Chapter Nine

If Tuvok of Vulcan had been allowed to rage in anger, this would have been the time. He was getting stonewalled with every turn of the Frelan government's whim, and they were getting nowhere fast. "I'm afraid that we have no idea where your captain and commander are," the new ambassador, a woman named Tarqin informed him. "They were unadvisedly taken out of the city by my predecessor."

Voyager's current commander could see that Lieutenant Paris was about to open his mouth, so he intervened before the pilot could make things worse. "Explain."

Tarqin looked like she really would have loved to be doing anything else other than speaking to an emotionless being. She was stressed and pressed for time, but she reminded herself that patience was a huge part of her new job. "Upon investigation, we discovered that the vehicle they were travelling in was destroyed, and anyone who happened to live through that was killed in a wildlife attack. I'm afraid that there were no survivors, and due to the damage caused, we cannot tell if your people were among them."

Years ago, before they'd spent any time together, this sort of announcement would have caused immediate and deep grief in the humans on the bridge. Now, after having heard those words so many times and then not having them be true, the reaction of Voyager's senior staff was filled with skepticism, if not a reluctant belief. They needed proof before they could truly accept that the captain and commander were dead. Tuvok noticed this with some amount of satisfaction. "Ambassador, if that is the case, our funerary traditions dictate that we must retrieve their remains in order for proper burial. May we have your permission to transport to the surface to do so?"

"You may, once we bring the bodies back to the capital, but we are having difficulties transporting them from so deep in the forest. It won't be until at least tomorrow."

"And if they are not dead?"

She considered it for a moment. "There is a slim chance. We will send word to our recovery teams so that they may keep watch for them. But be warned, Commander, the forests are vast and dangerous. Even if they did survive yesterday's events, there is no guarantee that they lasted through the night."

"Would you allow us to send down our own search teams?" he tried.

"I cannot permit that," she replied sharply. "The city and the forests are far too dangerous to be introducing more unfamiliar aliens. You will have to wait."

Tuvok knew that this was also a distinct possibility. But this was more information than he'd gotten out of the new ambassador since her sudden takeover the day before. "Very well. I shall contact you again in two hours."

The ambassador cut the link without saying anything. Tuvok felt all eyes on him as he returned to the captain's chair, and knew the outburst was coming. He just didn't know from whom.

"Can't we do something?" It was Lieutenant Torres who said it for them all.

"We cannot go blindly charging into what is still a first contact situation, Lieutenant," he explained calmly. "There is a process to be followed. However, should the Frelan government prove to be unhelpful, I will consider it."

"And in the meantime, the captain and commander are at the mercy of the elements," Paris commented.

"Captain Janeway and Commander Chakotay are resourceful individuals schooled in the art of survival," Tuvok pointed out, turning his calm expression on the helmsman. "If they are alive, then they will find a way to survive until they can be found."

It took a few hours, but by using the damp sides of the trees as a guide, Chakotay and Kathryn managed to find the road that she had spotted from the ridge. 'Road' was a generous word, more like an overgrown cart path which showed faint signs of having been travelled enough that the branches didn't completely encroach it. It was wide enough for them to walk side by side, free enough of debris on the ground that they could double their speed, and clear of low-hanging matter, so they didn't have to push their way through. It was a relief, and Kathryn had grinned like a fool when she laid eyes on it. After a short discussion, they decided to go left, hoping that it would take them to the city, but surmised that it would end up taking them to some sort of destination eventually.

Thirst was becoming an issue. They hadn't come across any sources of water, and the only thing they'd managed was a bit of dew that had clung to the leaves outside their cave, but its effect was long gone. Tired, hot and parched, Kathryn laid a hand on Chakotay's elbow to get him to stop. "I need a minute."

Concerned, he grasped her arm in return. "What's wrong?"

She leaned against a nearby tree. "Nothing. It's just the lack of water is getting to me."

Chakotay drew a deep breath as he joined her. "Me too."

They stood in silence, knowing that if they sat, getting back up would be that much harder. Kathryn closed her eyes as she rested her head back on the trunk, taking a few deep breaths. When her breathing returned to normal, something that sounded like moving liquid tickled at the edge of her senses, and she lifted her head. "I hear water."

He held his breath and listened. "Me too." Then his mouth spread into a playful grin. "Why don't we see if my luck foraging on planets has changed at all."

Laughing softly, they set through the bush until they came to a paradisiac sight. It was indeed water, a small river that spilled down a couple of metres of rock before pooling at the bottom in a large, oval pond and then eventually moving on down the slope. The sight was surrounded by the decaying remains of what looked like a number of sandstone buildings, their roofs long gone, bits of vegetation growing along their gritty surfaces and through their doors and windows. "Wow…" she gasped as she emerged from the brush beside him, her eyes wide at the sight.

"I thought I heard water," he said, looking down at her with a grin.

Kathryn rolled her eyes. "I know, I heard you. I just wasn't expecting this."

The first thing they did was check out the buildings and the immediate area, confirming that they were indeed alone. Then the pair walked to the edge of the river, which was actually stone carved by millennia of erosion rather than a sand or dirt bank like they would have expected. On closer inspection, they could see stairs that had been carved down into the water, descending onto a large, round platform with what looked like benches and walls that were built up to just below the water level. "This is amazing," Chakotay breathed, lifting his eyes to examine the entire space again. "I wonder what used to be here." He knelt down and scooped a hand into the water, letting it rest in his hand for a moment before bringing his nose down and sniffing it. "Seems to be okay." Then he took a cautious sip, and a moment of bliss filled his features. "Tastes pretty good too."

Without a tricorder, they had no way of knowing for sure, but since they'd already been without water for a day, it was easy to take the chance. Kathryn slowly knelt down beside him and tried it herself, a bright smile lighting her face. "That's almost as good as coffee."

He chuckled. "And here, I thought that you had forgotten about that."

She shook her head. "It's hardwired into my brain at this point."

They both drank their fill, and since the site had obviously been abandoned for a very long time, decided to take a break before trying to get their bearings again. The water was temperate, warmed by the sun as it pooled at the shore, and she lazily ran her hand back and forth across the surface, smiling at the feeling of the moisture clinging to her fingers. "Seems a shame to waste such a great spot," she said softly.

Chakotay's head tilted as he watched her. "You're thinking of going in?"

"Mm hmm." She saw the look on his face. "I know. Seems like the last thing I would do on an away mission, right?"

"Something like that."

Kathryn sat down on the ground. "To my eyes, bathing is exactly what this area was designed for. And judging by the amount of overgrowth and dirt around here, it's a pretty safe bet that nobody has been here in decades, if not centuries. We can both use it to cool down, and it will make it a lot easier to clean up your shoulder if you're in there rather than trying to scoop water up onto it."

Now she'd surprised him. "You want me to join you?"

She grinned at him again. "Why not?"

Chakotay wondered whether it was a good idea. It could have been a religious site, or some lost part of Frelan history. At any other time, the archeologist in him would have screamed in protest. But he was tired, sore, filthy, and when he thought about it, the likelihood of it being any of those things was slim.

He watched dumbfounded as Kathryn stood up and started to strip off what was left of her uniform. The jacket, pants and tank were quickly shed, leaving her just in bra and panties as she slowly moved down onto the first step. Keeping an eye out for any sort of fish or predatory creatures, Kathryn walked down the half-dozen wide stairs until she could step out onto the rounded underwater platform. As she moved closer to the far wall, she felt the water disturbance behind her and grinned, knowing that he'd gotten over his surprise and had followed her in. She looked out over the wall, seeing a variety of different fish in the clear water.

Chakotay tried to stop staring at her back, the rest of her hidden beneath the water. Shaking his head, he instead moved in the opposite direction to examine the nearest wall. The water seemed to bubble and break over the top of the stacked stones, and he carefully reached out to touch its surface, finding a small, mesh-type screen that ran along it. "Well, that would explain why there's no fish in here," he said aloud.

Feeling a little safer, she decided to sit on one of the stone benches. The water enveloped her up to her chin, and it was heaven. "I'd love to make a copy of this for the holodeck," she told him.

He sat down beside her, reaching for the tie on his bandages. "We should probably wash these out while we've got the chance."

Kathryn helped him pull the fabric apart, keeping one hand on the bandage pack. It was definitely stuck, so after removing the strips, she gently pushed down on his good shoulder to get him to sink further below the surface. He drew a heavy breath as the water hit his wound, dull pain crawling through him again for the first time in a few hours, and he grabbed onto her arm until it passed. When it did, he opened his eyes again to find her hovering closely in front of him, one hand still holding the shirt and the other resting on his chest. "Okay?"

"Yeah." He looked into her eyes, sparkling and bright despite the grimy face. Reaching up to touch her cheek, he whispered, "I know it doesn't seem like it a lot of the time, but I do love you, Kathryn."

She opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't find the words. Instead, she leaned forward and kissed him, her hands coming up to run through his hair. She pulled back when they ran across clumps of mud that had dried there, and smiled at him. "I think you may need a bath."

Dropping his fingers to the filthy tips of her own hair, he brought them up for her to see. "I'm not the only one."

Kathryn laughed. "Well I didn't bring any soap, so we may have to get creative." She pushed away from him, falling backward until her whole body went under the surface. Water cascaded off her shoulders and breasts when she stood up again a few paces away, slicking the hair back from her face with her hands. The bra left nothing to his imagination, and he could feel himself start to stir at the sight of her tight nipples through the fabric. Sensing his eyes on her, Kathryn blushed when she realized what he was staring at, and with a shy look she sank back below the water, leaving only her head and hands above as she scrubbed and rinsed out the bandage strips that were still in her grasp.

"You don't have to hide from me, you know." He saw her look up at him with confused eyes. "Just because I appreciate your body doesn't mean I respect you any less."

Out of all the reasons she'd ever considered for not getting together with him, this one had never really occurred to her. She enjoyed the fact that he liked to look at her, especially since their flirting was safe and nothing was going to happen. Now though, he had watched her with such intensity that it made her squirm. It had been a long time since New Earth, and she'd grown accustomed to the armour of her uniform. "It's hard not to think that way," she admitted, turning her attention back to wringing out and then dunking the strips again and again.

Chakotay pushed himself off the bench, lowering himself even further down into the water as he started to move toward her. Once within reach, he stilled her hands. "Kathryn, stop." When she finally dared to meet his eyes, he wore a gentle smile. "I know that you've looked too." If she'd been blushing before, she was beet red now, and it made him laugh. "You have, haven't you?"

The smile she couldn't hide was a dead giveaway. "Back when Tom was running the resort program. I came in one day looking for Neelix, and you had fallen asleep in one of the deck chairs." Her eyes glinted. "Your swimsuit really didn't leave much to the imagination."

He reached up and ran the back of his finger along the bra strap that looped over her shoulder. "Neither does this."

His touch left tingles as it traveled down to the top of her breast, and she could see him fully concentrating on the contrast of her white skin against the dark grey material. Sensing that she was watching him, he looked right at her, and there was no mistaking his absolute desire for her. He kissed her, tentatively at first but then with a growing need, pulling her up against his body in a grip that was not going to brook any arguments. Luckily, she had none to give, and instead threw one arm around his neck, and the other around his back. His tongue danced with hers, desperate to taste her, his own hands roaming down her sides until he wrapped them around her waist.

When Kathryn came up for air, it took a moment for her brain to catch up to her body. The worry on his face stopped any other thoughts. "What?"

His chest still heaving, he echoed her question from the night before. "What do you want, Kathryn?"

She stared at him, her thoughts in a whirl. On Voyager, she had kept such a tight rein on her want for him. Here though, her need to maintain that control was much, much weaker. If she was honest, it was tenuous even on the ship – it had just been easier to use her role as captain to resist a major change. Her hand came up to push back the hair that had fallen over his tattoo. "You," she whispered. "I want you."

Chakotay stopped breathing as he tried to process her words. Before they arrived at Frela, he'd despaired that he and Kathryn would never find a way to get along again. Now, she'd just said the words that he'd longed to hear since the first year they'd been together. "Are you sure?" he questioned. "This isn't something we can't undo." She didn't respond right away, and he continued. "And we can never let things between us get out of hand like we have been."

Her gaze fell down to the water between them. "I'm sorry about that."

"So am I." Taking her chin between his thumb and finger, he lifted her face so she'd look at him again. "But I think we can do it."

She cradled his cheek in her palm. "I really want that."

Chakotay pulled her close again, leaning down to pick up where they'd left off. When she felt his hands cup her ass, Kathryn wrapped her legs around his waist, moaning as her mound brushed against his burgeoning erection. He pulled back and checked the area around them to make sure that no maladaks or Frela had suddenly appeared in the last few minutes, and when he saw that the coast was clear, he lifted her and sat her on one of the stone steps that was even with the waterline. One hand grabbed her breast as he pressed his body against hers, planting his left leg on the floor beside the stairs to keep his weight off. His other thigh pressed between hers, and she moaned in delight, breathy and delicious against his lips.

He tweaked and palmed her nipple, but it was muted through the fabric. So she sat up enough to reach behind and unclasp her bra, tossing it back up the stairs to land near where the bandage strips had ended up. Chakotay bent down to take one breast into his mouth, suckling and flicking the peak with his tongue until he felt it harden. Kathryn's fingers buried into his hair, and her head fell back as her breath quickened. She would have loved nothing more than to vocally encourage him on, but that one small, rational part in the back of her mind held firm, and she made every effort to limit her volume. "Oh…" she gasped when she felt his fingers grasp at her underwear, her adrenaline jumping another notch as he started to tug them down.

He moved back so that she could close her legs enough to get the fabric down off them, then tossed the panties up next to her bra. Seeing her naked in front of him, panting and lips swollen, did more for him than anything he could have done on his own. He'd visualized seeing her like this more times than he could count, but nothing was as good as the real thing. "You're beautiful," he murmured, also aware of his volume.

"And you're overdressed." She reached down and tugged at his waistband, grinning with delight when she saw the tip of his member float up to the surface. Sitting up and taking him in her hand, she started to stroke him, grinning when she heard the groan that he held in by biting his lip. "Shh…" she soothed when she felt his hips buck a little.

"No." He quickly grabbed her wrists and pushed them away before he came right in her hands. "It's too much." Deciding to change tactics, he placed her arms behind her back, then leaned forward to kiss her again as his fingers worked their way down between her legs to cup her.

Kathryn froze as what was happening, and its full implications, hit her. Here they were – naked, in a compromising position, on a planet that had already tried to kill them twice. He was injured, and they were most likely the target of an active search by her crew to retrieve them. Kathryn Janeway realized in that moment that where she should have cared a great deal, she didn't. For once, everything fell into place for her, and she was able to quiet the demons and worries that had forced her to keep denying herself this.

He'd noticed, and he stopped to look at her. "You're thinking about the ship," he said sadly.

She nodded, hand darting down to hold his in place when she felt his touch start to leave her. "Yes, but not for the reason you think."

Now he was confused. "Then what?"

"Because…I'm really hoping that the gods will smile on us for once, and that nobody finds us for at least the next few minutes."

Worry turned to elation, and he kissed her deeply, his tongue delving against hers as he returned to his previous task. She reared upward as his fingers started to slide through her folds, gasping as her hands scrabbled to find purchase on the stones behind her. Her legs parted automatically at his touch, her head thrown back against another step as he brushed across her clit with his thumb. His free hand spread her open, and he slid two fingers inside her. Then he slowly started to pump them in and out of her, his other hand coming up to fondle her breast.

Kathryn's eyes squeezed shut, back arching off the stairs as he started to build her up. Above her, Chakotay alternated his attention between pleasuring her and keeping an eye on their surroundings. But then something occurred to him, almost missed as they got swept up in each other. "What if they find a way?"

Her head came back up when she felt his hands stop moving, and she found him staring at her with wide eyes. "What?"

It seemed absurd, with one hand pinching her nipple and the other buried deep in her sex, but he had to know. "What if someone found us right now?"

She was still panting, licking her lips as she tried to catch her breath. Even in her haze, she saw how serious he was. "It doesn't change anything," she told him.

Tension filled Chakotay's body. "You mean that?"

Kathryn reached around his neck and pulled herself up to give him the kiss of a lifetime, one that left both of them desperate for air when they broke. "Yes…I mean that."

His grin lit up his entire face, and he dove back down to taste her, his hands resuming their previous tasks. He didn't know how she was able to reach him, but he moaned when she grasped him again beneath the water, her gentle grip running from base to tip and back again. He doubled his efforts to keep her from distracting him, his fingers moving faster within her as he flicked her clit with his thumb. But between years of foreplay and minutes of exquisite touches, neither one of them could wait any longer. He smiled at her complaint when he withdrew, loving the anticipation in her eyes when he pulled her bottom even closer to the edge of the step, water splashing underneath her. "Ready?"

Her breath hitched when she felt him hot and hard against her. "Oh god, please…" And while it was meant for her lover, it was also a prayer to the universe that, for once, Tuvok's innate sense of timing would let them have this moment.

Both prayers were answered, and nothing disturbed them as he slowly pushed himself inside her. Chakotay was gradual and deliberate, drawing out this first meeting as long as possible. Her celibacy made his touch electrify her, and he felt her contracting around him immediately. Deciding to give her a moment, he encircled her shoulders and pulled her close, holding them chest to chest as he kissed her.

Kathryn's entire body was on fire, and the foreign sensation of his cock inside her was overloading her senses. She registered that he was kissing her, and the sounds of the forest started to creep into their world as she fell back from the brink of climax. Her eyes closed as her head fell back, and she sighed as she felt his mouth move down her neck and onto her shoulder. Before she knew it though, her respite was gone, and he started to slowly move within her.

"Oh, this is good…" he mumbled as he started to pick up his pace a little. Feeling her hands grip his ass, he went a little harder, satisfied when he heard her mewling in his ear. More than once he had to grab her and pull her tighter to him because his thrusting was pushing her back from the edge of the step. Her arms wrapped around his back to try and stay in place, but as he got quicker he also went deeper, and so she had no choice but to hold on as he started to pound into her.

Still mindful of their surroundings, even in the heat of passion, what wanted to be loud cries of ecstasy were bit down on and muffled, buried with mouths against skin as he continued to thrust into her. Her head fell back again as the fire started to uncoil in her belly, fingers digging into his skin as the orgasm started to build. "Oh god…"

He dropped his forehead to rest against hers, their combined breath filling the air between them. "I love you," he told her again, forcing himself to keep going.

She hummed against him, wanting to return the words but unable to as her climax burst through her, all sights and sounds around them gone as her body blissfully released. She was vaguely aware that he was still going, but only a few more moments until he too came, his body collapsing against hers. Kathryn pulled him close and kissed him, her hands rubbing along his spine as they both came down together. When she was able to breathe again, she finally got to tell him, "I love you too."