Disclaimer: Star trek voyager belongs to paramount. So does New Earth, but Earth (the original) belongs to us, and it's a free world apparently.

For all those that are left completely baffled by the end of this chapter, don't worry, everything will become much clearer by about chapter 13 I think. LOL. As far as I've planned, you should find out a little about what's going on in the next three chapters, but stay with me, I am the creator of this story, and I do have a master plan.

For the time being though, here's a thought for you, what if Janeway and Chakotay had different memories of New Earth.

V

Chapter 7: New Earth

Chakotay held Kathryn in his arms. They lay their together, neither or them speaking, but preferring to spend the time that they had left in silence. Chakotay didn't ask because he was afraid of the answer, and Kathryn didn't speak because she was afraid of what she might say. So they lay there, neither of them making the first move.

Sun had entered the bedroom maybe an hour ago, maybe longer, but it didn't really matter how long ago, the sun was still there and wouldn't go down for the rest of the day. Light crept through a gap in the thin material of the curtains, and made a bold line across the centre of the bed, while the actual curtains that should have been white looked somewhat yellow, with the sun beaming down on them.

Kathryn played with Chakotay's hand, tracing each line with her finger, seeing each hardship he had endured reflected into it. Chakotay lifted his hand to her face and caressed her cheek, then he cleared her forehead of any loose strands of hair, and with a single movement he tucked then behind her ear. Resting his hand on her bare shoulder, he risked speaking. "What's going to happen when voyager returns for us?" he asked softly, so as not to disrupt the peace that they had created.

She was lying with her head to his chest, and he could feel very distinctly when she took a deep breath in, and then released it slowly. Maybe it was to prepare her for a speech, or maybe to signify that she was thinking about the question. She crossed her arm across his chest, "let's not think about that now," she said.

It was unlike her, he thought, to run away from things, or avoid something because she found it difficult. So, being unsure to what she was thinking he let it go for the time being.

They had been on New Earth for a little under three months, voyager had contacted them the previous day to tell them that they had found a cure for the virus and would soon be picked up. That was twenty four hours ago, he thought, that only gave them another twelve hours until they were in transporter range of the ship. That only gave them another twelve hours together with no rank, twelve hours to freely express their love for one another, and after those last few hours, he didn't really know.

It had been the previous morning that he had shown her his plan to build a boat of some description that they could use to explore the new planet by the river. And then they had heard the comm. badges reactivate after almost three months of neglect. Although Tuvok had said they had 36 hours left on the planet before Voyager arrived, that pervious day had been wasted.

Kathryn had grown increasingly quiet, and spent a lot of the time thinking to herself. She had distanced herself from him, and refrained from kissing him, and tensed when he touched her. When he told her that he loved her, she would look away, or maybe pull away from him altogether, she would not confess her love for him as she had only that night before.

Chakotay thought he knew what it was though. When they had been stranded on New Earth, at first she had been adamant that she would find a cure, and after some time she had gotten used to the idea that she may have to spend the rest of her life with him, that they may never see voyager again. That they may never see Earth again. That she would never see Mark again. And now that voyager had found a cure, she wouldn't have to spend the remainder of her life with him on the planet, and there was now a good chance that they would see Earth again, and for her, she might see Mark again.

He guessed it was guilt, she was feeling guilty that she had betrayed Mark. Also the idea that she was in a relationship with her first officer, her subordinate, was beginning to sink in, and she didn't like the idea of going against Starfleet regulations.

"I'm going to take a shower," he felt her body break away from his, and watched as she disentangled herself from the sheets.

"Mind if I join you?" he propped himself up onto his elbows, and smiled, knowing that his dimples would break her.

She sat naked with her back to him, at the edge of the bed. "I don't think that would be appropriate," she said, suddenly in full captain mode. The smile was quickly wiped from Chakotay's face, how could she say that? They had just spent the night together, how could taking a shower together be inappropriate in comparison? He asked himself.

He watched a Kathryn wrapped a robe around herself, still a little shocked at her tone. She was about to leave the room, and make her way towards the shower, when his voice stopped her exit. "What do you mean: 'I don't think that would be appropriate?'" he asked.

She turned round, to find him standing naked by the side of the bed. She wanted to reach out and touch his skin, tell him she was sorry, and slip back into the bed with him, but instead she brought out the captains mask, and took her eyes from his body, and up to face him. "I'll be taking a shower alone," she stated, her voice cold and somewhat painful for him to hear, and with that she left the room.

Chakotay let Kathryn go, and dressed himself, not bothering with a shower, suddenly eager to get on with packing everything back up before voyager arrived back for them.

When Kathryn re-emerged from her bedroom, clean and dressed, Chakotay was nearing the end of his breakfast. She walked across the living area and sat down at the table opposite him. She was playing with something in her hand, but he couldn't see what it was, as she quickly hid it beneath the table.

"I love you," she said suddenly, and out of the blue.

Chakotay looked up at her from his mug of coffee, a little confused. He smiled slightly, and with a little reservation, "I love you too Kathryn," and then he added, "is there something wrong? you can talk to me about it."

Kathryn reached out and slipped her hand into Chakotay's, "I'm sorry," she said, "for the way that I acted just before my shower, and for yesterday, it's just, so much has changed." She looked down at the table, "there's so much about me that you don't know."

He smiled as she looked up, and their eyes locked for a moment. "I know enough," he admitted. Over the past few months he had learned a lot about Kathryn, he now found it easier to predict her moods, and reactions to things. They had told each other a lot about their lives before voyager, Kathryn had started confiding in him about things, things that she never had before they had come to New Earth.

After the storm had destroyed all of her equipment, she had been distraught, realising that the chances of them escaping the planet were considerable narrowed. He had confronted her about it, finding her mood impossible to deal with, without fully understanding, and she had broken down, and wept in his arms. When she had settled down, and he asked her what was wrong, she had told him about her son Tobias, and that she missed him. He didn't exactly know why she had never told him this before, but she had told him enough for the time being, and he knew that maybe after some time she'd give him more details.

"Maybe," the look on her face changed as she looked into his, as if she was trying to remember his face, the way that it was. The hand that had been under the table lifted up, and he could see she was holding what looked like a silver pen, she held it up vertically, and in a flash everything went dark.

What happened next was not as clear, he had no sight, but could hear. Her voice came clearly above every other sound that he could hear, but he couldn't make out the words, maybe he didn't want to, but he knew that he didn't like them what ever they were. He felt sick, he didn't want to be there, where ever he was.

Kathryn's voice left him, and was replaced by that of a man. The darkness was replaced by a bright light, as he opened his eyes, it was too bright, and he had to close them again. He couldn't hear what the man was saying, but it didn't sound like the man was talking to him, and it was when he heard the voice of another man that he was certain that they were in conversation with one another.

"I'm not sure, maybe once more, twice more, maybe none at all," said the voice of one of the men.

"Okay, can I speak to him?" Chakotay recognised the voice of the second man. He didn't hear him speak again until the man was positively a few feet again from him. "Good morning," this time the voice was speaking to him.

Regaining confidence in his eyes, he opened them again, this time more slowly. The light was coming from directly above him, and was purposefully placed on his face. "Where am I?" he said, finding his voice.

"That doesn't really matter," the voice, he had heard it before.

Chakotay struggled only to find that his arms and legs had been strapped tightly to the bed that he lay on. "Why am I here?" he pulled a little harder at the straps holding him down, but it was no use.

"How much do you remember?"

"What?"

"About, New Earth, I think you called it."

"New Earth? What-" something about his memories of the planet weren't quite right, "I-" he stammered.

"Do you remember your relationship with Kathryn Janeway on the planet?" The man prompted.

"My-" Chakotay thought, "how did you-?" he wasn't quite sure about what had happened on that planet at all, now he came to think about it. "What have you done to me!"

"MRT," the man explained, "Memory Retrieval Therapy. I must admit, I was a little disappointed in you, I was hoping that you might go insane straight away, but maybe you will after time."

"I don't understand," Chakotay had given up with the straps, and was now dealing with two similar sets of memory, both inside his head, alike, and yet very different."

"Of course you wouldn't," the man, who Chakotay was beginning to be able to make out, paced a little. "Allow me to explain," he said, his face inches from Chakotay's.

At the sight of his face, he remembered the café in San Francisco, and the man who had called himself Paul. Suddenly Chakotay felt very sick.

V

End of chapter 7.