The warm air and purple clouds of the night before had given way to a blustery, cloudy day at Lake George. Kathryn had lain awake for a long time after Chakotay's visit, running every detail over and over in her mind. Is this real? Am I ready for this? she asked herself. She knew there was only one way to approach a relationship with him, and that was to open herself up fully and completely, to embrace whatever came with an open heart and a clear mind, to let go of the past once and for all. Maybe it is about letting go, just not the way I thought.

Another part of her was trying hard not to get her hopes up too high. What if Chakotay's conversation with Seven didn't go the way he planned? What if she wasn't as willing to part ways as he had assumed? What if he awoke this morning regretting his moment of weakness in coming to see her at all? She tried to tell herself that she wouldn't hear from him that day. Perhaps someday, perhaps not. But not today. Things don't happen like that in real life.

After her morning coffee, she went for a jog and a dip in the lake; despite the cool breeze and choppy water, the swim felt refreshing. Even the grey days at Lake George were beautiful. She enjoyed seeing the whitecaps on the waves and liked the feel of the wind on her face. It would be a good day to do some work outside. A tree had fallen in the yard and had been cut into pieces, but the excess wood and small branches still littered the lawn. She had been meaning to cart them all down to the fire pit, and that seemed like an ideal task for the day. It would keep her body active and her mind occupied.

She was in the midst of loading the wheelbarrow full of branches when her comm badge beeped. Full of trepidation, she answered, "Janeway here."

"Incoming transport request, Captain. It's Commander Chakotay."

"Put it through."

She went back to her work as though nothing had happened, and did not turn around even when she heard the transporter beam. She was in the middle of lifting a particularly awkward branch when a large hand covered hers. "Let me help you with that."

He was standing so close that she could feel the rumble of his voice in his chest and smell his cologne. Her hand released the branch, and she let him lift it effortlessly into the wheelbarrow. "I kept telling myself you weren't going to come."

"Well," he replied with a dimpled smile, "here I am." In silence, they finished filling the wheelbarrow together, and Kathryn directed Chakotay as he wheeled it down to the fire pit where they unloaded the branches into a large pile.

Kathryn was throwing a log onto the pile when she noticed that Chakotay was watching her intently. The expression on his face caught her off guard; it had been a long time since anyone had looked at her with such open admiration. "What?" she asked.

"We haven't done this kind of work together since New Earth," he said softly. "I was remembering that time." He stepped closer to her. "I think that was the first time I realized how beautiful you are."

She wanted to turn away, back to the wheelbarrow, but she remembered the promise she had made to herself. Fully and completely. So she didn't turn away. She stood there as he cupped her cheek in his big hand.

"You are beautiful, Kathryn."

At that moment, a huge gust of wind blew across the lake, and the tarp that was covering the nearby wood pile came loose and flew into the air. Torn from their intimate moment, Janeway and Chakotay chased after it, laughing as it twisted and turned in the air. It caught in a low hanging tree branch and Chakotay jumped up to grab it. Together, they draped the tarp over the wood pile and secured it, making sure it was well tied down.

Janeway looked up at the sky to see dark clouds moving in from the east. "Looks like a storm brewing. Will you grab those floating chairs from the dock and put them in the boathouse? I don't want them to blow away." She had to shout to be heard over the gusting wind.

"Okay," he yelled back.

She had sheets on the line and hurried to take them down. The strong winds made the fabric unruly, and blew her hair into her eyes as she tried to open the clothespins. A moment later, she felt Chakotay's large hand cover hers again as he undid each pin and placed the bundle of sheets under his arm. He kept her hand in his as they walked back up to the house together. By the time they reached the door to the back porch, big droplets of rain had started to fall.

"Help me close the windows," she said when they were inside. They rushed through the house, closing the windows before the rain started to pour in.

"Hatches are all battened down, Captain," Chakotay joked when he met her back in the kitchen.

She laughed. "Good. I think we need some coffee."

"Kathryn, you always need coffee." She grinned, and busied herself in the kitchen. "Anything I can help with?"

"No, thanks. Coffee, I can handle." He watched while she prepared her favorite beverage, and she pretended she did not notice his eyes following her. A few minutes later, she handed him a steaming mug of the stuff, with cream and two sugars, just the way he liked it. He followed her over to the couch, where they could see the lake through the big glass doors leading out to the porch. The wind was whipping up big whitecaps on the water, and the trees bent as each gust blew.

"So, how was the rest of your night last night?" he asked.

"It was fine. How was yours?"

"Well, I had an awful lot of trouble sleeping. I kept getting these images in my mind of a certain woman."

"Oh?" she asked coyly. "B'Elanna?" He shook his head. "Sam Wildman?"

"Nope."

"Maybe Jenny Delaney."

Chakotay placed his mug down on the coffee table and leaned forward, taking her cheek in his hand, his lips almost touching hers. "You, Kathryn. I couldn't stop thinking about you."

She didn't move for a moment, waiting to see if he was going to kiss her. Oh, how she wanted him to kiss her. But then she realized that there was unfinished business to be discussed, and she pulled away. "What about Seven?"

"I went to see Seven right after I left here."

"And?"

"Seven and I are going to be friends, the way it should have been all along. She didn't seem upset. I really think she was relieved; it's what she's wanted for months now. In fact, I think there might be someone at the Academy who's caught her eye."

Kathryn grinned. "Good for her."

"So Seven and I are through. I'm a free man."

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you, now?" She placed her mug on the table beside his and snuggled into his side.

"Absolutely."

"So that means you're going to run around with all variety of loose women? Drinking and gambling? That's what free men do, isn't it?"

"Not this one." He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. "In fact, I don't plan to be free for very long."

"How long? A few weeks? A few days?"

"Maybe a few minutes."

She tilted her face up towards his to place a long, sweet kiss on his lips. "I think you're out of luck there. I don't have a few minutes to waste."

Chakotay didn't mind that at all, and they spent the rest of the afternoon deep in conversation about their future plans. The rain passed, and by late evening, the storm had broken and large patches of blue sky appeared between the clouds. They sat on the deck with a bottle of wine and a plate of cheese and crackers, soaking up each other's company and reveling in the newness of their intimate connection.

At sunset, they found their way down to the dock. The wind was still blowing, although not as strongly, and Chakotay saw Kathryn shiver. He wrapped his arms around her and bent down to kiss her. Janeway looked up at him, her expression a mix of disbelief and intense gratitude. He watched as her eyes became moist. "What is it?" he asked.

"Last night, I was sitting here thinking about how my life had stood still while other's lives had moved forward. I was admitting to myself for the first time how important it was to me to have a partner, maybe even a family. I was telling myself that I had to give up on the idea of ever being with you, that anything we might have had was too far in the past to redeem. I was sitting here wishing you were here and yet certain that you never would be."

Chakotay tightened his arms around her. "A lot has changed since yesterday."

They watched the sun sink lower, casting a golden shimmer over the water. Kathryn burrowed into Chakotay's embrace, savoring the moment and yet fearful at the same time. "Do you think this was too easy?" she finally asked. "Are we setting ourselves up for disaster, jumping into this so fast?"

He pulled back from her and held her at arm's length. "Kathryn, are you having second thoughts?"

"No, not really. I'm just wondering if we're crazy."

"Well, let's see. We've been to hell and back together. I've thought I was going to lose you more times than I can count. I've almost died, been possessed, or had my consciousness severed from my body more times than you can count. We've battled the Borg, Species 8472, fought the Civil War in the Q Continuum, faced the Vidiians and the Kazon. I've mutineed while possessed by an insane Bajoran. You left the ship and moved in with another man after having your memories wiped by the Quarrans. We've fought over the Equinox, the Borg, and a host of other subjects I can't even remember anymore. So, no, I don't think it's been too easy. And fast? We've known each other for seven years. We've been the only two humans on an entire planet for six weeks. Our friendship has survived the long list of transgressions I mentioned… and that's not even the whole list. I can't even tell you how many times I've imagined building a life with you. We've had seven years of conversations, of friendship, and of foreplay. So, no, I don't think we're jumping into anything too fast."

She laughed out loud. "All right, all right. You win." She grabbed his hands in hers and raised herself up on tiptoe to kiss him.

"You probably are right about one thing, though," he said, wrapping his arms around her again, pressing the length of his body against hers.

"What's that?"

"We probably are crazy."

She grinned and nodded, watching the lavender and purple clouds moving across the sky. The setting sun cast a glow on them, making it look like they actually had a silver lining. "Chakotay?"

"Hm?" His fingers traced idle patterns on her back as the breeze blew her hair back from her face.

"Now we're really home, aren't we?"

He smiled and bent to kiss her. "Yes, my love. Now, we're really home."