reached for the stars they so eagerly sought for. It was no surprise that command took to them, that they took to it, nor that they had inherited the skills of mentoring and guiding others. After all, it was clearly a family tradition.

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