Disclaimer: I really don't own anything. I live in a box

There was a loud crunch sound and then a thud. I felt Chakotay land very close to me. I struggled against the pain in my head to open my eyes and look down at him. There was a large pool of blood gathering around his head. A sharp shot of pain through my head caused me to close my eyes, but the sight of Chakotay was still there as though my eyes were open.

"Even your knight in shinning armour couldn't help you. What will you do now Kathy?"

Lothos's voice echoed off the walls. "Do you even have a hope left?" I could hear his laughter deep inside my head, which only caused it to hurt more.

"Would you just go away?" I whispered. I put my hands over my ears in a futile attempt to drown out his voice. "If you want me to die get it over with already."

"Not die Kathy, suffer." He answered.

My thoughts turned to Chakotay's lifeless body inches away from me. Not completely convinced that it was lifeless, I opened my eyes again and reached for his neck to check for a pulse. My stomach churned when there was none.

"You said that no one else would get hurt." I said angrily. I pulled myself up with the wall to a standing position. Enough was enough.

"What makes you so sure I'd be willing to help you commander?" Q asked, using his usual condescending tone.

"You would be helping Captain Janeway." I argued.

"Right, that does make a difference." He said nodding. "Okay then, the second thing is there is no guarantee that I'll be able to find him."

I rubbed my forehead in frustration. If this weren't the only way to get Kathryn back and safe, and even get rid of Lothos, there wouldn't be a force in the universe that would get me to make such a request. Q was known to be more than a trickster. He was known to be a pain in the ass.

"Q agree or don't, just let us know now so we can come up with something else. We don't know how long he'll actually keep her alive for." B'Elanna said, not afraid to hold back the anger from her voice. I looked up and saw Tom put is hand on hers to show he was there and give his comfort. She noticed but was too distracted.

"He'll keep her alive for as long as she wants to be alive. I know Lothos, he's much more fond of torture than he is of murder. I'd be worried what state she'd be in when she gets back." Q commented. He sounded more serious then I think I had heard him sound since his first meeting with Captain Picard. He was never this serious when he was here anyway.

My stomach turned at his words. The thought of someone hurting Kathryn and not being able to help her myself was driving me insane. If I didn't think it such a stupid idea I would find her myself and get her away from that maniac.

"When she gets back? So you'll help us then?" Tuvok said catching the words that I did not. Tuvok might never admit it, but I knew that the only one that was coming close to what I was feeling having Kathryn out there, was him. Their friendship was very important to him.

"No Mr. Vulcan, I'm helping Janeway." With a flash Q was gone.

"You're not looking so good Kathy. You should sit down." Lothos said. I saw him now in front of me for the first time. He was a miserable looking thing, small, skinny, with extremely messy hair. The only thing worth noting were his eyes. His eyes were a cold steel grey that just seemed to burn into me. With a single hand gesture I was thrown to the cold metal ground once more.

"Bastard." Was all I said. He walked up to me grabbed me by the throat, picked me up and slammed me hard against the wall, all the time not letting go.

"That's quite a mouth you have there. Might get you into trouble one day." He said. The physical strength in him was quite surprising, and a bit unsettling considering his hand was currently cutting off my flow of air.

"You said…" I started, unable to finish because of the pressure.

"Just wanted to see how you'd react." He said smiling. I looked down and Chakotay wasn't there any more. Nothing was there, not even the blood. "Makes you wonder doesn't it? If you could be fooled by something like that, what else could be fake?"

My head started to spin, and ache even more then it was earlier. Something I didn't even know was possible. My eyes closed and just as they did Lothos threw me across the room. I hit the other wall hard enough to knock the wind out of me, but the real pain came when I landed. I was sure I heard something snap in my ankle.

"No sleeping on the job Kathy." He said. He started to come over to me again

"Stay away from me." I managed to get out although it was strained.

He just laughed, and continued over. He lifted me up again, this time by my shoulders, making sure to place most of my weight on the ankle I was now sure was broken. It was all I could do to not scream out in pain.

"You know as well as I do that I don't have to be any where near you to hurt you." He said to me. It seemed odd to me how the smile never left his face.

"But you have to be near me to hurt me." Another voice came from behind Lothos. I recognised it completely as Q's. If there was ever a time I was glad to hear from him this would be it.

"What are you doing here?" Lothos asked, his voice filled with hatred. Even with Q there he didn't let me go.

"Seems we've got a bit of a problem here. Kathy here is someone that I would rather not see hurt." Q said. He was staying completely calm something which agitated me slightly

"We do then." Lothos nodded. He turned back to face me and for the first time I think I actually saw defeat in his eyes. If it was there it was only there for a moment, because seconds later the hard hatred and anger was back. He smiled once more and something sharp went into my side. "Have fun you two." He said.

In seconds I saw Q do nothing more than punch Lothos and then Lothos crumpled to the ground. I lost my balance and did the same. I think some how the pain from the three injuries, cancelled each other out because all I felt was numb. Then there was a bright flash of light and I was back on Voyager and in sickbay. Q was no where to be found.

The doctor was at my side in only a few seconds with a tri-corder. His face grim and set to business, it was all I needed to let the sleep take over.

"Doctor what's going on?" I said rushing through the doors of sickbay.

"She has many injuries Commander, where would you like me to start?" The doctor said sounding more than frustrated.

"How about with the blade sticking out of her side?" I said starting to panic.

"How about why I can't get any of the injuries to respond to anything I'm using to heal them?" The doctor said, running to one of the stations. I just stood there staring at Kathryn's lifeless body.