Kathryn woke the next morning to find herself held down tightly by someone's arm -- Tom's to be exact. It was still dark out, but she needed to find the bathroom and quickly. She extricated herself from his grip and got up.  There was nothing to wrap herself up in and there was a definite chill in the air, so she made a run for it, took care of business and made a quick dash back into the cabin eager to once again find warmth by Tom's side.  Kathryn slept soundly until dawn where she woke to the sounds of a busy village. Tom was still asleep and luckily turned towards B'Elanna. Ayala was sitting up.

"Good morning, Kathryn," he said cheerfully.

"Good morning to you.  How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Not bad actually.  I want to see if there's anything I could do today to help get our cabin up and running," he said.

"No, sorry. You'll be of a lot more use to us if you take it easy and let that leg heal. I could really use B'Elanna's help today so your job will be to keep an eye on Tom for us," she explained, hoping he would take that and leave it.

"Captain, it's just my leg," he started.

She moved over to him, careful not to wake his sleeping companions, "It's Kathryn, remember that. But I was captain, and please take this as an order. You could further injure your leg out there and that will do us no good when we need someone to go out and chop wood for us later in the winter," she gave him that lop sided grin.

"And you expect me to do that?" he said smiling back.

"Of course. So, do we have a deal?"

He shook his head, "Fine, I'll take babysitting duty."

She patted his arm, "And you'll be back on your feet without help in no time at all."

Megan hesitated before she stuck her hand in the large bucket, "This is really disgusting."

"You seriously want us to…" began Jenny.

"Just do it," said B'Elanna. "If you think I'm enjoying playing in this mud you have another think coming."

"Come on, you three, this is actually kind of fun. It makes me remember back when…" she began, lost in the thought of a time back on New Earth when she and Chakotay were talking about expanding their small shelter.

"Remember back when to what?" asked Megan.

Kathryn shook her head, "Nothing." She turned back to the job at hand.

"Are you okay?" asked B'Elanna.

"Yeah, it was," she was hesitant to bring it back up but knew it might help talking about him, "when Chakotay and I were on that planet.  New Earth is what we called it. We were considering adding on to the shelter. He wanted to build a log cabin, our only option really."

"I see, sounds like fun," said Jenny. "So did anything ever happen between you two on that planet?"

Kathryn eyed them. "No," she was making it clear that she wasn't ready to discuss it. "So, I think we should discuss a few things here  -- for one, the sleeping arrangements.  Are you two going to be comfortable sharing the room with Ayala? With winter coming we won't be able to add on to the cabin until at least spring."

The two girls grinned at each other then turned to Kathryn.  "We are more than comfortable with the arrangements, Kathryn. We've been used to sharing with each other our entire lives.  Don’t worry about us. How about you three? Tom sure did seem comfortable with you," said Jenny.

Megan hit her, "Shut up."

Remembering waking up in the middle of the night, Kathryn immediately felt guilty, "I'm sorry, B'Elanna."

"Why are you sorry? I should have warned you that Tom loves to cuddle," she said.

"And it doesn't bother you? I mean, I don’t …"

"Kathryn, I'm fine with the sleeping arrangements. I know Tom's sleeping habits and I knew I would find him cuddled with you as well as with me," said B'Elanna. "Besides, it was quite nice, wasn't it?"

Kathryn rolled her eyes, "Yes, I guess I have to admit that – and very warm. All right, it's time to get dirty, girls," she said sticking her hand in the gooey mixture of mud, pebbles, grass and whatever else the could find to make the chinking to fill in the gaps between the logs.  Despite the small size of their cabin, it still took hours for the four of them to carefully make sure the entire cabin was sealed from the winter winds. It was already starting to dry, on the cabin and on them.   The foursome realized that they had worked all day and not stopped to get anything to eat.

"I'm starving," said Megan.

"I am not touching anything until I can get cleaned up," said B'Elanna.

"I don't think we have a choice.  The villagers are still using the bathhouse," said Kathryn.

"I for one am not waiting to eat.  Let's get back to Tam's and see what's cooking," said B'Elanna.

"Kathryn, can we move in here tonight?" asked Megan.

"I don't see why not.  The roof is done, the chinking is done, and the inside is clean," said Kathryn.   "And it seems our benefactors dropped off the wood for the fire."

"Great, then why don't we go eat, take our bath and then get moved in," said Megan.

"Sounds like a plan," said Kathryn.

They made their way back to Tam's cabin, happy to find Tom awake again. He smiled up at the women. "Every time I wake up it's to something different."

B'Elanna laughed, "Yes, now the mud women are invading your dreams."

The food was on the table so the women helped themselves. All of them were hungrier than they had thought. Tam returned a while later and let them know the bathhouse was now empty.

"Do we get to come again?" asked Tom. "That was fun."

B'Elanna bent down to kiss him, "I bet it was. Nope, we all need to get cleaned up and you don't."

Tom made a face but just let the girls leave. "Why do we miss out on all the fun?" he asked Ayala with his usual smart tone.

"Tom, you just concentrate on getting better," said Ayala.

Kathryn hesitantly stripped off her clothing, this time all of them. She dropped her bra and underwear on the floor.  She would wash them later.  The other three women were sitting on the bench washing all the mud off.

"Come on in, Kathryn, you'll feel wonderful once you get all that off of you," said Jenny.

"I bet," she said rubbing off the caked-on mud as she joined the rest on the bench.

B'Elanna took the cloth and washed herself off, going slower around her still flat belly, "You going to tell him soon?" asked Kathryn, noticing B'Elanna's actions.

"Yeah, I think I am. I'm nervous about it but I don't want to wait too long, and he seems to be making much more sense and retaining everything he sees."

"It would be something to tell him about the baby and have him not remember," said Kathryn.

"Oh god, I don't think I even want to imagine," said B'Elanna.

"Don't worry. It'll all be okay," said Kathryn patting her on the leg then moving to finish her washing.

"I hope so.  What is it going to be like raising a baby here? It sounds like the winters are long and cold, and I can't stand the cold," said B'Elanna.

"So you'll spend a lot of time indoors," Kathryn paused. "Look, it'll work out; it has to." Kathryn sighed, "That baby gives us all something to look forward to, something to focus on. Here we don't have much, practically nothing actually. As long as we're here we have to survive by what we consider primitive means. I know we can do it but it'll be quite an adjustment, but we can do it."

B'Elanna smiled then turned back to her washing. She knew her captain was hurting inside and was happy to see her doing her best to accept all of this. If she could, then they all could.

Kathryn sat on the porch, a fur wrapped tightly around her, staring up at the sky, "You miss them don't you, the crew?" came the voice.

She turned to see Ayala staring down at her, "What are you doing up? It's late?"

"I could ask the same of you," he said, sitting next to her on the porch. "Care to share some of that?" he asked pointing to the large fur.

At one time she would have thought twice about answering that question but not now, after living in close proximity with this bunch for the past month, she had become used to many things she would never have imagined. She lifted one edge of the fur and raised her arm so he could scoot closer to her to share the fur.

Winter was here, that much was clear for a light snow covered the ground. "What's on your mind?" asked Kathryn.

"Well, I do need to talk to someone.  You don't mind?" he asked.

"Not at all.  We are all any of us has; we have to learn to rely on each, not just for the physical part of survival, for the emotional and psychological as well," she said.

"I think I'm falling in love," he blurted out.

Kathryn thought for a moment. "It was bound to happen."

"There is a problem with that though," he added.

"And what is that?" she asked, thinking she already knew the answer.

"I know what you're thinking -- I was bound to fall in love with one of them. But that isn't it, I… I love them both," he said looking down to the ground.

Kathryn surely didn't expect that answer. "I see your problem." She was quiet for a moment, lost in thought, and then finally spoke up, "Actually, maybe it isn't a problem."

"Oh, and how do you see that as not a problem. I have spent nearly every moment with these two, sleeping with them, holding them both.  I knew I felt something and to be honest I was surprised something hadn't happened between two of us, but …"

"The one thing I have noticed about Megan and Jenny is that they are truly bonded. It happens with twins, I think most parents must expect it. Scientists have studied twins for years trying to figure out that bond, but usually as twins grow older a separation takes place, at least a small one. But with those two, I don’t see it. It has amazed me just how much in unison those two work," said Kathryn.

"That is true," said Ayala. "Despite the differences they have, those two share a special relationship."

"I think those two would be among the few who could stand sharing the same man. I think I would almost expect it from the two of them," she said.

Ayala smiled, "Maybe you're right. So you don't think I'm some sort of pig?" he asked with a chuckle.

"No, I don't," she said.

"So how about you? How are you doing?" he asked with emphasis on the doing.

"I'm okay.  I miss them, the crew, but you and the others help with that."

"What about…" he began.

"I miss him, too," she said knowing exactly to whom he was referring.

"Do you think they made it?" he asked.

"I want to believe that. I want to believe that they made it all the way home and are happily living in the Alpha Quadrant, telling all the tales of the Delta Quadrant that they can think of," she said.

"I don't think he would be living happily, Harry either, without Voyager being there, too. That's if they made it to Earth," he added.

Kathryn looked down almost studying the snow, "It's getting cold, I think I need to get back to bed; you should too."

"Yeah, I think I can sleep now, thanks," he said.

"You're welcome," she said.

Before he entered his room he turned to see her crawling in next to Tom, pulling the fur blanket up to her chin. Tom automatically wrapped one arm around her momentarily before settling back next to B'Elanna. At least she had someone, too. Maybe not to love her the way Tom loved B'Elanna, but he also knew that the couple did their best to make her comfortable and feel loved. The love of a friend is equally as important as the love of a lover.

"Tam, we've been here for little over a month and I don't feel we're contributing much to the village," said Kathryn.

"I know, Kathryn.  Believe me, once spring comes you will be working as hard as every one of us. Winter is a time when we slow down; some of us in the village don't venture out at all. By time you arrived all our harvesting was completed and we were already beginning preparations for the winter coming."

"I see, it won't bother you if we spend time outside…."

"We know you are different and we accept that. We are very interested in learning about you just as you want learn about us," said Tam. "The men will be expected to hunt and help with the preparing the gardens.  The women mainly make the clothing, gather foods, and prepare the foods. We realize that you may do things differently and if we can find a common ground then I think all will be well."

"Well, I can't say any of us really know much about making clothing but we are all willing to learn. Then men will probably enjoy hunting once they are completely healed; Ayala has only a slight limp now but Tom still suffers from the occasional headache.  I would like him to take it easy for a while yet."

She got a faraway look in her eyes, "And I would really enjoy helping the women.  You wouldn't have anything similar to a tomato would you?"

"Tomato? What is that?" he asked.

"Well," she said with a smile, "it’s a round red juicy fruit, but never mind it's more of a joke.  I was remembering a friend."

"Ah, I see," said Tam. "Don't worry, Kathryn, you do what you need to keep warm for the winter. When we need help with something we will ask. Just be prepared to help when the winter leaves us."

"You have yourself a deal," said Kathryn.

Kathryn peered into the wood storage bin, "We're going to need more wood."

Jenny sighed, "I somehow doubt I will like chopping wood."

"Well, it needs to be done; this supply may get us through another month but that's it," she said.

"Can't Ayala do it?" asked Jenny.

Kathryn laughed, "I would love to push this duty on to him but his leg is just starting to feel better, let's not make it worse by this. I tell you what – let's go get warmed up.  We'll gather the wood together and I will do the chopping.  How hard can it be?"

Jenny laughed and was about to make a comment when they heard a voice behind them, "Kathryn," called Tersa.

"Tersa, what are you doing out in the cold?" asked Kathryn.

"Well, coming to see you. The broolt are ready to go to their new homes, I wanted to give you first pick. Can you come over now?" she asked.

Kathryn briefly glanced at Jenny who nodded then turned back to Tersa. "Sounds wonderful. Let's go."

Kathryn followed the woman back to her cabin and entered, grateful for the warm blast of heat that hit her. She saw the mother broolt lying on the floor and the small playful pups playing around her. "Go ahead," encouraged Tersa.

Kathryn moved to the playful bunch and sat on the floor. One immediately caught her eye, a brown one out of the bunch of black. Dual images hit her, one of deep brown eyes and of a deep brown liquid, both things that she dearly loved. "Coffee," she mumbled.

"What?" asked Tersa.

"The brown one, I would like him if I may," she said reaching out to pull the pup to her. As she lifted it, it began to place sloppy kisses all over her face.

"I think he likes you as well," said Tersa.

"Do you have a name for him?" asked Molti.

"Yes, I sure do. I will call him Coffee," said Kathryn between the kisses.

"Coffee? That’s unusual," said Tersa.

"It’s a name that reminds me of two things that I lost; he will help me remember them. And hopefully help me not miss them as much. Thank you so much," said Kathryn.

"You are very welcome. He will be a welcome addition to your home," said Tersa.

"Yes, he will," said Kathryn. "Well, if it's okay I think I will take the new addition home to meet the rest of the family." She talked to them briefly about what to feed Coffee then headed back home.

Coffee had a warm reception back at their own cabin as her ran around greeting each of the new members of his family. He was obviously a very welcome addition as he brought smiles to everyone he greeted.

Kathryn slowly opened her eyes, trying to remember what woke her. She lay silently eyeing the puppy asleep on the blanket next to her. It hadn't been him.

A soft moan pierced her ears and she froze, "Tom, are you sure you're fine?" whispered B'Elanna.

"More than fine," he said.

Another moan, Kathryn thought she should definitely move yet didn't want to interrupt the couple. But she also didn't want to just lie here and pretend to sleep while they made love next to her.

"B'Elanna, what about…?" started Tom.

"Shh, don't wake Kathryn," whispered B'Elanna.

"She's sound asleep, but what about boosters?" asked Tom.

B'Elanna sighed; she hadn't yet told Tom about his impending father hood yet she was not really sure why she was holding off. Maybe now was as good as time as any, "Well, actually we don't need them right now," explained B'Elanna a bit nervously.

Tom shifted to face her more. "We don't?"

"No, it seems just a short time ago we should have been considering that.  I'm pregnant," admitted B'Elanna.

"You are… I mean, I am going… you are…a baby?" stuttered Tom.

Kathryn had tried to keep quiet, contemplating the best way to sneak out of the bed but now with Tom's reaction she couldn't help it, she burst out laughing.

B'Elanna joined her in laughter, "Awake, Kathryn?"

"I'm sorry, I was, and trying to think of the best way to sneak out of here. I didn't want to ruin the moment," said Kathryn.

"You didn't," said Tom. "You knew?"

Kathryn looked to B'Elanna then to Tom. "Yes, I did, but you weren't exactly in the greatest shape to hear."

Tom smiled and kissed B'Elanna gently. "No, I guess I wasn't. But don't worry, I am now and beyond thrilled."

B'Elanna kissed him back, a bit more passionately this time until Kathryn rose, pulling a couple furs with her. "All right, if you two could give me a little warning then I could give you the privacy you deserve."

"Sorry, Kathryn, we didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," said Tom.

"You didn't, but you would have if you had continued," she stood up and moved to the other side of the room. "Sleep well, you two." She lay down and settled on one fur, pulling the other over her.  Tom opened his mouth to protest but was silenced by B'Elanna's; it had been too long, the two of them quickly forgot her and began tending to their own needs.  For Kathryn, she discovered quickly it would be a sleepless night. Despite the fact that she was on the other side of the room, her bed partners' lovemaking was filling the room with sounds.

Then she began to notice that more sounds were coming from the small bedroom she was lying outside. "So those three have stepped up their relationship," thought Kathryn. This will be a sleepless night was her next thought.   Her next thoughts were of Chakotay, wondering what would have happened if he too had been stranded with them, whether they would have become lovers. She loved him; there was no doubt in her mind about that.

Luckily Coffee seemed to have perfect timing; he ambled over to her quite awake now. She scooped him up and headed outside quietly with every intention of wasting a bit of time outside. It may be cold out there, but it was a lot better than listening to everyone but her making love.

Tam surprised them all one morning by showing up just as they were finishing breakfast.  It was a cold day but the sun was shining brightly.  He took his hat off but made no move to take off his coat.

"If Tom and Ayala are willing, I could use some help today gathering wood and looking for edible roots.  It will give me a chance to show them the area along the stream as well."  Tom and Ayala exchanged looks before standing to get dressed for the outdoors.  While they were struggling with their boots Tam continued.

"Tersa and several of the women are gathering at her home to spin yarn today.  She asked me to invite you all so you could begin learning to do your own spinning.  If you are interested, just take your lunch and go over.  They will provide the tools you need or help you make your own."

"Of course we'll go over.  We are definitely going to need help with that sort of thing.  Do Tom and Ayala need to take their lunch?"

"No, we will be making trips back with wood and they can eat with me when we break for lunch."

Tom and Ayala approached carrying their hats and fastening the last closures on their coats.  The three men left as Tam began explaining the burning characteristics of various varieties of wood.  After their voices faded, Kathryn stood and began clearing the table.

"Let get a move on, ladies.  I never thought I'd be learning to spin yarn but if that's the only way I'll get a warmer sweater then it's worth it."

That night they spent hours recounting their mishaps and successes of the day. When B'Elanna proudly displayed about three meters of yarn she had made Tom nearly choked trying not to laugh but when he saw the hurt in her eyes he immediately sobered.

"I'm sorry, honey.  I know that you worked really hard to make that, but it doesn't look like enough to make anything."  He moved to her side and hugged her until she pushed him away, a slight smile on her face.

"You better hope I get good enough to make a lot more, Helm Boy, or you'll be wearing the same clothes for the rest of your life."

Ayala interrupted with information Tam had given them about various woods.  Some burned quickly, others more slowly but with greater heat.  He showed the women how to tell them apart and when it was best to use each kind.  Jenny responded with a description of the plant that was the source of the fiber they were spinning and asked whether they had noticed it that day.  That sparked a heated discussion between the twins and Ayala that eventually ended the evening on a light-hearted note.

Kathryn watched the others interacting that evening and knew that although they were tired from the day's exertions, they were all happier for being busy and contributing to the village.  All in all, it had been the best day she could remember for a very long time.

Kathryn, B'Elanna, Jenny and Megan were working quietly by the fire enjoying its warmth as a late season storm lowered outdoor temperatures well below freezing.  The unexpected storm and its severity had caught them unprepared so Tom and Ayala were out gathering more wood during a lull in the snow and wind.  Jenny looked over to the window then back to the pile of cotton yarn that lay in her lap.

"I was never very good at this," she mumbled to the other occupants.

"Well, neither was I but I prefer to be in here doing this than out in the cold collecting wood with the guys," commented B'Elanna.

"Speak for yourself, B'Elanna," said Jenny.

B'Elanna put down her knitting and turned to Jenny, "Then why don't you go join them."

"Well, if you don't want me here, then fine," said Jenny angrily.

Kathryn stood up, catching her knitting as it almost fell to the floor. "All right, stop it. I know we are going a little stir crazy here, people, but there isn't a lot we can do about it."

Coffee stirred as Kathryn stood, barking at her feet. He was growing fast and was now nearly half the size of a full-grown broolt. She cursed as she noticed her knitting was slowly coming undone and grabbed the lose end to prevent any more from unraveling. "At this rate this sweater just may be done by fall," she laughed.

"Well, my blanket will hopefully be done in time," muttered B'Elanna.

"Is it for the baby?" asked Megan.

"Yeah, I just thought the little one would need a blanket or two," said B'Elanna.

"What are you two making?" asked Kathryn to the twins.

"Well, I'm not really sure yet," said Megan, examining the long chain.

"A blanket," said Jenny, a smile creeping to her face.

Megan turned to her, an identical smile creeping to her face, "Yeah, a good idea."

Kathryn looked Jenny in the eye, "Okay, what's the secret here?"

"Well, I'm not exactly sure yet, but…" she took a deep breath, "I think I'm pregnant."

"You're kidding, right?" said B'Elanna.

"No, I haven't had my time of the month yet, am a bit behind and with no boosters…"

Kathryn put her knitting on the floor and moved to the corner where the pile of supplies had been covered up. She did a little digging then moved to Jenny.  With a smile she said, "So what are we waiting for?"

"I forgot about that. Do it … please…" said Jenny.

They all anxiously sat around watching Kathryn wave the tricorder over Jenny's midsection. The tricorder beeped, "Well, I think congratulations are in order."

"Really? I am?" asked Jenny.

Kathryn nodded her head and watched the twins embrace each other. She was about to join in the hug when the door flew open.  Tom and Ayala walked in together carrying what seemed to be a lifeless broolt.

"We found him out just a few kilometers away." They carried him over to the fire and lay him down. Kathryn grabbed one of the furs, draped it over the broolt then dropped to her knees to see if she could tell if it was breathing.

It was, just barely. "I'm not sure what we can do besides keep it warm right now."

"Do we know whose it is?" asked Megan.

Tom shook his head, "We aren't sure. Kathryn…?"

"No, not right now, but … well, let's see if it makes it through the night then we can go see Tam tomorrow," said Kathryn.

It was several hours before the broolt stirred.  When it did, it raised its head and glanced around the room.  Kathryn noticed its movement and carried a small bowl of water to him.  The broolt sniffed at the water then drank eagerly.  Encouraged by its response, Kathryn brought it some of Coffee's food.  The broolt ate just as eagerly then dropped its head to the floor.  In only a matter of seconds its slow rhythmical breathing told Kathryn he was sleeping.

"You poor thing.  The storm probably caught you by surprise when you wandered off.  You're lucky they found you but you'd better not wander off too far anymore."

When they were all settling down for the night, Kathryn checked on the broolt again.  She found the soft part of his belly where his fur was not so think and touched his skin. Although his fur had finally dried she was not sure he felt warm enough so she called Coffee over and felt his belly.  Coffee was definitely warmer.  Kathryn wondered where she could get another blanket for the broolt.  Reluctant to ask the others to give up theirs, she retrieved her own and moved to the broolt's side.  She carefully arranged the blanket over the broolt saving enough to cover herself and snuggled into his fur.  A few minutes later, Coffee got daring and pushed his way on the other side of Kathryn, something he was not allowed to do when she slept with Tom and B'Elanna.  She smiled knowing they would all be warmer together than apart.  As she listened to the movement in her usual bed she was glad for another place to sleep.  As close as she was with them, there were times she enjoyed being on her own.  "Ah, my Wanderer, at least you gave me a reason to sleep by the fire tonight."

The next morning they asked Tam about the broolt.  He had belonged to an old man who had died the previous summer.  Although some neighbors had taken him in, Tam knew the broolt had not settled into their home, possibly because there were several other younger adult males.  Kathryn went to visit with the people and talked to them about the possibility of keeping him.  Concerned only with the broolt's welfare, they eagerly agreed that it was worth a try.  They assured Kathryn they would be more than willing to take the broolt back if he didn't settle with Coffee.  Kathryn went home confident that Coffee and Wanderer would work things out.

Spring finally came and with it more work.  Kathryn was glad they were finally able to start supplying a few things for themselves.  When she asked Tam about their fields and gardens she was shocked by his answer.  They didn't plant gardens; rather they relied on being able to find enough food growing wild in the meadows and forest.  She asked whether there would be any objection to their planting a garden for their own use.  When Tam assured her that her strange idea would not violate any village practices, they started locating and digging up plants in the wild.  Kathryn quickly realized that their relocation of food plants would affect the food available to the rest of the village so she made Tom and Ayala go across the valley for their starts.  It added a great deal of time to the process but while they were gone the women tended the plants they had and prepared the ground for additional ones.  During the evenings they busied themselves making containers to carry water.  Tersa had shown them how to weave baskets during the winter so now they were putting that skill to the test.  Only the most tightly woven baskets would carry water.  No one was more surprised than B'Elanna when they all admitted she was the only one with the knack for making a watertight basket.

About ten days after they started several of the village children wandered up and watched with wide eyes as their new neighbors worked in the dirt.  They didn't start asking questions until the next day.  At lunch they crowded around the women and babies asking questions which were patiently answered.  The next day a few adults joined the observers.  They watched and asked the occasional question.   The following day Tam joined them under a tree during one of their breaks.  He asked many detailed questions about their project and inspected the plants they had transplanted.  He left with a thoughtful expression on his face.

That evening Tam appeared at their door just as they finished eating.  When asked to join them for tea, he readily agreed and they all gathered around the fire.  They made small talk, discussed the weather and caught up on the latest village gossip before Tam finally told them why he had come.

"I have come to ask a favor of you, Kathryn.  Your garden is of great interest to us.  We don't fully understand all that you've done but it is clear that in the fall you will have a food supply very close to your home.  Many of us would like to try this for our own families.  Would you be willing to teach us what to do?"

"Of course.  We'd be happy to teach you what we know.  It's not difficult to learn, it's just a lot of work."

"We are able to work and willing to learn.  How many can you teach at a time?"

Kathryn glanced at the others.  She wasn't sure how to answer that.  Tom saved her the trouble.

"Tam, Ayala and I can easily teach three or four of you what we're doing.    Having someone along who is better at finding the plants would make our job easier and faster.  They can keep their share of the plants for their own gardens.  After one day with us, they'll be able to show others."

That prompted the others to volunteer and they settled comfortably to making plans for gardens for the village.  Only when the fire was starting to die did they realize how long they had been talking and Tam departed.  Kathryn settled to sleep that night feeling that they could finally start to repay the debt they owed the Brilto.

"Coffee," yelled Kathryn as loud as she could. "Come on!  Where the hell did you go?" she muttered.  She continued walking up the hill, knowing the young broolt had gone in this direction. "I am going to hurt you when I find you," she threatened, despite the fact that she would never go through with it.  She heard a bark and took off not noticing the root that jutted out from the ground. She nearly fell, scratching her arm pretty badly on a thorn bush along the trail, then managed to find her footing. "Coffee, come….now," she had had enough.

Kathryn inspected the numerous scratches up her arm and decided that they were harmless at about the same time Coffee came strolling back to her as if he had done nothing wrong. "You just high tail it home, mister," she yelled as she watched the semi-trained broolt make his way back towards the village.  She hiked slowly behind him, suddenly finding herself completely exhausted. She knew she was expected out in the field but all she wanted to do right now was to crawl back into her bed and go to sleep.  She shrugged off the wave of dizziness and made her way over to the field where the women were gathering up all the weeds. She found Tersa and stumbled over to her, the dizziness almost taking over.  Kathryn managed to sit down, putting her head in her hands with a moan.

"Kathryn, are you okay?" asked Tersa.  Kathryn slowly shook her head, now finding it difficult to speak.

"What happened?" asked Tersa before noticing the scratches covering Kathryn's arm. "Kathryn, where did you get these? Was it from a thorny bush?" she asked grabbing Kathryn's arm.  Kathryn managed to nod her head before the blackness overcame her as she passed out. She never heard Tersa's shout nor even realized she was picked up and carried back to her cabin.  It was hours before she woke.

"Hey, you're awake," said Tom.

Soon all her friends were surrounding her. "What happened?" she croaked out.

"Well, I guess you tangled with a quite nasty bush," said Tom. "Deadly if gone untreated. Luckily our friends here found an antidote quite some time ago and it works on humans as well as it does on Brilto."

"Thirsty," said Kathryn softly.  Ayala quickly brought her a drink, but Tom took it and helped her take a few sips.

"Slowly. Tersa said you'll still be pretty miserable for a while but you're out of the woods now." Tom leaned in closer.  "We also managed to activate the Doc who also agrees that you'll be just fine if you take it easy for a couple of days."

"Days? I don't…" she began.

"Don't argue, Kathryn, days…" stated Ayala. She tried to give him her best death glare but it didn’t work. She took defeat and allowed sleep to claim her once again; her minor argument had worn her right out.

B'Elanna sat back stroking her enlarged belly, smiling as the child inside kicked back in response. She watched Tom and Kathryn out in the field, the playful banter adding lightness to the workday.  She had been doing her best to keep up with everyone else in her rounded state but had to admit to finding it difficult from time to time. She didn't let it stop her but she did take more breaks then everyone else, but no one seemed to mind.  Jenny too had been slowing down a bit, so the two of them spent many hours harvesting seeds from the plants brought to them by the others.

B'Elanna felt Tom was suffering the most; despite her sexual appetite before, she now had no desire for sex.  She actually hadn't had the desire for the past couple of months and it was affecting him.  She knew he was attracted to Kathryn, and she was sure Kathryn felt the same but both of them held off their desires; she knew it was for her only.

Jenny, Megan and Ayala had made a trio work, and work well. Here Jenny was due within the next couple of months, and now Megan had announced her pregnancy as well. Ayala strutted around, every bit the proud father to be.  Could she, Tom and Kathryn make it work as those three had? Would it work as well? She loved Kathryn, as a sister and as a friend -- both actually, so what would the harm be if she let the man she loved with all her heart, and the woman she loved as a member of her own family, make love with each other?

Yes, she knew that there could be harm. This was something that if not done properly could split them up completely. Was she willing to lose Tom to Kathryn if that happened or vise versa? Would Kathryn run out on them, and not want to return?  But then, the more B'Elanna thought about it, the more she realized that Kathryn would be the one to lead a very lonely life if someone didn't let her into their personal little fold. She knew Kathryn would never consider a relationship with a member of the Brilto and who else was there.   It was a well-known fact that the possibilities of rescue were virtually nonexistent, Voyager would never fly again, and god only knew where the Flyer had ended up. It too probably hadn't survived the drop out of the slipstream.

Kathryn may not have spoken it aloud but B'Elanna knew Kathryn loved Chakotay, at least she suspected she did. She also knew Chakotay would hope that B'Elanna would be there for Kathryn, to help her out if she could, to allow her to be loved in every way possible.  Kathryn deserved to feel that again, to know that closeness and possibly to share in the joy of having a child. She should not be excluded simply because there were no more men available.

B'Elanna remembered the night about a month ago, when everyone had turned in fairly early. A round of gentle good night kisses had gone around the room before everyone parted. Ayala reached Kathryn and instead of placing a chaste kiss on her lips he pulled her into his arms and kissed her passionately, then made a remark that he was sure his harem would have room for once more.  The blush that spread across Kathryn's cheeks was priceless yet she managed to swat him away telling him to stick to his own to women and leave her out of it.   Despite her objection B'Elanna saw it, the momentary desire that flashed through her eyes and the sadness as well.

Nearly every night Kathryn lay in the furs next to Tom, and yet probably felt she couldn't take it that next step and B'Elanna knew it was because of her.  Yes, tonight she would talk to Tom; tell him that it was okay to take it that step further.

Kathryn looked over at B'Elanna sound asleep next to Wanderer and Coffee. She thought it was odd but didn't have the heart to wake her.

"Hey, you ready for bed?" said Tom, walking into the cabin looking freshly clean.

"Yeah," she said taking another glance at B'Elanna.

Tom lay down and held his arms out for her. She climbed in and made herself comfortable then closed her eyes. "No kiss goodnight?" asked Tom.

Kathryn smiled with her eyes still closed, rolled over, opened them and leaned in to kiss him. She expected the kiss to be brief, but his arms wrapped around her, holding her in place, his tongue fighting past her lips to duel with hers.

She pulled away, "Tom, B'Elanna is…"

He put a finger to her lips, "B'Elanna is sleeping over there to give us a little privacy. You need this; I want this; let it happen."

Later Kathryn closed her eyes and drifted off, but not before she realized B'Elanna had crawled in next to Tom. She felt a light touch to her cheek, recognizing B'Elanna's touch right away. The understanding these two showed nearly brought her to tears; she couldn't ask for better friends.

Trilm and Ayala waited patiently while Tom finished packing their lunch for the day.  Normally they returned for the noon meal, but today, Trilm was taking them across the valley. Spring was definitely here and it was time for them to start learning about things a little farther a field.Four hours later they stopped along the edge of a lake to eat their lunch.  It was beautiful and peaceful.  As they ate, they went over all the things Trilm had told them about the various plants and herbs.  Finally, Tom sighed in frustration.

"Look, I think I can remember all the plants and which parts are safe to eat but I am never going to remember which herbs are used to season food and which we should use for tea, and forget the medicinal ones.  If we gather them all, will you come over and tell the others all that stuff?"

Trilm was only slightly surprised at Tom's request.  He knew how long he had taken to learn all the herbs and had spent two hours going over them again with his sister, one of the best cooks in the village.  He knew his friends had knowledge about things far beyond anything he could imagine and was pleased to know that they suffered the same types of limitations on learning as he did.  It made them more like the Brilto and less like magicians.

"Of course.  I remember when I was learning these things.  My family was very patient.  I will explain the main ones tomorrow and they can talk to Trilita as they need to learn more.  As long as you can remember which ones to gather and where they can be found, there is no problem.

"Now, we must be going if we are going to gather some root vegetables on the way home.  They are easy to find but very difficult to dig."

Tom signed in relief at knowing Trilm would explain everything further and in resignation at having to move on so soon.  Taking one last glance at the peaceful lake, Tom and Ayala packed up their trash and followed Trilm across the meadow realizing from the direction that this would be the long way home.

Tom carried Owen carefully up the small rise as B'Elanna followed with a blanket and enough baby supplies to slow down a raging targ.  Tom could not understand how a baby only a few weeks old needed more than twice his mass in essentials for an hour or two of stargazing.  When he reached the top of the rise, he waited while B'Elanna spread a blanket over the grass next to a boulder.  It was a beautiful night and the stars were bright in the sky.  Tom waited until B'Elanna had made herself comfortable, then handed Owen to her before sitting down next to her.  They sat and stared at the stars until Owen started fussing at the lack of attention.  Tom reached for his son and settled him in his arms so Owen could see the stars.

"Shh.  It's ok, Owen.  Look at all the stars.  Mommy and Daddy were born out there a long way from here."  Owen shammed his interest; all he cared about was hearing a familiar voice talking to him.  Unconcerned about his audience's lack of interest in the subject, Tom continued to tell Owen about the stars.

"I don't think he needs to know the difference between a neutron star and a red giant just yet."  B'Elanna's words were gentle with indulgent humor.  "Why not tell him some of the legends that go with the constellations seen from Earth?"

Tom picked up on the idea and began relating the myths of the stars to Owen.  When he began running out of myths he turned to just describing the constellations.  "Sirius.  That star is very bright from Earth, the brightest in the sky, like that star up there."  Tom gestured overhead in the general vicinity of a small cluster with a bright star near the edge.  "They called it the dog star.  Hey, Owen, let's make that your dog star."

"Maybe a broolt star would be better."  Tom had thought B'Elanna was asleep but her comment indicated she had been listening.  He glanced at her and smiled.  She was right – they needed to build their own legends.

"Ok, broolt star it is.  Owen, when you get older you can name it."  The sound of his name roused Owen and he realized he was hungry.  His face and increased movement alerted B'Elanna and she reached for him and had him settled nursing before he had time to get into full complaint mode.  Tom slid closer to B'Elanna and put his arm around her.  Watching his wife and son, he realized he was content with his life.  He kissed her on the forehead.  "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For Owen, for being you, for putting up with me."

B'Elanna looked at Owen, then at Tom.  "I love you, too."

Kathryn trailed behind the others up the rise.  "I still don't understand why you need me to help you make up your stories and pick out images in the stars.  From all you've told me, you're doing just fine on your own."

"You have to contribute or they won't be everyone's legends."  Jenny's words were slightly breathless.  She reached for Ayala's hand and settled awkwardly to the ground.  Her baby was due any time in the next week or so and it had only been her determination and Kathryn's desire not to upset her so close to delivery that had gotten Kathryn out to star gaze with the rest of them.  "Now, we have a whole section of sky that we've been having trouble describing."

Kathryn had no choice but to sit down next to Jenny and listen while Jenny pointed out the different constellations they had named before pointing to the section that had been challenging them.  Kathryn allowed her eyes to wander across the pattern of stars.  Unexpectedly she saw an image among the stars.  She realized she must have caught her breath only when she noticed the others staring at her.

"What?"

"You acted like you saw something.  What do you see?  Don't worry, we won't laugh."  Megan's gentle voice encouraged Kathryn to speak.

"It was nothing really.  Just for a minute I thought I saw a bird's wing or a feather."  The others knew immediately what she had seen and looked at the stars.  Knowing what she meant, they quickly found the stars forming the familiar pattern.

"You're right.  I can't believe I hadn't noticed that before."  B'Elanna's voice was sincere and immediately followed by consenting sounds from the others.  "You should name it and make up a legend for it."

"Warrior.  Let's call it the Warrior."

"Warrior it is.  Do you have a story to go with the name?"  Ayala added his encouragement to the others.

"It's not my legend and I don't know if I can remember it all."  Kathryn's voice was hesitant.  She had no doubt the others knew who the warrior was and who had told her the legend.  "I'll try, but I'm sure I'll leave something out.

"It’s an ancient legend among our people.  It’s a story about a warrior who lived in conflict with the rest of his tribe, a man who couldn’t find peace – even with the help of his spirit guide.  For years, he struggled with his discontent, but the only satisfaction that he ever got came when he was in battle.  This made him a hero among his people, but still the warrior yearned for peace within himself.  One day a tribe led by a woman warrior found his tribe.  She asked the warrior and his tribe to join her tribe.  The warrior agreed.  From that day on, he served at her side.  He spent the rest of his life doing all that he could to make her burden lighter."

Kathryn's eyes glistened with tears by the time she finished speaking. If Tom looked a little sadder than the others as they remembered the people they had lost no one noticed, not even Kathryn or B'Elanna.

Chakotay shook his head hoping to clear his thoughts.  He opened his eyes and recognized the familiar surroundings.  He was seated at the helm controls of the Delta Flyer.  From the looks of the panel and the feel of his head, he had cut himself.  Gingerly he reached a hand above his eye.  The blood on his hand confirmed his hypothesis.  The next thing he grew aware of was that he was cold.  A moan brought his attention to the other occupant of the Flyer.  He turned to Harry on the floor moving slowly.  Chakotay stood slowly mentally checking his body over.  Other than the cut and a pounding headache he appeared to be uninjured.  He moved to help Harry.

Harry grimaced as he tried to sit up.  "I think my leg is broken."

Chakotay ran his hand over Harry's leg but other than causing Harry to flinch and suppress a yell could tell nothing more.  "Let me get the med kit and we'll check it."

Chakotay made his way to the rear of the cabin and returned fiddling with a tricorder and carrying the rest of the kit under his arm.  Quickly he scanned Harry.  "You're right; it's broken but it's a clean break and the bones are not dislocated.  Let's see if we have an osteoregenerator in here."  He rummaged for a while.  "No, I'll check the kit in the back.  Don't move."

"You don't have to tell me that.  Bring a blanket while you're back there, too."  Harry was obviously feeling the cold, too.  For the next ten minutes Harry listened to thumping, bumping and what might have been curses but he wasn't sure.  Finally Chakotay emerged from the rear section of the Flyer.

He passed Harry a duplicate of the one he was carrying.  "Put this on.  I'm not sure what the status of everything is but the hull is crushed pretty badly back there and there is at least one crack.  That's why it's so cold in here already."  While he spoke, Chakotay was looking through the med kit.  "There it is!"

He pulled out an osteoregenerator.  "You know what settings to use?"

"No, I usually use a little less than whatever the tricorder says and have it checked by the doctor."

"We'll do it that way then."  Chakotay matched his actions to his words, adjusted the osteoregenerator and moved it slowly over Harry's leg.  After about thirty seconds he paused and checked his progress with the tricorder.  "It seems to be working."

He picked up the osteoregenerator and resumed the treatment.  About ten seconds later, the regenerator flickered and died.  "Great!"  Chakotay quickly checked the regenerator.  "Someone put it away last time without recharging the power supply and I didn't see any extras in the med kit.  Let's see how much we managed to heal."  He scanned Harry's leg again with the tricorder.  "Not too bad.  It's about two-thirds healed.  The tricorder says three weeks before you can walk on it.  In the meantime you either hop on the other one or we make you some crutches."

"I'll try hopping and see how it goes.  We have a lot of repairs to make.  What happened anyway?"

"You tell me, I was just flying the ship; you were the one tracking the wave front of the slipstream."

"I'm not sure.  For some reason Voyager made some adjustments that collapsed the slipstream.  They were right behind us when we fell out of it.  Have you been able to raise them?"

His words triggered Chakotay's memories of events: the Flyer dropping out of the slipstream headed straight for the planet, power to all main systems down, frantic adjustments to regain thrusters.  Only its small size and high maneuverability made it possible for Chakotay to pull the Flyer up from the dive enough to cushion its impact in the mountains.  He had spent enough hours at the helm of Voyager to know that Tom would have had a great deal more difficulty pulling Voyager out of a similar dive using only thrusters; he didn't want to think about their impact if they had lost the inertial dampeners.  "Are you sure they were right behind us?"

"Yes.  Absolutely.  If we can raise them, we'll be out of here in no time."

"Harry, if they were right behind us, they made the same approach to these mountains that the Flyer did.  The Flyer is much more responsive than Voyager especially in an atmosphere."

Harry's face paled as he realized that Voyager might have suffered a fate worse than the Flyer.  "We have to try, Commander."  He met Chakotay's eyes.  "They'll be ok, I know they will. Tom is the best pilot in the 'fleet and you know the captain would toss him in the brig for the next hundred years if he dented her precious ship."

"You're right, Harry.  Let's get you up on a chair and I'll try to raise Voyager."

The two men got to work determining the damage to the Flyer and checking all the systems.  In two hours they knew that the warp engines were beyond repair and that main power had been severely damaged but could probably be repaired if they sacrificed the impulse engines.  After a brief discussion they agreed there was no point preserving engines for a ship that could never achieve warp.  Once they had gotten power back on line using storage batteries, Chakotay focused on the physical repairs while Harry worked with the systems bringing the computer back on line.  They worked steadily until the sky grew dark, pausing only once to eat.  Finally, Chakotay dragged sleeping bags and blankets from the emergency supplies and they settled down for the night.

A few hours work the next morning saw power restored to the computer and Harry busily working on long-range sensors and the communications system.  Chakotay was focusing on the heat problem – or the lack of heat problem.  He found several additional small fractures in the hull which he thought could be repaired enough to block heat loss but the larger one was about half a meter wide and nearly two meters high.  The only positive thing Chakotay could see about it was that it was on the downwind side of the shuttle.  He made a thorough search of the Flyer for anything that might contain the heat loss but found nothing.  Finally he used the airlock and went outside to study the situation.

Chakotay returned about thirty minutes later to find that Harry had managed to get the replicator on line and hot soup waiting for him.  He savored the warmth as much as the taste.  "Good job, Harry.  We're going to need the replicator." He paused before turning on command mode.  "But we can't waste the replicator on luxuries.  Until we know more about our power supply we'll have to save it for things we really need."

"I understand.  I had to test it on something and I'm not sure the recycler can be repaired so I thought at least we could drink the soup."

Chakotay chuckled.  "It's ok.  How are the other systems?  Any luck with the sensors or communications?"

"Well, I think communications is working but I can't be sure because there are no signals to check.  Voyager's systems must be down, too.  I have scanners working but only for about three kilometers. There is nothing near us but ice and rock.  Whatever is creating the oxygen in the atmosphere isn't up in these mountains.  I'm still working on the scanners but we need the power systems more so I've started on that.  How's that 'door' in the back?"

"Well, I don't think we can repair it.  We just don't have enough metal.  I was looking around outside though and I think we can block it with snow.  If I take the metal rods from all the survival tents and make some cross supports, then put the tents themselves over the opening, I think it will be strong enough to keep snow from falling inside.  Then tomorrow I'll pile snow up against it from the outside.  We'll let that be our insulation against the cold.  Once we turn on the heat back there, it should melt some of the snow; once it refreezes we'll have a windproof barrier.  A couple hours later, I'll put blankets and whatever else I can find on the inside to slow the heat loss there.  We can probably keep the temperature back there about four or five degrees.  It will be a bit cold for sleeping but we can manage.  We'll heat this room to about fifteen degrees.  We might be wearing our coats most of the time, but we'll be comfortable enough.  There's no point wasting energy."

Chakotay finished his soup and a ration bar before standing.  "Well, I'm going to get back to my project.  Call me if you need anything from the back."

The end of the second day saw the hull fracture covered by a frame and survival tents.  Power had been stabilized to most of the Flyer's systems but scanners still only reached about fifteen kilometers.   Chakotay and Harry discussed which system was the highest priority, finally deciding on long-range scanners and life support in the form of heat.  The wind picked up later during the night rocking the shuttle slightly from its force.  They could see blowing snow and realized they were lucky to have the Flyer in as good a condition as it was.

The sun woke them the next morning as it glared off the snow that now covered the front hull of the Flyer.  Chakotay was the first to rouse and his first action was to check the work he had done the day before.  The storm had been kind to them; not only were the framework and tents still there, snow was piled next to the opening about one and one-half meters high blocking part of the draft.  Chakotay smiled – at last something had worked out in their favor.

That set the standard for their third day.  By midafternoon they had heat restored in the forward compartment, snow piled the rest of the way along their new shuttle 'hull' and long-range scanners were registering the location of a warp core and dilithium crystals.  Harry glanced at the readings before calling Chakotay.  There was little good news on those scans.

"Commander, I think I've located Voyager."

Chakotay was next to him immediately.  "Report!" was all Chakotay could say.

"Voyager is about one hundred kilometers to the south and east of our position at about the same elevation.  The warp core is intact but offline.  I'm picking up hull fragments spread around an area nearly a kilometer wide but the main hull is in one place."  Harry didn't want to continue.  "I'm getting life signs, Commander.  There seem to be six fairly strong ones.  I'm sorry, it's not the sensors; that's all that survived."

"Can you tell who survived?  Can you raise them on their communicators?"

"No, sir.  All their systems are down and their communicators aren't functioning.  I am detecting heat in what appears to be the mess hall so they have power of some sort.  They might be heating metal using hand phasers."  Harry searched desperately for something good to tell Chakotay.  "Sir, the lifesigns are all on the upper decks."

"Keep a channel open in case they get communications running.  Keep scanning and let me know if their situation changes.  In the meantime, plot a route to their location.  If they can't get to us, we'll have to get to them."

Chakotay moved to the rear compartment.  The calm demeanor and mask of command slipped away as soon as he was alone.  There had been nearly 150 people on Voyager; now there were six.  He might not have been the captain, but they were still his crew and his friends.  He closed his eyes willing himself to believe that Kathryn was among the six life signs.  He felt guilty hoping she was alive knowing that if she were she would be blaming herself for the deaths of her crew and the destruction of her ship but he needed to believe that she was alive.

Eventually he turned his attention back to the ship's environmental systems.  It was nearly dark when he returned to the main compartment.  "Good news, Harry.  It's warm enough in the back to sleep there tonight -- finally, a better mattress than the chairs up here.  Anything new to report?"

"No change, sir.  Temperatures in both compartments seem to have stabilized in the last hour or so."

As they sat eating their dinner they discussed what they should do next.

"Did you get a route plotted to Voyager?"

"Yes.  I also did some weather forecasting.  We're in the northern portion of the temperate zone for this planet in some very high mountains."  He chuckled.  "I just looked out the window for that last information.  This planet has a year that is about fifteen months long and days are a little longer than Earth normal – about twenty-five hours -- easier on humans than Bajor.  We probably won't even notice the difference. The bad news is that we are at the beginning of winter.  Last night's storm is just the beginning.  The route to Voyager is not easy.  There are no trails anywhere and we have to cross two passes about five hundred meters higher than our present elevation.  Voyager might be two hundred kilometers away but the only route is closer to three hundred fifty kilometers.  If we can make five kilometers a day, we'll be lucky."

"You sound like you think we can beat the winter storms."

"If we start now, I think we can."

Chakotay met Harry's gaze.  "On that leg?"

"All right, you go alone.  I'll stay here and you get me in the spring."

"No.  There are only two of us and we're doing by the book.  We don't split up.    We'll go in the spring when you're able to travel."

"Commander, " Harry's protest was cut off.  "No.  We wait until spring."  Chakotay watched Harry a moment before softening his order.  "Look, it's safer to make that kind of journey with another hiker.  I might not be able to get through by myself."

Harry gave up that argument.  "Ok.  I know how much you want to be there right now.  I want to be there, too.  They might need us or our supplies.  Waiting all winter is going to be hard."

"I know.  Let's figure out what we need to save for our journey.  Can you believe it? We will have to save the rations and use the replicator now."

"Did you keep any of the survival tents?"

"There are three still intact."  They continued making plans for the spring even though they both knew it didn't matter yet.  Their plans would change a dozen times before spring approached.

Two days later, Harry noticed that the life signs were moving away from Voyager.  "Commander.  I think the survivors are leaving Voyager.  They're all moving away from us; they seem to be heading down into a valley."

"Track their progress as far as you can, Harry.  We'll need to catch up with them in the spring."

Their days fell into a pattern after that.  They ate, slept and worked on the ship's systems.  They found a deck of cards and played for several hours each day as the winter deepened. Somehow over a period of weeks, they started sleeping at staggered times so they were both awake at the same time only during the middle of the day.  The long hours of darkness made this arrangement almost reasonable.  They never discussed it but they both valued the solitude and privacy a few hours alone gave them.  Rank disappeared early in the winter but there was never any doubt about who made decisions.

They got to know each other far better than they might have wanted to and both would have said they were good friends, but Chakotay never felt his friendship with Harry approached the friendship he had shared with Kathryn.  There were times when he could almost hear her voice but he could never understand her words.

At long last, the days slowly grew longer and the sun in the sky seemed to bring warmth to the glare from the ice and snow.  Harry's leg had healed and both were as ready to travel as they could be.  Both had memorized the route to Voyager during their long hours checking scans hoping to find some indication that the lack of life signs was a problem in their equipment.  They had fared well over the winter, all things considered.  Their power supply had proved more than adequate to provide enough heat and food to keep them alive.  Chakotay had insisted they save as many of the emergency rations as they could for their journey.

During the winter they had used their sensors to study the planet's rotation and tilt so they knew exactly how long it was until the summer solstice.  Chakotay estimated how long they would need to make their way to Voyager, then added half again as much time for unexpected delays.  Knowing a group had left Voyager and headed toward a valley, he added another ten days to their journey.  Harry didn't push him for a departure date, but as the days lengthened and the sun climbed higher into the sky both started to assemble packs for their journey and gradually returned to sleeping at the same time.  The time for privacy and solitude was behind them; once they started on their journey, each would be depending on the other.

Finally one night Chakotay spoke, "We'll leave day after tomorrow.  Tomorrow we'll make sure we're taking the things we'll need the most."

"Aye, sir."  That quickly, rank and command were restored to their relationship.  Both were surprised they slipped back into those roles so easily.  Chakotay was reminded when he had slipped into that role once before – when he became Voyager's first officer. He fell asleep that night with visions and memories of happier times in his mind.

The next day they sorted through the supplies.  Food and shelter were their first two priorities.  They used the replicator sparingly in the morning to fill gaps in their supplies, but by midafternoon, Chakotay was confident they could replicate a few less critical supplies, such as lightweight thermal underwear and boots designed for traveling specifically in snow.  Rather than trying to carry water for the entire trip, they would carry only enough for a day or two and planned to melt snow or ice to replenish their supply.  Harry was pleased to see that Chakotay did not insist in replicating more ration bars but had prepared a list of food that was slightly more flavorful if not as nutritious.  Jerky, nuts, and dried fruit would add some variety to their menu.

"What's that?"  Something unfamiliar caught Harry's eye.

"What?"

"This."  Harry held up a pouch containing something light colored and granular.

"Oh, that was in the replicator's memory.  I think it's something Tom found from his study of the twentieth century.  It's called instant oatmeal.  It has flavorings or dried fruit in it, too.  You add hot water and it turns into something that looks like Neelix's worst on a bad day, but it actually tastes pretty good.  I tried it a couple of times over the winter and thought it would be good for mornings."

"Tom found this?"

"Look, you don't have to eat it; you can have ration bars."  Chakotay smiled but Harry still looked skeptical."

"No, I'll give it a try, Commander.  I'll take your word for it."

They returned to their task of packing supplies.  They debated taking their regular boots and decided they would try but agreed they might decide to discard them if they were too heavy.  They debated taking one or two tents and finally agreed that one made more sense.  They were designed for two people and sharing would conserve heat at night, plus they could carry their boots more easily with only one tent.  They collected the tricorders and packed several spares plus all the storage disks they had.  They also cleaned out the first aid kit and medical supplies.  Then they turned their attention to weapons, knowing they could not take them all.  They finally decided on six hand phasers and a phaser rifle each along with all the spare power packs they could carry.

Carefully they packed their supplies, knowing that proper distribution would make the load easier to carry and balance on treacherous footing.  The final result was more than Chakotay though wise but he was willing to try.  Harry agreed.  After all, they could always eliminate some items the first night if it proved to be too much.  Once they were both satisfied with their packs, they sat down to their last dinner in the Flyer and the last night they would sleep protected from the cold winds for a long time.

The next morning they replicated hot breakfasts and dressed for their journey.  While Harry was powering down most of the Flyer's systems, Chakotay turned on a locator beacon set to send a signal once a day when the sun was not in the sky.  He also recorded a message to be relayed if the Flyer picked up a Federation communications signal.  They made sure the remaining power would be available to both systems, and shouldering their packs, sealed the door behind them.  From habit, Chakotay took the lead but within two hours they had started taking turns leading.  The person in front had to break through the snow and that was very tiring.

They took a short break midmorning but it was too cold to stay still for long.  They delayed their lunch break until they found a spot that was relatively sheltered from the wind.  Once during the afternoon they had to backtrack and try a different when one slope proved too steep for them to safely descend.  They lost almost two hours, but by the end of the day had covered almost as much distance as their most optimistic projections.  About two hours before sunset Chakotay started keeping an eye out for a likely camping spot for the night.  He nearly passed one by because it was so early, but decided that it was unlikely they would find another as good.

Chakotay set up the tent while Harry cleared an area for them to sit.  He was digging through the snow off to one side.  Finally Chakotay asked him what he was doing.

"I'm trying to find some rocks to heat and to sit on instead of the snow."

"Why not use a tricorder to locate them?"

Chakotay thought Harry blushed but wasn't quite sure.  Anyway, ten minutes later, Harry had two slightly warmed rocks separated by a red-hot rock.  Chakotay had finished setting up the tent and placed their sleeping bags inside.  They ate their meal in silence then shoved their packs into the back of the tent and crawled in.  It was too cold to stay out by the rock.  Harry moved the two cooler rocks into the tent and heated them up enough to keep the chill off for at least a couple hours.  After that first night, Harry made sure to place the 'hot' rock closer to the tent opening.  Both men fell asleep listening to the moan of the wind across the ice-covered mountains.

Their first day set the pattern for their journey.  Some days they barely covered any distance, others they made even more progress than the first.  Both were tired at night so there was little chance for conversation.  Sometime during the middle of their fifth day of travel, the sounds of the wind changed to a howling wail.  Harry woke first, tense and reaching for a phaser.  Chakotay stopped him before he could leave the tent to investigate.

"It's just the wind."

"That sounded like an animal to me."

"Trust me, Harry, it was just the wind."  Harry listened reluctantly to Chakotay and finally allowed himself to be convinced that it was indeed just a change in the wind.  Long after Harry had fallen asleep, Chakotay recalled tales from Earth of Sasquatch, Bigfoot and Yeti knowing that legends on one world are often reality on another.

Ninety-seven days after they left the Delta Flyer, Chakotay and Harry finally saw Voyager in the distance.  The sun glinted off metal and caught their attention.  The ship had settled during the winter and now looked like it was part of the landscape.  Their first reaction was to move to Voyager as quickly as they could in a straight line.  Impulse was quickly replaced by rational thought and they made their way carefully toward Voyager.  Rather than make an early camp, they pushed on that night reaching Voyager about twenty minutes before sunset.  They had trouble locating an access to the ship, but eventually found the one that the survivors must have used.

Once inside Voyager, they were unprepared for what they found.  They had known only six people had left the ship, but until they saw all the bodies in the corridors and on the bridge, it hadn't fully registered how many had died.  An hour after they arrived, Chakotay and Harry had some idea of who had probably survived.  Kathryn and Tom were among those who should have been on the bridge but were not.  They thought B'Elanna had been there but couldn't be certain she hadn't gone to engineering.  They had no idea who the others might be.  They accounted for the others who were on the bridge during the journey in the slipstream.  Harry watched Chakotay as he realized the captain was most likely among the survivors.  He looked younger and more relaxed than Harry had seen him in months.

The men finally settled in the mess hall since that was where the others had stayed until they left.  They found the sheets that had been heated to warm the area and did not hesitate to put them to good use.  Once the room had warmed up, they removed their coats and made up their beds.  Not having to set up a tent was a welcome change from recent weeks.  The relative silence in the ship was unsettling; they had become accustomed to the winds of the mountains.   Quickly they prepared a meal and settled to sleep, long weeks of habit reasserting itself.

The next morning they explored the immediate area of the mess hall.  They could tell that the six had scavenged everything they could carry.  As they ate a midday meal, Harry noticed Chakotay's face was once again worried.  "Commander, she's not here.  She was one of the ones who left the ship."

"I know, Harry.  She might have survived the crash, but we don't know what happened after they moved out of sensor range.  We had heat, shelter and supplies and it was still a hard winter for us.  We know they didn't have all that.  We also know how treacherous these mountains are and at least some of them were probably injured when they left.  It had to have been very difficult for them to travel."

"The captain would never have left if she didn't think they would be better off wherever they were going."

"I know, Harry.  Thanks.  But until I see them, I won't be able to stop worrying.  It's the not knowing that's so hard.  Let's get back to work.  We need to leave in the morning.  Go check your quarters; get anything you think you might need that you think you can carry."

The two men turned back to their task of searching Voyager.  Chakotay entered his quarters expecting to find them in disarray.  He was not disappointed, but he realized after a few minutes that someone had gone through his things.  Quickly, he bundled some clothes together.  He wasn't sure but he thought quite a bit of his off duty clothing was gone; he was sure that his medicine bundle was gone.  He turned his attention to his medicine wheel.  It stood in its usual place near a table.  As he approached it, something on the table caught his eye.  Four rank pips lay there.  He gathered the pips in his hand and held them for a long minute before putting them in his pocket.  Carefully, he disassembled his medicine wheel, and bundled it with the other items.

Chakotay went next to the captain's quarters, not sure what he expected to find.  He went through her clothes and thought a few things might be missing, which was not surprising if she had been among those who survived.  He stopped and fingered several of the dresses she had worn on New Earth.  On impulse, he added his two favorites to the bundle he carried then quickly made his way to the mess hall.

Later in the afternoon, the two men followed the relatively cleared corridors to sickbay.  They searched for the mobile emitter but were unable to find it.  Although still in disarray, the scattered instruments seemed to have been examined and discarded giving silent encouragement to the men that the doctor had been available to tend the survivors' injuries.  When they returned to the mess hall, Harry fiddled with a discarded tricorder while Chakotay prepared their meal.

"What are you doing with that?"

"Oh, I found this in the corner.  It seems to be working except it drains a power pack in about 30 seconds.  I'm trying to see what its last readings indicated without draining more packs.  I've almost got it."  Harry fiddled some more with the tricorder, snapped in a pack, punched one key and watched as it transferred its readings to another tricorder.  Fifteen seconds later, he turned it off.  "Got it!  Definitely not worth taking along if there was another one available."

"What was on it?"

"Looks like some scans of the area to the southeast, the direction they headed when they left Voyager.  Well, if these are accurate, there is a valley about fifteen kilometers from here at least two kilometers lower.  The winter is probably much milder at that altitude."

"Have we seen anything that looks more promising on any of our scans?"

"No.  My guess is they tried to reach the valley before winter set in."

"I agree.  We'll follow in the morning.  I don't suppose they left a map of their proposed route?"  Chakotay passed Harry his meal while he spoke.

"Sorry, no such luck.  We'll have to go in the general direction they did and hope we find them."  Harry set aside his equipment and began to eat.  The two men continued discussing what they had found and how they would proceed.

Three days after they left Voyager, Harry and Chakotay had made their way well below the tree line of the mountain.  The weather was noticeably warmer and both men removed their coats during the afternoons.  They stopped to eat in a clearing and even took off their uniform jackets to enjoy the feel of the sun on their arms.

"Could we just sit here for an hour or so, Commander?  I know we have a long way to go, but it feels so good to just sit in the sun.  Sometimes I think I've been walking in the cold forever."

"Maybe a half hour, but no more.  What does your tricorder show?"

"Well, there is a cluster of local life signs about a kilometer above us.  A flock of some native animal, I guess.  I'm also picking up what might be a village.  There appear to be dirt and log structures about five kilometers ahead of us.  They seem to be a cross between a log cabin and a beaver lodge.  Details on the lifesigns are indeterminate.  Something is limiting our scans, possibly solar radiation."

"Well, enjoy your half hour."  Chakotay punched a couple of buttons on his tricorder to set an alarm, and leaned back on his rock to enjoy the sun.

Half an hour later, a steady beeping alerted both men of the passage of time.  Reluctantly they both stretched weary muscles and climbed to their feet.

"Ouch!"  Harry's voice carried more irritation than actual pain.  "Watch out for thorns, Chakotay.  They hurt."

"Thanks for the warning."

Exchanging banter, the two men collected their gear and headed toward the cluster of structures they had dubbed the 'village'.  About half way to the village, they encountered more of the thorns.  After receiving several deep scratches each, they put their uniform jackets back on.  Half an hour later, Harry stumbled and fell.  When Chakotay turned to help him up, he realized Harry was covered in sweat and too weak to regain his feet.  "What's wrong?"

"I don't know.  I'm just tired.  Too tired to go farther."

Chakotay quickly found their medical tricorder and scanned Harry.  He was running a fever and was barely conscious.  Quickly Chakotay found a small clearing and dragged Harry to it.  He pulled out a hypo and injected Harry with something to lower his fever.  He then pulled out Harry's sleeping bag and got him in it.  He scanned Harry again.  There was a toxin from an undetermined source in Harry's system.  The tricorder offered no cure, only palliative treatments for the symptoms – reduce the fever, keep him warm, liquids and sleep.  Chakotay cursed silently – he could have guessed that on his own.

Despite having several hours of daylight left, Chakotay began to set up camp and prepare some food for himself and soup for Harry. Periodically he checked Harry but he was not responding well.  His fever continued to rise and instead of just sleeping, he was drifting into a coma.

As he finished eating, Chakotay realized he was feeling tired, more than he would have expected so early in the evening.  He scanned himself with the tricorder – just as he had feared, he was showing the beginnings of the same symptoms Harry had.   Chakotay immediately remembered the scratches from the thorns and Harry's complaint during their lunch break.  He focused the tricorder on the scratches and found a concentration of the toxin.  Useless information, but at least he knew why he was sick.  He quickly injected an analgesic and mild stimulant.

Chakotay tried to think quickly what to do.  He didn't know whether the toxin would merely make them sick or kill them.  So far, Harry had not responded so he did not think that trying to merely sleep it off would be wise.  He knew he had no better alternatives that those he had tried on Harry.  Finally, he knew that if there were an antidote or cure, the most likely place to find it would be among those who had built the structures.  He made a decision after only a few minutes.  He was not going to let a thorn end their journey without trying to find help.

Quickly, he heated some rocks to keep Harry as warm as safely possible, stowed all their supplies in the tent next to Harry, picked up his canteen and a tricorder, and set off for the village.  Normally, he would have approached as quietly as possible, but it was nearly dark and he wanted to be found.  He tried to move quickly, but his pace slowed as he moved through the trees.  He found himself following what might have been a game trail headed in the general direction of the village.  It was leading in the right direction so he followed it.  He paused to rest for a minute and never felt himself drift to sleep and slump to the ground.