Disclaimer: Paramount claims to own the Delta-Quadrant, but a certain omnipotent-being offered us a chance to write this story behind their backs.
We started this before Mosaic was published...So it is a definite CBD (canon be damned) story, since we decided to keep Chakotay's spirit guide a wolf.
Chakotay leaned back in his chair and smiled. So far it had been an easy trip...He'd volunteered to fly the supplies to the mining teams on Weomia.
He laughed quietly as he remembered the teasing from B'Elanna as she had finished unloading the supplies. 'Well, you made it this far. Think you can make it back to Voyager without damaging *this shuttle* too?'
He looked at the chronometer. One hour to go and he could take a shower and change.
"Shuttle Merryweather to Voyager."
"Ah, Commander," Tom's voice said. "We have you on our sensors. Congratulations on making it this far."
"Tom, how would you like to clean plasma conduits?"
Any reply that Tom made was silenced as a blinding flash filled the shuttle and Chakotay collapsed across the console.
#
#
He woke slowly and rubbed his eyes. The lights were still bright, and he was confused.
"Ah Commander welcome back." The Doctor's head filled his vision. "That was some fancy flying."
"Flying? What happened?"
"The shuttle was hit by a plasma discharge. You flew it back to Voyager without any systems." The doctor laughed slightly. "Even Tom was impressed."
ChakotayÕs brow furrowed, his eyes grew distant. There had been a blinding flash. After that, he remembered nothing, least of all flying the shuttle back to the ship. ÒI...I donÕt remember anything after encountering the...plasma discharge? I was hit by a plasma discharge?Ó
ÒYes. ItÕs amazing that you survived the energy burst at all, let alone had the ability to pilot the shuttle back to Voyager. I am still at a loss to explain how you managed to survive the incident with nothing more than a scraped knee, a bump on the head, and a minor concussion.Ó
ChakotayÕs eyes remained distant, his mind straining to remember...searching and sifting...attempting to find even the smallest shred of memory upon which to grasp. To no avail. He sighed in frustration. ÒWhere did the plasma discharge originate from?Ó
ÒI donÕt know, Commander. The cause is currently under investigation.Ó
ÒWhy canÕt I remember anything?Ó
The Doctor frowned slightly. He quietly retrieved a medical scanner from a nearby medtray, returned to ChakotayÕs biobed, and initiated a scan. ÒThe head trauma you suffered during your ordeal was not serious enough to cause any neural damage to the memory centers of your cerebral cortex, or any other area of your brain, for that matter.Ó He deactivated the scanner, then turned his face fully to the Commander. ÒI would venture you are suffering from post-traumatic stress. Given time, your memory will return.Ó
ChakotayÕs eyes narrowed as he considered the DoctorÕs words. ÒPost-traumatic stress?Ó
ÒYes.Ó His expression softened, his voice lowered. ÒIt was quite an ordeal, Commander. For everyone.Ó
Chakotay sighed, bit the inside corner of his mouth. ÒIÕll bet.Ó
ÒChakotay!Ó
Tom Paris. Chakotay knew that drawl anywhere. Definitely Tom Paris. He quickly glanced at the Doctor, then pushed himself up on his elbows, turned his head, watched the ensign approach.
"Chakotay," Tom grinned, calling his name again when he was closer. "For an old man, that was some damn fancy flying. I doubt even I could have managed the maneuver you did. You've been holding back on us."
"Thanks Tom," Chakotay returned, pushing himself completely into a sitting position. He found that he suddenly felt antsy. "But I don't remember a thing, so I couldn't repeat it again if I wanted to."
"A brilliant move like that!?" Tom spoke as if it were a criminal offense, shifting slightly to allow the commander more room to move. "You *have* to remember! That plasma charge affected the sensor take for a few moments...most of the really good stuff the computer didn't even get."
The Doctor rolled his eyes and moved the conversation to a lower priority. He began a new set of scans along the commander's cranium--one couldn't be too careful with a concussion. And he didn't like the fact the commander was having memory problems, even though he knew his initial prognosis was the most likely one.
"What's the matter, Tom," Chakotay was grinning. "Afraid you'll..." His voice broke off as a whining shriek split the air. All eyes went to the Doctor's tricorder. It was making a decidedly un-Starfleet type sound.
The Doctor for his part dropped the offending device. It clattered to the floor.
#
"Captain," a young ensign standing at the security station said. "I'm showing an increase in..." A shrill whine filled the bridge, causing everybody to clasp their ears in pain.
It lasted five seconds before ceasing. Cautiously, Janeway unclasped her ears as she looked around. "Ensign, I want a complete report on what happened." She looked around again. "Casualties?"
"None reported. The sound was experienced on all decks."
Janeway resisted the urge to pace. "Any idea what it was?"
"Engineering is reporting that it was apparently a medium-frequency audio emission...They are still tracking the cause." The young ensign sent the information to the Captain's terminal.
"Sickbay to bridge," Tom's voice sounded concerned.
"Yes, Tom?" Janeway said.
"Captain, the Commander has collapsed."
She was out her chair and half-way to the lift before she turned command over to Ensign Kim.
#
ÒReport.Ó Kathryn Janeway demanded, barely through the doors to sickbay. The Doctor spared her not even a glance, his head bowed to the medical tricorder held within his left hand, his right hand holding the scanner over the forehead of her First Officer. She glanced quickly at Tom as she crossed the distance between herself and the trio on the far side of the main bay. As she reached the biobed, her gaze dropped to the still form lying there. ÒDoctor?Ó
ÒVery unusual.Ó the Doctor stated, without looking up from the display of the tricorder, one eyebrow raised in fascination.
Her eyes lifted to the Doctor. ÒWhat?Ó
ÒFor some reason, which I have yet to determine, the CommanderÕs neural peptide levels have increased three-hundred-twenty-six percent. His brain appears to have entered into a state of selective hyperactivity.Ó
Tom looked from the Commander to the Doctor, cocked his head. ÒWhat? Three-hundred-twenty-six percent?Ó His brow furrowed slightly. ÒAnd...what do you mean by...selective?Ó
The Doctor gave Tom a look. "By selective, I mean that only the frontal region of his cerebral cortex is experiencing the hyperactivity. The other areas of his brain appear to be normal...for the moment."
"What do you mean, for now?" Kathryn asked, looking toward Tom who clearly had the same question on his mind.
"Several of the monitors were running active scans on the commander at the time the...equipment failure occurred. The moment after systems returned to normal, I noticed that *all* of his levels were erratic, but beginning to stabilize."
"Do you think that the malfunction may have had an effect on him?" Kathryn asked. Her scientist's mind couldn't not work on the problem.
"It's a possibility," the Doctor answered. "But at the moment..."
The Doctor's words faded to the back of Kathryn's perception. A gentle buzzing invaded her brain and then for the briefest moment, she felt as if her eyes were opening. Then it was gone.
"Welcome back, Commander," the Doctor was saying...
Chakotay smiled at the sight of Kathryn smiling at him. "Hello," he whispered.
"Commander." She didn't succeed in keeping a hint of warmth out of her voice. "How you feeling?"
"Outside of a headache, not bad." He was rubbing his forehead. "What happened?"
"That is what I am trying to ascertain," the Doctor said. "There was an equipment malfunction..."
Chakotay nodded as he remembered. "A whine...then I don't remember..." He looked back at the Captain, "I'm glad you came to see me. I was hoping you would."
She smiled back. "Next time use your communicator. How is he doctor?"
"In the last few minutes his brain activity levels have returned to normal. He's relieved of duty for the next forty-eight hours." The doctor pulled a small device from a tray. "And I would like to continue monitoring him." He carefully placed the device on the Commander's right temple.
Chakotay slid off the bio-bed. "Thanks Doc."
Tom smiled as he watched the two commanding officers leave.
"Ensign?"
"Huh?" Tom turned to look at the Doctor.
"Do you have an extra-shift in sick-bay that I was not notified of?"
"Oh...no." Tom left quickly, before the Doctor could think of something for him to do.
#
The water felt good. Hot. Pulsing. Relaxing. He was tense.
He wondered idly if the monitor the Doctor had attached could get wet. "Too late now." he muttered as his right hand lifted, distractedly touched the device. The Doctor had said something about his brain activity levels. Why had he not thought to ask what he was talking about? Why had he not thought to question the need for a monitoring device?
His eyes narrowed in question as he halted the flow of water and stepped from the shower. Absent-mindedly, he grabbed the towel lying on the vanity, wrapped it around his waist. His mind again raced through recent events...the mission, the flight back, the flash of light, then...nothing. Still nothing. He rested his palms flat atop the counter, leaned forward, rested his weight on his hands, shook his head. "Guess you got hit on the head a little harder than the Doc realizes." he sighed.
His stomach growled.
He smiled, glanced down. How long had it been since he'd eaten anything. He couldn't remember. He snorted. "You're losing it, old man."
His stomach growled again.
He pushed off from the counter. "All right, already." He headed into his bedroom, tossed the towel on the bed, moved to stand before his closet.
His stomach again reminded him of it's need.
He shook his head and smiled. "Quiet down...Neelix's cooking isn't worth the fuss." It never was. "Not like Chuna's on Hlerxic Prime." His brow furrowed. *What?* What had he just said?
With deeper thought, came sensations. He remembered the flavor of Rack of Rivta in heavy cream sauce. And a lovely J'manian purple salad. He could smell it all, so wonderful. And the dancing girls...He could hear the soft rhythmic beating of drums. See the flurry of grass skirts...He'd even danced with them before...
#
#
"Emergency Medical Hologram to the Captain."
"Janeway here, what is it Doctor?" Kathryn Janeway sat staring at a report on the status of operations on the moon.
"Have you sent Commander Chakotay on an away mission so soon? I was under the impression that you understood that the--"
Janeway cut him off. "What are you talking about? Commander Chakotay is in his quarters."
"I would beg to differ," the EMH said, dryly. "I am no longer getting any feed from the..." A loud electronic squeal tore through the ships systems, effectively shutting out the rest of the Doctor's phrase.
Janeway was on her feet, grabbing her ears to block the painful sound. Then as suddenly as it had began the sound quit...Carefully she pulled her hands away from her ears, then tapped her comm-badge. "Janeway to Ensign Kim." She continued once he acknowledged. "I want you to go over this ship, find out what that noise was..."
She tapped her comm-badge again...only to be interrupted by the Doctor. "Captain, Commander is in sick-bay."
"On my way." She rushed out of her quarters.
"Report," she said before the doors completely opened.
The Doctor looked up from his patient. "He's conscious, but complaining of a major headache..."
Janeway looked at the Commander, then the Doctor. "Can anyone here tell me *what the hell is going on?*"
Chakotay's head hurt too much to comfortably respond--but he tried anyway. "I had these strange sensations--involving food...Foods I've never eaten or heard of..." He smiled slightly at the memory. "Then I was there, eating rack of Rivta in cream sauce..."
Doctor nodded. "He was off the ship for exactly three point five seconds. And I am showing that he has recently eaten..."
Janeway felt confused--this was decidedly weird..."Eaten? Neelix's..."
"No...An unidentified food...With cream sauce."
She looked at her first officer, "And you didn't save me any?"
He laughed, then moaned at the pain.
"He's brain activity went off the charts just before he vanished..." The Doctor said calmly as he administered yet another hypospray. "I am at a loss to explain the phenomena..."
"Could it be related to the accident?" Janeway asked.
"That would be a distinct possibility." The hologram moved away from the biobed to the wall to study the data.
"Chakotay?" She asked taking his hand. "How are you feeling?"
He smiled at her then with forced cheerfulness, said: "I've felt better..." He stared into her eyes, the overwhelming urge to kiss her...
Kathryn leaned down and gently brushed his lips with hers. "Get well..." She stammered as her face turned beet red. She turned and quickly left. *Whatever was I thinking,* she mentally reprimanded herself as she made her way to the bridge.
Chakotay watched Kathryn leave, his brow furrowed...confused, shocked, more than a bit dazed. Not from the headache, not from his culinary adventure, but from the kiss, or rather, the fact that he had just been thinking about kissing her...and then it happened. HeÕd been thinking about food in his quarters...and then...
He blinked, shook his head to clear it. How could he think of eating something heÕd never before eaten...in a place heÕd never before seen...only to find himself there? It made no sense. Kathryn kissing him made no sense. And yet, heÕd been there...and...she had. It had to be a dream. None of this was happening...none of it was possible.
He closed his eyes. *A dream.* That had to be it. HeÕd suffered a concussion. Perhaps this was merely the after-effects of the shuttle incident. HeÕd wake up...find himself in sickbay. None of it would have happened. ChunaÕs, the kiss...nothing but a dream.
#
He had an insane urge to tap the back of his hand, but decided against it. Perhaps if he just cleared his mind, tried to meditate...
He closed his eyes and forced himself to calm, allowing the events of the day to wash over and through him. He thought of the moment earlier in the morning when he and the captain had been discussing his upcoming shuttle mission.
There had been a little light-hearted banter, and then he'd made some comment about her drinking too much coffee. She'd admitted to being practically a slave to the stuff. But then his thoughts wandered...
*"I admit to being a slave to the stuff," Kathryn laughed over her shoulder from her position near the replicator. "But I'd rather be *your* slave..." Gone was the trim black and red uniform, gone were the regulation boots and the smart hair style.
Kathryn Janeway stood dressed harem-style in green satin, only her eyes were visible above a veil. She advanced slowly on him while lazy Risan music played in the background...*
#
Kathryn stood in the turbolift staring dazedly ahead. What had gotten into her? Her face burned with embarrassment every time she thought of what had taken place in sick bay.
She closed her eyes and shook her head, hoping to dash away the images. Instead another set returned. It'd been after the morning briefing. She and Chakotay were discussing his upcoming shuttle mission. Yes, this was better. This was how she saw him, she told herself. Friend and officer.
She'd offered him coffee, he'd turned it down, telling her she drank too much of it. She'd laughed it off and told him that she was probably a slave to the stuff, then she'd spun and said she'd rather be his slave...
Kathryn's eyes flew open. "Halt Lift!" she ordered. The lift slipped to a smooth stop. She glanced around the empty confines, attempting to gather her wits--the image had seemed so real--yet she knew that it hadn't happened--had it? Taking a deep breath, she composed herself and resumed the journey to the bridge. A lazy Risan tune remained in the back of her mind.
The bridge, she was happy to notice, did not consist of silk drapes and exotic music. She rubbed her forehead and walked over to the ops station. Harry looked up quickly and smiled. "Evening Captain."
"Anything?" She asked.
"Nothing. The only thing was that the sound came within seconds of sensors detecting the Commander being back on the ship."
"Anything on that?" This whole thing was too weird for her.
"Again nothing," Harry said. "We're running an overnight diagnostic on the sensors. There are no signs of transporter activity...Aliens...Or other anomalies."
She nodded, "Keep me informed..." She glanced around the bridge, delta shift was settled. "I'll be in my quarters. Ensign."
Harry nodded and returned to the incoming data--he would retire soon. The diagnostic results would be waiting for him in the morning.
#
Chakotay looked at the Doctor. "Please?" He asked desperately. The last thing he wanted to do was spend the night in sick-bay.
"Commander, I think it is for best. You have had two unexplained events." That was the end of the argument as far as the Doctor was concerned. He moved to look at the bioscans. The Commander's brain activity was again well within normal parameters.
Chakotay looked at the Doctor and smiled. The Doctor vanished as he shut himself off for the night.
The commander stood and made his way to his quarters.
#
#
"Sickbay to Captain Janeway."
Kathryn looked up from the PADD she held in her hands. "Go ahead Doctor."
"Captain." came the DoctorÕs disembodied voice. That one word alone conveyed annoyance, more. "Despite my orders to the contrary, the Commander has left sickbay. According to the computer, he is in his quarters. However, he is not answering my summons."
Her brow furrowed as she rose from her sofa. "Is he still being monitored?"
"Yes, Captain. Brain functions and vitals are within normal parameters. He does not appear to be in distress. I can only assume he is unwilling to respond."
"And you would like me to talk to him."
"I would like you to order him back to sickbay."
Chakotay was not normally this difficult. She was surprised heÕd acted against the DoctorÕs orders and left sickbay. It wasnÕt like him. She sighed, set the PADD on the coffee table then turned to the door of her quarters. "IÕll see what I can do, Doctor. Janeway out."
She exited her quarters and walked to his cabin, the next door down the corridor. She lifted her hand a rang the door chime.
There was no response.
She rang the chime again. "Chakotay." she called through the door. "ItÕs Kathryn."
Again, no response.
Without a second thought, she entered her security override code. The door immediately open, bidding her enter. She stepped into darkness.
A shadowed sliver of light reflected from someplace within the bedroom. Wondering if he was perhaps meditating, she hesitated to turn on the lights. Moving toward the light, she cut a cautious path around the sofa and end table, navigating by the star light that shone through the window.
She began to hear a low shuffling sound as she approached the room, and a sound that was eerily familiar...like the panting of an animal. Then she saw the uniform, torn into tatters just outside of the bedroom. Brown strands of what looked like animal fur were mingled among the tatters. She froze in her tracks, stunned.
A low growl echoed out of the room.
"Chakotay?" She whispered as she considered calling security.
The only response was a whimper...It seemed to beseech her to come forward, then to stay where she was.
She stepped forward slowly while again whispering, "Chakotay?"
A pair of dark gold eyes watched her as she stopped in the doorframe.
Kathryn stepped back quickly...The animal whimpered...almost like it was trying to say her name. Her hand reached for her comm-badge as the dog-like animal leapt on her. It's face just inches from hers.
Then it was gone...Escaping out into the corridor. She lay there--breathing hard, then tapped her comm-badge. "Intruder alert deck three, Commander Chakotay's quarters."
She pushed herself upright. "Computer. Lights. Fifty percent illumination."
ChakotayÕs quarters were suddenly awash in light. Nothing was out of the ordinary, except for the tattered heap of clothing and fur that lay to her left. She quietly stood, stepped to the remnants, knelt to inspect them. Something caught her eye...half buried under a shredded sleeve. She pushed the fabric aside and picked up the device...the cortical monitor that the Doctor had affixed to Chakotay.
Her eyes narrowed as she fingered the device. The Doctor had been getting readings when heÕd contacted her. The readings had been normal. What was happening?
#
His eyes opened slowly, sluggishly, to discover gray metal, dim lighting. A Jeffries tube. He was curled up in fetal position...naked, cold...in a Jeffries tube junction. His brow furrowed...confusion defined the lines of his face...as he attempted to push himself up on trembling arms. *What the hell is happening?*
He jumped slightly...startled. Voices...behind him...distant.
Coming to his knees, he crawled toward the voices. He was tired, so very tired. The voices were coming closer. He couldn't make out the words, but the urgency of the steps sent a surge of adrenaline through him. Instantly alert, he moved to his haunches, his back against a side wall.
Wild thoughts chased through his mind, memories of the hunt, the capture, of running wild and free with nothing to separate him from the wind in his fur...hair.
The footsteps were drawing closer. He tore off through the tube, moving on hands and feet. The urge to remain free pushing him forward. He came to a juncture, and knew instinctively how to work the mechanism.
The door swung open before him and he climbed out. That was when he noticed his feet. The look of them was unexpected. He'd expected to see compact fur-covered flesh...this was different.
He shook his head as snatches of memory flashed through his mind. A shiny triangular device. Shiny circles...
He heard a sound behind him and began running again...this time on two feet. Up right. He slowed as more memories filtered in, drowning him. A woman with red hair...
He stumbled toward a door, clutching the smooth surface for support. Instinct told him safety lay beyond. It opened beneath him and he fell inside, his body colliding with something warm and soft...
"Chakotay!!!" Kathryn looked at her first officer, noticing two things at the same time. The wild confusion in his eyes and the fact he was completely naked.
He looked madly around the room, then back at her. "Kathryn?" His hand reached up and stroked her face. So soft, so familiar.
Startled, she took his hand. "What's wrong?"
"I...I..." His free hand moved to her waist and pulled her close. "I love you..." He kissed her, pleased at the warmth of her lips melding to his.
Suddenly he collapsed on the ground. "So cold, so lonely..." He muttered several more words she didn't understand before passing out.
"Janeway to sick-bay. I found Chakotay," she said as she kneeled down beside him. "Transport him to sick-bay..." She watched as he flickered and vanished. It had only been twenty minutes since she had found his uniform. When Tuvok had told her that the fur belonged to Chakotay, she had been stunned. She looked around the Commander's quarters one last time before contacting Tuvok...
She rubbed her forehead. She had known he would return to his quarters...But this was now more than weird.
"Janeway to Commander Tuvok."
"Tuvok here, Captain?"
"Chakotay is in sick-bay. Please place a security detail in the hallway."
A pause, "Very good Captain. Tuvok out."
She didn't like doing that. But it was now painfully obvious that Chakotay was not himself.
#
The two security officers silently nodded as she passed through the doors to sick-bay. "Doctor?"
"Ahh, Captain. I have sedated him..."
"What happened?" She moved to stand by the sleeping form. She gently ran her finger along his cheek, then his lips...She blushed at the memory of the kiss...
The Doctor watched her before responding. "I don't know. I have found no references to similar transformations in the medical databases...The only even closely related reference I can find is in the folklore of ancient Earth."
Both looked at Chakotay when he moaned and started to sit up..."Commander," the Doctor order, "Please remain still."
Chakotay looked around the room, "It happened again," he said quietly. "I remember contacting my spirit guide..."
"A wolf?" Janeway asked expectantly.
He looked at her in astonishment. "Yes. How?"
She looked at the Doctor, then back at Chakotay. "You apparently became your spirit guide..."
His eyes closed and he said with a sigh. "I thought it was a dream..." He opened his eyes and stared at the Captain. "I remember returning to my quarters..." He smiled at her blush and his own memory of that moment. "And I remember feeling cold, alone, abandoned.
Kathryn rested a hand on his shoulder...an attempt to offer comfort. When heÕd collapsed in his quarters, heÕd mumbled something about being alone and lonely. He mentioned it again now.
ChakotayÕs brow furrowed, his eyes narrowed, grew distant. "I donÕt understand." he whispered.
"What do you mean?" she asked, leaning closer.
"ItÕs...itÕs not me. They arenÕt mine." his voice trailed off in a weary murmur, as his eyes slid shut.
"What isnÕt you?" she pressed.
His eyes remained closed.
The Doctor stepped to her side. "The sedative has taken effect, Captain. HeÕll be asleep for several hours."
Kathryn looked up, met the DoctorÕs gaze. "Doctor...IÕd like you to run a full medical scan. See if you can detect anything unusual."
The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Unusual. Exactly what is it that I am looking for, Captain."
"I donÕt know. But, ever since Chakotay encountered that plasma discharge, he hasnÕt been himself. And IÕve had my fill of unexplained events...all of which seem to involve of effect the Commander. I think we need to start eliminating the possibilities. Did some kind of physiological change occur? Are we dealing with an alien presence?"
The Doctor sighed, nodded. "IÕll get right on it."
#
#
He opened his eyes slowly. Tiny multicolored bits of space dust swirled around him in intricate patterns, dancing lightly before his eyes. He smiled; this was fun. He reached a small finger up to toy with the atoms, hoping to scatter the colors into a different pattern.
Nothing happened.
He frowned in childish confusion and tried again, harder. The mists didn't budge, and now that he glanced around, he himself was drifting. Soon he would be in open space. And where was that planet?
Suddenly he was frightened. This wasn't the same dust cloud, or even the same system. He began to whimper. "Daddy!" he cried, wailing his arms, spinning in frantic circles.
#
#
There was a loud wail that startled even the doctor. He quickly moved to the source of the sound. The Commander was asleep, but the bio-monitors readings were almost off the chart. "Doctor to Captain Janeway--please report to sick-bay." He reached for a hypo-spray and quickly injected it into Chakotay's neck. A few seconds later the noise subsided, and the Doctor quickly shook the commander's shoulder. "Commander, wake-up..."
Chakotay opened his eyes with a start and grabbed the doctor's arms in a vise-like grip. His dark eyes clearly showing panic that subsided as he recognized his surroundings.
"Commander, you can let go..." the doctor said with a slight show of irritation. "You've had a bad dream..."
Chakotay was still quietly looking around, making sure he was truly back on Voyager. "It wasn't a..." He smiled as Janeway rushed in, clad in a dark green robe.
"Doctor?" She asked quickly with a smile at the Commander.
"Apparently Commander Chakotay had a nightmare..."
"It was more than a nightmare--it was same sensations as before. I was cold, alone...floating in space...I remember crying out for someone." He closed his eyes briefly before focusing them on the Captain. Wondering what was under that robe. He smiled as he imagined his hands sliding along her shoulders, slipping the robe off those smooth shoulders.
Kathryn closed her eyes at the sensation, she could feel his hands slide under her robe, pushing it to the ground. Suddenly she opened her eyes and stared at Chakotay.
"Chakotay." she gasped, as a chill swept across her suddenly bare shoulders. His hands rested peacefully atop his chest...and yet, she had felt them upon her. Her robe now lay in a pool at her feet. And his eyes...his eyes were ablaze with emotions she'd only dreamed of...fiery passion, hunger, need. Something more...a hesitant wonder...bordering on disbelief.
"Kathryn...I..." Chakotay clamped his eyes shut. *Spirits...what is going on?* He'd thought it. His heart had willed it. And without the slightest touch, the deed was done.
Kathryn took a uncertain step back, nearly stumbling on the robe at her feet. Her gaze dropped to the floor.
The deed had been committed by a single thought. Coincidence? He thought not. And yet...it was possible that it was. If his heart and mind and will had committed the act, then...His thoughts turned to her nightgown. The thin straps cutting the smooth silken plane of her shoulders. He imagined his hands sliding beneath them...pushing them outward...downward...exposing...
His mind froze as a gasp met his ears. Kathryn.
"Fascinating."
His eyes shot open as the Doctor's voice met his ears.
A shell-shocked Kathryn stood in the doorway, looking for all the world as if she were holding on for dear life. Her arms were wrapped around her bosom, where the gown had settled before she'd caught it. The thin straps delicately near her waist. Her eyes shot from Chakotay to the Doctor and back to Chakotay.
It seemed as if a thousand emotions washed over her in the ensuing silence. Shock, disbelief, desire, denial, suspicion, outrage blew across her face in quick succession, finally settling on hurt. She felt her eyes tearing up, but swallowed it back. Covering the motion, she moved to pick up the robe, keeping one hand tightly gripping the thin material over her chest. Slipping into the robe gave her the additional moments she needed to compose herself.
Chakotay having understood her every expression felt a sudden stab of guilt. Heedless of the Doctor's sudden fascination with the contents of his tricorder, and the accompanying medical babble, he pushed up off the bio-bed and moved toward his Captain. The sudden draft alerted him as to the state in which he'd beamed into sick-bay.
Kathryn forced herself to look away and closed her eyes, pictures of her...*Stop it!*
She was brought back to the situation by the sound of the sick bay doors opening and a whistle. Kathryn opened her eyes.
B'Elanna shook her head, "Nice butt," she said to the backside of Chakotay, then she handed her PADD to Janeway. "Here's my report, Captain. Now if you will excuse me, I want a shower..." She looked around the room again. She and her team had just returned to be told of the strange goings on..."Strange is an understatement," she muttered as she walked through the doors.
Kathryn stood there controlling her urge to laugh. She looked at the doctor, he had an astounded look on his face. "Doctor?"
He shook his head. "The Commander's neural peptide activity has decreased by twenty-six percent in the last two point three minutes." He put the tricorder down. "Now, I want you back in the bio-bed." He motioned toward the abandoned bed. "Captain, I cannot explain this brain activity, except that Commander Chakotay is displaying increased telekinetic powers..."
Voyager's commanding officers snapped their attention to the Doctor. "What?" came the simultaneous reaction, interrupting any further discourse.
The Doctor looked from one to the other. "Commander...please." He moved to the Commander's side, lightly grasped his upper arm, and unceremoniously half-pushed, half-pulled him to the biobed, the Captain at his heels.
"What do you mean, telekinetic powers?" she pressed.
The Doctor glanced over his shoulder at her as he covered the Commander, once again supine on the biobed. "I was about to explain the anomalous neural function when you interrupted me."
Kathryn sighed in frustration.
The Doctor raised a mildly annoyed eyebrow, then turned back to the Commander. "While you were...toying...with the Captain, I was performing a neural scan. The readings were indicative of telekinetic activity. However, the engramatic patterns are unusual for a human."
Chakotay frowned slowly, confusion, doubt, shock setting in...the initial impact wearing off. " How the hell did I..." his voice trailed off, his question left unasked.
The Doctor met the Captain's gaze as she circled the bio-bed, came to a stop directly opposite him. "It would seem that the Commander has acquired some rather unique mental capabilities. I would dare venture that it is somehow related to the incident in the shuttle. It might explain some of the rather bizarre events that have occurred since his return to Voyager."
Kathryn glanced briefly at Chakotay, then again met the Doctor's stare. "You said the engramatic patterns are unusual for a human. What does that mean?"
"The patterns are not what is typically produced with telekinetic activity in the human brain. At this point, I don't know what that indicates." He again met the Commander's eyes. "I'd like the Commander to exercise his new-found abilities in a controlled and monitored environment. Perhaps we can learn something further."
#
#
He stared around himself, hiccuping pitifully. Large eyes gazed balefully around, no longer seeing the pretty galactic dust, but looking desperately, instinctively for the one thing that he knew would protect him.
"Daddy?" he whimpered again, his large eyes becoming droopy. He was so tired. It had been such a long day. And then his eyes snapped open at a sound. A large body appeared before him and snatched him up in a warm embrace. A frantic mind overwhelmed him, in an attempt to calm his fears. Soothing, touching, placing small gentle kisses along his forehead.
#
#
"No, no, no, Commander. This isn't working. You must clear your mind. *Feel* the fruit in your mind, reach out and take it." Frustration was evident in the Doctor's every motion.
Chakotay sighed. "I'm sorry. It just isn't happening."
"So we see," the Doctor commented dryly, ignoring the Captain's look. "I think we need to try another approach. As the saying goes, three is a crowd." With that he abruptly vanished.
Kathryn and Chakotay shared a startled looked then smiled as they both realized what was going on. The equipment was obviously still monitoring. "He wants us to interact," Kathryn spoke first.
Chakotay smiled. "I think I can manage that." He shuffled his feet for a moment before speaking again. "I'm sorry about --" he suddenly broke off in mid-sentence. His eyes glazed over for a moment and then suddenly filled with emotion.
"You're here," he whispered, wrapping his arms tightly around her. "I was so scared..."
Kathryn leaned into his embrace, enjoying the warmth of his arms and his chest and he held her close to him...
Suddenly he dropped his arms and stepped away..."I...I..." He stared at her as he closed his eyes.
"Commander?" She stared at him, suddenly cold. She shivered as she asked, "Computer what is the temperature in sick-bay?"
"The temperature is presently twenty Celsius." She gathered her robe tight about her, "Chakotay?" She placed her hand on his forehead and frowned. "Computer activate Emergency-Medical-Hologram."
The Doctor shimmered back into existence and looked at the pair. He quickly grabbed a tricorder. "Most curious, the Commander's body temperature has dropped by two degrees. He is suffering from early stages of hypothermia."
Kathryn's gaze snapped to the instrument the Doctor held in his hands. "What?" Her brow furrowed. "How could..." Her voice trailed off as her gaze again returned to her First Officer, as the Doctor moved around her, tending to Chakotay, pumping the contents of a hypospray into his system, extending the surgical support frame, working to counteract the inexplicable hypothermic state.
A sudden chill raced through her, her body shuddering uncontrollably. The room temperature was dropping. More than mere coincidence, the CommanderÕs condition and the change in environment. "Computer...return ambient room temperature to within normal parameters."
"Unable to comply."
Her brow furrowed. Her chin raised. "Janeway to bridge."
"Bridge here." The response came from Tuvok.
"Tuvok, good. Run a diagnostic on sickbay's environmental controls. We're having a bit of a problem."
"Aye," Tuvok replied.
While she waited for the outcome of the diagnostic, Kathryn took a step toward Chakotay's biobed. The Doctor was frantically punching commands into a control panel near the side of the bio bed. After a moment Chakotay's skin began to loose a bit of its blueness and he began to shiver in earnest.
"His body temperature is rising?" Kathryn asked.
"Yes," the Doctor confirmed, dryly, continuing to study the console.
"Good work, Doctor."
He sniffed. "Unless by my very presence the commander's body temperature choose to return toward normal, I am not the deserving recipient of your praise."
Kathryn frowned. "Tuvok? How is that diagnostic coming?"
"The results are coming in now. . . All systems report nominal."
"Thank you, Mr. Tuvok." Kathryn yawned, turning from the now peacefully sleeping commander to the consternated physician and made a command decision. She was going back to bed.
"Keep me informed," she threw over her shoulder as she left.
#
Warmth spread through him as he was surrounded by their presence. A gentle caress, love...Confusion. He could sense them...But he had no control...No life...
#
Kathryn turned again, her dreams clouded and confused. A sound stopped her motion and she pulled the blankets over her head.
She smiled as she felt fingers running through her hair. She closed her eyes tighter as she let the feelings the touch caused spread through her. She rolled over as the presence leaned closer, savoring the warmth of the contact of his hands on her, his breath on her face as his lips drew nearer.
She'd dreamed of this moment so often, that she opened her eyes and reached for him.
Her hands froze millimeters from the lascivious grin shining down upon her. Her breath caught in her throat as instinct pressed her hands against his chest, pushed him away from her...levered her away from him, toward the head of the bed, Starfleet issue sheets clenched to her breasts, trailing her as she poised herself upright against the bulkhead behind her.
"Miss me, Kathy?"
"Q!" she gasped, breathless.
Q's gaze drifted to Kathryn's hair as he pressed his palms against the mattress beneath him, leaned closer, the smile disappearing from his face...replaced with disconsolation. "You've cut your hair." His eyes met hers. A smile crooked the corner of his mouth. "Pity...I rather fancied it long. You've no idea the fantasies I've had..."
Her eyes narrowed, the line of her jaw set. "Q!"
"You would deny a tortured man, Kathy?" Q pouted.
Kathryn snorted in response.
He pressed closer. "A man who needs your comfort?" Closer still. "Your help?"
#
Chakotay sat bolt upright. Sick-bay was dim and empty, only the occasional soft chirp of the diagnostics marring the quiet. But something was wrong. Slightly off-kilter. He felt an insane urge to pull the sheets up around himself, coupled with the equally insane urge to be held in his mother's arms.
Shaking his head to clear it, he climbed off the bed and found himself outside his quarters. *Strange bed,* he thought, brushing the sensations off. A nice hot cup of tea, and his own bed and blanket and he'd feel better. The feelings, however only increased. By the time he reached his door, anger was added to the mix. Anger? He stopped, frowning. Something was definitely NOT right.
He turned and paced down the hall toward the Captain's quarters, feeling more agitated with each step. He hand hovered over the chime. It was the middle of the night. . . he couldn't disturb her. He turned away.
"Oh Kathy!" a muffled masculine voice sounded from the opposite side of the door.
Chakotay paused, a comfortable feeling settled over him as he quickly rang the door chime. The door opened.
There was a laugh from the bedroom and Q of all persons stepped out. "Well, well. If it isn't Chuckles in person. Kathy and I were about to..." He looked at the commander carefully. His face changed, it grew serious. "As I thought. Kathy, Chuckles...We really do need to talk...If I'm not mistaken."
Chakotay shook his head, "I don't understand."
Q would have laughed, but instead waved his hands in frustration. "Leave it to my son to pick the only semi-intelligent life-form galaxy who wouldn't understand." He smiled lecherously as Kathryn appeared. She'd put on a heavy robe. Q shook his head in disappointment then smiled slightly. "Chuckles, wanna try?"
Chakotay looked from Q to Kathryn, then back to Q again. "What are you talking about?"
Q sighed, a look of forlorn exasperation suffusing his features. "Did I say semi-intelligent?" He took a step closer to the Commander, met his gaze. "I suppose you're too much of a gentleman to even consider it." He glanced over his shoulder at Kathryn, gave her the once over. "Either that, or a fool."
"Enough." Kathryn interjected.
Understanding lit Chakotay's eyes, as his gaze darted to his Captain, her robe, the room from which she and Q had emerged. Nothing had happened, of that he was sure. Kathryn wouldn't have permitted it. That assurance was little comfort. Irritation tinged with anger quelled within him. What he wouldn't give to meet Q on an even footing...
Kathryn blinked, and it seemed as if one moment she were in her quarters dressed in a robe and the next she was dressed as a southern belle, while Chakotay and Q were dressed as gentlemen, both brandishing long blades.
Q looked quite shocked for a second, before lifting his foil to the ready position. "Why Chuckles, I didn't know you had it in you. En guarde!" With a quick flip of his wrist he swiped the tip of the blade across Chakotay's heavily ruffled shirt.
Kathryn ran into the fray, putting herself between Chakotay and Q. "What do you think you're doing?" she demanded, furious.
"Why fighting for your honor, Kathy," Q replied, making ready to move around her.
"Q! I demand you put a stop to this right now! I will not have you..."
"Why are you yelling at me for?" Q broke in, pointing his sword in the general direction of the commander. "*He* did it!"
Understanding hit both officers simultaneously. Q laughed hard as Chakotay's blade fell to the ground with a clang that echoed slightly. Q's laugh echoed with it, giving the place an eerie quality, before he snapped his fingers and they were back on Voyager.
"My dear sir," Q said with a gallant bow. "I see you comprehend." The ante-bellum clothing replaced by what they had been wearing seconds earlier.
"What happened?" Chakotay asked as Janeway moved to stand by him.
Q frowned. "My son was playing with a Tersker Plasma Bolt..."
"A what?" Janeway asked.
Q scowled at the interruption, "That's right, you mere humans haven't discovered them yet." He waved a hand indicating the insignificance of this and continued. "In the process, the bolt imploded causing a temporary spatial anomaly and was sucked in. And this is the result." He pointed to Chakotay.
Her gaze drifted to her first officer, then back to Q. "What is the result? His newly acquired powers? Hardly of interest to Q."
Q raised his chin. He moved toward Chakotay, circled him, raked his gaze over him, muttered, "I suppose it could have been worse...it could have been that Talaxian." He came to rest in front of Chakotay, met his gaze, intensely studied obsidian.
Chakotay returned the gaze warily.
Kathryn sighed in frustration, stepped closer to the two men. "Q...precisely what is the result?"
Something bordering on concern defined the lines of QÕs face. "A coalescing...a commingling...a merging of my son's consciousness with the Commander's." He glanced over his shoulder at the Captain. "The Commander's new abilities are not his own, but the acts of a desperate child clawing at life when his consciousness surfaces." He turned back to the man before him, again lost himself in obsidian.
Kathryn turned to Q, calmly taking in his demeanor; he appeared genuinely worried for his child. She then turned to Chakotay, he'd accepted the information with an air of resignation--almost as if he'd known it all along in the back of his mind, but only just realized it.