Author's Note: So I planned the story out, I'm looking at around 27 chapters, but that could change. I'll be sure to keep you posted. Without further adieu, I give you chapter four.
Chapter Four
The sun overhead began to slowly descend below the horizon. As the light slowly faded away, Chakotay hunkered down in front of a small pile of wood and brush as he attempted to start a fire. Having been at it for nearly five minutes, he could feel himself starting to grow frustrated with the lack of a fire. While the wood they collected was dry enough to start a fire, it simply wouldn't take for some reason. There was something about the makeup of this wood that made it more difficult to get a fire started. Muttering under his breath, he continued to try to get the fire started. It was starting to get dark, and with darkness came a drop in temperature. There was no way to tell how cold it was going to get tonight, the desert could be unpredictable at night. It could be pleasant and cool, or it could be freezing. Erring on the side of caution, he wanted to get a fire started. Unfortunately, this wood simply wouldn't cooperate with him.
As Tom and Harry left to gather more fruit and water for the night, Seven crouched down next to Chakotay. She could see him clenching his jaw and furrowing his brow in frustration. She knew he was one of the strongest crewmen when it came to survival skills, but she could see that he was struggling here. While she knew her survival skills were severely lacking, the least she could do was offer her assistance. When they got back to Voyager, she would have to study survival skills more in her down time.
"Do you require assistance?" she offered gently so as to not to harm his ego.
"No," he snapped. "I can get this fire started on my own." Chakotay immediately began to mentally berate himself. He was frustrated with himself, he shouldn't take it out on Seven, who was going out of her way to help him. He felt he should be able to do something as simple as start a fire without help from anyone else. It would appear that hsi fire starting skills were still as poor as when the Kazons had stranded them so many years ago. He knew there was a lighter somewhere on the shuttle, but it had been inadvertently left behind. Rather than go back, Chakotay thought he would be able to start a fire without it. Apparently he was wrong.
"You appear to be struggling. Please allow me to assist you," she insisted. In a momentary lapse of judgement, she put her hands over his to get him to stop. Electricity seemed to surge through their bodies from that small touch. The faintest hint of a blush crept across his cheeks. "That was improper," Seven stammered. "I apologize."
"Don't apologize. I can handle this." All of a sudden, his voice went from short and agitated to low and almost husky with desire. The change in tone wasn't lost on Seven, but she ignored it. This wasn't the place to get wrapped up in her emotions. They had more important things to focus on. She mentally chastised herself for overstepping her boundary. As if on cue, a faint wisp of smoke began to curl up from the small pile of tinder. A victorious smile spread across Chakotay's face. From this close proximity, Seven could see the dimples on his cheeks. Her heart fluttered at the sight. The dimples combined with the pride on his face made him all the more attractive to her. For a moment, she was tempted to kiss one of those dimples. It would be a quick, fleeting kiss that both of would hardly register. The realization startled her. This was the last place her romantic attraction towards the First Officer should pop up.
"Excuse me," she muttered as she stood up abruptly. Her sudden departure caught Chakotay off guard. Rather than follow her, however, he continued to tend the growing fire. He'd felt the same jolt of electricity between them as she worked next to him, and he also struggled to ignore it. Some distance between them was necessary in order to keep their feelings under wraps. Perhaps coming on this away mission was a terrible mistake. It was a long time for them to be working side by side while trying to keep their feelings for each other in check.
Oblivious to the moment Chakotay and Seven had just shared, Harry and Tom appeared at the campsite with a collection of rations for the night, along with the canteens filled with water and the mysterious unnamed fruit they had discovered. Chakotay kept himself busy by adding more fuel to the fire while they carefully dumped the rations on the ground. Satisfied with the fire that leapt up excitedly from the ground, Chakotay stood and brushed his hands along his pants in an attempt to clean them off.
"So for tonight's meal, we have a healthy dose of replicated rations combined with some sort of weird fruit we found while trying to hunt down the distress signal today," Tom announced proudly. "And although the rations taste like shit, they're a significant improvement over the cooking on Voyager." Chakotay rolled his eyes. While the food on Voyager wasn't exactly the best, it could be a lot worse. There were days where he thought the food was highly questionable and tasted strange, but it did its job of keeping everyone full and healthy.
"It could be worse," he pointed out. "We could be eating some leola root stew." A collective groan traveled around the campfire as each person realized that it really could be a lot worse. They would be more than willing to suffer through a few days of rations and this strange fruit as long as it meant they didn't have to eat any leola root.
As the away team sat around the fire, the temperature began to drop much quicker. At first, it was a gradual decline in temperature, then it seemed to hit all at once. With the help of the roaring fire Chakotay built, however, they barely noticed. Instead, they sat in a tight circle around the fire and each opened a ration packet. Cognisant of her every move and how it might be perceived by the rest of the away team, Seven elected to sit directly across from Chakotay. She figured that sitting as far away from him as possible while still sitting in the circle around the fire would be her best bet to ward off any rumors from Tom and Harry. On the other hand, this gave her the opportunity to look directly at him whenever she looked up from her meal. He was directly in her line of sight. Perhaps she should have sat next to him instead. Based on her mental calculations, there was no way to win this situation. Either she could have sat next to him and caused Tom and Harry to grow suspicious or sat across from him and try not to stare at him every time she looked up. Seven knew what Chakotay would tell her to stop overthinking things and enjoy her small meal, that there was no reason for her to be thinking so much about where she sat around the campfire, nobody was noticing anyway. He was always more laid back than her, at least when it came to most things. It was one of the reasons she enjoyed spending time with him. They balanced each other out perfectly.
The mysterious fruit found by Chakotay and Tom helped balance out the dry, nearly flavorless rations. It added some flavor to the meal. Chakotay made sure to put some of the seeds in his canteen. With any luck, they would be able to grow this in the hydroponics bay. He had a feeling that the crew would become quite fond of this fruit. It would also be nice to change things up a little bit. They were all starting to get tired of the same fruits and vegetables being available at every meal, especially leola root, although he knew that that wasn't going anywhere any time soon. The rations weren't as bad as Tom made them out to be, but it would get very old eating those all day, every day for the next several days until the rendezvous with Voyager. It reminded Chakotay of when they first got to the Delta Quadrant, before the hydroponics bay was up and running and before they got the replicators working again, and all they ate was rations. The fruit was exactly what they needed. With the help of the fruit, they may be able to survive without going crazy from eating the same thing all the time.
Not only was the fruit perfect for supplementing the pathetic ration bars, but when Harry carelessly tossed one of the discarded skins into the fire, he discovered that it was the perfect fuel. Tom followed his best friend's lead and tossed the small pile of skins in front of him into the fire as well. The fire immediately jumped to life, nearly doubling in size and producing a surprisingly bright, albeit not very warm flame. The previously orange and yellow flames flashed blue and green. Just as quickly as the unusual colors appeared, they faded away as the fire shrank back down to its original size. Each member of the away team had seen the change in colors but none of them were sure they saw it, so they kept their thoughts to themselves. It was a brief, beautiful phenomenon that temporarily distracted them from the failure of finding the origins of the distress call. With any luck, they would be more successful tomorrow.
Having eaten his fill of rations and fruit, Chakotay groaned and laid back on the cold, hard ground with his arms folded under his head as a makeshift pillow. It wasn't the most comfortable position, but he ignored the discomfort as he enjoyed the view above him. The sky stretched out above him endlessly in all directions. As the sun went down, it painted the sky with vivid reds, oranges and yellows. It looked like one of the Captain's paintings she kept stowed around her quarters from years of artistic release. Chakotay kept the observation about the view to himself and instead just enjoyed it while trying to force his body to relax. It was easier said than done as his mind attempted to think of the next steps. Tomorrow they would need to set out again in search of the distress call. Try as he might, Chakotay found that he couldn't focus on the plan for tomorrow, instead being distracted by the view. Most people would kill for a view like this. A comfortable silence fell over the the away team as they enjoyed the view and let the food settle. After a long day of exploring in the stifling heat and the growing frustration of finding absolutely no signs of the distress call or whoever sent it, they were all starting to feel exhausted despite the early hour.
After letting his food digest, Chakotay sat up. The temperature continued to drop rapidly, and he knew he had to tend to the fire. He threw a few more dry branches from a nearby bush onto the shrinking flames, which leapt to life and immediately started to warm them all up. Just as he figured, it was going to be a cold evening. They'd suffered through colder conditions, but it was still going to be rough.
"Tomorrow we must find whoever sent that distress call," he ordered.
"It's not like we weren't trying," Tom commented dryly. He hadn't meant to sound insubordinate, but he was frustrated about the lack of results today. Based on everyone else's faces, he could tell that they were frustrated as well.
"Based on my calculations, we covered approximately twelve square kilometers today," Seven added. "We would have come across some sort of sign of the distress call." Her comments surprised everyone. They thought she would be the last one to complain about the lack of results. While she may not always want to follow orders, this seemed out of character for her.
"Tomorrow we'll expand our search. Whoever sent the distress call is out there waiting for our help. As members of Starfleet, it is our job to help them in whatever way we can." The last sentence caught Seven's attention. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. Not even twelve hours earlier, Chakotay had tried to argue that he and Seven technically weren't members of Starfleet and therefore didn't have to follow all the rules. He couldn't have it both ways, either they were part of Starfleet and had to follow all the rules, or they weren't. There was no middle ground. She opened her mouth to point out the discrepancy, but she quickly closed it. To point that out would be insubordinate and would cause Harry and Tom to become suspicious of their relationship. It was important that she was careful and respectful of Chakotay's command, even if she didn't agree with it.
"What if we don't find them?" Tom questioned. He didn't mean to sound defiant, he knew better than that, but he was genuinely curious. "How long do we play Boy Scouts before we give up? There's no way we can search the entire planet. At some point we have to throw in the towel."
"I fail to see what towels have to do with this," Seven quipped.
"It's a saying," Chakotay explained. "It means that at some point we'll eventually have to give up." He paused to carefully think about Tom's question. As much as he hated to admit it, he was right. They couldn't stay here forever. Not only did they have to rendezvous with Voyager, but their supplies would only last so long. On the other hand, they couldn't give up after a day of searching. There had to be some sort of logical reason as to why they couldn't find a single sign of whoever sent out that distress call. They could be injured or ill, which meant the away team would have to find them themselves.
"I agree with Tom," Harry added. The light from the fire cast a warm glow across his face as he spoke up. He picked up a small rock and played with it mindlessly as he spoke. "We can't stay here forever looking. Our supplies will only last so long, and then we'll have nothing to give whoever it was who sent out the distress call."
"We're not staying here indefinitely," Chakotay explained. He was trying to stay patient, but in the back of his mind, he agreed with them. He couldn't tell them though, he needed to be the one giving the orders. "We'll continue to search for a few days. There has to be some sort of logical explanation for why there's nothing here. Seven, tomorrow I want you to reanalyze the distress call. Maybe the calculations were wrong. With all the interference we had in the atmosphere, we could be in the wrong place. Whoever sent that distress call could be on the other end of the planet waiting for us to show up. After you've done that, we'll set out tomorrow and continue to search. We'll stay here for another two or three days to search." While nobody said anything, their body language spoke volumes. Tom and Harry slumped over and scowled. Another two or three days of hiking and helplessly searching for something they weren't even sure existed. It didn't exactly sound like a lot of fun. Chakotay immediately picked up on their frustrated body language. His mind whirled as he tried to think of a way to lift their spirits. Usually it took a few days for an away team to get frustrated and anxious to get back to Voyager. There had to be some way to lift their spirits. "Look at it this way: if we don't find anything, you get a little vacation. A few days of camping under the stars, exploring a new planet, hiking, no diapers." He looked directly at Tom. "It'll be fun." Not only was he trying to reassure his away team, Chakotay was trying to boost his own morale. Just that morning he'd said he needed a vacation, but he had been thinking a few days off in the holodeck, not sleeping under the stars. This was the best he was probably going to get though. There was no way he'd be able to take off a few days otherwise.
"Speak for yourself," Harry grumbled.
"Are we also going to hold hands and sing around the campfire every night?" Tom teased before tossing another fruit skin into the fire and watching the spectacular reaction.
"I've heard you sing," Chakotay retorted teasingly. "Trust me, that's not going to happen." He got to his feet. His joints immediately popped as they adjusted from sitting on the unforgiving ground. At this point, the sun was nearly gone, and the only light came from the campfire in the middle of the small circle. "Get some sleep, I'll take first watch." It was an order, not a suggestion. He left the rest of the away team behind as he went to walk the perimeter of their campsite to make sure everything was safe before settling down himself.
Despite the fact that she wasn't tired, Seven followed the lead of Tom and Harry when they unrolled their sleeping bags. She slid into the large piece of fabric. The padding from the sleeping bag provided a little bit of relief against the ground, but it was still going to be a rough night for everyone as they adjusted to their new sleeping conditions. At least the sleeping bag helped retain heat and keep them warm. Once inside the sleeping bag, Seven hardly noticed the cold night air swirling around them.
"Shouldn't we sleep in the cave?" Harry asked warily as he eyed the open expanse of the desert that stretched all around them.
"The ambient temperature in the cave is approximately ten degrees colder than outside," Seven replied as she burrowed down in her sleeping bag. They could only see her pale face in the limited light. It almost looked amusing to Tom, like a floating head hovering above the ground. "It would be smart to sleep outside where the fire can keep us warm."
"It's not warmth I'm worried about. It's sleeping out in the open."
"It'll be fun," Tom teased as he clapped his friend on the back. "Like Chakotay said, just like camping." He unfurled his sleeping bag close enough to the fire to feel its warmth but not too close to accidentally end up burning himself. "Didn't you go camping when you were little?"
"Oh yeah, my helicopter parents absolutely would have let me go sleep in the middle of nowhere." Harry rolled his eyes. Sometimes he couldn't believe how dense Tom could be. After seven years of friendship, he could be clueless about some things. Seven looked confused.
"Helicopter parents?" she repeated. Not quite ready for bed, Tom sat on top of his sleeping bag. The fire helped keep him warm enough for the time being.
"A helicopter is an ancient machine use for flying. It hovers above the ground." As he spoke, he demonstrated by hovering his hand a few feet above the ground.
"I'm familiar with what a helicopter is. I have just never heard of it being described as a parenting technique."
"A helicopter parent is a parent who hovers over their child." Seven began to picture an adult physically hovering over a child. Confusion still crossed her face, telling Tom that he had more explaining to do. "Meaning they watch everything their child does and is very overprotective."
"Isn't it the role of parents to watch over their children and ensure their safety?" None of this made any sense to Seven. Parents should watch over their children and make sure no harm came to them. Not to do so would be highly irresponsible.
"Yes, but it's also the job of the parents to let their children explore, make mistakes and get hurt," Tom explained. He spoke with the authority of a new father. "If you try to shield your children from the world, then they end up snapping and jetting off to the other side of the galaxy. I mean, that's what Harry did at least." Harry rolled his eyes. Leave it to Tom to turn his little lesson into a jab at him. It hadn't been his intention to end up in the Delta Quadrant, and he didn't blame his parents for his current situation. He loved them and knew he was making them proud. He did agree that they could be classified as helicopter parents though, although that was hardly the reason he joined Starfleet.
Slowly, the distant voices around the fire died off until they eventually stopped. Chakotay had considered keeping watch around the campfire with the rest of the away team, but he decided to start his own miniature camp about seventy-five yards away. This gave him the perfect opportunity to clear his mind and enjoy is surroundings while trying to figure out what was going on with this mysterious distress call. If he tried hard enough, he could forget that he was in the middle of the Delta Quadrant and convince himself that he was back on Earth. The homesickness made him feel sick to his stomach. It had been years since he felt this way. He'd come to regard Voyager as his home now. It had all the comforts he needed: friends, a place to sleep, a sense of purpose and now the most amazing woman he could ever ask for. Despite all that, it was still a ship. He'd walked every inch of it a thousand times over, including every single Jefferies tube. With the exception of the crew's' quarters, there was nowhere on the starship that Chakotay hadn't been. It was incredibly confining and almost claustrophobic in nature. He was getting restless there. Even if they didn't find the origins of the distress call, he was still grateful for this away mission. Despite Harry's protests and hesitations, it felt amazing to be out in the open and sleeping under the stars like this. For a moment, he wasn't First Officer, but rather a man camping and enjoying the beauty that was nature.
Chakotay was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't even realize he wasn't alone until Seven sat down next to him. Right away, she could see that something was bothering him. Unable to resist, she put a supporting hand on his knee. She knew that it was improper given the fact that they were on an away mission, but her heart finally won out over her mind. Seven knew she was violating her directive to keep their personal relationship out of their work lives, but she figured they were safe right now. Both Harry and Tom were fast asleep back at camp, and it was too dark to see what they were doing anyway. Her emotions had gotten the better of her, and it looked like Chakotay could use some comforting anyway as he stared out into the desert. His large hand covered hers and gave it a small, affectionate squeeze, but he didn't look over at her. It looked like something was bothering him, and that worried her. Rather than disrupt his thoughts, she simply sat in silence as well while they held hands. She tried to enjoy the view that surrounded them as well, but unlike him, she didn't recognize the beauty of the desert. Instead, she saw it as another planet they were sent to explore.
Chakotay laced his fingers with Seven's and gave her hand a squeeze. He looked over at her and gave her a small smile. For a moment, his dimples appeared, causing her heart to flutter just like before when they were starting the fire. He brought her hand to his lips, grazing them across the smooth skin before letting go. It was a small yet incredibly intimate gesture. While she knew it was most improper to do something like that on an away mission of all places, she also found the action comforting. After spending all day trying to keep a safe distance from each other, an action such as that served as a reminder as to what their feelings were for each other.
"I thought you were going to sleep," he commented. Instantly, he regretted using those words. He felt that he sounded like he didn't want her there with him right now, which couldn't be further from the truth. He found great comfort in her presence. Almost immediately, all thoughts and doubts about what to do next fled his mind, and he found that he could relax just a little bit.
"I do not require sleep at this moment, so I came to assist you in keeping watch."
"Well, I'm glad for the company." A comfortable silence fell over the couple as they each stared off into the desert once again. Now that he wasn't alone, however, Chakotay found that there was something else he'd much rather look at.
Seven seemed to glow in the dancing flames in front of them. Her pale skin absorbed the orange flames, giving her an eerie, otherworldly quality. Her hair also changed from its usual corn silk blonde to an almost orange appearance. Her optical implant caught the light. It almost seemed to glitter in the dim light. Chakotay knew she was self-conscious of her implants, but he found them intriguing. Caught up in Seven's appearance, he didn't realize he was openly staring at her. The faintest hint of a smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she glanced at him before averting her gaze back down to the fire at her feet.
"Is something the matter?" she asked. He chuckled.
"No, I was just looking at how beautiful you are." Even in the minimal light, he could tell that she was blushing. A sense of pride swelled up inside of him as he realized that he was the reason she was blushing.
"Commander, that is most unprofessional," she admonished, although her tone said otherwise and told him that she was flattered by his compliment.
"You're right, and I apologize. But it's true." The flattering comment made Seven feel uncomfortable. The discomfort was combined with an unexpected boost in confidence. Only Chakotay could get such a reaction out of her, and as uncomfortable as it made her, she also found herself craving more. While she'd been complemented before on Voyager, there was something about Chakotay's complements that seemed more genuine, more heartfelt. He always seemed to know exactly what to say to make her heart soar and make her feel like the most important woman on the starship.
Deep down inside, Seven knew that it was unprofessional to allow Chakotay's flattery to get to her. They needed to focus on their away mission, or camping trip as he called it. Regardless of what this little adventure was, they still needed to act in a manner that was becoming of a First Officer and crew member. She let go of his hand and scooted away from him a little bit. She mentally chastised herself for allowing herself to drop her guard. There would be plenty of chances for them to share intimate moments like this, in the privacy of their quarters back on Voyager, not on an away mission with two other crewmen sleeping just a few hundred yards away.
"Commander, I hope you did not find my disagreement with you earlier about the distress call insubordinate," Seven blurted out. Just like that, the tender moment between them was gone, chased away by one simple sentence. Chakotay immediately picked up on the change in body language and tone. In an instant, they were no longer a couple but two crewmen having a conversation about work.
"Insubordinate?" he repeated in confusion. He thought back to what Seven had said earlier. It had been so innocuous that he couldn't even remember precisely what she said. All he knew was that she had disagreed with him, but that didn't bother him at all. Apparently, it bothered her though. "No, of course not," he assured. "It's important for a commanding officer to listen to his crew. If I were in your shoes, I would have spoken my mind as well." Chakotay couldn't even begin to count the times he'd spoken his mind to the Captain and told her that she was being reckless. While the Captain may not look like she appreciated his words of wisdom, he knew that she did. Even if they didn't agree with each other, they balanced each other out perfectly. He rubbed the back of his neck. "This was supposed to be an easy away mission," he admitted. "And now I don't know what to do. We've only been here a day, and already Tom and Harry are getting restless with the lack of results. We've never answered a distress call and found absolutely nothing there. There's always been some sort of trace of whoever made the distress call." The candidness caught Seven off guard. She hadn't even realized that he was feeling so torn and conflicted, although now that she looked closer at him, she could see it written across his face. Small lines crisscrossed his tanned skin, indicating his stress and confusion.
"You are to follow the Captain's orders," she stated bluntly. "We will find whoever sent the distress call and help them. And if we don't, we'll at least get a vacation." Seven sounded unsure about taking a vacation. Chakotay cracked a small smile and chuckled. It was a deep, rumbling laugh that was oddly comforting to her.
"When's the last time you were on vacation?" he asked.
"I've never been on vacation," she admitted. "It is an inefficient use of time." He laughed again. This time it was louder. It almost sounded deafening against the silence of the desert. Chakotay immediately stopped himself so he didn't wake Tom or Harry. He glanced back towards the main camp. From what he could see, both men were still fast asleep.
"When we get back to Voyager, I'm taking you on vacation on the holodeck." He ran his knuckles along her thigh, instantly sending shivers shooting through her body. She opened her mouth to protest his suggestion but instantly closed it. A vacation may be an inefficient use of time, but the thought of spending several days with Chakotay on the holodeck without any interruptions sounded appealing to her. "But first, we need to find whoever sent out this distress call." If only it was that easy. While Chakotay appeared to be calm and collected from a distance and to the rest of the away team, Seven knew that he was just as confused and frustrated as the rest of them about what was going on here. It simply didn't make any sense.
Banishing all thoughts of the away mission from his mind, Chakotay turned to face Seven properly. His knee brushed up against hers. Both were acutely aware of the touch they shared but neither commented on it. Chakotay still seemed distracted, but Seven couldn't identify what caused him to act this way.
"Something else is bothering you," she observed. Chakotay hadn't realized that he still look distracted and worried. He had been doing his best to push his emotions aside and enjoy the time alone with her while he could.
"Nothing," he replied. He sounded pathetic, and she didn't believe him for a moment. Just like he could read her like a book, she could do the same. It was obvious that there was still something bothering him despite his best attempts to hide it. She raised her eyebrow skeptically. That spoke volumes, and he knew she didn't believe him at all. "This place reminds me of home," he finally admitted. It would be pointless to try and deny it any longer. At least if he got it out in the open, perhaps Seven could help him overcome the overwhelming homesickness. "If I didn't know any better, I could have sworn I was home." He sighed. "It looks like New Mexico and where I spent my childhood. I never appreciated it as a child, but now I miss it more than anything else in the Alpha Quadrant."
"I would very much like to see it one day." He smiled.
"One day I'll show it to you," he assured. "There's nothing like hiking and camping in New Mexico." There was a certain sparkle in his eyes that Seven very rarely saw. The smile spread across his face. "It's so peaceful at night, with the stars stretching above you in all directions."
"There are sufficient stars to glimpse aboard Voyager," Seven commented. She didn't mean to sound rude, the words simply came out. She'd seen more stars this past month than most people on planets saw in a lifetime. To her, stars were little more than pinpricks of light from a distance and large, glowing balls of gas up close. They were hardly worth marveling at, at least in her opinion.
"But there's nothing like laying out under the stars after a long day of hiking and swimming." Now she was confused.
"I was under the impression that deserts have limited water, which would make swimming a difficult task."
"Where I used to go hiking and camping in New Mexico, there was a swimming hole. It wasn't very big, but we always enjoyed ourselves." He sighed.
"I was unaware that you enjoyed spending time out of doors."
"Well, there's not exactly a lot of opportunities to go hiking and camping on Voyager, and I don't have a lot of time to visit the holodeck." Now that he thought about it, Chakotay couldn't remember the last time he had gone to the holodeck. In fact, last night had been the longest stretch of time he'd had uninterrupted in weeks. He was grateful for that, but it also made him realize how overworked he was. Kathryn was right, he needed a vacation, as soon as he figured out what was going on with this frustrating away mission.
Once again banishing all thoughts of impropriety, Seven put a tentative hand on Chakotay's and gave it a squeeze. He returned the affection. It was clear that he needed to be comforted, and while that may not be her area of expertise, she was determined to do the best she could. The back and forth between affection and formality was enough to give Chakotay whiplash, but he was feeling just as conflicted about his emotions as well.
"Tell me more about Earth," she pressed eagerly. Her eyes sparkled with excitement in the firelight. "I am curious to learn about your childhood." Despite their many dates and time spent together, this was something they hadn't talked about. Chakotay wasn't sure where to start, there was so much to say. He also didn't want to make Seven feel like she missed out on something given the fact that nearly her entire childhood was stolen by the Borg. He could see that she longed to know more, and he didn't want to deny her of the information; he had nothing to hide from her.
"I was raised on a colony near the Cardassian demilitarized zone," he replied, figuring he might as well start at the beginning. "But I had been to Earth many times, and that's where I always felt like home. When I was there, I felt like I could relax. In the colony, we lived as a small tribe, clinging to our old traditions. When I was younger, I never appreciated my tribe's traditions, and now I deeply regret that. We would travel to Central America to visit where my tribe came from, but I also had family in Southwestern United States who we would visit often as well. To some, the desert is an unforgiving place. It can be overwhelming and almost smothering." Thoughts of Harry and his reaction to sleeping under the stars immediately came to mind. While Harry was a strong ensign, it was clear that he wasn't used to roughing it. Chakotay could easily stay here for a week without a second thought. In fact, he wished he could. "To me, it's gorgeous." He turned to face Seven. "Up until recently, it was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." She blushed slightly. It seemed that Chakotay was in the mood for flattery tonight. While his previous compliments made her heart soar, his unceasing complement were now starting to make her feel slightly uncomfortable.
"Why did you join the Maquis?" she asked in an attempt to shift the subject away from her and back to him.
Just like that, the conversation was over. The carefree attitude melted away from Chakotay's face. His deadpan expression told Seven that she had inadvertently crossed the line. Without warning, he pushed himself to his feet. Seven hadn't realized the warmth his body gave off until it was gone. There was still warmth coming from the fire, but it wasn't the same. There was a certain comfort that came from sitting so close to another person, especially if that person was Chakotay.
"You have the next watch, crewman," he stated bluntly. His fingertips momentarily brushed across her shoulder. It was a fleeting, feathersoft touch that she barely felt. She glanced over her shoulder as Chakotay retreated to the nearby campsite for the night. She should have kept her mouth shut and just let the conversation continue on its current trajectory.
Finally alone, Seven did her best to figure out what she did wrong. Up until Chakotay's abrupt departure, she thought she had been successful in what the Doctor called small talk. It had never been one of her strong suits, but she thought she was doing better. It also came easily when she was with Chakotay. She didn't have to think about what she was going to say next, it just came to her naturally. Chakotay was usually open with her, or so she thought. She knew that he kept secrets from her, but they were usually about Voyager and those secrets were few because she was lucky enough to be a member of the Senior Staff. When it came to their personal lives, Seven always thought that they were both completely open and honest with each other. She just found out she was wrong. It was a startling realization. He always encouraged her to be open with him, and she simply assumed that he returned the favor. Apparently she had inadvertently overstepped some sort of unspoken boundary while trying to learn more about him.
Drawing in a deep breath, Tom rolled over to face the dying fire. He'd barely been asleep for two hours, and already his body was screaming in protest. The ground was hard and unforgiving. While the sleeping bags did provide some sort of cushion, it barely balanced out the fact that he was practically sleeping on solid rock. In the distance, Tom saw the glow of a second fire. Despite the fact that he was half asleep, he could make out Chakotay's silhouette. He must be tired, because he saw a second figure next to him around the fire. No, he wasn't dreaming, sitting right next to Chakotay so they were practically touching was Seven of Nine. Tom chuckled. It would appear that Harry was right, not that he had doubted his best friend in the first place. There was definitely something going on between the two of them. Tom mentally berated himself for missing his opportunity to start a small bet with Harry. Perhaps there was still time. Tom dozed off dreaming about starting a pool with Harry about when Chakotay and Seven would come clean to the Captain and the rest of the crew.
No sooner had Tom closed his eyes once again when he heard the distinct crunch of feet walking across the rocks that littered the ground. The noise wasn't overwhelming but was loud enough to rouse him from his light slumber. He opened his eyes just enough to see what was going on and saw Chakotay hunched down in front of the dying embers of the fire. The fire had stopped giving off heat at least half an hour ago, causing Tom to huddle down in his sleeping bag even more to escape the cold air. Chakotay added more fuel to the fire, causing to glow softly and give off some more heat that chased away some of the chill in the air. He didn't want to make the fire too bright or else it would wake everyone up. Satisfied with his handiwork, Chakotay bedded down for the night, although he doubted he would get much sleep.
Chakotay didn't even realize he had fallen asleep. His dreams felt so real. For a moment, he was sure he was back on Earth with Seven and all the adventures on Voyager were little more than distant memories. She flitted in and out of his thoughts as he dreamt of home. It was the first time he'd dreamt of Earth in months, if not years. While he did hope to someday get home, he was also realistic. In the meantime, he could dream of Earth and taking Seven to see the New Mexican desert. He hoped that by then she would be able to appreciate its natural beauty. He knew she would enjoy it and all the activities it had to offer. Her memories of Earth were so few, and he had so much to show her. He wouldn't even know where to start. The possibilities were endless. All of a sudden, he heard Seven's frantic voice rousing him and the rest of the away team from their slumber. his eyes immediately flew open, and he bolted upright. Years of being Captain of the Valjean and being First Officer of Voyager made it possible for him to go from a deep slumber to wide awake and completely alert in a matter of seconds. The wind had picked up dramatically, causing him to grow confused as to what was going on. Someone's tricorder skittered across the ground and out of sight into the darkness that surrounded them in all directions.
"Wake up," Seven ordered.
"Come on, we still have a few hours of sleep," Tom protested bitterly as he rolled over and clutched at his sleeping bag tightly around him. He was starting to get colder from the wind whipping around him. It hadn't been like that when he saw Chakotay return to camp.
"Wake up!" Seven repeated. "A plasma storm is approaching, we need to take cover." That was enough to get all three men scrambling to their feet. The wind was already picking up at dangerous speeds and nearly knocked them over. Debris flew through the air as well.
"Should we head for the shuttle?" Tom asked. He had to scream over the wind, and even then, Chakotay barely heard him. The wind was picking up dangerously fast. They only had a minute or two left until it got too dangerous for them to stay out in the open.
"No," he responded. "Grab what you can and head towards the cave. It'll provide us with better shelter." Nobody needed to be told twice. Tom grabbed a canteen and his phaser. In the darkness, he couldn't find his tricorder, but they had extras on the shuttle. In their haste, the away team left almost everything else behind. Right now, their safety was their top concern.
As the senior-most officer on the away team, Chakotay made sure he was the last one in the cave. It was his job to make sure everyone got to safety before getting to safety himself. He saw Seven hesitate to grab one last canteen. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders as she doubled over against the gale force winds, and he used his larger body to shield her against the dangers all around them. Once inside the cave, he pushed her deeper inside and out of harm's way. Tom was about a hundred yards ahead of them, far deeper in the cave, and she rushed to join him. Debris continued to whip around inside, occasionally making its way inside the cave. A canteen flew out of nowhere. There was a dull thud as it came in contact with Harry's skull. Despite the roar of the wind, Chakotay still heard the sickening sound a few feet away from him.
"Harry!" he exclaimed as he spun around to grab the young ensign before he fell to the ground. He looped his arm over his shoulder and dragged him inside the cave.
All around the away team, the cave began to tremble from the high powered winds outside. Small rocks began to rain down on them, but it was better than being outside. They had definitely made the right call to seek shelter in the cave rather than the shuttle. There was no way of telling how the flyer would be able to handle the winds and debris, but the cave was only a little better. The walls continued to shake as Chakotay attempted to drag Harry further inside the cave, but he was slowed down by the additional weight. A rattle above caused him to speed up. Suddenly, rocks began to tumble down from above at a much faster rate, causing Chakotay to skid to a stop. Several yards in front of him, Seven spun around. Their eyes met for a split second. The noise was deafening as the sound of rocks breaking loose and crashing to the ground combined with the wind outside. Just as quickly as the rocks came loose, they stopped. The dust settled, revealing a wall of rock between them with Seven and Tom trapped on the other side.
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