Title: Phoenix Rising: Rebirth 1/1
Author: Jessica
E-mail Address: Jessa5@aol.com
Size: 8K
Category: A; K/T
Rating: PG
Teaser: On a Voyager that is run by the children of the original crew, where
protocol is disregarded and a 22-year-old can be a commander, Harry Kim
has settled into life as a Captain.  And though it seems to his impressionable
crew that his life is complete, there is a deep sadness that lurks inside . . 

See Fall part one for disclaimers

PART THREE: Rebirth

"Harry?  Harry?"

Light.  Again.  Light and shifting colors.

"Harry, wake up.  You'll be late for your shift."  Ah, so he was in bed this 
time,
not in Sickbay.  What had happened in the interim?  And whose voice was that?

"B'Elanna?"

"Yeah, what?"

Harry's eyes snapped open.  She was sitting on the side of the bed -- 
Captain's
quarters, he noted absently -- wearing only a robe, with her long, 
grey-streaked
hair pulled over one shoulder.  She looked concerned.

"Harry, what's wrong?"

"N . . . Nothing . . . "

"You'll be late," she repeated.  "I'll bet Janice is already on the Bridge,
wondering where her darling Captain has gotten himself to."  B'Elanna smirked.
"Then again, maybe she'll be ignoring her post and staring at a certain Ops 
officer . . . "

Janice.  Michael.  So, this was the future he'd gone back to create?  The 
seed of
doubt he had planted in B'Elanna's mind while on that away mission had led
her to reconsider her relationship with Tom?  And everything else had gone 
the same 
as it had the first time . . . Except that B'Elanna was here in his bedroom, 
looking
at him with warmth and affection glowing in her eyes.  His breath caught in 
his
throat.  It was perfect . . . so perfect . . . 

But--

He couldn't remember anything of the past twenty-three years.  And to live 
this life
starting here . . . It wasn't fair to her.  Or to the man she had married.  
He had to
leave this, no matter how much he wanted it, how much his heart ached just 
looking
at B'Elanna's elegant beauty.  Her head was tilted slightly as she gazed down 
at him.

Harry reached a hand up to trace around the curve of her jaw.

"Harry?"

Pushing himself up with his other hand, he pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Harry, what's wrong?  Why are you acting so strangely?"

He pulled back and touched his forehead to hers, smiling even as his eyes 
filled up
with tears.  "Did I ever tell you that I love you?"

"All the time."

He pressed his lips against hers, not wanting to let go but knowing he must.  
*Please,* he called out with his mind and heart, picturing the robed aliens 
in 
his mind.  *Please, I need your help.  One last time.*

***

As he drifted in and out of consciousness, Harry was aware of a warm hand 
claping
his and a soft voice whispering in his ear.  "I love you, Harry," it 
whispered, over and
over.  And there was another figure, one that touched his forehead gently and 
said 
"Father," with a sort of sad, choked voice.

Yes.

This was what he had wanted.

His final wish.

*Thank you.*

And the darkness closed in on him.

***

POSTLUDE

Through the centuries, the Phoenix has been a religious symbol in hundreds of
cultures.  It is said to be the joining of man and woman, to possess aspects 
of
both good and evil, dark and light.  It is a creature of opposites, joined 
together
in holy harmony.  It is a creature that has represented the sun in its 
endless cycle,
or love in its endurance.  Every 500 years, the Phoenix builds a nest and 
consumes
itself in searing flames, burning every last feather until there is nothing 
left but
the ashes.  And yet, from these ashes, a new Phoenix is born; golden feathers
cover its body, and it takes to flight for another 500 years, until it again 
cycles
through death and rebirth.  This sacred bird and its endless circle of death 
and 
resurrection have come to be an example of the harmony between death and
life that we all attempt to understand.  For with life comes death, and with 
death
new life.  The proof is all around us -- volcanoes erupt, pouring forth
molten rock that destroys everything in its path.  And yet, that destructive force
becomes new land, and a place for life to form and everything to begin again.  A forest
cannot survive without forest fires; with the death of a star comes the birth of
something new.  Human life cycles as well; children become adults, and as adults grow
old, they go back to the ways of their childhood, until returning to the
blackness
from whence they came.

As the Phoenix dies and is born again, the spirit may also be resurrected.
There are times when spirit and hope may seem to have been reduced to mere ashes --
and yet, from those ashes comes a new spirit, and a new hope.  Death is part
of life, always, as the great sacred bird is reborn.

***
END

Comments to Jessa5@aol.com

Ending notes: I had some disagreement with myself over whether or not to take
Part Two all the way through to Harry and Lanna getting together, but when I
hit writer's block in the beginning of Part Two and didn't write again for almost
a year, I decided it was better left this way.  I'm aware that the parts get
progressively shorter, and it may seem a bit rushed, but please forgive me.  I haven't
watched Voyager all season, I don't even like it much anymore, and I'm just
celebrating being able to write *anything* K/T-related.  Writer's block is a pain in the
ass -- if I was able to get over it, I'm allowed to write short segments.  ^_^
Thanks for reading!