[In the Cave]
Lil was curled up in a corner, covered with cuts and had a hurt ankle, when Icheb caught up to her and found her. He walked up to her and embraced her in a light hug. Just then he saw her tear stained face.
"Where are we?" Lil asked sniffling.
"Still stuck in the cave, I'm afraid", Icheb said.
"The caves? The gallicite. Where's my tricorder?" Lil sat up.
"No. We're not looking for the gallicite anymore. We're trying to get back to the ship, remember?"
"No, I don't."
The rockfall was broken through from the other side.
"Are you two all right?" they heard Chakotay suddenly say.
"Lil needs help", Icheb said, pointing to her injuries, "We've got to get her out of here."
He wrapped an arm around her waist and she wrapped one around his neck as support. She limped with Icheb behind the others outside.
[On the Planet's surface]
Lil sat down on a big rock at the cave's entrance, breathing a bit heavy.
"Chakotay to Voyager. Please respond. ... Still nothing."
"What's the matter? Why aren't they answering?"
"There must be some kind of communications problem. I'm sure they'll clear it up soon."
"It may not be soon enough. I am concerned about the rapid progression of Lil's symptoms. You must help her now, Icheb. If she does not resolve the Pon farr, she will die", Tuvok said.
Chakotay, Tuvok and B'elanna left them alone. Icheb looked at the girl who looked back at him.
"Lil, I know this is a pretty bizarre situation, probably not what either one of us had in mind, but it's too late to worry about that now."
"Icheb."
"Yes, Lil?"
"Be quiet."
She lead him away, then nuzzled his neck and inhaled his scent, before she grabbed his face like Vorik did with her, only she did it more gentle.
"So what now?"
"Instinct."
"I'm not sure exactly what I'm supposed to do", Icheb whispered.
"Let the instinct take over", Lil whispered back, their noses a few millimeters away.
She started to kiss him from the base of his ears over his jaw to his lips. He nuzzled her neck and grabbed her waist tightly when she reached his lips. She then pushed him to the ground gently, laying on top of him.
"Would it damage my system?" Icheb's murmured.
"No", Lil whispered into his ear.
He rolled them around so that she was laying on her back and him leaning half over her. Then when he wanted to kiss her and already leaned down, he suddenly was lifted up, thrown away and Lil got grabbed in the face by Vorik just like he first did. Lil screamed a silent scream. Like she did the first time.
"You are my mate, not his!" he yelled.
"What are you doing here?" she asked with difficulties.
"I've come to claim you, to fulfill our bond, and if necessary, to face my rival. Lieutenant Tuvok!"
The others came running after Tuvok who arrived first.
"Ensign."
"Sir, I declare Koon-ut-kal-if-fee."
"What?" Chakotay asked.
"The ritual challenge. He intends to fight to win his mate", Tuvok explained.
"You want to fight? Alright", Icheb said.
"Hold on, Icheb. You're a teenager and he's full grown. There's not going to be any challenge. Are you responsible for the ship being out of contact?"
"It was necessary to disable the communications, transports and shuttles. No one will keep me from my mate!"
"I am not your mate", Lil hissed.
"We will soon decide that."
"I will do it! I take your challenge myself", Lil yelled.
"She has the right to choose her own defender, even herself", Tuvok meant.
"Just hold on. Neither of you are thinking straight right now." (Chakotay)
"They are following their instincts, and I suggest we allow them to do so."
"You mean let them fight?"
Chakotay was not happy.
"Tuvok, Lil is just a girl. Vorik is, like I already said, full grown!"
"It is logical. Both must resolve their Pon farr before it kills them. We cannot wait to hear from Voyager."
"They'll tear each other to pieces. Lil will get hurt!"
"Icheb, the risk of injury seems preferable to the certainty of dying from a chemical imbalance. Commander, I see no alternative but to follow Vulcan tradition."
"All right", Chakotay agreed.
"Begin." (Tuvok)
They were evenly matched. Lil avoided a neck pinch and they struggle for a large branch she picks up. They ended up rolling around on the ground, trading punches, until Vorik got up and Lil used the neck pinch, not realizing it. It caused Tuvok to gasp. Then Vorik fell to the ground and Lil was completely disoriented. She fell into Icheb's arms, breathing heavily.
"It's over, isn't it?" Icheb wanted to know.
"The blood fever has been purged. They will both recover", Tuvok said.
Just then Lil screamed, blood curdling.
"What's wrong???!!!" Icheb yelled.
Tuvok came up to them, kneeled down and touched her neck, turning her head to the side.
"So I guess I was right."
"What? What do you mean?"
"I already had a guess what the other half of her DNA could be."
"And?" Chakotay asked.
Tuvok looked up with a knowing look, eyeing everyone, even Vorik who was sitting again. Then he motioned everyone to come closer and turned to Lil. When everyone hovered over Lil, Tuvok slowly reached for Lil's hair, which laid over her ear, and pulled it aside, revealing an ear that was forming to a pointy one.
"She's half Vulcan?" Chakotay asked unbelievingly.
"Correct", Tuvok confirmed.
Just then Lil whimpered, biting her lip to hold back a scream.
"That's strange", Tuvok said.
"What?"
"The blood fever has not been purged completely. Vorik is okay. But she..." he trailed off.
"What???!!!" Icheb yelled.
"Since the fight didn't help her, she needs to mediate... or mate with someone."
"We need to get back to the Voyager. She will die if we don't do something!"
"Vorik!"
Time skip
Vorik had brought them back. And Icheb brought Lil to the sickbay. The doctor's program wasn't activated yet. Icheb sat Lil down on one of the beds. He was going to activate the doctor, but she prevented by pulling him to her by his neck and kissing him hard. He grabbed her waist and stepped as closest as he could. Lil wrapped her arms around his neck. When they parted for air, she raised her hand next to her side and held two fingers, the index and middle fingers, up. She motioned for Icheb to do the same. When he did they let the fingertips of those two fingers touch and Lil traced around his hand.
"Koon-ut so'lik", she whispered.
"What?" Icheb asked confused.
"Her desire to become your mate", Tuvok answered.
He had entered the sickbay and saw the Vulcan finger-touching.
"Do you accept young man?"
Icheb looked to the girl in front of him and into her eyes which slowly darkened.
"I do."
Lil's ears got his words and she grabbed his face like she did before.
"What is she doing?" the former drone asked.
"She's using the mind meld for the telepathic mating bond", Tuvok explained, he inhaled and continued, "I'll leave you alone."
He turned and left the sickbay. Icheb turned to Lil again.
Her eyes were blackish now. Suddenly he heard voices whispering. He focused on them and then they merged and he only heard one, Lil's voice.
"Lil..." he began.
'Think', she interrupted him, 'try it.'
'C-Can you hear me now?'
'Yes', Lil responded to him.
'Then I want to tell you... that I love you. And I would love to have you as my mate.'
Lil glanced down at his lips and pulled his face closer, kissing him hard and urgently. She wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him closer and he grabbed her waist tight. Their bodies were completely touching now. Their grips were tight. Icheb broke the kiss and trailed down her jaw to her neck. There he pressed a kiss to the soft skin and bit the same spot softly. She herself nuzzled her nose into his collar and searched for the right spot where she then kissed and bit him.
That resulted in him biting harder, drawing blood. Lil released his neck from her bite, threw her head back and moaned. Icheb licked the little wound and sealed it. His lips wandered to her collar and he kissed her gently. She hid her face in his hair that smelled so alluring to her.
Through the mating bond, Lil still holding his face, they felt every emotion and a tingling, also arousing sensation. The both had to moan.
Suddenly there was someone else there, clearing his or her throat.
"Well it's great that you get along like this. But please don't intercourse her at my sickbay", they heard the doctor say, and if you do, please use protection."
Lil retreated her hands from Icheb's face and he pulled back too.
Captain's log, stardate 50541.6. We're following through with Chakotay's offer to help the Sakari improve their camouflage and they've agreed to supply us with a generous quantity of gallicite.
About Lil and her suffering of Pon farr, she and Icheb are mates now and hopefully she will take the news about her other DNA-half well.
[At the sickbay]
Lil and Icheb were already at the sickbay when the doors open for Seven and the other kids, Mezoti, Azan and Rebi. They were at the sickbay for a check-up how their bodies and implants were doing. They saw Icheb already sitting on a bed, with Lil behind him, arms around his waist, he had grabbed the arms and was holding them, and her head laying on his upper back right between his shoulders and under the base of his head, facing the door, and her legs were angled at her left side. The doctor was currently scanning Icheb.
"Is everything alright with him?" Seven asked concerned.
"Everything's fine Seven."
"And Lil? The Pon farr? By the way what is that?"
The doctor moved around to scan Lil, but the couple's current position made it a bit difficult. The doctor sighed.
"Okay, I know you two are mates now and that you're attracted to each other. But please! I need to scan you, both of you."
"Mates?" Seven asked, raising an eyebrow, "does it have something to do with the incident with Ensign Vorik?"
The doctor nodded.
"And what is Pon farr?" Mezoti asked.
"Vulcan blood fever. Every seven years. The wish to take a mate."
The doctor turned to Lil who had turned around and was now sitting between Icheb's legs, his head laid on her shoulder and his arms were wrapped around her upper body.
"You gave each other pretty showy love bites", the doctor sighed while he scanned Lil. Then he smiled satisfied.
"The neurochemical imbalance is gone. I release you to your... duties."
"Wait, you said VULCAN blood fever. But Lil isn't Vulcan."
"Well, not completely", the doctor said, grabbed Lil's chin and moved her long hair back, revealing pointy ears.
[On the Planet's surface]
"Your call sounded urgent, Chakotay", Janeway said.
"I think there's something you should see, Captain. We found this as we were clearing away the ruins. Undoubtedly, one of the invaders who destroyed this colony."
He points to a skeleton with cybernetic skull and body implants.
"The Borg!"