"Hi."

Kathryn jumped and jerked her head toward the voice. "Chakotay?"

"It's been a few weeks. Surely you haven't forgotten my voice so soon?"

Kathryn sighed and smiled. "No, but I wasn’t expecting you or anyone else for that matter. I take it you've met my mother?"

"I did. She told me a couple of places to look and I was lucky on the first try." Chakotay sat down under the tree next to Kathryn and looked around. The woods were mostly overgrown but the fall sunshine glinted off leaves that were just starting to change color. "It's beautiful out here. I can see why you come out here to walk every evening."

Kathryn studied Chakotay's profile while he surveyed their surroundings. "This is one of my favorite places on this trail. I've been sitting under this tree since it was about six inches in diameter."

Chakotay turned to look at the tree he had been leaning against. "I won't ask how long that's been. This has to be one of the older trees around."

Kathryn chuckled. "You didn't come out here to discuss the woods or this tree."

"I wanted to talk to you. I think we have some unfinished business."

"I take it you mean personal business?"

Chakotay nodded. Kathryn considered him for a minute before she climbed to her feet. "Let's walk."

Chakotay stood and the two turned down the trail. They walked for five minutes before Chakotay broke the companionable silence. "In case you hadn't heard, Seven and I aren't seeing each other anymore."

"I'd heard." Kathryn stopped walking and fingered some bittersweet berries growing along the trail. "I'm sorry that didn't work out for you."

"I'm not." Chakotay watched Kathryn's fingers as she tugged at the bush. He sighed. "I'm not sure exactly how to put this. I need to know how you feel about… a few things."

Kathryn didn't look up. "You and I are a lot like this bittersweet. I'm the plant with the berries that gets all the attention, the flamboyant part of the team. But somewhere nearby is another plant that doesn't have brightly colored berries to draw everyone's attention. That plant is just as responsible for the berries as this one but it shares none of the credit. The difference between us and these plants is that I know how important you are to my success on Voyager… and to me."

Chakotay reached out and touched Kathryn's hands on the plant. "I love you, Kathryn. Does my importance to you end now or is there something more there?"

"I said we're like the plants, Chakotay. The flamboyant one needs the subdued one year after year to survive." She looked up into his eyes. "I love you."

Chakotay crushed Kathryn against him. "Unlike the plants, Flamboyant One, this subdued one is going to keep you very, very close for a very long time."

A slight glare quickly turned to a smile when it encountered his teasing grin. "Do you have a knife on you?"

"Why?" Chakotay dug into his pocket then held out a pocketknife to Kathryn who quickly cut a handful of bittersweet.

"From now on, this is our flower. If we're lucky it will dry and last all winter." Kathryn smiled up at him as she handed him the knife. "Do you have a place to stay tonight?"

"All taken care of." Chakotay grinned as he turned to retrace their steps.

"You'll have to change your plans then."

"No, I can't and I won't try. Your mother asked me to spend the night and I'm not going to disappoint her."

Kathryn stopped short and stared up at Chakotay. "You'd better be staying for a better reason than that."

Chakotay leaned over and kissed her long and lingeringly. When he lifted his head, he stared at her for a full ten seconds before she opened her eyes. "That a better reason?"

Kathryn merely nodded as she turned to continue the walk to the house. Chakotay stooped to pickup the bittersweet where it had dropped. He handed it to Kathryn. "I'm going to hang on to you a lot longer than you hung on to that bittersweet."

She slipped under his arm and wrapped her free hand around his waist. "I'm counting on it."