Later, Kathryn lay dozing on Chakotay's bed while he prepared for his next day's class. He had a hard time concentrating though, because his gaze kept drifting to her sleeping form, stretched out under a thin blanket. At first she looked peaceful, but then her forehead creased in a frown and her body curled up protectively. When she started moaning and mumbling incoherently, he sat on the side of the bed and leaned over her, trying to make out what she was saying, but the words were too slurred to make any sense. Hoping to soothe her, Chakotay gently rubbed her back. After a minute or two, Kathryn quieted, but she kept clutching the sheet to her chest.

He knew she'd been tired when she arrived, but now he wondered if there wasn't something else troubling her. Not knowing what else to do for the moment, he lay down behind her and wrapped one arm around her body, slipping his larger hand around one of hers on the edge of the blanket. By this he hoped to supply a means of emotional support her subconscious mind would pick up on even in her sleep. Burying his nose in her hair, he drifted off to a light slumber as well.

Chakotay woke again an hour later but Kathryn didn't stir, so he rose quietly and took his work into the living room. He kept an ear out for her, but to his great relief her rest remained undisturbed.

Kathryn slept until very late in the afternoon. Chakotay had just finished preparing all his classes for the following week when she appeared in the living room doorway, barefoot and clad in the short robe he'd left for her on the bed. Since it was his own, it was several sizes too big for her, but she didn't seem to mind. Her hair was tousled and she squinted at the bright, golden sunlight filling the room.

"What time is it?" she asked, yawning.

"Almost time for dinner."

She looked shocked. "Oh, Chakotay, you shouldn't have let me sleep that long!"

He rose and went to take her in his arms, delighting in the way her pliant, sleep-warmed form molded against him. "You obviously needed it."

"I guess so," she admitted and then lifted her face to his, seeking his lips. They kissed slowly, lovingly, and he felt like this moment was finally their true reunion. With her hair loosely tumbling down her back and the robe slipping over her shoulder, she was once again the enchanting creature who had stolen his heart on Kelvaris with her carefree manner and easy smile. He held her tightly and seriously considered dragging her right back to the bedroom, but just as the mood was about to tip from gentle caressing to passionate, Kathryn's stomach growled loudly.

Chakotay broke away laughing. "I guess I'd better feed you. That beast sounds dangerous."

"I really am hungry," Kathryn confirmed, looking surprised.

Chakotay remembered how thin she'd become. "You haven't been eating right lately."

"There wasn't... time." She refused to meet his eyes, and he got the impression that she had been about to use a different word. "Does it show?"

"The uniform hides it well." His hands slid down her sides, lingering on her too-prominent ribs. She twisted slightly to shift his grasp and he complied, not wanting to make her uncomfortable. "I could do with some food, too," he went on, continuing their conversation as if nothing was amiss. "Do you feel up to going out or should we stay here?"

"If you don't mind, I'd rather stay." She looked up at him, her blue-grey eyes slightly hooded. "All those transports were so crowded and loud… I'd love to spend a quiet evening at home, just you and me."

Her smile was disarming, and Chakotay felt that he couldn't deny her anything. He dropped another kiss on her lips but then grasped her shoulders to turn her back in the direction of his bedroom, where he'd deposited her duffel bag earlier. "Why don't you put on something less distracting, and I'll see about making us some dinner."

She grinned mischievously. "How do you know that whatever I've brought with me will be less distracting?" Before he could think of an answer, she bumped her hip against his, but then acquiesced to his suggestion and went to get changed.

Shaking his head, Chakotay entered his kitchen. Several hours of sleep seemed to have gone a long way toward restoring Kathryn to her old self, and by now he had no doubt that she'd been looking forward to their reunion just as much as he had. The shortness of her message from Starbase 62 had obviously been owed to her stressful travel experience rather than any changed feelings toward him.

He'd just set the table and poured some wine when she was back, still barefoot but wearing a low cut, green wraparound dress that was tied at her left hip with a tantalizing bow. When she tried to pass him, he held her back and fingered the long ends of the bow. "Not exactly less distracting," he breathed into her ear and felt her shiver.

When Kathryn caught Chakotay's hand and turned her head, his lips slid over her cheek and hungrily captured her mouth. Memories of another time, another place, and another dress flooded his mind, fueling the fire in his veins. That other dress had been blue, with a row of buttons down the front, one of which had ripped off in his haste to undress her the very first time they'd made love. He'd found it the next morning while gathering his own clothes and had slipped it into his pocket as a memento of an unforgettable night. It now sat in a drawer of his nightstand, next to a protective amulet his sister had made for him before he'd left for Starfleet Academy.

Kathryn was easing back out of their kiss but still keeping his hand at her side and leaning into the contact. "You promised to feed me," she playfully admonished, "But instead, I'm beginning to feel like I'm part of the menu."

"That can be arranged," he grinned, dipping his head down again to nip at her earlobe.

She squirmed, laughing, and finally twisted out of his grasp. "Later. Right now, I could eat a horse. What's for dinner?"

Chakotay reluctantly tore his eyes away from her and turned back to the kitchen. "Have you heard of the latest trend in Earth cuisine?"

Kathryn leaned against the doorframe and watched as Chakotay input commands in his replicator. "I can't say that I have."

"Then I'm not going to tell you what this is until you've tried it." He hit a button and two wide bowls materialized. Handing one to Kathryn, Chakotay grabbed a small basket containing freshly cut slices of bread and followed her to the dining table.