They finally were out of the cave system not more than a half hour later. Eyes watering from the bright sunshine, it took the two a few minutes to adjust to their new surroundings. When they could study the environment without tearing up, it was not reassuring. The ground was barren, patches of grass mostly the only flourishing vegetation, apart from scattered trees. There were hills; the land was fairly uneven and steep in places, but they were exposed to any overhead searches.

"Well, we don't have the option of travelling at night," Janeway pointed out, shading her eyes as she looked out again, before consulting the map. "Without a light source of any type, we'd be tripping over every pebble in our path, with our luck. I'm not green enough to believe our captors would let us go on our merry way after investing their new technology in us, but this is dangerous ground to traverse in the dark."

"The fact that we have no food or water to sustain us is reason enough to concentrate on getting to Voyager ASAP," Chakotay said. "But we had better be careful not to wear ourselves out."

"When I get tired, I'll let you know," Janeway said, angling her head in that way that said fall in line, Mister, or else, and began walking in the direction indicated on the tricorder with bleak resolve.

"At ease, Captain," Chakotay said amused, following her. "I'm just trying to be a good little First Officer, looking out for your well being and all that."

Janeway looked back at him and softened. I know, and I don't mean to ignore your concerns. I'm just trying to justify your position as my First Officer- after all, if Captains were level headed and practical all the time, you'd be out of a job!

Chakotay was pleased that she was communicating again. They'd kept quiet, both aloud and mentally, as they wound their way out of the caves. This was the first time since that she'd telepathically conversed with him.

Now that's one of the things that make you a great Captain; the ability to laugh at yourself. Have I told you recently how well you're doing?

No, not in recent memory, Janeway replied, amused at his flattery. What's this, practical application of the Thirty-third Rule of Acquisition? 'It never hurts to suck up to the boss'?

You've caught me out! You're just too clever for me, my Captain, my liege…

She rolled her eyes. Please, Janeway said wryly. Don't remind me of 'Captain Proton'. I was too lenient with him; I should've curtailed his holodeck activities for the next year. No, even that would have been too good for him.

No, no…

What do you mean, no? Janeway asked, arching a brow.

Chakotay's eyes twinkled mischievously. No, as in, that's not what your thoughts are telling me. Come on, admit it, you actually had fun playing Arachnia, Queen of the Spider People, this announcement of her 'title' was tinged with melodrama, and a mockery of the over the top holo character, Chaotica.

I suppose there's no fooling you now, huh? Very well, I did have a ball with it. Those opportunities are few and far between for the captain, after all.

So, Chakotay said slyly. Any chance of you reprising your role as Arachnia in the holodeck, sometime in the future?

Janeway's response was short, concise and to the point.

Where did a respectable Starfleet captain learn such language? Chakotay said, clicking his tongue in mock disapproval. His voice in her mind was hilarious. Honestly, young lady, do I have to wash your mouth out with soap and water? I'm disappointed in you; I never thought you'd stoop to such language…

Janeway laughed and aimed a playful swat at his head, before instructing him, Just you keep on marching, Mister!

Night had fallen, and Janeway and Chakotay had found a strategically secure spot to rest at, one of the odd spots where trees grew relatively thickly, giving them some small measure of cover at least. A shallow cave also provided a small but refreshing pool of water. It was not deep enough to merit the title, as even in the farthest corner they were still exposed to the cool night air, but as it was the best they could find under such circumstances, they could not complain.

Janeway shivered in the chill breeze, and Chakotay mimicked her reaction a second later. He stared at her accusingly.

I wasn't cold til you shivered. Keep it to yourself!

Too bad we don't have a fire, Janeway said unrepentantly.

Well…

She shot a glare at him. I'm not letting you anywhere near my hair. Bad enough it happened once, but our circumstances are nowhere near as extreme; so perish the thought, and I mean now!

Chakotay held up his hands in surrender. Hey, I didn't say anything! He smiled at her smugly.

You thought about it.

That would never hold up in a court of law, he returned complacently.

Janeway stared at him. Who needs a court of law? My word is law here.

Great. I'm stuck with someone suffering from delusions of grandeur.

Four words for you, Chakotay.

Coffee, or I'll shoot?

Close. Thirty-third Rule of Acquisition. Just remember who's in charge, with the power of life and death, and we'll be fine.

Like I said. Delusions of grandeur.

Janeway looked around for ammo, then lacking a weapon as he still possessed the phaser, settled for twisting his ear with pleasure, which he responded to with a satisfying, Ouch! When she let go, he rubbed his ear and remarked, That wasn't very Starfleet of you.

Yeah, well, very little is Starfleet about me these days, She hadn't meant to bring it up but it came out anyway. What Starfleet captain would sacrifice a crewmember whose 'only crime is existing'? She repeated the words that Tuvix had uttered bitterly.

Be realistic. What Starfleet captain has ever been faced with circumstances such as these?

I had a choice. I shouldn't have stranded them here. I could have done it all differently-

Janeway stopped herself, remembering another time when she had gone over and over that decision, recriminating herself for not acting differently, when she'd isolated herself from the crew at a time they had most needed her to be strong for them. She was not going to indulge in that all over again just to satisfy a perverse urge to torture herself.

She let out a breath and looked over at Chakotay, speaking aloud for the first time in quite a few hours. "It's all right. You don't have to worry that I'll start the self-recriminations again. It was a bad idea the last time; a mistake I'm sure as hell not going to repeat."

"You know," Chakotay said out loud, and seriously. "You don't have to be strong for me. You don't have to feel like you have an image to uphold. If you need to talk, my door's always open to you." He stared at her to make sure the message sunk in, before adding humorously, Of course, if you want to take me up on my offer now, you'll have to ignore the lack of doors. This isn't a 'there'll always be a door' guarantee, just a 'you can always talk to me' guarantee.

Janeway closed her eyes before she gave in to the urge to roll them. They were too sore for that. And the inappropriateness of it all was killing her. It was ironic that with all the other time she'd crossed the line- sacrificing Tuvix for Tuvok and Neelix, hunting down Ransom out of a need for revenge, threatening Lessing's life if he didn't co-operate, allying with the Borg and everything else- the issue that troubled her the most now was how close to become to her First Officer. Another issue in itself, seeing as how he had been the Maquis captain she'd been sent to capture…

She was beginning to feel like a lab rat in one of those ancient experiments, hunting for cheese in a maze filled with dead ends. Or on a wheel, running and running but never going anywhere.

A yawn escaped her, along with another shiver. Chakotay would notice, of course, and insist on her moving closer to him.

Come on, Kathryn, get over here.

She told herself it was only out of survival instinct that she did so, not reflecting on the momentary warmth that passed through her at the intimacy. He put an arm around her and she tucked her legs to the side, curling into him. For the moment, she was worn out, she needed rest and damn the consequences if she used her First Officer as a pillow.

Chakotay was not as weary and settled for looking out at the stars that he could make out from his position, thinking with humour of the propensity for being stranded on planets with each other that he and Kathryn had. He chuckled softly, enjoying the weight of her body against him. Although he knew it would only be a brief experience, that once back on Voyager, she would most likely return to strict protocol and regulation, he couldn't help wondering about…

His eyes snapped open again, uncertain of how much time had passed, not even aware that he had been asleep but the darkness outside was testament to that fact. Chakotay rested his head against the wall, wincing a little at the hard surface. He looked down at the woman sleeping next to him, stroking a finger gently down her cheek and froze- literally. Kathryn's skin was like ice! Awake and aware, he could sense her discomfort and the continuous shivering. Chakotay thought about his options and then settled for the practical, though more inflammatory route.

Moving around so that he blocked her from the opening, Chakotay carefully placed his hands around her waist and tugged her forward onto his lap, settling her in what he hoped was a comfortable position, adjusting her legs to the side. He raised an eyebrow as she slipped her arms under his jacket and curled her hands on his chest, instinctively seeking his warmth. He put his own arms around her and rested his chin on top of her head, feeling her warm breath against his skin. He hoped she wouldn't kill him when she woke up in the morning…