Trilm was heading back to the village after spending the day fishing at his favorite spot along a stream high in the mountains.  He and his broolt, Kadz, were nearly to the village when Kadz turned up a side trail and started running.  Curious to learn what had prompted Kadz to head away from his dinner, Trilm followed him up the mountain.  Only a few minutes walk brought him to the broolt and the answer.  Another stranger lay along the path.

Quickly Trilm checked to see if the stranger was still alive.  He was, but would not wake up.  Trilm remembered Kathryn's reaction to the thorns early in the summer and quickly checked the stranger for scratches.  He saw the scratch marks as soon as he removed the stranger's coat.  He fastened the coat again and turned the stranger on his back.  He checked the canteen for water and was pleased to find some.  Quickly he moved into the forest to gather some leaves.  He was lucky; he found some after only a few minutes searching.  Wishing he had a fire to heat the water, he broke the leaves and pushed them into the water.  As soon as the water started to change color, Trilm raised the stranger's head and poured some of the mixture into his mouth.  He was rewarded when the stranger choked and swallowed.

Trilm knew he could never carry this stranger so he tried to wake him again.  This time the stranger responded but did not appear to understand what Trilm was saying.  Urging the visitor to his feet, Trilm supported him as he walked down the trail toward the village.  Kadz led the way and eventually responded when Trilm ordered him to run ahead to the village.  He hoped someone would notice Kadz had returned alone and would start back up the trail.  He didn't think the stranger would be able to walk all the way and he couldn't carry him on his own.

About five hundred meters from the first cabin the stranger collapsed.  Trilm made sure he was breathing and set off as quickly as he could for more help.  He met Tam and Tom coming toward him a few minutes later.  Quickly, he explained that he had found another stranger who had been scratched by the thorns.  Tom and Tam quickly ran back up the trail sending an exhausted Trilm to Kathryn's cabin to tell them they were bringing in a stranger.

Trilm stopped at Tersa's cabin and told her a stranger had been found and was ill from the thorn scratches.  She quickly gathered a few supplies and followed him to Kathryn's cabin.  Trilm reached Kathryn's cabin and found the rest of them relaxing after eating their evening meal.  Quickly he told the he had found a stranger who had been scratched by the thorns and was very ill.  The entire group was stunned.

"A stranger like us?"  Kathryn's voice was barely a whisper.

"Yes, a male, dark like Ayala."  Kathryn was afraid to hope – Trilm had mentioned only one stranger.  "He has a mark above his eye – like a feather."

"Chakotay."  B'Elanna's single word repeated the one echoing in Kathryn's mind.  Chakotay was here.

Kathryn forced her feeling aside and stepped back into command mode.  Quickly she assessed the situation.

"B'Elanna, fix up the bed over there for Chakotay.  You and Tom can move into your new room tonight even if it isn't quite ready."

Tersa stepped forward while Kathryn paused to consider what else needed to be done.  "I have the herbs you will need to treat your friend."

Kathryn looked at Tersa gratefully.  "Oh, Tersa, thank you.  Can you help me brew them, too?"

"Of course, Kathryn, that's why I came.  If you will permit, I will start now."  At Kathryn's nod, Tersa moved to the fire and took a small kettle to fill with water at the spring.  "I will be back very quickly."

By the time Tom and Tam arrived with Chakotay, Tersa had the herbs steeping in the kettle and Kathryn and B'Elanna had cleared the area around a bed near the fire.  Ayala had gone to meet them and together he and Tom carried Chakotay over to the bed.  Quickly they removed his coat then stepped back so Tersa and Kathryn could tend to him.  When they gave him more tea, Chakotay roused slightly, mumbling, "Harry, I've got to go back for Harry."

That was the first indication they had that Harry might be up on the mountain somewhere.  Tom and Ayala exchanged looks then Tom spoke.  "We'll leave at first light, Kathryn."  She nodded knowing as they all did that Harry must have been significantly worse for Chakotay to leave him on the mountain.  If thorns had scratched him, Harry was probably already dead.

Jenny and Megan watched the babies most of the evening while B'Elanna helped Kathryn and Tersa.  Ayala helped Tom move their personal items into the new room.  They barely spoke while they waited for some sign of improvement.  Tersa stayed several hours and made sure Kathryn knew how to make more of the herbal tea before she returned to her own cabin promising to return in the morning.  Eventually the men fell asleep, each holding a baby.  Megan and Jenny fell asleep on either side of Ayala, leaning on his shoulder while B'Elanna drifted off near the fire, leaving Kathryn to keep watch on Chakotay.  All through the night Kathryn stared at the man who had brought back the memories of how they had all come to be in this cabin on this planet.

The first light of day found Tom and Ayala carefully moving around the cabin, quietly tucking babies next to their mothers and preparing their morning meal.  Ayala picked up two of the larger kettles and motioned that he was going to the spring for water.  Tom finished assembling a small pack of supplies.  While he waited for Ayala to return he looked at Kathryn sleeping next to Chakotay.  It might have just been the firelight reflecting on her face, but he thought she looked more at peace than she had since they arrived.  Carefully he tiptoed to her side.  Squatting down, he brushed her lips with his.  "Good bye, Kathryn.  I know I could never have made you as happy as he will, but I'll always treasure what we have."

Tom had returned to his place by the door by the time Ayala returned. They were reluctant to leave while everyone was asleep, only to see Tersa step quietly in the door. Without a word, Tersa moved to get a clean kettle and settled to her tasks. Confident that she would look after Chakotay until Kathryn woke up, Tom and Ayala started back up the trail where Trilm had found Chakotay.

Tom and Ayala walked for about an hour before they found where Chakotay had met the trail.  From there it was rather easy to backtrack – he had left lots of broken branches.  Another half hour and they found the camp.  Knowing that Harry had probably not survived without treatment, both men hesitated before they opened the tent.  The rocks still held some warmth, but Harry's body had grown cold in death.

Working together, they quickly cut several long branches and tied them together with rope from the supplies in the tent.  Carefully, they placed Harry's body on a blanket slung between the branches before they loaded the packs on their backs and started back to the village.

Kathryn glanced up when Tom and Ayala entered the cabin.  She knew without asking the news was bad. She didn't notice the pack Tom had carried in with him until he set it down next to her.

"Kathryn, we found the medical supplies from the Flyer. The doctor might be able to do more for Chakotay with those supplies.  I think we should activate him."

"I don't know, Tom.  He's responding to the treatment and we might need those supplies another time."

"If we save them for a hundred years, they aren't helping us. If they can help him, we should use them."

"He's right, Kathryn.  We should use them if the doctor thinks they'll help him."  B'Elanna's support was more than Kathryn could fight.  B'Elanna saw her reluctant consent in her eyes. "I'll send Tersa home for her lunch and get the emitter."

An hour later the doctor had treated Chakotay with a stronger analgesic to ease his pain and an antibiotic to combat the mild infection caused by the scratches. The doctor pronounced that Tersa's remedy would work slowly but it would work.  B'Elanna had just returned the emitter to its hiding place when Tersa returned.

Three days later Chakotay opened his eyes slowly trying to focus on where he was. It was a shack of some kind, maybe a log cabin. He moved his fingers to discover he must be lying on a fur of some sort. He tried to sit up, but found his muscles didn't want to move so instead he continued to just look around.

Kathryn came into focus next, almost looking surreal, a child in her arms, "Hey, you're awake," she said softly.

"Kathryn?" he managed to say.

He watched Kathryn hand the baby back to someone, too far out of his line of vision to make out who it was, then she came to him, kneeling down, touching his cheek. "You don't know how good it is to see you," she said to him.

"How? I mean…"

"Shh, quiet. You've been through a lot," she said. She picked up a cup of water and helped him take a drink.

He saw a large animal bound through the doorway, large, like a bear and it was heading right for Kathryn. She screamed as it jumped on her back.  Chakotay cursed his aching muscles for not allowing him to move and help her; he was sure she was in danger.

But then she laughed, "Damn it, Coffee, get off me." She pushed the animal down and watched as it ambled towards Chakotay. She stood, grabbed it around the neck and gently tried to prod it in another direction. "Not now; he will play with you later. Now go, you big oaf."

She looked back down at Chakotay, seeing his horror stricken face and knelt beside him, moving her face close to his. "He is really rather gentle, but he loves to play. He is our pet broolt. We have another we call Wanderer. You'll get used to them."

Chakotay smiled slightly, "Did I hear you call him Coffee?"

She gave him an indignant look, "Yes, you did. Have a problem with that?" she was trying not to laugh.  He shook his head.

"Well, good. I have to have coffee one way or another. If I can't ingest it, then I sure as hell can have the energy it gives, and believe me, that Coffee has energy galore," she said.

Chakotay could feel his energy draining once again, so many images.  "Kathryn? The baby?"

"Ahh, that was Christine, Jenny and Ayala's baby girl," explained Kathryn.

As if on cue, in wobbled a very pregnant Megan, "Hey, good to see you awake, Comman… ah Chakotay. Need anything?"

"We have all we need, Megan, thanks. You go take it easy," said Kathryn.

"All right, just yell if you need anything. B'Elanna will be here in a minute, as soon as she is finished feeding Owen," said Megan.  Kathryn nodded then turned back to Chakotay who looked more confused than before.

"She's pregnant?"  Chakotay's confusion was clear. Kathryn couldn't help the wide grin at what she had to explain.

"Ayala has been a busy man. Let's not forget Tom and B'Elanna. They have a son, Owen, born a couple months before Christine."

"I don’t think I want to know…at least not yet," said Chakotay. He was fighting to stay awake, a fight he was quickly losing.

"You go back to sleep," she said, patting him gently on the shoulder.  As he closed his eyes, she lay down next to him, curling up to his warmth. She couldn't ask for more; she was now able to truly feel at peace, now that she had her angry warrior back.

Ten days later Chakotay slowly stood and made his way to the center of the cabin where the rest of the group was sitting around a table.  "Finally, you're up," said Kathryn getting up to stand by his side and support him.

"After ten days of lying around I think I'm ready to be up," said Chakotay, taking Kathryn's support by putting his arm around her waist. "And I need a shower," he added.

"Well, how about a bath of sorts?" said Kathryn.  "I think the bathhouse is free."

"Umm, okay," he said a bit hesitantly.

"It's all we have right now, a communal bathhouse. The Brilto use it during the day, we use it at night, a system that has worked very well for us," said Kathryn.

"I'll take it. I haven't had much of a cleaning in quite some time," said Chakotay.

"Tom, he's going to need some clothes," stated Kathryn.

"Say no more, Kathryn, I'll go get some of mine," said Tom.

Kathryn steadied Chakotay against the table and got the bath supplies then moved back to him. "No time like the present; let's get going."

"I … you're coming, too?" he asked.

She stepped back slightly, "Well, if you prefer one of the men to help, I'm sure they would be willing but you don't seem steady enough to do this on your own quite yet," began Kathryn. "Would you prefer…?"

"No, you're fine. Okay, let's go," said Chakotay.  The walk to the bathhouse was silent at first until Kathryn spoke up.

"Are you sure you're okay with this, Chakotay?  We've become rather close here and have been taking baths together for quite some time."

"I'm okay, Kathryn; some of this is just going to take some getting used to." He smiled, "Have you taken baths with Tom and Ayala?"

"Well, actually in all the time here I haven't with Ayala; the twins took him over right away. But with Tom and B'Elanna, yes." They finally made it to the building and stepped inside. "It's actually almost like a sauna. I rather enjoy it."

Chakotay looked around, finally stepping away from Kathryn.  "It doesn't look that bad," he chuckled. "Does this mean I won't have to build you a bathtub?"

Kathryn laughed, "We'll see about that." She began to strip, and turned to see a rather shocked Chakotay. "What? You do realize that you have to take your clothes off?"

"Of course," he said, trying to fight the surge of blood to his lower region. Kathryn was down to her underwear, and was now starting to remove those as well. He turned from her slightly and began to strip himself, only he stopped before he removed his underwear.

Kathryn eyed him then shrugged. "Would you rather I leave these on?" she asked.

Chakotay was speechless but he also realized they were grown adults and he had to get used to this. It wasn't as if seeing Kathryn nude wasn't in his every fantasy.  He had just never expected her to be so comfortable with it.

"I'm sorry, I guess I'm not playing fair. Come on, you're fine just as you are," she said leaving her bra off but underwear on. Kathryn led him over to the bench and went to fill the basin up with the warm water. She handed him a bar of soap and a washcloth. "The soap is a bit grittier then we're used to but it cleans well."

Kathryn sat next to him and began washing herself, dipping her hand beneath her panties to clean underneath. She knew Chakotay's eyes were on her, still not used to her dampened inhibitions.  She knew she would have to tell him the rest, of the closeness she had with Tom. Well, maybe she didn't have to but still she wanted to. Many of her dreams focused on Chakotay, more so lately. Ever since that night with Tom she had had many erotic dreams with the sole focus being Chakotay.  Chakotay coming back to her alive and well was a dream come true, and despite his hesitancy at the moment she had a feeling he felt the same. She didn't want to rush him, but she had been alone for so long now. Yes, Tom and B'Elanna and the others provided the comfort she needed but it wasn't the same. Now she had him and she didn't want to waste any time. She had spent the better part of this past year with too many regrets regarding him, no more. "Need any help?" she asked.

He looked at her and grinned, "I'm doing …" he shook his head, what was wrong with him? No, there was no reason to be hesitant here; he handed her the cloth, "Sure."

She stood in front of him and helped him stand, "You seemed to have missed your entire lower half."

"I hadn't got there yet," he explained.

"Oh, how convenient," she laughed.

"Well, if you would rather…ohhh," Kathryn had taken the opportune time to slip the cloth under his boxers and to begin cleaning his hardening member, "Kathryn…"

"Shh, it's okay," she said.  She pulled her hand out and moved to his backside, then down his legs.

Kathryn tried not to pay attention to his aroused state, not wanting to push it to that level quite yet. She finished with him, noticing his eyes on her the entire time. It wasn't long before he went flaccid, now simply enjoying her tenderness with him. She finished with him then washed herself. She grabbed the basin and rinsed them both off. She handed him the towel and smiled slightly as he shrugged and removed his now soaked underwear but quickly wrapping the towel around his waist, "You're sure Tom's clothes will fit me?"

"Of course they will. They're made big," she explained. "We'll make you some of your own. I've become rather good at knitting and can make you a couple sweaters for winter. We still have plenty of the yarn left and have also been gathering enough fiber to make more yarn."

Chakotay shook his head, "I really have a lot to get used to here."

"You sure do," she began. "It's a completely different life here, Chakotay. It took some getting used to but the Brilto have been a wonderful people, patient in teaching us what we needed to learn. They gave us the cabin, most of the furs… we have a lot to be grateful for."

"Hmm, I can see that," he said as he pulled on the last of his borrowed clothing. He looked to the floor and back up to Kathryn, "You don't know how many nights I lay there, wondering where you were, if you were alive. Kathryn, I … I know how I feel about you, and being away from you, not knowing, it's just reinforced it. I love you, Kathryn."

She reached up to stroke his face, "And I you, Chakotay, with everything in me."

A few days later, Kathryn was walking Chakotay around the village introducing him to her friends.  She was pointing out individual homes and various community buildings and telling him snippets about the people he had met.  Everyone of course knew who Chakotay was, but they were surprised to see Kathryn smiling so much.  Most of them went home convinced that Kathryn's friend was far more to her than a friend.

Kathryn had been meticulous in detailing every structure so when she ignored a small shed Chakotay asked about it.

"What's in that shed?"

"It's used for cold storage during the summer months.  They put ice blocks inside near the end of winter and it's very well insulated.  There is still some ice left from last winter."  Kathryn took a deep breath and continued.  "Sometimes they can't arrange for a funeral right away so they store the bodies of villagers there until their friends or family can make the arrangements."

Chakotay knew without asking the answer to his next question.  "Is Harry in there?"

"Yes.  I hate that. I hate knowing he is in there when he deserves to be properly buried now.  I hate the Prime Directive.  We could phaser him a grave in a few minutes, but we can't use our phasers. He deserves better than a shed. Tom and Ayala started working on his grave this afternoon but they won't finish until late tomorrow at the earliest.  Because of soil conditions they have to dig down at least five meters."

"Kathryn, it's ok.  Harry would understand."  Chakotay pulled Kathryn into his arms and waited until her breathing steadied.  "We'll have a memorial service in a few days, one that he does deserve."

"Ok."  Kathryn straightened. "This has been bothering me so much but I didn't want to say anything to upset the others. I'm so glad you're here now.  I've missed you so much."

Kathryn reached for Chakotay's hand and they continued their tour of the village, both feeling a little sadder as they remembered Harry and the rest of their crew and both feeling a little more at peace knowing they were together.

Three days later B'Elanna walked out of the second room where she had been changing into her uniform smiling with satisfaction. Jenny, also in her uniform, followed her out looking far from happy.  She glared at B'Elanna.

"I hate you right now, you know."

"It's not my fault. Owen is almost three months older than Christine."

"Well, I still hate you."  Both women finally broke into a grin as Kathryn tried to figure out what the problem was.  Her questioning look finally prompted B'Elanna and Jenny to explain.  Both pulled up their uniform jackets.  B'Elanna slipped fingers into the waistband of her pants, but Kathryn could tell even from across the room that Jenny's pants were far too tight.  Kathryn smiled.  Ah, the joys of having a baby!

"Is Megan ready yet?"

"No, she's trying to figure out what to do about her uniform.  She knows she can't wear it but she's still trying."

Just then Megan came out looking extremely frustrated.  "This is not working!"

"You look fine, Megan.  Just tuck your turtleneck under the skirt and leave your jacket open."

Megan glanced at Kathryn warily.  "You sure I won't get in trouble for being so sloppily dressed or out of uniform?"

"I'm sure.  I'll jump all over anyone who makes any comments, ok?"  Kathryn smiled and stared at Megan until she returned the smile. "Now, it's my turn to see how much my uniform has changed."

Kathryn was just pulling on her jacket when Chakotay entered the second room.  He and the other men were already dressed but had been out completing preparations for Harry's memorial service.  He walked up behind Kathryn and wrapped his arms around her kissing her neck.

"You're out of uniform, Kathryn."

"I was hoping no one would notice.  How could you tell from the back anyway?"

Kathryn stepped out of his arms and turned to face him.  Chakotay paused before reaching into his pocket and handing her its contents.

"I found these. I probably should have left them but I wanted something of yours and they represent you, my best friend and the woman I know and love, in a way nothing else could.  I guess I was also hoping that you'd need them some day."  Chakotay reached to take back the four pips from Kathryn.  "Here, let me put them on for you."

Wordlessly Kathryn stood while Chakotay replaced the pips on her collar.

"Thank you."  Her voice was soft and reflected her mixed feelings.  "This is the last time I will wear them though."

"That's ok. This time you'll be taking them off for the right reason.  We'd better get going. The others are waiting."

Kathryn stood waiting for Megan to finish speaking. She had opened Harry's memorial service using the bits and pieces she and Chakotay could remember from the other services they had conducted over the years.  Chakotay had spoken about Harry's contributions during the last year then Tom had described their years on Voyager.  Ayala, Jenny and Megan added personal anecdotes and insights.  Kathryn knew that for her the hardest part was still to come – the portion of the service for the rest of the crew.  Megan's voice faded and she stepped back with the others.  Chakotay squeezed Kathryn's hand then she stepped forward to complete the service.

"We gathered today to honor the memory of one friend and crewmate but it is also a day to remember and honor many others.  We left many friends on Voyager when we came here, good friends who were once only members of a crew.  A few were even our enemies.  Over the years all of them, all of you, worked to get us home.  Strangers became friends.  Some friends became much more than just friends.  We became one crew.  We became one family journeying through the stars on our way home.

"Last year that journey ended but not as we had all hoped and not where we had planned.  We lost most of our family but those of us who survived could not stop to remember the ones who died that day. Today we are stopping. Today we are remembering all of our family who died on that icy mountain. Even though we can't honor them individually, each and every one of them is important. Each and every one of them should be remembered.

"When you walk by this place in the years to come, remember Harry and remember your friends, all of them.  But don't just do it when you walk here.  Remember them, talk about them.  I know how hard it is to think about the people who died on that mountain.  I feel guilty for being alive and I'm sure you feel the same way.  None of us has mentioned the names of any person or told a story that involved them.  At first it was grief that kept us quiet.  It's time for the silence to end.  We honor their memories best by telling others about them, by telling our children about them, by laughing at the jokes or remembering their kind acts or special skills. They live only in our memories now and if we remain silent those memories will fade and die, but if we speak of them they will live for many years.  We know how they died; now we need to remember how they lived."

Kathryn stepped back and grasped Chakotay's hand.  Slowly they all walked past Harry's grave to return to their cabin.  Today the pain was fresh and words were difficult. Tomorrow the stories would start and the pain would ease.

Kathryn eyed the man lying next her, "I suppose I should tell you something, but I don't want you to take it the wrong way."

"What?" he asked.

"Well, I want you to understand how… how things have been here. The winters get very cold here.  We don't even see the Brilto out in it very much. We all slept together to keep warm. Ayala, Megan and Jenny shared the first room, and as you can tell developed a closeness that none of us really expected."

"I can see that," he said. "I never thought of Ayala as the trio type, but it seems to work for them."

"It really does. Then there was Tom, B'Elanna and I," she started.

"Wait."

"Just hear me out.  I slept with them. I think I would have frozen to death if not, and yes, we got close, but not that close; at least not at first." She took a deep breath, "Over time we all became quite comfortable with each other, thinking nothing of… kissing each other good night, cuddling, or just holding each other. They all included me, for which I will be forever grateful, and without which I don't know what I would have done."

Chakotay smiled and pulled her close, "I can't get over this. On Voyager I could only dream of holding you in my arms. Now I've been here for only a few days and…"

"If there's one thing I've leaned, Chakotay, it's that time is precious. One minute we were happy on Voyager, going home. And now here we are working hard just to survive. We have no technology; we only activate the doctor on rare occasions; we have no replicators, no sonic showers, nothing we had on Voyager.  I won't waste one minute more Chakotay.  I want everything up front, feelings and emotions. There is no need to hide them here.

"But, Chakotay, I haven't finished, I still want to tell you what happened. I know it's sudden to just tell you this, but I won't hide anything," she said.  Chakotay leaned back ready to hear what she had to say.

Kathryn began.  "Well, as I said we all have become very close. When B'Elanna got farther along in her pregnancy, Tom… well…shit," she said, not sure if she should continue.  She looked away from him, "Well, Tom and I fooled around one night, I …"

"Does B'Elanna know?" he asked, shocked at her confession.

"Of course.  I think she actually encouraged it. She never told me outright but the night it happened was the first time she slept away from us."

"I see," said Chakotay, too shocked to say anything else. It wasn't that he was upset.  He could almost understand how it could happen and was grateful in a way that they had taken her in and made sure she wasn't lonely, but a large part of him was upset that Tom had her before he did.   It might be petty jealousy but he couldn't help it.

"Chakotay, we didn't go all the way, we were somewhat intimate," she said, wanting him to understand the moment. "I couldn't go through with it. He made me…well, you know and instead of his name…I …"

"Yes?" he asked.

She eyed him. He was going to make her say it. "I called out your name."

Relieved, he leaned in close and kissed her, "It's okay, Kathryn, I do understand. I'm honored that you would call for me even if it wasn't…"

"That’s the problem. There I was, lying with Tom and all I could see was you, I … it wasn't fair to him. But it was nice to know that the two of them could bring me into their love, make me feel needed and loved," said Kathryn.

"I'm glad they did," said Chakotay.

She wrapped her arms around him and settled next to him, sleep claiming her quickly.

B'Elanna shifted Owen to her other shoulder and turned to Tom with a smile, "They look happy."

He approached her, wrapping his arms around her and his son.  "They sure do; it all worked out okay, didn't it?"

"Yeah, it did. I think he's finally getting used to how open she is now. You helped her with that, you know," said B'Elanna.

"All of us did, not just me. We didn't let her run; we let her know that we're all in this together."

The two of them watched the new couple walk off, obviously wanting time alone, then turned to their own duties ahead of them for the day.

Kathryn held on to his hand tightly as she guided him along the invisible path.  She was taking him to a stream that was only about a half a kilometer away from the village -- a place that she had spent many hours just sitting and thinking -- thinking about Chakotay.  Now was her chance to share it with him.  It was such a beautiful spot: on one side of the stream was an open meadow with beautiful wild flowers in the summer, on the other a path that led into a dense forest.  There was a special spot.  Once you reached the stream, if you walked along it for a short distance, then crossed it and walked toward the forest, you would come to a clearing. Up until now she had kept this spot to herself, needing someplace to go to just be by herself. Now was the time to share it with someone, and Chakotay was that person.

The reached the stream and walked the short distance to the spot she was looking for, now all they had to do was cross the small stream. Kathryn tossed the pack of supplies across the stream to her favorite spot then reached down and removed her shoes, noticing Chakotay doing the same then she stepped in.  Kathryn waded across the shallow stream, careful of each step. Chakotay followed, but as he reached the halfway spot he obviously miscalculated his steps, flailed slightly then went flying into the water.  Kathryn tried not to laugh as she saw him fall, but she turned and tried to help him. He reached out for her, but with something else in mind, for he grabbed onto her arm and pulled.

She landed on top of him with a small splash. "I can't believe you did that!"

He grinned at her. "You laughed."  She attempted to hoist herself up but he had wrapped his arms around her holding her tight.

"It was funny."

He wanted to laugh with her but instead he pulled her closer placing his lips on hers. She returned the kiss slipping her tongue past his lips to seek out his own.   She moved slightly and found herself straddling his waist, feeling his erection beneath her as the cold water rushed past them.  He finally broke away.

"Maybe we should get up on land so we can dry off and maybe build a fire to warm up."

"Hmm, sounds like a good idea," she said before placing a gentle kiss on his lips then moving away.

Kathryn stepped up on dry land and reached for the bundle, pulling out the blanket. She then dropped it as she began to strip off her dripping wet clothes, underwear and all. Wrapping herself up in the blanket she carefully spread all the clothes out, hoping they would get dry fairly  soon.  Chakotay just stood there watching her. He still could not get used to how uninhibited she was here.

"Are you going to get out of those wet clothes?" she asked. "Come on, don't turn shy on me now."

"Who said anything about shy?" he said as he too removed his clothes and spread them out next to Kathryn. He then approached her, completely naked, strolling up to her as if he had a purpose.

"My, oh my, what a nice view," she said with a chuckle.

He stopped in front of her and crossed his arms across his chest. "You like?"

'Two can play at this game,' she thought to herself before she spoke.  "Ohh, it's not bad." She let the blanket drop and stepped up to him, got on her tippy toes so that her lips met his yet made sure the rest of their bodies didn't quite touch. One hand moved down and grabbed his flaccid member, slowly stroking it to life as her tongue came out. She licked her own lips, making sure her tongue got his lips, then she moved back down without lessening her grip on his lower region.  Chakotay groaned, his member becoming achingly hard.

"Problems, Chakotay?" Kathryn asked with a smile.

Chakotay began to back away, enjoying the foreplay, hearing Kathryn laugh as she kept a grip on his member halting his retreat.  He chose a different tactic, wrapping his arm around her waist and hoisting her up, making her lose her grip.  He lowered them both to the ground and once lying down, he grabbed her hips and moved her up so she was straddling his face. He wasted no time, his tongue snaking out to taste her, one finger moving in to rub her aching clit.

Kathryn fell forward as he continued his ministrations, the ache growing in intensity. She felt the onset of the orgasm come and braced her arms on the ground as it rolled over her. His tongue created the most amazing sensations as he continued to lick and suck her through it, bringing another orgasm on the heels of the first one.

"Chakotay….ohhhhhh godddd…. Please…" she begged, for what she wasn't sure.

Chakotay stopped and pulled her quickly down his frame as he sat up at the same time.  Kathryn ended up in his lap.  He held her close as he helped her slowly sink onto his organ. Hearing her hiss in pain, he stopped briefly then moved in further.  "You okay?"

"Yes," she said breathily, "just give me minute, okay?"

"Of course, love," he said gently kissing her lips, his arms wrapping around her waist to hold her close.  She slowly began to rock, letting him know she was ready, so he moved his hands to her hips, helping her move along with him. They rocked in unison, neither anxious for the completion that was coming faster then either expected. Kathryn groaned loudly as her next orgasm began, a tingling in her belly that moved to her groin. Her movements became frantic as she found she suddenly wanted the orgasm, wanted it to overtake her.

"Oh, yes," moaned Chakotay, "I'm…." Chakotay jerked right after her, spilling his seed deep within her. "Oh, Kathryn, I love you," he said tightening his arms around her waist.

"And I love you," she said, resting her head on his shoulder. "I am complete now that you’re here with me."

They strolled hand in hand back to the village, Kathryn pointing out the special areas that she had grown to love. She filled Chakotay in on more of their life here, what she hadn't yet told him, talking mainly about the little things that had grown to be so important to them.

"I never thanked you for bringing me my dresses.  I should probably apoligize for not waiting for you to give them to me, but you were sick for so long, it seemed silly not to wear them."

"It was wonderful to see you in one of them when I woke up and saw you for the first time.  I brought them in the hope that I would find you alive and able to wear them.  Seeing you in them is thanks enough.  I noticed that my medicine bundle mysteriously appeared among my things, too.  Any idea how that got down in this valley from my quarters?"

Kathryn smiled.  "I brought it with me.  I wish I could say it was because I thought you'd be in this valley but it was because I was afraid I'd never see you again.  I needed something of yours.  Just knowing it was among my things gave me the strength to keep going so many times.  I missed you so much.  I need you so much.  Don't you ever leave me again."

"I won't."  Chakotay stopped and pulled Kathryn into his arms and just held her.  In those few minutes, promises for a lifetime were given and accepted.  Finally, Kathryn stepped back and they continued their walk back to the village.

When they reached the village they spotted Tam just outside their cabin talking to Tom.  Chakotay squeezed Kathryn's hand then left her side to go join the men. He wanted to make his place known in this little community and find out where he could be most helpful.  Kathryn had told him that despite the fact that it was unofficial, Tam was the closest the Brilto had to a leader.

Chakotay also had a few projects in mind, things to make their life a little easier here. He had always loved woodworking and was hoping there was wood readily available for him to use. He had already noticed that his little group could use more bowls and spoons and the like. And a bed was suddenly high on his list along with many other luxuries he was sure he could provide.

Tam was eager to find out more about Chakotay's talent for woodworking asking if he would also be willing to provide things for the rest of the village and teach a few others the skill. The two of them began eagerly talking about the contributions Chakotay could make as Tam led him to a supply of fallen wood that would eventually rot if not used.  He also showed them a dense area of forest that could use a little thinning, explaining there were several other areas such as this. Chakotay was like a kid in a candy store as he eyed the various fallen logs, plans already forming in his mind.

Despite the fact that his first thoughts were for the comfort of Kathryn, he asked Tam if there was anything that the village needed first. When Tam assured him that he should concentrate on his own group for a while, and that any requests would be brought to him as needed, Chakotay smiled and began noting which logs he should use first.

Tom sat propped up on his elbow, lying on his side as he and B'Elanna talked. The other occupants were making it difficult to sleep so they were discussing what they felt the cabin needed that Chakotay could make for them.

"Would it be selfish to ask him to make a crib?" asked Tom.

"I don't know.  It would be nice but that would mean he would need to make three of them," said B'Elanna. "Make that four of them at this rate," she added, hearing a moan coming from Kathryn's room.

Tom chuckled, "Were we this bad?"

"I don't know.  Probably."  She said looking briefly over to the door way and back again. The moans were getting louder as Kathryn once again seemed to be nearing a climax.

Tom pulled her close, "Well, we already knew she was vocal so this shouldn't be a surprise."

"Do you think she told him? About the two of you I mean," asked B'Elanna.

"Well, he hasn't tried to kill me yet, so maybe not," said Tom.

B'Elanna was about to retort when Coffee came into their room. He groaned and flopped down beside them, all the while keeping a close eye on the other room. B'Elanna patted the worried broolt, "Don't worry, boy.  Daddy isn't really hurting Mommy."

Tom and B'Elanna closed their eyes hoping that they could finally find sleep. Just as things seemed to be settling down more moans could be heard, followed by grunts.

Tom groaned, "I guess we should be grateful there are no bed springs to squeak."

B'Elanna laughed and snuggled into him further. Sleep would eventually come and they both knew neither one of them really minded the noises coming from the other room. They were just happy that Kathryn could finally be truly happy and that their close friend had come back to them alive and well.

Megan groaned again as the child in her belly once again kicked and began to roll.  "How in the world can it find any room in there to move so much."

Jenny laughed and patted her sister's belly.  "It'll be over soon enough."

Megan slowly lowered herself on a chair. "I've been thinking.  I know I don't want to do this again, at least not right away. What are we going to do about birth control?"

B'Elanna joined the girls at the table, followed by Kathryn, "I know I don't want to do without sex but I also agree.  I'd rather wait a while before I have another baby."

Jenny laughed. "And from what I heard last night, Kathryn, you're going to have to consider it, too. That is unless you plan on adding to our little crew here."

Kathryn blushed, "Sorry, I didn't think we were that loud."

"You were," said B'Elanna laughing at the blush that continued to spread across Kathryn's cheeks.

"Well, we should talk to Tersa. So far we have been fairly compatible with their form of pharmaceuticals. We could find out what they use, have the doctor check it out and see what he thinks. From there it would be trial and error I'm afraid," said Kathryn.

Megan sighed, "Yeah, I suppose you're right, and we would all be the guinea pigs."

Kathryn stood up, "I'll go talk to her to see what they have to offer and we can go from there."

She left the cabin quickly leaving the rest of the women looking at each other dumbfounded. "I guess that answers that," said Megan.

"What?" asked B'Elanna.

"Well, she seems very anxious to get hold of that birth control so maybe she doesn't want any kids," said Megan.

"Did you ever think that we're providing enough to make her never want any?" said Jenny. "Look how crowded it is in here."

"Well, I know I'm speaking for Tom in saying that I hope by next summer we can build our own cabin. I love you guys, but crowded is an understatement here," said B'Elanna.

It grew quiet as the women contemplated actually having their own places. The men were off with Chakotay helping him gather as much wood as they could so he could begin the projects he had in mind.About a half hour later Kathryn returned.

"I'm going to go with Tersa to gather some roots from a plant about a quarter of a kilometer away. It seems the roots block ovulation for them once ground into a fine powder, so it can't hurt for us to get some and let the doctor have a look."

"Do you need any help?" asked B'Elanna.

"No, not really. It sounds like we don't really need that much. Tersa will show me how to grind it properly and then I will show you.  If the doctor says it will work I'm sure we can get enough of a supply to last through the winter. She said the plant was very abundant out there," said Kathryn. She bent down to scoop up a carry all and headed back out the door.

A couple hours later she returned. "This should be easy enough.  We simply grind down this root and add it to our food on a daily basis. It doesn't seem to bother any of the babies that are nursing for them, so let's activate the doctor and let him take a look."

Kathryn looked around, "Has Chakotay returned yet?"

"Yes, and he went right back out," said Megan. "They came back babbling something about grain and knots and their effect on several things Chakotay wants to make, dropped off a load of wood in the back of the cabin and went to get some more."

"Yes, and it also seems that Tam told Chakotay that the property behind us here really is up for grabs.  I think Chakotay wants to get started on another cabin," said Jenny.

"Hmm, sounds good," said Kathryn.

They activated the Doctor and let him take a look, although he couldn't do a complete analysis of the root, the tricorder told him that it could possibly work. It would be trial and error but B'Elanna and Jenny both volunteered to be the first two to try it out.

Once they finished grinding down the rest of the root and had spread it out to dry, they took a small amount that Tersa gave them that was already dry and sprinkled it in the soup they were about to eat.

"Kathryn, are you going to try it," asked B'Elanna.

"Umm, yes, later," said Kathryn. "I'll eat once the men get back. I'm not very hungry right now."

They smiled at her and continued with their dinner.

Kathryn set the lantern down on the floor and approached the sleeping Chakotay. She quietly removed her dress then snuggled in next to him. She felt him wrap his arms around her, pulling her close. "How was your day?" he sleepily asked.

"It was good," she said. "You've been busy. That’s quite a pile of wood out there that you guys gathered."

"Hmm, well, there's a lot we can use around here," said Chakotay.

Kathryn turned to face him. "Tersa also hopefully solved a problem for us," said Kathryn. "She showed us a root that seems to provide birth control for the Brilto. We're going to give it a try."

"Oh," was all Chakotay said.

Kathryn looked him in the eye. Was it too soon for a conversation like this? Well, if they could go through the process it takes to create a baby, then they should be able to talk about it, "Do you want me to take it?"

"I think that’s up to you," said Chakotay.

"No, Chakotay, it's not up to me. What do you want?" she asked.

"Honestly?"  He took a deep breath, "I want to have a bunch of babies with you. I want to build our own cabin and fill it to the brim.  What about you?"

Kathryn laughed. "Well, I don't know about that many, but I know I do want one. Can we start with one and consider adding to the brood later?"  He kissed her passionately giving her his answer as his hands wandered over her naked body, starting another round of love making that he hoped would eventually have the results they wanted.

Kathryn made her way slowly to the top of the rise grateful for Chakotay's steadying clasp on her hand. The warm summer evening was still and the stars were bright in the sky.  The others had come on ahead of them after extracting a promise that they would join them to watch the stars and retell their legends.  Kathryn had told Chakotay about this little project but had omitted any reference to the wing constellation or warrior story.  She hoped he could remember it and share it with the others.

They settled near the others with Chakotay leaning against a rock and Kathryn leaning back against his chest, his arms around her swollen belly. They listened to the others as they recounted the legends they had made up for the stars.  Kathryn knew that eventually one of them would ask her to tell the warrior legend.

After more than an hour, Tom described the wing/feather constellation and pointed out its location to Chakotay as he had so many others that evening.  He paused to make sure Chakotay had time to locate and study it.  "Kathryn, why don't you tell the warrior legend?"

"It's not really my story. Chakotay, I told them part of the story of the warrior that you told me so long ago. I didn't do it justice. Could you share it with them?"

"I'm not sure I remember it, but I'll try."

"This is an ancient legend among our people.  It’s about an angry 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 tribe, but the warrior still longed for peace within himself.  One day, he and his war party were captured by a neighboring tribe led by a woman warrior.  She called on him to join her because her tribe was too small and weak to defend itself from all its enemies.  The woman warrior was brave and beautiful and very wise.  The angry warrior swore to himself that he would stay by her side, doing whatever he could to make her burden lighter.  From that point on, her needs would come first.  And in that way, the warrior began to know the true meaning of peace… and love."

There was silence as Chakotay's voice faded on the night air.  Somehow they all knew that this would become "the" legend for their children, the favorite story at bedtime and at special occasions.  They remained quiet remembering their journey and their friends until the children grew restless in the cooling night air. Slowly the group gathered their blankets and children and made their way home.

Kathryn leaned back on the tree while she watched Chakotay work on their cabin, watching his muscles ripple as he hoisted up a large log to place it on top of the next one. She softly rubbed her swollen belly, now regularly feeling the life within, and smiled as the thought of the baby's looks came to mind. She was hoping for a boy, one who looked just like his father, with those same dimples, and the same big brown eyes.

"Aren't you hungry yet?" she asked him.

He turned to her, "Not yet love, probably in a little while. I'd like to get a bit more done before I break."

She approached him, leaned down and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Then I think I'll go and help out some more in the garden."  He watched her leave then went back to work, hoping to have the basic structure of the cabin done within the week. They had decided, after living in such close quarters with the three babies and six adults, that enough was enough. Each couple deserved their own quarters and was going to get them.

Jenny, Megan and Ayala agreed to stay in the original cabin. That would be fine for them, with the kids having one room and the adults having the other. They would add another cabin, attaching it to one wall of the original. That way they would have one less wall to build and the common walls between the cabins would insulate each other.

Once this one was built, they would decide if they could add a third to this group.  Chakotay didn't see why not.  It should work rather well. All of them would be able to have their own cabins yet still remain next to each other, something that they really wanted to do.  In their short time together this small group had become a family and none of them wanted to be very far from each other any more.

Jean-Luc Picard sat in his ready room thinking.  More than a year ago there had been a distinct buzz of hope that Voyager might be coming home.  The message that had been conveyed through the regular communications relay had sounded very confident of success.  Hope had slowly faded when Voyager did not appear in Federation space at her planned coordinates.  Anxiously, Starfleet command had awaited the next regular communications opening.  Nothing.

Nothing that is until a few weeks ago.  A weak subspace signal on a common Federation distress frequency had been detected.  Although its exact origin had not been determined, it was along the flight path Voyager had intended to follow in the slipstream.  The signal was automated and did not appear to carry a specific message, but it was regular, had a Federation signature and originated from an area of space where no ship had yet journeyed.  Officially, its source was undetermined; unofficially it was from Voyager.

Picard thought over his plan again.  It was sound and he believed he could get the support of Starfleet command if he presented it properly.  His real question was whether he wanted to do this himself, whether he thought he was the best person for the mission.

In recent months, Picard had been receiving subtle, and not so subtle, hints that command wanted him to accept a new assignment, either on a smaller ship training young officers or a desk job on a star base with an accompanying promotion.  Starfleet had lost many of its most experienced officers and enlisted men in the war with Cardassia and was pushing the most promising of the remaining officers along.  This meant they were trying to move officers into command positions on the remaining ships so they would be ready to take command of new ships as they were built.  Picard knew his command of Enterprise was in no immediate danger but that in a year, two at the most, those subtle hints would eventually become orders.  As captains before him had reluctantly acknowledged, command of a starship was for the young.  If he took on this project, Picard could continue as captain of a starship for a few years longer than was likely if he insisted on staying on Enterprise.

Was he the best person for the assignment?  Honest self-appraisal told him that there might be others more qualified but Picard also honestly believed that a more experienced captain was a better choice than a younger one, especially so far from Federation space and there were few with his experience that would want this assignment.  On a more personal note, he wanted to talk with Kathryn Janeway; he wanted to hear from her what it had been like to be so far from home for so long.  He was also curious to meet Chakotay, a man who caught his attention when Ro Laren spoke of him so many years ago.  He tossed aside the personal considerations.  There was no place for those sentiments in decisions of this magnitude – at least not for Starfleet command.  Picard turned to his terminal and began typing his proposal.

Six months later, Picard sat in a conference room with half a dozen others listening to a summary of his own proposal.  The summary was for the benefit of one or two of those present who had not yet heard about it in detail.  Picard kept focused on the summary because he had not been involved in the development process and there could have been changes.  Admiral Thompson finished with the summary and turned his attention to Picard.

"Captain, you've volunteered for this assignment and Starfleet command has agreed.  Your initial proposal was…" Thompson continued on with the details of the assignment noting the changes from the original.  Most notable was the class of ship Picard would command – it was larger than he had proposed, an Ambassador class ship, but it would not carry a full crew compliment.  They were refitting an older ship with new engines and had upgraded its computer, power and weapons systems.  They had reduced the number of science labs to add more cargo space.  "The extra cargo space will carry extra food and fuel for your journey to the source of the signal.  Hopefully, that space will be occupied by any technology you can salvage from Voyager on your return trip."

"Salvage?  I don't understand.  Have we received information that Voyager was destroyed?"

"No, but given the nature of the signal and the lack of a voice message, it is quite likely that Voyager was severely damaged if not destroyed during the attempt to use the slip stream drive.  We're hoping that there are survivors.  The signal itself tells us that someone was able to launch a message buoy.  But we're not optimistic about the condition of Voyager.  Your priority, of course, is to locate any survivors and bring them home.  Your second priority is to retrieve as much of Voyager and the technology on her as possible and to destroy what you cannot bring home.  While we encourage you to gather as much information during your journey, exploration and scientific research are not to delay your journey to the source of the distress beacon."

The meeting continued for several hours.  Admiral Thompson explained the role each person in attendance would play in the preparations and set for the time frame to complete those preparations.  The Calypso would be ready in four more months and they had to have a crew in place ready to go.  Picard found that assembling a crew from scratch was not as simple as it might seem.  Because of the length of the mission they wanted to take along a young crew, but the nature of the mission demanded an experienced crew.  Picard left the meeting knowing that he and the people in personnel at Starfleet command were going to be working long hours together.  The first thing he did when he returned to his office was to request copies of the logs from Voyager.  He hoped to gain some insight of the types of supplies and equipment they were most likely to need.

Picard stood as his visitor entered his office.

"Admiral, I've been wondering whether I should come see you before I left.  Please, sit down."

"Thank you, Jean-Luc.  I haven't been sure whether I wanted to talk to you about your mission.  I'm still not sure I should because I'm not here as an officer but as a father."

"I understand, Admiral.  If you don't mind my asking, how much about my mission do you know?  They've not announced it to the public and it's on a need to know basis within the 'fleet."

"Oh, I think I've been kept pretty current with the details and the expectations of you finding survivors.  Knowing that something happened but not know what is very difficult and I can't talk about it to anyone else who has family on Voyager."  Owen Paris smiled ironically. "Listen to me.  I still talk about them as if everyone on Voyager is safe.  Even with everything I know I still can't give up hope that Kathryn Janeway is out there with her crew heading home – and that my son is alive and well."

"I'm going to find them, Admiral.  One way or another, when I come back you will know what happened."

"I know you will, Jean-Luc. I also know that even though Starfleet is only expecting you to bring back new technology, you are going out there to find the people.  I wanted to thank you for that."  With those words Owen Paris stood and left.

Picard sat in the ready room on board the Calypso thinking back over the last three and a half years.  It had been interesting to say the least.  Nearly two-thirds of his crew had been out of the Academy less than a year when they left.  His exec had been so green he'd barely learned to give orders to younger officers.  Only his Chief of Security, Chief Engineer and the Chief Medical officer had been experienced.  The others were promising officers being given an assignment that demanded they grow and learn faster than should be expected, but they had met the challenge.  Oh, it hadn't been easy and there are been lots of problems but they had all ultimately risen to the occasion.  A voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Captain, we're approaching the planet with the distress buoy.  We'll be in standard orbit in five minutes."  Picard sighed and stood up.  What they learned in the next half hour would answer many questions.  He crossed the room and entered the bridge.

"Report!"

"We're in standard orbit around an M-class planet.  There are signs of intelligent life but it is preindustrial.  The emergency buoy is in orbit and will be within tractor range in ten minutes.  Preliminary scans show two locations with processed metals and dilithium concentrations, one significantly larger than the other, both at high altitudes.  It is possible they are the Delta Flyer and Voyager.  No life signs at either location.  There are life signs in a nearby valley and some appear to be human."

"How many?"  Picard was hoping for a high number but his hopes were not to be met.

"No more than ten or twelve, Captain.  Solar activity is making exact scans difficult.  That activity should lessen in about two hours and I can give you exact numbers and specific locations."

"Then for now we will focus on the ships."  Picard turned to his exec.  "Conrad, assemble two away teams. The first will go to the Flyer and begin preparations to bring her aboard.  The second will go to Voyager and determine her status.  Once you know what we need to do, we'll meet and decide the best way to proceed.  You have the bridge.  Let me know when the second team is back."

"Aye, sir."

Kathryn watched her little boy run away from her, giggling all the while; to him he was once again escaping from the arms of his mother. At four years of age, Kolopak was full of energy like any other four year old. His parents treasured every moment they had with him, along with the group's other five children.  Jenny, Megan and Ayala had three now between all of them and Jenny had just announced the she was once again expecting. Their two oldest, Christine and Matthew, were nearly five now and Megan had given birth to their third child, a boy they name Ryan, six months earlier. Tom and B'Elanna had little Owen, who was five and their one year old Miral but at this time did not plan to have any more, at least for a while.  As for Chakotay and Kathryn, they had Kolopak within a year of Chakotay's arrival. He was definitely the light in their eyes. Kathryn was now expecting their second child in another two months and the two of them couldn't be happier.

Kathryn watched as Kolopak rounded the cabins and headed up the hill sure he was getting away with his escape. Kathryn laughed to herself then patted the broolt sitting patiently next to her waiting for the order to go fetch the little runaway.  She patted Coffee's side letting him know that the game of chase had begun and watched the broolt as he bounded after Kol.  She knew Coffee would catch up to Kol in no time and the two of them would roll around in play before Kol hitched a ride on the large animal's back to be returned to his mother.  Kathryn turned to watch the group of children play behind her, humans and Brilto together as if there were no differences between them. She was oblivious to the action taking place just a short way from her son that would change their lives forever.

The away team beamed down within sight of the village. Glancing around, they headed off towards the faint signal that told them where possible survivors might be found. They knew that the signal could just be a piece of technology and didn't necessarily mean anyone was still living from the crash of Voyager, but they were still hopeful.  They immediately spotted a small child approximately four or five years of age that appeared to be human. He was running toward them with a large bear like animal in close pursuit.

"Ensign, can you fire and not hit the child," yelled Picard.

"Yes, sir," said the man, aiming his phaser towards the animal.

"Carefully," Picard said as he noticed the boy stop and turn to face the animal that was fast approaching him. He wasn't sure but he could swear he heard a giggle and could tell that the boy's arms were outstretched towards the animal.  Picard took a chance and put his hand on the ensign's arm letting him know he should hold off on firing. They watched the scene unfold before them.  The animal slowed and came to a stop in front of the boy, then the boy fell to the ground and the animal stood over him. Was it licking his face?

Then a voice called from the distance, "Coffee, come."

The men looked at each other.  Picard was the first to speak, "Coffee?"

The little boy stood up and attempted to climb on the animal's back.  The creature seemed to realize this so he lowered himself to allow the boy to climb on. "Well, that young man seems to be fine. Come on, men, let's go find this missing crew."

They slowly followed the little boy's path that took them around the far side of the village.  As they got closer they could see a woman lift the boy from the animal's back and turn to walk away. Despite how long it had been since he seen her Picard recognized who it was immediately -- Kathryn Janeway.

"Excuse me," he yelled out, a grin on his face. Kathryn turned around, a hand flying to her mouth.  She knew that man.

"Jean-Luc Picard?"

"The one and only, Kathryn. It's been a long time," he said moving towards her and wrapping his arms around her in a gentle hug. She returned the hug with one arm, keeping the other tightly aroundKolopak.  "Yes, it has been.  We gave up wondering if anyone would ever show up here."

He stepped back, noticing her condition right away.  "I see congratulations are in order. When are you due?"

"Two more months," she explained. "Come on, there are a few more here who will be glad to see you," she said then patted her side to reign in Coffee.

"This animal, is he a pet? He rather scared us back there. We thought he was attacking your…your? ...son."

"Yes, this is my son, Kolopak. Coffee and Kol love to play that game. Kol escapes, Coffee catches him. It's rather adorable to watch." They rounded the back cabin, "Coffee is a broolt. The Brilto long ago took some from the wild, and tamed them to help around the village and basically keep everyone company. There is a wild version out there, but they don’t really come near the village at all."

"And you named him Coffee?" said Picard the humor of the name showing on his voice.

"Yes, and as I said to Chakotay a few years back, do you have a problem with that?" she said with a mock sternness.

He held up his hands, "No, not at all."

"Well, this cabin is ours, mine and Chakotay's," she explained gesturing towards the rear cabin. "The middle one was our original cabin. We all lived in that crowded room for over a year. It's now the community cabin where we eat, hang out, and watch the kids. The others belong to the rest of our group here."

"You have them all attached to the original," said Picard. Kathryn nodded her head.  "Yes, it seemed… logical. The winters are extreme and it helps insulate them.  Plus we wanted to stay close and already felt like one family, so this seemed like the best plan." She was about to continue when the rest of her family emerged from the community cabin and began excitedly greeting their guests. Picard quickly found himself and the two ensigns that accompanied him surrounded by humans and Brilto, both races excited over the newcomers.

It was Tam who approached Kathryn. "Are these the ones who will lead you back home?"

Leaving.  All this time they had hoped for rescue but had settled so perfectly into the village that she hadn't thought of leaving for years. Did she really want to leave at all? She looked around at her small group that had become one big happy family then back to Tam, the man who had become a dear friend. Her heart could not rejoice at what she told him. "Yes, he will be taking us back home."

"You have brought much to the village.  We will miss you," said Tam.

Kathryn nodded leaning into Chakotay who had silently joined her. Of course she and the others had always wanted to go home. But leaving their friends here at the village, leaving behind Coffee and Wanderer, was going to be hard.  They spent the rest of the day making plans Picard and discussing their departure. They decided they would move to Calypso in one week's time.

The next week was a whirlwind of planning and last get togethers with their friends.  Kathryn tearfully found new homes for Coffee and Wanderer.  Each parent spent long hours with their children trying to explain what was happening and that they were leaving.  The children seemed to understand but an hour later would ask something that indicated they just didn't grasp how much their lives would be changing.  They packed and sorted their clothes but in the end gave most of them to the villagers along with their furs and all their household items.  They would not need them on Calypso.  They made arrangements for the village as a whole to take over their gardens.  Chakotay and Tom carefully went through all their old supplies making sure they took any hints of technology with them.

The housing assignments turned what should have been a routine discussion into a debate.  Kathryn did not want to be in the senior officer's quarters.  Only after Chakotay pointed out that it was going to be a hardship on the children to be in smaller quarters did she relent. Kathryn and Chakotay discussed what to do about the doctor and his emitter.  They finally decided that since the emitter was technology from the future it should not be used until cleared by Starfleet.  They discussed it with Picard and made arrangements for it to be stored securely until they could turn it over to Starfleet Command.  Suddenly it was their last day on the planet.

Kathryn leaned back into Chakotay, closing her eyes, listening to the sound of the waves. This beach had been a special place to them, so similar to beaches back on earth; it made them feel as if they were back on earth.  This was the group's last visit to a favorite spot.  Here they were, only one more day and they would be on a ship and headed back for the planet that they used to call home. Picard and his crew had been busy beaming up anything they could salvage from Voyager and now there was nothing left to do but say their final good byes; that they would do tomorrow. They had spent most of the day saying good-bye to the planet that had not only changed their lives, but also nurtured them and kept them alive.  They had found homes for the broolts.  Kathryn found it hard to leave Coffee behind but knew life on a starship was no place for such a large animal. He needed to be free to roam as he pleased. Tersa actually took him back, wanting him to continue his line with another broolt she had come across a couple years earlier. Kathryn was proud to know that his wonderful nature would be carried on in his own young.  She also knew that Tersa and her family would take wonderful care of him.  Wanderer had gone to an elderly man who had lost his wife during the previous winter and had no animals.  Wander was getting a bit old, too and the two could lounge around together taking good care of each other. They had even found one couple to take one of the cabins.  They were newly joined and were still staying with their families. Their cabin was going to be built the following spring.  Now that one was being handed to them, they were extremely grateful.

"This is going to be a big change for the children," said Kathryn.

"Yes it is, but they'll handle it," said Chakotay. "Are you having second thoughts about leaving?"

She sighed.  "I have to admit, I wasn't really sure about it at first.  I'm not even convinced that it's a better life for our children, but Picard told me about seeing my mother and how well she looked." She took a deep breath. " I guess that was my deciding point. I'm just going to miss this place, the people, … Coffee," said Kathryn.

"He'll be well taken care of, Kathryn," he said, reaching up to caress her cheek.

"My mother deserves to know her grandchildren, to know you, and I do so miss her. It'll be different," she said.

He chuckled. "You can say that again. Imagine, we won't have to dig for our food or plant it."

"No hauling wood," said Ayala, joining in the conversation.

"Think about it, Kathryn, real coffee, replicated meals, sonic showers," said Tom. "Although, I am going to miss those community baths.  We'll have to keep those up," said Tom, earning a slap on the arm from B'Elanna.

"Are you going to continue in Starfleet?" asked B'Elanna to Kathryn.

"Honestly I don't know. We are going to be in space for nearly four years.  I'll use that time to readjust to the comforts that we took so much for granted. Then I'll see.  At this point I really don't know if I can go back to that," she smiled to herself, "but I also do miss commanding a starship."

"Hey, don't you boss me around enough?" asked Chakotay.

She turned around straddling him and leaned in close. "I do get plenty of that and believe me, that's not going to change."

Chakotay felt the child within her kick him in the belly.  "I know little one.  It's a shame you'll never know the people here."  Kol joined his parents, trying to squeeze between them. "And you, little man, you have no idea of the changes that are about to take place in your life."

"I'm not worried.  As long as all of us are around I don't think he'll have that much trouble adjusting," said Kathryn.  Chakotay stood up, reached down and took her hand helping her stand up then turned to B'Elanna, "Be, can you watch Kol for us?"

"Of course, Chakotay," she said.

The two of them walked down the shoreline, moving out of the view of the their friends. He smiled at her as he sat, helping her down also. She maneuvered until she was seated, her large belly only slowing her slightly. She lay back. He lay beside her moving his hand to her belly. "So do you think she was created here?" he asked.

"She? You are sure of that, aren't you?" she asked. "Yes, I do think she was created here," she said, closing her eyes and enjoying Chakotay's gentle strokes on her belly. She moaned softly as she relaxed under his touch.

"You're not falling asleep on me, are you?" asked Chakotay.

"Hmm, maybe," she mumbled back.

"Are you sure you're okay about leaving, Kathryn? Where ever you want to be, I will be," said Chakotay sincerely. She opened her eyes to stare into his big brown ones. "Thank you,
Chakotay, but I'm okay. I don't want to leave but I do want to go home. I guess the hardest part is losing what we have here, not only the friends we have made but the closeness, the friendships among the seven of us."

"We will always remember these people, and I have a feeling that where ever we go, we will always be close to the rest," said Chakotay.

She snuggled into him closer. "I know."

He began nibbling her neck whispering in her ear. "How about one last time to remember?" asked Chakotay as his hand wandered to her breast.  Kathryn opened her mouth to speak but was silenced by Chakotay's mouth covering hers. She was lost in the passion rising in her, desperate for anything she could burn into her memory on this last day.

Kathryn and Chakotay walked down the corridor from their quarters to the turbo lift.  When it opened to them, they entered.  Chakotay gave their destination as they turned to wait for it to take them to the bridge.  Both were silent on the ride as their thoughts went back over the last ten days.

Their world had been turned upside down nearly six years ago when Voyager had crashed.  They had rebuilt their lives slowly, lives very different from what they had known in the Alpha Quadrant.  Ten days ago, their lives had been turned upside down again when Picard had beamed down with a landing party to take them back to the Alpha Quadrant.

A few days ago they had said their good byes to the Brilto and broolts and moved their family to Calypso.  Picard's crew had taken the lead in the salvage operations but had been very glad of the suggestions Voyager's crew had made.  The Flyer was in a cargo bay.  Kathryn and Jean-Luc had discussed the matter and decided that Harry's body should be moved to Voyager with the rest of the crew.  They used a transporter and replaced the vacant space with debris from the forest to avoid upsetting the Brilto and children.  All told, things had gone fairly smoothly.  The only problem was Kathryn's refusal to put on a uniform.  She'd help in the labs and engineering or even stand watch on the bridge, but she would not wear the uniform.  Her stated reason was that a ship could not have two captains but Chakotay knew that was only an excuse.  He understood and was secretly glad for it meant that he could follow her lead and act the civilian, too.

Now they were finally ready to leave orbit and start the journey home but there was one final task to perform.  Kathryn had asked permission to be on the bridge for that task.  The turbo lift slowed as it neared their destination.  Kathryn took a deep breath and raised her head.

"You can do this, Kathryn."

She glanced at him knowing that it would be his confidence in her that would get her through what she had to do next. The doors opened and they crossed Calypso's bridge to where Picard was standing looking at the viewscreen.  What was left of Voyager took up most of the screen.  Picard turned to them as they stopped next to him.

"We're ready, Kathryn.  Torpedoes are ready and the target is locked."  Picard hesitated not certain he should make the offer.  "Would you prefer I give the order?"

"No.  She was my ship.  They were my crew.  This is something I have to do, something I need to do." Kathryn eyes filled with tears as she spoke one more word.  "Fire."

A few seconds later the image on the screen exploded in a ball of fire as what was left of Voyager and her crew was incinerated.  Kathryn turned without another word and walked to the turbolift door where she waited for Chakotay to join her.  Chakotay spoke to Picard before he followed her.  "Thank you."

As they entered the turbolift they heard Picard's voice.  "Set course for Earth.  Warp 8.  Engage."

Tam climbed the hill slowly knowing that the others would wait for him to arrive.  They had spent many long peaceful hours here with Kathryn and her friends staring at the stars and telling stories.  He settled himself against the rock that Chakotay and Kathryn had leaned against so often as they listened to the stories and where they had answered the questions asked by the children.  Though most of the village had come tonight the area seemed empty without their friends.  Tersa was telling the story of Owen's broolt star.  It was geared toward the younger children so it was usually one of the first told when they gathered like this.

The evening progressed as usual but they all felt the absences. There were longer silences as if they were waiting for Owen or Matt to ask a question or Christine to make a soft comment, but no one asked for 'the' story. Tam never knew why but that story had meant something very special to Kathryn and had come to represent her group in a way none of the other stories ever would. Tam was glad when Molti finally asked about the Warrior because the entire group needed to hear that story tonight even if they were reluctant to ask.

"It's not really my story.  It's a story told to us by our friends so when we tell this story it will be to remember them and the time they shared with us.

"This is an ancient legend among their people, our people.  It’s about an angry 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 tribe, but the warrior still longed for peace within himself.  One day, he and his war party were captured by a neighboring tribe led by a woman warrior.  She called on him to join her because her tribe was too small and weak to defend itself from all its enemies.  The woman warrior was brave and beautiful and very wise.  The angry warrior swore to himself that he would stay by her side, doing whatever he could to make her burden lighter.  From that point on, her needs would come first.  And in that way, the warrior began to know the true meaning of peace… and love."

There was silence as Tam's voice faded in the night air.  This was already "the" legend for their children, the favorite story at bedtime and at special occasions.  Now it would be the story the adults told to remember their friends.  They remained quiet remembering their friends until the children grew restless in the cooling night air. Slowly the group gathered their blankets and children and made their way home.

Some of the screen captures used as the illustrations are from The Secret Lives of Janeway and Chakotay.