December hit New Earth with a vengeance; Kathryn and Chakotay woke to nearly a foot of snow outside the morning of December first. Chakotay woke before Kathryn, building up the fire in the cabin before going outside to get more firewood. The sight that met him outside left him speechless. He immediately went back inside to wake Kathryn.
He felt bad for a moment as he looked down at her sleeping form. She lay on her left side, as she often did now to relieve the pressure of the weight of the babies on her spine and internal organs. She was cocooned in the blankets, tucked in to garner whatever heat was still trapped there. She looked so peaceful; younger than she'd ever looked on Voyager; a look that Chakotay was getting used to seeing on her here.
Life on New Earth was much easier than Voyager. Sure they had their struggles, and it was challenging in its own way, but life here was simple. Get up and survive; live each day for the simple pleasures that it held...and create a future together, for themselves and their impending arrivals. And they both looked forward to each new day.
That's why Chakotay knew that Kathryn would want to see this. Sitting down on the bed next to her, he gently touched her shoulder, "Kathryn."
"Hmm?" She uncurled herself from the fetal position that she had been sleeping in, but didn't open her eyes or speak.
"Kathryn, wake up. You have to see the snow outside."
"Snow?" Her voice was thick from sleep, but she cracked her eyes open to see Chakotay's expectant face, drawing her own lips up into a smile at the look of wonder on his face. "I've seen snow before, Chakotay." She closed her eyes again, snuggling back down into the blankets.
"Not like this, you haven't." She cracked one eye open again, looking up at him with more focus, her inner explorer suddenly intrigued at his statement.
"What do you mean?" He held up the sweater that she had lain on the foot of the bed the night before, silently telling her that she should get up and put it on. She sat up, yawning behind her hand.
"I've never seen anything like it. You might want to grab a tricorder."
She was fully awake now, and Chakotay bit his tongue to keep from laughing out loud at the sudden determination on her face as she sat up, pulling on her sweater and flinging the covers off her body. She shivered in the cool morning air as the fire hadn't warmed that side of the cabin up yet. Chakotay brought her boots over and helped her slowly to her feet. Once they were both sure that she wouldn't become dizzy, he went for the tricoder while Kathryn slipped her boots on. She took the tricorder from him, making her way quickly to the front door.
Her jaw dropped when she pushed the door open. "Oh, it's beautiful."
It was indeed beautiful, and nothing like Kathryn had ever seen in her life. The snow was still falling, and the early morning sun set it twinkling like diamonds...lavender colored diamonds. The snow had the faintest tint of the palest purple, and each flake falling sparkled like a gemstone in the air. The ground glittered as each facet of each flake reflected the sunlight.
Kathryn stepped away from the door, holding her hands out to catch several of the falling flakes. As each one hit her skin, she felt a tingle that had nothing to do with the cold. Activating her tricorder she knelt to scan the snow already accumulating on the ground. Chakotay crouched next to her to see the readings.
"This is fascinating. The snow itself is comprised of water molecules, but each molecule seems to have some type of regenerative properties."
"Maybe it has something to do with the atmosphere keeping the virus at bay. Whatever is in the atmosphere keeping us healthy must be in the snow as well." Kathryn nodded, her nose buried in the tricorder readings. She'd have to download the information into her computer for further analysis.
"Regardless," she stood up slowly, bracing her hand on Chakotay's shoulder to make sure she had her balance, "It's beautiful."
"Yes, it is." Chakotay stood up beside her. "I'm sorry I woke you up early, but I figured you'd want to see it."
"You figured correctly." She smiled, leaning her shoulder into him. "But now that I'm up, I'd better feed these babies." Chakotay instinctively reached for her belly, letting Kathryn guide his hand to where she felt movement. It wasn't long until he felt a soft knock against his fingertips. He smiled giddily, as he always did when he felt the babies move. This time the baby on the left was causing a stir; the baby on the right remained asleep.
"Alright, breakfast for three, coming up. Why don't you get back in bed and warm up, and I'll fix you something. Breakfast in bed sound okay?"
"Sounds wonderful."
=/\=
Kathryn sat in bed after breakfast, looking over the molecular structures of the snow she had scanned, comparing it mentally with the Doctor's analysis of the planet's atmosphere. It was an interesting theory; the snow having regenerative properties. It would be something to investigate further, but right now she was enjoying the warmth of the fire and the warmth of the man who sat beside her.
"Oh, I just realized we haven't seen the primate in a while." Kathryn's heart sank at the thought of her missing friend.
"I'm betting he migrated south along with the other animals that aren't cold weather tolerant. There are very few monkey species on Earth or any other M class planet that live in cold temperatures. I wouldn't be surprised if we don't see him again until spring."
"I hope he's alright." Kathryn pictured him, sitting in her lap, pulling snacks out of her pocket. She chuckled at the thought. "I hope we see him again."
"I don't doubt that we will. All of the animals and birds will come back once warmer weather is back...just like they do on Earth, I'd imagine." Kathryn nodded absently, and Chakotay knew she was thinking of and missing her small friend.
"We've been through a lot with that little animal. He warned me about the plasma storm. He came to visit us afterwards. He's watched me garden. I told him about the babies."
"He's practically part of our family." Chakotay said it in earnest, knowing that in a way it was true. There were no other humanoids on this planet, but that little primate had experienced every milestone that Kathryn and Chakotay had been through so far on the planet. "Maybe when he comes back, you can introduce him to the babies."
"He'll run away shrieking if he knows what's good for him," she chuckled. "But I hope you're right. I hope he comes back."
"Well, we could always take the shuttle; try to find where his species migrated."
Kathryn's brow furrowed as she thought about that. "We could, but I wouldn't want to scare him or them. I wouldn't want him to be frightened of me and not come back."
"Well, I'm sure he'll be fine until spring. He's lived here longer than we have." She nodded wistfully, missing her little friend and hoping that wherever he was, he didn't forget her.
=/\=
Kathryn woke early several days later, pulling on her slippers and the woolen shawl that she'd knit for herself. It had been snowing on and off for the last three days and there was nearly two feet of snow on the ground. Chakotay had shoveled paths to the woodpile and her bathtub, though she hadn't had any desire to use it in these frigid temperatures.
Kathryn moved to the fireplace, rubbing her hands together to fend off the cold. She and Chakotay had both been plenty warm last night after making love, and neither had wanted to leave the other's arms to build up the fire. She shivered now, grinning to herself as she broke up some kindling to put in the fireplace; she'd have to make him get up next time to stoke the fire before they went to sleep. The air inside the cabin now was uncomfortably cold.
After arranging the kindling as she'd done many times now, she placed larger pieces on top and gave it a quick zap with the phaser. The fire crackled to life instantly, and Kathryn stood next to it, groaning softly as she heat slowly warmed her skin.
After several minutes she added more logs, smiling as the fire roared to life fully. The woodpile in the cabin was running low, and Kathryn decided to surprise Chakotay and restock it. She glanced at Chakotay sleeping as she traded her slippers for her boots, pulling on her own mittens and bundling up to go outside. The sun was up enough to see and the woodpile was only around the side of the house. It would take several trips, since she couldn't carry more than a few pieces at a time, but she hoped she could complete her task before he woke up. It was a rare occasion that she got to do manual labor before Chakotay himself finished a task, so she enjoyed it whenever she had the opportunity to lighten his load.
She pulled the door open quietly and stepped out into the early morning air, turning towards the side of the cabin…
...and came face to face with nearly four dozen people.
Well, they weren't humans, but definitely humanoid. They were all shorter than Kathryn, perhaps four and a half to five feet tall. They had pale white, nearly opalescent skin, and large violet eyes. Their noses and mouths were similar to a human's, though they all had very thin lips. They all seemed to have some type of hair to speak of, it was as white as their bodies, but not shimmery like their skin. Their small bodies were covered with layers of thin, greyish-white fabric, and their hands and feet were bare. Kathryn's heart pounded in her chest as dozens and dozens of violet eyes watched her curiously. Many of them carried packs on their backs or in their arms, but none of them made a move towards here. A few of them looked at each other, speaking in their native tongue; to Kathryn it sounded like soft, whispery music.
Slowly, one of them moved towards her, and though its face held calm curiosity, Kathryn wasn't taking any chances. She moved backwards slowly, holding up her hands in a 'back off' stance. As she reached the cabin door she called in, "Chakotay."
She heard his muffled reply, knowing he was still half asleep. "Chakotay!" Several of the people before her backed up at her call, but they all hovered nearby, standing about ten feet from her.
"Kathryn?" He sounded a bit more awake, but confusion clouded his voice.
"Chakotay, could you come outside please, and bring the comm badges?" He could hear the trepidation in her voice, shooting out of bed instantly, stumbling to pull his boots and a sweatshirt on, moving quickly to the cupboard in the old living space where their comm badges lay, unused for months. He also grabbed a phaser, tucking it into the waistband of his pants as he hurried outside. He skidded to a stop next to Kathryn, realizing they were surrounded by strangers.
Kathryn had no idea if the comm badges would pick up these alien's language, let alone be able to translate their own speech for the creatures, but it was their best shot at communication. They both quickly activated the badges, clipping them onto their clothing.
"Hello. Can you understand me?" Kathryn spoke first, immediately taking on the Captain's role, Chakotay at her left shoulder. He watched as their faces turned back and forth in astonishment. The first one that had approached Kathryn before took a step forward.
"Yes, we can. May we ask you who you are, and what you are doing here?" This one's voice sounded slightly lower, and if they had genders, Kathryn would have guessed this to be a male speaking.
"Of course." She tried to keep her voice low and calm to show that she and Chakotay meant no harm. "My name is Kathryn Janeway. This is Chakotay. I was the Captain of a Starship until several months ago, and Chakotay was my First Officer," She struggled to find words to explain this to their visitors. "We are members of the United Federation of Planets, founded in the Alpha Quadrant. Our ship, Voyager, was stranded in this region of space just over one year ago. We found this planet several months ago and had intended for my crew to have shore leave here. However, Chakotay and I were bitten by an insect and infected with a virus that affects our nervous systems. We tried to leave the planet to seek treatment, but the virus' effects were quite debilitating and detrimental. We would have died if we hadn't come back to the planet. We only remain healthy if we stay on the planet.
"So I sent our crew away to continue their voyage home, and Chakotay and I remained here." All of those lavender eyes were quite disconcerting, but no one seemed to be acting aggressively or with suspicion, so Kathryn took that as a good sign.
The first creature that had stepped forward to speak nodded slowly. "I understand. We are the Phreezah. This is our planet. We have never had visitors before, in all the history of my people." He took a step forward, towards Kathryn. Chakotay mirrored his actions, his shoulder moving slightly in front of Kathryn, easily being interpreted as a protective move. The Phreezah man understood. "We mean you no harm." He spoke to Kathryn. He held his hand towards her slowly. "May I have your thoughts?"
His fingers were long and thin, similar to the rest of him, and he only had three; two fingers and a thumb on his narrow hand. His eyes were kind, but Kathryn and Chakotay were still leary.
"I don't know what you mean." Kathryn spoke.
"We have the ability to read thoughts, but it requires touch." Kathryn nodded, prepared to move forwards to acquiesce to the Phreezah's wishes. Chakotay held her back by her shoulder, stepping forward in her stead.
"May I offer you my thoughts instead? This woman is with child, and I don't know what affect your telepathic abilities may have on the babies." Kathryn appreciated his gesture, feeling slightly awkward that she hadn't thought of that herself. She smiled warmly at the pale man before her, resting her hands on her belly to emphasize Chakotay's point. Several of the Phreezah looked at her curiously, but the man that stood in front nodded his assent.
Chakotay took another step forward, crouching slightly so the short man had easy access to his face. The Phreezah before him pressed his thumb against Chakotay's temple, his other two fingers sliding into his hair. Chakotay's mouth dropped open as his eyes slid shut. Kathryn watched silently for any sign that Chakotay wasn't safe, but nothing unfavorable happened. After several moments, the small man stepped back, and Chakotay stood up, opening his eyes. "I could see you 'seeing' my thoughts. I saw them as you did. That was amazing."
"I see that your companion speaks the truth. I see also that you care about her very much. You 'love' her. And you love the humans that dwell inside her." Chakotay smiled, taking a step back to stand beside Kathryn, placing an arm around her shoulders.
"I do. I love her very much." Chakotay eyed all of the people before him. "May I ask where you came from? We've been here for several months, and have never seen you before. And do you have a name?"
"I am Ono. I am the first. We dwell in the caves during the hot, and on the planet's surface during the cold."
"We have technology that scanned the planet, but we found no lifesigns other than ours." Kathryn spoke, trying to figure out the disconnect.
"We do not have lifesigns as you put it. We do not breathe as you do. We do not eat as you do. I can see from Chakotay's thoughts all there is to know about your kind." Ono spoke at the questioning look on Kathryn's face.
Kathryn nodded, "I hope that our living here will not impede your living here. Is our home in any way going to be a burden on your people?"
Ono shook his head, "No. We use the snow to build small dwellings; similar to the igloos that you are familiar with. We take in the snow as a type of nutrition. It has regenerative properties that sustain us during the cold. During the hot we take in the liquid form that flows through the caves in which we dwell."
Kathryn bubbled with curiosity that threatened to brim over and escape her in the form of dozens and dozens of questions. She calmed herself though, in the knowledge that the Phreezah would be on the planet's surface all during the winter and she would have plenty of time to communicate with them and learn all she could about their species. "Well, I think for now we will leave you to begin setting up your shelters. Perhaps after we eat breakfast I may speak with you some more?" Kathryn asked, hopeful.
"Of course," Ono said, "It will be a pleasure to share our planet with you both. We are eager to learn all there is to know about you as well." Ono nodded and turned, motioning for his people to retreat. They moved off slowly, still looking around at everything that Kathryn and Chakotay had built. Several of the Phreezah were walking slowly around the bathtub, eyeing it curiously. Several of them were inspecting the woodpile, and one or two of them were touching the rocks that comprised the chimney. Kathryn watched in wonder as they slowly dispersed; some of them meandering their way into the woods, some towards the river, and more towards the meadow.
"I guess we know where the trampled path came from," Chakotay spoke as the Phreezah moved farther away to set up their winter homes. "Years and years of walking back and forth from the caves."
"And with no lifesigns to speak of, no wonder the sensors didn't detect them." Kathryn added, rubbing her belly to sooth the baby that was currently getting agitated at the lack of food in Kathryn's stomach. "It'll be wonderful to get to know them."
"Getting tired of my company already, Kathryn?" Chakotay feigned indignation and Kathryn grinned, swatting his arm as they went back inside.
"Of course not. It'll just be interesting to do some 'exploring'," she used air quotes to emphasize her point.
"I know, and I agree. We'll have to do some research on their telepathic abilities, to see if it's safe for them to use on you. You'd be fascinated at the sensation." He closed his eyes, trying to figure out how to put it into words, "It was like I was learning about myself, learning about them learning about me." He shook his head with a chuckle, "It's much more complicated than that."
"Well, we'll ask one of them to do it again, and we'll use the tricorder to see what the effects are. In the meantime, I need to feed your children. They won't give me a moment's peace if I don't." she rubbed her belly gently where the baby on the left was now beginning to protest.
Chakotay knelt in front of her and pressed a kiss to her belly, "Be nice to your mama, little one. She's getting food right now." He lay his cheek against her stomach and grinned when he felt a jab against his skin. He stood up, pressing a kiss to her lips. "You'd better hurry and get some food in you, Kathryn, before the twins stage a mutiny in there." She laughed and his dimples pressed into his cheeks at her happiness. He took her hand and they went into the kitchen for something to eat.