"Sickbay to Commander Chakotay,"

He closed his eyes briefly. Oh, Kathryn, he thought. We should have been together. We should have had a lifetime together.

Kathryn came out of the bathroom, her hand to her mouth and a look of disgust on her face. She plopped down on the couch next to him and glared at him. "What the hell are you smirking at?" she snapped.

"My beautiful, glowing girlfriend." He said sweetly.

"Oh, shut up. This is ridiculous. I'm almost three months pregnant and I still can't stop throwing up."

"Well you are pregnant with twins."

"Well thank you, Captain Obvious." She frowned at him." Did you just call me your girlfriend?"

He smiled. "Well what should I call you?"

She thought a moment. "Hmm. Well, I guess that is pretty accurate. It's just odd to be called a girlfriend after all these years. I feel like at my age it's…I don't know. It just sounds weird."

"Well, if we ever come across anyone who can perform a marriage ceremony, I'll be calling you my wife."

She laughed. "Is that a proposal?"

"Maybe."

"How romantic."

"I could always replicate a diamond ring."

She waved a hand. "Don't bother. We can't afford to waste replicator power on something like that, and plus I never had an engagement ring anyway. It would have just gotten in the way."

"Neither time?"

"No. It's against regulations and since I was rarely out of uniform, it seemed like a waste. A wedding ring I could have worn, but engagement rings aren't allowed."

"Yeah, I remember that. Well, I promise, if the day ever comes that we leave here, you'll have a rock on your hand big enough to impress Alynna Nechayev, if that's what you want."

"I think I'll be satisfied with you." She snuggled up to him and he put an arm around her.

"I feel so honored." He teased.

"You should. I could have run off with the monkey."

"How…kinky."

"Chakotay!" she exclaimed, slapping his arm. "You are a pig!"

"Well at least as a pig I might have a chance-"

She put hand over his mouth. "Shut up, pig." She snuggled back in. "So, I guess you want to marry me."

He kissed the top of her head. "How could you think otherwise? Of course I want to marry you." He tilted her chin up to meet his eyes. "Do you want to marry me? I mean, there would be plenty of men vying for you if we ever got home. And…Mark…"

"Shh." She said softly. "I hope Mark has moved on. My heart has certainly moved on from him. If we went home, I would have to tell him that my soul found its mate."

"Such deep thoughts, Captain Janeway."

"Just speaking the truth, Commander." She squeezed his leg. "I love you, Chakotay. Getting home wouldn't change that. We'd be married as soon as possible, and spend the rest of our lives together with our children." She giggled. 'After all, you are my 'angry warrior'."

"You know, there was more to that story."

"Really? I don't see how you can top him finally finding peace with his lady warrior."

"Well…the angry warrior and the woman warrior were separated from their war party. They had to learn to work together to survive, and again, he felt most at peace when he was easing her burdens. Soon, he found himself in love with his woman warrior. He was never happier than when she told him she loved him, too. They lived together, just the two of them, safe in each other's love. Then one day the woman warrior told him she was to have his children, and he was scared. He didn't know if he could provide for these two new children so far away from their tribe. He was angry with himself for the situation they were in. Again, he vowed to ease his woman warrior's burdens. He began to realize that as long as they had love, and as long as their children would feel that love, they would never want for anything, not any of them. And so, the angry warrior lost the last of his anger, finally finding true peace with his family."

Kathryn laced her fingers through his. "Is that really an ancient legend?"

"It will be, one day." He squeezed her hand. "One day we'll or rescued, or our children will leave this place, and they'll tell their children, and their children will tell theirs, and it will be passed down. One day it will be an ancient legend, about the two warriors who fell in love and found peace through each other."

"I have an ancient legend for you." She whispered.

"Tell me."

"It's an ancient legend among my people. Once, there was a woman who came from a long line of warriors. She didn't want to be a warrior, but she wanted to help her tribe in some way, so she became an explorer. She wanted her father to be proud of her, but he was a warrior and she always felt like being an explorer wasn't enough for him. She did what she could to help the other warriors, to make her father proud. One day, one of the warriors brought her with him to explore, but they were captured by an evil tribe from far away.

"The woman didn't think they would leave alive, but they were rescued by another explorer, who was really a warrior. She and the warrior fell in love, and she could feel her father's approval for her choice. But one day, she and her father and her warrior left on a trek, and her father and the warrior were killed. The woman couldn't move on from what had happened, and when she was able to live life again eventually, she vowed she would become a warrior in her father's name.

"She became one of the fiercest warriors in the tribe, and because she was an explorer, too, the tribe leaders gave her more important treks to go on, and made her more important in the tribe. She found contentment with one of her former fellow explorers, and she thought that perhaps he was the one she was meant to be with. She didn't want another warrior. Warriors died, and she wouldn't go through that pain again.

"One day, the leaders of the tribe told her to capture a warrior who had once been one of them. He was attacking their enemies, and shaking the fragile peace they had built up. So the woman warrior went after this angry warrior, determined to bring him to her leaders and make him pay for what he was doing. But while she was on her way to capture him, she and her war party were lost. They couldn't find their way home, but they did find the angry warrior and his party of rebels. She found him to be very different from what the leaders had told her. They led her to believe he was a callous murderer, but instead, she found a gentle man with a strong heart and a keen mind. He sacrificed the resources of his tribe in order to save hers, so in return, she asked him to join them. She didn't expect it to be easy, but he did everything in his power to make their journey fruitful. She knew that he was coming to care for her, but she was afraid to care for him. She had already lost one warrior, and now she had lost her explorer as well. Her heart couldn't lose anyone else, so she wouldn't let herself love the angry warrior.

"One day, she and the angry warrior were separated from their war party, and the party had to go on without them. The woman warrior was furious. It was her war party, and now she was being left behind. The angry warrior did what he could to make a home for them, but she just wanted to go home. She spent her days searching for a way home while he made a home for them there, and finally one day she realized how much he was doing for them. A huge storm came that destroyed all the work she had done towards getting them back to their people, and she was devastated. She gave up hope of going home. But after a while, it didn't matter as much anymore. She found herself loving the angry warrior, and she was more thankful than she could say for everything he had done for them. Soon, she knew that he loved her, too. They started a family together, and even though they were away from their tribe, they had each other. She wasn't afraid of loving a warrior anymore, because she knew that even if she lost him, the moments they had together would be enough for a lifetime. And even though she was afraid of having a family so far away from their tribe, she knew their children would know they were loved. She knew that it was worth it just to allow herself to feel his love. In that way, the woman warrior was finally able to let go of her fear, and find love and peace."

Chakotay felt a tear roll down his cheek. He hadn't realized she had been afraid to love him. "And they lived happily ever after?" he whispered.

"Of course." She laughed softly. "The angry warrior, the woman warrior, and their two little warriors. Happily ever after."

Chakotay opened his eyes. They locked with Gretchen's, and he could see his fear reflected in them. He swallowed and tapped his combadge. "Go ahead, Doctor."

"Please report to sickbay. I have some news about Captain Janeway."

"I'm on my way." He grasped Gretchen's hand. He could see that despite her reassurances, she was suddenly terrified. "Don't be afraid, Gretchen." He whispered. "No matter what, you'll always know that she loved you very dearly."

She nodded, but her eyes were filled with tears. "I know, but that doesn't make this any easier. Would you like me to go with you?"

"No, that's all right. Would you mind watching them for a while longer? I promise, I'll contact you as soon as I have news."

She nodded again, then threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "No matter what happens, I'm so glad she had the chance to love you." She said softly in his ear.

"And I'm honored I was given the chance to love her." He placed a kiss on Gretchen's cheek. "I'll contact you soon."

On his way to sickbay, he mulled over the events of the last few days. He had truly never expected to be back here again, and it was hard to get used to it. Every time the computer chirped it nearly gave him a heart attack. Riding in the turbo lift made him nauseous. Staring out the window into space made him apprehensive. He hadn't even been this bad when he first left his tribe.

He thought about everyone who had come back to get them, putting their lives on hold to rescue people they hadn't seen in seven years. The depth of their loyalty astounded him, and he couldn't imagine how he would ever repay them. This went far and above the call of duty.

He remembered Samantha Wildman said she had a son now. Neelix told him earlier in the mess hall that the boy was two years old, and his name was Rathen, after her husband's father. "He really is a wonderful little boy, so much like Naomi when she was small. And Naomi adores him. You wouldn't believe her," Neelix had told him proudly. "She's a beautiful little girl, and so smart! She even beats Tuvok at Kaltoh!"

Even Harry had a family now. He had returned home to find his girlfriend, Libby, still waiting for him. According to Neelix, they now had two adorable dark eyed sons. "James is four and Henry is two. Little Myra is on her way in a few months. You should see them with Miral Paris. The three of them are like a hurricane."

Harry Kim, a father? When he first met him, Harry had been greener than grass. Now he was a security chief and responsible for shaping the lives of his small children. He couldn't picture it. He knew Harry made a fine father, but still, he couldn't picture it. The only thing that was harder to picture was Tom Paris with a two year old daughter. Poor kid, he thought ruefully. Then he mentally kicked himself. After everything Tom had gone through, no doubt he was more of an adult than Chakotay.

He couldn't believe all that had changed. Then he thought of Kathryn. At least he had been aware of the passage of time. What would it be like for her, if she woke up? She had gone to sleep thinking she would stay asleep, and she had gone to sleep having two little babies. Now, she was back on her ship, but it wasn't her ship, and her two little babies were certainly not babies anymore. The only thing that remained constant was him. He loved her as much today as he had the day she died. And despite being a single father for five years, he really was the same person. But how would she take everything else?

And why was he even contemplating it? Why was he raising his own hopes by imagining a future she would be acclimating to? She was dead. She had been dead for five years, and no amount of the Doctor's hocus pocus was going to change that. He didn't know what the Doctor hoped to accomplish here, but he couldn't possibly bring her back.

And if he did…would she still be Kathryn?

What could being dead for five years do to someone?

He took a deep breath as he approached sickbay. Bracing himself for whatever was to come, he walked through the doors.

"Doc?"

The Doctor turned as he walked in, his expression inscrutable.

"Commander. I'm glad you're here."

TBC

Don't worry! Chapter 12 is right behind this one! Review please :)