A/n: I'm sorry everyone, I intended to have this chapter finished days ago, but it's been a little hectic for me the last couple of days. I hope you all like it anyway. I've really enjoyed reading "Relative Human Errors" (No relation to this fic, lol). It's the new C/7 fic by Anniexus. Chapter 4 was particularly amazing! :)
Chakotay stifled his grunt of pain sheepishly as the healer's hands fell away from his ankle, instead gamely tried to return the older man's reassuring smile. "Thank you." He murmured gratefully, having to hope that his expression conveyed the meaning of the word these people couldn't understand. It seemed to work, the man's gaze was warm with understanding as he rose from his crouched position by Chakotay's leg, now bound up in a skilful splint he'd made, and he even gave Chakotay's shoulder an almost fatherly pat before moving away. Even without the benefit of a shared language, Chakotay thought wryly, the Doctor could learn a thing or two from these people on bedside manner. In fact, their knowledge of medicine seemed impressive too, he couldn't help studying with some admiration what they'd managed to do with his ankle, which now lay as straight as his uninjured leg, if bound up by a wooden splint and bandages made from a strangely flexible leaf, as broad as those on coconut palms, which was having a pleasantly cooling effect on the torn, angry skin underneath. Of course, he wasn't a doctor, so he had no idea if these measures, and the soothing herbal balms they'd first applied, were truly helping his injury, but since the pain in his ankle had ceased burning as a raging fire through his nerves, inescapable even in unconsciousness, and was now a dulled, if still constant, throb, he wasn't about to resist the attention. Seven, no doubt, would've declared it crude though. A surge of anxiety and guilt, feelings he'd been trying to keep restrained at the back of his mind, overwhelmed him at the thought of Seven. He still had no idea where she was, what she as doing, nor any way to contact her. He dreaded to even imagine what she would think when she returned to where her photographic memory had placed him to find him gone.
He shook his head to try to dislodge these prowling fears, there wasn't anything he could do about it now, he couldn't go back, didn't even remember where exactly she'd left him. He'd just have to hope that Seven was a good detective when armed with her tricorder and would find him. Although, in her logical, unsentimental mind, it was probably more efficient that she work on lowering this shield and hailing Voyager than locating him, but he believed she would put efficiency aside for once, for him.
To distract himself from these intense thoughts, he again focused on his surroundings. Thankfully it was easy to do, the village itself was fascinating, with its inhabitants popping constantly in and out of an obviously intricate cave network embedded into a cliff with loomed over the forest floor and dripped with plant-life, and then there was the encampment he sat in now, surrounding the caves in a semi-circle of open hearths and simple tents. This scene was merely a backdrop though, for the people who lived in it. Chakotay wasn't sure what to keep his eyes on: the old healer that had helped him, now intently carving a branch with a knife, the young men who came careening in with hands grasping newly caught animals or nets swollen with fish, the women who snatched these spoils away and set to the tasks of skinning or smoking it, the young girls who were laden down with baskets of fruit and grain, or the children who watched his every move as intently as he studied theirs. The constant flow of their sign language through the whole group was unbelievably vivid, but he'd been watching for so long that he could see a pattern, and could probably make a guess on certain meanings, "no", "yes", "thank you". He laughed aloud at the route his thoughts were taking, earning many curious stares from the people around him; it struck him as maddeningly ironic that something as outside his interest as a warp mechanics conference had led to him indulging in his neglected passion for anthropology. If he wasn't facing the prospect of being stranded here and if he knew for sure Seven was safe, he would undoubtedly be enjoying himself…
A frantic scuffle in the undergrowth somewhere behind him, then the slapping cracks of branches being pushed unthinkingly aside, pulled him out of her reverie and made him struggle to twist around to face the sound with just as much curiosity as the people around him. He half expected it to be kids playing around, but as he saw a pair of unmistakable pale blue eyes squinting desperately through the greenery he realised with a wave of relief who was causing the commotion. "Seven?" he called out loudly, "I'm over here!"
"Chakotay!" Seven immediately replied breathlessly, almost as a desperate cry, before appearing directly in front of him, although still half disguised by the vibrant plants around her. "What happened?" she asked sharply as she struggled to calm herself, "I thought…"
Chakotay winced guiltily as he heard the quaver of fear in her voice. Yes, he'd done her a disservice in even thinking for a second she wouldn't look for him, but the relief he'd seen flood over her entire face in that unguarded moment when they'd first locked eyes had surprised him, despite what he knew of her private feelings. "I'm okay Seven." He assured her gently, gesturing to the people around him, "These people found me and brought me back to this camp…" He started to explain.
Seven froze as she registered the natives' presence around them for the first time and was frustrated by her own carelessness at not seeing them before now, Lt. Cmdr. Tuvok certainly wouldn't have approved of her lack of vigilance. She peered at Chakotay, mentally assessing him for further injuries and mercifully finding none. "They kidnapped you?" she asked tersely.
"They helped me Seven." Chakotay told her firmly, sighing slightly when he saw that she still didn't believe him.
Disbelief wasn't the only emotion Seven was experiencing at that moment. After her initial relieved elation at finding him unharmed, anger was beginning its toxic build-up within her. She couldn't help but recall, with excruciating detail, the fear that had set upon her the moment she'd discovered him gone and the suffocating panic that had squeezed at her chest when she'd seen those three sets of tracks leading away. Now that those fears had proved unfounded, resentment towards Chakotay for appearing so…blasé about the whole incident smouldered inside, although, if she had bothered to analyse what she was feeling more deeply, she would have found that what unsettled her more was the fact that she had felt such strong emotions about him at all, under any circumstance. "Then why didn't you contact me?" she finally retorted questioningly, unable to stop an accusing edge entering her tone.
Chakotay saw something resembling hurt in her eyes and swallowed, realising he was on something of a slippery slope with her. "Because they…broke it." He admitted heavily, grimacing when her eyes narrowed, "It's not what you think, your voice coming from nowhere just scared them." He shifted to show his ankle to her, "But we're not in danger from them, they really helped with my ankle."
Seven eyed the villagers apprehensively for a moment, Chakotay knew from the white knuckled grip she had on her tricorder that she wished it was a phaser, then warily stepped out from behind the protective undergrowth to come to his side. "Your injury does appear improved Commander." She conceded as she looked down at his leg, angry at herself for leaving these aliens to attend to him when that had been her duty. "But you are still in need of medical attention in Sickbay."
"I know." Chakotay assured her with a small smile as he saw her stance relax a little, "Did you find the shuttle?" he asked seriously, lowering his voice despite the fact he knew the aliens couldn't understand him.
Seven's head dipped unhappily as she shook her head. "A single fragment." She answered, and Chakotay now noticed the sharp scrap of metal she was holding awkwardly under one arm. "It is not the component we require, but I believe the search area can be reduced significantly." She took a deep breath, ignoring the wave of exhaustion which washed over her, "Now that I have located you safe and unharmed, I will resume searching."
Chakotay glanced up at the rapidly darkening sky, then back at Seven. Despite her resolutely stoic expression, she was white with strain and he could see her shapely legs shaking with the shock of overexertion. He wondered, with a lump rising in his throat, if she'd run all the way from wherever she'd been to here in search of him. "It's getting too late Seven, and with no way to keep in contact with you I'm not willing…"
"Do you still have your comm. badge?" she interrupted stubbornly, causing him to frown at her before silently pulling the wrecked badge from his uniform pocket and pressing it into her hand. Seven fought the disappointment that filled her as she held the crushed badge in her hand, the only outward sign of the sudden hopelessness she felt was her fingers closing tightly around the badge. "Irretrievable." She informed Chakotay shortly, biting back a sigh, "For such a technologically underdeveloped race, these people knew exactly how to destroy a comm. badge." She muttered.
"From what I can see, "technologically underdeveloped" or not, they've adapted perfectly to their environment." Chakotay pointed out in defence of his new friends before regarding her levelly, "Look Seven, even if we did have a functioning comm. system, I still wouldn't let you keep searching. It's too dangerous to wander around an unmapped planet at night, especially alone."
Although Seven's depleted body, now shivering with cold as the warm sun rapidly set, strongly agreed with Chakotay's argument, her overwrought mind was exasperated, "Then what do you suggest?"
Chakotay tried not to be irritated by her flat, cold, even slightly patronising tone, after all they'd both been pushed to the edge of their limits by the day's events. "I think we should rest here for the night, recuperate and make a real plan, and then start searching again in the morning. If you've narrowed down the possible area like you say, then these people might be able to help us…"
Seven visibly stiffened, "I do not believe it would be wise to involve these people any further Commander, we would be violating the Prime Directive."
Chakotay bristled, "When have you ever cared about the Prime Directive?" he asked a little too forcefully, unwilling to admit even to himself that her question had hit a nerve. In the hours since these people had found him, he'd been haunted by the question of whether he was exposing them too much.
Seven felt her hackles rise. She generally let any barbs thrown at her be deflected by her own indifference, and was ignorant of many more that the crew said behind her back, but she was highly sensitive to any accusations of hypocrisy, one of the traits she most abhorred in humanoids. "Whenever I, or anyone else in the crew for that matter, has ignored the Prime Directive it has been for the safety of Voyager." She reminded him hotly, forcing herself to calm down as she saw understanding and regret flicker across his handsome features, "Despite the obvious flaws in the design of the Directive, it is applicable here." She told him softly, "These people may be harmed if we involve them, both by our presence as well as our technology. We are disrupting their lives."
Chakotay sighed as he realised with a jolt that Seven's judgement was probably right, if a little extreme and harsh. He knew he'd have gotten the same lecture from every one of his old teachers at the Academy as well as Captain Janeway, although for the Captain to tell him such things would have definitely been a case of the pot calling the kettle black. "You're probably right Seven." He admitted tiredly, "We won't involve them anymore than we can avoid, but for tonight at least we have nowhere else to go."
Seven reluctantly nodded in acknowledgement of Chakotay's undeniable logic. She couldn't take him with her, and at least with these harmless people he was safe from any predators that may attack him in the open forest. Also, selfishly, she couldn't deny the weight of her own hunger and exhaustion begging her to give in and rest here. "True." She eventually conceded, surprised by her ability to return the wan smile Chakotay gave her in reply.
Chakotay's stomach growled in anticipation as one of the older women handed him a wooden mug of something hot from the hearth just outside the cave he now sat in. He smiled at her in gratitude and her hands flickered in a quick single sign before she cautiously moved towards where Seven sat curled against the cave wall to offer her a mug. Seven took it with a stilted nod, but made no move to drink. Chakotay on the other hand gulped greedily, so hungry by that time that he barely registered the sweet nutty taste. It was more a stew than a liquid, having the consistency of oatmeal, but since the villagers didn't seem to need spoons he held the mug up to his lips and drank. "Good, isn't it?" he murmured to Seven glancing over at her awkwardly, they'd barely exchanged a word since they'd agreed to remain in the village for the night. To be fair to Seven, she looked ready to sleep on her feet rather than talk, but he still felt the need to break this new layer of ice between them.
Seven sipped at the mug with a great deal more delicacy that he himself had shown. "Yes." She agreed quietly, before tilting her head at him enquiringly, her gaze intent. "You like it here." She said this as a statement rather than a question but he answered her anyway.
"Yes, yes I do." He replied, clearing his throat. "I don't like being stranded here of course, but I have to say that it's very interesting. I don't think I've ever met a people on this journey I'd like to get to know quite as much."
"They strike you as interesting anthropological specimens?" She asked, still watching him.
He chuckled, "You remember that, huh? A six year old's dream?" He smiled to himself as she nodded shyly. "Yeah, I guess you could see it like that, but really this whole place reminds me of so many trips with my father."
Seven's eyebrows rose, "Your father often trapped the two of you behind a planetary shield?" Her voice was teasing now.
He laughed. "No, not exactly, but since I was a teenager being dragged along against my will, he may as well have done." He ran a hand through his hair, "He would have loved it here, these people live as my people did for centuries."
Seven shifted uneasily on the cave's dirt floor. Now that she saw the rationale behind his curiosity it didn't seem as threatening as it had earlier. She was just too used to the Voyager crew's frequent bouts of explorer's curiosity leading them into trouble, as well as her own form of it causing her pain, to trust it as a reasonable thing. "Perhaps you can learn some more about them while I search." She mused, "Discreetly of course." She added hastily, not wanting to entirely undermine her earlier argument.
Chakotay turned to give her a sincere, open smile at that point, knowing it had taken her a lot to give him that concession. "Maybe." He agreed before looking at her in concern, "If you're really planning to search in the morning, you'd better get some sleep."
Seven's head shot up to stare at him. "Borg do not sleep." She stated sharply, as if he'd suggested to her to commit a crime.
"You're not Borg anymore." Chakotay reminded her gently, realising as she flushed that the words were weighed with more meaning than he'd intended. "I know you regenerate under normal circumstances, but…" He continued hastily.
"But these are not normal circumstances." Seven finished for him with a small smirk, "I will…attempt to sleep Commander."
He smiled at her again, little realising that it was becoming a marked habit. "That's all I'm asking for Seven." He assured her softly before turning away to finish his drink, drifting back into his thoughts. He'd believed for a while that day that they just weren't going to see eye to eye, but to his relief things seemed to have settled down between them again. He had intended to tell her during this away, just because they weren't at the conference didn't mean he should chicken out… "Seven…" He began heavily, "We need to talk about something else…" He stopped as he turned back to face her and saw that she was already sound asleep, curled up like a cat on the ground, her head resting on her hands. His heart twisted as he studied her sleeping face, creased with an anxious frown, but still more relaxed than he'd seen her when awake for a long time, ever since she'd stopped her programmes. He supposed that sleep robbed her of the defensive mask she wore without fail, and though very glad to see that, it worried him how vulnerable she looked. Making an impulsive decision as he felt a strong breeze from the mouth of the cave hit his back and saw Seven shudder in response to the chill, he manoeuvred his body nearer to shield her, keeping his back to the entrance and his face level with, and facing, hers.
A/n: PLEASE REVIEW! :D This chapter was difficult, they spent a lot of it arguing! Thanks so much everyone for getting this story over the 100 review milestone in 12 chapters, I really appreciate it. :)