Disclaimer: Still don't own it.

A/N: This chapter contains two POVs, including one which hasn't been done yet in this story.


Kathryn knelt down where Sofin, Jarvin, Celes, and Yosa were getting ready to turn in for the night. The shuttle had been far too damaged to sit in, let alone sleep, so they'd divided the blankets up to make pallets and gathered fresh leaves to stuff under them for some semblance of padding. It'd been a long day for them all and even the meager comfort was nice. They were all so tired she doubted they'd be awake long enough to notice their lumpy bedding anyway.

"Feel any better, Sofin?" The crewman, the youngest of the male team members, was looking rather unsatisfied with his blanket which kept tangling around his feet. He'd woken while she and Tom had been gathering wood, but probably could have slept for another twenty-four hours without protest.

The crewman made a mumbling like noise as he scowled at the blanket before realizing who was asking. "Yes, ma'am," he answered upon finally looking up.

"Good. Next time how about trying not to drag people out of a shuttle all on your own though, alright?"

"I'm hoping there won't ever be a next time, ma'am."

"You and me both." Turning her attention to the others she noticed the faraway look Tal had as she stared up at the night sky while Yosa and Jarvin chatted in hushed tones while they attempted to get comfortable.

As she watched them the all too familiar feeling of isolation, failure, and fresh guilt washed over her. It was a sensation she'd felt many times over the last few years, almost any time she stopped to think for ten consecutive minutes in fact, but it had intensified again over the last few days.

Her crew. Her responsibility. Therefore it followed that it was her fault that they were in this predicament. It was simple math really. A simple equation with complex results.

With a mental shove she pushed those thoughts away. "Get some rest. In the morning we'll see what we can do about boosting the comm frequency. Maybe we'll even do a bit of exploring," she added with a half-smile.

There were nods of acknowledgment, but no verbal response. Another symptom of their fatigue perhaps. Or perhaps a sign of their true disbelief in ever getting off the planet.

She watched as they settled down before standing and moving back over to the fire to take a seat opposite of the remaining team member. She'd told Tom to go to get some rest as well, but he claimed to be restless. For her it was part restlessness and part determination. She was determined to keep the away team safe. If that meant skipping sleep then so be it.

Technically speaking there shouldn't be all too much to worry about as far as predators went, considering Seven had told her there were no life signs on the planet. When they'd scouted the area earlier they'd only run across a few insects and nothing much larger than that.

As the sun had begun sinking towards the distant horizon she'd heard something though. Something that didn't quite add up with the fact they were supposed to be alone. Until she was sure of what she'd heard and that it wasn't just the wind in the trees she would refrain from causing the others anymore concern than they were already experiencing.

Speaking of concern...

Tom was acting a bit overly astute. That was the second time he'd looked over his shoulder towards the woods. "Everything alright, Tom?"

He looked over at her and for a moment he simply stared back before flashing her his trademark crooked grin. "Everything's fine, Captain. Well, besides from the obvious."

She watched him silently in return, trying to discern what it was exactly that was causing him to be so uncomfortable. Other than the obvious, as he put it. Before she could determine exactly what it was there was a loud clash of thunder that seemed to summarize the foreboding she was experiencing.

And there was that misplaced sound again.

It wasn't just an insect, that much she was sure of.

"I'm going to do a quick perimeter check," she said while gazing passively at the trees. "Go ahead and turn in, Tom. I'll wake you when it's your turn to take watch."

"I got it." He stands at the same time she does, but he's closer to the phaser and reaches it first. "You can take second watch."

He didn't trust her. That's what it must be. He didn't feel secure, hence his paranoia, and he needed the control of doing the watch himself to feel better. If that's what he needed then so be it. "Alright, Lieutenant." She starts to move past him, but stops to put a hand on his shoulder. "Make sure to wake me in a few hours though. That's an order."

"Yes, ma'am."

She gives him a light nod in acknowledgment and then walks over to where the others are already sleeping. As she settles down and tries to get comfortable she's well aware of Tom's eyes on her. It was a familiar sensation, but not from a familiar source. Not once over the last few weeks had it been Tom to watch her every move. She ignored it, as she'd done with the others, and attempted to relax enough to sleep.


Tom's POV:

No one was prepared for how the night would go. How could they be? They were stranded on a foreign planet without tricorders, sensors, very few weapons, and no real shelter other than that which they threw together themselves. They had no way of knowing what sort of creatures lurked in the darkness or which plants were poisonous.

According to Voyager's sensors there were no signs of humanoid life on the planet, but Tom was beginning to wonder if even that was reliable. Every once in a while he could swear he heard a noise. A distinctive whisper on the wind that no animal could make.

He had no proof of what his gut instincts were telling him, only the churning sensation in his stomach and the prickling on the back of his neck. It was unscientific, illogical, and all together ridiculous. It wasn't as if they didn't have enough to worry about as it was. He should keep his mouth shut and his eyes open. That's what B'Elanna would tell him.

B'Elanna...

He wondered what she was doing. If she missed him. Was she worried about him or was she thankful for the peace and quiet? They were only ten hours or so late for the check in, so she probably wasn't too panicked quite yet. In a few hours though, when it became clear the away team wasn't going to be checking in, how would she react?

He knew one thing for sure...

When they got back to Voyager B'Elanna would probably kill him for this stunt. As if it were his fault. Then again maybe it was his fault. Maybe if he'd been faster at the controls, if he'd compensated for the turbulence more, if he...if he...

The hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood on end again. Turning sharply he searched the zigzagging border of the trees for any sign of life, whether animal or other, but came up empty handed. Just as he had every time now. There was nothing out there. Nothing except his own overactive imagination.

"Everything alright, Tom?"

Turning back to face the campfire he was met with the steely blue eyes of the Captain. She was watching him from her place on the forest floor across the fire, her gaze both coolly guarded and warm at the same time. A contradiction wrapped in an enigma and sprinkled with mischief. That's how he'd always described that expression.

The smile he gave her was a classic Tom Paris. Just barely genuine enough to pass as acceptable without giving away too much of what he was really thinking. She'd always been able to see through it, he knew, but hopefully she wouldn't push. "Everything's fine, Captain. Well, besides from the obvious," he added, his grin growing a fraction more. She continued to watch him a moment longer, her eyes seemingly prying all his secrets forth without him saying a word, before she thankfully tore her gaze away and he was able to breathe a silent sigh of relief.

There was another creaking amongst the trees, a subtle whisper barely reaching his ears, and then a clap of thunder that shook the very ground and startles him so much he nearly jumps. It seemed they were going to be having a rain storm.

Just wonderful.

It wasn't as if they had any other problems at the moment.

"I'm going to do a quick perimeter check," the Captain says, and when he looks over at her he sees her scanning the trees with a tense look about her. For a moment he wonders if maybe she hears the voices too. "Go ahead and turn in, Tom. I'll wake you when it's your turn to take the watch."

No she won't. They both know she's not going to wake him up unless she absolutely can't keep her eyes open any longer. She thinks it's part of being a captain and looking after her flock. He thinks it's masochistic. "I got it," he says, standing quickly along with her and reaching for the phaser before she gets the chance. "You can take second watch."

It's not just his own drive to make sure she doesn't kill herself that has him volunteering. This time it's for his own sanity as well because this way he can have a closer look at the area and make sure for himself there aren't any visitors spying on them. Hopefully it'll help him sleep when it is his turn to hit the emergency blanket turned bedding.

The Captain arches an eyebrow, not quite as elegantly as Tuvok or Seven but with its own unique brand of power. She has an authoritative eyebrow. He nearly laughs at the thought, but manages to flash a crooked grin her way instead. As always it serves to amuse her, making her lips quark upwards into a semi-smile.

For a minute he expects her to argue and order him to bed, so it's no small surprise when she nods. "Alright, Lieutenant," she replies and starts moving past him. She stops just when they're side-by-side. "Make sure to wake me up in a few hours though. That's an order." The fact she doesn't meet his eyes isn't lost on him.

"Yes, ma'am." It's a familiar response that they've both heard many a time on the bridge and it's actually become a sort of comfort now. After giving a subtle nod in acknowledgment she continues on towards the makeshift sleeping bags set up and begins settling in. He can't decide if her easy relenting is a sign of her true tiredness or something else. The fact she didn't look him in the eye makes his stomach churn again though and makes him think it was something else entirely. He doesn't want to think about what that something could be.

Silently, and with more thoughts clattering up his head than he'd like, he puts a few more twigs in the fire and moves into the trees to make sure everything's as it's supposed to be. He almost hopes it's not. If only so he wouldn't think he were going insane.