Blood Fever Revisited

(Part 2)

By Coral

Coral's Story Index ~ Email Coral

See Part I for disclaimer.

Chakotay was barely able to keep his mind focused on what he was supposed to be doing; the sight of her or the sound of her breathing kept distracting him. He laughed inwardly; anyone would think that it was he, not her, who was going through the Pon Farr. Normally he could at least manage to concentrate on what he was doing when he was working with her, but this cave, her state, and the heat were starting to get to him.

"You must be wrong about this whole Pon Farr thing," she said suddenly as she stepped to avoid a rock in the path. Chakotay, his eyes on her and his mind trying to be on anything but her, didn't notice it and stubbed his toe. Hard. "It doesn't make sense."

Chakotay bit back his yelp of pain as he said, "It explains how you've been acting."

"What's so strange about it?" she asked, stopping and turning to face him, chest heaving with the force of her gasping breaths.

"Starting a fight with armed aliens, yelling at Tom, not listening to us, calling me by my first name more often than usual, running off alone..."

"Alright, alright," she conceded, sitting down against the wall gratefully, taking gulps of air to try to breathe more easily. "Maybe I do... feel... something, some kind of... of instinct... but what do I do about... about it?"

He came and knelt in front of her, gently brushing her hair out of her eyes. "We'll get you back to sickbay, then Kes and the Doctor will treat you. Failing that, there's always Tuvok," he added with a grin.

Another tremor hit the cave, shaking a pile of rocks loose. Instinctively, Chakotay tried to protect from the rockslide with his body; memories of the storm on

New Earth began to flood his memory and he struggled to ignore them. He had to stay focused, he reminded himself as the rocks cascaded down around them, stay focused. Don't think about how wonderful she looks, and how wonderful she would feel.

Finally the deluge stopped, and he moved back from her gratefully. "Are you alright?" he asked.

She nodded. "These rocks are in the way," she told him, pointing to the pile deposited by the tremors. Standing up, she aimed the gun at them decisively.

Horror coursed through Chakotay as he realised what she was about to do. He grabbed the muzzle of the gun and deflected it, so agitated that he didn't notice that it was now pointing at his own chest.

"Don't use the gun," he told her, trying to speak calmly and evenly, purging the panic from his system as best he could. "The tunnels are unstable, you could bring the whole lot down on top of us.

"Let go!" she yelled.

Chakotay almost did from sheer force of habit, but managed to keep his grip as she tried to get it free.

"No, I think I should keep this for now," he said, worried about her safety and his own.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to pick a fight with a redhead?" she asked, her voice low and threatening as she continued to tug at the gun.

"I'm not going to fight with you, Kathryn."

"I'll-"

"Kathryn!" Chakotay shouted. "Stop it! This isn't about the gun, it's about sex, but that's not going to happen right now."

He wrest the gun free as she lent up against him, backing him against the wall and murmuring seductively, "I think it is."

"No." Summoning every ounce of self-control he'd ever had, he pushed her away.

"No. I'm your friend and your First Officer. I have to watch out for you when your judgement's been impaired." She leant heavily against the opposite wall as he continued, trying to distract himself more than anything, "If you let your instincts take over now, you'll hate yourself, and me for taking advantage of you. I won't do that Kathryn, you mean too much to me."

"Maybe we should split up," she suggested, still struggling to breathe properly.

"No!"

"You don't know how strong... how hard it is to fight... to fight these urges..." she gasped, barely able to form the words.

Despite their predicament, Chakotay grinned. "Are you telling me I'm impossible to resist?" he asked teasingly, and she shot him a look of pure acidity.

"I wouldn't go that far," she said, trying to get a grip on her racing thoughts and feelings. "I've managed it for two years."

"Good. Than let's get a move on."

***

"We're almost to the next passage. Do you think you can make it?" Chakotay asked, helping her up a few steps.

"Don't have much choice," Kathryn replied. She looked completely different; her normally immaculate appearence invisible... covered in blood, mud and sweat, and long hair was plastered to her skin. Chakotay was sweating too, although he suspected that the temperature in the caves wasn't wholly responsible for it.

The ground shook once more, taking them both by surprise. Rocks tumbled from above as Chakotay tried to catch his Captain's hand and pull her away, but he came up empty-handed. The rocks pounded down around him and he fell to the floor, losing his grip on the gun. He watched in anguish as it was buried underneath the falling rocks.

The onslaught finally ended, leaving a disheveled Chakotay lying on the ground. "Kathryn!" he called, his first thought for her safety as his eyes searched anxiously for her, hoping she wasn't trapped or injured. "Kathryn, can you hear me?"

"Chakotay?" she asked weakly, coughing as the dust released by the slide got into her mouth and lungs.

He pulled himself up and hurried over to her side, helping her to stand also. "Alright, let's try to find a way out of here," he suggested.

"I think it's worth the risk using the weapon now," she said.

Chakotay sighed. "If I still had it. It's buried somewhere under all that rock," he explained, waving a hand in the general direction of the pile.

"What?!" she exclaimed, trying to steady her shaky legs by leaning against the cave wall.

"Try to stay calm," he asked her. "I know it's hard-"

"You don't know anything!" she exploded, fury taking over her. "I feel like I'm crawling out of my skin."

The look in her eyes became feral, possessive, and she launched herself at Chakotay. He was taken by surprise as he fell, Kathryn on top of him, the look in her eyes both scaring and exciting him. He shook himself back to his senses as her lips brushed his, and he rolled her over and moved off quickly.

"Kathryn, I can't let you do this," he told her.

"But you wish you could," she murmured in her low, gravally voice, moving towards him. Chakotay tried to step backwards, only to find his back against the wall. "All those dinner dates, trips to the holodeck, the legend, the rose. You can't tell me you're not interested," she whispered, starting to kiss him lightly.

"This isn't really you," he protested weakly. "You've made it clear that you're not ready to be anything more than just friends. I have to accept that that's how you feel, even now," Chakotay explained, each word stabbing at his heart.

"No, no, it isn't," she whispered back, planting light kisses on his cheek and neck. "I was... just afraid to admit it. I've wanted this for so long... I love you, Chakotay... do I have to order you...? Just let it happen... please..."

Chakotay's resolve vanished as if it had been fired at with a phaser set on vaporise. He kissed her back, holding her close to him. He'd wanted her for so long that it felt like forever to him; he'd imagined this moment, but it had never been like this when he'd dreamed about it.

Suddenly, the kiss felt empty, meaningless, and he drew away, gathering every last shred of his self-control around him like a shield. He wanted her to love him, yes, but not like this. Not under the influence of a Vulcan love bug. He wanted her, the real Kathryn.

"I hope one day you'll say that to me and mean it," he sighed quietly.

Kathryn stared at him in disbelief. "You'd let me go insane rather than help me!" she yelled in accusation.

"You know that's not true-" he tried to protest.

"Just stay away from me! Stay away!" she cried, backing up against the wall as sobs started racking her body.

***

In the darkness, Chakotay futilely tugged at the rocks blocking their way, scratching his hands and arms in the process. They were too heavy; he couldn't move them alone, and Kathryn had long since fallen into a fitful and restless sleep. Chakotay was worried sick about her, and wished he'd never laid eyes on a Vulcan. Why couldn't they just keep their damned problems to themselves? He tried pulling at another rock, but he only let loose a small avalanche of pebbles and sharp stones that fell on his hands, cutting them. Chakotay groaned in pain and was about to try again when he heard Kathryn whimper.

Coming over quickly to her side, he gently touched her arm to see if she was awake. She'd been talking in her sleep earlier. Kathryn jumped at the touch, her eyes flying wildly open.

"Where are we?" she murmured, looking around as her eyes adjusted to the darkness in the cavern.

"We're still stuck in the cave, I'm afraid," he told her quietly, using the one light they had to get a better look at her injuries.

"Cave? Oh, the galacite." she remembered, pushing herself into a sitting position. "Where's my tricorder gone?"

"We're not looking for the galacite anymore," Chakotay reminded her gently, wary of provoking her into a fit of temper again, "We're trying to get back to Voyager, remember?"

She looked at him, confused. "No... I don't..." she whispered in bewilderment, but Chakotay's attention was caught by the sound of rocks falling behind them.

Someone else - someone on the other side! - was removing the rocks!

Chakotay jumped up and started to help, pulling at the now loosened rocks, eventually revealing B'Elanna's worried visage. "We've been worried sick about you!" she scolded him. "Are you two alright?" She shone her light into the cave, giving it an eerie illumination that made Chakotay shudder.

"The Captain needs help. We've got to get her out of here."

***

Chakotay felt an immense wave of relief wash over him as they finally reached the cave entrance and emerged on the surface of the planet in the jungle they had visited before. The feel of the sun beating down on him had never felt so wonderful or been so welcome before.

B'Elanna tapped her commbadge as Kathryn sat down on a large stone slab, exhausted from stress of the past couple of hours. "Torres to Voyager," she said, and waited. "Voyager, this is Torres. Voyager, respond." She turned to the Doctor. "Still nothing," she grumbled.

"What's the matter?" Chakotay asked. "Why aren't they answering?"

"There must be some sort of communications problem. It should be fixed soon," she assured him, hoping that it was true.

"It may not be soon enough," The Doctor interjected worriedly. "I'm concerned about the rapid progression of her symptoms - in a Vulcan, they can take days to come on." He turned to Chakotay, almost apologetically, his hidden meaning clear as he pointed out, "Someone has to help her."

Chakotay tried to ignore Torres' smothered smile as he turned back to Kathryn, fear in his dark eyes.

"Kathryn, I don't think I know how to do this," he admitted, taking her into his arms and just holding her close for a moment.

A ringing sound echoed behind them, and they turned as Tuvok materialised slightly behind the group, startling them and drawing surprised looks from

B'Elanna and The Doctor. "Doctor, you must let me help her," he insisted.

Chakotay, cradling her in his arms, looked up. "No! Don't touch her!"

Tuvok steepled his fingers. "I have overcome the Pon Farr, Commander."

"What good will that do the Captain?" The Doctor asked, curious.

"I will mind-meld, help to provide-"

"No!" Chakotay repeated. "You've done enough damage already, Tuvok."

"Commander, you must trust me," Tuvok insisted calmly, speaking as if to a young child.

"You are being irrational and emotional. I can help her resist the effects of the blood fever and help her purge it from her system."

Chakotay began to argue again, but the dark Vulcan cut him off. "I am her friend. I do not wish to see her die through an action or inaction of my mine."

The commander looked up at the dark Vulcan, his Captain still barely conscious in his arms, trying to find some hint of his true intentions in his closed face and tight expression. The Vulcan's demeanour was as controlled and guarded as ever, but in Tuvok's eyes, Chakotay could see - something else. Friendship?

Sorrow? Love? Tuvok and Chakotay had had their differences in the past couple of years, since Tuvok had been revealed as a Starfleet spy. Sometimes, Chakotay's dislike of the Vulcan had clouded his judgement, and, even now, he had forgotten that Vulcans had feelings too. Tuvok and Kathryn had been

friends long before he and the Captain had even meet. Surely that gave Tuvok a right to at least try and do what he felt was best? Wouldn't he want that chance?

Then he looked back down at Kathryn, her head resting on his shoulder, sweat drenching her vest top and blood encrusting her skin. But he wasn't seeing her like that. He saw her opposite him, their fingers entwined, a sweet smile on her face, an ancient legend still floating in the air between them. He was seeing the numerous touches, looks and smiles that they had shared in the past few years, and suddenly, painfully, he knew he could never live without her.

He had to let Tuvok try.

Tears threatening to well up in his eyes, he nodded his agreement to Tuvok. He knelt in front of her and spread his fingers out to initiate the meld, gently probing her skin to find the pressure points that he needed.

The Captain flinched at the touch, startled into consciousness by Tuvok's touch.

"No! Leave me alone!" she gasped, writhing away from his searching fingers.

"Relax, Captain," he told her, his fingers firmly in place. "I am your friend. I am here to help."

She stiffened beneath his touch and flung her arms up, pushing his hands off her face and standing up. Only Chakotay's grip was stopping her from running away as she stood defensively, arms raised to stop Tuvok trying to meld with her.

"You've got to trust him, Kathryn," Chakotay whispered softly. "He's going to help you. Co-operate, please? For your crew... for me...?" he pleaded.

No one dared breathe for a moment, then slowly, surely, her arms fell back to her sides and she relaxed visibly. Chakotay heaved an inward sigh of relief as Tuvok approached and found the contact points once more.

"My mind to your mind. My thoughts to your thoughts." Tuvok intoned. *Picture the fever as a fire. A fire that is burning bright in your heart.*

*I can't!*

*You can. That's better. Now, imagine that you are extinguishing that fire.*

*How? What with, Tuvok?*

*With water. Find your inner calm. It is the water that will put out this fire.*

*I've got it... but it's not going out!*

*Do not worry. I am with you. I add my water to the fire.*

*Yes... yes, that's better! It's going down.*

*Good. That's good. Is it out?*

"It's out." she gasped aloud. Chakotay caught her as she went limp and fell, breaking the meld. Tuvok clenched his fists, swiftly regaining control after the abrupt end to the meld.

"Get her back to the ship. Her other injuries are also severe," Tuvok cautioned before collapsing to the ground.

"Torres to Voyager."

"Kim here. The planet's inhabitants were jamming the comm system. Carey and Vorik just managed to bypass it."

"Good job, Starfleet," Torres said, teasingly, relieved that the worst of the danger was finally over. "Five to beam up."

"Will do."

Torres looked around the jungle ruins one last time before the transporter beam caught her and whisked her away. She had a curious sensation of... of something.

Her mind's eye saw her hitting Vorik, whilst Tom watched on in concern. She saw Neelix, nursing a broken leg. She saw Tom, and herself, engaged in -

No, she had to get that out of her head!

She'd been working overtime recently. That had to explain all this. Tom Paris... and her? Not in a million years!

***

Walking down the corridor on Voyager, Chakotay had an almost surreal feeling. It had been a week since the incident on the planet, but it may as well never have

happened for all the change it had wrought. The only thing different from usual was the Captain's notable frostiness towards him, and her remarkable ability to

never end up anywhere alone with him anymore.

Speaking of which -

The turbolift doors opened to reveal none other than Kathryn Janeway, and the expression on her face made it clear that she would rather be anywhere else except

where she was at that moment.

"Hi," Chakotay said, unable to come up with anything more inspiring as a conversation opener.

"Hi."

"Deck - uh, deck twelve," Chakotay remembered, slightly flustered as the lift continued in stony silence. Kathryn kept her eyes fixed straight ahead, not looking his way once. As he listened to the gentle, rhythmic swish-swish of the turbolift mechanism, he could feel himself starting to fracture under the pressure of the silence hanging over their heads.

Finally, he cracked. "This is ridiculous!" he spat out. "We're going to be on this ship together for along time."

"I agree," Kathryn said, a hint of anxiousness in her voice. "We should just forget the whole thing ever happened."

Chakotay had to smile sardonically; at least now, she was admitting that it had happened. "That's not what I meant. Whether you want to admit it or not,

something happened between us. We can't ignore that."

"I can," Kathryn replied, voice as cold as steel. "As far as I'm concerned, I was ill and not in control of my actions. Is that understood, Commander?" she asked, laying extra emphasis on his rank.

"Loud and clear, Captain," Chakotay replied in like. "Kathryn-" He hesitated, unsure how far to go. "Kathryn, I just want you to know. I'll wait. Even if it takes the next seven years - or seventy."

The turbolift stopped and the doors opened, allowing the Captain to step out and onto the bridge.

"I'll see you tomorrow," was all she said.

END

This thing took me two months to write…. Please tell me what you thought!