'Tuvok, please take the bridge. I'm going to my quarters.'

It was very uncharacteristic for Captain Janeway to relinquish command over nothing but frayed nerves; and after all, why should her nerves be frayed? In all its ten years of travel, Voyager had yet to traverse a more peaceful expanse of space. Tuvok passed her fleeing form as she headed purposefully to the turbolift, eyeing her curiously as she went. Instinctively, he tuned out the nervous vibes emanating from her as he took over without comment. She was liable to snap his head off.

In the lift, Janeway paused for a moment, considering. To hell with her quarters, she decided: 'Holodeck One.'

Frustrated, Kathryn futilely banged on the door of Holodeck One. It was occupied and the privacy locks were engaged. Holodeck Two was active but did not register lifesigns. She cautiously entered this alternate world, calling to anyone who might be present. No answer. She engaged the privacy locks and went further into the program. The previous occupant had apparently vacated and left the program running, a wasteful act which usually called for a dressing-down, but she wouldn't mention it, for that someone had apparently been reading her mind. This scenario was just what she was in the mood for.

This was her idea of paradise rolled up into a single room, for there was a softly shaded river of crystal clear water, tumbling over rocks and boulders of all sizes, tapering to a narrow channel which spilled over, cascading further down into a deep, wide pool. Soft, inviting sand lined the pool and a gentle breeze blew her the treetops, flickering sunlight over everything. The ambient air was warm and the pool deliciously inviting. She took a step forward then stopped, snapping her fingers. She had not thought to bring her swimmer. Shrugging, she shed her entire uniform, laid it and her foundation garments neatly on a rock near the waterfall, took a deep breath and jack-knifed over the edge.

There was no shock of cold water. It was as though she had dived into the surrounding air. Her jittered nerves relaxed and her muscles soon followed as she gracefully tread water which appeared to be much deeper than it looked: water so clear that the bottom appeared to be just beneath her feet, distorted and rippled by the soft light from the sun, which occasionally dipped behind small clouds. It begged her to submerge. The Captain's bun of hair that she usually wore came loose from its moorings and waved in the water, brushing her lower back like a mermaid's. She slid down through the water as deeply as she could without a breathing gill, then had to surface. She lay back and floated, resting, free and daring in her nudity.

After a while, she righted herself and looked around. The someone who had apparently vacated the program had left behind all their things; a bag and a neatly folded towel lay near the edge. Kathryn swam over to inspect them. She rubbed her face gratefully on the warm towel then rummaged through the bag. There was a block of soap, a large sponge and an opened bottle of wine. I've died and gone to heaven, she thought. Beneath the water, she felt a jutting shelf of rock, just wide enough to sit on. Relaxing there, soaping the sponge and frothing the lather over her body, she sipped the wine straight from the bottle in blissful contentment.

Behind the waterfall lay a shallow channel that led to a cavern within the wall of rock. From within its depths now emerged a figure which dove into the pool, sending a wake of water toward Kathryn, startling her. Alarmed, she looked down into the pool. Beneath the water was a dark shadow. She hurried to the edge of the pool and ducked behind the thick, trailing arms of a weeping willow, waiting quietly until the figure emerged from the depths and broke the surface.

Chakotay! She froze. The holodeck was occupied! Either the controls were malfunctioning or - She stopped her frantic analysis as she realized that she was here, in a locked program with her First Officer, no way to beam out, and her clothes were across the way and ten feet up the cliff. There was only one thing to do. As stealthily as she could, she worked her way around to the side beneath the boulder on which her clothes lay. Chakotay remained in the center of the pool with his back to her, diving again and again. She hoped that if she climbed up the rockface the instant he went under, she could have time to grab her clothes and dart into the surrounding woods before he surfaced. Then she could dress, unlock the doors and escape.

After an interminable time, Chakotay came to the surface again. Resting from his exertions, he merely tread water for a time. Thankfully, he was facing away from her. She waited, growing more impatient, submerged as far as possible, her once-soothed nerves jangling frantically once more. Then complete panic gripped her, for Chakotay was hoisting himself out of the water. Kathryn swiftly averted her eyes, for he was as nude as she. He lay down on the warm sand, threw a hand over his eyes and soon appeared to be sleeping. Still, she waited. When he didn't move for a full five minutes, she gathered her courage and began climbing. It was a ten-foot climb but with easy hand- and foot-holds but the rocks were wet and her grip hampered by her nervous quiver. Halfway up, her hand slipped, then a foot, and she fell backward into the pool with a loud splash and a horrified cry.

Chakotay was up in an instant, startled but alert. Without thinking, he broke the water in a swift dive and came up beneath her, grasping her waist and helping her to the surface. He didn't know who he had in his arms until she brushed tangled, wet hair back from her face. Chakotay's dark features flushed mightily and he released her, not knowing what to do or say. Kathryn made a swift decision: only one reaction would east the situation. She took a deep breath and wiped her wet face.

'So,' she said casually, 'Come here often?'

Momentary shock dissolved into helpless laughter. Kathryn apologized for intruding upon his private program.

'It's my fault, Captain – I failed to engage the privacy locks.'

'But I checked – there were no lifesigns.'

'The sensors were fluctuating. The caverns behind the falls are pretty deep – made me somehow invisible.'

'Not now,' she grinned.

He glanced down. 'Nor you, Captain.'

'In light of the situation, let's drop rank, shall we? Let's just relax and have a good time. Why don't you go get the wine and the towel, then show me this cavern of yours?'

The End