Tasha gently tucked the blanket around her boy as she watched him sleep. He was almost eight months old now. She had finally given him a name, Caleb, after remembering a story she had heard as a girl. She was brushing his hair back from his forehead when she heard a noise nearby. Sliding her knife out of her waistband, she threw a second blanket over Caleb and hoped he'd stay asleep.

She was staying in what used to be a row house. It was more of a crumbled shell now, but it served her purpose. She heard a light rain start to fall outside as she slipped into the hallway and towards the back of the house, where the noise had come from. In the back room, she could barely make out silhouettes of the old furniture that remained. She could spot nothing else in the dark room. Sighing to herself, she turned to leave the room. As she reached the doorway, a shadow detached itself from a wall and grabbed her from behind. She let out a short scream, struggling. She felt a knife tip against her back, and a man's voice spoke near her ear. "Do what I want little one, and I won't hurt you." Tasha wanted to fight, to run and escape, but she could only think of Caleb, asleep in the other room.

"What do you want?" she asked, her voice cold. "Drop your knife, right there, beside the door," he instructed, pushing the tip of his knife into her a bit to emphasize that he had the upper hand. She did as he said. He pulled her back into the room, putting himself between her and the door. He let her go, and then she blinked as he lit a lantern and bright light filled the room. Her capture grinned at her. "Now, take those clothes off." She glared at him. "Or, I can cut them off," he added. She kept her glare on him but removed her clothes. Clothing was too hard to come by to let it be damaged. Once naked, she stood before him. "Not bad, not bad," he murmured. "Go over there, and lay down." She moved back a few feet to the old couch that somehow had survived and sat down. Her body was tense as she watched him undress, holding his knife between his teeth.

Tasha examined him as he undressed, noting the scars that crisscrossed his upper body. She kept her stare on him, showing that, while he had the upper hand, she didn't like it. He dropped his pants and her gaze went to his erect phallus. Suddenly she was terrified, as she remembered the day the rape gang caught her, and what they had done to her. She trembled and looked away from him, tears burning in her eyes. He walked over to stand in front of her. "Look at me," he said. She ignored him. He put the tip of the knife under her chin, using it to force her to look at him. The knife tip pierced her skin, and a drop of blood slid down the knife blade. "Open your mouth," he ordered. Confused at this order, she did as he said. He jammed his erection into her mouth, causing her to gag. He put one hand behind her head to hold her still while he moved in and out of her mouth. She tried to pull away, but his hold was too strong. He stopped a few seconds later however, and threw her back onto the sofa.

Frightened, Tasha moved back as far as she could, tears streaming down her cheeks. The man grabbed her ankles, yanking her towards him on her back. He pushed her legs open and forced himself inside her. She cried out at the pain, sobbing as he had his way with her. Fortunately, it didn't take long before he was done. He pushed her off the sofa, and laid down. She stayed in a heap on the floor, wondering what he was going to do to her next. To her amazement, she soon heard him snoring. Looking up, she saw him sleeping. She spotted his knife next to him, and knew what she had to do. Quietly, she moved over and grabbed the knife. She hesitated only a moment before slicing his throat open. His eyes flew open, his hands going to his neck, but it was too late. He was dead in seconds. She wiped the knife blade off on his corpse. Grabbing all the clothes and her knife next to the door, she left the room, closing the door behind her. She went back to Caleb, seeing he was still asleep. She gathered him into her arms, trembling.

The scene shifted suddenly, and Tasha found herself standing above a mineshaft, Caleb in her arms. She looked to the side and saw herself, being raped. Her other self looked at her, pleaded with her, but for what she could not make out. Then she lowered her arms, and the other her screamed. Tasha looked down, and saw Caleb falling. She screamed….

Tasha's scream echoed around the room. Caught in her nightmare, she leapt from the bed, only to land in a crumpled heap as her injured knee gave way. The present came crashing back, and she huddled on the floor, sobbing. Will was quickly by her side, gathering her into his arms as Beverly ran in. Bev took one look at her, and pulled out a hypo. She pressed it against Tasha's neck, and the woman soon quieted as the sedative took effect. Bev looked at Will. "What happened?" "Another nightmare," he replied. "I had fallen asleep, her scream woke me." "Let's get her back to bed," Bev said. Will nodded, and lifted Tasha in his arms. Bev helped him get her situated in bed, and checked Tasha's knee to make sure she hadn't damaged it more. Satisfied she hadn't, Bev gently tucked the blanket around Tasha. "She won't dream with that sedative, so she'll get at least a few hours of rest." "Good," said Will. "I'll be back before she wakes up." Will watched Tasha's sleeping form for a few seconds before quietly leaving sickbay.

Will hit the buzzer on Deanna's door. She called out for him to enter. He wasn't surprised to find her curled up on the sofa, looking out the window to the planet below. "How is Tasha?" she asked. "Sedated," he replied, sitting next to her. "Is she going to be ok Dee?" "She needs to mourn her baby. She was just a child herself when her baby was killed. Emotionally, she wasn't ready to handle the grief, so she locked it away. Seeing the girl and her child on the planet unlocked those memories. Now, she has to deal with them." "I wish she had told us about this." She smiled slightly. "Tasha is strong Will, I'm sure she'll be just fine." She sensed his concern and doubt. "Don't get me wrong Will, she will need time and, most importantly, our support. But I believe being forced to finally face this, she will come out of it better off than she was before." Will nodded slightly. "How can I help her?" Deanna tilted her head to the side as she answered. "She is going to need you Will. Just be there for her, encourage her to talk about it, listen to her, and be her shoulder to cry on." "That's easy enough," he replied. "It sounds easy Will, but once you start to hear all of her stories, her nightmares…" she trailed off, shaking her head. "You two have been friends since almost the start of your tours on this ship. But you have not seen her after a nightmare until now, and she had not opened up to you about her past in this degree until now. I can sense a deep bond forming between you two. Whatever you do, don't break that bond." Will nodded, staring out the window as he thought about his friend lying in sickbay.

A short while later, he was at Tasha's side again. He watched her as she slept peacefully under the sedative's effect. He looked up as Bev walked in. "How much longer will the sedative last?" "Not long," said Bev. She hesitated a second. "Will, when she wakes… she won't have dreamed, but the last thing she'll remember is the nightmare she had right before." Will looked down at Tasha again as the young woman stirred. Tasha whimpered softly. Will gave Bev a quick glance, and the doctor moved closer to Tasha's bed. "She's slipped into a normal sleep, the sedative has worn off fully now," said Bev, quietly. Will shook Tasha's shoulder. "Tasha, wake up," he said. Tasha opened her eyes and saw him leaning over her. She panicked, but Will was ready this time. He grabbed her, keeping her from jumping out of the bed. "Tasha!" Tasha fought him, still not thinking right. "Lt. Yar, at ease!" That got her attention. She met his eyes and he saw the raw turmoil of emotions in hers. His hand was still on her shoulder, and he squeezed gently. She reached up and placed her hand on top of his.

Meanwhile, Bev had moved back to the door. She watched the two quietly. She hated to disturb them, but she had to talk to Will. "Commander, may I speak with you a moment?" Will glanced at her and nodded. He squeezed Tasha's shoulder again and spoke softly to her. "I'll return shortly, ok?" She nodded, and Will followed Bev out of the room. In Bev's office, Will waited patiently. "I need your help Will." Will raised an eyebrow. Bev continued. "You know how stubborn Tasha can be, and how much she hates sickbay and anything that limits her. I need you to help me with her physical therapy." "How can I help?" "Take her to the holodeck for an hour or so each day, just to walk. It will give her time away from sickbay and exercise for her knee. Just don't let her do anything strenuous." Will smiled. "I think I can manage that much." "Good," said Bev, returning his smile. "You can take her now if she's feeling up to it." Will nodded and went back to Tasha.

Tasha quickly agreed to a walk on the holodeck. Will helped her out of bed. She leaned on him as they left sickbay, but by the time they got to the holodeck she was walking on her own, albeit slowly. "May I pick the program?" she asked. Will nodded, curious what she would choose. She punched in a code and stepped towards the door. The door slid open to reveal a brightly moonlit beach. "Moonlight?" said Will, surprised. "Do you not like it? I can change it," said Tasha as she turned back to the panel. Will grabbed her hand. "No, no, I like it, I was just surprised that's all." He smiled at her, and motioned for her to lead the way in. Tasha walked onto the sand and, balancing carefully, removed her shoes and socks. Will copied her, smiling as his bare feet slid into the warm sand. Tasha walked out to the water's edge, watching the moonlight play off the gentle waves. Will stayed back a moment and watched her, noticing the way the moonlight shone on her hair and skin, giving her an ethereal glow. He also noticed the shadow of sadness that passed over her face. Moving to her side, he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close to him. She turned halfway, resting her head on his shoulder. He heard her give a soft cry. His only response was to tighten his arm around her. She pressed herself closer to him for a few minutes. Soon, she gave a sigh, and turned, indicating with her movements that she was ready to walk. She stayed close to him, and he slipped his arm from her waist, taking her hand instead.

They walked together in comfortable silence. Will was trying to think of other activities to help Tasha's recovery when she stumbled. He glanced at her, and saw the pain on her face. She took another step and stumbled again. Stopping, she turned towards him, favoring her injured leg. He saw frustration mingle with the pain in her face. "I can't do anymore Will." He released her hand and scooped her up in his arms, starting towards the door. "Wait," she said, "could we stay a little longer?" "Of course," he replied. He lowered her to the sand, and then sat behind her, his legs on either side of her so that she could lean back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and she relaxed against him. Their comfortable silence resumed, until interrupted by the chirp of Riker's communicator. He sighed softly as Bev's voice came over the communicator. "Crusher to Commander Riker." "Riker here." "Is everything ok Commander?" "Fine doctor, we are on our way back to sickbay." "Excellent. Crusher out." He shifted to get up, but Tasha stopped him. "Will," she said, placing her hand on his arm. She turned around enough to meet his eyes. "Thank you." Will understood the depth of her words. "You're welcome," he replied. He reached up to caress the side of her face. "I will always be here for you Tasha." She smiled at him, and he knew then that Deanna was right. Tasha would hurt for awhile, but she would be fine. He returned her smile with one of his grins. "Now, let's get you back to sickbay before Dr. Crusher sends a security team after us." He helped her up, and she leaned heavily on him on the walk back to sickbay.

Two days later, Will stopped by sickbay to take Tasha to the holodeck for the third day. She greeted him with a smile, gingerly hopping off of the bed. "How are you feeling?" he asked. "Much better," she replied. "I can't wait to get out of here!" Will chuckled, knowing how much Tasha hated being stuck in sickbay. The two of them headed towards the door, only to be stopped by Bev. "Tasha," said Bev, as she walked over to them. "I'm releasing you from sickbay." Tasha smiled, and turned to look at Will. He smiled at her, putting his hand on her lower back. Bev continued, "You'll still have to come by daily for your therapy, and I still expect you to do all your exercises." "Of course," said Tasha. "I promise I'll be good Doctor." "Go then, and I'll see you tomorrow." Tasha and Will headed out the door. Tasha paused in the doorway and looked back. "Thanks Bev," she said. Bev smiled at her. Tasha and Will continued to the holodeck.

Will had insisted on picking the program for today. Tasha didn't know what to expect as the doors opened before her. She was confused when she saw a landscape covered in white… "Snow?" she said, curious. "Yes," said Will. "Have you seen snow before?" "Yes, well, no, only in pictures." Tasha walked inside, feeling the snow compact beneath her boots. She shivered, realizing how cold it was. Will was prepared, however, and joined her with a long, soft coat in his arms. He helped her into it, and slipped into one of his own. They walked a short ways together before Tasha stopped and turned to him. "What is this place?" He smiled. "This," he said, looking out over the landscape, "is where I grew up. A remote place on Earth called Alaska." "It's beautiful," said Tasha. "Come on," said Will. "There's a lot I want to show you." He wrapped his arm around her waist and they walked. In the next hour, Will showed her all the wonderful things of his homeland, from the giant moose to the salmon racing upstream. Tasha enjoyed every second of it. When it started snowing, she was delighted. Will was overjoyed to see her happy for a while.

At the end of their walk, Tasha sighed. "I wish I could have grown up somewhere half as wonderful as here." Curious, Will asked, "Have you ever created a holodeck program of your home world?" She nodded. "Yes, but only because Deanna made me." "Made you?" She met his eyes. "I had extremely bad nightmares when I started on the Enterprise. Deanna thought it might help if I worked through them on the holodeck, so I had to create the program. I haven't used it in a long time." "Would you show me?" Tasha looked at him, surprised. "You really want to see?" Will nodded, taking her hands in his. "Tasha, I will never be able to truly understand the pain you went through growing up. But maybe a glimpse into your world will help."