"Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner."

Psalm 39:12

III.

"Akitu, thank you for everything," Janeway said, grasping the old man's hand and pulling him into a warm hug. "We will see you soon, and we'll exchange messages every week."

"Yes, Kathryn. It is good time for you move on. You need help, you call me." Akitu and his people were nomads; they had lived in the caves all their lives and did not want to be tied down to a single location, so they had decided not to move to the forest with Voyager's crew.

"You've been a great help to us already, Akitu, you and all your people. We are honored to have you among our friends."

Akitu pressed his hands to his heart. "Friends, no," he said. "Brother and sister."

Janeway smiled. "Brother and sister."

"Spirits protect you. Protect you new home."

"Thank you, Akitu. The spirits will protect you, too." And, taking one last look around the cave that had been her dwelling place for the past few months, Kathryn Janeway prepared to lead her crew to their new home.

After Chakotay had first told her of the forest four months earlier, Janeway had gone on the next survey mission to see the place for herself. With help from Tuvok, Vorik and Ayala, she had chosen the best location for their village. They felled a few trees to create a clearing and set up the first few lean-tos so the first building team would have somewhere to sleep. Led by Chakotay, twenty men and women went with the first team to begin building what would be the crew's new home. As more land was cleared and more shelter became available, others went to join them.

While Chakotay led the team at the building site, Janeway remained with the crew in the caves, overseeing their activities and continuing to learn what she could from Akitu and his people. But now, it was time to move on. Tuvok had reported back the night before that there was now enough shelter for everyone in the village. The quarters would be somewhat cramped at first, but there were two long houses that would sleep thirty or forty people each. It wouldn't be much better than the caves, but it was a start.

The two-day walk to their new home would be hard for B'Elanna, now several months pregnant, and Renlay Sharr, who had just announced that she and George Rosa were expecting a child as well. Janeway was concerned about Naomi, too, although the little girl had amazing fortitude for a small child.

Akitu's people had supplied them with food and blankets for their journey, and she felt that they were well prepared. As she and Tuvok set off, leading the way for the forty or fifty crew members that had not yet made the journey to the new site, she felt excitement bubbling inside her for the first time in a long time. They were not running away; they were not moving out of fear or necessity, but by choice, taking steps to a better life. She felt invigorated. For the first time since they had arrived on Hanon IV, she felt a spring in her step and a smile on her face.

"I am gratified to see you so optimistic, Captain," Tuvok said from her side.

"I am optimistic, Tuvok. This is the first time since we've come here that I really feel like we have a chance at making something for ourselves, something that is more than the barest survival."

"We do indeed have a rare opportunity."

"I only wish we had some way of communicating with the Alpha Quadrant, even if we never see them again, just to tell them about our experiences."

"I share your sentiments, Captain. Do not forget, there are many space-faring races in the Delta Quadrant. It is indeed possible that one of them may find us here at some point."

She nodded, using her hand to shield her eyes from the harsh glare of the sun. "But in the meantime, we have work to do." She glanced back at the group following them. They all seemed to be in equally good spirits. Harry was helping B'Elanna along and Neelix was holding Naomi's hand. "They're a good crew."

"They have an excellent captain."

Janeway felt herself blushing; a compliment from Tuvok was a rarity. "I don't know about that. If it weren't for me, they wouldn't be in this predicament in the first place."

"Do not sell yourself short. The fact that this crew has been able to survive, and even thrive in this harsh environment, is largely due to the strength of your leadership."

"If that's true, then Chakotay plays an equal part in it. He's been as much of a leader as I have, if not more so."

"His strengths are different from yours," Tuvok pointed out. "You complement each other. This was true on Voyager, but has become even more apparent in this environment. In some ways, this challenge is more suited to the commander's talents than being on a starship."

"He's certainly better at living in the moment than I am." She thought for a moment before voicing a question that was frequently on her mind. "Tuvok, do you think the crew is happy here?"

He considered the question for a moment before answering. "This crew is resilient. They will find a way to be happy in any circumstances." He paused. "I do not think you should continue to blame yourself for their predicament."

She gave him a wry look. "Am I that obvious?"

"Only to one who knows you as well as I do."

"Chakotay has said the same thing to me."

"I am not surprised. The commander is very observant." Janeway lapsed into silence as they walked, the sand crunching under their shoes, shoes that Akitu's people had taught them to make when their Starfleet issue boots had worn out in the harsh terrain. Tuvok, as usual, had given her food for thought. Chakotay was observant. She had seen him help many crew members through the various challenges they had faced along their journey. But her old friend had implied something else, too-that Chakotay knew her as well as Tuvok did. She had known Tuvok for over twenty years, but had only known Chakotay for two. Was it possible that he really knew her equally well?

She had only seen Chakotay once in four months, but she had thought of him every single day. Each night when she fell asleep on her blanket in the cave, she remembered the feeling of his warm, strong body pressed against hers. Truth be told, she was nervous at the idea of seeing him now, not knowing if he had been thinking of her, too, or if he had perhaps been lying next to someone else while working on the new village. Even if he had been thinking of her as much as she had been thinking of him, she hadn't considered what the next steps would be for them. Now, with the prospect of seeing him looming only two days away, she was forced to confront the question in her own mind. Was she prepared to become involved with her first officer? Former first officer, she hastily corrected herself. Now that they would have a real village, Voyager's command structure was truly meaningless. A new hierarchy would naturally develop, and while she would likely have a leadership role, she could not ask the crew to follow her any longer.

On New Earth, she had just begun to see the possibility of something beyond friendship for her and Chakotay when Voyager had returned for them. When they had resumed their duties on the ship, they had agreed that anything beyond friendship was impossible as long as they were in a command structure. "But when we get home..." she had said to him, leaving the sentence unfinished. When we get home, we will be free to explore the possibilities.

Is this home? she asked herself, looking at the barren terrain that lay before them. Can I learn to accept it as such?

"Captain?" Tuvok's soft voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Yes?"

"Denying yourself happiness will not ameliorate the crew's situation in any way. In fact, it may only make them more reluctant to display their own happiness, if they are indeed able to find it."

She shook her head in disbelief. "When did you become a mind-reader, Tuvok?"

"I am not a mind-reader. But I do know you."

"Yes, you do, old friend," she replied, reaching out to grasp his shoulder. "You certainly do."

They walked for many hours, needing to reach the campsite before dark. They had to stop more often than Janeway would have liked, for a poisonous snake in their path, a crewman who fell into a sand pit and had to be fished out, a mild case of dehydration. Fortunately, the worst injuries had been a few bruises and scrapes, and they were nearly at the campsite. They were running a little behind schedule, and dusk was already falling. Janeway had wanted to arrive before now, so that they could have their fires roaring by the time darkness fell. They would just have to work a little faster, she thought.

Finally, the camp was in sight. All of the teams going back and forth to the new village had used this camping ground, so there were fire pits and tents already set up. Suddenly, Janeway heard a scream from the back of the group. She whirled around, and it took her a moment to find the source of the scream in the waning light.

"Naomi!" It was Samantha Wildman.

Both Janeway and Tuvok broke into a run, pushing through the crowd. Others were also trying to see what was going on, and there was great confusion. When Janeway and Tuvok reached Wildman's side, they saw that Naomi had slipped over the edge of a steep incline and was lying in a ravine about two meters below them. Standing a few meters away from the child was a large beast. It had two horns on its head, and its body resembled that of a buffalo, large and hairy. It flared its large nostrils and snorted loudly, observing the child that had apparently invaded its territory. Then it glanced up at the top of the ridge and saw the other humanoids standing there. It growled and bared its teeth, pawing at the ground, looking like it was preparing to charge. Tuvok had silently armed his bow and aimed an arrow at the creature, but the whiz of the arrow alarmed the beast, and it moved faster than anyone expected. Out of nowhere, another figure appeared with a loud yell which seemed to confuse the creature. With the beast momentarily distracted, the new entrant unto the scene mounted its large back, grabbing one of its horns with one hand. The beast, who had forgotten about Naomi completely, bucked and kicked, trying to throw its rider like a bull. Somehow, the rider managed to hold on, pulling an axe from a holster on his back with one hand and embedding it deep in the creature's skull. The beast sank to the ground with a horrid scream, shuddering with its dying breath. Only as the rider disembarked and staggered away from the beast did Janeway recognize him.

"Chakotay!" She skidded down the side of the ravine, sliding most of the way on her bottom, and ran towards him as soon as her feet hit the ground.

"I'm all right," he managed breathlessly. "Naomi..."

Janeway hurried to the girl's side. She was curled into a fetal position, sobbing. "Naomi? Naomi, it's Captain Janeway. Are you okay?" She put her hand on the child's back, and Naomi slowly opened her eyes and peeked up at the captain. Janeway immediately picked her up, and Naomi clung to her, crying.

"Here, Captain," Neelix called, reaching down to take Naomi off her hands. "Hand her to me."

Janeway passed Naomi up to him, and the Talaxian returned the child to her mother. Then Harry, Tuvok and a few of the others gathered around to help Janeway and Chakotay out of the ravine. They took the offered hands and then stood on the edge of the chasm, panting, still in shock at what had happened.

Kes was already checking on the little girl, and quickly affirmed that other than a few scrapes and bruises, she was fine. Then she hastily made her way over to Janeway and Chakotay. "Captain, are you all right?"

"I think so, Kes," Janeway replied, her voice shaking as she checked herself over for injuries.

Janeway turned to Chakotay and peered at him through the darkness. Kes was doing the same. Even in the dim light, both women could see a gash on his forehead. "I need to have a better look at that cut," Kes said.

Chakotay shook his head. "We have to get to the camp and start the fires. They don't like fires."

"You knew about those beasts?"

Chakotay was still breathing hard and looked a little unsteady on his feet. Janeway reached out her hand to support him, still unable to believe what had just happened. "Just... discovered them..." he managed.

"All right," Janeway said, adopting her best command tone. "We have to move, people," she said, raising her voice so that the whole group could hear her. "Everyone is fine. We have to get to the campsite and set up the fires."

The order seemed to jolt everyone out of their stupor and they moved quickly. Neelix was holding Naomi and comforting Sam, and Chakotay put his arm around Janeway's shoulders, leaning on her for support. "You okay?" she asked him quietly.

Her glance up at his face answered her question as she saw him fight back the pain, gritting his teeth. "Just... walk..." he grunted, tightening his grip on her shoulders.

They made the rest of their way to the campground in silence, and, slowed by Chakotay's injury, the two of them were the last to arrive. By the time they made it to the camp, Tuvok and the others had the fires roaring. Janeway helped Chakotay sit on a rock near the fire, and Kes was at his side immediately.

Kes had spent the past several months studying intently under Akitu, learning all of his herbal medicines and remedies. She examined the cut on Chakotay's forehead. "This is a bad cut," she said softly, "but I have something that will help it heal faster. And I'm going to give you a tea that you need to drink." Kes immediately began to assemble a pumice which she spread over the wound. "This will help the cut heal and ensure it won't become infected." She disappeared for a moment and came back with a cup of hot tea. "This will help with any headaches or swelling. Make sure you drink the whole thing."

Chakotay nodded, grunting his understanding.

"Captain, I want you to make sure he stays awake for the next few hours. I'll come back and check the wound then. If there's no swelling, he can go to sleep."

"Thank you, Kes."

"Call me if you need anything, Chakotay," the Ocampan said. "If you feel a sharp pain, dizziness or nausea, tell the captain immediately."

"I will."

As Kes moved away to tend to others, B'Elanna waddled over. "How're you doing, old man?" She sat down next to him.

Seeing that Torres would tend to Chakotay for a while, Janeway excused herself to check on the rest of the crew. She walked through the camp, making sure that everyone was doing all right. She stopped to speak to Sam and Naomi for several minutes and was relieved to see that the child had returned to her usual, cheerful self. "Thank you again, Captain, for saving her," Samantha said, "and please thank Chakotay for me."

"I will." Janeway made sure to speak to each and every crew member in the camp, and by the time she finished, Neelix and Kes were making their rounds with a stew made from the flesh of the beast that Chakotay had killed.

By the time she returned to Chakotay's side, B'Elanna was just getting up to go. Janeway was relieved to see that he looked more alert than he had earlier, and was actually smiling. "Feeling better?" she asked as she sat down beside him and handed him a bowl of stew. He'd been forced to give up his vegetarian diet early on during their sojourn on Hanon IV; they'd had to eat whatever they could find.

"Much. Just a headache, but that will pass."

"What are you doing here, Chakotay? I didn't expect to see you until we reached the village tomorrow."

"I was tracking that... thing," he said. "We've seen them a few times over the past few weeks. Ayala was the one who figured out that the best way to kill one is to ride it like a bull and smash its skull. I saw one this afternoon while we were gathering supplies. I wanted to find out where it lived or if there were more of them. When I realized it was headed towards the campsite, I got concerned, so I followed it to make sure it didn't attack anyone."

"We're lucky you were here."

He shrugged. "Tuvok or one of the others would have gotten it eventually."

"Yes, but it might have been too late for Naomi." She shivered, even though it was warm next to the fire.

He touched her shoulder. "Are you all right?"

"Oh, I'm fine. Just another close call. Too close for comfort."

"I think you'll be happy with what we've done in the village," he said, turning back to his stew and trying to change the subject to a happier one.

"I can't wait to see."

"Tomorrow, you'll sleep under a roof, Kathryn."

A roof. A real roof. For the first time in over a year. "I almost feel nervous," she admitted softly. "I wonder if I've forgotten how to live in a civilized society."

"We may not have had many amenities, but I think we've managed to remain pretty civilized."

"You're right." She turned back to her own stew, and they ate in silence. Every few moments, one of them glanced surreptitiously at the other.

Finally, catching her staring at him, Chakotay chuckled. "Do I have a growth on my face or something?"

"No. No, not at all. It's just... strange."

"What's strange?"

She put her bowl down and wrung her hands nervously. "Seeing you again after all this time. For so long, I saw you every day. Now it's been over two months and we haven't even spoken. I thought about you so often..." She trailed off; she hadn't meant to admit that to him.

He saw her discomfort and placed his bowl down on the ground so he could take her hands in his. "That's nothing to be ashamed of, Kathryn. I thought about you, too."

She raised her eyes to his. "You did?"

He nodded. "Every damn day. I wondered how you were, what you were doing, what you were thinking, how you were feeling, whether you were thinking about me, too."

"Then we were thinking the same thing."

Chakotay reached out to caress her cheek, and she leaned into his touch, realizing only at that moment how much she had craved it over the past four months. He inched closer to her, his chocolate eyes sparkling in the glow of the firelight as he softly pressed his lips to hers, slow and sweet. When they broke apart, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him.

She felt no more certain than she had that morning about the direction their future would take, but for now, she would allow herself this moment. As they watched the orange and gold flames dance before them, she nestled against his shoulder, sheltered by the circle of his arms.