Kathryn was brought back to the present by the sound of a loud, lazy yawn. She smiled softly at him as his eyes found hers, and dulled by sleep, he frowned. "Everything okay?"

"Everything's fine." She walked into the room, sitting down on the edge of the mattress next to him. "How do you feel?"

Chakotay rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he took stock. "Like I could sleep for a year. Still sore though."

Unable to help herself, Kathryn touched his cheek. "Do you how glad I am to hear you say that?"

He covered her hand with his own, the light that filtered in through the doorway glinting off the ring he wore. "Almost as glad as I am to hear you say it."

She leaned forward and kissed him gently. "Think you've got room in here for one more?"

Chakotay smiled. "I was saving that spot for my wife."

Returning his grin, she quipped, "Well it's a good thing I'm her then."

He shifted over, holding the blanket back for her while she shed her robe, then covered her with it as he pulled her close. Breathing deeply, Kathryn settled in, her head resting in the crook of his shoulder and her arm snaking around his waist. They lay in silence for a while, until he started to chuckle. "What?" she asked, lifting her head to look at him.

"I just like the sound of that. 'My wife'."

She laid her head back down again. "I like hearing it…almost as much as hearing 'my husband'." They lapsed into silence, both thinking about the evening before, when things had finally settled down.

Kathryn was there to take Chakotay home when Doctor Crusher released him, home being her guest quarters on the Enterprise. She replicated a small dinner for them, which he was more than relieved to see after being stuck with ration packs the past few weeks. And after dinner, he left the table and slowly made his way over to the couch while she stopped at the replicator for after-dinner digestifs. "What happened to the ships we were fighting?" he asked her, taking the mug of tea that she offered.

"The Tzenkethi ships disengaged almost the minute we showed up," she said as she sat down beside him, "and left everyone else to fend for themselves."

He nodded as he heard this, taking a sip before asking, "Who are they?"

"Mercenaries for hire, as far as we can tell." She warmed her hands around her mug. "They're not talking. The one thing that we have determined is that they're not at all connected to Daltrea. In fact, all of the people they call cast-offs were accounted for on their world. The people we've captured have nothing to do with them, or their cause."

Letting his head drop, he let out a long breath. "And the Tzenkethi?"

She shook her head. "All queries to the Tzenkethi government have been silent. Our agents are apparently trying to dig up whatever they can on why you were attacked, but it could be a long time before we find out anything. If we do at all."

"So in other words, it was all for nothing." His eyes squeezed closed. "Six people died for nothing."

Kathryn reached over and rested her hand on his arm. "I'm sorry." Chakotay took the hand in his, looking at her with an expression she hadn't seen before. "What?"

It was a while before he answered her. "After this experience, I think I owe you an apology."

"Me?" she breathed, stunned that he would even think such a thing. "Why?"

"Because all those years in the Delta Quadrant, I thought you were being unreasonable for never wanting to be in a relationship with me. I knew I was ready, but it always seemed like your Starfleet principles were so much more important to you than I was." His gaze dropped to their hands, where his thumb was absently running across her knuckles. "I understand now that it wasn't that, but just that ensuring the survival of the crew took all of your focus and energy. And I feel horrible for blaming you like I did. I'm sorry."

His admission shocked her. "So am I," she said softly. "I wish I could have given you more." Seeing that he wasn't quite sure what to say, Kathryn pulled him into her arms and held him tightly, feeling him rest his forehead on top of her shoulder. He was drawing comfort from her, and she was more than happy to give it to him. When he finally pulled away, she was glassy-eyed when she told him, "But I'm ready for so much more now, if you are."

It made him truly smile for the first time in days. "Definitely." He leaned down and kissed her, reaching up to cradle her face in his hands.

When they parted, she drew a deep breath. "Computer, location of Captain Picard."

"Captain Picard is in his quarters."

"Is he asleep?"

"Affirmative."

Chakotay's head cocked to the side. "Are you serious?"

She shot him a coy look. "I am if you are."

Though she thought it impossible, his smile grew even brighter. "I've never been more serious in all my life."

And so they had woken Picard in the middle of what was ship's night in order to become husband and wife. No huge ceremony, nothing that anybody would have dreamed their wedding to be. But after so long, they had finally gained the one thing that had eluded them – love and the certainty that while it might be fleeting, it was theirs.