The next morning Janeway and Chakotay arrive in the turbolift and enter the Bridge. They find Tuvix at the tactical/security station, already busy working. Tuvix: "Good morning, Captain, Commander." Janeway: "You're here bright and early, Lieutenant." Tuvix: "Actually I've been since 0400 hours. I wanted to work on that proximity detector glitch in the security subroutine." Janeway: "How's it going?" Tuvix: "I managed to correct it." Chakotay: "Tuvok said it could take up to ten days to check on all the possible problems. How did you fix it so fast?" Tuvix: "I had a hunch." Janeway: "A hunch?" Tuvix: "That's correct. You'll have a report on your desk first thing this afternoon." Kim contacts Tuvix via comms: "Kim to Mr Tuvix." Tuvix: "Tuvix here." Kim: "We're just about ready to start the transporter tests if you'd like to join us." Tuvix: "I'm on my way. Excuse me, Captain." As Chakotay and Janeway move to the command centre, Janeway remarks: "Well, he's certainly fitting in, isn't he?" Chakotay: "There's an old axiom: 'The whole is never greater than the sum of its parts.'" They take their seats. "I think Tuvix might be disproving that notion." As he waits for their shared monitor to rise so that he can examine its read-outs, Janeway looks back to where Tuvix left by turbolift, wondering about him.

Voyager in planetary orbit. Torres and Paris have arrived on the planet surface, having travelled by shuttlecraft. Torres: "Give me the flowers from the airponics bay. Paris removes them from his container: "There you go. One prize-winning chrysanthemum, one garden variety clematis, and last but not least," he goes and picks an orchid native to the planet, "one symbiogenetic alien orchid." Torres puts the three plants together in a container. Paris helps her fasten it shut. Torres: "I never thought that botanical science class would come in so handy." She taps her combadge. combadge "Torres to Transporter Room 1. We're ready down here."

Kim, via comms: "Acknowledged. Energising."
Torres and Paris watch the container being beamed up.
The container arrives back on board Voyager. transporter The plants have merged into one.

Sickbay. Doctor: "We've made over one hundred attempts to reverse the symbiogenesis using the medical transporter, and each time this has been the unfortunate result - complete cellular collapse."
Kim: "The genetic codes of the chrysanthemum and the clematis are so scrambled that the targetting scanners can't recognise the original patterns." Tuvix: "I suppose it would be like trying to extract the flour, eggs and water after you bake the cake."
Doctor: "Obviously in the case of Mr Tuvix we're dealing with a much more complicated organism than a flower. In effect we're talking about re-creating two humanoid lifeforms without so much as a single discrete strand of DNA to start with." Tuvix: "Are you saying I'm going to be this way forever?"
Doctor: "I am an incredibly skilled Doctor, and I will continue to pursue a safe and effective treatment until I find one. But I won't lie to you. I'm not optimistic. It could take months, even years, to find a solution. And we may face the possibility that this condition is simply....untreatable. I feel as though I've lost two patients. I'm sorry." Janeway: "I'll inform the rest of the crew."
Kes is stricken - it seems she has lost Neelix forever.

Kes is in her quarters, meditating in front of two Ocampan prayer tapers when the door signal sounds. door signal Kes: "Come in." Tuvix enters. "I hope I'm not disturbing you?" Kes, awkwardly: "It's alright. Erm, please, sit down." Tuvix: "Ocampan prayer tapers. For Tuvok and Neelix?" Kes, trying to control her grief: "It's funny. If something happened to Tuvok, if Neelix were here he'd be the first person to comfort me. And if I lost Neelix, Tuvok would be the first person to guide me spiritually. Now I don't have either of them." Tuvix: "You have me, Kes." Kes: "Thank you. But-" Tuvix: "I remind you of what you've lost." Kes: "It's not your fault." Tuvix: "I know, and I'm trying to accept who I am now. Captain Janeway tells me there's a place for me on this ship, but I can't help feeling like, like some sort of imposter." Kes: "Maybe we can help each other get through this." Tuvix: "That's what I've been hoping. I know this is going to sound very strange to you, perhaps even illogical, since we've only known each other a few days, but I want you to know - I love you, Kes." Kes is taken aback. "But I hardly know you. And besides, what about, what about Tuvok's wife, for one thing? He was completely devoted to her. What happens when Voyager gets back home. Are you just going to forget her?" Tuvix: "I could never forget T'Pel. I carry Tuvok's love for her inside me. And I would never ask you to forget Neelix." Kes: "How can you talk this way?" Tuvix: "Because I carry Neelix's love for you inside me as well, and I always will. You heard the Doctor. It could be years before he finds a way to find Tuvok and Neelix back, if ever. For you, that might be a lifetime." Kes hurries away from him, deeply upset. "Please go." Tuvix: "I'm sorry. I should have controlled my emotions. All I really came to say is that I'll be here for you, if you need me." He kisses her gently on the cheek and then leaves, not fully aware of how much his unexpected declaration, his physical closeness and his touch have caused her even more distress.

Kes goes to Janeway's quarters. She hesitates a moment, then presses the door signal. The doors open and Janeway is there in her nightdress and dressing gown. Janeway: "Kes." Kes: "Captain. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have bothered you this late. I'll er talk to you tomorrow."
Janeway: "Actually I was having trouble sleeping. I could use some company." Warmly she brings Kes into her quarters. "Would you like some hot tea? Please sit down."
Janeway tells Kes: "I was just looking over some old letters Tuvok sent me when he was temporarily assigned to Jupiter Station."
Janeway continued: "Most people would say his writing is cold, analytical, detached, but I've always found it to be concise, efficient, thoughtful. I hear his voice when I read the words." and she smiles, remembering. "And Neelix, I've become so fond of him, Kes. I can't imagine what you're going through."

Kes: "I wanted to talk to you about Tuvix. He came to see me this afternoon. He said, he said....that he loves me!" Janeway: "I suppose I can see how that's possible, given the circumstances." Kes: "I wasn't sure what to say! At first I was angry. But I know how he's trying to comfort me and I know that he feels alone too. To tell the truth, he's a wonderful person." Janeway: "Do you have feelings for him too, Kes?" Kes: "No, I don't. I mean, how could I? I still love Neelix, and I'm not ready to give up on him, no matter what the Doctor says." Janeway: "I know how you feel. You're experiencing what people on this crew have been going through since we first got stranded in this quadrant. Do we accept that we're separated from our loved ones forever, or do we hold onto the hope that some day we'll be with them again?" Kes: "What do you do, Captain?" Janeway: "Oh, I struggle with it everyday. Sometimes I'm full of hope and optimism. Other times, I dream about being with Mark, and it's so real, then when I wake up and realise it's just a dream I'm terribly discouraged. In those moments it's impossible to deny just how far away he really is, and er, I know that some day I may have to accept that he's not part of my life any more." Kes: "So are you saying that I should just accept that Neelix isn't a part of my life any more?" Janeway: "I would never tell you or anyone else to give up hope, Kes. I think the best thing you can do now is give yourself time."

Kes: "Thank you, Captain. I'll go now and let you sleep." As they hug each other, Janeway says: "My door is always open to you, Kes."