The planet Dorvan V lay on the perimeter of Federation Space, close to the Cardassian border. An M-class planet with a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere, it was chosen by a tribe of Native Americans as an ideal habitat to settle after traveling the heavens in search of a new home. Unhappy on Earth, and witnessing the gradual disintegration of their cultural identity, their vision was to find a place where they could rekindle their heritage and pass it on to their sons and daughters. So, on the southern continent of Dorvan V they settled and for more than a hundred years lived in harmony, where the sun, the sky, the earth, moon and water and wind, the chaparral and silver trees and fire bushes became one with the people, and the people found in the planet the compelling spiritual connection they had yearned for for so long.

Untroubled by other races, they existed in peace, the planet's resources sufficient for their self-preservation. They cultivated the land and grew the Earth's crops like corn and wheat. Many of the plants that formed part of Dorvan V's natural vegetation had medicinal properties and so they used what the planet yielded to cure themselves the natural way rather than use modern medical technology.

Dorvan V's declination to the sun was such that it enjoyed two main seasons - dry, hot and humid in summer and a milder, more temperate climate for winter. The streets were narrow, and the houses flat-roofed with red slates, the walls whitewashed and relieved by shuttered windows. Men and women wore the clothing adorned with beads and feathers reminiscent of the tribes of the late nineteenth century Earth.

At this hour there were not many people walking along the dusty road, but those who did, stared with open curiosity at the two people who walked the street in the opposite direction. Although it was still morning, the sun was high and scorching and the two visitors, dressed in more sedate clothing, were not any less comfortable than the inhabitants of the village.

Kathryn Janeway thought how much like Earth this planet was. The white-washed houses appealed to her. They exuded an air of tranquillity, defying notions that inside them might be hostility, or arguments. Kathryn couldn't imagine a single note of discord striking here. The tribe had really chosen their planet well, she thought. A place where they could express their beliefs and live their culture in the way befitting them, with traditions they could pass on to their children.

This was what struck Kathryn as she walked next to Chakotay on their way to his parents' home. Of all the people she had seen in the streets, she had seen very few young people here. Chakotay himself had been only fifteen when he left this world to enter the Academy. Did other young people here have the same urge to explore the heavens? Did they find their culture and belief systems an albatross their parents foisted on them? She found it difficult to imagine how any person could leave this place whose beauty appealed so much to the senses, the sensual, the peace of mind, the tranquil and, most importantly, the spiritual.

It was, Kathryn thought, an idyll. A hot, dry world most of the time, but with enough water for sustainability, an ideal place to raise one's children. Probably.

There could not be a ripple of discontent, not unless she counted Chakotay's teenage rebellion when he left to join Starfleet. Now they were here to meet his parents. No, she corrected herself with a shrug. She was here to meet his parents. Kolopak and Hannah, and his two brothers and sister who had chosen to remain on Dorvan V.

She wondered what his father looked like. She had virtually twisted Chakotay's arm to bring her here to meet Kolopak. Chakotay hadn't wanted to come. She knew he was very disdainful of his people's returning to their roots, so to speak. They shunned most forms of technology, and Chakotay had balked against that when he had been young. He had wanted to explore; he had sat outside under the silver tree and dreamed of travelling the heavens.

Kathryn sighed. Chakotay was at times so bull-headed, and it had taken some intense diplomacy to agree to bring her here.

She had threatened to come herself. That in itself would not have been a problem, but it would have been so much better if the commitment had come from her husband. Then his intent would have been noted and appreciated. That he did finally make the decision to come… She sighed.

She had not been a little surprised that he still kept a house on Dorvan V, something he had apparently acquired in year after he graduated or thereabouts. Chakotay had given an embarrassed coughed the day he told her that. She hadn't wanted to laugh at him or gloat; she knew he'd take it out on her later that night by sleeping on the couch and withhold his favours from her. Not that he had done much of that, anyway. If he decided to sleep on the couch all by himself, how come he was so happy when he woke in the morning with her in his arms? In the middle of the night she'd sneak into the lounge, crawl in next to him and it had been worth every heated word just to hear him moan with contentment when he felt her body so close to his. Most of their arguments which had started as careful discussion on her part and ended in such heated vituperation from both, had been about seeing his father. In the morning when he woke with her in his arms, he had been remorseful and apologetic. She couldn't help it. She had herself not had a very good relationship with her father, and his entry in her life had come late. Although she cherished what she did finally have with Edward Janeway, it still did not make up for the heartache and emptiness she had as a child dreaming he'd come to her performance or prize-giving. Family meant so much to her. It meant a lot to her that Chakotay kept contact with his family and that was why in the last two months since their marriage in fact, she had not stopped encouraging him to talk about his father in particular. She smiled again inwardly. That he kept a house here had been such a surprise. A welcome surprise but more than that, a revealing one.

Kathryn had known then - was it only a week ago? - that Chakotay secretly yearned to see his people again, to be with his family and to make peace with his father. Only, he had been too proud to say it. She sensed it anyway, and that's why she couldn't laugh about it, or shrug it off with humorous comments.

She told him then that she'd be happy making love with him in their home on Dorvan V.

Chakotay had not given a reply, but she had simply kissed him after seeing the grateful look in his eyes.

Nothing was said between them.

Now they were walking along this road. In two weeks she had to be on her vessel again and he on the Ormskirk. He had his old commission back and juggling their time together had been exciting, an adventure. Sometime around her birthday they'd both he home for almost three months. She gave a sigh. She had wanted to start for a baby almost immediately, and Chakotay had been glad at the time. Now, two months later, there was still nothing. Her hand stole to her breast, where her fingers curled around the locket he had given her on their wedding night. They would have a girl baby. He was so convinced it would be a girl. Chakotay had been right about Jaime too, when he asked her the first time why she even bothered to ask the doctor when he could tell her it was going to be a boy. It was such an endearing streak in Chakotay. He had an implacability about him, an utter confidence that he was right about things. Their next baby would be a girl. That was, whenever Hannah decided to make it known she was there…

"We're almost there, Kathryn," Chakotay said, his voice almost intrusive into her meandering if it hadn't been so calm. He took her hand and together they walked on.

"Where is your own place, Chakotay?" Kathryn asked, then frowned as she saw how the passers-by looked at her. She had been so preoccupied that she noticed their stares only now. Chakotay saw her frown as she looked around her. He placed his hand on her shoulder and pulled her closer to him.

"You tend to stand out here, sweetheart. It's your bronze hair and blue-grey eyes, your colouring…"

"Oh…"

"Then you should also know that you are viewed with keen interest, Kathryn."

"Because I'm your wife?"

"Well..." Chakotay gave a cough, not certain how to put it to her, but Kathryn already sensed.

"You left your roots, rejected your people's cultural identity, and taking a wife who - who is...er...not Native American would seem a slap in the face?"

Kathryn said the words without rancour, stating it as a simple fact. When Chakotay nodded, she smiled.

"Your father, I'm sure, Chakotay, is a good man..."

She heard him sigh, and before she could speak again, he said:

"We're here..."

They approached the house, painted white with the familiar red slates Kathryn had seen on all the houses. On the door there was a design, an intricate pattern that she presumed was an art form favoured by the tribe. Chakotay looked at her again, and held her hand, squeezing it gently. Kathryn sensed the slight unease, a hesitance Chakotay didn't normally have. Was he afraid? she wondered. His hand felt clammy suddenly and trembled slightly.

The door opened before Chakotay's hand reached for the handle and a man appeared in the doorway.

"Cha-ko-tay..."

He did not have the long hair like the men Kathryn had passed in the street. It was short, just below his ears, and there were tinges of grey in the black strands. His eyes were dark brown, gazing directly at Chakotay. It was a friendly face and Kathryn's assessment of "good man" shot into her mind in that instant. His mouth was drawn in a smile, making the dimples in his cheeks more pronounced.

Chakotay would age like this man, Kathryn Janeway thought as she looked at Kolopak, who for a few heartbreaking seconds couldn't keep his eyes off his son. His eldest son. There was no doubt in her mind that she was indeed looking at Kolopak. Had Kolopak been thirty years younger, Kathryn would have had a problem distinguishing between Chakotay and his father.

That was not all. Once, very early on in her association with Chakotay he had spoken of his father's tattoo, how Kolopak had taken a rebellious fifteen year old son with him all the way to Earth to search for the Rubber Tree People, and in a ceremony had the remarkable tattoo drawn on his forehead, just above his left eyebrow. It was such a distinctive marking and, Kathryn realised without having given it thought at the time, something some of the men and women she had seen in the street also had. Kolopak had not looked at her yet, but she didn't resent it as his eyes were glued on his eldest son he had not seen in fifteen years.

"Father..." she heard Chakotay say. She turned to look at her husband as he addressed Kolopak. Kathryn saw what she would remember for years to come.

A certain hunger in her husband's eyes.

She couldn't miss it; had read Chakotay correctly before they made the journey here, that he secretly desired to see his family again, especially his father.

What was pride but that it inveigled itself for the most unfounded reasons in Chakotay's heart? His love for his father lay so clearly on the surface, there was not a man within a hundred parsecs of them who wouldn't have noticed it. Chakotay loved his father as deeply as she had loved her own father. It was natural, unvarnished and so…real, that it left an ache deep inside her: an ache and an overriding joy.

It was this same man, Kolopak, of whom Chakotay had always spoken so disdainfully, and dismissed as if he were nothing.

He was Kolopak, her husband's father, her father-in-law.

Kathryn Janeway knew she would love this kind, gentle man for all time.

Kathryn heard in Chakotay's voice the longing, and saw in his eyes the hunger. How could he not, when Kolopak opened his arms to his son, embrace his father? She stood for the time outside of this little circle, this intimate moment between father and son that belonged to them alone and excluded those around them. It was a moment, an image imprinted on her mind, one to be remembered forever.

Somewhere she heard the dictum: boys don't cry, but men do.

It was a moment that was as blessed as it was necessary.

When they broke free at least, Kolopak's hands were still on Chakotay's shoulders. Kathryn thought the look in the older man's eyes to be loving, approving, with tears still glistening on his cheeks.

"Cha-ko-tay..." he breathed again softly, reverently.

"It is good to see you, Father."

Kolopak nodded. Only then he looked at Kathryn.

She felt Chakotay's hand against her back as he urged her forward. When Chakotay looked at her, the pride was unmistakeable in his eyes. She was certain it was not only that he wanted to show her off to his father, but that he was proud of presenting his father to her.

"This is Kathryn, my wife..." said Chakotay.

Kathryn held out her hand and the firmness with which Kolopak clasped hers, Kathryn was taken in by his quiet strength. How could Chakotay not know how much of his father there was in him?

"You are welcome, my daughter..."

Kathryn felt her eyes sting with tears. In the next moment Kolopak drew her into his embrace and hugged her gently.

"Thank you...Father..."

There was no other manner in which Kathryn could address Kolopak but call him 'father'. She dared it; she felt his warmth, his love, everything that was gentle, kind, strong and wise as she would have imagined her own father to be, encompass her and flow through her. She knew that she had come home. Home was being with Chakotay. Home was being in the presence of a great man who asked no questions but accepted her because his son accepted her without question. His son had accepted her long before he even saw her, if truth be told. That was the power of Chakotay's trust in her, and now, Kolopak. Kolopak's face broke into a smile and again Kathryn felt how her heartstrings pulled painfully when he looked at her with Chakotay's honest regard.

The door opened wider and Kolopak walked in. Kathryn had known that the rest of the family had been inside, but had waited respectfully for father and son to unite again. They followed Kolopak into the cool building and in the next instant Chakotay had burst past his father to a woman who had been standing patiently in the middle of the floor. There was just a flurry of movement and a shriek as Chakotay lifted her high in his arms.

"That was a breech baby," Kolopak said conversationally to Kathryn. "He was always so oppositous."

"Chakotay! Put me down."

But Chakotay wasn't finished. He did put his mother down, but hugged her tightly to him. When at length he calmed down, he pulled his mother to where Kathryn was still standing next to Kolopak.

"This is my mother Hannah, Kathryn."

Hannah greeted gravely with a nod, her eyes full of tears. Then suddenly, the small woman hugged Kathryn. Kathryn felt how Hannah trembled, even felt her tears. When Hannah looked at her again, her eyes shone.

"Thank you, Kathryn, for bringing our son home."

All the time Kathryn had been deeply touched by their openness, their simplicity. Hannah was a small woman, but she was tough, Kathryn noted. Her hair was incredibly long, and still pitch black, like Chakotay's. It was Kolopak who drew Kathryn closer into their intimate circle and said: "He is a stubborn mule, Kathryn. We are grateful and very, very happy that you have come here..."

When Kathryn's eyes met Chakotay's, she knew that she had done the right thing, even though it cost sleeping on the couch on a few nights after she had argued with him about visiting his parents. She knew that she had done the right thing just seeing the look on his parents' faces and Chakotay's own tears that was never far from falling.

"Mama," Chakotay asked, "where are the others?"

"We knew you would come," said Hannah, and Kathryn enjoyed the look on Chakotay's face. She had sent them notice they'd be coming, something Chakotay had neglected to do. "They will come. Do not worry, Chakotay," she replied.

A few minutes later they sat down, the cushions on the couch soft and inviting. Kathryn noticed that there were not many signs of technology or its perks here in the house. Once Chakotay had told her that they shunned technology and did not care much for such things. Kathryn touched the locket round her neck, and when Hannah saw the action, her eyes clouded suddenly. She looked at Chakotay, then at Kathryn again. Hannah rose from her seat and came to sit next to Kathryn, touching her bosom gently, her tiny hand just brushing the locket.

"You have lost a baby?" she asked.

"Mama - " it came from Chakotay, who wanted to stop his mother when Kathryn's eyes closed for a second, her fingers still clutching the locket protectively. But Kathryn's eyes flew open again and taking Hannah's hand in hers, she nodded.

"Yes...yes, we were with child..."

Both parents clicked their tongues in sympathy, but Kolopak's next words made Kathryn smile again.

"When you have another baby, it will be a girl."

How like Chakotay he sounded! Or did Chakotay sound like him? Hannah nodded in agreement and Kathryn clutched the locket one last time before releasing it. She didn't want to tell them yet of Chakotay's desires. Maybe at the end of their vacation here, when they were about to leave.

"Please, Kathryn, you must share in our meal," invited Kolopak. Kathryn wondered whether he was also vegetarian like Chakotay, a query which was answered by Kolopak himself when he said, "We live frugally on yield from the land."

"Thank you," she replied and was gratified when Hannah nodded approvingly. Chakotay it seemed, couldn't slake his thirst when he looked at his father and mother. Especially his father. He had done the same with her when she called him that very first time on subspace band and spoke with him. That day he also couldn't keep his eyes off her. They were strangers then. Now, a little more than a year later they were man and wife.

Kathryn had known that Chakotay hadn't had any contact with his parents for years. Loving them the way he did, it was understandable that he imprinted their beloved faces again in his memory.

"How long, Chakotay?" she asked one evening when they sat down to dinner at home.

He had been evasive, not wanting to talk about his father. She had done what she always did when he was in his non-communicative mood where Kolopak was concerned: she held his hand and just idly rubbed the back of it gently. She knew that she had to be patient, even knew that just maybe, he was having a change of heart. Now, with hindsight, she realised that that was exactly what it was. When he had given a sigh and looked at her eventually, he had a sad look about him - a sad, sober look, one that spoke of remorse.

"Fifteen years, Kathryn..."

She had not wanted to give in to her shock, or display outrage. He had left Dorvan V when he was fifteen... Before she could even say it, he said:

"M-my father came to live on Earth while I was at the Academy..."

"And, he hated it there," she said, the realisation blinding. Chakotay had given a nod.

"He left again with my mother and sister and brothers when I was in my second year... Roshana was only ten years old then..."

Kathryn had hugged Chakotay then, almost regretting that she had pried that information from him. But Chakotay released her and met her gaze again.

"I went only once back, in my first year as an Ensign on my first assignment. I was...stupid, Kathryn. It hurt him...it hurt him..."

"What did, Chakotay?"

"That I rubbed it in," he had said quietly.

Now, a hundred times over, looking at the way his mother and father welcomed Chakotay and made her their daughter too, she was glad that she had insisted he come. Fifteen years separated from their son was a long time for loving parents whose only crime against Chakotay was that they loved their land, and desired their own cultural identity. Chakotay was a deeply spiritual man, Kathryn knew. It didn't need Sergei Karkoff to tell her that Chakotay sometimes wandered off to who knows where just to be alone.

To meditate, no doubt. Why was Chakotay ashamed of living his culture so openly as his father did?

When Chakotay's gaze met hers, she saw again the gratitude in his eyes. He was thanking her silently for not giving up on her.

Later that morning, Kathryn met Roshana, Chakotay's sister and his two younger brothers, Miguel and Kohana. They wore their hair in long braids and Kathryn had a sudden vision of Chakotay wearing his own hair long like his brothers. They were friendly, though strangely, they didn't have the dimples Chakotay and his father had. They resembled more their mother. Mid-morning meal had been an occasion with Chakotay as relaxed as she hadn't seen him in a long time. He belonged on this world, Kathryn realised with a pang. The children had also arrived and one little girl had taken an immediate liking to Chakotay. She had promptly gone and made herself comfortable on his lap, and then she started fingering Kathryn's hair, fascinated no doubt by the deep bronze colour.

"Winonah has always been a little shy," offered Hannah.

"It means your next child will be a girl," Roshana said.

The four year old child was too preoccupied with her uncle she was seeing for the first time and a new aunt who looked different from them. Kathryn had been a little embarrassed by the directness of the others, but gradually embraced it herself.

The other children - one a young boy about fourteen - look with undisguised fascination at Chakotay. Kathryn sensed what was going on in his mind. The children may have been told of an uncle who was in Starfleet, who would, in a few months command his own vessel. Young Tomaso had the same hunger. He had not stopped asking either her or Chakotay questions about the Academy. His father Kohana looked indulgent, but Kathryn had also spotted the resigned air about him. Sometime soon, young Tomaso would make it to the Academy…

Meanwhile, little Winonah crept on to her lap, and too tired to listen to the adults talking, had fallen asleep. Kathryn felt a warmth growing inside her until it filled her whole being. The child felt warm, cuddly, her pitch black hair cut straight just on her shoulders. Kathryn couldn't resist the urge to stroke Winonah's hair and drop a kiss on her head. The others had given indulgent smiles and sighed as they looked at Kathryn who not only looked at home now, but felt it too.

They all were so much a part of their surroundings. She had not seen this often on other homeworlds. Even on Bajor, when there was such a deeply religious aspect to the Bajorans' daily living, they seemed a little out of synch with their own world. Perhaps it was because of the intrusion of the Cardassians' lifestyle that caused it.

But here, on Dorvan V, Kathryn had been more aware how the people were so much part of their world. It was peaceful, and idyll, she thought as she observed the people around her. They had accepted her, made her feel welcome and there had not been a moment that she felt strange, unless she counted her feeling in the street when the people had looked at her.

Later when they had a moment alone, Chakotay said to her: "You like them, Kathryn?" There was an expectant look in his eyes as he waited for her answer.

"I like them, Chakotay. Very much. Your father…I think - I think I love him…" She frowned when she said it, but was gratified when Chakotay smiled tenderly at her and drew her into his arms. "When they're all together, they can be a handful," he said, his voice sounding proud.

"By the end of two weeks I'll know them much better," she placated. Chakotay had given her a beatific smile and she had wanted to eat him up right there. Later in the afternoon they had sat down to a family meal again. The children had gone and only the adults were present. All of them had expressed their joy at seeing Chakotay again and it had been a revelation for Kathryn that Chakotay, despite the fifteen year absence, could interact so naturally with his parents, brothers and sister as if he had never been away. They accepted him into the family fold, and with him, had accepted his wife. It was a humbling experience for her, made all the more poignant when Roshana said: "You're part of the family, Kathryn…"

Hannah did not use a replicator although Kathryn had seen one in the house. Still, she had never eaten roasted corn on the cob that tasted as good as Hannah had prepared it.

The strangest sight Kathryn witnessed early evening was when she had come from Roshana's house and saw Chakotay massaging his mother's neck muscles. He gave her a sheepish grin when she entered with Roshana just behind her.

"Only Chakotay could do that really well," Roshana explained when Kathryn looked questioningly at them.

She had not wanted to ask what Hannah did in the years Chakotay had been away.

"Mama never quite liked it when I massaged her shoulders, or when Kohana or Miguel or Papa tried," Roshana answered Kathryn's unspoken question with a smile.

Kathryn's heart swelled with pride. Chakotay looked so happy and for the umpteenth time she was glad that she had been instrumental in bringing him to Dorvan V to bond with his family again. He needed it and she? She felt as connected, and mostly it was Kolopak who impacted on her so much. Perhaps it was because she had not had a father for more than ten years. She was drawn to him, called him 'father' like Chakotay did. It had been so natural, and again, Kathryn found it difficult to understand how Chakotay could have rejected his father and by extension, his family. Now, however, the situation was remedied, and a giant stride had been made in the relationship between Chakotay and Kolopak. She still had to learn so much of their culture. So much. It intrigued her.

When she and Chakotay left just after dinner that evening for Chakotay's own house three streets away, he had been quiet. She knew the moment was still too full for him, and that he would take a while to work through his own regret at not having made any overtures sooner.

Lying in bed in his arms late that night, with the light of the moon bathing the room, had had kissed her reverently and said:

"Thank you, Kathryn, for saving my life..."

******

Kathryn walked next to Kolopak towards the edge of the village. It was her fourth day on Dorvan V. Her hair was parted in the middle and caught in two long braids that fell gently over the swell of her breasts. She was also dressed in the apparel of the villagers, an outer garment Roshana had given her. The sun was high and in the afternoon there were not many people walking in the street. Although there were few children in the village, they too, kept to the shades and didn't venture out into the fields. Kolopak wore a hat with a very wide brim, and this was what she remembered most of the past few days about Kolopak: his wide brimmed hat. Kolopak stopped to look at her.

"It is our most sacred place, the Habak, Kathryn."

"I learn much from you - " she started.

"Chakotay rejected our ways; he would not have told you of our beliefs and culture."

"It was always in his heart, Father," Kathryn replied and she experienced a thrill again when Kolopak smiled indulgently at her.

"Yes, my daughter. We can never deny our hearts, much as we try to. Something of what we taught always remained. I was hoping..."

"What were you hoping?" Kathryn asked, again taken in by his gentility, though she suspected that like Chakotay, the warrior lurked just beneath the surface in Kolopak too. As soon as she asked the question though, her eyes lit up in understanding. "I...understand, Father."

"It would have meant much to me, my daughter."

"Father, I brought Chakotay here. More I cannot decide for him..."

"Do you not think I understand, Kathryn? One day, Chakotay will hear the wind sing. It may not be in my lifetime, for I am old - "

"You are not old, Father." Kathryn smiled and took his hand. "You are not old," she repeated her words. Kolopak just smiled again, his dimples deepening.

"Well, you understand, Kathryn, what my desire is..."

She stopped and looked into his eyes. He held her gaze. For a fleeting moment she saw an image, of Chakotay's face superimposed on the man before her. She saw that beautiful tattoo on Chakotay's brow. Her heart constricted, a flash of pain, then it was over. She nodded, gave a small sigh. They walked the rest of the way in silence until they reached a stone building, its architectural style in keeping with the rest of the pueblo. There was no sign anywhere, but Kathryn knew it immediately it was not a house, but a communal building, the habak as Kolopak said.

"We are here, Kathryn. As my daughter and as a member of my family, you have the same right as any of us to experience what I am going to show you..." Kolopak said. Kathryn nodded again. The past few days Chakotay had told her of the rituals and traditional ceremonies of the people here. She had been fascinated, and felt a little twinge of regret that she was only just learning to get to know her husband's cultural life.

They entered and walked to the middle of the room where there was a ladder that led to a trapdoor of some kind. Strange, Kathryn thought. From the outside she couldn't see any upper level of the building, and perhaps it was situated further back. She had seen a chimney-like funnel just before the entered the Habak. They climbed up, Kolopak following just behind her.

At the top, she clambered over a small style and then she stood in a room. She turned to see Kolopak also climbing over and then he stood next to her. He was breathing heavily and for a second Kathryn wondered about his strength. He wasn't young anymore.

She looked about her and in the centre of the room there was a fire pit surrounded by a ring of stones. A fire smouldered gently, and strangely, Kathryn couldn't see any curls of smoke. Although the room was darkened, it was airy.

"Kolopak, I - " Kathryn started when she realised how hallowed the place was and that her presence in it was sacrilege.

The hand that touched her shoulder was reassuring.

"Do not fear, Kathryn. Come," Kolopak ordered. He took her hand and together they seated themselves around the pit of fire.

Kolopak removed a pouch from his waist belt and opened the pouch. Kathryn assimilated everything around her, not asking questions. It was quiet, but it was a silence that bathed itself around them. Sounds from outside were only very distant, and very faintly she could hear what sounded like a cricket. She watched as Kolopak took a handful of what had to be a herb grown on Dorvan V. It was very loose in texture and reminded her of thyme, or rosemary - herbs her grandmother used to grow. Kolopak spread the herb around the hearth of the fire pit, and immediately the fire sprang into life, burning a little more brightly than the earlier smouldering. Then Kolopak took her hand again, and they remained sitting cross-legged, watching the fire and the curls of smoke that rose upwards.

"Akoochee-moya…we are far from the sacred places of our fathers…" she heard Kolopak's voice, soft, insistent, resonant.

It was hypnotic, the effect of the fire and the smoke and the faint smell of herbs. Kathryn was drawn to the headiness it induced. Did she feel herself being lifted? Was it the flame that licked in curling tongues higher and higher? Did the smoke take the shape of a human, or was it a human form that appeared out of the smoke? Kathryn couldn't quite distinguish which it was. All she knew was that a human appeared, as clearly as Kolopak who sat next to her.

"Kolopak…speak…" the voice commanded.

"Father, I come to present Kathryn, wife of my son…"

The old man had the longest silver-grey hair that Kathryn had seen on anyone. His face creased, with deep furrows down his cheeks, he looked at Kathryn with piercing eyes. It was such a direct gaze that Kathryn felt a momentary uneasiness which soon dissipated when he spoke again.

"You walk the path of the grey eagle with Cha-ko-tay…" he stated and Kathryn nodded. Then there was a small silence and again Kathryn felt the unease. When she felt Kolopak's hand squeeze gently, the feeling lifted. The old man didn't move from where he stood in the centre of the fire as of he rose from it, yet Kathryn could swear that he touched her - a touch that was embracing and warm and kind as a gentle breeze.

"My daughter…"

Kathryn had to smile. She was part of the family now.

"Yes, great Father?" she asked softly.

"The time will come," the old man said, "that the eagle will fly away from you…"

It sounded strange, the prophetic words that Kathryn could not find meaning to but sensed in her heart that a great task lay ahead of her.

"What shall I do then, great Father?" she asked, her heart full of the importance of his words.

"Never lose sight of the eagle, Kathryn, wife of Cha-ko-tay…"

As suddenly as the old man appeared, the image vanished and all Kathryn could see was the smoke. She gave a short gasp and turned to Kolopak whose eyes looked for a moment pained. When he smiled and nodded, she felt better. He must have always come here to seek out his own father's counsel.

Kolopak pulled her gently to her feet.

"Come, my daughter. We each have our task that awaits us," he said enigmatically.

****

They were met by Roshana and little Winonah who ran towards Kathryn.

"Aunt Kathryn!" the child cried excitedly as Kathryn bent down and scooped Winonah into her arms. Kathryn enjoyed the feel of the child's soft body, her baby smells although she was already four years old.

"She's really attached to you, Kathryn," said Roshana softly as she fell into stride next to them and walked the rest of the way to their parents' home.

"And she's known you only two weeks," added Kolopak indulgently as Winonah leaned over to him and touched her grandfather's cheek.

"We're leaving tomorrow, sweetie," Kathryn said and kissed Winonah. Winonah looked like her mother mostly, but she had her father Kolnar's eyes and shape of the mouth. The child had shoulder length straight hair that swayed as she moved her little head. Winonah hugged Kathryn enthusiastically.

"Aunt Kathryn will come again?" Winonah asked, cupping both Kathryn's cheeks and planting a kiss on her lips.

"Uh-huh…" Winonah clapped her little hands, then asked," then I will know the nine times table!"

"Oh, my…"

"She learns quickly," Roshana said and Kathryn nodded. Kathryn had seen the quick flash of sadness in Roshana's eyes and she wondered whether Chakotay's sister had already thoughts of Winonah one day leaving Dorvan V to pursue a career in the stars. Already Tomaso, Kohana's son, had indicated his intention. As small as Winonah was, she already had a deep curiosity about things around her, especially the skies. She was very much like Chakotay in that respect. Kathryn had not wanted to sway Roshana or encourage the child too much. Here on this world the child was in her element, and if ever she desired to leave one day, it would be because it had been something that was borne out of her own desire and curiosity for knowledge… Kathryn gave a sigh. She would have liked to have little Winonah and her mother to visit them on Earth, or be her guests on the Crimond for a while…

"She is quite curious, Roshana…" Kathryn said in a voice that sounded as if she wanted to dissuade Roshana from a path she wanted her child to take.

"I will not let our beliefs be a barrier to her progress, Kathryn, if that is what you are thinking." Kathryn looked gratefully at her sister-in-law and nodded. The truth was, she had been thinking like that and wondered how many others there were on Dorvan V who had the same insatiable desires Chakotay had…how many others disappointed their fathers like Chakotay did… It was a mercy that Kohana had given his blessing that Tomaso attend the Academy when the time was right for him.

"I understand, Roshana."

"We'll miss you, Kathryn," said Roshana. Kathryn had often gone for walks with Roshana and Kathryn had found her to be a lively person with a keen sense of humour. "Chakotay is very lucky…"

"I'll miss you too, you know," Kathryn replied, turning to a grave looking Kolopak. "I'll make certain we come again, Father. In this year," she added with a quirky smile. She guessed it would be about the time of her birthday or thereabouts. They were due for leave , but anything was possible to change that, given the shaky relationship between Cardassia and the Federation. Tomorrow, when they returned to Earth, she would receive her new commission as Captain of the USS Crimond.

"Thank you, Kathryn," Kolopak said as they entered the cool house where Hannah was waiting for them. When Kathryn saw Hannah, her heart thudded wildly as her hand clasped the locket round her neck. Hannah… Maybe one day…

****

She liked to kiss Chakotay. She liked it even better when she was lying on top of him with her hips brushing sensually against his so that the feel of hair between them created a friction he found impossible to ignore. Then he invariably lifted his hips against hers even when he wanted to lie still and ignore the delicious wriggling.

Kathryn could feel his arousal and she gave a sigh of victory. She bit gently into his lower lip, and the way he moaned as her teeth sank into him encouraged her to continue biting, nipping. His whole mouth was her playing area as she explored daintily with her tongue, licking him, darting into his mouth and running it along his teeth. Then his mouth would open as he allowed her more room where she could taste him everywhere in little butterfly light caresses that offered a suggestion of a touch which he seemed to feel as an intense sensation that caused him to writhe beneath her. With her hands holding his head so that he couldn't move away from her seeking lips and tongue, her breath warm and touch moist, he let her maul him gently, then more boldly as the ardour carried him away. Her breasts flat against his chest incited him as her nipples grazed his, and Kathryn knew exactly the moment when Chakotay's hand would slip in between them and lift her so that he could cup each breast with his large hands, fondle them and watch her with half closed eyes heavy with desire.

These were moments that she enjoyed just touching him, even when he was hard with his arousal and he wanted to sink himself deeply into her. She delayed those moments, savouring every second before the great coming together. Almost, it was more special because she could read his thoughts, every single word or phrase that went through him as she touched him, and allowed him to touch her.

Breathing was slow, heavy, punctuated with short gasps and little moans of pleasure. His hands were on her back, stroking, moving further down to knead her buttocks. Kathryn shifted and without volition his shaft positioned close to her entrance. Like a well fitting glove or garment that she wore close to her, he fitted between her thighs, and she could feel his feet brushing with hers, so that there was not an area along the length of their bodies where they did not touch.

Always, it was like that and always, she relished being connected to Chakotay like that.

Chakotay sighed deeply as he lifted her to cup her breasts and Kathryn, knowing that he would do so in that moment, had helped by raising herself into that position. Only then Chakotay moved his hips against hers. Even as she braced herself and he held her up by cupping each of her creamy breasts that had caused yet another sharp intake of breath as he touched them, Kathryn's hand dipped between them and closing her eyes, she guided him into her, her moist folds ready and warm as she received him. A groan escaped from deep inside him as Chakotay filled her.

He thrust lazily in her; with her hands on his shoulders she found his rhythm quickly and together they moved, the feel of him pushing and pulling, her own body synchronising with his in a series of long thrusts. Her little cries and moans, joined by his own short grunts floated about, light and airy as the morning sun streamed through the windows of the room. Bodies sweated, breath mingled and thighs slapped together, and the climax when it came lifted them to a realm where sound and taste and touch and smell merged into a swirling mist of pleasure.

Kathryn fell against him when it was over, breathing heavily, happy in the knowledge that Chakotay too, lost control and found his breathing erratic, struggling for long minutes to ease again into a relaxed state.

Kathryn lifted her head lazily, watched through heavy lids that Chakotay's eyes were still closed as he lay, mouth open, utterly at her mercy.

"We'll come here again, sweetheart," he said quietly.

Kathryn rolled off him finally and settled next to him. She brushed her hair away from her face.

'We'll have to, Ambassador Chakotay…"

Only then he opened his eyes and turned his face to her.

"Ambassador, huh…"

"You love them, Chakotay."

Chakotay raised himself on his elbow and touched her face gently. He bent down to kiss her. When he leaned back, she could see the look in his eyes was no more so shuttered whenever she mentioned his family, particularly his father. He had been more amenable talking about his father, and she knew that if not now, then somewhere in the future he would confess to his own lack of perception, his own misplaced pride and rebellion against his father that had kept them apart for so many years.

When Chakotay nodded, it was enough for her, for now.

"Chakotay," she asked a few days ago, just after she had been to the Habak with Kolopak, "how do you initiate a vision quest if you're away from Dorvan V, like on your vessel or elsewhere like on Earth?"

Only then he told her about the akoonah and the river stone and the medicine bundle.

He told her about his spirit guide…

They were to leave that afternoon, and Kathryn had been loathe to rise from the bed. She had been seduced by the beauty and tranquillity of Dorvan V. Even the house the lived in… Chakotay's bedroom had no door, the entrance a wide arch through which it could be reached from the lounge, or the foyer. The first evening she had been reserved, wondering whether they might be disturbed. After that… It had been a liberated feeling, making love with him while just outside the window they could hear the voices of the villagers who passed.

"Don't worry, Kathryn. When I am inside my abode with my wife, they know better than to intrude…" he had told her arrogantly that night. Even now, when any moment Winonah and her mother would come in, she had not been afraid. She had gotten quickly used to that… Kathryn smiled inwardly. One morning Roshana had given her a secret, knowing little smile just after Kathryn and Chakotay had made love…

"I'm sorry to leave, Chakotay," she said finally as she got up to prepare to shower, and she tied up her hair quickly. Chakotay stood behind her hugging her and kissing the back of her neck.

"We'll be here again, sweet Kathryn, and…"

"And…?" she asked, her breathing become low again as Chakotay's insistent nuzzling started to excite her again.

"And you'll see something like you've never seen before…"

****

END CHAPTER ELEVEN

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