A/N: Zara08-I love that you know Riker's height! Hahaha you are the best :-p

Angel897-Thanks so much for always reviewing!

Ronald40-Haha that was one of my favorite parts to write.

Judygrasham-I think you are right! She'll get to see him soon :-)

Thanks again to everyone reading!

"If you don't mind, I think I'll get some fresh air now."

Bettencourt finished locking up his medkit and then rose with a yawn. Clasping his hands behind his head, he stretched the muscles of his back that had stiffened from hunching over his patient for so long. Working conditions in that relic of a mountain home were a far cry from the Enterprise's sickbay. And after the incident that left him hostage at the end of his own phaser, Bettencourt was beginning to regret volunteering for this mission.

"Sounds good," Troi replied, casting him a weary smile from the head of the makeshift bed. "Take your time; you deserve a break." She sat with her back against the wall and her legs extended, one foot crossed over the other. Her fingers absent-mindedly ran through Carmen's dark, unruly tresses as she wove them together into a loose braid. Troi had proven herself a helpful assistant when it came to Carmen's extensive injuries. And though Bettencourt could not shake the feeling that they were being watched, he took solace in having a job to do and a capable woman to keep him company.

"Would you like me to get Lieutenant Worf?" he offered.

"No, we'll be alright," Troi promised. "I sense nothing out of place."

With a nod, Bettencourt withdrew. His own footsteps resounded in his ears as he made his way down the long, stone corridor and out to the welcome sight of the roaring fire. Worf had returned from his patrol and sat meditative-like before the flames. Riker reclined nearby, his brow drawn down in pensive thought. But his expression turned hopeful when he caught sight of Bettencourt joining them.

"Is she awake?" the commander asked, coiling his legs beneath him as though to stand.

"No, sir. Not yet. I just needed some fresh air, that's all."

Riker settled back down. "And the antidote?"

"Should be in full effect by the time she comes to. Would you like me to check on Ensign Sheppard?"

Riker shook his head. "Deanna already-" Abruptly then, he paused. "Actually, yes. And do a full blood scan while you're at it."

Worf's eyes swivelled towards the commander. "You suspect he has been compromised as well?"

"Worf, do you remember the debriefing?" Riker stared into the fire, returning down the road that his thoughts had wandered. "Haykov said she was rambling about someone named Wharton."

Worf nodded. "I remember, sir."

"Sheppard said that's the name he heard. I don't know how Carmen came across it down here, but we can't trust her memory right now. Not with this poison's effects." He glanced to the side and met Bettencourt's eye. "I need to know if we can trust Sheppard."

Troi finished the braid in Carmen's hair and bound it together with a velvety, black band from around her wrist. Gently then, she tilted Carmen's head towards her and examined Bettencourt's work. The swelling over her eye had gone down. Most of the cuts and bruises had faded. And long, purple scars were all that remained from the gashes across her neck.

Troi's stomach growled. She realized that she hadn't eaten since leaving the Enterprise. Her mind drifted back to their last family dinner before Carmen's departure. Her mouth watered to remember the commander's pasta carbonara. She could almost smell it now. The sweet and creamy note of the cheese, the saltiness of the bacon, the floral scent of wine swirling at the bottom of her glass...Wait. They didn't have wine that night. So how come she could smell it?

Troi straightened. The room around her did not seem so dark all of a sudden. The warm glow of a torch cast a merry circle of light over the ground. A torch? Where did that come from? Instinctively she reached for Carmen, but Carmen was no longer there. Instead, rows and rows of clay jugs lined the floor. Each one was filled to the brim with dark purple liquid that saturated the air with a fruity and fermented fragrance. As Troi's eye continued to rove the room, she discovered cubbies carved into the far wall. Blocks of what looked like white cheese had been piled into these cubbies. And from the ceiling hung strips of cured meat, marbled and glistening.

"Carmen?" Troi called out. A woman appeared as though summoned. She stood in the threshold of the pantry, balancing a basket on her hip. Jewels adorned her long auburn hair, which had been wrapped around her head like a crown. She wore a green form-fitting dress that clasped together behind the graceful curve of her neck. Tears rolled from her eyes and stained the orange skin of her cheeks. With a heavy sigh, she began to throw food into the basket.

"Mirees! Mirees, what are you doing?" Footsteps clattered down the corridor towards them. A man came into view, wearing a long, vibrant tunic that scintillated in the torch's light. Copper hair touched the top of his sturdily-built shoulders. He set his hand over the basket and stared at the woman reproachfully."There is no time for this, my love."

"The children will need something to eat," she insisted. "Who knows how long we will have to be down there."

"The Jotnara will take care of us. They always have."

"But this is our home!" A new flood of tears spilled forth. "This was my father's home, and his father's home-"

"It is not time to mourn yet." The man tore the basket from her hands and tossed it aside. "Now hurry! The children are waiting-" He pulled on her arm, but she refused to budge.

"How do we even know we will be safe there? What if these beings follow us into the Chamber of Hearts?"

"It is our best chance, Mirees. Please. While we still have a chance."

Her gaze wandered across the walls, which seemed to mirror her sorrow. Troi could almost hear the woman's silent, hurried goodbye just before she turned away and followed her husband from the room.

"No-wait!" Troi called, hurrying after them. Red daylight filled the corridor's far end. Suddenly, something blotted out the light. A scream pierced the air, cutting through Troi like a knife. As she fumbled for her weapon, she slammed into someone with a shriek of surprise.

"Whoa, whoa! What is it? What's wrong?" Riker's voice soothed her frayed nerves. His long arms engulfed her with their safety.

"Wh-where are they?" Troi stammered. "Did you see them?"

"See who?"

"They must have run right by you!"

Riker glanced both ways down the hall. Red light filtered through it once more. "No one came this way except for you and Bettencourt. I would have seen them."

Worf appeared behind the commander. "Is everything alright, counselor?"

She fumbled for an explanation beneath the scrutiny of their gazes. "I don't...I don't understand. It was so real…"

Riker pursed his lips with concern. "The away team said Carmen saw things, too. Do you think it was like that?"

"Carmen!" Troi broke away from him suddenly and raced back towards the room, her memory jolted. She scolded herself for leaving the young woman behind. Had it been a trap? Had something deliberately lured her away?

She slid to a stop in the threshold, followed a second later by Riker. And what they saw stole the breath right out of their lungs.

Carmen was sitting upright, the blanket gathered at her waist. Her back was to them and her face to the wall. But the wall was no longer just a wall. An unsettling shape had taken form just above Carmen. It looked like the top of a body, but a body with grossly exaggerated proportions and lumpy, gray skin. Two big black eyes stared down at the young woman from an otherwise blank face.

Troi heard Riker swear under his breath, then his hand flew to his phaser. Carmen broke free from her trance. She whipped around, crouching defensively. "Stop!" she cried. "He won't hurt you!"

But the wall heaved like the surface of water, swallowing the face and then smoothing out again to erase any ripples left behind. Within seconds, all evidence of the creature had evanesced and the wall was just a wall again.