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Thank you again to my amazing beta, and to the thoughtful reviewers who let me know that they were excited about this. I know this isn't the most interesting chapter but I promise I will get to the good part soon.
Chakotay gazed down upon the sleeping woman, marveling at the utter lack of tension marring her graceful features. Even while sedated in the hospital, the lines in her face betrayed a deep-seated worry, exacerbated each time she began to dream. Now, she seemed at peace, for the first time in as long as he could remember, yet he wondered how long it would last before the nightmares returned.
It occurred to him that the sun was not progressing across the sky as he might expect, and he wondered whether the time was crawling slowly due to his intense worry for the woman he truly loved. He began looking around, trying to ascertain his whereabouts. He didn't recognize anything in particular around him, but it appeared quite terrestrial.
"Where are we?" he asked his holographic companion, figuring the doctor would know, as he was the one who ordered the transport.
The photonic met his eyes, replying immediately. "We are in the holodeck on Voyager. This is a replica of a field near her childhood home. I was hoping she would find it comforting, if…" He paused, pursing his lips, "when she wakes up."
"Voyager?" Chakotay asked, surprised. "How did you…?"
"I have my ways," the doctor answered, but the usual smugness was absent from his voice, which was instead tinged with regret, as if he had given up something valuable to procure this secluded haven.
Somehow, Chakotay knew what that was. "Your mobile emitter?" he queried.
The doctor nodded. "At least, here, I don't need it," he reassured the captain. "And we'll be safe. Nobody will look for us on a derelict ship in the middle of a space yard. Besides, I can replicate all the medical equipment I need – even if it's holographic, it'll work here."
"The person who…traded with you…how do you know they're not reporting us as we speak?"
The doctor frowned. "It is someone I trust, someone who cares about her. She will not betray us."
Chakotay was uncertain – why would someone who cared ask for something so vital as collateral? – but he had no ideas for a safer hiding place. And somehow, he felt that being on the ship again, after all these years, would be more comforting to her than her holographic surroundings, though he did wonder whether she'd even be aware of it – he certainly hadn't guessed.
As he looked down once again at the patient's graceful features, he noticed her eyes begin to flutter.
Excitedly, he looked back at the doctor. "I think she's waking up!"
Immediately, the hologram began scanning her. "Yes, Captain, you're right. She's coming around. Now, just because she's awake, she may not be…I guess, what I'm trying to say is, don't get your hopes up…"
"For what?" came a hoarse, weak voice.
Chakotay smiled through a fresh wave of unbidden tears, answering with a gentle squeeze of her hand.
The doctor's response was to press a hypospray to her neck. Chakotay noted how, once, she would have pushed it away, objected to being given drugs she may not need, but now, did not even acknowledge that she'd noticed. He wondered how many times she'd been involuntarily medicated before she'd become inured to having her body manipulated without her consent.
"Where?" she continued, her voice cracking. She whispered her next statement reverently, like a prayer. "It feels…I remember this place."
For a moment, Chakotay squeezed his eyes shut and bit his lip, savoring the warm feeling of hope rising within his core.
The doctor spoke. "Do you remember what happened?"
The captain glared at the doctor for a moment, warning him to treat carefully.
The patient stared questioningly back at her caregivers. "When?"
Holographic eyes met brown ones, requesting permission to begin investigating.
Chakotay didn't want to risk upsetting her so soon after he'd gotten her back, but understood the need for answers as soon as possible, before they could be caught again, disarmed by lack of knowledge.
"Starfleet Medical," the doctor answered. "You suffered cyanide poisoning."
She shook her head, but did not seem particularly unnerved. "I don't remember. Did I take it?"
Chakotay gulped, taken aback by her directness and her own assumption that she was capable of such an act. Unsure of how to answer, he hesitated, but luckily the doctor answered for him.
"We don't know," he replied honestly. "We were hoping you could tell us."
She shook her head again.
"It's okay," interjected the captain, caressing her arm gently. "You've been through a lot."
That seemed to jog her memory, and alarm briefly darkened her visage. The doctor poised to inject her with another hypospray, but before he could act, she addressed the human at her side. "I'm so sorry…for what I said. I didn't mean it."
"I know," Chakotay replied, even as he breathed a sigh of relief. The doctor eyed him curiously, but Chakotay's answering glare said, in no uncertain terms, it's irrelevant and none of your business.
"Moving on," the doctor continued, annoyance evident in his inflection. "We would like to help you, now that we are not hindered by…procedure. It is obvious you have been through a terrible ordeal, but not knowing anything about it, we are powerless to aid in your recovery. You need to tell us everything you know."
Her eyes grew wide and her glance alternated between the two men hunched over her. Then, she changed the subject. "Where are we?"
So she doesn't know.
"Near your childhood home," Chakotay answered hastily. "Do you remember playing in this field?"
She replied with a glare. "Perhaps, but I'm sure it hasn't looked like this in decades. Where are we, really?"
The doctor sighed. "On Voyager. We're hiding here until we can get some answers, and we need your help."
"Tired," she replied weakly as her eyes drifted closed.
"It's the medicine," the doctor explained apologetically. "It'll keep her from having a panic attack, but it'll also make her drowsy, which is just as well, since she needs all the rest she can get."
"Agreed," Chakotay conceded. "However, perhaps there is something we can find out without her help. Have you had a chance to look into the logs of her most recent missions?"
"Yes, and they were all routine," he replied. "Ever since we got back from the Delta quadrant, they haven't sent her anywhere remotely interesting – I don't know if that's because she refused, or because they didn't want to risk it."
"Sounds boring," Chakotay remarked sadly. "I doubt she was the one who refused. She was never one to turn down a challenge."
The doctor nodded. "I concur. However, the only anomaly I discovered was a two-month gap between her penultimate and ultimate missions. No information was available on that time; I assumed she was on vacation, but it's possible…"
"That the logs were erased?" Chakotay interjected.
"…or that the logs were classified," the doctor finished.
"Well, I may have clearance…or be able to hack into the system," replied the captain. "It's worth a shot."
With that, he called for the arch.