"Chakotay… CHAKOTAY!" She got up from the floor where she had fallen when the memories kit, limping along the walls she continued to try and find the door.

"No! Take me it's me you want, I am really here now, just as you asked!" She shouted to the darkness, she continued to fumble, but jumped and spun around when a hand grabbed her shoulder.

It was fear. His clown makeup was dripping down his face, his manic expression exaggerating the joy in his eyes. The joy at their pain.

He had come when she arrived, just as Chakotay thought he would. He and the holographic Janeway had had little time to plan and neither could fully form any ideas before fear caught on so all they had decided on was to get her here. The real her. Chakotay watched from the end of a long hall as Fear approached Kathryn. He started moving towards them, wanting to use surprise to his advantage, but he was determined to throttle the entity if her hurt her again…

"Why are you doing this…" Janeway backed against the wall, trying to get away from him.

"We are having fun! Don't you think so Kathryn?"

She tried to hide the shock at her name being used, this whole time he had referred to her as Captain or Janeway. This couldn't be good.

"What, surprised? If your dear Chakotay can call you by your name then so can I! We have a close bond, don't we Kath." He was still moving towards her.

She had run into a corner and had nowhere to go. Realizing her mistake, she looked around for Chakotay, to put herself in front of him, but she couldn't get around Fear.

"Please, you have what you want now, you have me. Let Chakotay go." She said with all the stability her voice could muster.

"Uh uh uh! It's not as simple as that! You two were conspiring against me. I know. I know everything. That's why you came back isn't it? To help him get rid of me?" His light - playfully sick - tone changed.

"Well it won't work!" He yelled at her. "I will always be here! You remember don't you? How I was there when you awoke again, how I was there when you tried to call for help, no matter what you do I am here! AND I HAVE THE POWER!"

His crazed speech was punctuated by a blow to her abdomen, right above where she was cut. He was moving his hand to her neck when she heard a guttural cry from somewhere in the dark.

Chakotay jumped and wrapped his hands around the entities neck. It struggled for a second, then stopped and stood straight, Chakotay still grasping it's neck. With a snap of his fingers, Fear disappeared and Chakotay fell to the floor.

"Chakotay!" Kathryn rushed to him as best she could, still clutching her middle.

He sat up and looked at her. "Kathryn, you're here."

She reached out and cupped his cheek, "Yes I am right here."

He leaned closer and looked at the cut, he swallowed hard and turned away, eyes shut tight.

"That was meant for me…" he said through clenched teeth.

She remembered how the previous version of herself had jumped in between Chakotay and a blade being swung at him by Fear. The entity had tried to kill Chakotay the same way he had killed the others, just with a little modification. He had challenged Chakotay to combat, providing him with any weapon of his choice as long as it had no technological component and no lethal potential.

Chakotay had chosen boxing wraps, and before he had a chance to object, Fear had chosen a sword and was swinging it at Chakotay.

The promise had been that Kathryn would be uninjured during the duel, if Chakotay won he would get to take the program offline, if Fear won, he got to keep Chakotay.

Chakotay had put up quite a fight, his boxing reflexes helping him to dodge the blade and even get in a few jabs to the entities head and stomach. When he dodged a swing of Fear's sword by ducking under it, the manifestation had taken the opportunity and hit him on the head with the handle of the blade, hard.

Kathryn, seeing his vulnerability ran to him, and before Fear could notice, she had stepped in front of Chakotay, taking a slice to the midsection and crumpling.

When he realized his mistake Fear screamed, "YOU IDIOT, LOOK WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!" His voice had changed to a manic-singsong tone,

"Poooor Janeway! All Chakotay's fault, you just can't stop hurting her can you?"

By that point Chakotay was trying to get to her but the entity grabbed her by her collar and took her to the room they now occupied. She had screamed for him, called to him, but the creepy members of Fear's circus had appeared and held Chakotay back. He was powerless and felt tears well in his eyes while she was dragged away. He had stayed like that, motionless, until the circus freaks had lost interest, and he followed where Fear had dragged Kathryn.

Only then did he send the message they had agreed upon, finding the panel on the wall left by Be'lanna and Harry.

After the message was sent, he had revenge in his heart, and went after them.

Kathryn looked at Chakotay, keeping her hand on his cheek and gently rubbing her thumb across his cheekbone. "Yes, I know, I remember everything, the other Kathryn's memories..." she winced as she inhaled, "merged with mine when I entered the program, it's like I was here the whole time."

"How could the computer have done that?" He said, leaning into her hand for a moment before shifting positions. He looked around for Fear but it seemed that for the moment, they were alone.

"I am not sure," she winced again as Chakotay lay her down to examine the gash in her midriff. "All I know is, this version of fear is even sicker than anything Be'Lanna and Harry had described."

"I know, I think I am partially to blame for that." Chakotay looked sick, obviously upset that he had somehow caused a sudden increase in Fear's viciousness.

"How?"

Chakotay paused before answering, scanning the blank room for any sort of fabric he could use to bind her wound but, finding nothing, decided to remove his undershirt.

He had taken off his uniform jacket for the duel, and only had his undershirt left. He was a bit hesitant to appear shirtless in front of her in this situation, but figured her need for a binding was a more pressing issue.

Her eyes widened when he removed his shirt, and she was temporarily distracted by his bare chest, but quickly refocused on the pain in her stomach as he began to bind her wound. He was working hard and obviously knew what he was doing, soon she was wrapped up and the bleeding had slowed.

"Why do you think it is your fault he is so violent?"

Chakotay paused before answering.

"He has been using some of the Cardassian techniques I observed during my time in the Maquis…"

"But Be'Lanna also-"

"No, she didn't see what I saw… I am sure he got some ideas from her, but these behaviors are definitely from my memories."

"Well, let's just hope he doesn't go too overboard with the multicultural torture hmm?" He chuckled, amazed at her ability to cheer him up even when she was in so much pain.

"So what do we do now?"

Before she could answer, Fear materialized on the floor next to where Kathryn was lying. His arms were folded behind his head and his legs were crossed, he looked relaxed and nonchalant, which was terrifying.

Kathryn tried to scramble away without hurting herself and Chakotay tried to grab her and bring her to him.

"Relax! I am not here to hurt you. Not yet." They didn't relax, so Fear sighed, seeming exasperated, and sat up from his repose.

"You people. You terribly confused, emotionally repressed, annoying escape artist, regulation-loving people. What ever am I to do with you?" He stood then, sort of jumping to his feet and holding his hands out from his sides in a weird display of enjoyment. "Well now!" He clapped his hands together and the circus members started to come out from the shadows behind him. The room began to shift and change and Chakotay pulled Kathryn tighter and she got a handhold on his shoulder and pulled herself to his chest. Neither were quite conscious of the fact that they were clinging to one another, both just seeking comfort as the room shifted around them, and they shut their eyes to the faces surrounding them, laughing at them, taunting them.

They clung to each other for dear life.