Founding Aurora

Part Two- see Part One for disclaimer and synopsis



*****************


He'd come to complete awareness slowly, as his 
slumbering, disassociated mind had sensed her 
presence suddenly very close, and realized that it 
was time.  He felt the essence of her mind, 
intertwined with all the others on Aurora, and 
with his, connected in a way that humans and other 
individually sentient beings rarely perceived.  
Their thoughts and senses permeated his, and he 
worked to separate the threads that entangled his 
mind with theirs.  Some were awake or unresistant, 
easy to dislodge, some slightly more resistant.  
And a very few, all in the sleeping state most 
receptive to the unconscious,  fought momentarily 
to maintain the link, a link they weren't truly 
aware of.  On those he used a small amount of 
force, in the form of images.  Images strong 
enough to break through the unconscious, to wake 
them, and end their unknowing resistance.   Images 
that of necessity tapped into the very deepest 
fear of humans, of all sentient social races, 
whose tenuous outward connections to each other 
kept at bay the fear brought about by their 
inability to truly understand their link with the 
Universe.  The fear of being utterly and 
completely alone. 

The last mind he broke through was hers.   His 
mind reclaimed its cohesive state, not easy after 
years of dispersion, of inactivity.  He sensed her 
awakening, and began to call to her, entreat her 
to come to him.  He still had some control over 
mental energy, even temporal energy, but physical 
matter had become impossible for him.  So he 
enticed her to come nearer to him, to where he 
waited, so that their minds might join, this time 
in complete awareness.  

It was time.

******************


 Kathryn ducked through the cave entrance.  The 
air outside was far colder than in the cave, but 
she barely noticed the freezing bite of the wind 
that swept right through her thermal layered 
cotton jumpsuit as if it wasn't there.  She stood 
, staring in wonder at the sky.  Huge, brightly 
waving bands of light billowed across the sky, 
rising so high she had to crane her neck to see 
its end.  It was so close she felt like she could 
reach out touch the colors, let them swirl through 
her fingers and spill over her hands.  She almost 
reached out to try when the whispering voice 
caught her attention again.

She moved several meters past the entrance, 
fighting the pressing wind, heading toward the 
rocks, the haphazardly piled formations that 
jutted up against the towering wall of the 
mountainside.   She knew instinctively that this 
was where the voice was coming from.  Where he 
was...

Kathryn jerked back, stumbling over a small rock 
jutting out of the snow covered ground, as a large 
shape loomed over her.  Her eyes traveled upwards, 
surprised at the size of the being.  The huge body 
was covered in thick, coarse yellowish fur, 
hanging in long tufts from its arms.  Its hands 
were equally furry and tipped with claws.  Its 
face was also covered in fur except for small 
black eyes and the black pointed snout.  It stared 
at her for a mere moment, then opened its mouth, 
emitted a low growl, and bared its teeth- which 
she saw were actually narrow, sharp, wicked 
looking fangs.

Kathryn knew her mouth was also open, if in a far 
less threatening manner.  Several thoughts coursed 
through her mind at once.  The first, the absurd, 
was the childhood story refrain "My, grandmother, 
what big teeth you have".  A reactionary giggle 
almost escaped her parted lips, but her mind was 
also rationally informing her that this was not 
the possessor of the voice she had heard, the 
voice that had been insistently, but gently 
calling her.  And at the same time a memory 
surfaced, of a survey report of these same snowy 
mountains, highlighting some of the wildlife 
recorded here.  There had been mention of a brief, 
sketchy scan of a large, upright bear-like animal, 
that had appeared, then disappeared again, before 
a more in depth scan could be completed.  Tom, or 
perhaps Nick, had referred to it laughingly as the 
Abominable Snowman, and they had decided it was 
either a very rare animal, or perhaps even a false 
reading, after they hadn't been able to locate it 
or like creatures again. 

In the brief couple of seconds it took for those 
thoughts to flash through her mind and fight for 
dominance, the creature opened its mouth wider and 
let loose a much louder, reverberating roar.  And 
Kathryn was faced with the realization that she 
hadn't thought to pick up one of the phasers 
before she came outside.   But then she hadn't 
been thinking at all, and now her ungloved hands 
were so numbed by her brief exposure that she 
wasn't sure she could grip a weapon if she had 
one.  The voice that had called her out here was 
ominously silent.

She took one step back, but the huge animal was 
already advancing on her, its hands- paws, her 
mind corrected automatically- reaching for her, 
claws extended.  Strangely she felt no fear, 
though the rational part of her mind recognized 
that she was trapped and about to be mauled- 
killed- and there was no way for her to escape.  
Instead she was actually calculating the 
advisability of screaming, trying to decide in the 
space of a split second whether it would serve to 
warn Chakotay of the danger so that he could 
prepare to protect himself, or whether it would 
only serve to draw him impulsively outside to a 
fate as undesirable as hers.   As her mind raced, 
she could only stare, completely transfixed, as 
the animal descended on her, its huge form 
blocking out the bright glow of the aurora.

A whisper rent the silence, a whisper so loud it 
hurt her ears.  The creature, its claws 
millimeters from ripping into her shoulders and 
throat, suddenly jumped back, howling loudly.  It 
fell to its haunches, throwing its head back and 
forth in confusion, then turned and bounded off, 
in a strange loping stride somewhere between 
bipedal and on all fours, into the darkness. 

Kathryn stared after it into the darkness, shaded 
and shadowed by the auroral display, too relieved 
and too stunned to move, until she heard a noise 
behind her.  The whispering sound that had filled 
her head so loudly a few moments ago was back, but 
it had dropped to a soft, insistent murmur.  She 
turned and looked toward the rocks, but saw 
nothing.

No.  Something, someone, had to be there.  She'd 
heard it, felt it.  She took several steps toward 
the rocks, her movements slowed by the cold that 
had begun to seep deeply under her skin.  She 
listened once more and heard...nothing.   She was 
shivering violently now as she stopped and hugged 
herself, her rationality resurfacing.  

What the hell was she doing out here?  What if the 
voice she was hearing was just the keening of the 
wind, if the presence she felt was simply her 
imagination, spinning completely out of control?  
She'd wandered out here into subzero temperatures, 
barely escaped being torn apart by a wild animal, 
and was perilously close to freezing to death.  
Her teeth were chattering so hard she couldn't 
give into the urge to laugh out loud at the 
complete absurdity of her actions.  If she wasn't 
already insane, she must be quickly getting there.  
She had to get back to the cave...

Kathryn's eyes widened as she turned away from the 
rocks and found herself face to face with the 
focus of her insane search.  She stared at his 
narrow, fine boned face and  gentle, penetrating 
brown eyes.   He wasn't much taller than her, and 
he looked human, but she couldn't be sure because 
his features seemed blurred, softened, perhaps 
partly by age.  He was wearing voluminous yellow 
robes, and Kathryn immediately thought of the 
indistinct apparition in her dream.  But she 
couldn't tell if this was the same being, the 
dream had begun to fade already, and she couldn't 
remember the images clearly.  She could barely 
think clearly...

"I have been waiting for you, Kathryn Janeway, for 
quite a long time."

Kathryn's eyes narrowed.  He'd spoken to her, 
she'd heard the words, and yet his lips hadn't 
moved.  Telepathic?

"In a sense,"  he replied, and Kathryn realized he 
had "heard" her thoughts, read her mind.  "My mind 
is communicating with yours, independent of 
physical interaction."

"You've been waiting..."  Kathryn repeated, her 
mind full of questions, trying to order them in 
her jumbled mind.  "Why are you here?   How did 
you get out here?"

"I'm here to see you, Kathryn.  And I came in the 
usual way, usual for me anyway.  I unfortunately 
overshot my goal, thus the wait.  Temporal 
mechanics are not always reliable."

Temporal mechanics?  "Who are you?"

"Ah, the usual first question.  I am what you 
would refer to as a Traveler."

"A Traveler?"  Here in the Delta quadrant?  
Kathryn had heard of them, or one of them.  "You 
don't look like one."  At least not like the 
holovid she'd seen.

The Traveler smiled, or at least his lips quirked 
in some fluid motion.  "Not the one you are 
thinking of.  We do not all look the same, since 
we are not one race.  We are rather a collection 
of beings, who started out in different places, 
and each discovered our latent abilities.  We are 
bound simply by our common desire to explore and 
understand the fate of the Universe, and every 
event and every being that affects its course."

"And that brought you to Aurora?"  Kathryn asked 
skeptically.  How could anything here be worthy of 
a Traveler's notice, worth his time coming here 
from...wherever.  And he still hadn't completely 
explained how he got here... "Where is your ship?"

The Traveler raised an eyebrow at her sudden 
eagerness, or at least Kathryn got that quick 
impression before his face returned to soft 
repose.  "It is gone."

"Gone?"  Kathryn had been seized with a sudden 
conviction that the Traveler had come to rescue 
them from Aurora.  To perhaps even return them to 
the Alpha quadrant, where they belonged.  But if 
his ship was gone, well, then maybe another 
Traveler was coming to get this one, to get them 
all off Aurora-

"No one is coming, Kathryn.  Only me.  And I'm not 
here to rescue you, because you are already where 
you belong.   This is my own final destination 
also."

Kathryn felt a surge of disappointment, then 
irritation at his vague replies.  "Then why 
exactly have you come here, to see me, so you say?  
This is hardly the spot where you are going to 
find answers about the fate of the Universe."

"Perhaps not the Universe, that is a never-ending 
quest.  Nor about the immediate fate of this 
galaxy, since that has already been decided.  
Partly by what happened here, and that began now, 
in your time.  Your time is a source of endless 
fascination where I came from."

Kathryn couldn't keep up with all of his 
disjointed answers.  She sighed.  "Where what 
began?  And just where did you come from?"

"In the beginning I came from the same place as 
you, Kathryn.  But more recently- lastly- I came 
from the future."

"The..."

"The future."  The Traveler's face again took on a 
fleeting expression of amusement as he completed 
Kathryn's incredulous echo.  "And I've come to 
here to show you what will be, what you and your 
descendants will help set on course.  The future, 
where I've come from, over a thousand years from 
now."

A thousand years from now?  Was he really implying 
that this tiny, isolated colony, forced into 
existence, with barely the means for its own long 
term survival, would somehow affect the future of 
the galaxy?

"Turn around, Kathryn,"  the Traveler said, and in 
one fluid movement his arm indicated the direction 
behind her, away from the mountain.  She turned, 
and the brightness of the light hurt her eyes, 
enough so that she had to close them momentarily.  
She squinted against the heightened glow of the 
aurora...

Only it wasn't the aurora.  It was the sun, 
shining on the scene before her, not the small 
snowy clearing dropping of the edge of the 
mountain side, but a large open plain.  And spread 
out on that plain was a city, sprawling in an 
orderly fashion over several kilometers.  It 
looked like many cities she'd seen, on Earth, in 
the Federation, even on a few planets in the Delta 
quadrant.  The city of a vibrant, prosperous 
society, and judging from the wide, open 
thoroughfares, the clean, pleasing lines of the 
soaring buildings, and the well tended squares of 
parkland, a society appreciative of art and 
beauty.  Despite the sense of familiarity, it 
wasn't a city she remembered visiting.  "Where are 
we?" 

"Actually, "when are we" would be the better 
question.  This is where I came from most 
recently.  Kathryn, this is New Lourdes, the 
capital city of the New Galactic Federation, the 
first such planetary alliance to span the galaxy, 
on the founding planet Aurora, as it will exist 
1054 years from your present time."

Kathryn stared, dumbfounded.  She could hardly 
fathom what the Traveler was saying.  Perhaps she 
was actually laying on the ground right now, her 
body freezing, being slowly buried by the falling 
snow, and all this was the final, dying ramblings 
of her mind, of her imagination, ever desperate to 
find some meaning, some reason for her existence.  
But as she looked into his brown eyes, fathomless 
yet soft, she believed him, and she felt a sense 
of certainty that he really was here with her, in 
whatever form.  That she was with him, as warm and 
safe as she felt.  Maybe she was a little insane-

"You are not insane or imagining this, Kathryn.  
Though you do have quite an internalized flair for 
the dramatic, despite your relentlessly practical 
exterior.   An interesting character trait.  And 
what you see here is truly what will come to 
pass."

Kathryn followed his gaze toward the city again 
and uttered a small exclamation.  They were no 
longer removed, looking from a distance at the 
city- New Lourdes- sprawled across the plain.  
They were on a wide boulevard within the city, 
paved with soft duracrete, dotted with trees and 
fountains, and fronted by tall, block long 
buildings on both sides.  One building was 
fashioned from what appeared to be a nearly 
translucent bluish gray marble, and the sign 
imbedded high above its immense entrance read 
Galactic Federation Meeting Hall.  Or that was her 
best guess, since the script was similar to 
Federation Standard, but with small differences.  
The building on the other side, equally imposing 
but more open, was fronted with pale blue glass, 
and the interior was plainly visible, a great hall 
of several stories with moving walkways and 
escalators filled with throngs of people.  Carved 
in the soaring letters in the glass were the words 
"Voyager Historical Center" in the same slightly 
altered Federation Standard Script.

The buildings were fascinating, but it was the 
people, the mass of beings milling around her on 
the wide boulevard, walking past her, conversing 
animatedly, that caught her attention.  They came 
from nearly every species she was familiar with, 
and many she'd never encountered.  Species who had 
apparently made their way from the other 
quadrants, like Cardassians, Ferengi, Trill, 
Andorians, Bolians, Romulans, a humanoid pair who 
had curiously unfinished faces with a look of damp 
wax that she took to be Changelings, along with 
plenty of Humans, Klingons, Vulcans, Bajorans, and 
several dozen other Alpha quadrant species.  Then 
there were the species right here from the Delta 
quadrant, the Kazon, Trabe, Vidiians, Ocampa, and 
Talaxians among those she immediately recognized.  
And dozens of others that she didn't know, among 
them a reptilian species, a group of imposing 
seven foot tall aliens, a pair of with boar-like 
faces and tusks-

She was amazed to see so many mutual enemies, many 
she would consider her own enemies, apparently 
coexisting peacefully in one place, but what she 
saw approaching now sent a still down her spine.  
The pair who walked toward her she could hardly 
countenance coexisting peacefully with anyone.  
Borg.  Or at least, partially Borg.  They had 
fewer implants than she'd seen on the Borg, these 
two appeared to be mostly organic.  But they were 
still Borg, the assimilators of everything...

"Nothing remains the same, especially not the 
Borg.  And now Kathryn, let me give you a small 
lesson in the history of the future."

Kathryn merely nodded, still trying to absorb what 
she was seeing.  New Lourdes, the struggling, 
fledgling colony base of a hundred and fifty 
people, had become this?

"Although you didn't know it, when your ship was 
destroyed, you were within a few months of 
crossing into Borg space, had you not ended up 
here.  In your "now", while you are a year into 
building your small colony and just beginning to 
establish your permanent presence on Aurora,  
tucked here out of the way of the larger workings 
of the galaxy, the Borg are facing a crisis.  A 
new species has entered the galaxy, a species 
unlike any other the Borg has ever encountered, a 
species that cannot be assimilated.  The war for 
the galaxy has already begun, a war that will not 
only bring about the defeat of the Borg, but that 
will bring every race in the galaxy to its knees."

Kathryn shook her head disbelievingly.  "That 
can't be possible-"

"It isn't a question of possibilities, Kathryn, it 
is simply  fact.  The new species, which the Borg 
designated Species 8472, a name which other races 
adopted when they weren't using their own names 
meaning evil and terror, came to this galaxy with 
one objective.  To eradicate all life here.  
Happily, they fell short of that goal.  But not 
very short.  In due time they will overrun the 
Borg forces and destroy the great Collective.  
Only a handful of survivors will be lucky enough 
to escape and hide in isolated groups from the 
relentless advance of Species 8472.  That advance 
will continue across the Delta quadrant, and 
spread through the Beta and Gamma quadrants, 
finally engulfing the Alpha quadrant.  It will 
take them less than a century to lay waste to the 
galaxy, leaving millions of burned out planets in 
their wake, those they don't choose to simply blow 
completely out of existence."

Kathryn shook her head, still unable to accept 
that this could happen.  Was already beginning.  
That one species could virtually wipe out the 
entire galaxy- the Borg, the Federation, the 
Klingon and Romulan Empires, and every great 
civilization in-between .  It couldn't be...  
"Something will stop them.  The future can change-
"

The Traveler shook his head.  "The future already 
is, just as the past already is.  You only 
perceive it differently because you view time 
linearly.  And something did stop Species 8472, 
eventually.  The invasion itself might have been 
averted in the beginning, when they first entered 
the galaxy and their forces were relatively small 
and contained.  But the Borg were no match; for 
all their might they are not creative thinkers.  
And there was no one else there to stop Species 
8472 before their numbers became uncontrollable, 
and they spread throughout the galaxy.  Word 
spread also, and the Federation, the Dominion, all 
the great empires of the other three quadrants 
knew Species 8472 was coming.  They tried to 
prepare; the Federation and its allies even 
discovered a weapon, an insidious way to 
infiltrate and destroy the Species.  The 
Federation fed it to them when they approached the 
Alpha quadrant, and they fell to it, but as fast 
as they fell more kept coming and their numbers 
were nearly insurmountable.  Nearly.  It took many 
years for Species 8472 to suffer enough losses to 
finally give up and flee.  But by that time they 
had left a swath of nearly complete destruction 
across the galaxy.  Only pockets of life were 
left, where the refugees of thousands of races 
could hide, that Species 8472 neglected to sweep 
out earlier, and lost their chance at later.  Mere 
remnants of once great civilizations."

"Remnants..."  

"Yes, amazingly very few races were completely 
wiped out, most managed to hide a few citizens in 
remote spots, or send away cloaked refugee ships.  
Some races, especially in the Alpha quadrant, 
survived in the many thousands, occasionally even 
millions."

Kathryn was appalled by what the Traveler was 
saying, yet she clung to that fact- that some 
survived- would survive.  The people anyway.  
Their homes... she didn't have the nerve to ask 
about Earth.   Or Vulcan.  Or Qo'noS.  Or any of 
the thousands- millions- of home planets of the 
galaxy, that had evolved over billions of years to 
cradle the billions of lives that had called them 
home.

"By the time of this city,"  the Traveler 
indicated their surroundings, which Kathryn had 
almost ceased to notice,  "many of the planets you 
think of have begun to rebuild, which in most 
cases means completely terraforming dead 
landscapes.  Those that still had planets, and 
were able to acquire the necessary resources and 
population."

The Traveler didn't elaborate with further 
specifics, and Kathryn didn't have the heart to 
press the issue.  She didn't want to know, didn't 
want to accept this future-  It shouldn't be.  
Something, someone could have stopped this- could 
still stop it.  "Where were you?  Why didn't- 
don't- you help?  Or others, like the Q..."

The Traveler didn't appear to take offense at 
Kathryn's accusatory tone.    "The Q Continuum, 
and the other advanced and non-corporeal races in 
the galaxy, who exist in a reality in most ways 
separate from the galaxy itself, were as always 
bound by their own rules of non-interference, and 
by other limitations imposed by the Universe 
itself.  As Travelers, we had more freedom to 
interact, yet we are not a fighting force.  Our 
greatest abilities lie in the mental and temporal 
realm, not in affecting physical altercations.  We 
assisted where we could, in small ways, to help 
some escape, and to hide.  We could only guide, 
and where possible give a small push in the right 
direction.  Sometimes that direction was toward 
Aurora."

Silence reigned between them for several moments, 
then Kathryn asked quietly,   "How exactly does 
Aurora fit into all this?"

"Aurora was, or will be, the first great refuge, 
some even called it Sanctuary.  You have to 
realize the magnitude of the destruction wrought 
by Species 8472.  Hardly a livable planetary 
system was left untouched.  Most of what was left 
behind after they departed barely supported the 
most marginal of existence.  But Aurora was one of 
the few planets that survived unscathed, a lush 
planet capable of fully supporting many billions 
of lives comfortably.  A planet with a fledgling 
society already in progress.  A society that was 
eager to grow and prosper, and openly welcoming of 
new arrivals."

"Out of the entire galaxy only Aurora was- will 
be- left to do this?"

"Aurora was best positioned, by its location and 
quite honestly, by its people.   You and your 
fellow colonists.  And all your many descendants, 
of course.  You may feel alone now, Kathryn, but 
you will not be for long.  Your own children, 
their children, and eventually the first wave of 
refugees, those of the Delta quadrant, will arrive 
and begin to spread across Aurora.  Later, more 
refugees will come, from the Alpha quadrant, then 
in a slow, steady stream from all over the galaxy.  
Most on small ships, escapees from their war torn 
homes, sent away by the many who stayed behind and 
sacrificed their lives to ensure the survival of a 
few.  They will hear of Aurora, through secured 
channels, through gossip, through secret 
communiqués, through rumor, and they will come.  
Some eventually will bring news of the 
disappearance of Species 8472, and some will 
return to their old homes to reclaim and rebuild.  
But most who come here, welcomed by you and later 
your descendants, and by all the former refugees 
who have made a home on Aurora, will stay.  Stay 
together, former allies and enemies, and work to 
shape this planet into a paradise in a devastated 
galaxy, a home for nearly 10 billion beings from 
thousands of different species.  And their 
cooperation here, the shared scientific and 
cultural knowledge of so many disparate beings, 
will be disseminated throughout the quadrants and 
lead the effort to restore the galaxy.  Not to its 
former glory, even in the time of this great city 
that hasn't come to pass, but to a sense of 
comfort and stability unknown for hundreds of 
years after the destruction wrought by Species 
8472.  So it is hardly any wonder that I recently, 
in this city of the distant future, watched the 
charter of the New Galactic Federation ratified, 
and saw Aurora, already the heart of the galactic 
rebirth, and the home of the first truly galactic 
society, become the official headquarters for the 
galaxy also."

"And you came here to tell me this?"  Kathryn 
asked softly.  "That I- that we- have some sort of 
destiny to save the galaxy?"

"Destiny is a human concept.  Nothing must happen, 
this is simply what will happen.  Every being acts 
in accordance with its nature, dependent on 
circumstances.  Had one moment of circumstance 
been different, for instance had your ship not 
been destroyed, then everything else would have 
been different in some way also.  But that is the 
unknown, the realm of alternate realities if you 
will.  The future here is set, much as the past is 
set.  I realize this is a confusing concept-"

"I should have a headache about now,"  Kathryn 
said wryly, wondering that she didn't.  She 
sighed.  "What about your presence here?  Aren't 
you changing the circumstances?"

"No.  I am here now because when I will be on 
Aurora in the future I will find out that I was 
already here in the past so I will come back-"

"Stop."  Kathryn shook her head.  "Don't say any 
more."

The Traveler smiled.  "To put it more simply, you 
brought me here, Kathryn.  Your journals told me 
that I was here."

"What?"

"Your journals.  The originals are still housed in 
a protected case in that building,"  the Traveler 
nodded toward the soaring blue glass of the 
Voyager Historical Center.  "They are not quite as 
steamy as the Paris journals, or as amusing as the 
Neelix journals, but they are still perennial 
bestsellers, as are all the founding journals, one 
hundred thirty five in all I believe."

Kathryn shook her head.  Personal logs became such 
a habit for those in Starfleet, for some simply a 
way to recount events, for others a substitute 
counselor offering a way to explore their thoughts 
and feelings in a private forum.  Arriving on 
Aurora hadn't broken that habit for most, though 
she had never dreamed of others reading them a 
thousand years from now.  "My journals..."

"Yes.  The entry called that called me here, if 
not in exact words, was clear enough."

Kathryn pondered that for a moment.  "Then I will 
remember this...experience with you?  Even though 
you say you're not here to influence me, or change 
the future?"

"You will remember what is important.  And 
whatever influence I have on you now is simply 
part of what already is, what started here.  It 
does not change the future, it simply feeds into 
the future that already exists."

Kathryn shook her head, feeling disoriented by his 
circular reasoning, and then by the realization 
that their surroundings had abruptly changed 
again.  The buildings, the people, were gone.  
They were back among the rocks, standing in the 
windblown snow with the mountainside rising behind 
them, and the darkness in front of them broken by 
the bright auroral display.  

"It is time for me to leave, Kathryn.  And time 
for you to resume your life.  All of it.  Even the 
smallest of actions, the most humble of 
existences, have repercussions on the Universe, 
sometimes disproportionately so."

"Where will you go?"  Kathryn asked softly, even 
though she thought she knew the answer.  If this 
was his final destination...

"I'm already gone, in every sense but one.  Only 
this part of me remained to wait for you.  I've 
returned where I came from- truly and originally- 
as we all eventually do. "

She sensed he was already fading, becoming 
truly...gone.  "You never told me if you have a 
name."

"I had a name once, when I was like you.  Not long 
before your time, but very long ago from my time.  
You might even recognize it."  A fleeting, wistful 
smile crossed his now ghostly features.  "It 
ceased to matter when I became a Traveler.  A name 
was no longer necessary, my essence alone 
delineated me, for as long as I chose to exist in 
part separate from the Universe.  Now that is no 
matter either."  His form was barely visible now.  
"Goodbye, Kathryn.  Live your life, but for now, 
not for the future.  That will take care of 
itself."

Where he had been, there were now only sharp edges 
of rocks, and flurries of snow passing across her 
vision.  Kathryn instinctively reached out a hand, 
and touched only snowflakes.  She watched the snow 
melt on her hand, and she felt a sense of 
lassitude creep over her, a deep warmth that 
spread quickly through her limbs.  Her mind seemed 
to retreat, and from a distance she felt herself 
curl up, warm and secure, and her thoughts began 
to drift.  To her life, what it would be...to her 
children...

*************


Chakotay woke with a start.  He'd been dreaming.  
He'd been home with Kathryn, at her home in New 
Lourdes, filled with her things, but filled with 
his, too.  Their home.  He'd been holding her, 
cuddling her, smiling, and laughing.  Talking 
about the future, about the baby that was coming.  
Their baby.  Then in the next moment she'd been 
gone.  Somehow, while he hadn't noticed, she'd 
disappeared.  She'd left the safety of his arms, 
of their arms around each other.  Now she was 
outside somewhere.  It was imperative that he find 
her, bring her back.  He needed her, and she 
needed him.  They had a life to live, together.  
Find her, a voice was repeating insistently, 
echoing around him.  Find her.  NOW.

Chakotay shook away the vestiges of the dream, the 
threads of images that had crawled through his 
mind in the space of a second.  And even as he 
reached for her, he knew they weren't together, 
that she wasn't here, that it was just a dream...

Chakotay stood up in one swift movement, 
dislodging the blankets that had been covering 
him.  Complete lucidity returned with a resounding 
slap.  He stared down at the sleeping pad, at the 
rumpled blankets, at the emptiness.

She wasn't here.

His eyes scanned the cave in one quick movement.  
The small fire burned steadily, throwing shadows 
across the ceiling and into the crevices.  He 
picked up the lantern and switched it on, just to 
be sure.  She wasn't in the cave.  But her thermal 
jacket and gloves were lying untouched next to 
his.  

Chakotay strode toward the entrance of the cave, 
pausing just long enough in mid stride to grab her 
jacket and his.  He shucked his on quickly, 
dropped hers in the process, then retrieved it 
again.  He nearly banged his head against rock as 
he ducked his large frame through the small 
entrance.  And again when a gust of icy wind took 
him by surprise and nearly knocked him back 
against the rocky ledge behind him.  He registered 
the radiant presence of the aurora filling the sky 
just enough to be grateful that it was shedding 
even dim light on the snowy ground.  He swung the 
lamp to further illuminate his immediate 
surroundings.  

Gods, where had she gone, and why?  Chakotay 
peered through the falling snow, light but 
stinging from the strong wind, and pushed against 
that wind toward the outcropping of rocks along 
the mountainside.  He couldn't say why he chose 
that direction, only that something pressed him to 
do so, and he'd never questioned an unknown voice 
in his head guiding him, spirit or otherwise.  He 
looked frantically for any clue, and had only gone 
several meters when he stopped in midstride.  

There were prints on the snowy ground, surely only 
minutes old, since they hadn't been obliterated 
yet by the falling snow.   Huge prints, those of a 
large, heavy animal, narrow at the heel and wider 
at the front where they ended in claws.  Chakotay 
stared at the deep punctures made by the points of 
those claws, remembering a survey report from 
several months ago mentioning a huge bear-like 
animal in these mountains, though the gathered 
evidence had been sketchy, perhaps even invalid-

Chakotay followed the prints quickly, all too 
aware of how valid that report was now, and what 
it might mean.  He'd gone only a few dozen steps 
when he came upon her, curled up on the ground in 
the path of those prints.  He dropped to his 
knees, his heart pounding into his throat, as 
unaware of the cold now as she was.  Her thick 
jumpsuit was not damaged, and he saw no evidence 
of a mauling, no sign of blood.  He pressed his 
fingers against her throat just below her jawline 
and after an endless moment was rewarded by the 
feel of her pulse.  It was faint, so very faint 
against the icy dampness of her skin.

Chakotay gathered her quickly into his arms, 
alarmed by the whiteness of her face, so pale it 
was almost translucent.  An icy thin layer of snow 
already clung to her clothing, and he quickly 
draped her jacket over her face and arms to 
protect her from any more exposure.  He pressed 
her tightly against him as he stumbled toward the 
cave, unencumbered by her slight weight, 
especially with the adrenaline coursing through 
his veins almost to the point of pain, but almost 
unbalanced by the pressing wind.  He squeezed 
through the cave entrance with her still in his 
arms, this time scraping his head against the rock 
but barely noticing, and lowered her to the ground 
next to the fire, praying that it wasn't too late.

He had her clothes off in less than a minute.  The 
jumpsuit was wet on the outside and icy cold 
through all three layers, its insulation taxed by 
the extreme conditions.  He left the clothing 
discarded next to the fire, and reached into the 
medikit for the hypo.  It took him several seconds 
to find the right vials, then he quickly loaded 
the hypo and pressed it against the skin at the 
base of her throat- twice- first with a 
combination triox and cardiovascular stimulant to 
fight hypothermia by getting oxygen into her 
system and increasing her blood flow, then with a 
dermal vascular analeptic to reverse the potential 
advance of frostbite.  He was pretty sure she 
couldn't have been outside for more than a few 
minutes, or nothing he could have done would have 
helped her.

Chakotay tossed the hypo back into the medikit and 
stripped down to his briefs.  The cold hadn't 
reached him through his clothing, but now the 
chill in the cave that the small fire couldn't 
quite conquer hit him.  He lifted Kathryn and 
gently laid her on the sleeping pad on the other 
side of the fire.  Then he folded himself down 
next to her and gathered her into his arms, 
pulling the blankets up over both of them.  Her 
skin was still icy, but within moments she began 
to shiver, first intermittently, then violently.  
He pulled her tighter against him and held her for 
several minutes while she shook, her skin flush 
against his, her face buried against his chest, 
his legs wound tightly around hers so he could 
pass as much of his body heat to her as possible.  
Finally her shivering began to subside some and 
she moaned incoherently.

"Kathryn,"  Chakotay prodded gently, hoping she 
was regaining consciousness.  The only response 
for another minute of two were several small 
moans.  He knew it hurt to the bones for her body 
to warm from hypothermia so quickly, but he hadn't 
had much choice.  She'd been half dead already.  
"Kathyrn?"

"Chakotay?"  His name came hoarsely from her 
bluish lips as she dropped her head back slightly.  
He knew she was still semi-conscious and not 
completely coherent, but he couldn't help himself.  
He kissed her, moving his lips gently along her 
parted ones,  slowly taking the chill from them.  
Another soft moan issued from her throat, and 
though Chakotay didn't think it was a protest, he 
pulled back.  Her eyes opened and her eyes were 
unfocused as she looked at him.

"Kathryn, do you know where you are?"  he asked 
softly, pushing her hair back off her face and 
glad to see that her skin, though still cool to 
the touch, had begun to regain some color.

"Hmmm..."  Kathryn's eyes slowly became more 
aware.  "Aurora..." she murmured.

"Yes.  We're in a cave in the Panarctic Mountains.  
We got stranded when a magnetic surge knocked the 
Aerowing's instruments off-line."

Kathryn nodded slowly, her brow creased as if she 
was trying to remember.  "Yes..."

"Kathryn, I woke up and you were gone.  You went 
outside, without your  jacket or gloves.  I found 
you out there, half frozen-"

She was looking at him in confusion, then her face 
suddenly cleared, and she wasn't looking at him at 
all.  She was somewhere else.  "I went outside.  I 
remember.  I had to go..."

"Kathryn, what the hell were you thinking?!"  
Chakotay hadn't meant to almost shout right in her 
face, or grip her shoulders and practically shake 
her.  But the stress of the last few minutes, the 
shock when he'd found her gone, and the fear that 
he'd lost her, all hit him at once and erupted 
into a burst of anger.  

Kathryn looked at him, surprise on her face, and 
he felt her tense slightly.  He knew that she'd 
finally become completely aware of exactly where 
she was.  Not just on Aurora, in the cave, but 
pressed closely against him, completely naked.  
But she didn't pull back.  Instead her expression 
softened, then she pressed her hand lightly 
against his chest and her fingers slid along his 
collarbone in a soothing, caressing motion as if 
she was trying to comfort him.  Then her eyes took 
on a faraway look again.  He suspected she was 
barely aware of what she was doing, but that 
didn't keep him from feeling a definite reaction 
to her hand stroking his skin.  She was driving 
him nuts, intentionally or not.  "Kathryn..."

Kathryn was completely aware of her position, in 
Chakotay's arms, still shivering and chilled, but 
slowly warming from the heat of his skin pressing 
against hers, his leg crooked around hers, holding 
her close against him, his body surrounding her.  
She didn't mind it at all.  She'd recognized the 
anger in his voice, the frustration, and knew it 
was out of fear for her.  Love for her.  So she 
stroked his chest lightly, soothingly, and felt 
the grip on her shoulders loosen, felt the anger 
slowly recede from him.  She hadn't meant to scare 
him, but he didn't know what she had experienced, 
what she had seen....

"Chakotay."  She whispered his name, her eyes 
burning into his with fevered intensity, her face 
animated.  "Someone else is here.  Was here.  A 
Traveler.  He's been waiting here, for me.  He 
told me..." she shook her head, trying to order 
her thoughts, remember it all.  "He showed me what 
will happen, why we're here.  Well, not why we're 
here, as in destiny.  But what will happen because 
we ended up here-"

"Kathyrn, stop."  Chakotay's pressed a hand 
against her cheek, and his thumb touched her lips, 
stopping her in mid sentence.  "Take it slower, 
okay?"  She nodded. "You went outside to meet 
a...Traveler?"

"Yes, I woke up and he was calling me.  Not my 
name, not in words exactly.  He was just...in my 
mind.  He wanted me to come outside-"

"You had a vision,"  Chakotay stated, his voice 
reflecting his surprise.  Kathryn wasn't deeply 
receptive to the idea of visions, and this one had 
almost killed her, but what else could it be?

Kathryn shook her head vehemently against his 
hand, which was stroking her face now, soothingly.  
"No.  It wasn't a vision, Chakotay.  It was real.  
He was really here.  He spoke to me, 
telepathically, I guess.  Through his mind.  He 
showed me...the future."

"The future?"  Chakotay tried to keep any 
disbelief out of his voice, though he wasn't sure 
what to think right now.   He pulled her tighter 
against him as she shivered again.  "Couldn't he 
have come inside the cave to...talk to you, 
instead of dragging you outside to nearly freeze 
to death?"

"I don't know."  Kathryn frowned again.  "He was 
waiting for me by the rocks, where his ship 
landed, I think.  But the ship's gone now.  And he 
needed me to come to him for some reason."  She 
shook her head.  "Chakotay, it really doesn't 
matter."

He begged to differ, but he didn't say so, didn't 
have a chance before she continued.  "He showed me 
New Lourdes.  Not now, not our small village.  But 
New Lourdes the city, as it will be.  It was 
immense.  And there were so many people, so many 
races, I can't remember them all."  

Kathryn stopped abruptly and her brow furrowed, 
and Chakotay could tell she was having difficulty 
recalling the specifics of what she'd seen.  
Visions were sometimes like that, assuming that's 
what this was, and Kathryn wasn't given to 
hallucinations.   "The Borg..."

Chakotay's brow rose at that murmured name, and he 
misunderstood the reference.  "Kathryn, I don't 
think we have to be afraid of the Borg.  I'm sure 
they passed by this area some time ago, and given 
our technological level right now I doubt they'd 
even notice-"

"No, Chakotay, we don't have to be afraid of the 
Borg,"  Kathryn said with complete assurance.  "I 
think they will be our allies in the future.  
Allies against something much worse..."

"Worse than the Borg?"  Chakotay asked 
incredulously.

"Yes."  Kathryn was silent for a moment, and her 
face, previously so animated, took on a look of 
sorrow.  

"Kathryn..."  Chakotay saw the haunted look in her 
eyes, and his hand stroked her jawline, wanting to 
comfort her.  He resisted the urge to kiss her, to 
chase away whatever had disturbed her so.

Kathryn reached up and rested her hand over his.  
"It will be bad, Chakotay, very bad, I think."  
She turned her face and kissed his palm, trying to 
comfort him again and sending another shiver of 
sensation through Chakotay's body.  Then she 
smiled gently.  "But in the end we will still be 
here, Aurora will still be here.  And what we 
build here, it will help save the galaxy."

Chakotay stared at her, silenced by her words.  
Save the galaxy?

"I know it seems unbelievable, Chakotay,"  Kathryn 
continued.  She shifted suddenly toward her 
stomach, and looked down at him intently, raptly.  
"But Aurora is going to become home for a lot of 
people some day.  Billions.  What we build here 
will mean something.  A home for us, and for our 
children, of course.  But later, for many, many 
others from throughout the galaxy."

Chakotay placed a hand on her shoulder, and 
resisted dropping it further.  Her skin had a soft 
glow to it now, she was definitely warming up.  
And so was he.  She had shifted until she was all 
but laying on top of him, one arm resting on his 
chest as she smiled down at him, her hair spilling 
softly around her face, and her breasts pressed 
against him.  And she was still so caught up in 
what she was saying, he didn't think she had any 
idea what she was doing to him.  He wanted to say 
something, but he was afraid it would simply come 
out as a strangled groan.

"I'm not sure you entirely believe me, Chakotay,"  
Kathryn said softly.  

"It's a little hard for me to think-"

She pressed a finger to his lips, silencing him.  
"I know I'm being vague, and I can't remember the 
specifics completely.  But I know it was real, 
will be real.  And I know we have a lot of work to 
do here, a new home to build, new lives to build, 
and we've barely started."  She shifted again, and 
her leg slid between his.

"Kathryn!"  Chakotay's voice came out as a croak.  
It was definitely time to make it clear what she 
was doing to him.  But he didn't get the chance, 
because she shifted again, this time sliding up 
against him until her face was directly over his 
and her body was entirely on top of his, 
straddling his.  He only had a second to wonder 
what the hell she was doing, to realize that she 
knew exactly what she was doing, before she placed 
her hands on either side of his face and brought 
her mouth down on his.  And in another second his 
arms wrapped tightly around her, crushing her 
against him, and their mouths plundered each 
other's, as if they had waited forever for this 
moment.  And he knew he had. 

It was several minutes before either of them had 
the inclination to pull their lips away from each 
other, and then only because they were desperately 
out of air.  Kathryn's head dropped to Chakotay's 
shoulder and silky strands of her hair fluttered 
across his face, tickling him.  He felt her take 
several deep, shuddering breaths, and his own 
chest was rising and falling rapidly.  His body 
was protesting now, not from the feel of her small 
weight on him- that he savored.  But the need for 
her building in him was almost painful now, and he 
knew she could certainly feel it.  It was all he 
could do not to simply take her.

Kathryn raised her head and smiled tremulously at 
him.  "Chakotay, I'm sorry."

Sorry?  "Kathryn-"

"No,"  She pressed her hand to his lips, as softly 
swollen as hers.  "Let me finish.  I am sorry, 
sorry that it took so long for me to come to terms 
with all of this.  With Aurora, and with us.  I 
know how incredibly stubborn I've been-"

"Kathryn, stubborn is your middle name."  He 
smiled as he said it and raised a hand to push her 
hair still trailing across his face behind her 
ear.  "I happen to like that about you."  He 
shifted slightly under her and groaned softly.  
"Sometimes."

A fleeting smile crossed Kathryn's face, then her 
expression changed as she stared down at him.  
"Chakotay, I love you."

Her breath rifled softly across his mouth as she 
spoke in a soft, tremulous whisper.  He heard the 
words, he reveled in the words, but mostly he was 
enraptured by the look on her face.  It was the 
look he'd never seen before, but knew so well, and 
had waited for so long- this rich, full, joyous 
look shining in her eyes.  He'd caught the 
glimpses of tenderness, sometimes even longing, 
always quickly shuttered, but enough for him to 
keep hoping, keep believing that he would one day 
see more.  To encourage him to be patient, waiting 
for her to accept it, and to believe, too.  Now 
the look seared  him, burning deeply into his 
soul.  

The look was pure, unadulterated, uncensored love. 

He shuddered slightly as his hands tangled in her 
hair and his lips touched hers softly.  "God, 
Kathryn, I love you,"  he whispered.  "So much."  
His lips trailed soft kisses across her face.  
"Completely."  His hands slid down the soft curves 
of her body and cupped her derriere.  
"Desperately."

Kathryn laughed softly against his mouth.  "I 
know."  Her own hand slid down the flat plane of 
his stomach and across the rise of his hip, until 
her fingers touched his briefs and slipped beneath 
the edge of the waistband.  "I know."

Her soft, husky voice resonated in his soul, and 
everywhere their hands, their mouths and their 
bodies began to urgently, reverently, explore each 
other.  They moved together, no longer aware of 
the cold outside the blankets that covered them, 
or past the heat generated by their bodies.  And 
for several hours nothing in the Universe, past or 
present or future, existed outside the warmth of 
their finally acknowledged love.

*******************


The early morning sun illuminated New Lourdes, the 
small village of the fledgling colony of Aurora.  
The clouds of the previous day were gone, but the 
air remained chilly and the rays of the barely 
risen sun were little match for the icy sheen of 
frost that covered the buildings and walkways in a 
fine film, and glittered off the green grass and 
trees like millions of miniature diamonds.  Little 
of the regular daily activity had yet begun, but 
there was no one who wasn't awake and aware of 
Tuvok awaiting word from Kathryn and Chakotay in 
the Meeting hall, or that right now in the Sickbay 
the birth of the first true child of Aurora was 
about to take place.

In the Sickbay, B'Elanna sat on one of the 
diagnostic beds resting against the barely 
functional pillow, arms crossed, and looking 
frustrated.  The doctor stood nearby, checking the 
monitors.  Kes sat on a chair next to the bed, 
serene and composed as usual, though she'd stayed 
up all night with B'Elanna and the doctor.  
B'Elanna appreciated the gesture from Kes, though 
she felt guilty that it had been for nothing so 
far.  Klingon women generally had swift, 
uncomplicated labors, but it seemed the doctor was 
right.  She was following a more human pattern, 
which probably stood to reason, since her 
reproductive system was one of the few in her body 
that was more genetically human than Klingon.  
She'd found that out from the ease of the 
conception itself.  Still, why was it taking this 
long?

"Everything looks relatively normal,"  the doctor 
said, turning back to B'Elanna.  "Your 
contractions are still nearly ten minutes apart, 
and your dilation is holding at two centimeters.  
Something brought your labor on before your baby 
was completely in position.  The cause may very 
well have been the fall you took, which you saw no 
need to inform me of-"

"Doctor!"  B'Elanna groaned.  This was about the 
tenth time the doctor had brought that up since 
Harry had mentioned it shortly after they'd 
arrived in the Sickbay.  Harry had left shortly 
thereafter on the pretext of keeping Tuvok 
company, but B'Elanna was sure he just wanted to 
avoid the pyrotechnics that had ensued between her 
and the doctor.  And that weren't over yet.  "I 
wasn't hurt!  The baby wasn't hurt!  And the 
monitor didn't-"

"Yes, yes, it didn't activate,"  the doctor said 
dismissively.  Then he glared at B'Elanna.  "And 
you know full well you should have told me 
anyway."

"Fine!"  B'Elanna snapped.  "Fine.  How many times 
do I have to say I should have told you-"  She 
paused and winced as another contraction hit her.  
They weren't particularly painful, but they did 
divert her attention for a moment.  Kes rested a 
light hand on her shoulder in support, and though 
B'Elanna had told her it wasn't necessary, she 
didn't protest.    

"Yes, you should have,"  the doctor agreed smugly.  
"The baby wasn't quite ready to be born yet, and 
you're lucky I was able to move the baby into the 
correct position, despite the lack of amenities I 
was used to on Voyager.  A transverse position 
would have meant a Cesarean section.  It still may 
be advisable to induce you into active labor if 
you don't progress soon.  That does have the 
undesirable side effect of making the labor harder 
for the mother, but I can certainly ease the 
discomfort."

"That's not necessary, Doctor,"  B'Elanna said 
curtly.  The contraction had passed.  "I don't 
need any special treatment."

The doctor rolled his eyes.  "Right, you're half 
Klingon."  He turned to check the monitor again.  
"A race of masochists,"  he muttered under his 
breath, but loud enough that both Kes and B'Elanna 
heard him.

"Doctor..."  Kes said reprovingly. 

The doctor adjusted one of the indicators on the 
monitor, still muttering to himself.  "The baby 
could be in distress, and she'd still fight 
everything I tried to do-"

B'Elanna only caught a couple of the words the 
doctor uttered, but they were enough for her to 
sit up abruptly.

"B'Elanna?"  Kes dropped a hand on B'Elanna's arm, 
alarmed.

"Doctor!"

The doctor turned around.  "What do you think you 
are doing?"  he asked as B'Elanna shook off Kes's 
hand.  "I don't want you out of that bed right 
now.  You've already paced my Sickbay for the 
better part of the past eight hours, and now I 
want you to rest!"

"The baby..."

The doctor stared at B'Elanna, realizing belatedly 
that she didn't look mutinous or stubborn, but 
dismayed.  "What's wrong?"  he asked quickly, 
moving to her side and automatically falling on 
the age old method of pressing his hand against 
her womb, as if he might feel something out of the 
ordinary.  He glanced at the monitors at the same 
time.  "Everything should be normal..."

"The baby's not in distress?"  B'Elanna asked 
anxiously.

The doctor looked at her, his brow wrinkled in 
perplexity.  "Why would the baby- oh."  He finally 
realized what she was getting at, and felt Kes 
looking at him reprovingly at the same time.  His 
voice softened.  "No, B'Elanna, the baby is fine.  
I was speaking hypothet-   Never mind.  The baby 
is perfectly healthy and will stay that way.  If 
there is any indication of distress whatsoever, I 
will inform you immediately, and loudly.  I think 
you know that."

The doctor raised an eyebrow meaningfully, and 
B'Elanna almost cracked a smile.  Then she sighed 
and her expression become somber.  "Doctor, I know 
I make a very annoying patient-"

"Not as annoying as your husband, but, yes."  

"And  your bedside manner isn't all it could 
be..."

The doctor managed to look highly affronted and 
uttered a small "hmmph" of protest.  Kes hid a 
small smile.

"But I want to be clear.  No matter what, the baby 
comes first.  I trust you to do what's best for 
the baby, even if you have to hit me over the head 
to get through to me."

The doctor looked at B'Elanna's grave expression 
for a long moment, then closed his hand over hers.  
"And I trust you know that I won't let anything 
happen to your baby.  Or to you."  He met her gaze 
for a moment, then cleared his throat gruffly.  
"Why don't we make a pact.  You can have this baby 
how you want, completely naturally if that is your 
choice.  The baby certainly won't protest.  And I 
will only offer advice if it is in the best 
interest of the baby, and if it also happens to be 
beneficial to you, then I expect you to do what I 
suggest anyway.  Agreed?"

B'Elanna nodded.  "Agreed."

"Good.  My first piece of advice is for you to 
stay in this bed right now and rest.  And if your 
labor does not begin progressing soon I may start 
a mild induction process, but we can worry about 
that in a little while-"

The intercom beeped before the doctor could 
finish.  "Yes?"

"Good morning, Doctor,"  Tuvok's voice came over 
the intercom.  "I am expecting Tom and Joe to 
contact me shortly, and I wished to know what to 
report regarding the impending birth."

The doctor looked at B'Elanna, who frowned back at  
him.   "I suppose you don't want Tom to know 
what's going on right now?"

"No.  Tuvok, please don't say anything about this 
to Tom right now.  It's more important that he 
find Kathryn and Chakotay, and there's no reason 
to distract him when there's nothing he can do 
about it."

"I can...neglect to mention it."  Tuvok sounded 
mildly disapproving.

"I don't want him to worry about me, and he would.  
It's not like I'm sick or something.  I'm just 
having a baby."

"Indeed.  It is a simple biological process, yet 
humans often endow it with great drama and excess 
emotion.  I applaud your dispassionate approach."

B'Elanna thought for a moment that he was being 
sarcastic, but this was Tuvok, who always said 
what he meant.  She wasn't sure which annoyed her 
more.  "I can handle this."

"I meant to imply nothing different."

B'Elanna sighed.  "Fine."  She hesitated for a 
moment and raised a hand as the doctor started to 
speak.  "Tuvok....once they find Kathryn and 
Chakotay, and they're safely on their way back, 
then can you tell Tom what's going on?  I mean, 
just tell him the baby's coming, and that 
everything's fine.  That we're both fine.  And 
that he's going to be a father."

"Very well.  I expect Tom will be most gratified 
to hear the news,"  Tuvok said.

"Thank you, Tuvok,"  B'Elanna said softly.

There was a mere moment's hesitation.  "You are 
welcome, B'Elanna."

Kes looked at B'Elanna as Tuvok signed off and 
smiled.  "Did you know that upon the birth of a 
child Vulcan families gather together, all those 
near enough to come- grandparents, siblings, 
aunts, uncles, cousins- and they initiate a mind 
meld as the birth is happening, to welcome the 
child into their world?"

The doctor snorted.  "That is rather a lot of 
trouble to go to over a simple biological process.  
Makes you wonder what they do when they all get 
together for dinner."

Kes laughed softly.  

"How did you find out about that?"  B'Elanna 
asked, unable to keep a smile off her face either.  

"It's in the database,"  Kes said simply.  She 
pressed a hand again to B'Elanna's shoulder and 
B'Elanna flinched slightly.  

The doctor watched Kes rub B'Elanna's shoulder as 
another contraction occurred.   She'd seemed to 
know it was coming before B'Elanna did, but that 
didn't really surprise him.  And B'Elanna accepted 
Kes's ministrations easily.  But Kes was endowed 
with endless patience and even B'Elanna found it 
hard to refuse her.  And perhaps she felt closer 
to Kes because of the Ocampan's own advancing 
pregnancy.  

The doctor glanced at the monitor as B'Elanna 
visibly relaxed.  "Ah, good,"  he said after a 
moment's study.  "Nine minutes, twelve seconds.  
And you have dilated an additional quarter of a 
centimeter.  I believe we are actually making 
progress after all."

B'Elanna gave him a relieved nod, indicating that 
she was more than ready.  She looked alert and 
prepared, despite the fact that she'd had 
virtually no sleep.  But the doctor knew that the 
next several hours would be an exhaustive process 
for B'Elanna, despite the strength endowed by her 
Klingon heritage.  He'd put out the word early on 
that he didn't want his Sickbay cluttered with a 
bunch of nosy well wishers, who would be underfoot 
and irritating to his routine, not to mention 
probably abrasive to B'Elanna's unpredictable 
temper.  But he would have gladly put up with the 
presence of Tom Paris right now, underfoot or not.  
If Tom didn't make it back in time, then the 
doctor would just hold B'Elanna's hand himself if 
she needed it.  After all, he was a hologram, so 
no amount of effort on her part was going to break 
his bones. 

************************


"I think we've got everything.  Let's go."

Kathryn and Chakotay stepped outside the cold 
comfort of the cave and into the freezing 
discomfort of the weather outside.  There were 
immediately a few positives to note.  The snowfall 
had ended, and the sky was mostly clear.  Best of 
all the wind had died down to near stillness.  But 
it was still easily -20 C, and the cold assaulted 
them.  The sun had barely risen, a good three 
hours later than in New Lourdes at this higher 
latitude, and it shed no warmth at all.  

Chakotay wrapped an arm around Kathryn, and felt 
her arm slide around his waist.  The Aerowing was 
a five minute walk, hardly arduous, but he knew it 
would be no warmer inside than it was out here.  
Luckily Kathryn's clothes had dried, since he'd 
left them near enough to the fire to burn if they 
hadn't been chemically flame retardant.  They'd be 
cold until they could get the environmental 
control back on-line, but they'd survive.  He 
started toward the shuttle landing site and felt 
Kathryn pull away from him.  "Kathryn?"

She was looking toward the rocks several dozen 
meters away, the rocks where she'd wandered to 
last night, where he'd found her unconscious.  
"Chakotay..."

Chakotay knew what she was thinking.  She wanted 
to look for some evidence, to see a physical sign 
that he'd really been there.  They'd discussed her 
experience only briefly this morning while they'd 
still been huddled under the blankets, waiting for 
the late dawn to break.  She'd seemed reticent to 
voice her experience again, as if talking about it 
in the light of day made it less real.  He'd told 
her that he didn't doubt what she'd seen.  They'd 
seen far stranger things than a Traveler from the 
future showing up on an isolated world for a quick 
chat.  But as easy as he found it to take such 
things on faith, Kathryn was a scientist by 
nature.  He couldn't change her, and he didn't 
want to.

He let Kathryn take his hand and lead him toward 
the rocks.  The snow was thicker on the ground 
than it had been yesterday, but it was packed and 
relatively easy to walk on.  And there were no 
sign of the animal tracks he had followed last 
night, though he kept a hand near the phaser 
strapped to his belt, just in case.   The animal 
Kathryn had described sounded remarkably similar 
to Tom's description of "the Abominable Snowman", 
and he didn't relish running across one again.

Kathryn dropped Chakotay's hand as she scrambled 
around several large rocks, scanning the ground.  
Chakotay found his own gaze locked on the smooth 
snow where they had just left their prints.  The 
very spot where he'd found Kathryn last night.  He 
moved quickly to catch up with her.  "Find 
something?"

She shook her head.  "Nothing."

"These rocks cover dozens of meters, Kathryn.  
With the snow cover it would be difficult to spot 
anything if it were here."  He followed her as she 
wandered past several more rocks.  "And if the 
Traveler was waiting here for several months, or 
years, as he intimated...if his body's been here 
that long..."  He hadn't been quite clear on that 
part when Kathryn had tried to explain it this 
morning, and he didn't think she was completely 
clear on it either.  

"I know this is silly, Chakotay," Kathryn said, 
stopping abruptly and turning to look at him.

"It's not silly,"  he said, taking her hand and 
holding it between his.  "But you don't have to 
have something tangible to prove what you 
experienced, or to make it real, to me or to 
yourself."

"I know."  She smiled ruefully, then shivered.  
Chakotay slipped an arm around her and she hugged 
him.  "Let's get back to the Aerowing."

They'd only taken a few steps when Chakotay's eye 
caught something glittering at the base of a rock 
a meter away.  He stopped and took a step closer, 
pulling Kathryn with him.  The sun's weak rays 
were bouncing off something shiny, something half 
buried under the rock where the snow hadn't quite 
reached, or had been blown away by the wind.  
Chakotay knelt down and pushed the dirt away with 
his gloved hand.  He picked up the object, and saw 
that it was a pendant of some sort.  

Kathryn knelt down next to Chakotay and watched as 
he turned it over in his hand.  It was familiar...  
"Chakotay, I've seen that!  The Traveler, I think 
he was wearing it."  Odd that she hadn't 
remembered it until she saw it glittering in 
Chakotay's hand.

Chakotay placed it in her hand, and Kathryn stared 
at it.  The metal was simple gold, abundant in the 
galaxy, and on Aurora, but beautiful nonetheless.  
The small stones were a deep blue, in a diamond 
shape, and joined by a carved filigree design.  It 
looked like a symbol for unity, whether of the 
galaxy, or the Travelers, she didn't know.

"Look, Kathryn."  Chakotay had swept back more of 
the dirt and snow, and found a shred of cloth, 
streaked with dirt and faded, but unmistakably 
yellow.  He looked at Kathryn, who was staring 
raptly at the cloth.  "His?"

"Yes."

Chakotay pressed his fingers into the dirt again 
next to the cloth, and after a few moments found 
what he was looking for.  He carefully brushed 
away the dirt to reveal the small, ivory bones of 
a hand,  and from the looks of it a human hand.  
Kathryn had mentioned that also, that she thought 
the Traveler had been human at one time, before he 
became more.  "He's been here for years, perhaps 
even decades, judging from the way these bones are 
buried."  And yet they'd still found them 
relatively easily...

Kathryn didn't say anything, and Chakotay touched 
her hand.  "Kathryn?"

"He said he'd been waiting for me for quite a 
while."  She looked at the pendant in her hand, 
and rubbed at the surface with one gloved finger, 
dislodging some of the dirt that had been 
ingrained in the tiny crevices of the filigree 
design.  Then she carefully laid the pendant on 
top of the shredded bit of cloth.  "This belongs 
with him.  And he's where he belongs, here in 
body, and somewhere in spirit."  

Kathryn began to brush the loosened dirt back over 
the exposed bones and the cloth and pendant.  
Chakotay helped her until there was again no sign 
that the Traveler had been here.  Then Kathryn 
clasped his hand in hers and stood up.  "Come on.  
Let's get to the Aerowing so we can go back home, 
where we belong."

Several minutes later Kathryn palmed the outside 
manual control and they entered the dim, cold 
interior of the Aerowing.  "How's your leg?"  
Kathryn asked as she dropped her pack inside the 
door next to Chakotay's and approached the front 
console.  She had noticed that he was limping 
slightly.

"Not quite as stiff,"  Chakotay said, running a 
hand over several of the dead systems monitors.  
He had completely forgotten about his leg last 
night, while he'd been outside trying to find 
Kathryn, and later, when they'd been so...absorbed 
in each other.  At the time his mind had been so 
completely occupied, he would barely have noticed 
if his leg had snapped in two again.  But this 
morning it had definitely protested all the 
exertion, and he'd been barely able to move it.

"Good,"  Kathryn murmured, and he felt her hand 
rub the back of his leg through his bulky 
clothing.  Chakotay smiled, remembering the 
massage she'd given his leg this morning when it 
had felt so stiff.  Then she'd gone well beyond 
the call of duty and moved her gentle hands to 
work their magic on other areas.  And he'd 
returned the favor...

"Chakotay, get your mind on your work,"  Kathryn 
ordered in her most reproving tone.  Then she 
draped herself against his side and her arms 
circled his neck. 

Chakotay smiled at her suggestive grin and wrapped 
his arms around her, pulling her closer against 
him as their lips met.  They kissed lingeringly, 
simply enjoying the taste and feel of each other.  
Then Chakotay reluctantly pulled back.  "You know, 
we really do have a lot of work to do here."

Kathryn sighed and rested her head against his 
shoulder, looking at the front console.  "I know.  
It's going to be a while before we are back at 
home, sitting in front of a nice warm fire..."

Chakotay smiled.  "That I most definitely look 
forward to." And he did.  Last night had been new, 
intense, wonderful.  They certainly hadn't had a 
chance to discuss what it all meant in the long 
term, and how they would merge their lives 
together now.  But the idea of sitting in front of 
a fire with Kathryn, talking, laughing, planning 
their future together, just like in his dream- he 
knew it would be as satisfying as everything 
they'd physically shared last night.

Kathryn's hand drifted down to pat his butt.  
"Come on, let's get started then, because I want 
to get home."

Chakotay chuckled at Kathryn's proprietary gesture 
and knelt down in front of the main console.  It 
was as good a place to start as any.  "I'll see if 
I can get back up communications on-line, then at 
least we can call..."

Kathryn looked at Chakotay as he glanced up at 
her, and they both listened to the unmistakable 
sound of a shuttle engine on a landing approach.  
"The cavalry?"  Kathryn finished for him, her 
eyebrow raised Vulcan style.

They both stepped out of the Aerowing in time to 
see the Cochrane settle gently on the snow covered 
ground a few meters away.  A minute or so later 
Joe stepped out of the shuttle and Tom was right 
behind him, slinging his jacket on.  He pulled it 
quickly tight around him as he stepped on the 
ground.  

"Lord, it's cold up here!"  Tom said, approaching 
Kathryn and Chakotay.  He veered off slightly as 
he noticed the back end of the Aerowing was all 
but dangling over empty space.  He peered down the 
steep incline, then looked back at Chakotay, 
trying to play down the smirk he felt forming on 
his face.  "Nice landing, Chakotay."

"I was lucky I was able to land at all without any 
instruments."

Tom raised an eyebrow.  "None?"  He glanced back 
down the incline then edged away from it.  "I'm 
impressed."

"It was really more of a controlled crash than a 
landing,"  Kathryn commented dryly.

Tom caught Chakotay's look of mock effrontery that 
quickly faded into amusement.  And Kathryn's 
answering grin, her expression teasing 
and...affectionate.  Hmmm, more than affectionate.  
Well, that was interesting.  He glanced toward the 
dim, powerless interior of the Aerowing.  "I take 
it you didn't sleep in there without environmental 
controls."

"We found shelter in one of the caves."  Kathryn 
gestured toward the crevice marked cliffside.  "It 
kept out the worst of the cold anyway."

"Good.  I was worried you might freeze to death 
out here."  Tom rubbed his arms for effect.  "I 
should have known you two would find a...way to 
keep warm."

Kathryn's eyes narrowed at Tom's drawl, then she 
glanced at Chakotay.  Tom was pretty sure Chakotay 
was simply trying to keep a grin off his face.  
"Do you have something you want to say, Tom?"

Tom did grin at the challenge in Kathryn's voice.  
"No.  Just that it's about time."  

Kathryn didn't get a chance to reply as Joe hopped 
lightly out of the Aerowing, where he'd 
immediately headed to inspect the damage.  "Looks 
like several hours work just to get her passably 
flight ready, though two or three days and some 
replacement parts are what she really needs."

"Plan A?"  Tom asked, and Joe nodded.

"I'll check out the hull damage and make sure it 
can handle the structural stress,"  Joe said.

"Plan A?"  Kathryn asked, as Joe walked to the 
front of the Aerowing and peered closely at the 
buckled metal.

"We discussed it with Tuvok when we first checked 
in with him this morning.  Based on the condition 
of the Aerowing, we came up with Plan A, if the 
repairs would require more than a quick band aid 
job, and that seems to be the case.  We can use 
the Cochrane to tow the Aerowing back to New 
Lourdes."

"Use the tractor beam?"  Kathryn raised an 
eyebrow.  "Is that safe?"

"It's cumbersome lifting from a stationary 
position into the lower atmosphere, and it takes 
some careful piloting, but it's safe."

"And very energy intensive,"  Chakotay pointed 
out.

"It will probably drain most of the power cells in 
the Cochrane,"  Joe put in, then glanced at Tom.  
"She'll hold."  He patted the warped metal and 
stood up. 

"It will take a lot of energy, but now that we 
know about the ryanamite, I think we can be a 
little 'wasteful' when the situation calls for it.  
Joe ran a quick scan before we landed and that's a 
lot of raw energy to be had.  We'll be swimming in 
surplus before we know it."

"You don't have to convince me."  Kathryn said, 
rubbing her arms meaningfully.  "My teeth are 
about to chatter.  If you know you can do it, Tom, 
then I'm all for it."

Tom gave her a self assured grin.  "Not a problem.  
I say we get into the Cochrane where the 
environmental controls are completely functional.  
Neelix sent along some of his special blend 
coffee.  I think we saved some for you, Kathryn."

"Then definitely get out of my way,"  Kathryn 
said, as Tom stepped back and motioned her into 
the shuttle.

"I think my culinary efforts this morning are 
being impugned,"  Chakotay said with a mock frown 
as he stepped into the Cochrane behind Tom.  

"Starfleet's freeze dried coffee rations?"  Tom 
asked rhetorically as they took their seats at the 
front console.  "Scary stuff."  He watched 
Chakotay gingerly lower himself into the copilot's 
seat.  "Something wrong with your leg?"

"Just a minor break during our landing.  Kathryn 
used the bone knitter on it.  It should be fine in 
a few days."

"Hmmm."  Tom activated several monitors on the 
console.  "You might want to have the doctor check 
it out anyway when we get back."  He stole a 
surreptitious look at Kathryn in the seat behind 
him, and was rewarded with a narrow stare.  
"Ouch."

"The Aerowing's secure and ready, Tom,"  Joe said, 
stepping into the shuttle and reactivating the 
door sensor panel.  The door slid closed behind 
him.  

"Okay, give me ten minutes for preflight 
procedures and we'll be ready for take off."

In fact Tom lifted the Cochrane off nine minutes 
later, while he calculated angles and positions 
relative to the Aerowing, with Chakotay assisting.  
"Joe, is the tractor beam ready to engage?"

"On your call, Tom," Joe said from his spot at the 
back Engineering panel.  

"Okay, I'm going to position the Cochrane right in 
front of the Aerowing and tractor her out in a 
vertical direction first, then start the ascent 
once we hit 50 kph."  Tom looked out the main 
viewscreen at the empty sky in front of him as he 
hovered the Cochrane into position.  "It's 
actually convenient that you parked the Aerowing 
on the edge of a cliff, Chakotay.  Gives me lots 
of open space to work with."

"I'm glad you approve,"  Chakotay replied dryly, 
as he surveyed the status of his monitors.

Tom grinned, and punched several pads on his 
console.  "Okay, Joe...activate the tractor 
beam...now."  The glow of the tractor beam wrapped 
around the Aerowing, and no one spoke for several 
minutes as Tom and Chakotay concentrated on moving 
the Cochrane and Aerowing in unison away from the 
mountain and Joe and Kathryn monitored the 
integrity of the tractor beam via the rear sensor 
screens.  

"Okay, that should do it,"  Tom said finally, 
relaxing into the smooth back of his chair as they 
achieved their cruising level in the upper 
atmosphere.  "We should land at New Lourdes in a 
little over three hours, with little or no 
turbulence expected ahead."  He activated the comm 
channel on the front console.  "Paris to New 
Lourdes."

"Tuvok here.  I assume you have achieved a stable 
flight course and are now enroute to New Lourdes?"

Tom had checked in with Tuvok when he began his 
preflight procedures to confirm the implementation 
of Plan A.  Tuvok had simply requested that Tom 
call as soon as the Cochrane reached cruising 
altitude and all was in order, an unVulcany 
expression of concern from Tuvok, Tom had thought.  
"I got us up safely, Tuvok.  Reassured now?"

"Indeed.  I have complete confidence in your 
ability, when you are being attentive to the task 
at hand."

Tom rolled his eyes.  "Thanks."

"With your projected course and speed, I assume 
your flight time will be an additional 3.14 
hours?"

Tom snorted.  "Yeah, more or less.  Tuvok, is 
B'Elanna there?"  He'd hoped to talk to her when 
he'd placed the first check in call to New Lourdes 
barely after 0900 hours this morning, but Tuvok 
had said she wasn't in the Meeting hall.  He'd 
briefly wondered if she was still asleep, but she 
rarely slept late even when she could really use 
it.  He'd expected that she'd make her way to the 
Meeting hall for his subsequent calls, to find out 
about Kathryn and Chakotay, and maybe just to hear 
his voice.  He hadn't pressed the issue, but now 
he really wanted to talk to her. 

"She is not here."

"Then where the hell is she?"  

"Tom, B'Elanna is in Sickbay."  Tom's heart 
dropped for just a brief second before Tuvok 
continued.  "She is in labor."

Tom didn't say anything for a minute, in fact 
there wasn't a sound in the shuttle except for the 
low hum of the engines.  Finally he managed to 
find his voice.  "Labor?  She's having the baby?"

"Yes, apparently her labor began at 2327 last 
evening.  It has since progressed slowly, which 
according to the doctor is within normal 
parameters.   The doctor's last report minutes ago 
indicated that her contractions are 3.32 minutes 
apart.  The doctor anticipates that she will give 
birth within the next 2 to 4 hours, which is as 
accurately as he can estimate since individual 
progression of labor is unpredictable."

Tom would have interrupted Tuvok's long monologue, 
except that he was still trying to comprehend that 
B'Elanna was having their baby, and he was still 
hours away.
He looked at the front console chrono.  1132 
hours.  B'Elanna had been in labor for twelve 
hours while he'd been sleeping, eating breakfast-

"We may make it back before the baby comes, Tom,"  
Chakotay finally said, just before Tuvok spoke 
again.

"Tom, B'Elanna requested that I not...distract you 
while you were committed to this mission.  She 
knew you would be unable to return immediately and 
did not wish you to worry needlessly.  She is well 
and the process is a natural one.  There is no 
need for undue concern."

"Gee, why would I be concerned?"

"I believe you comprehend my meaning.  I did 
concur with her reasoning.  The procedure you just 
performed to tractor the Aerowing through the 
lower atmosphere was a delicate one-"

"Well, I'm glad you and B'Elanna could finally 
agree on something!"  Tom couldn't stop the surge 
of disappointment he felt from coming out as 
bitterness.  

"Tom..."  Kathryn knelt next to him and dropped a 
hand firmly on his shoulder, her captain's 
instincts taking over, though she no longer had 
any real basis for intervening, except friendship.  
"Tuvok, please call us if the baby comes, or if 
there is anything else that requires our 
attention.  Otherwise, we'll be there on 
schedule."

"Very well, Kathryn."  There was a slight pause.  
"Tom, it was not my intent-"

"I know, Tuvok.  I didn't mean to take it out on 
you."  Tom took a deep breath and felt Kathryn's 
hand squeeze his shoulder gently.  "Can you just 
let B'Elanna know that we're on our way-"

"I shall relay that information to the doctor.  He 
is being rather...proprietary toward his patient 
right now."

Tom almost smiled.  He knew that B'Elanna was in 
good hands.  At least he could be comforted by 
that knowledge.  "Thank you, Tuvok."

"You are welcome, Tom.  Tuvok out."

"I'm sorry about this, Tom,"  Kathryn said softly.

Tom shook his head and reached up to squeeze 
Kathryn's hand, where it still rested on his 
shoulder.  "It's no one's fault.  What happened to 
you and Chakotay was a freak thing.  And the 
doctor didn't expect B'Elanna to go into labor for 
another couple of weeks."

"Babies just come when they're ready,"  Joe said 
from the seat he had taken behind Chakotay.  "Even 
the most advanced medical scans can't completely 
predict their timing.  Tom, I wish we could 
increase our speed and get there sooner, but the 
tractor beam integrity would start to weaken if we 
try to go any faster, or fought for higher 
altitude against the gravity well."

"I know, Joe.  I wouldn't consider taking any 
chances right now."

"B'Elanna would kill you herself,"  Chakotay said 
pointedly to Tom.  "And we may still get there in 
time.  But either way, you're about to be a 
father."  Chakotay shook his head and smiled 
wryly.  "Tom Paris, a father.  Who would have 
thought?"

Tom smiled back.  No one he knew before he'd come 
to Voyager could have imagined it.  Not even 
himself.  Back then he couldn't foresee the day 
when he might actually consider himself halfway 
capable of raising a child.

"And a very good father, I have no doubt,"  
Kathryn said softly next to him.  She patted his 
shoulder and returned to her seat. 

"The first child to be born on Aurora,"  Chakotay 
mused reflectively.  He glanced back at Kathryn.  
"But I'm sure there'll be many more to come."   
Their gazes locked and a small smile played on her 
face.

The conversation in the Cochrane drifted from 
babies to other subjects, the ryanamite and how 
best to extract it; the possibility of setting up 
a second colony base in the Northern hemisphere to 
take advantage one of the warmer Mediterranean 
climes conducive to certain agricultural products 
the way the climate around New Lourdes was 
conducive to grain production; ideas on how they 
might put their expected energy surpluses to best 
use next year, from reinstituting limited 
transporter technology to fueling new ground cars.  
Tom heard it all, and even felt a detached sense 
of satisfaction that Kathryn, who had previously 
shown little interest in making future plans for 
the colony, was leading the conversation.  But he 
didn't contribute much, and the others respected 
his silence and left him to his thoughts, to his 
regrets and to his anticipation.  To all his 
jumbled feelings, now that he was soon, very soon, 
about to be a father, and about to hold his 
firstborn child in his arms.  

For Tom, the journey back to New Lourdes was the 
longest three hours of his life.

********************


"I don't want you to push yet, B'Elanna.  I will 
tell you when.  Do not push."

"I'm not pushing!"

The doctor glanced up at B'Elanna's snarled return 
and she glared back at him.  Then she grimaced and 
her hands gripped the sheet tightly as another 
contraction hit.  Kes had tried to hold her hand, 
but B'Elanna had refused.  The doctor suspected 
that it was not just because she was determined to 
deal with the pain herself, but because she was 
also afraid she might hurt the Ocampan.  Kes 
simply accepted B'Elanna's wishes and continued to 
rub her shoulders and back, trying to help her 
relax, as B'Elanna sat half propped up now dealing 
with contractions that were virtually one on top 
of the other and no doubt very intense.  After 
she'd gone into transition, even B'Elanna's 
Klingon side couldn't deny the pain, but the 
doctor had to admit she was dealing with it more 
than admirably.  

"The baby is crowning, B'Elanna, it will be just a 
few more-"  the doctor didn't quite finish his 
statement when the door to Sickbay slammed open 
and someone's hurried footsteps sounded loudly 
through the entryway.  The doctor looked up from 
where he was preparing to receive the baby, 
intending to shoo the intruder back outside, 
unless it was Tom Paris.  He was surprised by the 
sense of relief he felt when he saw that it was 
indeed Tom.  Not because he really minded 
B'Elanna's temper, whether she cursed at him, or 
threw a complete tantrum while this baby was being 
born, but because he knew how much she'd really 
wanted Tom to be here.  He saw it clearly on her 
face as she spotted Tom rushing into the room, and 
on Tom's as he smiled at her.  

"Well, it looks like we are truly ready for this 
baby to be born, now that the father has made his 
appearance, in typically late fashion I might 
add."   The doctor spoke dryly, but there was a 
note of satisfaction in his voice.   "Wash your 
hands, Tom,"  he added before Tom could reach his 
wife's side.

Tom quickly backpedaled and utilized the small 
wash area, his eyes never leaving B'Elanna.  Her 
hair was damp with sweat and her face was shiny 
with exertion.  She looked tired, but her eyes 
were lit with relief as she smiled weakly back at 
him.  Then, as he finished and quickly rushed to 
her side, her jaw tensed and her teeth sank into 
her bottom lip as another contraction hit.  Kes 
moved away to allow him room and he sat down on 
the edge of the bed facing B'Elanna, and pried one 
of her hands from its tight grip on the sheet 
draped over her stomach.  She closed her hand over 
his and he wasn't sure that he didn't feel some of 
the bones in his hand snap.  But he didn't care.

"You can push during the contractions, B'Elanna,"  
the doctor announced as Kes joined him.  "Your 
baby is ready to come into this world."

Tom brushed a strand of B'Elanna's hair off her 
face with his free hand as she took quick, short 
breaths and pushed through the contraction.  Then 
her grip on his hand loosened a little, enough for 
him to feel his circulation again, and she rested 
her forehead against his shoulder for a moment 
while he hugged her.  "B'Elanna, I'm sorry-"

He felt her shake her head against his shoulder, 
then she pulled back enough to look at him.  
"You're here now.  And I should...have-"

B'Elanna's hand tightened on his again, and she 
groaned slightly as her face contorted and she 
pushed through the next contraction.  Tom knew it 
was a natural process and that she was more than 
able to withstand it, but he was surprised at how 
much it bothered him to see the pain flash across 
her face.

"B'Elanna, the baby is coming, so I want you to 
push hard on the next one."

B'Elanna released Tom's hand and leaned toward her 
bent legs to give herself more leverage, her hands 
gripping her knees.  Tom pressed a hand on top of 
hers, and put his other hand against her back to 
help support her as she gritted her teeth and 
pushed, her breath coming out in a long, arduous 
groan.  Then she relaxed against him for a moment, 
breathing in short, harsh gasps.  

"Ah, the head is out.  Just one more time, 
B'Elanna, for the shoulders."

Tom glanced over and caught a glimpse of the 
doctor's hands supporting the baby's head.  Kes 
stood next to him holding several towels.  He 
smiled at B'Elanna.  "You're almost done, 
sweetheart."

B'Elanna nodded distractedly, her eyes closed, and 
Tom saw that she was already gathering her 
strength again.  Her hand edged from beneath his 
to grip his again, and Tom couldn't feel any 
sensation in his hand as she tensed and pushed, 
and her groan of effort rose to nearly a wail this 
time.  Then she collapsed completely against him.

"B'Elanna, Tom, congratulations.  You have a 
healthy, beautiful baby girl."  Tom glanced back 
and saw the doctor's broad smile.  He got a quick 
look at their baby daughter, tiny and wet with 
fluids, and heard her let out a short high pitched 
cry as the doctor handed her to Kes.  Then he 
turned back to his wife.

Tom moved his hand away to allow B'Elanna to fall 
back against the pillow.  She was still breathing 
heavily, and her hair was plastered to her face.  
Her face was wet with perspiration and lined with 
exhaustion.  But she smiled at him, and he thought 
she looked incredibly beautiful.  "I love you,"  
he said softly, dropping a light kiss on her 
parted lips, then another on her damp forehead.  
He was peripherally aware of the doctor and Kes 
behind him drying and cleaning the baby, but he 
just brushed B'Elanna's hair off her face and 
stroked her cheek as her breathing slowly evened.  
And waited patiently to see the baby- their baby- 
with B'Elanna.

"Here she is,"  the doctor said several moments 
later, as he approached the other side of the bed 
and gently laid the baby in B'Elanna's arms.  

Tom stared as B'Elanna hesitated only momentarily, 
then cradled the baby closely against her chest.  
Their baby.  Their daughter.  His daughter.  My 
god.

She was incredibly small.  Incredibly perfect.  He 
watched her flail her arms and legs.  Her tiny 
fingers curled into a fist.  Her face scrunched up 
like she might cry, then her small bow shaped 
mouth opened into a round little O, and she 
yawned.  Tom  touched her cheek gently with one 
finger, and her slightly dusky skin felt like the 
softest silk.  Then he lightly traced the tiny, 
barely perceptible brow ridges along her forehead 
below the scattering of fine dark hair, so like 
her mother's.  His heart filled, and his emotions 
caught in his throat.  He thought he'd never 
before seen anything that made him feel so deeply 
and completely happy.  Until he looked at 
B'Elanna.

She was staring at their daughter with a mixture 
of awe and wonder.  She was completely mesmerized.  
She touched the baby's soft cheek, as Tom had, 
letting her hand linger on the soft, downy skin.  
Her brow furrowed as the baby opened her eyes for 
a mere second, looking up at her mother in an 
unfocused stare, then closed them again and 
uttered a soft contented sigh.  B'Elanna's arms 
tightened just perceptively and a look of fierce, 
protective love crossed her face as she looked at 
her daughter.  The all consuming kind of love that 
a half Klingon felt.  The look that Tom had seen 
directed at him many times, and that he cherished.

B'Elanna glanced up at Tom then, and he saw the 
lingering astonishment in her eyes, and the joy in 
their glistening depths.  Glistening with...tears.  
From B'Elanna, who never cried.  "She's 
beautiful,"  B'Elanna whispered softly.

Tom closed his hand over B'Elanna's, where it 
still rested against their daughter's cheek.  
"She's absolutely gorgeous.  Just like her 
mother."  He leaned over and kissed his wife 
deeply, slowly.

The doctor cleared his throat.   Tom pulled away 
from B'Elanna and looked at the doctor, who tried 
to look reproving, but failed miserably.  Tom saw 
the pride lurking in the doctor's expression.  A 
hand touched Tom's shoulder, and he looked up to 
see Kes smiling down at him.

"B'Elanna, Kes is going to settle the baby into a 
bassinet so she can sleep, which is what you will 
be doing as soon as we finish up here."

"Finish what?"  Tom asked, as B'Elanna rather 
reluctantly opened her arms and let Kes take the 
baby.

"The afterbirth, Tom,"  the doctor replied dryly.  
"Why don't you go outside and announce the arrival 
of your new daughter.  I believe something of a 
crowd has gathered awaiting the news.  And don't 
bring them all back with you.  B'Elanna will need 
some rest."

Tom kissed B'Elanna lightly, his hand lingering on 
her cheek.  "Okay?"

B'Elanna nodded.   "Tom, I'm sorry that you didn't 
know what was-"

Tom shushed her, and touched her lips with his 
again.  "Those three hours getting back here in 
the Cochrane were the longest three hours of my 
life.  If I had known earlier, I probably would 
have gone crazy."  He smiled and kissed her gently 
one more time.  "I love you."

"I love you,"  B'Elanna repeated softly.

Tom rose and grinned at the doctor's impatient 
stare.  "I'll be back in a few minutes," he told 
B'Elanna before he sauntered out of the Sickbay, 
high on an incredible sense of euphoria.  He was a 
father.  The reality of it was wonderful, 
exhilarating.   And he was looking forward to 
every minute of the experience.  

He also enjoyed every moment of the congratulatory 
hugs and slaps on the back he received when he 
proudly announced the arrival of his daughter.  He 
accepted the genuine accolades and well wishes 
from those around him, the people who were now 
truly part of his family.  But he was anxious to 
get back to B'Elanna, and he returned to the 
Sickbay ten minutes later with Harry, Kathryn and 
Chakotay all in tow.

"Only a few minutes,"  the doctor said sternly as 
they entered.  "Mother and baby both need to 
rest."

Kes was waiting in the small alcove where the 
doctor had recently set up a nursery, with the 
necessary bassinets and monitors, in anticipation 
of the continued growth of the colony.  Tom 
stopped to look at his daughter, who was curled up 
asleep under a soft white blanket.  Then he left 
the others to stare at her while he went to 
B'Elanna, who was settled more comfortably now, in 
one of the doctor's fresh Sickbay gowns, a clean 
sheet gathered around her, and looking very 
drowsy.

"She had a little bleeding with the afterbirth, 
which is not uncommon," the doctor said as he 
moved aside to allow Tom access.  "But I did give 
her some medication to stop the bleeding, and it 
will have a mild sedative effect."  The doctor 
sounded a little smug when he mentioned the last 
part.   "So keep your visit short,"  he added as 
the others approached B'Elanna's bed and he left 
to check on his newest patient.

Kathryn sat on the edge of the bed opposite from 
Tom and smiled broadly at B'Elanna.  "She's 
beautiful, B'Elanna, Tom,"  she glanced across the 
bed to include him.  "You should both be very 
proud." 
She watched B'Elanna smile contentedly back and 
squeezed her hand.   

"You haven't told us her name yet,"  Chakotay 
said, standing next to Kathryn and resting a hand 
on her shoulder.

"M'Kaela Torres Paris,"  Tom said.   "It's a 
combination of my maternal grandmother's name, 
Mikaela, and an Klingon name, M'Ekela, who in an 
ancient Klingon myth was the goddess of new 
beginnings.  It seemed kind of appropriate."

"It's a lovely name,"  Kes said, smiling at Harry 
who stood with his arm draped around her.

"B'Elanna, didn't you tell me once that your name 
came from a goddess of the dawn?"  Harry asked. 

"She was the bringer of first light,"  Tom 
corrected.  "After she ripped out the heart of the 
god of eternal darkness and threw it beyond the 
stars.  And M'Ekela rebuilt the Klingon homeworld 
after one of those god wars again destroyed it, 
and then she forced the Klingons to adhere to a 
new code of honor in warfare.  Thus she ushered in 
a new era of Klingon civilization."

"It's just a name, Tom,"  B'Elanna murmured, as 
Tom's hand stroked her hair.

"With a family tradition and history behind it on 
both sides,"  Chakotay said approvingly. 

"It is a beautiful name,"  Kathryn added.  She 
patted B'Elanna's hand.  "And now we should go so 
you can get some sleep."  As tired as B'Elanna 
looked, Kathryn realized that she also looked 
amazingly contented.  At peace.  Something she 
knew didn't come naturally to B'Elanna, as it 
didn't to Kathryn.  They both had a strong desire 
to achieve, to act, and little natural inclination 
to simply relax and enjoy the moment.  At least 
until now.   She put a hand over Chakotay's where 
it rested on her shoulder.

"You look happy, Kathryn."  B'Elanna said, looking 
slightly puzzled.  "Really happy.  At peace."

Gods, Kathryn thought, had she been that miserable 
and that uptight, that B'Elanna, half asleep 
though she was, saw the change in her so clearly?  
"I am happy, B'Elanna."

"I'm glad,"  B'Elanna murmured, a small, 
distracted smile crossing her face.  "That's why I 
didn't want to tell you."

Kathryn shook her head.  "Tell me what?"

"About the other...timeline.  About being on 
Voyager."  B'Elanna's eyes drifted closed and her 
voice was husky with drowsiness.

Tom shrugged when Kathryn looked at him.

"You were happy when I saw you there.  Content.  
Even after the Borg and the Species...the other 
species...  You wanted to be on Voyager...so 
much..."

Tom brushed a hand against B'Elanna's cheek.  
"B'Elanna, honey, I think maybe you're remembering 
a dream."

"No, Tom, I was there,"  B'Elanna protested 
sleepily, shaking her head once, then resting her 
cheek against Tom's hand as her eyes drifted shut.

Kathryn and Chakotay exchanged looks.  How had 
B'Elanna known about the Borg and the other 
Species?  Chakotay shrugged, and Kathryn knew he 
felt it didn't really matter.  She looked back at 
B'Elanna.  "B'Elanna, I am happy here.  Voyager 
was another time, another place.  Another life.  
But this is where we're meant to be now.  I can 
accept that."

B'Elanna just nodded drowsily, murmuring something 
unintelligible.  It was Tom and Harry who both 
smiled with satisfaction at Kathryn's words.

"Are you all still here?"  The doctor glared at 
the group assembled around B'Elanna's bed.  

"Geez, Doc, how much sedative did you give her?"  
Harry asked.  "She's practically hallucinating."

"Not that much, Mr. Kim,"  the doctor huffed.  
"And you might have a little difficulty making 
intelligible chit chat with a gaggle of over 
zealous visitors if you had gone through fifteen 
hours of labor.  Everyone out!  I want my patient 
left in peace to sleep until tomorrow morning."

"Okay, Doc.  Don't get your programming in a 
twist."  Harry clapped Tom on the back and leaned 
over to drop a light kiss on B'Elanna's forehead.  
"You did great, Maquis.  See you later."

"Night, Harry,"  B'Elanna murmured softly, not 
even opening her eyes.

Chakotay followed suit as Harry and Kes moved away 
and dropped a soft kiss on B'Elanna's brow.  
Kathryn squeezed B'Elanna's hand and reached over 
to squeeze Tom's, then stood up.   "I'm happy for 
both of you."

"She's going to be mad if she doesn't wake up 
until tomorrow morning,"  Chakotay said in a low 
voice as he and Kathryn passed by the doctor.

"At least she'll be well rested when she tries to 
out yell me,"  the doctor returned, sounding not 
the least worried or contrite.

Kathryn smiled.  "You did a fine job here, Doctor.  
It's good to know that you'll be here as the 
colony grows."

The doctor looked pleased.  "Thank you, Kathryn."  
He glanced at Chakotay, whose hand was resting on 
Kathryn's arm.  "I presume my nursery will be 
getting a great deal more use than even I 
anticipated in the near future,"  he added 
sardonically.

Chakotay grinned.  "I think you can count on that, 
Doctor."  He draped his arm over Kathryn's 
shoulders as they walked out.

The doctor stared after them, bemused and 
strangely satisfied with this new turn of events.  
Not that he was surprised.  Sexual attraction 
between humans was apparent to him long before the 
hormonally affected seemed willing to acknowledge 
it.  And when it came to Klingons...

"And what do you think you are doing, Mr. Paris?"  
the doctor asked, as he turned back to his patient 
and saw that Tom hadn't moved from his position 
next to B'Elanna.

Tom was in fact about to stand up but B'Elanna 
pressed her face closer into his hand and shifted 
slightly, bringing her own hand up to grip his 
wrist lightly.  She murmured something and then 
moaned softly in her sleep, whether from a dream 
or from the residual physical effects of giving 
birth, he didn't know.  But he was sure the word 
she had murmured was his name.

"Tom, B'Elanna needs to sleep-"

Tom glanced at the doctor, who was giving him his 
fatherly lecture look, and instead of getting up, 
he spread his long form on the bed next to 
B'Elanna and pulled her gently into his arms.  She 
sighed softly and pressed her face against his 
shoulder.

"That is not what I had in mind."  The doctor gave 
him a reproving look and Tom just grinned back.  
"I can have you thrown out of my Sickbay you 
know."

"But you won't."

The doctor's eyes narrowed, then he shook his head 
in long suffering resignation, but Tom was sure he 
saw a hint of a smile playing around the doctor's 
mouth as he turned away.

"Hey, Doc."

The doctor turned and looked back at Tom, eyebrow 
raised.

"Thank you."

The doctor looked mildly flustered.  He was always 
more than willing to point out his own superior 
characteristics, but when he received a genuine, 
heartfelt compliment, especially from Tom Paris, 
he was left momentarily speechless.

Tom smiled.  "Just say "you're welcome", Doc."

This time a hint of a smile did turn up the 
doctor's lips.  "You are, Mr. Paris.  And now I 
have to see to my new patient."

"You just want to watch her sleep, you softy,"  
Tom said, and the doctor rolled his eyes.  He 
snuggled a little closer to his sleeping wife, and 
smiled at the doctor.  "Go ahead.  I get to watch 
her, and her mother, sleep every day of my life.  
I don't know how I got to be such a lucky man."

"Neither do I, Mr. Paris.  But I'm pleased to see 
that you appreciate your good fortune."

"Oh, I do, Doc, believe me, I do."

******************* 

A week later


B'Elanna under the steady stream of the shower 
enjoying the sensation of hot water sluicing down 
her skin.  M'Kaela was asleep, as she was most of 
the time, except every four hours when she woke 
demanding to be fed and changed.  It was a simple 
case right now of fulfilling her clocklike 
biological needs.  Yet when she was laying in 
B'Elanna's arms, her small body snuggling close, 
her tiny hand touching her mother's skin, her 
clear blue eyes staring up contented and trusting 
while she nursed, the feeling it engendered in 
B'Elanna was anything but simple.  It was profound 
in a way she had never expected. 

When the doctor had placed her daughter in her 
arms for the first time she'd been stunned, 
overwhelmed by the incredible feeling of love that 
had enveloped her.  She'd stared down at the tiny, 
perfect life that she, and Tom, had created, and 
she'd been seized with a certain knowledge that 
nothing she'd ever done in her life before, none 
of the achievements she'd furiously worked for in 
an endless effort to validate her own worth to 
herself and to those around her, remotely compared 
to this.  And she'd known with equal certainty 
that she could be a mother, a good mother.  She 
could love and protect and nurture her child 
without reservation.  She already did.

A week.  She'd been a mother for a week now, and 
she had never even begun to imagine what that 
really meant, what it felt like.  Even watching 
Sam with Naomi on Voyager and here on Aurora 
hadn't really clued her in at all.  Certainly 
she'd never figured out what it might have meant 
to her own mother, since she'd never given 
B'Elanna a hint that being a mother was any more 
than fulfilling a simple duty to feed, clothe and 
lay down uncompromising rules of behavior.  At 
least that was how B'Elanna had always perceived 
her mother.

Now she wondered.  Wondered how her mother had 
felt the first moment she'd held her own baby in 
her arms.  Had she felt the same overwhelming 
pride and love, the same determination to make her 
daughter's life perfect, to give her daughter 
everything her heart and her hands could possibly 
provide?  B'Elanna thought that perhaps her mother 
had felt that way.  She could dimly remember 
moments, while her father was still with them, 
when her mother had smiled at her, and there had 
seemed to be affection in her eyes, and amused 
tolerance- even acceptance-  of her half human 
daughter's individualistic personality.  Perhaps 
it was only later, after her father had left, that 
her mother changed.  

B'Elanna sighed as she ran her hands through her 
hair, rinsing the last of the shampoo out.  She 
remembered so many of the later times when her 
mother had been disappointed in her.  Constantly 
judging her daughter's behavior against her own 
Klingon standards and finding it lacking.  But 
maybe it had been her mother's own disappointments 
in life, rather than her daughter's, that had 
changed her.  The disappointment of her husband 
leaving her, the burden of being alone with a 
child to raise on a human colony where she was 
barely tolerated, and the later burden of being no 
more tolerated by her family on Qo'noS, who had 
forever thrown her ill-advised marriage to a human 
in her face.  

Maybe it was no wonder her mother had hardened her 
heart.  She had probably thought that was the only 
way she could protect herself.  And she had 
pressured her daughter to do the same, to never 
show weakness, to never reveal her deepest 
feelings, to never leave herself open enough to 
give someone a chance to tear her down.  To be 
strong, to be completely self contained- that was 
everything to her mother, no matter what the 
personal cost.  Even if the cost was the ability 
to show her daughter any real love.  And even if 
it had nearly cost her daughter the ability to 
accept love herself.

B'Elanna jumped as something touched her 
shoulders.  She opened her eyes and stared into 
Tom's deep blue ones.   She had been so engrossed 
in her thoughts she hadn't even heard him step 
into the shower.  

"You've been in here a while,"  Tom said softly, 
his hands gently massaging her shoulders.  "I 
thought you might have fallen asleep or 
something."

B'Elanna shook her head.  "I'm not tired.  
Well..."  she amended, thinking of how often her 
sleep had been interrupted this past week.  "a 
little.  But it's a good tired."

Tom smiled.  "It is.  A very good tired.  She's 
sound asleep right now though."

Tom had gotten up far more often than she in the 
middle of the night, bringing M'Kaela to her to be 
fed, and had been perfectly willing, even 
insistent, on changing diapers and bathing and 
dressing their daughter.  And cuddling her 
endlessly.  B'Elanna knew he was enjoying every 
moment.

"You looked kind of sad a moment ago,"  Tom said, 
his hands sliding down her arms.  

"I was thinking about my mother,"  B'Elanna said.  
She saw Tom's frown and shook her head.  "I've 
always thought she was hard on me because who I 
was wasn't good enough.  Because I couldn't be 
Klingon enough for her to love me."

"B'Elanna-"

"Tom, maybe I was wrong.  Maybe she was so hard on 
me after my father left because she was trying to 
protect me.  Maybe she wanted me to act more 
Klingon because she thought it would make me to 
strong enough so that I could never be hurt."

Tom ran his fingers through B'Elanna's wet hair 
and pushed it off her face.  "B'Elanna, nobody's 
that strong, not even a Klingon.  Your mother 
wasn't.  The only way you can't be hurt is to hide 
away somewhere where no one can ever touch you."

"I know."  She'd tried that, too, for a long time.  
Shielding herself from others, depending on no 
one, trusting only herself.  She'd only realized 
recently- with Tom- that the utter loneliness of 
that existence had been its own kind of hurt.  
"She thought she could keep me from making the 
same mistakes she did."

"Loving a human?"  Tom asked lightly, but B'Elanna 
could see the seriousness in his eyes.  "I can 
imagine what your mother would think of me."

"That's the strange thing, Tom,"  B'Elanna said, 
putting her hands on Tom's shoulders and looking 
at him earnestly.  "I think if she knew you, if 
she saw how happy I am, really happy, then I think 
she might be happy for me, too.  I think when she 
held her daughter for the first time, all she ever 
wanted for her- for me- was the best.  Wouldn't 
anyone want that for their child?  But her idea of 
the best was the strength not to need other 
people, not to depend on them for anything.  That 
was what got her through after my father left, 
when people around her- human and Klingon- 
ostracized her.  And when she saw other children 
tease me and refuse to play with me because I was 
different, maybe she thought that was the best 
that I could hope for, too."

"She was wrong,"  Tom said softly, kissing her 
brow.  He slid his arms around her and pulled her 
closer.  "But maybe you're right.  If she could 
see you today she'd realize that.  And if she saw 
her granddaughter, she wouldn't be able to resist 
her either."

B'Elanna draped her arms around Tom's neck.  "I am 
sorry about that.  That she'll never know how 
things turned out for me, or that she has a 
granddaughter..."  Her voice trailed off 
wistfully.  For the first time she really 
regretted that she would never see her mother 
again, and the angry words they'd thrown at each 
other the last time they'd parted didn't seem 
important anymore.  And for the first time she 
thought that it might really have hurt her mother 
to believe that her daughter was dead.   She 
regretted that also.

"I'm sorry, too,"  Tom said softly, his hands 
rubbing her back soothingly.  "I think she might 
be proud of everything you've accomplished.  She 
might even think most of your friends here are 
fairly worthwhile, even if they're not Klingons."

"Maybe."  Her mother had high standards, but then 
so had Kathryn Janeway of her crew, and they had 
lived up to them.  "Uh, Tom..."  she'd just 
noticed that Tom's hands had strayed a little 
beyond massaging her back.  He leaned down and 
kissed the side of her throat.  Then he raised his 
head and looked down at her.  He'd moved close 
enough to her that the stream of water from the 
shower head had soaked him, too, and his hair 
clung to his head in wet, dark blond curls.  It 
sunk in finally that she was standing here naked 
with her wet skin pressed against her equally 
naked husband.  

Tom seemed to realize that too, and instead of 
taking advantage of the moment he moved back 
slightly.  "B'Elanna.."  He shook his head.  "I'll 
get some towels-"

B'Elanna intercepted Tom's arm before he could 
pull the shower curtain back, and pushed him 
bodily against the back wall of the shower stall.  

"B'Elanna!  Be careful-"

"Is that why took off your clothes and joined me 
in here, Tom?  So you could get me a towel?"

"Uh, no."  Tom smiled sheepishly.  "Perhaps I had 
an ulterior motive or two.  But I just realized 
that maybe it's too soon-"

B'Elanna ran her hands slowly down Tom's chest.  
"I'm half Klingon, I heal fast.  And I have a good 
doctor."  

Tom looked hesitant.  "I know the doc's a miracle 
worker but are you sure-"  

B'Elanna kissed her husband deeply, and he was 
taller than her, so she had to stand on her 
tiptoes and press her body very closely to his to 
delve properly into the pleasures of his welcoming 
mouth.  She was pleased by the long groan that 
issued from deep in his throat.  She pulled back 
and looked up at him.  For the past several weeks 
they'd forgone intercourse because of her 
pregnancy, finding other ways to love each other.  
But she'd missed being with him, being part of 
him, and she knew he'd missed her too, even though 
he'd been incredibly patient waiting for her to 
make the first move.  "I'm ready, Tom.  I'm more 
than ready."  She still had him trapped between 
her and the wall and she grinned slyly.  "And so 
are you."

Tom wrapped his arms tightly around her and kissed 
her fully and completely, exploring every 
millimeter of her willing mouth.  Then his lips 
moved to her face and her throat, while his hands 
roamed along the soft curves of her body.  "I 
think we're wasting a lot of water,"  he murmured 
against her jaw, as they shifted and the stream of 
water splashed on them.  

"Maybe we should turn it off,"  B'Elanna said, her 
voice muffled against his throat where she was 
eagerly tasting his water slicked skin.

"On the other hand, it'll just be recycled 
anyway,"  Tom said, his sentence ending in a low 
groan as B'Elanna's sensitive hands aroused him.   
He lifted his wife up so he could better arouse 
her, and she let him carefully control the pace as 
they made slow, tender, consuming love to each 
other.


Sometime later husband and wife lay together in 
bed, B'Elanna's head resting on Tom's shoulder, 
and their daughter cradled in her mother's arms, 
suckling contentedly.  Every once in a while her 
blue eyes opened and she stared up at her mother.  
Or if Tom reached over and distracted her by 
waving his hand, her eyes followed his hand until 
sometimes blue eyes met blue briefly.  Then her 
eyes closed and she resumed her meal, while her 
mother and father watched her with satisfaction.

At least her father was watching her.  Tom glanced 
at B'Elanna and saw that her eyes had drifted 
closed, though she was stroking the tiny hand that 
gripped her finger.  He put his hand over hers and 
she opened her eyes and offered him a sleepy 
smile.

Tom smiled back.  "She looks like you, you know."

B'Elanna groaned, with a hint of amused 
exasperation.  "She's too young to look like 
anyone.  Though I think she has your eyes, 
flyboy."

They'd had this conversation several times in the 
past few days, with B'Elanna, his passionate yet 
practical wife, always insisting that he was being 
premature in deciding that M'Kaela looked like her 
mother rather than her father.  Tom pressed his 
hand against his daughter's soft cheek, but she 
was nursing too greedily now to react.  "You do 
look just like your mother,"  he whispered to her.  
"Gorgeous.  And I bet you'll grow up to be one 
hell of an engineer."

B'Elanna shook her head against Tom's shoulder.  
"M'Kaela, you can be whatever you want to be, a 
pilot, an engineer, even a doctor..."

Tom chuckled.  "I think the doctor is already 
drawing up plans for Aurora's first medical 
school."  He'd never seen the doctor beam in quite 
that wattage after B'Elanna had practically 
wrestled M'Kaela out of the his clutches in 
Sickbay, then circumvented his long lecture on 
baby care by telling him that perhaps M'Kaela 
would be the first of Aurora's second generation 
to train as a doctor.  He and B'Elanna had managed 
to escape with their daughter while the doctor was 
enthusiastically contemplating his future role as 
a teacher of future doctors.   

"I was afraid he wasn't going to let me have her,"  
B'Elanna murmured.

"He does seem rather fond of her already."  But 
then everyone in the village had been over to hold 
and coo over M'Kaela.  Naomi had immediately 
volunteered to be her older sister, and Tom knew 
there would be no shortage of babysitters 
available.

"Well, maybe she will be a doctor.  But whatever 
she does, we'll both be proud of her,"  B'Elanna 
murmured sleepily.

"Yes, we will..."  Tom's voice trailed off and he 
rested his chin against B'Elanna's hair.  He'd 
thought about his family more since M'Kaela's 
birth then he had in all the time they'd been on 
Aurora.  Or on Voyager.  Just like B'Elanna had 
thought of her mother, and wondered if she'd 
misjudged her.  Tom only wished he could believe 
he'd misjudged his father.  Kathryn had told him 
more than once, here and on Voyager, that his 
father would be proud of him, of how he'd turned 
his life around.  She had known his father, but 
not in the way Tom had.  Owen Paris the Admiral 
and Owen Paris the father were two different 
people entirely.  His father had all but disowned 
him after he'd been convicted of treason and sent 
to prison.  And though Tom wanted to believe his 
father could forgive and forget the past, and 
would be proud and happy for his son, he couldn't 
be sure of that at all.  He couldn't even be sure 
that his father would truly care if he found out 
that his son was still alive.

Tom sighed and looked at his daughter.  Her eyes 
were closed and she had stopped nursing.  And her 
mother's eyes were closed, too.  Tom shifted 
slightly so that he could slide his arm gently out 
from under B'Elanna.   She uttered a small protest 
as he lifted the baby out of her arms.  "I'll put 
her down,"  Tom whispered, dropping a kiss on his 
wife's  forehead.  She murmured something in 
assent and her hand dropped back on the bed.  

Tom walked to the cradle Gerron had carved with 
his daughter snuggled in his arm.  She didn't open 
her eyes, but her tiny fist resting against his 
chest opened and her fingers clutched several of 
his chest hairs.  He winced slightly and thought 
he might have to wear more than just boxers as she 
tightened her surprisingly strong baby grip on 
him, as if she didn't want to let go.  He looked 
down at her and his heart tripped at the thought 
that he could ever consider turning against her, 
denying her.  No matter what she did, what 
mistakes she made, he would never, ever do that.  
He was not like his father.  

Tom laid his daughter in her cradle and pulled the 
small blanket over her sleeping form.  He watched 
her wiggle a bit until she was comfortable, and 
her hand came up to rest near her mouth.  Had his 
father ever watched him as a baby and loved him 
this unconditionally, even during those brief 
moments before he'd realized that he could never 
make his son what he wanted him to be?  Could he 
have felt that kind of undemanding love for his 
granddaughter if he'd had the chance to know her?  

"I don't know, angel."  Tom said softly to his 
daughter.  And he probably never would.  But 
maybe, just maybe, he was misjudging his father.  
Given the chance perhaps he would greet his 
prodigal son and family with open arms, the past 
forgiven.  Perhaps.

Tom smiled at his sleeping daughter and stroked 
her cheek.  "I do know one thing,"  he whispered 
to her, kissing her forehead softly.   "I love 
you, Kaela.  And I'll always be here for you, no 
matter what.  Always."  

Tom touched his daughter's soft cheek one last 
time, then returned to bed.  He smiled as B'Elanna 
greeted his return by wrapping herself around him 
until she was almost on top of him.  He'd teased 
her about that before she'd become too heavily 
pregnant to do it, that she practically slept on 
top of him, though he didn't mind at all.  He knew 
B'Elanna had spent most of her life protecting her 
own space, literally and figuratively, until she'd 
finally allowed him in.  And now her space was his 
space and vice versa.  He closed his arms around 
her and hugged her closer.

"I love you, Tom,"  B'Elanna murmured sleepily 
against his collarbone, her hand resting lightly 
on his chest. 

"I love you, Bella,"  Tom said into her soft, soap 
scented hair, dropping his hand to entwine his 
fingers with hers, and pressing her hand against 
his heart.  For some reason he thought momentarily 
of what B'Elanna had told him a couple of nights 
ago, about how she had found herself temporarily 
on Voyager several months ago, trapped in some 
sort of alternate timeline.  An alternate reality, 
where Voyager was still on course to the Alpha 
quadrant, where another Tom and B'Elanna existed.  
B'Elanna had been hesitant to talk about it, 
clearly wishing she could write it off as some 
sort of hallucination or dream.  But Tom was sure 
deep down that she believed- knew- it had been 
real.  And he remembered how strangely B'Elanna 
had acted that day- and that night- as if she were 
not quite the B'Elanna he knew.

It was mindboggling to think of another reality, 
where things had played out differently.  Where 
Voyager still existed, and where another Tom and 
B'Elanna were more hesitantly but just as surely 
recognizing the bond that existed between them.  
Maybe many other realities, with other Voyagers, 
other Toms, other B'Elannas, where their lives 
were completely different.  Where they weren't 
together yet, maybe where they hadn't even met.  
Or where Voyager had never come to the Delta 
quadrant.

B'Elanna shifted slightly and her hand reflexively 
tightened around his fingers.  Tom sighed and his 
thumb gently stroked her hand.  He knew one thing.  
Whatever crazy, incomprehensible things took place 
in this Universe, he- this Tom- was exactly where 
he belonged.  With B'Elanna and their baby 
daughter, first and foremost, and with everyone 
else on Aurora who had become in every sense his 
family.  Whatever other "lives" he might have 
lived, or was living some time or some place else, 
they didn't matter.  His life here was all that 
mattered.  And it was everything he wanted.  Best 
of all it he knew it was everything B'Elanna 
wanted.  Even during the years they'd each spent 
expending so much time and energy looking in the 
wrong directions, in a sometimes desperate effort 
to find some meaning in their lives, some sense of 
real belonging, they'd been unknowingly waiting to 
find it in each other.  And now in their daughter.  

A tranquil smile rested on Tom's face as he slowly 
slipped into a contented and dreamless sleep, his 
arms wrapped around his beloved and equally 
contented wife.

******************


"Are you awake?"

"Um hmmm..."  Kathryn snuggled closer to Chakotay 
but she didn't open her eyes.  She was entirely 
too comfortable laying in Chakotay's arms.  It had 
only been a few days but she already felt as if it 
had always been like this.  And always would be.

"Did Neelix tell you about the anniversary party?"

Kathryn smiled against Chakotay's chest.  "Yes."  
An anniversary party to celebrate their first year 
on Aurora, which given Aurora's longer rotation 
around its primary star was approximately fourteen 
months Earth time, or 426 days.  "I told him I 
thought it was a good idea."  She opened her eyes 
and shifted, resting her arms on Chakotay's chest 
and propping her chin against her hand so she 
could look at him.  "This is our home now, and we 
should count our blessings here.  If nothing else, 
we should celebrate that we're all survived this 
far.  More than just survived.  And we're all 
together."

"I guess we are all a family now, aren't we?  And 
it is hard to imagine how we would have survived 
everything we've gone through without each other."  
Chakotay trailed a hand across Kathryn's cheek and 
his thumb brushed against her lower lip.  "Is it 
really enough for you now, Kathryn?"

"It's enough,"  Kathryn said softly.  She reached 
up and touched his cheek.  "This is more than 
enough."

Chakotay smiled and leaned forward to kiss her.  
Their mouths lingered together for a brief moment.  
"I know we'll always have some regrets about the 
people we've all left behind.  But that doesn't 
diminish what we've found here, with each other.  
What we can and will build together.  And Aurora's 
just a place, like Voyager was just a place.  It 
is the people who matter."

Kathryn smiled reflectively.  "Some of whom I can 
barely recognize as the same people who first 
boarded Voyager.  Raw Starfleet recruits mixed 
with Maquis..."

"Most of whom were more comfortable working 
individually than as a team, and who certainly 
didn't know the first thing about Starfleet 
protocol.  But you got them all to work together, 
to become an efficient, and loyal, team."

"I think maybe you helped, Chakotay,"  Kathryn 
said softly.  "And they were all good people.  
Almost all."  She sighed at the memory of the few 
who couldn't be reached.  Seska, Lon Suder...  
"They all are good people, even if it took some of 
them a while to see it within themselves."

"Like your personal reclamation project?"  
Chakotay asked lightly.  Whom Kathryn had believed 
in and trusted long before he had been able to.

Kathryn nodded.  "Tom perhaps more than most.  And 
some of the Maquis who had trouble fitting in at 
the beginning.  B'Elanna, Gerron, Andrew Dalby.  
They were all still trying to figure out who they 
were, and how they fit in."

"What about me?"  Chakotay asked softly.  "As a 
former Maquis..."

"I think you've always known who you are, 
Chakotay.  A man who listens to his heart and 
follows it."  Kathryn dropped a kiss on his chin.  

"Do you know what my heart is telling me right 
now?"  Chakotay threaded his hands through 
Kathryn's hair and cupped her face with his palms.

Kathryn raised an eyebrow and a small smile 
touched her lips.  "What?"

"That we can be happy here.  We will be happy 
here."  He stroked her jawline.  "All of us.  But 
especially you and me, in this house, with our 
children-"

"Our children?"  Kathryn gave him an arch look.   
"Don't we have to have some first?"

Chakotay grinned.  "Isn't that what we've been 
working on the last couple of hours?  During the 
last few days?"  He pulled her face down to his 
and kissed her.  "I want to have babies with you, 
Kathryn.  Lots of babies.  I want to fill this 
house with children.  I really believe that's a 
legacy just as important as any admiralcy in 
Starfleet, or discovering how to harness 
transwarp, or finding a cure for Boyden's disease, 
or being the first to contact a new civilization.  
It's maybe the single greatest legacy of all in 
this Universe."

Kathryn nodded and her voice was soft but firm.  
"I know."

Chakotay looked intently at her, and his dark eyes 
locked with hers.  "Kathryn, I love you.  And I 
promise I will make you happy, whatever it takes.  
You won't regret-"

Kathryn pressed her fingers to his lips.  "Stop 
it.  I'm already happy, Chakotay."  She slid her 
hands into his dark hair.  "I love you.  That is 
more important to me than anything."  She brushed 
her lips across his.  "And I promise I will make 
you happy, whatever it takes."

"We're here together, Kathryn."  Chakotay's voice 
was soft, and completely sincere.  "That's all it 
takes."

Kathryn tried to smile, but her emotions got the 
better of her.  She swallowed and asked in a voice 
more husky than usual,  "How many babies did you 
say you wanted to have?"

Chakotay did smile at her, gently, teasingly.  
"Lots and lots.  Dozens.  Or as many as you want."

"Then maybe we should keep that our primary focus, 
and approach the issue with a little more 
diligence..."  Kathryn snaked her leg in between 
his and her skin slid smoothly along the warm 
length of his.  

"More diligence?  Is that possible-"  Chakotay's 
amused words were cut off by Kathryn's warm mouth 
enveloping his.  He pulled her closer as their 
mouths nipped and plundered and their hands began 
to explore and caress, leaving a blazing trail of 
heat that slowly took them toward the edge. 

They made love again in the soft lamplight that 
shed a diffuse glow over the room and the objects 
in it, a room that had been Kathryn's but was now 
theirs, with as many evocations of Chakotay's 
presence as Kathryn's.  Her grandmother's green 
quilt that she'd brought with her on Voyager lay 
over them.  His dreamcatcher, the webbing woven 
around local wood he'd gathered nearby and 
carefully carved, and the bright blue and green 
feathers that decorated it shed by the ground 
dwelling "pavo" birds that roamed the local 
forest, hung above their bed.  And on the table, 
next to the bed where Kathryn and Chakotay drifted 
to sleep in each other's arms, Kathryn's journal 
lay open to the last page she had written on 
earlier that evening.  On the white bound paper, 
not yet yellowed by the passage of centuries, not 
yet perused by countless eyes who would read the 
words with fascination and near reverence, or by 
the one who would understand the significance of 
the one of the small sketches that had been drawn 
next to the carefully penned words...


Day 420.  On Earth, April 21, 2375.  

I find I can't quit writing the date on Earth, as 
I know many of us can't, because Earth was and 
always will be our first home.  But perhaps I will 
start using Tuvok's new calendar system.  He used 
Earth months, since most of us here are human, and 
simply lengthened them by several days to 
accommodate Aurora's longer year.  So maybe 
tomorrow I will start saying that it is December, 
the corresponding season here now, as it was when 
we first arrived here last year.  

The past few days have been hectic, so I haven't 
had a chance to record much here since my quick 
mention of the small adventure in the Panarctic 
Mountians.  And of M'Kaela's birth.  That was 
seven days ago, and she is beautiful and thriving.  
I am thrilled, though not much surprised, to see 
how much Tom and B'Elanna adore their daughter.  
It is clear that they will make wonderful parents.  
And more children are coming soon to our fledgling 
colony, Harry and Kes next month, Gerron and Megan 
soon after, with others to follow.  The doctor has 
fussed over his new role as a "family 
practitioner", but I know for a fact that he 
relishes the role.  He recently searched the 
database, culling advice on "country doctoring" 
from old Earth sources, from records of colonies 
in the Alpha quadrant, even from some of the 
essays of Leonard McCoy, so that he could adapt 
his programming accordingly, under B'Elanna's 
stringent guidance of course.  

A good part of the past few days has been spent 
moving Chakotay's belongings here to my house.  
Our house now.  Our home.  I looked around today 
and I could see Chakotay's presence everywhere.  
The table he and Gerron built, the holos of his 
family on the mantle next to those of my family, 
the sky shaded throw draped over the couch.  His 
things are mingled with mine now, and I felt a 
rush of warmth at the knowledge that our lives 
have merged as one.  And I realized how little 
this house I've been living in had felt like a 
home.  Not like my house on Earth, or even my 
quarters on Voyager.  I thought it was because 
Aurora didn't feel like home to me.  Perhaps that 
was part of it.  But it was also because I was 
alone within these walls, so separate from 
everyone else.  I only spent enough time here to 
shower and to sleep.  But today, for the first 
time, I was anxious to get back here.  To be home, 
with Chakotay. 

And finally Aurora feels like my home now also.  A 
place where I can be happy.  Maybe even happier in 
some ways than I would have been in the Alpha 
quadrant pursuing my career in Starfleet.  That 
was what I've always believed I wanted, even if it 
was at the expense of other, more personal, 
pursuits.  And it was giving me a great deal of 
satisfaction.  But there are many different kinds 
of success, different kinds of happiness.  And 
different ways to leave your mark.  That became 
clear to me when Chakotay and I were stranded in 
the mountains last week-  that what I can have 
here can be every bit as fulfilling as any amount 
of awards and accolades I could have amassed in 
Starfleet.  Perhaps even more so.

So I find myself actually looking forward to my 
life here on Aurora, with Chakotay, and with those 
who were my crew, and who are now my friends and 
family.  I know now that losing Voyager didn't 
steal the future away from me, or from them.  We 
still have a future, it is simply a different one.  
What we are founding here will endure, for a very 
long time.  And strangely, though I know that to 
be true, I find it doesn't concern me as it once 
did.  I was only going through the motions for a 
while, but I've finally realized that simply being 
alive, and living each moment, is enough.  I'm 
more than content to savor those moments, and the 
moments after, whatever may come.  As a friend 
recently told me, the future will take care of 
itself.  It always does.


Those who would see these pages centuries later, 
yellowed by the passage of time, would also see 
the accurately drawn sketches on the attached 
page.  One of a large, standing bear-like animal, 
first observed by the founders in the subarctic 
climes of Aurora, and later accorded the 
protection of nature preserves befitting its rare 
status.  And one of a cave carved into a 
mountainside, with a small craft, an ancient type 
of shuttle used by the founders, parked outside.  
And one of a pendant, the color of gold, with blue 
stones arranged in the shape of a diamond and 
joined by a minutely drawn filigree design.  Its 
origin and its meaning to the founders were never 
identified, except by one, who kept the knowledge 
to himself.  But the beauty of the design, and its 
apparent ancient origin, mysterious with unknown 
symbolism, was so captivating to the later 
inhabitants of Aurora, that it was no surprise 
when it was unveiled at the charter ratification 
ceremony as the seal of the New Galactic 
Federation.



----the end (of the story), but just the beginning 
for Aurora----



Author's final note:  In this story I mentioned 
that Harry and his little band played Tom and 
B'Elanna's wedding songs at their wedding, but I 
didn't mention the songs by name.  I have my own 
ideas about what songs Tom and B'Elanna might 
choose, based on my own personal tastes and music 
preferences, which run to soft rock and country, 
and which of course cannot go beyond the 20th 
century.  I might pick "I Swear" by John Michael 
Montgomery as Tom's song to B'Elanna (basically, 
Tom's promise to B'Elanna).  And for B'Elanna's 
song to Tom, I lean toward "You Are The Love Of My 
Life" by Sammy Kershaw, which is very emotional, 
but in many ways very fitting.  But since I didn't 
identify the titles of the wedding songs in the 
body of the story, the reader is welcome to 
entertain his/her own ideas and preferences.  When 
you send me feedback on this story ;-), feel free 
to tell me what songs YOU think Tom and B'Elanna 
would choose for their wedding.