The next morning, for the second morning in a row, Kathryn woke up to the smell of fresh coffee and breakfast being cooked. They had stayed up late talking the night before, and hadn't gone to bed till after 0200, when they had reluctantly retired to their separate bedrooms. Even so, she was surprised to find it was nearly 1000 when she awoke. "You're going to spoil me," she said, as she emerged into the kitchen, cinching her robe around her waist.

Chakotay smiled enigmatically, kissed her and poured her a cup of coffee. They ate fresh berries and eggs florentine and talked about their plans. They would enjoy another day at the cabin, and then head out on their sailing trip the next day.

Kathryn cleaned up the breakfast dishes since Chakotay had cooked, and they both spent some time reading and working on their own projects. Kathryn was surprised at how easily they were able to maneuver around each other in the cabin, together, but each able to do their own thing. She supposed that she shouldn't have been surprised; it had been similar on New Earth, but they hadn't known each other nearly as well, then.

After a light lunch, they decided to go for a walk. Chakotay's pace was still slow, but he was getting stronger every day. "This place is healing me faster than all the doctors and psychiatrists Starfleet could throw at me," he said as they trudged down the path, the summer sun beating down on them.

When they arrived back at the house, they were both hot and sweaty, despite the leisurely pace of their walk. "How about a swim?" Kathryn suggested. "Last one in the water is a rotten dog bird egg!"

Of course, she won the contest, able to shimmy out of her summer dress and into her swimsuit, then run down to the water's edge faster than Chakotay could find his swim trunks. She was already wading out into the water when he reached the edge of the beach. He snuck up behind her and grabbed her around the waist. She squealed as he tossed her into the water. She came up, spluttering, pretending to be angry with him. "That's what you get for calling me a rotten dog bird egg," he said with a grin.

He waded out of the water and made his way up onto the dock where the warm sunshine soaked into his skin. He looked up at the sky, closing his eyes and breathing in the fresh air. He was so engrossed in his enjoyment that he didn't hear Kathryn creeping up behind him, anxious for retaliation. She pushed him, hard, and he stumbled and fell off the dock into the water. She jumped in after him, expecting him to surface again immediately. When he didn't, she became concerned. Had she pushed him harder than she thought? Was he still that weak from his injuries? Had he hit his head on a rock in the water? "Chakotay?" she called, looking around anxiously. "Chakotay?" There was not even a disturbance in the lake to indicate where he might have fallen. "Chakotay!"

Then she felt something brush past her leg, and before she could react, she felt herself flying up in the air. She hit the water with barely enough time to hold her breath before she went under again. A strong pair of arms encircled her waist, and then her head was above water and she was in Chakotay's arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "You scared me half to death! I thought you'd fallen and hit your head."

"I used to scare my sisters that way when I was a kid. I'd hold my breath and swim along the bottom of the river, then grab them and flip them over. I wondered if I could still do it."

"Well, now that you've assured yourself of your capabilities, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't scare me like that again."

"Sorry." He nuzzled her nose with his, and then found her lips for a probing kiss. She wrapped her legs around his waist and gently ran her fingernails down the back of his neck. She was weightless in his arms, and her body was warm, pressed against his as his tongue explored her mouth.

"Not that sorry," she whispered in his ear as she peppered kisses along his jawline and ran her tongue over his earlobe, making him shudder. Then she untangled herself from him and began to swim away. "Let's swim to the point."

"Kathryn Janeway, you are an evil, evil woman!" he called as he set out after her. She laughed and kept swimming. A ways down the shore, the land jutted out into the water, forming a sharp point. They swam close to the shore, but by the time they reached the point and turned around Chakotay was breathing hard. It was the most physical exertion he'd experienced since before his imprisonment, but he refused to give up or let Kathryn see his fatigue as they completed their swim.

By the time they made it back to the cabin, he was struggling to keep up with her, and she slowed her pace to swim next to him. "Are you okay? I'm sorry, I didn't think..."

"It's okay," he said as he planted his feet in the sand. "I feel a lot stronger than I did." As he trudged out of the water and lost his buoyancy, his step faltered, and Kathryn hurried to his side, insinuating herself under his arm so he could lean on her. She helped him to a lawn chair, and he collapsed into it. She pulled up another chair next to him.

"Are you sure you're okay? Can I get you anything?"

He reached over to squeeze her hand. "I like seeing this side of you."

"I'll get us some lemonade. You rest." She leaned over and kissed his cheek and then headed up to the house.

They sat by the water and drank ice cold lemonade and sunbathed until they were both warm and dry. Kathryn let Chakotay nap while she prepared dinner, after much teasing and cajoling from him. She was feeling a completely irrational need to prove that she was capable of making a decent meal without using a replicator, so she settled on a pasta salad with lots of vegetables and a smoked mozzarella cheese. Then she pulled a bottle of Viognier out of the family wine cellar and set the table on the deck.

Just as she was placing the last fork on the table, Chakotay emerged from his bedroom. "Looks good," he said, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. She leaned back into his embrace and turned her head so they could share a brief kiss.

"I didn't even use the replicator."

They sat down, and he looked at his dish of pasta dubiously. "Maybe you should try it first, just to make sure it's not lethal."

She glared at him.

"I'm just kidding, Kathryn. I'm sure it's delicious." To prove he wasn't joking this time, he took a big bite of pasta.

She raised her wine glass. "Cheers."

He clinked his glass against hers. "To renewing friendships."

"And exploring new possibilities," she echoed, looking at him shyly.

He raised an eyebrow and smiled. "I'll drink to that."

"This really is good," he said, shoveling another forkful of pasta into his mouth. She was quiet while they ate, preoccupied with her thoughts. After dinner, he reached across the table and took her hand. "What are you thinking about?"

"There's something I have to tell you."

"I'm listening."

"Wait here." She squeezed his hand and disappeared into the house, then returned a moment later with a PADD. "I found this, in my belongings, about two weeks after we got home. You're the only person I've shared it with." She handed him the admiral's letter and watched his eyes widen as he realized what it was.

He read every word carefully, riveted to the PADD. What happened to my Chakotay? He died not long after we made it home. Another thing to add to my long list of regrets... When I found out about him and Seven, it hit me a lot harder than I thought it would. I officiated at their wedding. I smiled. I put on a brave face. "I always wondered what she told Seven," he murmured. "Seven never shared it with me." I still talk to him, you know. Unfortunately, it's been a one way conversation for many years. He looked up at the Kathryn Janeway who was sitting across from him. "It must have been terrible for her."

She nodded. "It must have been."

I've always wondered, if I had handled the situation differently, what would have happened between us. Don't lose him, Kathryn. You need him and he needs you. This is your last chance. Don't waste it. When he finished reading, he looked up, finding Kathryn's eyes, sure that the emotional impact the letter had had on him was plain to see on his face. "She was right. The future is never set in stone." His voice was soft, and his hand sought hers across the table.

"She was right about a lot of things. I spent the last six months living without you, and that was more than enough for me to learn that I don't like it at all." She paused. "The morning after I read this letter, I tried to call you, to see what I could do about repairing our friendship."

"Two weeks after we got home? I had already left on the mission," he realized.

She nodded slowly. "The admiral tried to give me a second chance. I thought I blew it." Her voice caught in her throat as she remembered the hopelessness and fear she'd felt when she'd found out he was missing.

"Hey," he said, crossing around the table to pull her up out of her chair and into his arms. "I think we both got another chance."

...

Early the next morning, they headed to the marina. Chakotay was being very secretive about a large bag he'd brought along for the trip, and Kathryn was dying of curiosity. Chakotay wasn't budging, however, determined to keep his secret.

They hoisted the sails and launched the boat. It was a beautiful day to go sailing, with just enough of a breeze to keep them moving. Puffy clouds flitted across the sky as they set sail into the open bay. They planned to spend at least one night on the boat and sail from one end of the lake to the other. Kathryn taught Chakotay everything she knew about sailing, and he discovered that sailing in real life was a lot harder than sailing on the holodeck. After the previous day's swimming adventure, she was careful not to push him too hard.

As evening approached, they dropped anchor and lowered the mainsail. Chakotay ushered Kathryn below decks and instructed her to wait there for several minutes. "Am I going to find out what you've been plotting all day?" she asked.

He winked at her. "If you're good." A few minutes later, when he was ready, Chakotay called down the hatch, "You can come out now."

She climbed up the ladder and clasped his hand as he helped her onto the deck. He took advantage of her hand in his, pulling her into an embrace and entwining his fingers in her hair for a passionate kiss. "You didn't need to send me below decks for that," she said when they separated.

"But I did for this," he replied, gesturing with one arm to the deck of the boat. He had laid out a beautiful picnic - bread, cheese, strawberries and a bottle of champagne in the chiller, with two crystal champagne flutes.

"Chakotay, this is beautiful," she breathed. "It's just like..."

"Just like the holodeck five years ago," he agreed. Then he took a deep breath. "Except the air smells better." He sat down on the picnic blanket and motioned for her to join him. "But this is a celebration of life, too."

"Thank you. This is wonderful."

He spread some brie on a piece of bread and held it up to her mouth so she could take a bite. She passed him a strawberry, raising it to his lips. He ate the berry off her fingers, and then licked each finger, one by one, making sure to get all the juices. Then he held a strawberry up for her, and she ate it slowly, keeping eye contact with him as she swirled her tongue over each of his digits in turn. She sipped her champagne and savored the cool, fizzy sensation on her tongue. He took a long drink from his glass, then leaned over and kissed her, their tongues entwining, both cool and tasting of champagne.

She settled back against him and sighed contentedly as he fed her another strawberry. The sun was beginning to dip lower, lining the clouds with gold and silver. The sunlight cast a golden path across the water, and Kathryn raised an arm towards the sky. "Sometimes, it seems almost like you can touch the clouds from here."

Chakotay kissed the top of her head and chuckled. "I never knew you were such a romantic."

"It's this place. It brings out my poetic side."

"I remember you told me on the holodeck that even though Indiana would always be home, this place gave you peace. I wanted to recreate that night for you, to make up for the chance I missed back then."

"What chance was that?" she asked, sitting up and turning to face him.

He cupped her cheek in his hand. "The chance to tell you that I love you."

Sudden tears welled in her eyes, and she turned her face into his hand to kiss his palm, and then wrapped her arms around his neck. She pressed her face into his shoulder for a moment and then pulled back so she could look him in the eye. "I love you, too. And Admiral Janeway was right; I don't want to live without you."

"We're not going to waste our second chance, Kathryn. I promise you that."

She blinked away the tears that threatened to fall, and he reached up to brush them away with the pads of his thumbs. He cupped her face between his hands, like he had that day in the rain, and lowered his lips to hers for a long kiss. Then they settled against each other and watched as the sun dipped lower on the horizon and the scattered clouds turned bright pink and then deep purple as it sank into the lake.

"Chakotay, what do you say to spending another week here?" she asked quietly as she traced patterns on his broad chest. "I have a lot of leave stored up, and no pending assignments."

He laced his fingers through hers. "I hate to say it, but I think you're stuck with me. Here or wherever else you'll have me."

She looked up at him with eyes full of hope, and he smiled at her expression. "So, you'll come home with me to San Francisco when my leave is up? Am I rushing things too much?"

Dusk was falling and the first stars were appearing in the sky as he laid her back against the deck, settling his weight on top of her and kissing her deeply. He ran his fingers through her hair and then caressed her cheek, looking down at her with eyes full of passion, love and promises. "Kathryn Janeway, I should have followed you home a long time ago."