Author's Note: Sorry I didn't update yesterday- was very busy… but I hope you enjoy this part as much as the last! I've even got a few new readers! I'm so excited! Thanks so much for keeping me going with this- it's turning into this huge summer project, and I'm glad to share it with all my readers! Thanks for the kind reviews! If you have any requests for the story, let me know! I loved writing chapters that you guys gave me ideas for! This will be a strictly KJ chapter- and I'll do other POV's in the next few, just like first story. As always R&R! Kimmy

The wind stung her face, the little pieces of sand leaving miniscule cuts along her cheeks and hands. They had to find shelter, it was quickly getting dark and the further the sun dropped behind the clouds, the colder it became. She had divided the crew into teams, and she had done it again. She had said those lousy four words. "Commander you're with me…"  She wasn't sure why she always kept him by her side. Then again, who the hell was she kidding? After the incident with Dreadnaught, she had realized that she was so deeply in love with him. The only problem was, she was afraid to be in love with him, what if she was forced to send him on an away mission and he was killed? Her heart couldn't take that, and she knew that if he died, she would too. So that was why she kept him by her side, that way she could keep her eye on him, so she could protect him, just as he always had protected her.

She had told the crew to huddle together, to pair off with a "buddy" for warmth. Harry had paired off with B'Elanna, Kes with Neelix, and Tuvok had joined Ensign Wildman and her baby. As she walked away from the camp, and sat down on a rock formation, she gazed out at the stars. She had always wanted to explore the stars, to be a part of them, and she had never felt more at home than on a Starship. But now, the stars were her prison, now they held her captive, and there was to way to escape. A voice jarred her from her thoughts:

"Kathryn?"

"Mmm?"

"Are you okay?"

"Fine Chakotay, I just needed a moment alone, to soak all this in. What if we really are here for eternity? Could we survive?"

"Can I tell you an ancient legend?" She struggled to remain composed when he spoke those words, and she felt a tear fall down her cheek. Thank the stars it was dark, and he couldn't see it. She found her voice, as his hand found it's way to her own.

"A real one?"

"A real one Kathryn, to show you that you are not alone, you have done everything you could to save the crew. And now, you just need to find strength with in yourself to know that you are not alone." She leaned toward him, and his arm found its way around her waist. As they looked up at the stars he began:

"Once, when time was not quite old enough to be counted, there lived a beautiful Indian maiden. This was a special maiden. She could do all the work that needed to be done to keep her lodge in order and to satisfy her mate. But this maiden did not have what she longed for - her mate. As she sat under the large tree one day, she heard the Redbird."  'Redbird is it so strange for me to wish to have someone to care for, who will care for me?" asked the maiden. "If it is not so strange, why have I not found that one meant for me?'

Kathryn leaned closer to Chakotay and rested her head on his shoulder. "The redbird had no answer for the Indian maiden, but he sat and listened to her because he could hear the lonely in her voice. Every morning for the passing of seven suns, the Redbird came and listened to the maiden's story. As each day passed, the loneliness felt by the maiden began to fill the Redbird." Chakotay paused and glanced over at Kathryn who looked up at him and smiled contently.

 "One day in the Redbird's far travels, he came to a handsome Indian brave. The brave saw the Redbird and called to him. As he began to talk, the Redbird felt the loneliness in his voice that the maiden had shown. Soon the Redbird began to see that these two lonely people had the same wish, to find another who would love and care for them as they would care for their mate." Kathryn felt a tear slip down her cheek, but it was quickly dried by the wind.

 "On the fifth day of listening to the brave, the Redbird became as a bird that is sick. The brave became concerned, for the Redbird had become his friend. As the brave walked toward him, the Redbird began hopping, leading the brave to the lodge of the Indian maiden. Because the brave wanted to see if the Redbird was all right, he did not notice that he was going from his home. The Redbird saw the Indian maiden sitting outside of her lodge and when he came very close to her (to where the brave would see the Indian maiden) he flew away. The brave saw the Indian maiden and realized that he had wandered far from his home. He went to the Indian maiden to ask where he was." She marveled at how like their journey the story was. She was captivated by the sound of his voice, as she felt her eyes begin to close.

 "The Redbird sat in the tree and watched the brave and the maiden. At first the brave was shy and the maiden would not talk, but soon they were talking and laughing like old friends. Redbird saw this and thought that it was good. He had done as he could and now it was up to the brave and maiden. As Redbird flew to his home he thought of how Great Spirit had known that someday the two would find each other. Now it was good, thought Redbird, that maiden had someone who would see for her and Brave had someone that would hear for him and that they finally had someone who would care."

As he finished telling his story, she turned to him and looked into his eyes. "That was beautiful Chakotay."

"Thank you Kathryn. The only thing is that wasn't why I came over here."

"Hm?" She looked up to the sky, and marveled at its majesty.

"Well, everyone else is paired off, and you and I are the only two left. I came to ask if you were okay with that, after all, Tuvok offered to switch with me." She was silent for a few moments. She wanted nothing more than to be in Chakotay's arms, to be able to fell his heart beat beneath her, even if it was just for one night. She didn't want to be with anyone else in the cold of the night.

"I wouldn't want to be with anyone else." She whispered as his arms wrapped protectively around her and as a small star streaked through the sky, she sighed contently at the beauty of the sky, if just for a moment, for tomorrow it would be her prison again.

The legend is Choctaw- and yes it's real! J