AN: Here we are, another chapter here as we keep moving along.

I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!

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"I'm freezing, Chakotay," Kathryn said as she settled down under the blankets that Chakotay held up for her. He let them settle over her as soon as she was under them. "It's all your fault."

Chakotay snuggled over next to her and wrapped himself around her. He didn't try to hold back his sigh over the satisfaction he felt just having her there, next to him, and knowing that she was safe. She hummed at him and somewhat squirmed around, working herself as tightly against him as was physically possible. Chakotay planted several kisses on her face, each one falling on a different spot of her skin while she readjusted herself to be in the position that she most desired at the moment.

"There's still some fever," Chakotay said. "But it's coming down."

In a relatively short span of time, he'd convinced Kathryn to eat two meals and to soak in two cool baths. He'd convinced her to rest some, too, after he'd allowed her to talk to Tuvok long enough to share her suggestion that they return to their course to reach the technology-laden trade-planet that B'Elanna was practically lusting after.

Kathryn had offered to join Chakotay, and whoever else might want to be present, when they launched Seska's pod, but Chakotay had chosen not to be present himself and he imagined that the only person that had been there had likely been the ensign that had been tasked with launching the pod. Kathryn hadn't asked him about his decision and he hadn't shared his feelings about everything, yet, because he was giving them time to simmer before he committed to discussing how he felt. Kathryn was patient with him, though, and for that he was grateful.

"I'm sure I can return to the bridge tomorrow," Kathryn said.

"The only place I think you should be returning to tomorrow is sick bay," Chakotay said. "We're going there tonight if this fever doesn't break soon."

Kathryn sighed.

"It's going to break," she said.

"It will," Chakotay said. "But you need to rest."

"It's not easy for me to just sit in my quarters," Kathryn said. "Not when I know that it's my responsibility to run this ship."

"Everyone is required to take leave, Kathryn, even captains. If it makes it easier, consider it a personal favor to me. To the whole crew. Everyone wants you to be healthy."

"It's just difficult to sit here," Kathryn said. "You tell me to take a nap and I can't fall asleep in the middle of the day. I know that I need to be taking care of things. I know that things are happening out there and I'm in here taking a nap. I just feel guilty. I can't do it. Today I wasn't sleeping. I was just sitting here feeling guilty about not being out there on the one hand and feeling guilty about not sleeping on the other."

Chakotay sighed.

"I understand that," he said. "I do. But you've got to rest. You can go back to work as soon as the doctor clears you, but we're following what he says to the letter."

"Don't worry," Kathryn assured him, "I'm not going to do anything to put the baby in danger. At least not purposefully. Not if I can avoid it. I know—I didn't do a very good job of taking care of it on the planet."

"You did what you could do," Chakotay said. "That planet—what happened on that planet? None of it was your fault. It was all some sick plan of Seska's to get to me. She wanted to hurt you, but she wanted to hurt me too. As soon as she knew you were pregnant, she knew there wouldn't be a better way to hurt me." Chakotay swallowed. Kathryn rolled enough to be able to face Chakotay and he propped himself up on his elbow to see her. He rested his hand on her stomach and she covered his hand with her own. "She knew—the worst thing she could do to me was put you and the baby in danger. The whole crew struggling to survive was going to be bad enough, but Seska would have known that the worst thing for me would be losing you."

"You didn't lose me," Kathryn reminded him. "And we didn't lose the baby. And Naomi Wildman is doing better than I am. We lost a few people—but we didn't lose as many as Seska wanted us to lose. She didn't win."

Chakotay nodded his head. He swallowed a few times in rapid succession to try to push down the emotions that were choking off his air at the moment and making it difficult enough for him to breathe that he might imagine he needed to go to sick bay and ask the doctor if he'd held onto the radish that they'd brought on board.

Kathryn smiled softly at him.

"We can look for your son, Chakotay," Kathryn said. "If—you want to go after him? I would understand. We can find out what the Kazon customs are. We can find out what our chances are of—of getting him back."

"The fact that you would offer that means the world to me," Chakotay said. "But—he's not my son."

"I'm sure that it will take some time, Chakotay, for you to feel..." Kathryn started, struggling to find the words that she thought might make it easier for him.

"He's not my son, Kathryn," Chakotay repeated, this time with a touch more force behind his words. "He's actually not my son. The doctor had the chance to examine him. We don't share the same DNA."

Kathryn sat up slightly against her elbows.

"He's not your son?" She asked.

Chakotay forgave her for needing him to restate something that he'd just said.

"No," Chakotay said. "So—I guess I'm even sorrier because I took you and everyone else on this rescue mission for my son and he was never my son. He didn't even need to be rescued. He was half Cardassian and half Kazon."

"He was Maje Cullah's son," Kathryn said.

"Or some Kazon," Chakotay said with a laugh. He groaned, the thought of it all hitting him again with the full impact of realization. "I'm so sorry, Kathryn. Everything that everyone went through. Everything you went through. And he wasn't even my son."

"This isn't your fault, Chakotay," Kathryn said. "I don't hold it against you and I can assure you that nobody else is going to hold it against you. You didn't do this. You did what you thought was the right thing. This was Seska."

Chakotay leaned and kissed Kathryn. She returned the kiss and held her eyes closed for a second after he pulled away from her. He loved when she looked like that over a simple kiss.

"Do you understand, now, why I couldn't even stand the idea of going to see the pod ejected?" Chakotay asked. "I'm so angry with her that..."

"You have to let it go," Kathryn said quickly. "That anger, Chakotay? You have to let it go. You have to find your peace again. Don't let Seska take that away from you. She's done enough to you and to all of us. She's gone now. You have to let the anger go with her."

"You're my peace," Chakotay offered.

"That's what you once told me," Kathryn said. "But—I'm here and you're not very peaceful."

"Because of everything I saw you go through," Chakotay said. "Everything I thought..."

Kathryn sat up enough to bring her lips straight to Chakotay's. This time it was Chakotay that closed his eyes in response. She took his voice and his breath. He hadn't lied to her. She was his peace and just her touch had a way of making him lose himself so completely that he could forget what was happening around him. Hungrily, Chakotay went after more from the kiss when she threatened to pull away from him. She let him be the one to decide when he needed air more than her lips.

And then she smirked at him.

"I could think of some ways for both of us to relax," she said.

The coy expression she gave him wasn't lost on Chakotay. Still, he shook his head at her. She looked genuinely disappointed and a little surprised.

"Not tonight, Kathryn," Chakotay said. "I would feel better if—if you just rested tonight. When the fever's broken and you're..."

He hesitated to finish his statement, but he was relieved to find that he didn't have to actually put the effort into searching for his missing words. Kathryn gently nodded her head.

"I understand," she said. She raised her eyebrows at him. "But—I'm holding you to it when I have a clean bill of health."

Chakotay captured her lips again as a response.

"I can't wait," he assured her.

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The fever broke during the night and Kathryn woke up feeling quite well except for her now-normal bout with morning sickness. Moments after taking the anti-nausea medication, though, she'd gotten that under control and she'd made her way to sick bay while Chakotay had started getting ready for his day.

The doctor checked her over from head to toe and declared her fit. The fever was gone and her oxygen levels were right where they were supposed to be. The baby checked out fine as well. Kathryn accepted the doctor's request that she take it easy and try to avoid anything like what she'd just been through—which was something she wanted to avoid every bit as much as anyone wanted her to avoid it—and then she'd accepted his offer to withdraw his forced leave as soon as he'd been contacted by Neelix to confirm that she'd eaten a good breakfast.

Neelix had taken his job quite seriously and he'd served Kathryn her coffee and her breakfast the moment she'd entered the mess hall. She'd finished everything she possibly could, confident he'd report to the doctor down to the very last crumb, and then she'd considered herself released from the doctor's care.

When Kathryn walked onto the bridge, she didn't miss the fact that everyone looked at her and their glances lingered a moment. She also didn't miss the fact that there were some glances that shifted toward Chakotay.

"Captain," Chakotay said.

"Commander," Kathryn acknowledged.

"Ensign," Tom said.

"Lieutenant," Harry responded quickly.

Kathryn laughed to herself and made her way to the captain's chair.

"OK," she said. "We understand. Tom—how far are we from the planet? Did our little rendezvous with the Kazons put us very far off-course?"

"Actually, our little trip to the land of volcanos put us closer to the planet," Tom said. "We're in route and our estimated time of arrival is four days."

"Excellent," Kathryn said. "Are there any threats in the area?"

"Clear skies, Captain," Harry said.

"There are no signs of ships or planets in our immediate surroundings," Tuvok clarified.

"Very good," Kathryn said. She settled down in her chair, then, and smiled at Chakotay who was watching her with just a hint of a smile on his lips, his PADD now resting in his lap.

"Am I to assume that you were cleared by the doctor?" Chakotay asked.

Kathryn nodded her head.

"I have a clean bill of health and I ate the breakfast that earned me permission to re-assume my position," Kathryn said.

"Skies are clear, Captain," Chakotay said. "There really isn't a need for both of us to be on the bridge..."

He was hinting that she could take some time off, and Kathryn knew it. And it was true. If there were no vessels or planets in their vicinity, they could absolutely take time off to spend it as they pleased. They weren't required to simply wait on the bridge in the chance that one or both of them might be needed.

But Kathryn wasn't in the mood to sit in her quarters and do nothing.

"You're absolutely right," Kathryn agreed. "I have the bridge, Commander. I'll call you if I need your assistance. You're free to go. Dismissed."

"That wasn't..." Chakotay started, but he broke off. He nodded his head. "Very well. I have a few things that I need to take care of. Let me know if there are any advancements."

Kathryn smiled at him.

"We will," she assured him, settling back in her chair and picking up her own PADD. She was hoping that there wouldn't be any need for any of them to be alarmed—at least not for some time. And she was sure, even if he wasn't going to voice it, that Chakotay probably needed a little time to be alone with his thoughts, especially now that he could turn his attention away, entirely, from worrying about her.

All was well and she had the bridge.