There was a Hirogen lying wounded on the floor next to him, and he bent to check the pulse, ignoring the flare of pain in his leg.

"He's dead," he pronounced bitterly to the other Hirogen at the doorway inwardly frowning as something seemed amiss. "Why?"

"He was not fit to lead our people," the Hunter said with an inscrutable expression on his face. It could have been satisfaction, or self- righteousness, regret, anger… who could tell? "His notions were weak; he would have ended the Hunt, everything our people are."

"So you killed him," Chakotay carefully rose to his feet. "Are you going to kill me now?" he asked. He didn't recall how he got there, and there was something with his voice that; it sounded like Kathryn's, but that was imposs- "I don't understand." Yes, it was her voice. Things made more sense now. This wasn't real.

And as though that were a key he didn't even realize he had been looking for, to a door that he hadn't known existed before, it opened, allowing thoughts and feelings and perceptions to flood into his mind from hers.

The Hunter had moved away to the side, allowing unfettered access to the door.

"You are the prey. I will hunt you," he said matter-of-factly. "Run."

Janeway stared at him, and he knew her confusion, her thoughts in disarray as the Hunter's words seemed to diminish her, lessening who she was and what power she had because in his eyes, he was superior and in control, whereas she were nothing but-

Her eyes hardened, chin coming up and back straightening. No one made her feel inferior to them. She would hold on to dignity, even if it killed her. And, she reflected, in this case it just might. Walking casually, though with a slight limp that she could not prevent as agony radiated from the wound in the leg where she had been shot, she made her way to the door, not even looking at the Hunter as though he were beneath her concern.

Outside, she maintained that composure, taking another step, another, one more…and then she broke into an awkward run, favouring the injured leg as little as physically possible without running the danger of collapsing, because if she succumbed, she would be caught and if she were caught, she would die…

Behind her, she knew the Hunter was pursuing, a silent predator. Gritting her teeth against the agony she could barely stand, Janeway forced herself onwards.

Chakotay shared the rest of the experience with her: running on and on, finding an area where the holoemmitters were malfunctioning, concealing herself in debris and pleading for her life in a suitably pitiable voice that lulled the Hunter into arrogant complacency- and then when he stepped out of range, when the gun disappeared, she struck, turning the tables on him as she became the hunter and killed him.

He knew that this was roughly the time when the tide turned in their resistance against the Hirogen. Although he didn't know exactly what happened to her next, he definitely knew that what he was seeing had not occurred.

A group of Hirogen Hunters approached…with hostages.

Janeway stared in horror at the sight of her senior staff held at phaser point, each exhausted and beaten. She barely heard the taunting words of the Hunters, ordering her to surrender before her friends were killed. As she watched helplessly, Torres attempted to break free and was brutally smashed to the ground, blood pouring from her nose.

"What are you going to do, Captain? Are you going to let them die?"

The Hunter holding Tuvok captive aimed his weapon at the Vulcan and fired. The Security Chief never stood a chance.

"One down."

Kim was next.

"Oh, god, Harry…"

Seven.

Her emotions were in turmoil, her grief and bitter taste of failure uppermost.

"Don't do this!"

Chakotay was invisible at best, a mere ghost in this torturous nightmare with limited influence. In the real world, he was dimly aware of rubbing her back, murmuring comforting nonsense to Kathryn, but he couldn't fully manifest himself in the dream and was unable to wake just yet.

Confusion now ruled Janeway's mind. On the one hand, anguish tore through her as she watched Chakotay being executed, her feet rooted to the ground and preventing her from taking action, futile as it would be. Yet the events now seemed strangely surreal, and the sensation that Chakotay was somehow not lying dead in front of her but elsewhere, near her, offering comfort, encompassed her mind…

Janeway turned and her perception of the world altered drastically. She wasn't in Voyager's corridor anymore. Her bemused senses informed her that she was naked, in bed and with someone else.

"Chakotay?" she said in surprise.

His lips were by her ear, nipping gently.

"What-?" she began but was cut off by a moan as he made his way along the curve of her jaw and then nuzzled her neck. She arched against him, throwing a leg around him and smiled in satisfaction as he was unable to stop a thrust against her. His hand made sweeping explorations of her body and her eyes closed, enjoying the intimacy of the moment…

Janeway started, awaking in unfamiliar surroundings. Where was she? Why wasn't she on-? Then memories surfaced, and she groaned.

"Good morning," came a welcome voice.

"Hi," she mumbled. "I just remembered it wasn't all a nightmare." Now why, she mused, does that strike a chord? It would come to her, sooner or later, if it were important. Janeway looked over at her refreshed looking exec and groaned again. "You're glowing, " she noted in disapproval only half feigned. "Why do you look so chipper? Don't you know that's bad form?"

"I'd advise you to go wash your face, drink some water," Chakotay said with overdone sympathy, lapsing into telepathic communication half way, it'll make you feel more human.

How do you know? she retorted similarly. Need I remind you that I am beginning my second day of this escapade without so much as a single cup of coffee?

Ah, the root of all evil. At her glare, he covered up, Coffee deprivation, of course. Why, did you think I meant something else?

Janeway stood and stretched. Don't play the innocent with me, Commander, she told him. I know you view it as poison.

He kept a straight face as he replied deadpan, I don't know what you mean. Honestly, Captain, where do you get your information from?

Your mind. The most unimpeachable source there is. She stalked to the small pool of water, which indeed made her feel a little more civilized. Her hair was another matter, however. Sighing, she pulled it down, releasing it from the pins that held it in a bun. Seeing as how a brush was unavailable, she had to be satisfied with running her fingers through her hair to undo what tangles she could find.

It stirred a hidden recollection of New Earth, of Chakotay reverently gathering the stray strands and grasping the entire mass to collect it on the one side, out of the way when he massaged her shoulders. A frown puckered her brows as she pursued the line of memory, of his hands on her shoulders, on her body- that had never happened! – giving her pleasure –only in her dreams- she stopped. Dreams.

With sheer will, she prevented colour from gathering in her cheeks as the details of the dream the night before came to her. It has no relevance, Janeway told herself, put it out of your mind.

The inevitable worry surfaced. Did he know? With this connection between them, had he sensed the direction of her dreams? Janeway turned around to see Chakotay looking away and her eyes narrowed in suspicion. He had been normal that morning. A little too normal, to her way of thinking, like someone who was trying to cover up the fact that he knew something and needed to act that way to prevent her from suspecting.

Oh god.

He knew.

"Chakotay," she said lightly. "I'm going to go for a walk, get a little fresh air. I won't be too far."

He raised his eyebrows and she sense concern. "Want me to come along?"

That was the last thing- "That won't be necessary."

Chakotay nodded. "Getting sick of me now?"

She smiled, trying not to grimace. "Well, I'm definitely starting to weary of having our minds linked this way. I'm trying to avoid thoughts of the headache I'll have after the Doctor has us in his clutches."

"You mentioned once you had a headache for weeks after a mind meld with Tuvok," he remembered.

Janeway shook her head as she headed out. "Watch it, Mister. The whole point of avoiding a subject is not to have it brought up."

"What are you going to do, kill me?" He sensed the tone of her thoughts and gasped in mock hurt. "Kathryn, you wound me."

"Out, out, damned mind," she called back amusedly.

A minute later, Janeway sighed in relief. He didn't know she knew.

"And what exactly do I know?" she asked out loud. Having picked a direction at random, noting the dark clouds that heralded storms in the near future and also keeping in mind the people who had captured her previously, she was mainly keeping to the sparse cover of trees, not venturing too far away from 'camp'. She absently kicked a stone along and followed in its path, deep in thought.

Well, Janeway remembered the nightmare now, with the Hirogen capturing and slaughtering her staff. The strange sensation of Chakotay behind her, or close by, then being in bed with him and-

That is quite enough. Janeway shook her hand in disgust with herself and the loss of command over her thoughts. The day I can't control myself, I-

Pain ripped through her, so intense she couldn't even articulate it in a scream. She fell to the ground, writhing as it clawed its way through her body, white-hot streaks arching her back almost to breaking point.

She received a flash of Chakotay in a similar state. Janeway fought to suppress the agonizing sensations, detach herself from it and think it through rationally. One fact was that she and Chakotay were both suffering from that condition. Two was that she only knew he shared her predicament because the result of the experiment Prytelle had conducted on them allowed them to share thoughts and perceptions. And three- this had only started after she had separated from Chakotay.

I can do this. Bracing herself, she erupted into motion, leaping up and stumbling back towards Chakotay. Sharing her conclusions, she knew Chakotay was making his way to her as well. Still shaking as they approached one another, Janeway allowed herself to rest against his reassuringly solid chest.

Let's never ever do that again.

A weary chuckle from Chakotay. I'm not exactly queuing up for tickets to a repeat performance either.

Theories? Suggestions?

We can't leave each other for more than a few metres.

Looks like, Janeway didn't feel inclined to move at the moment. Flashbacks of that blinding pain were less prone to affect her in his arms. Damn but if I'm not going to tear Prytelle apart limb by limb if I ever encounter her again.

I'll join you, he seconded her grimly, images of what they would do to the unfortunate Prytelle flashing back and forth.

At last, Janeway let out a breath and broke away. She breathed in deeply and let it out again. "All right. We're in one piece, footloose and fancy-free. I say we get back on the road again." Detaching the tricorder from her side, she set off determinedly, Chakotay at her side.