High clouds drifted through the sky, alternately obscuring and revealing the afternoon sun. The park was busier than when Chakotay took his morning walks, and children were running and laughing while groups of parents gathered around picnic tables. Chakotay and Kathryn strolled along a footpath that meandered through a quieter, cultivated garden. He smiled when she slipped her fingers between his to hold his hand.

"This is a nice park," Kathryn commented. "I don't remember this being here years ago."

"It wasn't. According to a man I met my first morning here, this park was created after the Dominion War. Much of the city had been devastated, and this area was specially formed to try to draw families back. Many of the businesses didn't rebuild, usually because the owners had died in the destruction. Bringing back homes and family activities first helped to attract people who would rebuild the shops."

"So that's why the building with the coffee shop appeared so new." She held his hand more tightly and looked off toward the apartments rising above the distant sidewalk. "I have to admit that I'm apprehensive about what I'll find when I spend more time around Headquarters. Many of my contemporaries with whom I came through the ranks are gone now, lost in the war. I could have easily been amongst them if we weren't halfway across the galaxy."

Chakotay's voice sounded deeper, sadder, when he spoke. "I've thought the same thing, only I would have been killed either along the DMZ or on Tevlik. Considering the colonies that lay along my usual routes in the Val Jean, there is very little chance I would have survived, nor would have the rest of the Maquis that were a part of my crew." He pulled her closer to his side, seeking her warmth. "B'Elanna, Ayala, Chell, Yosa, Jor, and all the rest - I don't have a doubt in my mind that we would all be gone, just like our friends are."

They had reached a secluded park bench that looked out over a small pond. Kathryn led him to it and sat down, waiting for him to sit before she turned toward him, still gripping his hand. "It's hard to imagine what things must have been like here. We saw our share of terrible times in the Delta Quadrant, but not like here. This is a different Federation from the one we left seven years ago, and a different Starfleet." She looked down at their joined hands and then out across the water. "I can't help but wonder if I'll fit in anymore."

"Are you saying you might not stay in Starfleet?"

"I haven't made any decisions, and I won't for a little while." She glanced back at him, searching his eyes. "I want to stay. 'Fleet is all I have ever wanted to do. But what's left for me in it?" A smile softened her expression, and she leaned her shoulder against his. "Can you see me playing ferry service for ambassadors, or patrolling borders for weeks on end?"

He chuckled and laid her hand on his thigh, then put his arm around her. "Honestly? No, not really. I'll be surprised if they don't make you an admiral, though."

"What about you, Chakotay?"

"Well, like you, I don't want to decide on anything yet. I'm happy for the moment with not being in a Federation prison. If I remain in Starfleet, I'm not sure I could serve under another captain." He kissed her cheek and then muttered in her ear. "I'm afraid you've spoiled me for any other captain or woman."

"You think so, do you?"

"Definitely." He raised his free hand to her other cheek and gently turned her lips to his for a brief kiss. When he pulled away, he dropped his arm to caress the small of her back. She utterly surprised him when she swung one leg over his and straddled his lap with her knees braced either side of him on the bench. Her soft skirt was flared enough that it still modestly covered her, but the position sent a jolt of desire through him. He gripped her hips and steadied her on his thighs.

Kathryn held his arm with one hand while the other trailed down his jaw. Her half-smile made his heart thump in his chest, and her voice slipped down his spine. "The ship is at Utopia Planetia by now, debriefings don't begin for two more days, and our mission is over. I'm no longer your captain, only a woman."

He slid his hands over her hips and rested his fingers against her buttocks. "A woman who never ceases to surprise me." He let his eyes drop down to the neckline of her dress and her full breasts. "And, who I am looking forward to seeing more of."

"Don't we have dinner plans back at your apartment?"

He quirked a brow and tilted his head toward the bench beside him. "If you still expect me to cook, I recommend you sit over there."

"I'm sure we could find a more comfortable place to sit back at your place."

He stood up, bracing her against his abdomen, and then let her slide down until her feet touched the ground. He watched a faint flush color her cheeks when she felt his erection, and held her to him. Their lips met, and this time he darted his tongue against her lips, then inside when she opened for him. Lightly, slowly, they tasted each other for the first time in a passionate kiss that left them both breathing harder on their walk home.