by Dakota

Chakotay wandered along the trail through the trees. Looking up he could barely see the sky through the leaves. For that he was grateful for it meant the blazing July sun couldn't reach him in the shade of the old trees. As much as he was enjoying the walk, he wondered if he had made a wrong turn. He had followed the directions carefully but in unfamiliar woodlands, it was easy to mistake an animal trail for a path. He glanced along a side trail that sloped gently up and away from the main trail and saw a rickety old cabin. He smiled; Gretchen had mentioned that cabin so he knew he was on the right path.

Chakotay slowed not quite ready to reach his objective. It had been two months since Voyager returned to Earth – two months of debriefings and hearings. Kathryn had been banned from the hearings about the status of the Maquis so she had gone to her mother's. But that was all behind him now. The Maquis were all released with various permanent determinations in their files.  Chakotay didn't much care what a file said about him; he was more concerned with talking to Kathryn. Things had been very unsettled when they abruptly returned to Earth; he needed to talk to her.

Kathryn knew he was coming today, but he had managed to get an earlier shuttle and arrived about four hours early. Gretchen had told him Kathryn had gone walking in the woods and given him directions to her favorite thinking rock. He smiled when he heard the rush of water knowing that her rock was along the stream. His smile quickly disappeared as the sun faded; he looked up to see dark clouds gathering overhead. The ominous rumble of thunder in the distance broke the silence. He had heard about the sudden and violent storms that still cropped up in the midwest and picked up his pace, wanting to find Kathryn before the storm broke. Suddenly a flash of light with a resounding crack exploded before him. He heard a scream and was running before his eyes had recovered from the flash.

As he broke out of the trees near a stream, Chakotay felt the blast of the storm's winds. He stopped to get his bearings. He saw Kathryn about thirty meters away huddled against a large flat rock. Quickly he moved to her side. He glanced at the sky – they couldn't stay out in the open and the trees were nearly as dangerous. The cabin – it would offer some shelter.

"We can't stay here!" He shouted to be heard over the storm. Kathryn nodded but whether she understood was unclear. He put his arms around her and pulled her back toward the trail. She hesitated at first but then grabbed him and let him pull her along. They were about half way back to the shelter of the trees when the rain started. Rain? Deluge was more like it. They were both soaked before they reached the trees. Once protected from the full force of the wind by the trees, they were able to move more quickly but talking was still nearly impossible. So was walking as the sloping path quickly became wet and slippery. He knew his shoes weren't designed for this and he doubted that Kathryn's were either.

Chakotay hoped he wouldn't miss the trail to the cabin but as carefully as he was watching for it, he nearly did. Only when Kathryn stopped walking and pulled on his arm did he see her motioning with her head. He nodded in acknowlegment and pulled her up the slope. Pulling Kathryn along with him, he shoved though the door of the old cabin. He was just releasing Kathryn when they heard the crack of another bolt of lightning followed by a cracking noise, then a crash as a tree ripped a hole in the corner of the roof.

Chakotay quickly scanned the room for options. There was a table, three chairs and some small stands. He quickly pulled the table to the corner away from the hole in the roof and pushed Kathryn under it before following her. They shifted around for a few minutes before Chakotay finally sat cross-legged and pulled Kathryn onto his lap. He had to bend forward to keep his head from hitting the table but they were both sheltered under it.

"Are you ok, Kathryn?"

"Yes." Both were slowly coming down from the adrenalin high invoked by their mad dash for shelter. "Chakotay? What are you doing here?"

"I told you last night I was coming."

"But you aren't supposed to be here until after dinner. And how did you know where I was?"

"Your mother told me how to find you. As for being early, I got lucky and caught an earlier shuttle and I'm glad I did."

"So am I. I fell asleep by the rock and never noticed the wind picking up or the clouds gathering.  Thank you."

Kathryn shivered in her light dress. Both had dressed for warm weather and both were now soaked to the skin. Chakotay pulled her closer trying to preserve their body heat. Kathryn tensed but didn't pull away. He allowed her time to relax and after a few minutes, she sighed and leaned against his chest. He leaned his head on top of hers and enjoyed just holding her.

Together they sat and listened to the storm rage around them, then slowly move on. About thirty minutes after they had taken refuge from the storm, the rain had all but stopped and the clouds were starting to clear. Chakotay wondered whether Kathryn was asleep. He found out when she spoke.

"I wish we could stay like this. Do you realize that for the first time since we've known each other, it's just the two of us?"

"What do you mean?"

"Just us. No ship, no crew, no responsibilities. We never had a chance to be just us. Even on New Earth, I couldn't let go. Looking back, I wish I had found the courage to do that." Kathryn stopped talking but Chakotay thought she had more to say so he waited for her to continue. "Now I'm afraid it might be too late."

She seemed to want to say more, but Chakotay put his fingers gently on her lips to silence her.

"I made you a promise a long time ago – to stay by your side. I've done that. The problem with that promise is that I meant personally for the rest of my life. I came to find out whether you wanted it only to be as your first officer until we reached Earth.

"You held me at arm's length for nearly seven years. I thought I had finally started to move on, but when I sat at the helm and watched Earth floating under the ship as we went into orbit, I knew I had been fooling myself. My feelings for you haven't changed and now your last excuse is gone. That's why I came here to see you today."

"You say your feelings haven't changed, but you've never told me what those feelings are. Can I hear the words?"

"I love you."

Kathryn sighed in relief when his words told her it wasn't too late. "You stood by my side for seven years and I expect you to be there for a lot more."

"Why, Kathryn? I'd like to hear the words, too."

"I love you."

Chakotay pulled her closer and buried his face in her neck. Long minutes later, he shifted her off his lap and crawled out from under the table. Extending his hand, he helped Kathryn to her feet then wrapped her in his arms again. Eventually the sounds of bird chirping in the forest reminded them that they needed to go back to the house. Hand in hand, they walked along the path having finally escaped the stormy years in the Delta Quadrant.