Disclaimer: Paramount owns these characters (and half the world). I make no money off of this story. No copyright infringement is intended.

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Misinterpretations

by Tamar Richardson

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Epilogue

He screamed and sat up in bed. He was drenched in a cold sweat. His body was violently trembling. All he could do to comfort himself was to repeat that it was just a dream, over and over again in his head.

Chakotay felt a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?" Kathryn asked.

"Yeah," he lied. He threw the covers off of himself and went into the bathroom to throw some cold water over his face.

"Chakotay?" she called over the running water. "Do you want to talk about it?"

The water shut off and Chakotay went back to where Kathryn lay on the bed. "It was just the usual," he replied, getting back into bed.

"The prison camp?"

He nodded, "The prison camp."

"Chakotay..." She was worried.

"Not now, Kathryn." He turned his back towards her and closed his eyes. She leaned over and him on the forehead. He grunted.

It had been five months since they had been in the camp. Her dreams had stopped long ago, but his continued. She had tried to get him help, but Chakotay refused each time. And it wasn't just the just the dreams that bothered her; his whole personality had changed. He was no longer the kind, gentle sole Janeway knew so well, but rather a harsh, hateful being. The drugs had done something permanent, but she would never know exactly what.

She rolled over and looked at the chronometer. 05:47, it would be morning soon. Janeway still had an hour left of sleep. As she closed her eyes, she said a little prayer for all the lives that had been lost on Voyager.

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