Chakotay and Seven beamed into the small room in front of a startled Kathryn and Admiral Paris who jumped up from the bed as the two materialized. Kathryn immediately recognized Chakotay's dark form and ran to him.

She saw the knife in his chest as he gasped for air weakening with his heavy blood loss. Her fingers gently touched the handle. "Chakotay," she said softly.

Chakotay's hand grabbed for her hair and he clasped a long strand. "Kathryn," he gasped. "You're okay."

Kathryn's eyes grew damp as she looked at him. "I'm fine. You, on the other hand…" She shot Seven a murderous look.

Chakotay turned her face to him. "Hey, I've been better but I'm always perfect when I'm with you." Kathryn smiled down at him as he said, "I'm sorry I was a jerk before I left. I never meant…"

Kathryn stopped his words with a finger against his lips. "You were right. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. You always gave me good counsel."

Chakotay grinned as he tried to keep his breath. "I always did, didn't I?"

"How touching," Seven mumbled.

Kathryn ignored her remark and stroked his hair. "Yes, and you'll continue to for the rest of our lives. One of my vows is going to be to always heed your advice."

Chakotay smiled weakly. "I wish I could hear you say that. To see you dressed so beautiful…"

"You will." Tears dripped from her cheeks onto his chest as she demanded, "You will."

Admiral Paris knelt beside them and felt around the knife wound. Chakotay yelped in pain. "I'm sorry, Captain. We need to get you to a medical facility now." He looked up at Seven. "You're going to let the man you love die?"

"He doesn't love me. He is of no use to me. He proved that today. At least I have to satisfaction that you will watch him die."

Kathryn looked up at her. "And if you can't have him, no one will?"

"You catch on quick."

Kathryn allowed Admiral Paris to take Chakotay from her arms and lay him down on the ground. She rose up to face Seven and said, "Even if I die?"

"We tried that already."

"Why did you bring me back, Seven? You didn't have to do this. You could have had him all to yourself. Why invite me back?"

"Because he never would have gotten over you. Even dead, you would have still been here. Just as alive. Even more so. You needed to live so he could make a final choice between you and me. He chose and now he's the one who will pay for his bad decision." She walked over to Chakotay and looked down. "You did want me to stop hurting innocent people, correct?"

Chakotay's breathing grew more labored as he licked his lips to try and speak. "As long as Kathryn's safe, I don't care what you do to me."

Seven's foot kicked at him savagely and he let out a sharp cry before lapsing into unconsciousness.

"No!" Kathryn's anger boiled over as she grabbed Seven from behind and squeezed her arms around her neck in a choke hold.

Admiral Paris leapt up and grabbed Seven's arms as she tried to loosen Kathryn's grip. Seven's own breathing started to come in quick, short bursts as she felt the air leave her body and her vision began to swim. She slowly collapsed onto the ground and Kathryn went with her unrelenting in her grip.

As Seven's body slipped to the floor, Kathryn swung around and placed her hands on Seven's neck to begin squeezing again. Admiral Paris tugged the sheets from the bed and ripped them into long strips.

"Kathryn, stop. Stop it! You'll kill her!" he said.

Kathryn heard nothing. Her eyes fixated on Seven's still face as she squeezed with all her might. She felt popping and cracking sounds under her hands and only vaguely registered Admiral Paris' arms as they swept underneath her and yanked her from Seven's body. "No! She's not dead yet!"

"Admiral, I order you to stand down!"

Kathryn sat on the dirt floor and brushed the loose hair away from her dirty face as she watched him tie up Seven. She looked for any sign of movement from her still form but saw none. Her eyes then went to Chakotay who lay a few feet away deathly pale and still. She watched his chest for movement but saw none. The knife still stuck in his chest as blood dried around it.

She scrambled to him and felt his cheek. He was cold. "Chakotay," she said. "No, please don't do this. Please don't let her do this to you. No! No! No!"

"Kathryn," Admiral Paris held up a small transponder and tossed it to her. "I programmed it to go straight to Starfleet medical. It will only carry two. "You go and send the security detail out to retrieve us." With a nod at Seven's still form, he said, "She won't be going anywhere."

Kathryn nodded and gripped Chakotay's cold hand in hers. "Hang on," she whispered.

The next few hours were a blur as Chakotay was whisked from her and into a surgical bay. She could tell from the medical personnel's faces that they didn't expect to have good news for her any time soon.

A security team was quickly dispatched to the rocky beach and Admiral Paris and Seven arrived soon after. Kathryn glared as they took Seven back for medical treatment. It wasn't fair that a woman who had done nothing but evil would live and receive quality care while Chakotay, a man who had done nothing but good, was near death.

Tom and Belanna accompanied with Admiral Jellico arrived shortly afterwards to wait with her and check on Admiral Paris. Their presence was little comfort and, even Admiral Paris, who was quickly seen and medically cleared, could offer her little comfort. At Admiral Jellico's order, Kathryn finally submitted to her own physical. Aside from dehydration and some mild malnutrition, she would recover quite well in time.

Belanna convinced her to shower and change so she would be presentable when Chakotay was well enough to see her. As she let Belanna lead her back to the waiting room, she noticed the Doctor walk out from the back medical facilities.

"Doctor!" she called. She rushed to grab his shoulders and force his attention. "How is he? He'll be okay, right? He's going to be fine."

The Doctor gave her a small smile and patted her arm. He gently released her grip on him and waved her to the seating area where Tom, Belanna, and the Admirals waited. He waited until everyone could hear his words and then said, "He made it through the surgery."

A collective sigh rumbled through the group. "But," the Doctor said, "He is in very critical condition. He's lost a lot of blood. And he was denied immediate medical care which is crucial in surviving severe injuries like this. His dirty surroundings didn't help the infection quotient either."

"But he'll be okay, right?" Kathryn asked.

"If he survives the infection which is all but guaranteed at this point, I would be guardedly optimistic given his current state of health. But I can't make promises."

Kathryn smiled through her fresh tears. "Understood, Doctor. He'll be fine."

"Knowing the Captain as well as I do, I dare say he'll pull through just to spite the person who did this. Who did do it?"

"Seven," Admiral Paris said.

"Seven?" he repeated. "But I thought…"

"We all thought," he said. "We were all wrong."

"Is Seven here? I must examine her." He turned to walk back but felt Kathryn's hand grab him in an iron hold. He turned and saw her stern face.

"You will not help her."

"Admiral? It is my sworn duty to help anyone who requires it, especially a friend."

Kathryn stepped closer and said, "Your friend may be responsible for killing Chakotay. She did kill me, brought me back, and then kidnapped me and Admiral Paris."

"Kidnapped? Where was I during all this? I haven't seen you in weeks. Why wasn't I informed?"

"I was sitting in a tomb courtesy of your friend."

The Doctor looked at the two Admirals. "And you didn't notice she was gone?"

"Seven kept up appearances quite well," Admiral Jellico said.

"Yeah and Admiral Janeway disappearing into an office for weeks at a time isn't exactly unusual," Tom added.

"Well, Mr. Paris does have a point." He watched Kathryn grimace at his feeble attempt at levity and gently removed his arm again from her grasp. "If you'll excuse me."

Belanna stood up and put her arms around Kathryn. "You should go be with Chakotay."

Kathryn swiped at her tears. "He's sedated. He won't hear me."

Belanna brushed a strand of Kathryn's hair back. "He'll know you're there."

Kathryn smiled and nodded. She walked back to the recovery area and found Chakotay lying still on a bio bed. She picked up his hand and covered it in her own. She kicked a stool underneath her and sat down by his bedside.

As she looked down at his sleeping form, she began to recite a story he had told her long ago. "Once there was a small troubled woman whose tribe had become weak. She found an angry warrior who she asked to join her and help her people survive. He did. And it was in that moment that she found the true calling of love."