Chapter 14

Kathryn sat in the shade of an apple tree, enjoying the cool feel of the grass beneath her. She watched a dark haired little girl on a swing. The aroma from the open kitchen window let her know her mom was baking caramel brownies. Her mouth watered in anticipation.

Suddenly, the little girl let out a squeal of delight and leaped from the swing. "Daddy," she shouted. She ran toward the back porch.

Kathryn looked and saw Chakotay standing there, holding out his arms to the little girl. As he scooped up in his arms, he asked, "How's my princess?"

"Great," she exclaimed as she hugged him tightly.

"Grandma has some fresh caramel brownies for us. Let's get your mom and go in and have some."

The little girl turned to Kathryn. "Momma, come on!! Grandma's brownies are ready."

Kathryn stood to her feet and joined them on the porch.

Chakotay smiled at her, "How about a kiss for your husband?"

Kathryn woke up just as her lips were about to touch Chakotay's. The dream seemed so real, she almost expected to be home. Chakotay calling himself her husband in the dream seemed so right. Why couldn't she take that final step? Was she waiting on him to make the first move? Was it fear?

Because she was thirsty, she went to the main room to get a glass of cool water from the replicator. She wished she could talk to her mom about Chakotay. She longed for some advice on what to do. Perhaps tomorrow, she could take a vision quest. Maybe the gecko could help her again.

The next morning, Chakotay rang the chime for Kathryn's quarters. When the door slid open and revealed Kathryn in a maternity uniform, he smiled. I see you did switch to the maternity uniform."

"It's a lot more comfortable than the one piece jumpsuit. It's also a lot more convenient considering how often I have to go the bathroom now," answered Kathryn.

"Well, let's head to the mess hall and see what Neelix is serving," said Chakotay.

They began walking down the corridor toward the turbolift. Kathryn's thoughts drifted back to her dream. She glanced at Chakotay. Could they have a relationship and still maintain the command structure? She had definitely decided to try to find time for a vision quest today. The dream had placed a deep longing in her soul to be with Chakotay.

In the mess hall, they discovered that Neelix was serving omelets. They got in line and made their requests. Kathryn selected ham and cheese. Chakotay requested mushrooms, cheese, and spinach. They got glasses of orange juice as well. Kathryn happily poured herself a cup of coffee while Chakotay choose hot tea.

They went to their usual table and sat down. As soon as she was in her chair, Kathryn grabbed her coffee mug and took a long drink savoring the rich flavor. She grinned at Chakotay who was giving her an amused smirk. "I know what you're thinking," she teased.

He chuckled, "I'm sure you do." He picked up his teacup and sipped the hot beverage. "Tea is pretty good too, you know."

"Nothing beats a hot cup of coffee, Chakotay." She took another drink, then sat her mug down and began eating her omelet. "I don't know how I am managing not to gain way too much weight the way I've been eating. The Doctor gave me approximate weights for the duration of the pregnancy, and I'm right on target."

"Well, like the old cliché says, you're eating for two now. Before you got pregnant, you never really ate enough."

"I ate all I wanted. My weight stayed within normal limits, so I had to be doing something right."

Chakotay thought of how perfectly formed she was, but wisely did not comment on that. "I'll concede that you probably were." He took another bite of his omelet.

"Any reason you only scheduled me for half a shift today, Chakotay?" she asked.

"Well, you have taken any down time for a while now. You were way past due for some time off. Is there any reason why you don't want to be off today?"

"No reason, I was just wondering. It'll give me a chance to get some things done," replied Kathryn. **Like take a vision quest,** she thought to herself.

"Well, then I'm glad I scheduled you some down time," he said with a smile.

"I think I'll wait and take my walk this afternoon. I've already reserved one of the holodecks, I'm going to take a walk on a beach."

"That should help you relax. Walking on a beach should be less stress than walking around the ship," said Chakotay.

Tuvok watched them from across the mess hall. They were getting along well. He knew that the logical thing for them to do was to resume their New Earth relationship since they were going to have a child. However, he was not certain that they had accepted the logic of the situation as of yet. There was definitely longing in both of their eyes. However, it was not his place to interfere with their decisions or their lives.

Kenneth and Mariah sat in the corner farthest from the Captain and Chakotay. She looked over at them. "How long do you think they'll stick to those damned protocols? Anyone can see how much they care for each other. Besides, that baby needs both of her parents together."

"I don't know. I think people on the ship need to give them time and not push them. They've been through a lot in the past several months. Give them time to adjust," said Kenneth.

"They deserve to have a life out here just as much as anyone. I haven't heard one person objecting to their relationship. In fact, they are all eager to see it move forward," answered Mariah.

Kenneth picked up his tray. "Speaking of moving forward, we'd better go or we'll be late for our duty shifts. See you at lunch."

They put their trays away and headed for their duty stations.