1. Chapter 1

I know I should not be starting a new story while The advent of hope is still on going. However this idea came to me and I just can't seem to stop thinking about it so I guess getting it started is my only option. Please enjoy.

All THAT I AM

As the shuttle flew across Validian space Kathryn Janeway found herself contemplating the last few days. Voyager was currently passing thorough a region of space controlled by a race called the Validian's. It was hundreds of parsecs wide, and would have taken Voyager over a month to navigate around. The species themselves had been less than welcoming when Kathryn had first made contact, but after careful negotiation Kathryn had secured Voyager's passage though the Validian's sector. It was a surprise then when two days later the minister of Validia had contacted them asking if they would care to meet for trade.

Kathryn found she could not pass up the opportunity as Validia was rich in both dialithium and deuterium, and as always on this long journey they were in need of more. Kathryn was therefore obligated to agree to the Validian's terms of negotiation. They were simple really if not a little unusual.

First off they would only deal with the Captain herself, much to Chacotay's protests, and that she were to bring only one other companion with her, and most importantly to leave Voyager behind.

Now sat in the navigation chair next to a quite Tom Paris Kathryn wondered if it had all been worth it. The negotiations had ended unsuccessfully last night, and although she and Tom had experienced only friendly behaviour from their hosts, they had been kept under constant watch and had not been allowed to really see Validia. Both of them were grateful if not a little disappointed at their failure to be leaving and returning to Voyager.

"You know Captain, I was thinking." Tom started as Kathryn returned her attention back to her companion, leaving the view of the window to look at his face as he smiled at her.

"A dangerous pass time I know, but I have feeling they got us all the way out here simply to check us out." Tom said as Kathryn narrowed her eyes for a moment and placed her half empty coffee mug on the console in front of her.

"I'm not sure I can believe that Tom seems like a lot of trouble to go through, just to see what we look like up close." Kathryn replied as Tom turned from his console for a moment so he could look directly at her.

"Perhaps, but you have to admit they were a strange people. I mean who is that paranoid." Tom said going back to his console and checking the readouts again.

"Indeed, and they didn't try very hard to come to a compromise, I guess if nothing else we got a couple of days shore leave." Kathryn replied finally picking up her coffee again and leaning back in her chair. Hours of negotiation had left her with a headache and an unmistakable need to sleep in her own bed. Finding her eyes slipping closed Kathryn let her body relax against the chair, it was not her own bed, but for now it would do. Having been asleep for what seemed like seconds she was awakened by the sound of the shuttles proximity sensors going off.

"Tom what's going on?" Kathryn said pulling herself forward so she could see the monitor in front of her.

"Validian ship just dropped out of warp will be within weapons rage in fifty seconds." Tom said bringing the ship up on the view screen and Kathryn glanced at it.

"Hail them." Kathryn barked as Tom's hands flew over the console again. Instead of a verbal reply however the shuttle was rocked by weapons fire and steam began to fill the cabin.

"Shields up return fire, I will get that conduit turned off." Kathryn said as she scrambled form her chair and almost fell straight back down again as another volley of weapons fire struck the shuttle. Finding her footing Kathryn grabbed hold of the bulkhead to steady herself as she repaired the conduit. For the moment Tom seemed to be able to avoid the worst of the Validian's assault, but how long that would last was uncertain. Repair complete Kathryn returned to her chair and looked over the situation.

"It's a single ship, but they have us out gunned, and their maximum speed is faster than ours." Tom said with a quick sideways glance as he pulled the shuttle around as another volley of weapons fire erupted around them.

"So we can't out fight them, we can't out run them, do you have any good news Mr Paris." Kathryn said as the shuttle rocked once more and a screeching sound could be heard coming from the aft section.

"Not really shields are down to twenty present, and the starboard nacelle has just taken a direct hit." Tom said the worry in his voice evident now as Kathryn thought for a moment.

"Tom release a distress beacon, send it in the direction of Voyager, with any luck they will pick it up and come after us. I will try and transmit our surrender to the Validian vessel." Kathryn said finally as Tom nodded and carried out his orders.

"I don't think you will have to worry about that white flag Captain, the Validian ship has locked on a tractor been and is pulling us in." Tom said a moment after he launched the distress beacon, he could feel the ship being towed backwards, its heading and speed now put of his control.

"Insert title credits here." Tom said trying to lighten the mood as Kathryn looked over at him with raised eyebrows.

"I beg your pardon?" She asked wondering what in the world Tom was talking about as the shuttle was pulled into the Validian ship, its huge body now covering the tiny shuttle in its shadow, as the sound of an opening door could be heard behind them.

"It's something old TV programs used to do when in act one it reached a point when the characters were in danger or there had been a big reveal they would cut to opening credits. You know actors names, big inspiring music. Never mind." Tom said as Kathryn's face grew even more confused as the shuttle finally stopped moving and landed with an abrupt bang. Kathryn stood up in anticipation of their captor's arrival. Tom joined her just behind the helm and they stood shoulder to shoulder, able only to wait for an explanation as to what thus was all about.

They did not have to wait long, the door to the shuttle opened only moments after they had landed and four big Validian's strode on board all pointing weapons at the pair of Starfleet officers. Kathryn straightened her shoulders and moved forward a step. She was greeted by the butt of the Validian's weapons now pointed straight at her chest.

"What do you want from us, we have been conducting peaceful negotiations on Validia, we were simply retuning to our ship." Kathryn said as one of the guards pointed his weapon at the door. Indicating that they should leave, no attempt was made to answer Kathryn's question.

"Look I demand to know what you want from us." Kathryn said as she was forcible moved out of the shuttle when they did not immediately comply with the men's request for them to leave. Kathryn saw Tom struggling out of the corner of her eye as she was held painfully against one of the silent guards. Tom however was having no luck in freeing himself, a second guard had come and taken his free arm and they were now dragging him between them as they moved out of this ships hold and into a corridor.

The march through the ship went on in silence, Neither Kathryn nor Tom see any point in further attempts to communicate, or a need for further struggle. Neither had proved successful, and they were simply wasting energy. Catching Kathryn's eye Tom silently asked her if she was alright, her replying nod was enough for him for now as they were taken to a room which looked like a holding cell. Shoved through the door both officers stumbled forward, finding their balance they were too slow to get back to the cell door before a force field was erected, blocking their attempt at escape.

They were left alone after that, no one had come to tell them why they had been taken, no demands had been made upon them, and Kathryn was starting to become irritated.

"We have to find a way out of here, whatever they want form us, was obviously important enough to risk confrontation with Voyager." Kathryn said pacing the room, her incessant wanderings were making Tom dizzy as he watched her, and finally he stood up and went to the door, trying to look outside to see if anyone was around.

"I guess for now all we can do is wait and hope that Voyager got our distress beacon and are on their way to rescue us. I don't see any other way out of here at the moment." Tom said looking for some panel, or tool he could use to deactivate the force field. He found nothing, halting his progress before it had even begun.

"Why would the Validian's do this, I mean if they had wanted to take us prisoner, surely they would have simply not allowed us to leave the planet." Kathryn was speculating now and as her thoughts turned to reasons for their current predicament voices could be heard coming down the corridor.

Kathryn and Tom stepped back from the force field, moving towards the single bunk within the cell and facing outwards. Three men now appeared in the door way, one of whom Kathryn recognised as the guard that had escorted her to this cell. The man in the middle had an air about him which Kathryn immediately recognised as authority. Stepping forward slightly she looked at this man and addressed him.

"My name is Captain Kathryn Janeway of the USS Starship Voyager; I need to know why we have been taken captive, and what your intentions are." Her voice was as clear as always, forceful in a non-harsh way, and totally juxtaposed to the tremble in her knees as she stood there looking at the men.

"Well Captain Kathryn Janeway of the USS Starship Voyager, you and your friend and also your shuttle are now my property. In accordance with Validian law, any outsiders captured by any Validian ship become the property of the Captain of that vessel. You are mine to do with as I please, form now in you have no rights under Validian law, any rank or title you held will be stripped from you, and you will be auctioned off for sale to the highest bidder." The Validian's smile was of no comfort; his eyes glinted as Kathryn was momentarily shocked at what she had heard. Tom was the first to speak up. Moving to join Kathryn and stepping towards their now owner.

"You have no right to do this, we are simply trying to cross this region of space in order to get home. We have a powerful ship not far from here, and the Validian's know who we are." Tom said but it seemed to have little effect on the Captain of the ship that had become their prison.

"You will change into the clothes provided, we will reach the colony shortly and I want you ready for sale." With that the Captain moved away as Kathryn placed a hand on Tom's shoulder to stop him from doing something stupid as clothes were thrown at their feet.

"Get changed, I will be back soon to check that you have complied." The guard left Tom and Kathryn alone as they looked down at what appeared to be very little clothing and Kathryn supressed a shiver.

"Captain, look maybe there will be a chance to get out once we land." Toms said picking up what looked like a pair of braces and eyeing them cautiously.

"Yes Tom, we do have to keep looking for a chance to escape, but don't take too much of a risk, it is better to be alive to fight another day, than to be dead." Kathryn replied as she picked up the emerald green dress and held it up at arm's length. She glanced at Tom who was taking off his uniform tunic and she quickly averted her gaze. They had been in worse situations she was sure of it, but for the life of her she couldn't remember when. Glancing over her shoulder Kathryn checked to see that Tom was not looking in her direction. He was currently facing the opposite wall, and fiddling with the cross straps that stretched across his upper body. Quickly stripping down to her underwear Kathryn pulled the dress on over her head. It was a size too small and she almost got stuck, with her arms above her head. Yanking it down past her breasts Kathryn freed herself from the neck line and wiggled the garment down over her hips. She could barely breathe in the tight material, and as she looked down she noticed that the dress was having trouble keeping her breasts contained inside. Virtually spilling out over the top Kathryn tried to adjust the garment to no avail.

Turning now she found Tom looking at her, his eyes settling on her chest for a moment before he abruptly turned away from her and faced the door way once more. His clothes were no less revealing. A pair of studded cross straps hung across his shoulders and crossed his chest to end at either hip. A pair of tight fitting pants that ended at the knee was all that made up the garment. Kathryn could tell these items of clothing were chosen to show off the merchandise so to speak, and the idea made her feel even less happy about wearing them.

Tom had been trying not to look at the Captain, never had he seen her in such revealing clothing, the dress hugged her so tightly it was almost like a second skin. The skirt was looser and hung to mid-thigh, reveal her legs to him for the first time. He knew she had caught him looking at her, but had chosen to say nothing, considering his own state of undress; it seemed like a wise move for now. They did not have long to ponder their current condition however as the guard retuned as promised. He was not alone however, two other guards followed him and kept their weapons pointed at the pair as their uniforms were collected and removed from the cell.

"You two will fetch a good price at auction, especially you." The guard said looking Kathryn up and down unashamedly as he exited the cell. Kathryn held back the urge to punch the guard as the force field was switched back on and all three left. Kathryn let out the breath she had been holding and turned to Tom. Pulling at the dress as she did so, hoping to alleviate the pressure in her rib cage and having little success.

"Ok I have a plan, it's an oldie, but hopefully these guys don't get out much." Kathryn said moving back towards the bunk and perching on it. Tom joined her and trying not to look at her below the neck he settled himself beside her.

"I will pretend to be sick, you have to call one of the guards over, when they enter the cell we must attempt to overpower them and escape. I have a feeling when we get to where we are going, there will not be much opportunity to do so." Kathryn said as Tom nodded, it might work, and for right now they were running out of options.

Kathryn got down onto the floor; Tom had to check to see if anyone was coming as she did so, all it would all be over before it started. Once Kathryn was situated in what looked like a convincing fall, Tom ran to her leaning over her prone form whilst yelling for help.

"Someone, please help. She has collapsed!" Tom shouted and for a moment there was no reply. Then just as he was about to repeat his shout he could here footsteps coming down the corridor.

"Please help her she fainted or something." Tom said holding Kathryn's limp hand and doing his best to look distraught.

"Then she will recover in time, now stop all this yelling." The guard said not making any move to enter the cell.

"Or maybe not, and I don't think a dead slave will be a profitable slave. And you know the captain will blame you." Tom said finally seeing a flicker of uncertainty cross the guards face.

"I will get assistance." He said finally leaving them again and Tom looked down at Kathryn. She opened her eye a crack at the sound of her name and she looked up at Tom.

"He has gone to get help; I don't think this is going to work." Tom whispered as the sound of people coming could be heard once more and Kathryn quickly snapped her eyes closed. Tom looked up to see three guards and a new man, he was slightly smaller than the others and was wearing a long blue coat.

"I have brought the doctor, step away from her and we shall examine her." The guard that had previously been here said and Tom stood up but did not back away. He had no intention of leaving Kathryn alone. Fortunately Kathryn had heard every word, deciding that this was not going to plan, she knew it was time to end it. Fluttering her eyes open and reaching out for Tom, she put on a good display of waking up after collapsing.

"What happened, I feel kind of dizzy?" Kathryn said as Tom helped her to a sitting position and looked at the four men stood outside the cell.

"You fainted, they brought a doctor would you like him to see to you?" Tom asked not taking his eyes off the men as Kathryn used him to help her stand.

"No I am ok now, must be this Dam dress." Kathryn said tugging on in once more to pull it back into place. The men at the door way quickly retreated as Kathryn sat herself down on the bunk and took in a deep breath.

"I guess next time we must try harder." She said as the ship seemed to rock slightly and the feeling of the ship descending was upon them. Kathryn and Tom looked at each other for conformation of their own fears. As the ship seemed to judder to a halt Tom braced himself on the bunk. Looking over he saw Kathryn do the same.

"I think wherever we were going, we have arrived." Tom said as the guards could be heard approaching once more as Kathryn and Tom turned to face them, and whatever was about to happen next.

Ok first chapter thoughts comments welcomed, I have rated this fic M for future chapters this one may get a little dark. Thank you for reading XxX


	2. Chapter 2

Welcome back to my little story please enjoy.

Kathryn and Tom did not have to wait long after the ship landed for guards to appear outside their cell. There were four of them all together; the Validian's were not a small race by any means. All four men stood over six feet tall, they had broad muscular shoulders and each held a weapon at their side. Kathryn looked at their faces, the cranial ridge that ran across the top of their eyes, extended down their throats and ended; actually Kathryn was unsure where they ended, as the ridge disappeared under their clothing. Their skin was a lightly tinged blue, not unlike a Cardassians, but their facial makings were less severe. It also now was apparent that none of them had any respect for who they were about to auction off.

"Step forward, you will proceed into the facility." One of the guards said as Kathryn stood up first, Tom followed closely behind, and so close in fact his shoulder brushed hers as she moved forwards. Taking a quick glance at him he nodded almost imperceptibly at her conveyed meaning. As they neared the force filed one of the guards lent forward to deactivate it. As soon as it was down Kathryn dived forward taking the guard closest to her by surprise. He fell quickly, attempting to both fight off Kathryn and reach for his gun at the same time. The blow to his nose knocked his head back so hard it crashed into the floor beneath him. Ignoring the pain radiating up her arm from hitting the Validian Kathryn grabbed hold of both sides of his head and went to ram the man's cranium in to the floor once more.

Tom had gotten Kathryn's message loud and clear, he knew it was now or never for the both of them. At least if they could get away inside the ship they had a chance of getting to their shuttle and attempting escape. He did not see Kathryn after she threw herself at one of the guards. Tom was too busy struggling with another one for his weapon. It went off several times, blasting holes in the surrounding bulk heads. One even grazed a second guard coming to intervene in the fight. The distraction gave Tom the moment he needed to kick the second guard in the chest, quickly averting his interference and allowing the playing field to even out somewhat. His moment of glory however was short lived as he heard Kathryn yelling. This time it was Tom who was distracted and he paid for it with a hard shot to the side of his head.

Tom went down like a brick as the guard's gun stuck him in the temple, all Kathryn could do was watch as she dangled from one of the guards hands. He had dragged her off the man she had wounded and placed a gun at her head. Lifting her up almost off her feet until her shoulder almost snapped at the odd angle at which it was being held. It made her cry out in pain causing Tom to look in her direction. Now he was lying on the floor, blood running from the cut on his temple into his eye, and Kathryn couldn't help but blame herself. He was fortunately still alive as the guard Tom had been attacking proved when he gave Tom a slap to the face to wake him.

"Do not damage him further or he will decrease in value." The guard that was holding Kathryn said. It was obvious from the way the man backed off quickly that their value was important to all of them.

"We will fetch nothing at auction, we will keep on attempting to escape, no one will want to buy us." Kathryn said as the guard did not relent his hold on her dragged her down the corridor. Kathryn had no choice but to follow him, her toes barely reaching the floor to aid her along as they went.

"You will not be required to do anything at the auction, but they will enjoy the fire in your eyes. I have a feeling we are going to live well after this day my friends." The man who was dragging Kathryn replied as they all gave a small cheer, one which made Kathryn want to vomit. She was still unsure how Tom was as she could not see him from her current position. It was not long however until she was thrown down, and Tom landed right beside her.

"Cuff them." One of the guards ordered and before either officer had chance to react they were grabbed by the ankles and shackled. Their hands followed next, resulting in neither of them able to get up off the floor. Lying there looking up at the celling both of them heard the door behind them open. There was little noise coming from the open doorway, but there was obviously activity going on somewhere in the building.

"Are good they are ready, what happened to that one." The Captain's voice could now be heard but he was not within neither Kathryn's nor Tom's eye line. Then all of a sudden he was there, looking at Tom's head and clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth.

"I told you I wanted them in pristine condition. Clean him up and use a flesh repair kit on his cut. Hopefully it won't bruise too badly." He said and Kathryn tried to sit up, her arms shackled together tightly prevent her from using her elbows to assist her properly, and her legs bound together made it almost impossible. She did manage to wiggle onto her stomach though as one of the guards brought equipment to help Tom. Kathryn was not about to stop them doing so, but she needed to know where they were.

"Where are we?" She demanded finally making it onto her knees and looking up at their captor.

"You are on Darfur it is a small planet within the Validian alliance, where you will end up after that, well I guess that will depend on the highest bidder." The man laughed as Kathryn was pulled to her feet along with Tom. She looked at him and noted that his wound had been healed. A weapon at her back prompted Kathryn in to moving forward once more, it was awkward going, they could barely shuffle though the long hallway, and the chains around her ankles were heavy and uncomfortable.

Going through a doorway at the end of the hallway the noise became more apparent, cheering and cat calls could be heard coming from a room beyond the one they were in. the room contained a single table, at which sat another Validian, he was writing something on what looked like a data Padd. He looked up to greet their arrival.

"Movick it's been a while, but I see you have brought us something special." The man said looking Kathryn up and down. Kathryn did not like his look, but she could tell Tom liked it even less. She heard a low growl come from his throat, so low that no one else seemed to notice apart from her. She dared not look at him, choosing for now to ignore his anger for there was nothing she could do about it.

"Indeed, I caught these two on route back to their ship, interesting specimens aren't they." Movick said walking around behind Tom and Kathryn and placing one hand upon each of their shoulders.

"What about their ship, will it come looking for them, and more to the point will it find them?" The man said as he stood there staring back at Movick folding his arms across his chest and suddenly looking uncomfortable with the arrangements.

"Do not worry I destroyed their shuttle, all their ship will find is debris. They will assume their crew members died in the explosion and leave." Movick replied and the man's face turned into a smile.

"We'll then let's process them shall we?" The Validian said moving back to his desk and getting out his Padd once more.

"I don't suppose you know their age." He asked but Movick shook his head and the man behind the desk waved his hand.

"Doesn't matter they look young enough, plus they are alien who knows how long they live for. How were you going to sell them, as a pair or individually?" Kathryn snapped her eyes towards Movick, she knew if Tom and herself were separated now all would be lost, there would be little chance of them escaping together, but alone there would be no chance. Protesting now though would o her no good. She looked at Tom, but he was not looking at her this time, Kathryn just had to hope that he had come to the same conclusion as she had done.

"Well the female may fetch a thousand Reans if you are lucky, the male more like two hundred. Sell them as a pair however, given their unique nature you may be looking at fifteen hundred." The news was good for Kathryn and Tom, they knew that Movick was only interested in money and predictably he went with the most profitable outcome.

"As a pair it is then my friend, and I will see you in the tavern for a drink to celebrate afterwards." Movick said as a man came towards them holding out a long stick with a black tipped end. Kathryn froze at the sight of it, she was happy to see that it was no on fire at least as the man sat behind the desk barked out a number.

"Lot 113, mark them and place them in the holding cell." As the man with the stick wrote the number on first Kathryn's shoulder then Tom's. She suspected the ink would wash off, as they needed to be in pristine condition for the auction, not marked beyond repair.

As soon as it was done they were pushed through a door way that had been behind and to the left of the desk. Stumbling into the waiting occupants Tom caught Kathryn before she fell onto what looked like a sleeping man. She nodded her thanks to him as she observed the room; there were several other women in there. Each had on revealing clothing, most not much beyond what Kathryn would consider underwear. She could see that the ridges that were on the Validian's faces and necks indeed extended down their sides. The women also seemed to have pronounced ridges along their rib cages, which ended in the centre.

There were fewer men in the room, all shirtless and all extremely well built. They did not have ridges along their chests but instead had two long ridges that ran from their necks all the way down their sides. As Kathryn studied this she did not realise she was being observed herself.

"You are not from around here." The voice came from the body she had been looking at. Snapping her eyes up to the man's face she felt her cheeks redden at the guilt of being caught staring.

"Umm no we are from a place called Earth, it is a very long way from here." She replied as the man nodded and turned his eyes to Tom.

"You are pale, weak looking, why would you put yourself up for service?" he asked as Tom moved closer to the man and spoke.

"We did not choose this we were taken prisoner and forced to come here. Are you telling us that these people are here because they want to be?" Tom said hoping that the man may help them in some way.

"Not all of them, but most, you see we were born with nothing, and could learn no skills. We work for families who feed and house us. We may not get paid but we live well, if we serve well. Some of the people I have seen have been taken against their will but it does not happen often, the Validian government does not like to explain to outsiders our laws here." Kathryn moved forward on the bench they were sitting on. At least this sounded promising, maybe there was away they could appeal their imprisonment.

"What happens to these people, did they get a chance to challenge their sale?" Kathryn asked as a number was called and a woman stood and walked to a door up a small flight of stairs. As it was opened Kathryn got a look at the crowd of people out there. She estimated it to be almost a hundred as the noise died down again as the door closed. Swallowing a lump that had arisen in her throat Kathryn turned back to the man sitting beside her.

"Challenge, no and I would expect if they did not serve well, they were either sold on, or executed." The man replied as Tom's hand fell on Kathryn's arm, the gesture made Kathryn jump slightly as Tom pulled his hand away quickly. She could also tell that the news of their possible execution if they did not comply had given them both second thoughts. She smiled weakly at him before turning back to their new companion.

"What is required when you go into service?" Kathryn asked, not sure she even wanted to know the answer, and as the man turned to look at her she could see that he looked slightly amused, that she did not already know.

"Well for men it is usually manual labour, maybe even work on a ship as a crew hand, general labour on a farm, or if you are unlucky mining ore in the caves. Not many men come out of that job alive I can tell you." He paused looking down at Kathryn, her stature tiny in comparison with his enormous physique.

"Women are generally kept in houses, used as servants, and courtesans. I have a feeling you may offer them more of a challenge in that department, be warned, many of the women here are used and broken; they make obedient slaves, but lack excitement. There are those out there who enjoy breaking a woman, and you would be like fresh meat to a Validian hawk."

"Number 112." A voice boomed out as Kathryn sat in silence while the man next to her stood up, now towering over the pair of them and looking down at them both.

"I am up, good luck." He said and with that was gone, the crowed still cheering as he went and Kathryn could only watch, it seemed as though they were going to be next.

Tom could offer no comfort for his Captain at the moment, he was desperately trying to think of a way out of this, but so far he had come up with nothing. There was nowhere to run, and far too many guards around to try and fight their way out. The news that their shuttle had been destroyed had been the final blow. Now they knew Voyager would not been looking for them, and they had lost their means of escape, their predicament had gone from bad to dire in a matter of hours.

"At least we will be together." Tom ventured as Kathryn sat silent beside him and merely nodded in response to his statement. Tom shook his head it was a pretty week consolation prize as it went but for now he would take whatever he could get.

"For now we have no choice but to get sold, perhaps there will be a chance to escape once we are with our new owner." Kathryn said finally as their number was called. Tom had no time to reply, but he knew Kathryn did not need one, she was his Captain no matter where they were and he would do whatever she said, as long as it didn't put her in danger.

Moving towards the open door Tom could hear the room almost go silent as they walked onto the stage. The bright lights almost obscuring his view of the people gathered around below them. The chatter started in earnest as they were moved in to the centre of the stage and their chains removed from around their wrists.

"We have a very special treat for you today, here we have two beings from the planet Earth, they call themselves humans. Note the pale smooth skin, the strange pigmentation of the hair and eyes, this is a one of a kind opportunity to own the only humans in the Validian sector, be the envy of all your friends and peers. I will start the bidding at one thousand Reams. Kathryn was sickened by the description; they had been reduced to a scientific wonder only meant for looking at through a glass screen. They were so much more than that, but these people didn't care the bidding had begun.

"One thousand." A hand went up and the auctioneer pointed his mallet at the man. He was older and wore a long dark robe. Kathryn could not make him out well in the harsh lighting, but his voice sounded gentle.

"Twelve hundred." Another man's voice came from the opposite side of the room. He was wearing a uniform much like the men on the ship that had brought them here. Kathryn decided she did not like this man immediately and hoped someone would out bid him.

"Fifteen hundred, but I want to see more." Another man called before the second bid could be acknowledged. This man was at the front of the room and Kathryn could see him clearly. He had small piggy eyes and a wide jaw. He was wearing a vast fur over his clothing and he was staring at her with a gleam in his eyes.

"You heard lord Kopeck show him more." The auctioneer said and Kathryn was grabbed by a guard. Tom was quickly apprehended on his way to help Kathryn by two guards who had to hold him down to restrain him. The guard holding Kathryn pulled at the hem of her dress, ripping it over her head in one movement so she was left standing in her underwear in front of a hundred men. Wanting to cover up, but knowing it would do little good she stood there and tilted her chin upwards. Daring anyone to look at her. But look at her they did, mummers grew amongst the crowd until the man in the uniform called out.

"Two thousand Reams." Kathryn shot her head around and caught sight of Tom who was still being held but he no longer struggled.

"Two thousand and ten." The first older man called and Kathryn hoped that would be the end of it, but she could see Kopeck below her rubbing his hands together.

"Two and a half thousand, and give it up Elderon you do not have that kind of money." Kopeck said looking behind him at the man in the long cloak. It seemed as though the solider was out of the bidding now and Kathryn took in a deep shaky breath.

"Going once." The auctioneer called as Tom was let go and he stumbled forwards slightly.

"Going twice." Kathryn turned to him, noticing him watching her, but it was not in the same way the rest of the men in the room were looking at her. Tom held respect in his eyes, one that could only come from someone who knew he as well as he did.

"Three thousand, and Kopeck you must keep up with the news more often, I do and I know you don't have that kind of funds at your disposal." Elderon said as the man who had been virtually salivating over Kathryn retreated into the crowd.

"Any further bids, going once, twice, sold to Lord Elderon for three thousand Reams. I do hope you have it." The auctioneer said as the mallet hit the table and Kathryn and Tom were thrust through a door on the opposite side of the stage they had come through initially. Kathryn just hoped that this man that had paid what seemed to be a huge price for them was not in too much of a hurry to use his newest acquisitions.

That's all for now folks, hope you enjoyed that one, who has brought them, and have Voyager been fooled into thinking they are dead. Feedback is wonderful Thank you for reading XxX


	3. Chapter 3

I am back I just can't seem to leave this story alone. Thank you for all the wonderful reviews they have inspired me so much to continue. Also this story now has a trailer on YouTube so please go and check it out.

They were left alone in the small room beyond the action room, it was a moment of piece and solitude for them but neither knew what to say. What was there to say, they had been sold to an alien on a strange planet and their friends probably thought they were dead. Kathryn looked at Tom for a moment, he was not looking at her and his resistance to meet her gaze puzzled her for a moment. It was then she realised that she was still clad in only her underwear, Kathryn realised that Tom was trying to afford her all the privacy he could under the circumstances. The gesture made Kathryn smile slightly as she took a step forward and placed her hand on Tom's shoulder. It had been there often enough and it felt safe and familiar there. He turned to her under instinct alone, his head moving around until his eyes fell upon hers, closer than he imagined, so close that he could almost see his own reflection in her Safire pools.

Tom did not shy away from the look; he embraced it, knowing that right now each other was all that they had. He kept his gaze locked on hers and placed his hand over hers, the one that was still upon his shoulder and he gave it a small squeeze. Tom was about to say something, he didn't know what but he felt as though he should offer up some kind of inspiring speech to help them through this. Before the words could form however the door to their room opened and they prang apart. Moving away from each other slightly and now both looking at the person who hand entered.

"Hello my name is Kaylore I am Lord Elderon's personal assistant, you have been purchased by my employer and he will expect you to adhere to his rules at all times. You fail to make my employer happy and you will be sold, you violate any rules and you will be sold. You attempt to escape or cause harm to anyone you will be executed, do you understand." Kaylore spoke as though he had uttered those words many times. Kathryn watched as he stared blankly at the space in between herself and Tom. Their silence however caused the huge man to scowl, his stance becoming more ridged as he now looked from Kathryn to Tom.

"I said do you understand." His voice now raised slightly as Tom was the first to answer with a quick yes. Kathryn was not far behind nodding her head in turn with her answer and Kaylore seemed to relax.

"Lord Elderon will be here shortly, please put this on, he will not like you so uncovered when we are traveling." Kaylore said directing his eyes towards Kathryn now as he threw her what looked like the dress she had been wearing previously. Snatching it from mid-air Kathryn allowed the garment to unfold and saw that it was indeed her dress. She sighed slightly but pulled it down and over her head. It was tight, and it was uncomfortable, but defiantly preferable to walking around in one's underwear.

Just as she righted the dress a man in a long dark cloak swooped into the room. He was older than Kaylore, but not by much, the slight grey in his almost black hair gave him pleasant highlights. His face was square with a strong jaw, his cranial ridges more pronounced over his eyes, and his smile was board.

"Greetings, I do hope they have been treating you well, I know these places can be a little lax on feeding its residence. My name is Elderon; I have a large house on the outskirts of the city, one which is in desperate need of repair. Kaylore here has been trying to run the place singlehanded for the last few months and I promised I would get him some help. So that is where you come in, I have to admit that was not my only reason for purchasing you today." Elderon looked at Kathryn and for a moment she saw something in his eyes. He turned from her too quickly for her to really read him though as he continued talking.

"You are a unique pair of individuals and I know having you will only increase my standing with the Validian nobility. A silly one up man ship if you will, but here I am babbling on about myself, please let me know your names." Elderon said looking towards Tom who coughed slightly and placed his hand upon his chest.

"My name is Tom." He said not knowing whether or not to shake hands with the older Validian, his choice however was made when Elderon turned immediately to Kathryn who tilted her head up so she could look into Elderon's eyes.

"My name is Captain Kathryn Janeway of the USS Starship Voyager." It was a phrase almost burnt into her memory and she wanted to spit and who the hell are you off after the end, managing to hold back she watched as Elderon's face grew confused. He rubbed at his defined chin slightly before moving towards Kathryn and placing his hands behind his back.

"I am sure you were, but how about I call you Kathryn for now, I think it's a beautiful name." the man's words were kind, but now standing so close Kathryn could tell he was on the edge of anger, tipping him over the edge would not have been the wises cause of action right now so she merely nodded her acceptance.

"Good, now may I suggest we head off before we get overran with people wanting to see you." Elderon said as he swept back towards the door and Kaylore moved to user them both out to follow him. Kathryn and Tom walked side by side in silence, the rest of the instillation looked pretty much the same all over, but they finally came to a door which led outside. Waiting for them was a hover car that was painted a crisp silver and had blacked out windows. Tom and Kathryn were pushed into the back seat while Elderon climbed in the front with Kaylore. The two sections were separated by a sheet of black glass. As the craft started moving forwards the gentle hum of it engine growing louder as it picked up speed, Kathryn couldn't help by try the door handle. It was as she suspected locked, and she shook her head in Tom's direction.

"Probably not a good idea anyway, I mean going at who knows what speed, and at who knows what height, the fall would probably have killed us." Tom said with a small grin as he looked out of the window at the ground below. It was silently grateful that the door had not opened, throwing himself out of a moving vehicle was not how Tom wanted to end his day. He knew Kathryn would have attempted it if it had worked, he had seen that look from Elderon, there was a reason he had paid such a high price for Kathryn and himself and it had nothing to do with looking better in the eyes of his peers.

"I wonder if Chacotay and the others have found the ship yet?" Kathryn said as she glanced at him and placed her hands in her lap.

"Probably we have been gone for hours and are well over our rendezvous time. But if I know Harry he will spot that the explosion was a set up, I don't think they will give up on us that easily." Tom said meeting Kathryn's gaze and giving her a defiant nod of his head. Both of them knew Voyager and her crew would not give up on them so easily, they knew it because if the situation was reversed they would not either.

Voyager was still in space, it hung in the air like a ghost ship as the crew inside didn't know what to think of the debris field they had encountered.

"Harry are there any signs of organic material?" Chacotay asked, he had had a bad feeling ever since the shuttle had not been at the rendezvous point, hell it had been far earlier than that, it had been when Kathryn and Tom had left the ship. Now that feeling churned in his stomach like he had been riding to many roller coasters at a fair.

"No nothing organic as far as I can tell, and I have searched every inch." Harry said placing his hands on his console and looking over at Tuvok. The Vulcan was as ever outwardly calm, but Harry had known him for close to three years now and he could see the dark man's hand tapping on the console. It was practically a full blown panic for a Vulcan and Harry shared the man's angst at the situation.

"Is it defiantly the shuttle?" Chacotay asked as he went up to join Tuvok at the tactical station, his worry was evident as were the rest of the crews. Two of their finest officers, not to mention their Captain had been on that shuttle, they were not about to take things at face value.

"I cannot tell for certain Commander, but there are traces of iridium alloy in the debris something that only Starfleet uses. However it is in such small amounts that I cannot rule out the possibility of this being staged." Tuvok said as Chacotay nodded his head and turned to Harry.

"Beam everything you can into the cargo hold and have it examined piece by piece, if that is the Captain's shuttle then I want it proved beyond a doubt." Chacotay said walking back and sitting in Kathryn's chair, he hated sitting in it as much as he relished it at times, now was a time when he would have done anything to be sitting in his own seat with Kathryn beside him.

"When it is done set a course for Validia warp eight, I want some answers either way." Chacotay said as he heard the protest from Tuvok even before it lefty the Vulcan's mouth.

"And I know we were forbidden to go there, but if they have Tom and the Captain I am not about to go on my merry way and leave them there." Chacotay said turning to see Tuvok's raised eyebrow, but he did not utter a word.

"Debris is in cargo bay 2 sir." Harry reported and Chacotay looked at him briefly.

"Get down there and check it out, take Be'lanna with you, don't miss anything Harry I want proof to confront the Validian government with." Chacotay said as he heard Harry enter the turbo lift with a yes sir. Turning back towards the view screen Chacotay looked down at ensign Alya and for a moment he thought it was Tom.

"Ensign set a course for the Validian home world warp eight."

"Aye sir." Chacotay took a deep breath before issuing his final command.

"Engage."

The car stopped, and Tom and Kathryn were let out of the back seat, it had not been obvious from the cars blackened windows, but now it was clear that the sun was setting on Darfur. The sky was now a crimson blanket, its colour only dwarf by the smattering of clouds that shone almost bright purple as night closed in.

Kathryn looked up at the house, it reminded her of the house in her holosuite novel from eighteenth century England. It had two floors from what Kathryn could tell; windows in all opaque colours ran the length of the house. They glinted pink and greens on the lower level, and hinted at a more blueish colour on the upper floor. They walked towards the door and Kaylore opened it at their arrival. It lead into a grand entrance hall, the staircase being the focal centre of the room which was decked in a pale green carpet and had wooden panels reaching floor to ceiling along the soft mint coloured walls. In any other situation Kathryn would have described this place as beautiful. Now she could only look upon it as her beautifully decorated prison, that thought alone seemed to leak the beauty from it.

"Welcome to Darfurian hall, it is getting late so I will show you to your rooms, then we will have something to eat." Elderon said moving towards a door located at to the left of the stairway down a short hall. Kathryn and Tom followed but Kaylore did not. Tom assumed he had things to attend to, like preparing dinner and he paid the enormous man no more attention.

Pushing through the door they moved into a corridor with three other doors leading off of it. Elderon continued to the second door and stopped.

"Kaylore sleeps there, Tom your room will be here next to his." The older man said as he pushed open the door which led to a small but comfortable looking room. It had a mirror in one corner above a small chest of draws. In the centre was a single bed lying beneath a green tinted window. The curtains matched the shade but were as yet undrawn, showing them the now dark sky beyond. Tom went to the bed and placed his hand upon it, it was soft and looked comfortable, but if this room told him anything it was that it was built for one. Standing up straight with every intention of asking where Kathryn would be sleeping he saw Elderon holding on to her elbow. Kathryn looked none too pleased at the gesture but was for now making no protest.

"I will show you to your room now, Kaylore will be along to show you to the kitchen shortly, please make yourself at home." Elderon said not giving Tom the opportunity to protest as he and Kathryn left the room. The door closing and locking behind them, it was a not so subtle reminder that they were in fact prisoners here, and Tom could do nothing but stare at the closed doorway before him and hope that Kathryn was alright.

Leaving Tom in that small room was something Kathryn had been dreading, she did not want to be separated from him. Not only did it mean she couldn't keep her eye on him in case he got in to trouble, but it also left her to the mercy of Elderon. He was still holding onto her upper arm, but his grip was gentle. He had made no move to touch her anywhere else as yet, and Kathryn preyed it stayed that way. Moving back into the entrance hall Elderon lead Kathryn up the stairs and along the balcony. Stopping at a room at the end of the hall he pushed open the door. The room was much like Tom's, but was more lavish. A grand wardrobe sat in the corner, a dark oak in colour and almost as tall as the ceiling. The carpet was a light blue and the walls were painted in a cream that seemed to reflect the blue in the carpet. The window to this room was also pale blue with hints of purple at the top. The bed was covered in a royal blue comforter and had an array of cream and blue pillows at its head.

"I hope you like it; I picked this room because I thought it matched your eyes." Elderon said allowing Kathryn to explore the room. She stopped at the full length mirror which stood opposite the bed and briefly looked at herself. Her hair was loose down her back, it was falling over her shoulder on one side and looked like it needed a good brush. Her eyes seemed to have shrunk into the back of her head, and the dress she was wearing made her look even smaller than she already was. Unable to look at her own reflection any longer Kathryn turned back to Elderon who had been watching her intently.

"Are all humans of your colouring?" he asked with genuine curiosity and Kathryn shook her head.

"No we come in all different colours, we are a very divers race." Kathryn replied as she looked across the room at Elderon who was still studying her.

"Is your colouring common, I have never seen hair that shade of red before, or skin so fair." Kathryn noted an almost wistful tone to the man's voice and she knew she would have to tread carefully here.

"No the predominate colour for humans is brown hair and slightly darker skin. But some people also have blonde hair like Tom and have light skin also. Other humans are dark all over with brown skin and black hair." Kathryn said skirting around the issue somewhat but it seemed to satisfy Elderon.

"Then I guess I am especially lucky to have such an exquisite example of your species." He said and Kathryn could read between the lines as well as anyone. She needed to change the subject quickly before it went too far.

"I was wondering do you have a room somewhere where Tom and I could share, we are not used to being apart and in a strange place like this it would make me feel better to have some company." Kathryn said walking up to Elderon and all but batting her eyelids at him. It was not often she used the fact that she was a woman when negotiating, but this situation seemed to call for it beyond any other.

"I am afraid that is impossible, I cannot have member of the opposite sex sharing a room, what if he were to defile you, I want you to stay as pristine as you are?" Elderon said looking like Kathryn had just asked him to cut his own arm off.

"Defile, oh no that won't happen you see Tom and I we work together nothing like that would happen I can assure you." Kathryn replied wondering what Elderon meant be pristine. She hoped that he was not under the impression that she was a virgin, because boy was he about to be disappointed. Keeping that thought to herself she saw Elderon turn from her and walk back towards the door.

"I am sure you will be fine alone here, it will not take you long to get used to the place, and to me." With that he left, closing and locking the door behind him much like he had done to Tom. For now all Kathryn could do was sit and wait.

Hope you enjoyed that, do not forget to check out the trailer on YouTube it is my first video so don't be too harsh. You can find it if you type in All that I am Janeway Paris, sorry don't actually have a link I am not that cleaver. Thank you for reading XxX


	4. Chapter 4

Got a little obsessed with the YouTube videos so sorry about the lack of update yesterday, feel free to check the new ones out on my channel.

Chacotay had been sat ridged in the Captain's chair for what felt like days, it had in reality been only an hour, but his jaw was now aching from grinding his teeth for that entire length of time. Chacotay knew in his heart that Tom and Kathryn were not dead; he knew he would know if that had happened. But there was something niggling at him, they may not be dead, but they were certainly in trouble.

It was Harry's voice over the comm. Line that finally got Chacotay out of his chair, his knees protesting at being held in such a stiff position, he ignore his limited discomfort as he told Harry to report.

"It's not the shuttle commander, there are traces of iridium here, but that's all traces. Like some put pieces of the shuttle into another ship and blew it up. There is also no sign of human DNA, of there was anyone on this ship they left no discernible trace of it." Harry's voice sounded excited, and Chacotay shared the young man's feeling about Kathryn and Tom's evident survival. That fact alone however raised more questions than it answered. One who had taken them, and also why. Chacotay felt that one answer would eventually lead to another, and then to their missing comrades.

"Chacotay to Kim."

"Kim here sir"

"Have you and B'elanna managed to identify where most of the debris has come from." Chacotay asked hoping that they would have a starting point at least.

"It's a Validian alloy Chacotay, but as to which specific world in the system I couldn't tell you." B'elanna replied and Chacotay slapped his hand down on the railing behind the captain's chair.

"Well then I guess we stick with plan A and head to the home world." Chacotay said turning to Tuvok who had yet to say anything. The dark man was looking at his commanding officer with a slight tilt of his head. If Chacotay didn't know any better he would say the Vulcan was worried. Not wanting to get into a debate about emotions however with a quick nod to his second in command Chacotay took up position in the Captain's chair once more, his only thought s trained on his missing Captain and what was happening to her right now.

Kathryn had not had to wait long in her room before Kaylore came to collect her for dinner. They walked to the kitchen in silence. Kathryn did not know what to say to the man, she had so many questions, but they all seemed to reveal her intent to get away from here. Holding her council she was relieved when upon entering the kitchen she spotted Tom waiting there in one of the wooden chairs that sat at the large rectangular table.

Tom stood when he saw Kathryn; he couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face at her arrival, and her obvious unharmed condition. He had been driving himself insane alone in his room with the thought of her somewhere in the house with Elderon. Now as he saw her offer up her own small smile he knew for now at least she was ok.

"Lord Elderon will be joining us shortly, he had some business to attend to." Kaylore said walking towards the large kitchen counter and pulling open what looked like an old fashioned oven. It reminded Kathryn of the one her mother used to use back in Bloomington. The woman could never get used to using the replicator, and although her skills as a chief had seemed to skip over Kathryn, she still remembered the flavours of freshly cooked real food.

It did little however to awaken her apatite, and despite the fact that they had not eaten for over twenty four hours Kathryn felt little anticipation for the meal. She looked over towards Tom who seemed to be virtually salivating at the prospect, and that at least afforded her some comfort. Knowing he was ok was something Kathryn needed to keep herself going; she knew the feeling was probably mutual. From the look on Tom's face when she had walked into the room, her presence here was putting them both at ease.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Kaylore please serve the meal, and please join us." Elderon said walking into the room so suddenly that Kathryn almost slipped off her chair at the jump her tight muscles gave. Tom also snapped his head around to look at their final arrival, but the scowl on his face told Kathryn all she needed to know. Tom did not trust this seemingly well intentioned man, and although so far he had given them no reason to dislike him, neither of them could help it.

Kaylore did as he was told, serving Elderon first as he sat himself at the head of the table. Tom sat on his left and Kathryn next to Tom. Kaylore after his duties were done sat himself opposite Tom and picked up his utensils and started shovelling food into his mouth. The site did little to encourage Kathryn's appetite, and she pushed her food around her plate trying to summon up the urge to eat some of it.

"So tell me about your skills, can either of you tend a garden, or cook?" Elderon asked as though it was the most normal question in the world. Kathryn frowned and she could feel Tom's hand on her knee, cautioning her to hold her temper.

"I am a pilot and a Starfleet officer, we have no need to learn how to cook, or grow things as we use a piece of technology called a replicator for our sauces of food." Tom replied taking another bite of the meat like substance on his plate. He found that it had a nice flavour not unlike beef, and certainly better than Leola root stew.

"A replicator, I have never heard of such a device. Well it's no problem, Kaylore is a master at everything domestic, I am sure you will learn quickly how to help him best around the place." Elderon said as Kathryn wanted to shout from the roof tops that she was no servant, but with Tuvok literally reverberating in her ears, she knew it was not a logical idea to piss this man off.

Tom had almost finished his meal, Elderon had asked them many questions about Earth and how they had come to be so far away from home. Kathryn had answered all of his questions with an almost monotone voice, which suggested almost boredom at their masters' interrogation. Tom knew however it was a simple reluctance to share too much information with Elderon without appearing rude. He now noticed that Kathryn had hardly touched her food, choosing instead to push it around her plate, and attempting to make it look as though she had at least tried.

All her avoidance tactics outwardly seemed to have been useful, Elderon did not push for information, he did not query Kathryn's lack of appetite or notice her gently grinding jaw that was making Tom nervous.

As the meal finished, Elderon instructed Kaylore to show Tom and Kathryn how to clean up, then they were to retire for the evening. Kathryn was not looking forward to bed time for two reasons. First she would be split up from Tom, and second she wasn't sure if she would be spending the night alone. There was only so long she could put off admitting to herself just why she was here, tending garden and preparing meals was just something Elderon had said to make them feel more comfortable. Taking a dish off Tom she whipped the cloth around its wet surface, and then placed the dish back on to its shelf.

"Kathryn?" Tom spoke her name as Kaylore left them to finish with the dishes in favour of cleaning down the kitchen table. She looked up at him immediately, placing the next plate on top of the counter and leaning in close.

"Have you spotted any possible way of getting out of here yet?" she whispered, knowing that Kaylore was only a few meters away and may overhear them.

"No I was locked in my room then escorted here, told to sit in the kitchen and wait. Kaylore was gone only a few minutes, I have not had a chance to inspect the house at all." Tom said picking up the next plate and began cleaning it. Kathryn nodded her head slightly and resumed drying the plate she had put down.

"We need to check this place out as soon as we get the chance. Elderon seems nice enough, but I am not sure how long that will last." Kathryn ventured, not wanting to alarm Tom any further than he already was.

"I think tomorrow Kaylore and I will be fixing the guttering on the outside of the house. He mentioned something about it when he fetched me from my room. I may get a chance then to get a good look at the place." Tom replied as the final plate passed between them and Tom drained the sink of the soapy water.

Kathryn replaced the last plate and stood up, tilting her head up so she could look at Tom directly in the eyes.

"Tom if you get an opportunity to escape I want you to take it, no matter what if you are free, then you may have a chance of contacting Voyager." Kathryn said making sure that Tom understood this as an order but the younger man seemed to reel at even the thought.

"I will not leave you behind Kathryn." Tom said, for a moment wondering when she had stopped being Captain and had become Kathryn to him. He decided that it didn't matter, what did matter was her usual stubborn and slight selfishness. It was far easier for her to be a martyr, to stay here knowing he was safe. Hell Tom was sure if the shoe were on the other foot and Kathryn got away without him, he too would be glad beyond reason. However he did not have the luxury of being able to order her to do so, that honour fell upon her shoulders alone.

"That was an order Lieutenant." Kathryn said her voice displaying its usual Captain's timbre as she narrowed her eyes at his defiant stance.

"No I won't do it, you said yourself that we wouldn't stand a chance alone on this planet, and I think that goes for being on the run as well. We may have to wait longer, but if we do go, we go together, and don't even pretend that if you got the chance to escape without me you would, I know you to well." Tom said allowing a smile to appear on his face to soften his words. Kathryn simply shook her head moving towards the door and knowing he was following allowed him time to catch up.

"You're right I wouldn't leave you behind, but don't think that will get you off the hook for disobeying a direct order." Kathryn said with her own smile as they re-entered the kitchen and joined Kaylore as he tidied away the last of the condiments.

"We have an early start tomorrow I suggest you both get a good night's rest, the master has guests coming over tomorrow evening and we will have much to prepare." Kaylore said as the man himself walked back into the room.

"Ok Kaylore I am sure everything will be perfect as usual." Elderon said as the big man inclined his head and motion to Tom to follow him. For a moment Tom did not move he did not want to leave Kathryn alone with Elderon again, but he had little choice. Her nod was all he needed to get going, allowing Kaylore to escort him back to his room, and leaving Kathryn alone.

"Come with me." Elderon instructed holding open the door for Kathryn to walk through as she obeyed his command. He walked next to her again, not touching her this time, but close enough so that Kathryn could smell his cologne, or whatever they called it here on Darfur. They walked up the stairway and into Kathryn's room, Elderon closed the door behind them and Kathryn immediately stiffened. Standing bolt upright in the centre of the room she turned slowly to see Elderon stood still at the doorway. His eyes not leaving her form as she stood there regarding him with a wary eye.

"I am not a monster Kathryn, but I do expect some show of willingness to be nice on your part." Elderon said and Kathryn knew that he had not been so blind at dinner. He had been filing away her little displays of defiance for this moment.

"I am sorry but my ability to be diplomatic seems to have deserted me, after being kidnapped and sold as a slave." Kathryn said no longer able to hold in her anger, she did not have to worry about protecting Tom, they were alone here, and any comeback from Elderon aimed at her she was willing to accept.

"The circumstances of your being brought here were none of my doing, but the fact remains you are here and I paid a high price for you." Elderon said moving towards her now and Kathryn refused to back away, even if her body was screaming at her to run, she would not back down, now or ever.

"The price was all of your own doing, you could have backed out but you alone chose not to. You want to blame someone for that mistake, try yourself." Kathryn bit out as Elderon grabbed her by both arms, pinning them to her sides and for a moment Kathryn felt every ounce of his strength, and for that moment she was afraid.

"It was no mistake, you are mine and the sooner you come to realise that the better it will be for both of us. Your beauty will only pacify me for so long Kathryn, do not make this any harder on yourself, or Tom by fighting me." Elderon said as he leaned in and forced his lips upon Kathryn's. As he did so Kathryn could only think about the threat he had made to Tom regarding her own behaviour. She blocked out his pressing lips but did not resist them either; she could not and would not be responsible for any harm coming to Tom.

Elderon pulled away from her, his face a blank converse again as a well-practiced smile appeared on is lips.

"I will bid you a good night." He said releasing her as he stepped back towards the door, pulling it open he quickly closed it behind him again and Kathryn heard the sound of the lock clicking back. Flopping onto the bed Kathryn now noticed the night gown that had been placed there for her to sleep in. without hesitation she pulled of the tight dress that had restricted her breathing all day and threw it over the chair by the window. Pulling the nigh gown over her head she was grateful that at least it was fairly modest in relation to the dress. It hung all the way down to mid shin and had a scooped neck line that showed nothing it shouldn't.

Pulling back the covers on her bed Kathryn climbed in and rolled onto her side, placing her hands under her head she took in a deep shaky breath. As she lay there looking at the wall before her, Kathryn made a decision not to tell Tom of what happened tonight. She knew it was wrong to keep him in the dark, but she also knew if Tom knew the truth it would have an adverse effect on his state of mind. Especially if he knew Elderon was using him against her, she would have to find a way of warning Tom about their masters' dark side without alerting him as to how she had come upon this knowledge.

Rolling onto her back Kathryn felt sleep evading her once more, her mind was racing with worry about Tom, and worry about Voyager, she knew Chacotay and the rest of her crew would not have given up on them, and had almost certainly discovered the truth about their still being alive. She knew Chacotay would fly Voyager towards Validia, even against warnings to keep away. The chance that they would be out gunned and outnumbered was high and Kathryn felt another pang of regret hit her as she lay now looking up at the doomed celling above her.

Her one wish was to get Voyager home, to make sure her crew got to see their families once again. If her rescue meant their demise, then she knew she would rather stay here than live with that guilt.

Told you it gets dark, more chapters on their way soon. If you are enjoying this story please let me know via review they make me smile. Thank you for reading XxX


	5. Chapter 5

Quick update for you, I hope you enjoy.

Tom had spent most of the night tossing and turning, afraid to close his eyes because of the images that resided behind his closed lids. The house had been quite, so quite in fact that Tom could hear the gentle rustling of the trees outside of his window, it did little however to settle his mind. This was a large house and several doors separated him from where Kathryn's room was. Tom was no fool, he knew the reason they had been separated, hell the reason they were brought in the first place, and he knew it had nothing to do with his physical prowess.

Throwing the covers off his body Tom walked over to the window and looked out at the lightening sky. The sun was starting to turn the indigo heavens into a more royal blue and Tom took in a deep breath. He turned and looked at the bed, but he knew he would be finding no more sleep tonight. Looking up at the stars he checked every one of them in the unfamiliar night sky, each one vanishing with the intrusion of the sun. None of them hung there in defiance to the light, none of them was actually a ship in orbit coming to take them back to their friends to their life. Tom placed both hands on the window seal and lent his forehead against the cool glass. Sucking air through his nose for a moment he contemplated smashing the window and making a break for freedom. It would be so easy, and if he got shot trying to escape then so what, it would be easier than seeing Kathryn's face after. Tom couldn't even bring himself to think of the world let alone deal with the aftermath.

Pulling away from the window sharply as though he had been stung Tom backed away from it until he hit the door at the opposite end of the room. Leaning his back against it he refused to drop to the floor like his body wanted him to. He would have to stand and face this along with everything else that came with being here, if not for himself then for Kathryn. Lord knows he had let enough people down in his life already. He had joined Kathryn at first to simply get away from the pineal colony, then it turned into something more. It had been a chance to prove himself again, to show that he wasn't a bad person, and to some extent he had done that, but to crumble now would mean that everything he had achieved would have been for naught.

Composing himself Tom walked back over to the bed and started to pull off his night shirt and placed it in the hamper like Kaylore had told him to. Going to the chest of draws he found a simple outfit in the top draw. Pulling on the slacks he pulled the drawstring closed and pulled the beige shirt over his head. Seeing himself in the mirror he practiced smiling, but somehow no matter how much he tried they all looked fake. Tom knew the only way he would produce a genuine smile would be when he saw that Kathryn was ok, until them he would just have to keep practicing.

Kathryn was awoken by a knocking at the door, she couldn't remember falling asleep but somewhere in the early hours she must have done. Kathryn sat up in the bed and called for the person knocking to enter. The door was pushed open quickly and Kathryn tried to hide her disappointment that it was not Tom. She was however relieved that it was not Elderon either, Kaylore walked across the room, he was carrying what looked like another dress over his arm. This one was a light blue shade, and there at least appeared to be more to it than the one she already had.

"Good morning, Lord Elderon requires you to wear this for today, please dress quickly and come down for breakfast." Elderon said barely looking at her as Kathryn pushed the covers away from her body and got out of the bed. Kaylore had already left the room, closing the door behind him, but this time there was no sound of the lock slicking back. Kathryn made a split second decision. She threw on her underwear and pulled her dress on. It was roomier than the last one, but not by much, running a comb that she found on the dresser through her hair she allowed it to hang loose behind her. She had nothing to pin it up with anyway and left the room silently.

Creeping along the hallway she pattered down the stairway and took a quick look around, she could see no one, but she could here muffled voices coming from the kitchen. She couldn't tell how many or who they were, but she had to take a chance, she might not get another opportunity.

Dashing to her right and away from the kitchen Kathryn moved down another corridor. It lead to several doorways, but none of them led to the outside. Each one she tried opened out to another room. One was an elaborate dining room, next door was a smaller living room which for a second held Kathryn's attention as it held a picture of Darfur seen from space. The picture gave her no clue however as to its location in the Validian solar system and so she quickly closed the door. The last room was on the opposite side of the hallway, and pushing open the door she found what looked like a music room. Wooden slates donned the floors and a huge bay window took up most of the opposite wall a piano like instrument sat in the centre of the room. It was more like an organ in construction with pipes sticking out at one end, but flatter like a grand piano. Deciding that it didn't matter either way Kathryn closed the door and made her way back to the stairway. Just as she walked passed Elderon came down the stair way and called her name.

"Kathryn, good morning, I am glad Kaylore got you the dress I brought for you, I knew it would look wonderful." He said and Kathryn had to resist the urge to vomit, managing to hold on to the bile that rose in her throat she nodded at him as he joined her at the base of the stairs and he grinned back.

"Yes thank you." Kathryn managed remembering his words from last night and deciding that for now at least she would behave herself.

"Shall we go to breakfast, I am afraid I will not be around for the rest of the day, I have business to take care of in the city, but I will be back for tonight's party." Elderon said as he pushed open the door to the kitchen for Kathryn and lead her through with a hand on her lower back. Kathryn spotted Tom immediately, but his face was dark, he did not offer her a warm smile this morning, and Kathryn knew why. The man next her was still talking and leading her across to the table, Tom's eyes followed them the entire way, and although Kathryn was trying to tell him with her eyes that she was fine, the message did not seem to be getting through.

"Kaylore, you said that toady you and Tom were going to get the guttering fixed, I am glad that you will finally be able to get that job done, now that I have gotten you some help. Please could you tell Mirabel that Kathryn will be assisting her today with the preparation for the party." Elderon said as he broke off some bread from the loaf in the centre of the table. Kathryn had already taken a piece, and although it smelt fine, it was a funny yellow colour and there was neither jam nor butter to accompany it. Instead she took a spoon full of the thick creamy looking cereal that was placed in front of her. It was sweet, but not too sweet, and it was creamy with a hint of a spice not unlike cinnamon. Kathryn decided that she liked it, and finally felt like her appetite had returned. Glancing up at Tom now she saw that he was watching her eat, and finally a small smile fell across his face. It made Kathryn's heart beet slightly faster as she watched his eyes light up as she gave him her patient half smile back.

"Well that was glorious as always, but I must be leaving you now, please see that everything is ready upon my return." Elderon said as Kathryn realised she had now finished her entire bowl of food and so had everyone else. Getting up and following Kaylore into the kitchen Kathryn was instructed to wash the breakfast things alone while he and Tom started on the work outside.

"Maribel will be here shortly, she will instruct you on what needs to be done for tonight." Kaylore said handing Kathryn a towel and indicating to Tom that he should follow him. Tom did but not without a quick look back at Kathryn as she nodded towards him and gave him another smile.

Tom had been happy to see her eating, and although she had entered the kitchen on the arm of Elderon, looking sad and somewhat brow beaten. For a moment Tom had feared the worse, and he could not move could not speak. As the meal progressed though he could tell she was still ok, her easy smile at him had finally put his mind at rest. He was unhappy that they had not had the chance to talk, but working outside was nice. It was hard manual labour clearing leaves and twigs and general dirt out of the broken guttering. Not to mention smelly, at one point Tom had discovered a rodent of some kind that had obviously crawled inside a pipe and gotten stuck or drowned. He had removed it with great care and even Kaylore had pulled a face at the dirty corpse.

The entire job had taken them most of the day, and neither of them had spoken much during their time together. Kaylore seemed more the strong silent type, and for now Tom was happy with that, he didn't really know what to say to the man anyway. Finally as midday came and went and the afternoon drew on they finally completed the job. Coming down form the platform they had been using Tom followed Kaylore into the pantry and they could both here a crashing of pans.

"My word girl I know you said you were bad at this but you are nothing but a disaster zone." Tom couldn't help the grin that came to his face. It sounded like Kathryn was having her usual luck with cooking; removing his dirty boots Tom entered the kitchen to the smell of burning.

"Oh Kaylore take her away, the woman is ruining a perfectly good meal." Maribel cried as Kathryn shrugged her shoulders at Tom and offered him one very burnt looking bowl of something Tom couldn't even begin to describe.

"It is time they were getting ready for the party anyway; I will help you finish cooking." Kaylore said turning to Tom and Kathryn who looked back at him confused.

"You will be serving the guests their meal, they are all coming to see you as well as dine with the Lord." Kaylore explained as the pair nodded slightly and Kaylore decided that for now it was enough. He did not have the time to explain to them all the ins and outs of Validian nobility.

"Go down the hall to your sleeping quarters Tom and the door opposite your room is a wash room, you can both get cleaned up in there. Once you are finished come back and I will go through the procedure for tonight." Kaylore said as Kathryn took a quick look at Tom. They both had the same question on their mind about both of them being allowed to shower together. Neither of them said anything though, they were simply happy to have this time to talk. Disappearing out of the door they made their way to Tom's room and found the door to the bathroom. It was large inside, the floor was a green and blue marble, and it was almost iridescent in the low afternoon sun. A shower unit stood in the corner of the room, no bath tub and Kathryn had to hold in her disappointment. The shower had only a single piece of glass surrounding it, it was slightly opaque, but it was obvious that it would offer little privacy from anyone inside the room.

"I can wait outside." Tom said feeling suddenly uncomfortable with the situation, but a hand on his arm stopped him from leaving.

"Its fine Tom, we need to talk anyway, we may not get many chances." Kathryn said a soft smile coming to her lips and Tom relented quickly. He didn't really want to leave, but he knew staying might be just as difficult.

It remained unspoken that Kathryn would go first, she would need the longest time to get her hair dry, and Tom didn't mind waiting. Sitting himself on a chair near the sink he looked out the window while Kathryn undressed. He tried not to think about her naked only a few meters away, training his thoughts on their situation instead.

"I got a good look at the land surrounding the house today, seems pretty open, if we can get out I think we would have a good chance of getting away." Tom said as he heard the shower start and the door to the unit slide back.

"Sounds good, I managed to get a quick look at the house, there seems to be only two exits, the one in the pantry and the front door. Both of which are pretty heavy, and without a key I doubt we would manage to get them open." Kathryn replied having to speak louder than she would like because of the sound of the water.

"That and we are pretty much locked up or supervised all the time, I think the only way we are going to get a chance is if Elderon trusts us, like he does Kaylore." Tom said unable to stop himself from turning his head to look in Kathryn's direction. He could not see her clearly, but he could make out her shape easily enough behind the glass.

"I think you're right, but I don't trust him Tom, I have a feeling he is a very well-practiced diplomat, and very good at telling people what they want to hear." Kathryn said finally finding the opportunity to warn Tom about Elderon's darker side.

"I agree, but we could have done worse." Tom said and Kathryn knew there was truth in his words; she looked at him now through the glass. His form hunched over in the chair his shoulder sagged slightly head hung low. She felt a pang of sadness sweep her own body and she felt the words fall from her mouth before she could stop them.

"Tom join me." She saw his head snap up at her words, but he did not move, and for a second Kathryn wondered what the hell she was thinking. It was not only inappropriate, but it would open a can of worms that had been threatening to escape for a long time now. Realising that she simply didn't care anymore she opened the door and allowed some of the steam to escape.

"Please." She said looking at him now and she saw a mixture of emotions cross his face. She was reluctant to say that she needed him, but looking at him as he sat there not knowing what to do next, she tried to convey the message with her eyes.

"Kathryn I can't, I don't know if I can you know control things." Tom said a blush rising in his face and Kathryn almost laughed.

"Tom it doesn't matter." Kathryn said and this time Tom could hear the plea in her voice. He could never refuse her anything; even if it meant some discomfort for him he would do it. Stripping off his clothes Tom quickly climbed into the hot shower and ducked his head under the spray. He was surprised by the room they had inside, but he wasn't complaining. So far he had managed not to even look at Kathryn as she stood neck to him allowing the water to roll down her body.

"I hope Voyager is alright." Kathryn said and Tom looked across at her, focusing on her face and desperately trying to avoid looking at her bare shoulders.

"Me too." He replied and Kathryn placed her hand on his shoulder. Tom almost leapt out of the shower at the feel on her hand upon his arm.

"It's ok Tom, please relax remember I invited you." Kathryn almost laughed at her helmsman's unease, almost that was until she realised that she was the cause.

"I guess you did, not that I would ever." Tom said now taking a deep breath and inhaling the scent of the shampoo Kathryn had located on a shelf as she poured it into her open palm.

"Of course not, but thank you anyway." Kathryn said looking at him as she began to rub the shampoo into her hair allowing her eyes to close, knowing that even if Tom did look at her she really didn't mind, in fact it was almost a comfort to have the knowledge that someone she trusted was there. Even now with her eyes squeezed firmly closed against the torrent of water that was now rushing into her face she could sense his gaze. What scared Kathryn the most however was the knowledge that she welcomed it.

As Kathryn tilted her head back to wash the shampoo out of her hair Tom's resistance failed him. He drew his eyes down the length of her neck, and down further to the swell of her breast. Each one tipped with a rosy nipple that cause Tom's body to finally betray him. Feeling dirty he looked away ashamed of his slip and began washing his own hair. Willing his body to calm down before Kathryn noticed was not working. As he rubbed the shampoo into his hair almost painfully her could feel Kathryn's eyes on him, the knowledge only tightened the hold on his body she had over him.

"Tom are you ok?" Kathryn questioned as she saw him rubbing fervently at his scalp and slamming his eyes closed. Kathryn had quickly noticed his reason for his discomfort and she needed to let him know that it was ok.

"Yeah I am fine." Tom managed back but his voice sounded slightly husky, Kathryn smiled slightly and grabbed his hands to stop him from making himself bleed.

"Tom touch me." She said looking at him her gaze never flickering for a second as she spoke. Tom for a moment was stunned, had she really said what he thought she had said, or was he dreaming.

"I, Kathryn?" Tom questioned but the answer was written all over her face.

"If I know how you feel then maybe I can get through this." Kathryn said not needing to expand on her meaning as Tom moved forward under the spray and allowed the soap to wash from his hair and fall down both their bodies. He pulled her in for a hug, wrapping his arms around her waist and running his hands down the slick skin of her back. They both knew this was wrong, but neither of them could stop it either. Kathryn pulled back from Tom slightly and tilted her head to the side, the invitation to kiss her evident. It was at that moment that they heard a door open down the hallway and both stopped preying that whoever it was, would not come into the bathroom.

I know a cliff hanger get used to them it's what I do best. As ever reviews are encouraged Thank you for reading XxX.


	6. Chapter 6

Sorry to leave you hanging there folks but unfortunately I had to go to work, mores the pity. For now enjoy.

Kathryn stepped back quickly jumping out of the steaming shower and quickly grabbing a towel from the rack next to the unit. She didn't look back at Tom at all as she covered herself with the slightly to firm towel as she heard whomever it was coming stop outside the door. Holding her breath Kathryn pulled open the door and looked upon the face of Kaylore.

"I was starting to wonder if you had drowned." He said looking down at Kathryn as she picked up her dress from the floor and moved passed him and out in to the hallway.

"No sorry Tom is in there now he shouldn't be long." Kathryn replied not looking at the huge man and quickly making her way down the hall. Kaylore said nothing to her retreating form as he watched her exit through the far door and disappear as it closed behind her. He turned towards the bathroom, but the sound of the shower had ceased and he knew Tom would be out shortly. Seeing no more reason to stay he hurried back to the kitchen knowing there was still much to prepare.

Tom walked into his room and threw his clothes on to the bed.

"Shit!" He exclaimed as he ran his towel through his damp hair, the word dying in the empty room quickly. And for a moment Tom wondered if it would have been more satisfying to shout the cuss word in the bathroom, where it would have reverberated off every wall, retuning the sound to his own ears. Tom knew he had messed up this time, he should have said no when Kathryn asked him to join her. The vulnerability in her voice was so out of character for her, she had been reaching and Tom had allowed her to indulge. Now it seemed clear that his Captain had come back to her senses and, Tom knew their relationship, such as it was would be awkward, if not remote. It was the last thing either of them needed right now.

"Shit!" Tom said again picking up the fresh clothes that had been laid out for him and throwing the dirty ones into the hamper. He paused before pulling on the pants, looking at himself in the mirror for a moment and finding that he didn't like the person looking back at him. A self-blamer by nature however much Tom tried he could not blame Kathryn for her actions, he could have said no as easily as she could not have asked in the first place. Finally getting dressed Tom walked out of his room and made his way down the hall. Wanting to bang every door on route but managing to hold back. The last thing either he or Kathryn needed was people seeing any weakness on their part, going through into the kitchen Tom put on one of his well-practiced smiles as Kaylore turned to greet him.

Kathryn was pacing her room, she couldn't believe what she was almost did, she considered the possibility of a psychotic break. She had been captioning a ship lost light years from home for almost three years now. She was although she would never admit it lonely, and now to top it all she had lost all but one of her crew. Stopping to look out of the window Kathryn drew in a deep shaky breath, her hands resting on the ledge she looked out at the unfamiliar landscape. Dropping her gaze from a view she wasn't really seeing anyway Kathryn looked at her own hands spread out on the cream ledge. Kathryn decided that she was merely clinging onto whatever or whoever she knew and trusted. At this moment her options were limited and Tom was a likely sauce for her slight wobble. Standing upright now, satisfied with the fact that she wasn't psychotic Kathryn pulled off the towel and redressed herself. She would talk to Tom about this later if they got a chance, but she knew if she didn't go downstairs soon, someone would inevitably come looking for her. The dress she had worn previously was the only thing she had to wear so as she rubbed out any wrinkles that had formed she made her way back down the stair case and headed towards the kitchen.

Tom watched as Kathryn entered the now stiflingly hot room, her eyes shifted around the scene before her, not settling on anyone thing for any amount of time. It took Kaylore to speak her name before her eyes came back into focus.

"Kathryn I need you and Tom to come with me so you can set up the dining room, you will be expected to serve the meal and remain whilst the guests eat." He said as Kathryn followed him out of the door way and across the entrance hall. She knew of course where the dining room was from her earlier expedition, but she was not about to voice that to Kaylore.

"Here is the dining room, you need to lay the table for five people, and everything you need is in that cabernet. The candles will go in the centre along with the flowers." Kaylore explained as he went to the cabernet and opened it up. Inside were clothes, centre pieces, knives and forks, everything for an elaborate party. Kathryn held back on her sigh, but Tom didn't fare so well, and she heard his exhale of discontent as she stood next to him. Deciding that glaring at him right now was not appropriate Kathryn ignored him and moved forward pulling out a crisp white table cloth.

"I will leave you to it, when you are done, please come and join me in the kitchen and I will go through the menu with you." Kaylore said before leaving the pair alone and closing the door behind him. Tom looked at Kathryn for a moment, but she wasn't looking at him, she was unfolding the table cloth and keeping her gaze lowered.

"You need some help with that?" Tom asked moving closer to her and offering her his hand. Kathryn simply nodded and allowed him to take one end of the cloth. She couldn't find the words to explain what had happened in that bathroom. She could talk to a room full of Starfleet Admirals, but finding the right words to speak to a man you almost let kiss you was beyond Kathryn at this moment. Fortunately Tom was not so reserved when it came to such matters.

"Kathryn look I am sorry ok, I shouldn't have taken advantage of you. We are both under a lot of stress and I understand that if you want to keep your distance from now then that's ok." Tom said as Kathryn stopped unfolding the cloth and finally tilted her head up to look at him.

"You think this was your fault, oh Tom." Kathryn said both humbled and concerned by his ability to take any blame upon himself.

"I should have said no." He said looking at her now as they stood almost at opposite ends of the dining table.

"Perhaps, but we need each other Tom, and I am sorry for the way in which in handled that, it won't happen again, please don't blame this all on yourself, there I plenty of that to go around." Kathryn said allowing a smile to form on her face, a subtle tell to let Tom know everything would be alright. Tom gave her a quick flash of his teeth back, but something in that smile told Kathryn that it wouldn't happen overnight. Deciding that getting on with the task in hand would be a good place to start she told Tom to place the cloth on the table. Then going back over to the cabernet they worked together to set it up for tonight's event.

By the time Kathryn and Tom returned to the Kitchen there were several plates lined up on the kitchen table.

"Are good you are back, now we will place the meals here, you two will them carry them into the dining room and serve the guests. Wait for the food to be eaten and then bring the empty plates back and wait for the next course." Kaylore said as they all heard the front door being opened.

"Lord Elderon has returned, we must hurry the guests will be arriving shortly, you will be required to greet them upon their arrival." Kaylore continued as the door to the kitchen opened and Elderon stepped inside. He was carrying a large box under his arm and he smiled at everyone.

"Smells wonderful as always Mirabel, I see you are on top of this as always Kaylore, may I borrow Kathryn for a while?" Elderon asked but they all knew the answer, and Kaylore's quick nod of the head was all Kathryn needed to go with Elderon.

"Have you had a good day my dear?" Elderon asked as he led her towards the stairs and Kathryn followed him, eyes straight ahead but mind working overtime as to what was happening.

"It has been ok." Kathryn acknowledged as she followed Elderon up the stairs and towards her room.

"I am glad to hear it; I have brought you a little something, I would like you to wear it for the party tonight." Elderon said handing Kathryn the box that had been under his arm. Taking it from him Kathryn opened it up to see a piece of black fabric. She moved to the bed to set the box down upon it and she pulled out what she could now see was a dress. It had thin black straps that crossed over the shoulders and off it hung two long pieces of fabric. The opening between which narrowed as it went down to finally join about half way down the dress. Turing it around Kathryn could see thin cross straps behind that virtually left the dress backless until it reached the skirt at the bottom.

"Do you like it?" Elderon asked obvious excitement in his voice as Kathryn tried to hold back the biting remark she had on the tip of her tongue.

"It's lovely." She managed between clenched teeth as Elderon moved towards her and placed his hand over hers. Lowering the dress and looking down at Kathryn.

"Good you will look stunning in it." He said leaning in to place a kiss on her cheek. Kathryn had no time to react as he then moved away from her and back towards the door.

"Get changed quickly and meet me downstairs, my guest will be arriving soon and I do not want to keep them waiting." He had a smile on his face, but his voice had an edge to it that told Kathryn that she should do as he asked. Nodding her head curtly at him seemed to do the trick however and in a moment Elderon was gone.

Kathryn tipped her head back and sighed, pulling off her blue dress she placed it on the back of the chair. Looking at the dress again, Kathryn realised that she would not be able to wear a bra with this particular garment so she removed that to. Pulling the dress on, it was as bad as she had feared. The plunging V neck line stopped at her belly button, leaving and entire strip of flesh bare from her throat to her stomach. Luckily it hid everything it should, but only just. Turning around Kathryn noted how exposed her back was and she shivered with the knowledge. The shirt hung to her knee and was pretty figure hugging also, but it was a solid piece of material and Kathryn was at least thankful that it too did not have a split all the way up the sides. Looking down Kathryn realised that she had nothing to wear on her feet. Going back over to the box she noticed the black pumps almost immediately under the paper the dress had been wrapped in. They were simple low heeled shoes, with as many of the Validian's shoes tied with a strap around the ankle. Putting them on Kathryn glanced at herself in the mirror and raised her eyebrow.

"Mutton dressed as lamb." She muttered as she knew she could not put off going downstairs and quickly hurried out of the door.

Tom was brought out in to the entrance hall by Elderon who had given him a smart white shirt to wear with the black trousers that Kaylore had given him earlier. He had little time to admire the approaching figure of Kathryn as there was a knock on the door. It also took Elderon's attention from the Captain and that at least Tom was grateful for.

"Smiles please, I want them to feel welcomed." Elderon said noting the icy expressions on both of his newest acquisitions faces. The responding curves of lips did not fill Elderon with satisfaction, but there was no time to correct them. He would have to have a word later, but for now duty called. Pulling open the door Elderon let in his first two guests.

"Holstein, Barack, please come in and meet Kathryn and Tom." Elderon said sweeping his arm sideways and indicating to the two people standing behind him. Tom noted that the man in front the one Elderon had referred to as Holstein was elderly, if not still impressive in his size. The man Tom supposed was Barack was younger, almost certainly Holstein's son.

"You did well for yourself this time Elderon; I assume they were worth what you paid?" Holstein said with a appraising look at Kathryn then turning to Elderon with a wink. Tom did not like the implication of such a comment, but for now there was nothing he could do about it.

"Every penny, now won't you go on through to the dining room, there is Validian Brandy in there, please help yourselves." Elderon said as Barack moved passed them, as yet he had not uttered a word, but his eyes raked over Kathryn like she was a piece of prime stake. Tom could feel his own fists clenching, but he saw Kathryn twitch at the gaze and for a moment he though she was going to hit Barack. The sound of the door seemed to stop any more movement from her however as Holstein and Barack moved on quietly towards the dining room.

Next came a man Elderon addressed as Solara and he was just as interested in Kathryn as the last pair. His comments on them however were more reserved, commenting only on how pale they were and just how small. Elderon simply laughed and told the man who appeared similar in age to Elderon that what they lacked in stature, they made up for in sprit. This seemed to impress Solara and he moved on with a nod of the head and only a single glance back at Kathryn and Tom.

As the final knock at the door came Kathryn had had enough of this. Being paraded around like some kind of show horse was not her idea of a good time. Tom had been on edge to, she could tell by the way he had moved closer to her, and the tense set of his jaw. Earlier Kathryn had almost lashed out at Barack, wanting to stop his wondering gaze from examining her for any longer. She could feel herself winding up for a right hook when the knock had come to the door and she quickly stopped what she was about to do. Now she just hoped this last one would be over with quickly so she could retreat to the kitchen.

As the door opened Kathryn heart dropped as low as the plunge in her dress. Her stomach doing little flip flops as she looked at the man now stood before her. Grinning down at her like she was the one on the menu.

"We meet again, only this time up close and personal." Kopeck said as he brushed past Elderon with a quick shake of the hand. He now stood looming over Kathryn and for once she was grateful when Elderon interjected and got Kopecks attention.

"Everyone is in the dining room, will you follow me." He said his voice slightly stained as Kopeck removed his eyes from Kathryn and turned to Elderon.

"Of course, wouldn't want to keep them waiting now would we." He said with a small smile back toward Kathryn as Tom took her by the elbow and led her towards the kitchen.

"We were right about one thing Tom, there are far worse places we could have ended up."

There you go hope it was worth the wait more to come soon. Shameless plug time: please check out my YouTube channel if you haven't already lots of videos on there now, including a trailer for this fic. Please feel free to comment on them and this story, Thank you for reading XxX.


	7. Chapter 7

I know it has been a few days but finding the right balance for this chapter has been quite difficult. Anyway I hope I have gotten it right.

Tom and Kathryn retreated to the kitchen, but they could find no refuge there either. Kaylore was waiting for them with plates of food. He virtually shoved the plates into Kathryn's hands and it was all she could do to hold on to them. She looked across to see Tom struggling with the plates also, but had no time to comment on his juggling act.

"Go now, they will be expecting the first course immediately." Kaylore stated barely looking at them before turning to start preparing the next course.

"Oh and don't drop them." He called as Tom and Kathryn left the kitchen almost as quickly as they had entered it. Carefully walking down the corridor balancing their plates of food Kathryn followed Tom through the door and immediately went to Elderon, he was sat at the head of the table, and more importantly, the furthest away from Kopeck.

Tom had not required any signal from Kathryn to serve Kopeck, the further away she was from him the better, as far as Tom was concerned. As he bent to serve the man he couldn't help but allowing the temptation to slip through his mind about dumping the steaming hot soup all over the man's lap. He did not however follow the temptation; he merely placed the bowel in front of the slightly smiling man and moved on to Barack. As soon as the meal was served Kathryn and Tom backed into a corner where the wine was placed on a small stand. They had been told to remain in the room and serve the guests whilst they ate. The silence that hung between them was no longer a comfortable one. They both had so much to say, but right here they could say none of it. Tom looked sideways at Kathryn, but she was not looking in his direction. Her gaze was focused somewhere on the fart wall, above the heads of those sat around the dining table. They were all now engaged in what sounded like idle chatter and Tom paid it no mind. The petty bickering of Validian diplomats was of no consequence to him, and for now they seemed to have gotten over the initial fascination with the two people stood silently in the corner.

Voyager had barely managed to cross into the Validian home worlds sector before they were met by two heavily armed war ships. The ships alone were a match for Voyager, and two of them could destroy the ship. It was the reason the Captain had agreed to Voyagers absence at the trade talks in the first place. That and so far the Validian's had left them alone whist they had been traveling along the outskirts of their borders. A conflict with these people would have cost more than the lives of two officers had the Validian's decided they no longer liked Voyagers presence in their sector. Now Chacotay was sat nose to nose with one of their ships, and yet he did not feel scared for his or his crew's safety. The only overriding emotion in him at this moment was anger for the disappearance of his Captain and pilot.

"We told you not to come here commander." The large Validian on the view screen said. He was wearing a military uniform, all silver and metallic, and his helmet made his head look like a wrecking ball. His voice however was not as booming as his stature suggested and Chacotay moved forward so he was closer to the screen.

"And we would not have done so, but our away team failed to return from the trade negotiations, we wondered if something has happened to them." Chacotay said hoping that in this case diplomacy would win out. The puzzled look on the Validian's face suggested that he was genuinely confused by the information Chacotay had just supplied.

"I am sorry commander but as far as I am aware, Captain Janeway and Lieutenant Paris left Validia three days ago, their shuttle was tracked until it left our sensor range." The man replied and Chacotay allowed his head to fall slightly before he lifted it once more to meet the other mans' gaze.

"Do you know anyone who would have wanted to take them prisoner?" Chacotay asked but for some reason he knew he was clutching at straws. It was obvious this man knew nothing of his officer's disappearance from his reactions.

"I am afraid not, almost no one knew of their visit outside of the military and dignitary officials, none of them would have reason to hold your people captive. Is it possible they had some kind of shuttle accident?" The statement although delivered as a simple suggestion made alarm bells ring in Chacotay's head. How could this man have come upon the one thing they had found evidence of if he knew nothing?

"We would have found evidence of that. Would it be possible for me to speak to minister Trevelle, I realise he may not know anything, but he may know someone who does." Chacotay said as he saw Harry out of the corner of his eye. The young man was leaning forward on his console and looking terribly worried. Chacotay knew how he felt, he was feeling the same way, but so far he had managed to contain his own fears. For how long after they turned off the view screen was up for grabs, but right now he had to hold his nerve.

"I am afraid that would be difficult, the minister is currently on sabbatical and will not be able to be contacted. Maybe in a few days he will speak with you, but I will have to ask you to wait here until then, you still do not have permission to enter this sector."

Chacotay did not look away from the view screen, he knew Tuvok would be ok with waiting here; it would not do them any harm to check out what they could get on sensors form this range, and perhaps come up with another plan of attack. The waiting would be hard for one reason; they longer they had to wait Chacotay knew the chances of them finding the Captain and Paris alive grew slimmer.

"That is fine we will wait here." Chacotay replied as the man nodded on the screen and ended the communication. Chacotay finally let himself flop down in his own chair, feeling like he had no right to sit in the Captain's seat at this moment and not even attempting to do so.

Kathryn was thinking about Voyager when her name was called, she had come back into the corner after serving the main course with Tom and had once again retreated into her own mind. On some level she knew she was abandoning Tom, but she also knew that he would understand. It was her job to get them out of here, and to do that she had to have time to think. This had seemed like the perfect opportunity, she could block out all the conversation about politics and posturing and think about ways out of this. Her thoughts had turned to Voyager, they would surely have come to find them by now, and maybe just maybe have found someone high up in the ministry who could have helped them. Surely they knew what went on on their colonised worlds, or even given Chacotay and the others an educated guess. Her line of thinking was interrupted by the bark of her name. It was obvious it was not the first time it had been called. Snapping her eyes slightly down and to the left she saw kopeck holding his glass up high, obviously empty and beckoning her over with the crook of his finger.

"Come on girl more wine." He snapped and Kathryn almost laughed at the word girl, she had not been referred to as one for a long time. Kathryn moved forward feeling Tom's eyes boring holes in to the back of her neck but she did not turn to look at those eyes. As she filled Kopecks glass Kathryn avoided the man's eyes and as soon as her job was done she backed away. Finding her wrist locked within a tight grip Kathryn almost dropped the decanter of wine she was holding. A gush of air coming out of her mouth as Kopecks grip tightened to the point of pain.

"Now now not so fast, I had to call you three times before you would come to me, you require more discipline." Kopeck said his voice soft and low and Kathryn knew Kopeck was not joking, she also knew that Elderon was going to offer her no salvation this time as she glanced back at him. The man simply looked at her, there was hurt in his eyes, but he said nothing.

"Look at me not him, he knows I am within my right to punish you." Kopeck said wrenching her around to face him and pulling her closer to his body, and although he was sitting down and she was standing an wearing heals she only just came above the top of his head. Kathryn narrowed her eyes as the man gave her a small grin, his free hand now running up her bare leg and gripping her hard on the upper thigh.

"Get your hands off me." Kathryn hissed not caring now who heard her there was only so far she was willing to let this go, consequences be dammed. The smile that erupted on Kopecks face made Kathryn's blood boil, she wanted to wipe that look from his face more than anything in the world.

"Or what?" Kopeck almost laughed out as he tightened his grip on Kathryn's leg and wrist and she had to hold in the wince of pain. It was obvious now that Tom had seen the look of pain on her face as he took a step forward. Kathryn warned him with her eyes not to move any closer, he knew that look and froze on the spot, she knew however he would not remain there long if things got out of hand.

"Try it and find out." Kathryn said as she heard Elderon stand up behind her, she paid him no attention though and kept her gaze fixed on Kopeck, scanning his face for any sign that he was going to move. The Validian was like a stone wall however and the only thing changing on his face was the size of his smile.

"Elderon I will pay you your three thousand for this one alone, you can keep the male." Kopeck said and Kathryn finally turned to look at them man now standing behind her; to her eternal gratitude he was already shaking his head.

"I am afraid not Kopeck, I wouldn't want you to get hurt my friend." Elderon said, his worlds meant as humour fell slightly short of the mark as Kopeck looked past Kathryn and at Elderon who although standing was keeping his distance.

"Three and a half and believe me breaking this one would be well worth it." Kopeck said as he bent Kathryn's wrist to an angel that finally made her gasp in pain. Tom moved again this time in just a few steps he was behind Kopeck and close enough to reach out and grab the man. Kathryn knew she would have to act before Tom did. She knew Kopeck would not hesitate in killing him and she had a better angle. Snapping herself around and away from Kopecks grip on her thigh, she whipped the decanter of wine around until it rotated almost three hundred and sixty degrees. Kopeck still he her wrist but her arm was now behind her as the rest of her body hurled the decanter at Kopeck's head. He had not time to block the blow, and as the hand that had hold of her loosened to protect his face Kathryn wrenched free and struck Kopeck in the side of the head. The glass shattered around the Validian's skull, covering him in the deep burgundy coloured wine. The sound of his skull cracking against the glass reverberated around the room as Kathryn shot out one leg and caught the wobbling man in the side of the head once more.

Tom was stunned with the speed in which it all happened, one minute they were all standing there looking at one another, the next there is broken glass and blood running from Kopeck's head. Tom is the first to move, pulling Kathryn away from Elderon's reach as he ran at her from behind and attempted to scoop her up.

"I will kill you you little whore." Kopeck screamed from his seat as he pushed his hand against his head to try and stem the flow of blood from his wound. Tom backed them up until they hit the far wall, Kathryn was gasping and clutching hold of her wrist that had turned a nasty shade of purple. Neither of them worried about that now as the five men around the table looked at them, as they had nowhere left to go.

"Enough!" Elderon barked at kopeck as the man stood on wobbly legs, pulling a knife from his belt. Barack and Holstein had barely moved, in fact they seemed riveted by the entire incident as though it had been done for their amusement. Solara was the only one to have moved out of the other men. He had stood up and moved away from his seat next to Kopeck, and Tom understood why. He would have been in the direct line of fire had he remained seated. Now though he was moving forward again and going to Kopeck.

"Under the law sir you are within your rights to punish this woman, but not kill her, if you wish to satisfy that right I will oversee the punishment." He said and Tom felt Kathryn stiffen in his arms, she pushed him away and took a tentative step forward.

"He has no rights Solara and you know it, he has already punished her for her crime look at her wrist." Elderon said, but even to Kathryn's ears she could tell he was grasping at straws.

"I should be the one to punish her; she is my responsibility after all." Elderon said and Kopeck looked up at Elderon then turned to Solara.

"Then perhaps Elderon should take her punishment for her, seeing as he wants to keep her so untouched." Kopeck said now recovered from the blows to his head and Kathryn made a metal note of that. It seemed the Validian's had a high threshold for pain, and recovered quickly.

"Fine, I accept." Elderon said quickly and Kathryn almost couldn't believe her ears, this was not the man she had seen last night, the one with the cold eyes and the hard lips. This was altogether a different person.

"You may want to reconsider Elderon, at least let kopeck give you the terms of his punishment." Solara warned and Kathryn got the distinct impression that this man was some kind of judge or law official on this world.

"Fine what is your punishment?" Elderon said like he didn't have a care in the world as Kopeck smirked.

"Your punishment is the loss of your servant, to me." Kopeck said as Elderon growled and stepped forward.

"No deal" Elderon snapped as Solara stepped in between the two men and placed his hands at chest height.

"Gentlemen please, Kopeck you may not gain servants this way you know that is against the law, now choose a punishment or I will be forced to declare this null and void." Solara said and Kopeck fell back into his chair.

"Then void it, I have no interest in hurting Elderon in that way." Kopeck said and Kathryn almost though she saw disappointment on the faces of the other two silent observers. Tom however seemed to slump backwards against the wall as she to retreated back to join him.

"Good I am glad to hear it, what's say we take desert into the study and let these two clean up the mess." Elderon said with a slight scowl at Tom and Kathryn. The others in the room did not see it however and they all eagerly left the room. Elderon waited a moment and turned to Tom and Kathryn his voice low and harsh.

"Go get Kaylore Tom and ask him to serve dessert, after you have cleaned up this mess you will be taken back to your rooms." There was no need for interpretation in his voice, and Kathryn and Tom nodded to the man as Tom quickly left Kathryn to start cleaning to go and get Kaylore. Elderon remained behind and stood over Kathryn who was picking up shards of broken glass.

"For anyone else I would not have offered myself, I hope you appreciate my gesture." Elderon said his voice dark and Kathryn nodded at him, knowing that she and Tom would have to leave this place soon before Elderon made her pay for his little intervention. No more was said between them however as Tom returned with Kaylore and dessert and the three men went next door for a moment. Tom returned quickly and started helping Kathryn clean up in silence, neither of them wanting to voice what might be the consequences of Kathryn's little rebellion.

Kaylore returned to the room and looked at the pair of them as they folded away the table cloth. He eyed them with distain as they placed the sheet back in the cupboard and quickly rushed them out of the room.

"You have let us all down, I will expect you to be confined for a few days at least for this, if not on sale by day break." Kaylore said taking them to Tom's room first and virtually shoving him through the door. Tom had no time to protest, or to speak to Kathryn as the door was slammed closed behind him. His isolation once again made him nervous, but with the party still going on he knew that door now Kathryn would be safe locked in her room. He was sure of one thing, that Elderon wanted Kopeck as far away from Kathryn as Tom did, and that at least was a small comfort.

Kathryn had fallen asleep, she could feel a weight come down upon her body as her muscles roused themselves from slumber at the intrusion. Opening her eyes and seeing only darkness she tried to sit up but a hand on her throat prevented her from doing so. Kathryn's heart pounded in her chest, the weight on her body making it impossible for her to move, and yet the person above her had said nothing.

"I told Kopeck that he would never break you, and do you know why Kathryn?" The whispered voice of Elderon said as she could do nothing but lay there under him and stare down into her pillow.

"No" she muttered out as Elderon bent down and placed his lips against her ear.

"Because you are mine to break." He said as Kathryn felt him move slightly so that he could pull the covers from her body. The chill that ran down her spine had nothing to do with air that she was now exposed to. She felt Elderon's hands moving across her body until they found the hem of her night gown. The ripping sound was as loud as phaser fire to Kathryn's ears and yet she could not fight back. Elderon was sat across her back, his body holding her pressed face down on the bed, his hands now finished with the task of removing her clothing now pinned her neck back down to the bed. Her own body trapping her arms beneath her. Kathryn almost whimpered as she felt a hand glide up her leg and across her backside.

"I was worried we wouldn't be compatible, but now I see that won't be an issue." Elderon said as he moved his weight for just a moment, too quick for Kathryn to react as he forced one leg to the side and sat on the other. Kathryn had never felt so exposed in all her life as Elderon's hand now wondered down towards the juncture between her thighs.

"I could have given you more time Kathryn, but I saw tonight that leaving your education too long would be dangerous. So tonight I will start your lessons tomorrow I will begin Tom's."

Kathryn allowed a tear to run down her face, but she made no sound, closing her eyes and trying to will away the thought of Elderon's body above her, her mind seeking a piece that would not come.

I did warn you it gets dark. Will Kathryn get out of this one, or will Elderon break her? In turn does that then have the effect of breaking Tom? Please let me know what you thought and I will get the next chapter up very soon maybe even for tomorrow. And I did warn you about the cliff hangers so please don't send me hate mail about it. Thank you for reading XxX


	8. Chapter 8

A quick update for you, a rarity I know please enjoy.

Trying to think of anything but about where Elderon's hand was Kathryn tried to conjure up the image of Tom's face looking at her. His bright blue eyes smiling in her direction as he turned to her from his chair on the bridge. A response she often got from him when she played along with his private joke, often unnoticed by many others on the bridge, directed at their fellow colleagues. Now the image faded away into a dark pool of anger as she felt his fingers get closer to their target. Kathryn tensed her body wondering if she could get any decent leverage with her free leg. Lifting it slightly she could barely bend it, let alone get any angle with which to injure Elderon with. The way he was pinning her neck made it almost impossible to move in any direction.

Holding on to a whimper Kathryn felt him touch her for the first time, she would not however grant him the pleasure of hearing her cry. If she had any control left it was over her own actions. Kathryn had known from the first moment they had been caught and they had been told they were to be sold as slaves, knew this moment was coming. The moment where her gender would finally catch up with her and all the years of hard work, strict adherence to code and conduct would mean nothing, and her inherent and totally unavoidable physical limitations would be laid bare before her. That moment had arrived and now as she felt his probing fingers rip at the most delicate part of her anatomy, Kathryn had nothing to cling to.

She realised with a frightening clarity this is why she had acted so irrationally that day in the shower, she had known she would need the memory of Tom for this, the feel of his welcome body to limit the hold this current invasion was having over her. Now she had nothing and for one frightening moment she knew she had lost. Holding back another sob as Elderon's fingers left her she found herself tossed onto her back. She did not have the presence of mind to struggle before he had her pinned to the bed once more and was now looking down into her face. He did not miss the tear stained cheeks or the wide eyed expression, and his glee faltered for a moment. The grip on her wrists loosened and Kathryn sat up in a flash as Elderon moved back off the bed and looked down at her.

"Lesson is over for tonight, but I want you to remember this Kathryn, you are mine and I will have you any way I chose and whenever I choose." He said backing away from her naked form but not taking his eyes off her. He had learnt from Kopeck's mistake, and despite her stature Kathryn Janeway was a dangerous woman. It was a quality he both relished and feared at the same time, and he knew to break her would take more than physical violence. He would need to take her piece by piece, until she had nothing left to fight with. A task he looked forward to, and if tonight was anything to go by well worth it. As Elderon left Kathryn alone he knew when he finally took her he did not want her to be shedding tears. No he wanted her to give herself to him willingly, to look at him the same way she looked at Tom when he wasn't looking. Elderon made his way back to his bedroom and let a small smile cross his face as he opened the door and turned on the light. Tom was the key to breaking Kathryn, killing him would be an easy option, but would probably cause more problems than it solved. As Elderon got ready for bed a plan began to form in his mine, one that would take something he had in abundance. Patience.

Tom woke to the rain hitting the window in earnest; he had fallen asleep in his clothes after trying to force the lock on the door for half the night. Finally after giving up exhausted and with a very bent fork he had stolen from the dining room, Tom had collapsed on top of the sheets and not even bothered to get undressed before his body succumbed to sleep. Now he sat up stiffly with a pain in his fingers from twisting the two pronged instrument around in the key hole for hours last night. He shook his hand and wiggled his fingers to get the feeling back in them as he stood up and removed his wrinkled clothing.

Going over to the draws he pulled out another set of dark pants and a grey shirt and put them on, listening for sounds outside his door that the rest of the house was stirring. It was however silent and Tom went back to sit on his bed. Although he was still tired he could not find the will to sleep, his mind racing with thoughts about Kathryn and what might happen today when Elderon woke up. He knew that last night's actions would not go unpunished, he had seen the look in the man's eyes as much as Kathryn had, and although she had said nothing about it to Tom, he knew she was worried to. That's why Tom had taken the fork, he knew if he could get out of his room, releasing Kathryn would be easy, and then they could escape. His attempt had been less than successful and now his fingers were paying the price. The knock at the door startled Tom, he had not heard any one approach his door and now he realised the sound of the rain must have covered up the noise.

Standing up Tom prepared himself to greet whomever it was who had come to wake him, quickly stuffing the fork under the mattress as the door opened slowly and cautiously. For a moment Tom wondered if there was anyone there at all as the door opened so slowly that the person behind it remained out of sight until the last minute.

"Tom you awake." Kathryn whispered as her face was finally revealed to him as she looked around the door frame and see him standing in the centre of the room.

"Yeah what are you doing here?" Tom hissed as she stepped into the room and closed the door softly behind her. She put her finger to her lips and Tom got the message.

"I got out of my room, I guess someone forgot to lock the door, I didn't even realise until I tried escaping when I thought everyone was asleep. Look it's just before dawn outside and I don't know what time everyone will be up, but now is our chance." Kathryn said keeping her voice low and Tom bent his neck so he could hear her better.

"Ok but you are going to need something better to wear than that, it's raining hard out there." Tom whispered back noting Kathryn's small clingy night gown and knowing it would offer her no protection from the elements.

"All I have is that silly dress, I thought this actually was the better choice." She smiled at him but the smile was a hollow one. Tom wondered how they could have forgotten to lock her door, Kaylore was just not that forgetful. Wanting to ask her if someone else had been in her room Tom was cut off by Kathryn's command tone.

"We go now Tom, there are coats in the pantry we will take those and head into the forest." Her look was one he knew well, and Tom knew there was no time for this debate now anyway. Following her swiftly and silently through the hallway; they entered the kitchen together and moved into the pantry, going over to the door they found it locked. They had both suspected as much, but there was a window above the sink that did open. Climbing onto the counter Kathryn boosted herself up and slipped through the window. Dropping to the ground head first she managed to roll away and avoided the worst of the mud. The coats came next as Tom dropped them through the open window and Kathryn caught them. Pulling one on she placed the other one on a dry piece of ground and turned to help Tom through the window. It was a tight squeeze for him, and even though he was by no means a large man, he had a hard time getting through. Just as his feet touched the surface a light came on illuminating their presence.

Kathryn and Tom shot a looked at one another but no words were spoken, they took off running full tilt towards the boundary to the property. Neither of them looking back, heads down arms pumping against the force of the wind and rain buffeting their faces. It was the lights that drew Kathryn's attention as she skidded to a halt, almost colliding with Tom as he did the same. Both of them stood there looking at Elderon as he climbed out of his hover car and pointed a phaser at them.

"I see I am going to have to take extra precautions with you two. I guess it was my fault I was too distracted by our little encounter I forgot to lock your door." Elderon said looking at Kathryn but also clocking Tom's response to his little confession and allowing a smile to slip onto his face.

"Good job I had the alarm system engaged to all the external doors and windows, or you really might have escaped." He continued as Kathryn shivered against the cool water now cascading off her brow. The pair of strong arms that gripped her could have only come from one person, and now looking behind her she could see Kaylore's stoic face looking over her head at Elderon.

"Take them back." Elderon said as he marched forward and grabbed hold of Tom, who had no intention of running now that Kaylore had Kathryn, what he wasn't expecting was the sting of a hypodermic needle in his neck as he turned to walk back to the house. He collapsed on to his knees as he felt the effects tilt his world sideways. Falling onto his hands he saw Kathryn laying sprawled beside him. Her body flat against the ground with rain running off her in torrents. Tom could do nothing for her though as his body finally succumbed whatever he had been injected with, and all he knew now was darkness.

Chacotay sat around the meeting table with the senior staff. The absence of the Captain and Paris could be felt more acutely now because of the empty seats, and the obvious sombre mood of the remaining crew. Even Tuvok seemed aloof and for a man who was that way by nature almost made him a non-presence in the room.

"What about sending a covert away team to the surface, we could get the Doc to alter our appearance so we could blend in." Harry suggested and Chacotay had to admit it was the best and probably the only thing on the table right now.

"I could alter your appearance but as for height and size I can do nothing, you would be small in comparison with most Validian's." The Doctor chimed in from his monitor by the side of the table. Chacotay turned to him and gave him an unappreciative glance.

"Let's try to stick to things we can do, not what we can't, so far I haven't heard any better plan, we also don't need to start with the Validian home world we could go to the next planet and see if we could learn anything there." Chacotay suggested and finally Tuvok seemed to wake up, his eyebrow rising and his head tilting in Chacotay's direction.

"There are many worlds in Validian space we should send out several teams to check each one, it will hasten our search." He said and Chacotay nodded his approval.

"I will let you draw up the away teams Tuvok, you will know the best people to send, I will remain on Voyager and wait for the minister to contact us." He said finally feeling like they were making progress. Turning to the Doctor Chacotay put on one of his best smiles.

"Prepare sick bay Doc you are going to have a few crew members that will require your expertise." The Doctor gave him a slight smile and nodded his head.

"I will do my best commander." He replied before switching off and getting to work. If Chacotay knew anything it was his crew and he knew how to get them motivated, and the Doctor was no exception, a bit of an ego rub and he was on the case, the rest of the crew would be happy to be doing anything at all. Hanging about in space was not a good way to boost crew moral, as Nelix had told him more than once over the past twenty four hours.

"Ok let's get to it, we have much to prepare for, I want those away teams ready to go in six hours." Chacotay said as the rest of the room rose out of their seats and in turn gave him their acknowledging nods. Chacotay remained seated in his chair in the empty room, looking out at the stars which hung in the sky outside of the view port. Thousands of worlds and he knew that his missing people were on one of them, he just hoped they started with the right one.

Kathryn groaned awake at the pain in her body, she was lying on a cold hard floor and she was freezing. Pushing herself up onto her hands and knees she fought down the urge to vomit and lifted her head slowly. The room was dimly lit by several up lights which hung on the walls. The room was bare except for a stair case that lead to a door above her. That and Tom's body lying a few feet from her own. Moving over to him as quickly as her nauseated body would allow she gently tried to shake him awake. It took several moments but eventually he stirred, raising one hand to his head and pressing his fingers against his temples.

"I feel like I have been run over by a horde of Klingons." He said as Kathryn placed a hand on his shoulder and helped him sit up.

"I don't think that was the case, but I know what you mean." Kathryn replied as Tom opened his eyes cautiously and looked around him.

"Do you think we are still in the house?" He asked but Kathryn gave him no reply as she too looked around the room. Tom watched her for a moment and remembered what Elderon had said out there in the rain. He had said something about their encounter and that was why he had forgotten to lock the door. Kathryn's back was still to him and now he noticed the bruise around her neck. Her hair had fallen over one shoulder and the exposed skin looked like it had a hand print shaped bruise on it.

Reaching out instinctively Tom touched where the finger mark were and Kathryn hissed and moved away from him.

"It's nothing." She supplied but Tom knew better as she covered it with her hair and stood up on wobbly legs.

"I think this must be some kind of subterranean room." Kathryn said referring to Tom's earlier question and avoiding the conversation about her bruises. For now Tom would let it pass, he could pretty much fill in the gaps for himself anyway with the information her already had.

"You mean a basement." Tom said standing also and shaking his head slightly to clear his vision. Kathryn turned to look at him for the first time since he opened his eyes.

"If that means a room under the house then yes, I think we are in the basement." Kathryn supplied considering walking up the stairs and trying the door, but knowing that it would do her no good. They were bound to have locked this one. Elderon was no fool, the chance Kathryn had gotten earlier was probably her last one, and she had blown it, not thinking to check for any kind of alarm system had cost them dearly, and now they were locked down here.

"Do you think this is our punishment for trying to escape." Tom asked but he already knew the answer to his own question, and as Kathryn swung round to look at him fully in the eyes he could see she had come to the same conclusion, as her head bowed slightly and she replied.

"Not even close."

Well there we have it, they were almost free, but once again I have managed to thwart their attempts I know I am cruel. As ever feedback is welcomed and thank you for reading XxX


	9. Chapter 9

Welcome back dear readers, I would like to apologise for my typos in this story, I am trying my best to eliminate them and I hope to have this one free of silly errors. And I also promise to spell Chakotay correctly from now on.

Now awake Kathryn and Tom didn't know what to do with themselves. There was so much unsaid between them at the moment, but neither wanted to broach the subject. Sitting on the cold hard floor they slipped into their own thoughts, occasionally one would glance at the other when they thought they were not looking. Finally they both managed to look up at the same time and their eyes connected across the short expanse between them. The silence that had dragged on was only going to last for so long however, and now the pressure to speak was so heavy in the air they could both almost taste it.

It was Tom who inevitably broke the silence, it had nothing to do with his weaker will, or the fact that he was less experienced in these kind of situations. The simple fact was Tom wanted to talk about what had happened to them. Whereas Kathryn was more than happy to leave that conversation out the door.

"What happened last night Kathryn?" Tom said the question almost burning a hole in his mind, virtually causing him physical pain at the angst he felt about her answer. Feeling that what his imagination could come up with would be far worse than what actually happened Tom took the chance and asked. The silence that followed only seemed to make his fears resurface, as he looked on at the woman before him. She wasn't looking at him, but up at the doorway high above them, she seemed to be considering her answer before speaking. Tom didn't want her to protect him, he wanted the truth.

"Tell me, you aren't protecting me by keeping silent." Tom voiced questioning Kathryn's decision to keep things from him. It did promote a reaction from her at least. Levelling her eyes with his she took a deep breath and lent her head back against the wall she had propped herself against.

"Not what you're thinking." She said knowing that Tom feared the worst, and the simple truth was that was what exactly would have happened if Elderon had decided it would. This more than anything had almost shamed Kathryn into silence, showing weakness was not one of her strong points. In fact the complete opposite was true, showing any sign of weakness was something almost abhorrent to her. As she looked at Tom now she saw a slight relief in his eyes, but he was obviously not satisfied by her answer.

"We both know why you are here Kathryn, we knew it from the moment we were caught and saw all those other women there being sold for sex. No matter your rank, or your strength of will you can't fight this alone, please let me help you." Tom said and Kathryn was once again surprised by Tom ability to cut through all the crap and get right down to the issue. He had also managed to do it without making her feel like a damsel in distress. Sighing and pulling herself into a more upright position against the wall Kathryn met Tom's gaze again and this time held it.

"I don't want Elderon to use you against me, or vies versa we are each other's greatest asset, and also our weakest link. We have to be careful Tom, Elderon is no fool he has already seen that, and I suspect locking us down here is just the first part of his plan." Kathryn intoned as Tom got up and moved closer to her, sitting down beside her but not touching her in any way. He wanted to reach out and comfort her, but right now Kathryn's body language was telling him that she didn't want to be touched. So keeping a slight gap between them Tom sat and looked straight ahead at the wall opposite them, it was as blank as the rest of them and offered him no solution to their current situation.

"So what do we do now?" Tom asked wondering if she had managed to come up with a plan yet, but as the silence drew on once more after he had asked the question, Tom already knew the answer.

"I guess we just wait." Kathryn said finally the dim lighting of the room hiding her worried expression as noises could finally be heard coming from above them.

The away teams were ready, Tuvok had selected four two man teams, each heading for separate worlds in the Validian system. Harry would take them in a shuttle and deposit each team on a different world. They each had twenty four hours to see what they could find out, it was a long shot, but for the moment it was the best one they had.

Chakotay entered the shuttle bay and was impressed with the Doctors alterations, it was impossible to tell that these people were anything but Validian. Tuvok looked impressive in his new attire and Chakotay walked up to him for a final report.

"We will be leaving as soon as you are ready commander." Tuvok replied as Chakotay nodded his head, the risk was that none of them would return, falling victim to the same fate that had taken their captain and pilot. It was a risk they were all willing to take, and Chakotay could tell Harry was eager to leave. He sat in the pilot's seat tapping away at his console, making sure that everything was ok for what Chakotay suspected was the thirtieth time that day.

"Then I bid you good luck Tuvok, bring them home." Chakotay said almost under his breath, the younger officers did not need to hear the concern in his voice, only Tuvok would understand his trepidation, and although he may not show it. Chakotay knew the Vulcan was also in his own way concerned about the situation.

"I will do my best commander." Tuvok replied in his usual deadpan tone and boarded the shuttle. As the door closed Chakotay backed away and watched as the shuttle left Voyager, for the first time Chakotay felt totally alone as he stood in the huge hanger. It was not simply being physically alone, but also mentally. There was now really nothing he could do but wait for information, either from the shuttle and its away teams, or from the Validian minister. Turning Chakotay activated the door sensor and left the shuttle bay. He walked the corridor slowly, taking in his surroundings like someone who had just returned to the house they had grown up in. A mixture of sorrow and happiness spreading through him. This ship held so many good memories, but Chakotay knew that if they failed in getting Tom and Kathryn back it would never feel the same here again.

The door to the basement opened and Elderon stepped through the doorway, looking down at them he gave them a small smile.

"Tom would you came with me please." Elderon said as Tom gave Kathryn a quick glance but she did nothing to stop him getting up and walking up the stairs. Elderon said nothing to Kathryn as he held the door open for Tom and escorted him through. Moving him into the room adjacent to the basement Tom was momentarily stunned by the monitors covering one wall. Pictures; live pictures Tom could tell were being shown on them, coming from the basement. Tom watched as Kathryn paced the floor, her hands going from her hips to her face and back again several times. The pacing never stopping as she did this.

"Interesting isn't it, seeing what she is like when you are not there." Elderon said his voice held a smugness to it that Tom immediately distrusted.

"I guess." Tom said forcing his vision away from the monitors and turning to look at Elderon. The smugness in his voice was rivalled only by the look on his face, and Tom had to hold back on the impulse to punch him in the nose.

"I told Kathryn last night that I had planned on giving you more time to adjust to things here, but your actions last night forced me to take the first step in training you. It seemed that my first lesson did not sink in to our good captain down there. Now I realise that I must use stronger measures to enforce my rules." Elderon's little speech was cut short by the sound of Kathryn hitting the metal railing to the stairway. The sound echoing though the monitors and Tom was momentarily surprised by how loud it was.

"Well it's no good just watching if you can't hear what is going on." Elderon said his smugness reaching new levels Tom did not even know were possible. The realisation that Elderon had probably heard everything they had said to one another was making Tom feel physically sick.

"So I have decided to start with your lessons Tom, and the first one will start with a choice." Elderon said and Tom knew for certain he wasn't going to like this. It wasn't just what Elderon was saying it was also how he said it. Tom had images of having to watch while they beat Kathryn. Or worse making him decide what they would do to her or they would kill him. The reality was however far worse that what Tom had imagined.

"I want you to go back down into the basement and mate with Kathryn, you may not speak to her, or tell her why you are doing this in any way. You will have fifteen minutes to complete this task. If you will not do this then I will take your place and you will be made to watch. The same applies if you try and tell her what is happening, or of you fail to complete your task in the allotted time." Elderon said and he saw Tom pale as he stood there, his eyes traveling back to the woman on the monitor who was now tapping the step with her foot as she sat mid-way up the flight of stairs. The plan was simple really, if Elderon wanted Kathryn to give herself to him, he would first have to break this bond she shared with Tom. Elderon was in no doubt that Tom would rather go down there and do this himself than watch while Kathryn was taken by another man. Without being able to tell her why though, Elderon would be forcing a wedge between them. One that would be almost impossible to remove. There was also one other disturbing facet about this entire plan, and that was that Elderon was interested to see how humans mated. This way he could kill two birds with one stone, and as Tom turned to him now, Elderon could tell that his instincts had been right.

"Ok I will do it, but you have to promise me, once we are finished, you will leave her alone." Tom said now looking squarely up into Elderon's face, Tom knew he did not have the right to ask, but he also knew they he could not do this knowing he was only delaying the inevitable.

"You have my word Tom." Elderon said and for once it was the genuine truth. He had no intention of going down their afterwards, that would only serve to wreck his own plan. The smile that crossed his face went unseen by Tom who was studying the monitors. His expression was far away and for a moment Elderon let him have his moment.

"Ok Tom it's time." Elderon said taking hold of Tom's shoulder and escorting him out of the door. Opening up the door to the basement he whispered to Tom before closing it and locking it again.

"Remember I will be watching."

Kathryn looked up at Tom, she could see no evidence of busies and as he descended the stairs he walked without apparent ailment. He was however going very slowly and had said nothing as he finally joined her on the basement floor.

"Tom are you ok?" She enquired, but Tom did not reply, in fact he barely looked at her, instead looking around and above him. Kathryn followed his eye line but could see nothing, turning back to look at Tom she saw worry on his face, along with something else she couldn't quite make out in the darkness of the room.

"Tom what happened?" she said now making it sound like an order and Tom at least had the decency to wince at her tone, but still said nothing. He moved towards her now and Kathryn remained where she was, not moving even when Tom's hands fell on her shoulders and rubbed her bare arms. For a moment confusion hit Kathryn, what was Tom thinking and why wasn't he speaking to her.

"Tom talk to me what the hell is going on." This time she demanded his cooperation but none came. He looked at her deep in the eyes, his hands still clutching at her shoulders, but barely delivering any pressure. Kathryn held Tom's gaze trying to read what he was obviously trying to tell her. The message got scrambled somewhere, maybe because of his odd behaviour, or maybe because Kathryn was distracted by the feel of his hand now running across her clavicle. Kathryn tried to step back away from the pressure and the feelings that Tom was bringing up in her, but he held her firm, not allowing her to run from him. Kathryn snapped her gaze up to his once more and she finally read the expression on his face.

The sorrow and panic she saw there made her pause, her hand coming up to his face cupping his cheek with her open palm as he bent down to kiss her. The first time their lips met was not electrical, no violins played in the back ground, and Kathryn did not go weak at the knees. The kiss was hesitant but almost desperate, but not in the way a kiss should be. Kathryn pulled back from the kiss and once more tried to remove herself from Tom's grip. The struggle was pointless however as Tom pushed her back against the wall and planted his lips upon hers again. Kathryn could feel Tom's hand now move down to her waist, pulling her body closer to his until she was pressed against his entire length. Her hands were pressed against his cheat, weakly attempting to push him away, but the effort was not really behind her protest. Tom's lips went to her cheek as she felt moisture run down to her chin and hang there for a moment. It was in this instance that Kathryn realised that Tom was crying. He didn't want to do this, the lack of any kind of erection also gave it away as Kathryn pushed herself against him slightly. Tom took it as a sign of her struggling however and he pushed her harder against the wall. Kathryn stopped moving and allowed Tom to kiss his way down her neck, now offering him no resistance as it all became clearer in her mind.

Tom wasn't allowed to speak to her, his surveillance of the room when he first entered suggested now that they were in fact being watched and probably listened to. He had been ordered to come down here and do this, probably under threat of something much worse. Tom's tears still had not dried as Kathryn forced his head up to look at her. She only caught a brief glance of his face before he was kissing her again, pressing his hand against the back of her neck to hold her still. His other hand wondered down the front of her night gown and found a breast.

Tom was aware that he was running out of time, and yet he could not get his body to respond, Kathryn was clearly not a willing participant in all of this, and no matter what the consequences he could not rape her. Not just mentally it seemed but his body was having none of it either. Moving his hand down to her breast Tom realised that Kathryn had stopped struggling, in fact she was now pushing against him and her head was lying on his shoulder. Tom relaxed slightly allowing himself to feel her supple mound though the silk of the night shirt. Running his thumb over her nipple he found it responded to his touch. Looking down he could see that although Kathryn was not looking back at him, she was not fighting him either. Preying that she had gotten his message finally Tom knew he had to get this done or it would have all been for nothing.

Remembering that they were being watched Tom moved his hand away from her breast and down her stomach. Clutching at the hem of the night shirt Tom ran his hand up under it and encountered her panties. For the first time Tom felt a stirring down below and as he felt Kathryn's hand clutch at his shoulder it only intensified the feeling. Pulling her underwear from her Tom placed a finger at her opening and was concerned to feel that she was dry. He also knew there was no time to get her any more ready, he had spent so long debating with himself if he could do this, willing Kathryn to understand, that he knew there was now no time left.

Pushing one finger inside Tom heard Kathryn's gasp of pain and he almost immediately withdrew. Knowing however that it was now or never Tom worked his finger inside her trying to find her sweet spot. Holding onto her gaze he tried to convey his apology with his eyes, but Kathryn would not look at him, she had slammed her eyes closed. The look of concentration on her face made Tom want to pull her close and just hold her for whatever time they had remaining. He knew though that after that things would be far worse.

Feeling that Kathryn was as ready as she was going to get Tom pulled out of her flicking her swollen bud as he did so, making her shudder slightly as he quickly pulled down his trousers. There was no time for more as he latched his lips on to hers once more and picked her up by the rump. Running his member along her now slightly wet opening he knew this was going to hurt her. Bracing himself and holding onto the kiss Tom pushed himself inside and swallowed Kathryn's hiss of pain. Moving almost immediately Tom picked up a rhythm, pushing Kathryn against the wall as his hands held her hips, and his lips kissed her jaw line.

Kathryn's grunts were not that of pleasure Tom could tell by the way her face screwed up, but she hung on to his neck and tightened her legs around his waist as he pumped into her. She still had not looked at him, and Tom was starting to get worried, it wasn't helping him as ticking almost seemed to be ringing in his ears. Bending down and sucking on Kathryn's neck Tom ran a hand between them and once again rubbed Kathryn's sensitive nub, feeling for the first time her inner walls clamp down on him. The feeling was exquisite as her hips began to rock back against his. Tom could feel his own passion rising and he knew he was not going to control it.

Kathryn was hurting, she was sore and Tom was not slowing down, there seemed to be a certain urgency in this, what she couldn't call love making, but perhaps wasn't quite simple sex either. It ran far deeper than that, but because of the constraints of this encounter Kathryn could not allow those deeper feelings to surface. Finally Tom touched her in just the right place and Kathryn couldn't help her bodies reaction. Just as she started to feel more comfortable however Tom gave a jerk and finished inside her. Holding her close as he pulled away from her Tom stepped back and pulled up his trousers, not looking at her and wanting to run as far away as possible. Kathryn stood looking at him, she was still fully dressed apart from her panties that were lying several feet away in the dirt. She could feel a sticky warm liquid start to run down her inner thigh and she just hoped that it was what Tom had left instead of something else.

"Tom?" Kathryn questioned but just as she did so the door opened. Both of them shot their heads up and Elderon stepped through the door way.

"Kathryn can you come here please." He said his eyes shining down with the delight he obviously felt. It was in that moment, that Kathryn knew for sure that Tom had not just done what he had done under his own volition. Moving towards the stairway Kathryn looked back over her shoulder and caught Tom's eye for a split second. She could only hope that the forgiveness that she displayed there got through to him.

So will Elderon's plan work? Will Tom never be able to forgive himself for what he did, and even though Kathryn has forgiven him, will she be able to forget? Feedback is welcomed thank you for reading XxX.


	10. Chapter 10

I know I have been at work apologies for the lack in updates.

Kathryn did not get a chance to even look back at Tom as Elderon closed the door behind them; he took hold of her elbow and escorted her through the house. They moved down a corridor that finally connected with the main entrance hall. It did feel good to be out in the open once more, but Kathryn couldn't help but worry about Tom left down in that dark room all alone. It was not the only thought running though her mind however. The encounter with Tom had left her rattled, she was sure that his actions were not all of his own doing, but it also left the question of what was the alternative. Not to mention the show of power this man who was currently leading her up to her room had over them.

Elderon had not spoken to her since he asked her to go with him, but he was wearing a small smile on his face, one which vanished when he looked down at her.

"Are you ok Kathryn?" he asked and Kathryn thought she detected genuine concern in his voice. She stopped on the threshold of her doorway and tilted her head up to look at him. He was looking down at her with his eyes slightly furrowed and his hands clasped together.

"I'm fine." She replied not wanting to give too much away to a man she suspected knew everything already.

"Oh ok, I hoped that Tom suggesting he should speak with you would have helped you." Elderon said as they remained looking at one another in between the open door space.

"Tom suggested he should speak with me?" Kathryn questioned wondering just what Elderon was saying here as he moved them finally into the room.

"Yes he said that he would talk to you about escaping, and about me considering selling you on. He persuaded me that he just needed a little while to convince you that it is not so bad here. I take it you feel differently?" Elderon said and Kathryn was stunned into silence for a moment, she knew Elderon had to be lying, but she saw no evidence of it on his face. If it was a lie it was also a pretty convincing one. Tom would have tried to talk to her about behaving, instead of getting sold and possibly split up.

"Umm no I don't really think being sold would be for the best." Kathryn managed as her mind ran a mile a minute. Tom had come down to her like a scared school boy, but he hadn't ended the encounter as one. The doubt of what she thought she had understood began to creep in as she moved back and sat on the bed. Her sore insides making her grimace slightly as she did so.

"Are you sure you are ok?" Elderon asked as Kathryn controlled her features and slipped on a half-smile.

"Yes thank you, just a bit stiff from climbing through windows." Kathryn said as she saw Elderon's face drop slightly at the mention of their thwarted escape attempt. He quickly recovered though and the smile returned.

"Well now that cannot happen again, and I am afraid you will be kept locked in your room until tomorrow morning. Your dinner will be brought to you later." Elderon said as Kathryn felt like a naughty school girl made to stay in her room after not doing her chores.

"What about Tom?" Kathryn asked still unable to forget about him, even if she was still feeling the effects of what had happened in that basement.

"He will be brought up to his room shortly, please do not worry about him, he can take care of himself." Elderon said as he backed away from Kathryn who was still seated on the bed, and she watched as Elderon closed the door.

Standing up quickly Kathryn went to her small bathroom, which basically consisted of a toilet and a sink. Taking some paper off the dispenser she whipped herself clean and looked down at the soiled paper. There was some blood there, nothing to be concerned about but even the thought that Tom had done that made Kathryn shudder. Splashing cold water on her face from the sink, she moved back though into the main room, resisting the urge to simply collapse on the floor where she stood. Making it to the bed Kathryn ripped off her night gown and threw it onto the chair beside the bed. She couldn't wear it any longer, it smelt of Tom and sex and all she could think about was those kisses he had given her. Almost unfeeling in their manner, but urgent like he knew this maybe his only chance. Holding back the tears Kathryn pulled open her bedside draw, and was grateful to find a new set of clothes. Pulling out the royal blue shots she pulled them on and then dragged what looked like a tank top over her head.

Avoiding the mirror all together Kathryn brushed the knots out of her hair and sat back down on the bed and looked out of the window. It was still light, but just barely, the sun was low in the sky and was bathing the fields in a soft orange glow. It reminded her of times spent in her room in Indiana, looking out of the window at her family's farm and watching the unpicked corn sway in the breeze. Never once had she felt unsafe there though, or had a churning feeling in the pit of her stomach. Kathryn knew the only way to find out the truth was to speak with Tom. There would be no way he would lie to her, and she knew for all of Elderon's seeming sincerity he was perfectly capable of lying right to her face. The only problem was Kathryn had no idea when she would get to see Tom again, let alone speak to him, and right now she needed those answers, or she knew sleep would be only a pleasant memory.

Tom was left sitting alone with his head planted in his hands, he could not get the image of Kathryn's pained face out of his mind. He thought that by the end she had understood, that when she had stopped fighting him she knew he had no choice. But now here in his isolation doubts began creeping in. Her face was the constant reminder of how he had hurt her, Tom had never wanted that, not in his most awful nightmares had he been the one causing her pain, but this was no nightmare, this was reality and he had been the one.

As Elderon opened the door to the basement he found Tom, head buried in his hands and sat with his back against the wall furthest from where he had watched them together. Elderon allowed a smile to come to his face while Tom still seemed to be unaware of his presence. Elderon had enjoyed the show immensely, he would have enjoyed it more if Kathryn had been uncovered during the entire procedure, but he had seen enough to satisfy his curiosity. There had been a moment when he thought she was going to start enjoying what was happening, and Elderon had feared all his plans were about to back fire on him. It just so happened that at that moment it was all over and he got Kathryn out before anything could be said, spoken or not between them. Now as he watched Tom's head rise slowly to meet his own eyes, Elderon knew his plan had worked. Tom's face held a haunted expression, one that only came from seeing someone you cared about hurt. Now his only job was to cement in Tom's mind that he was the one to cause Kathryn's pain.

"Tom come with me please I am taking you back to your room." Elderon said as Tom moved quickly and virtually ran for the stairs.

"How is Kathryn?" He asked as soon as he reached where Elderon was standing in the door way and Elderon shook his head.

"I have left her in her room, she was pretty upset and said she wanted to be left alone." Elderon replied as he walked Tom through the corridors back to his room. Tom stopped at Elderon's words however and the bigger man had to pause with him.

"I need to see her." Tom blurted but Elderon was already shaking his head, pulling Tom along now by the upper arm he moved them out into the main hallway.

"I am afraid not, you are to be locked up for the rest of the night as punishment for your little escape attempt." Elderon continued as Tom now pulled himself loose of his grasp and backed away.

"I thought that was our punishment, you said it would be over when I did what I did." Tom said angry now as he felt his rage bubble inside him. It was anger not only at Elderon, but at himself. Kathryn was up stairs now probably hating him and he could do nothing about it.

"No I said I would leave her alone and I have. You did well Tom, I do hope that one day Kathryn will forgive you." Elderon said taking hold of Tom once more and this time holding on tightly. Tom allowed himself to be led away from the stairway, his head hanging down as he watched his feet pass over the cream coloured carpet. He barely heard the door to his room open as Elderon escorted him through.

"You know I have seen Kathryn hurt, bruised, maybe even anxious, but I have never seen fear in her eyes until today. Maybe she would be more grateful if she knew what would have happened." Elderon said as Tom looked at him, the sorrow on his face as easy to see as the tears starting to form in his eyes.

"Or maybe not." Elderon said finally as he closed the door and let Tom slip on to his knees at the foot of the bed. Balling his hands into fists he placed them against his eyes and pushed hard, almost to the point of pain before crashing them into the floor and feeling the carpet bite at his skin. Not caring about the damage he had done to his hand Tom hit the ground again and fell back against the side of the bed. Tipping his head back until it connected with the mattress behind him he stared up at the celling and let the tears run down his face.

Tom considered the possibility that Elderon was right, would it have been easier for Kathryn to have dealt with Elderon being the one who violated her. She already disliked him; she had probably been preparing herself for such an event since the moment they had arrived. Instead he had been the one to do it. Violating her trust and forcing her with a decision that was not his alone to make. Now Tom got up off the floor and walked to the window, he looked out at the inky blue sky and watched as the sun made is way below the horizon. He wondered now if he had been selfish in his choice, that it was in fact he who could not have watched her being taken by another man. Kathryn would at least have had him to lean on after it was over, they could have gotten through it together. Now they were alone, the only other person they could have shared it with the one person they couldn't.

Not for the first time since it had happened Tom went over the choice he had made in his mind and still he could not find the right answer. He knew he had to speak to Kathryn, to at least let her know why he had done it. He could not expect to ask for her forgiveness, but he could at least give her a reason. Knowing she was hurting and he could do nothing Tom flopped down on the bed and curled himself into a small ball. He knew sleep would probably evade him tonight and for that he was kind of grateful. For shutting his eyes meant he would see Kathryn's pained face again, and Tom didn't know how much of that he could take before he snapped.

Getting up quickly Tom rushed into the small bathroom and collapsed against the toilet seat, emptying the contents of his stomach into the bowel. For a moment he sat there and dry heaved, the expulsion from his body doing little to ease his mind, and for now at least Tom knew there was nothing else he could do until he was released from this prison.

Kathryn was awake when the knock at her door came, she had in fact not been asleep, choosing to sit and watch the sun come up, she had climbed out of bed many hours ago, giving up on even trying to rest. Now as she swung her head round the door opened and Kaylore stood there looking at her. For the briefest of moments Kathryn though she saw regret on his face, but as soon as she saw it it was gone again. Lost like the innocence of a child the first time they see something bad happen.

"I have come to escort you to breakfast." Kaylore said his voice monotone, and also Kathryn assumed he meant now. Not even bothering to change she stood up gingerly from her chair and moved forward. Forcing herself to ignore the pain in her lower regions and walk upright and normally. Kaylore barely acknowledged her presence as they walked down to the kitchen, a single check behind him to make sure she was still following was all he did before pushing the door open and stepping through.

Kathryn's heart almost jumped into her throat as she spotted Tom already sat at the table looking so pale. The mixed emotions were hard for her to hide as Elderon greeted her and pulled out a chair for her to sit in. Kathryn looked first to Elderon who was tucking into the nasty looking yellow bread, then she turned her attention to Tom. He had not looked at her, his head was still bowed and he was pushing his food around with his fork. Last night Kathryn had worked out some things in her head, she knew for certain that whatever happened yesterday Tom would be driving himself insane with guilt. His demeanour this morning only seemed to strengthen that belief in Kathryn. All she needed to know now was, was the guilt real, or was it something he was placing on his shoulders because he wanted to protect her.

As Tom looked up for the first time, unable to keep his eyes from his captain's face any longer Tom saw her looking at him. The concerned expression on her face was not something Tom had been expecting and for a second he felt confusion. It must have shown in his face as Kathryn tilted her head and blinked slowly, as though she was trying to look into him rather than at him. The moment was broken by Elderon's interruption as he began speaking.

"I have to go into town today and I would like Kathryn to accompany me, we will be gone until dinner and I expect you Tom to help Kaylore with the house chores." Elderon said as Tom ducked his gaze away from Kathryn again and nodded his acceptance to Elderon.

"I have gotten you something nice to wear, and I will expect you to be polite to anyone I have to speak with." Elderon said, but his voice held no malice, and Kathryn had no choice but to agree.

"Good then that is agreed, then when we get back if everything has gone well, we can all have a drink together this evening." Elderon said as he finished with his breakfast and Kathryn saw a window of opportunity. She had all day to formulate her plan, all she had to do was smile at a few Validian diplomats and that she could do in her sleep. Or in this case without any sleep.

Giving a quick glance at Tom who was looking up at her with his head still tilted slightly downwards she gave him a smile. Tom seemed to respond if only for a moment by lifting his head higher up as he watched them leave. Kathryn had to finally turn and look at Elderon who was picking something up from a nearby chair.

"Go change I will come and collect you shortly, I am looking forward to our time alone together." He said with a smile as Kathryn headed up the stairs and muttered under her breath.

"Then you are alone in your joy."

Hope that was worth the wait, I will try and do more tomorrow but I guarantee nothing. Thank you for all your kind comments and advice so far please keep them coming. Thank you for reading XxX


	11. Chapter 11

I know it has been a while but things got crazy around here. Hope you enjoy this super overdue update.

Kathryn put on the dress Elderon gave her, she was at least grateful that it covered everything it should. It was a simple dark blue dress that had wide shoulders and long skirt. It was obvious that although Elderon wanted to show Kathryn off, he only wanted to show off some of her.

As they arrived in the city Kathryn was for a moment taken aback by the grandeur of it. Several buildings rose off the sky line so high Kathryn almost couldn't see the tops of them. The market street they were walking down was quaint and modern at the same time. Several vendors called to Elderon, but he walked passed them without a second thought. Kathryn turned her head to get a look at what items they were selling. Most of them were simple traders, dealing in fruit, flowers and trinkets. The shops that lined the market place however looked far more expensive and it was these to which Elderon was headed. Kathryn had no choice but to follow him, he was holding on to her hand tightly. Although Kathryn was sure to onlookers they were simply holding hands. The truth however was that Elderon had a far tighter grip on Kathryn than was strictly necessary, his huge hand almost completely encompassing hers and pressing almost to the point of pain.

On the one hand Kathryn could hardly blame him, it wasn't like she hadn't already tried to escape, but with Tom back at the house and still at Elderon's mercy, Kathryn had no intention of trying anything. They stood looking in at a shop window, it was filled with dresses of all different types. Elderon was peering through the glass and glancing down at Kathryn like he was imagining each one of them on her. Kathryn however was looking at their combined reflection, her small figure next to Elderon's, for the first time she saw the true extent of the size difference. Kathryn barely came up to Elderon's' broad shoulders, his frame was almost twice the width of her own, and even the size of his hand in hers suddenly became dwarfing. Looking away quickly for fear that she may lose her nerve, Kathryn spotted a shop a few doors down that may have potential. Now it was just a question of if she could get there, and purchase what she needed.

"Come on I want to buy you a new dress, one that you can wear to the ball at the end of the week." Elderon said stunning Kathryn out of her thoughts as he pulled her in to the shop. Kathryn followed him, but she had not forgotten about what she had decided to do, now all she had to do was find a window of opportunity.

As Elderon approached the desk a clerk came out from behind it and greeted Elderon by name, shaking his hand and giving Kathryn a quick once over.

"So this is the woman you have been telling me about, I do wish you had brought her in sooner, look this dress is far too long. Too tight in the bust and ill-fitting at the waist." The clerk flitted around Kathryn like a bee round a honey pot. To her horror the man then took out what looked like a tape measure and pulled it out to arms width. Kathryn immediately tried to back away, moving towards the door as Elderon took hold of her elbow.

"It's not going to hurt." He chided at her as Kathryn held off giving him an icy glare. She knew perfectly well that it wasn't going to hurt, she just didn't like being touched by people she didn't know. It seemed however that she had little choice as Elderon held her still whilst the clerk started taking measurements. Kathryn didn't like the feel of his hands on her body, it was bringing back memories of the day pervious and the incident in the basement. She knew rationally that this situation was entirely different, that this man was not going to be doing anything except getting her size. But it was somehow worse than what Tom had done, and Kathryn knew that was because she trusted Tom, even now, even with the tiniest doubt still nagging her at the back of her mind, she knew she still trusted him. As the clerk measured her waist and moved on to her bust Kathryn involuntarily tightened her hand in to a fist, as though she was going to strike the man. Elderon's cough made her blink and relax the muscles in her right arm and fingers, he was glaring down at her as she looked back at him and gave him a sweet smile. If Elderon saw the insincerity of it he did not show it, for he smiled right along back at her as the clerk finished.

"Well I think I have something for you, I will have to make some adjustments, but I know when I am done you will be the envy of every other man at that ball." The clerk said and Elderon's smile only grew bigger. Kathryn was beginning to see a way in, if she wanted Elderon to trust her, she would have to play along with his requirements of her. The dress was a good a starting point as any and now as the clerk walked to the rear of the shop Kathryn turned to look at Elderon who was examining another dress on a hanger beside them.

"You know I am going to require some new under garments, I only have one pair with me." Kathryn said feeling her face colour at the topic of conversation, but also knowing that it had to be done.

"Of course we shall buy some today, I was unsure of your size you see." Elderon said taking an obvious look at Kathryn's chest but she ignored it and held the smile on her face.

"I would very much like to surprise you by buying them myself." Kathryn said her voice dropping slightly as she placed her hand over his and rubbed the pad of her thumb across his tough skin. The feel of it was making her want to swallow the bile that was threatening to rise in her throat, but again she held in the emotion and held her smile.

"Umm a surprise, I have to say I am tempted, but I cannot risk you running off again." Elderon said holding Kathryn's eyes and his smile faltering slightly at the edges.

"I promise I won't, how will I survive, with no money, no transport, someone will just sell me off again, and they might not be as good to me as you." Kathryn replied knowing it was what Elderon had been waiting to hear for a long time now. The slipping smile on his face suddenly broadened and he ran his hands up Kathryn's shoulders and rested them lightly either side of her neck.

"I do have some business to take care of at the bank, I will only be a short while, and you may go then. But be warned if you do not return I will have a warrant issued for your arrest, and I will still have Tom." Elderon's words weren't simply threats they were promises and Kathryn nodded her head. She understood perfectly well, but she had every intention of coming back, for her plan to work it was a must. Before she could further elaborate on a reply however the clerk came back with a beautiful blood red dress over his arm. Kathryn couldn't help but admire it as he held it up for them to examine. The halter neck plunged low, but not as far as the black one she had to wear the other night. The skirt was light and full and would hang all the way to the floor.

"Perfect when will it be ready?" Elderon asked as he ran his hand across it and felt the softness of the material.

"Two days, I can have it delivered to your house." The clerk replied and Elderon patted the man on the shoulder.

"That would be wonderful and I will make sure there is a little something extra for you when I send payment." Elderon smiled at the man and Kathryn could do nothing but roll her eyes at the exchange. She had basically been a tailor's dummy through this entire procedure, and as they left Kathryn couldn't help but smile, a small one meant only for herself at how easy it was to fool people into thinking you were as dumb as the next slave.

Tom had spent the day cleaning out the bathroom where he and Kathryn had taken their shower. It seemed like such a long time ago now, but it in reality had been less than a week. As Tom scrubbed the glass surrounding the shower clean, his thoughts drifted back to that day. To Kathryn's face just as he had been about to kiss her. How her eyes had softened then almost closed as he drew nearer. Her hands wrapped around his neck, encouraging him forward. As Tom's eyes slipped closed now trying to conjure the image once more he found it replaced with the cold dark of the basement. Kathryn's pained face and her grunts of pain, the ones she had tried to hide but he had heard as loud and as clear as though they were being shouted in a deserted room. Those cries echoed in his ears now as he snapped his eyes open and found that he had been scrubbing the same part of the glass door for ages.

Shaking his head and moving on to the base of the shower Tom rid himself of the images and sounds of the previous day and thought back on breakfast. Kathryn had not looked mad, or hurt or broken, she had looked worried for him, and almost happy when he had finally looked her in the eyes. But it wasn't that that had peaked his interest, it had been the look she had given him as Elderon spoke about having a drink together in the evening. Tom thought back on that look, then at the times he had seen it before. He couldn't help but come to the conclusion that Kathryn had a plan, for the first time in what seemed like forever Tom allowed a small smile to grace his lips before it fell back in to a grimace.

Standing up having completed his task of cleaning the bathroom, Tom gathered up his things and walked out of the door. Moving back towards the kitchen knowing that Kaylore would be in there preparing dinner Tom paused for a moment before entering the room. He had a sinking feeling that Kathryn's plan had something to do with not being around for those drinks, to whilst she was out with Elderon make good her escape. As Tom stood there looking at the dark wood of the kitchen door, he couldn't in all good faith blame her if she did.

Elderon has been as good as his word, he had gone off to the bank leaving Kathryn with plenty of money to purchase what she needed. Coming out of the shop she had spotted earlier, Kathryn's heart was going ten to the dozen inside her chest. She knew she had a while before Elderon was due to meet her, but until she was away from the shop and browsing at clothes in a shop window her pulse had a mind of its own. Looking at the prices Kathryn realised that she didn't have enough money left to buy the things in this particular shop. Moving towards the market Kathryn spotted a stall that was carrying just what she needed. Having no intention of letting Elderon seeing what she was buying, and knowing that the promise of special viewing later would put him off examining her purchases. Kathryn brought some nice but practical set of underwear. Looking up at the giant clock that hung in view of the entire square Kathryn realised that she had better get a move on if she didn't want to be late. Moving through the square she was stopped suddenly by a hand on her arm. Pulling back sharply she turned to glare at the person who had grabbed her. As she recognised the person who had dropped their hand to the side and was now looking at her with a broad smile on their face Kathryn looked around the market.

"I am surprised to see you here, and alone." Kopeck said shifting his eyes across Kathryn's body as she backed away from him slightly and continued to scan the area for Elderon. This was one of the few times when she wished he was here. Not that she didn't think she could handle Kopeck under different circumstances. But Kathryn was pretty sure injuring one of Darfur's noblemen was a serious offence.

"Just doing some shopping." Kathryn said as sweetly as she could as Kopeck moved even closer to her, until he was basically standing over her. Causing Kathryn to almost have to bend over backwards to look up at his face.

"May I see what you brought, the stall you were looking at carries some interesting items." Kopeck said with an obvious leer in his voice. Before Kathryn could tell him to go to hell however Elderon had pulled the lecherous man away from her.

"Whatever she brought is not for your eyes Kopeck so I suggest you continue on with your own business." Elderon said keeping his voice low and threatening. It was the tone he had use when he had pinned Kathryn to the bed. Now it had the same effect at subduing its recipient, as Kopeck backed away with a small incline of his head. Elderon turned around and smiled down at Kathryn as she looked up at him and clutched her bag tight to her chest.

"Well what's say we get home then you can show me what you brought." Elderon said with a sight raise of his eyebrow and Kathryn felt that murderous feeling return once more.

Tom was sat in the study cleaning glasses when the front door opened and he heard voices. One of them was clearly Kathryn and he beamed with happiness. Over the past few hours he had convinced himself that Kathryn would not be returning that evening. Finishing his last glass quickly Tom rushed out of the door and as his eyes fell upon Kathryn it seemed like she sensed his presence. Her head turned slowly until their eyes met across the expanse of hallway between them. Tom could almost feel the air crackle with tension as for a second there was just the two of them in the room. It was not long enough however for either of them to convey the many emotions that needed to be explained and as Kathryn turned her head at the call of her name Tom found himself routed to the spot. When he thought she was not coming back Tom would have given everything he had to see her again, but now Kathryn was back he didn't know if he could face her. Finally his own name was being called and he had no option but to move.

Entering the kitchen Tom saw that Kathryn was already seated and he went over to his usual seat opposite her. Sitting down Tom picked up his utensils and began picking at his food, the pressure on his leg made him snap his eyes up and they immediately connected with Kathryn's. Tom glanced at Elderon, but he was not looking, he was too busy wolfing down his meal to notice and Tom was sure that Kathryn was well aware of this fact.

"We need to talk." She mouthed and Tom nodded knowing that this conversation was inevitable. He was at least looking forward to explaining himself, but he did worry about her reaction. Nodding in response Tom wondered just how they were going to have a conversation with Kaylore and Elderon in the room with them. Deciding that until the meal was over there was no way they were going to be able to pull it off, Tom went back to eating, or at least attempting to eat. Glancing up at Kathryn now and again Tom noticed that she was not really enjoying her meal either. She was pushing it around her plate and only taking meagre bites.

"Well as usual that was excellent Kaylore, now I am going to have a shower and change out of these clothes. Will you make sure that the study has a full complement of liquor, I would like Tom and Kathryn to try everything we have to offer." Elderon said getting up and giving them both a nod. His eyes lingered on Kathryn, and she smiled at him in return. Tom was confused by the pleasant response from her, and he wondered if something had happened on their trip out that had changed Kathryn's opinion of their jailor. Tom's thoughts then flashed back to what Elderon had said last night. How Kathryn had been upset with him, how she had felt betrayed, was it Tom's own actions that had pushed her closer to Elderon? Tom wondered for a moment as the door closed behind Elderon and Kaylore stood up.

"You two can clear the dinner things away, I will be in the study." Kaylore said and suddenly they were alone, the time to talk had come, and Tom didn't know if he had ever been more afraid in his life.

Again apologies for the late update, I will endeavour to bring you more soon. Thank you for reading XxX


	12. Chapter 12

An update as promised. Thank you all for your kind reviews, I promise they do inspire me to write, so please enjoy.

Tuvok was, as all members of his species, far less susceptible to emotion than most, but right now at least to himself he could admit he was as close as it came for a Vulcan to be worried. It had been four days since they had left Voyager in search of Captain Janeway and Lieutenant Paris. So far their efforts had been less than successful. He had been keeping up with the progress of his other teams via Harry who was still in the shuttle ferrying them from one planet to another. So far no one had seen or heard anything about two humans. What they had discovered however was something that now was causing the lines on his face too deepen.

His companion had not been so reserved in her reaction to the revelation that they had discovered on the second world they had visited. She had made her concern abundantly clear the moment they learnt of their friend's possible fate. B'elanna sat opposite him now in a small tavern, their surgical alterations allowing them to blend in amongst the native Validian's on this world, as it had in the three others before them. This time though they were passing themselves off as a wealthy couple from a separate planet, in the market for buying fresh slaves for their new home. They had managed to meet someone who was on the inside and had made it clear to the man that they wanted unique slaves and price was not a problem.

They waited now Tuvok sat in silent contemplation, his mind dwelling on the thought of his Captain, his friend being used as a slave to these people. He glanced across at B'elanna who was watching the door behind him. Her face showed him that so far their contact had yet to return and so he went back to his own thoughts. They had seen for their own eyes what these slaves were used for, the women often sold as courtesans and the men as manual labour. Neither option was good for their missing comrades and Tuvok knew the quicker they found them the better.

"He's here." B'elanna hissed at him bringing Tuvok's attention back to the room as he turned on his stool and nodded at the man entering the room. Sitting down next to them the smaller than average man, who still was almost a head taller than B'elanna lent forward.

"I have heard a rumour of the two slaves you wanted me to find out about. It appears they were sold at an auction on Darfur about a week ago. I could not get the name of the man who brought them, but I do know his is one of the nobility on that planet. And they sold for a record price, understandably." The man said with a small smile on his face as Tuvok passed him several coins and thanked him for his services. Then man went to stand before B'elanna grabbed him by the wrist and stopped his progress.

"Can you get us there, to Darfur, we would like to find this man and make him an offer." B'elanna said knowing that they could get Harry to take them, but there cover would be far more convincing this way. If they could buy Kathryn and Tom back then the repercussions for Voyagers continued safe travel through this area of space would not be compromised.

"It will cost you, but yes I can do it." The man said and Tuvok gave him a nod of the head. It took nothing else to convince their new friend as he bid them goodbye and walked off into the twilight.

"So at least we know which world they are no now. Better let Harry know so he can tell Chakotay." B'elanna said as Tuvok went to stand. B'elanna copied him as they too exited the small tavern and made their way towards their lodgings for the night.

"Indeed, I will make my report as soon as it is safe to do so." Tuvok replied hoping that they were not too late in their discovery to rescue the people they had lost.

Tom waited until the door had swung closed behind Kaylore before he turned back to Kathryn who was looking up at him. Her eyes held a note of sadness that Tom wished to have never seen coming from her. As she blinked it was gone and replaced with a spark of something far more dangerous.

"Tom I have a plan, but to pull it off we are going to need some careful planning." Kathryn said, she had been dreading this conversation as much as she had been looking forward to it. Asking Tom about what happened yesterday was opening a can of worms she would rather not disturb. Forging ahead with telling him about her plan seemed like the better option. Kathryn had also seen the look in Tom's eyes just before she had spoken. He looked guilty, sad and haunted. It was a look she had seen on his face only once before, and that had been when she had come to get him out of prison in Auckland. He had looked like that when he had spoken about why he was in there, it was only a flash back then, but now his face held the expression like it had been etched there in stone. Her quick change of topic seemed to soften him however as he changed from guilty to curios in an instant and Kathryn took him by the arm and led him into the parlour.

"I got this whilst I was out." Kathryn said reaching inside her bra and pulling out a small packet of what looked like chopped grass.

"What is it?" Tom enquired as Kathryn passed him the small see through bag for closer inspection.

"It's a sleeping herb, the man in the shop said it was pretty powerful, and that one pinch would have me out like a light. I told him that I was having trouble sleeping in a strange bed and if he had something I could mix in my drink that I couldn't taste I would be most grateful." Kathryn said grinning at her own deviousness as Tom caught on to her mood.

"So all we have to do is slip Elderon and Kaylore this stuff and make a run for it." Tom replied handing back the small bag to Kathryn who slipped it back into her underwear and started the business of clearing up the kitchen.

"Yes we should give them half the packet each, make sure they are out of the count. But once they are we should have a good eight hours head start on them. Plenty of time to find our way off this planet." Kathryn said now not looking at Tom as he passed her several plates which she placed in the sink.

"If we are lucky, but at least we will be free." Tom said thinking that getting off the planet maybe harder than Kathryn thought, but he wasn't about to put a dampener on her good mood. The air had already become charged now that they had finished their conversation. What had remained unsaid between them now hung in the air like stale smoke and Tom didn't like the feeling one bit.

"Kathryn look about yesterday." Tom started but just as he did so the door to the kitchen opened again and Kaylore walked back inside.

"Have you two not finished this yet, come on get a move on before Elderon gets back and decides that having a drink is a bad idea. Lords knows I could use one." Kaylore said with a hint of a smile on his face. It was the first one either Kathryn or Tom had seen from the huge quite man and both of them felt a slight pang of guilt about what they were going to do to him. It was however not strong enough for either of them to reconsider their plan.

"Nearly done, just a few more minutes." Kathryn said quickly washing the last of the plates as Tom dried them and placed them in the cupboards. Turning around on their tasks completion, both officers stood shoulder to shoulder looking at Kaylore who gave them a raise of his eyebrows.

"Well come on then." He said finally wondering why they both looked so nervous but dismissing it as just their odd human ways, leading them through into the study where Elderon was already waiting. Kathryn's heart sank for a moment, she was hoping to be there before him so she could slip the drug into his drink before he arrived. Now she was going to have to change her plan, and as yet she had no back up. Glancing at Tom she could see him shuffle his feet slightly as Elderon stood up and handed them both a glass.

"To us, and our new found relationship." Elderon said holding his glass up high as Kathryn and Tom tilted their glasses upwards and each took a sip. It was almost like a fine port, deep burgundy in colour, and a rich fruity flavour. A beautiful drink, but impossible to enjoy as they both felt Elderon's eyes on them as they drank.

"Well what do you think?" Elderon asked them both as they lowered their glasses and Tom replied first.

"It's good, potent." Tom smiled as he started to feel the effects of the alcohol as it hit his stomach. His body unused to the Validian liqueur was having trouble processing it. Tom felt slightly light headed as he took another sip.

"Very nice." Kathryn managed realising that this was either very strong stuff, or she was becoming a light weight in her old age.

"I am glad you like it, it is one of Darfur's delicacies. It's made from the fruit of the Porpeaus tree, which only bears its fruit once every two years." Elderon said with a certain amount of pride as Kathryn and Tom looked into their drinks and each took another sip. Both feeling that they should at least look like they were grateful to Elderon for sharing it with them.

"Come sit down both of you, I would like to ask you both some questions." Elderon said as Kathryn looked quickly to Tom who simply acknowledged her look and went to sit down next to Kaylore. Kathryn tried to keep her frustration in check as she tried to concentrate on what Elderon was saying. Tom also seemed distracted and for a moment Kathryn wondered if it was because he was thinking about their plan, or about what he had been about to say in the parlour. For a moment her thoughts turned back to that moment and she wondered what he was going to say. Her own name snapped her out of her reprieve, as she realised that she had no clue as to what Elderon had asked her.

"Sorry, just a bit tired after our trip today." Kathryn said realising that she couldn't simply make something up. Elderon seemed happy with her reason though and he repeated his question.

"I said would you like to choose the next drink?" He said and Kathryn immediately perked up, this was it she knew it, all she needed was Elderon and Kaylore distracted for a moment whilst she added her special ingredient.

"Of course, I will try to pick wisely." Kathryn said standing up and feeling her legs shake slightly. It had nothing to do with nerves. The drink had gotten to her quickly and she made a note to slow down. Moving towards the cabernet where the rest of the drink was kept, she looked at Tom and flashed her eyes at him. His return look let her know that he understood and all Kathryn had to do now was wait for her moment.

Tom knew what Kathryn wanted, she needed a distraction so she could add her herb without being seen. Tom didn't know how he was supposed to distract both men at the same time. He knew a few party tricks, but none of them would be appropriate for right now. Feigning an illness was always a good one, but he didn't want to risk being taken from the room. Looking around Tom could see nothing that would help him with his quest and he settled his eyes back onto Kathryn's turned back. Tom knew the longer she was up there the more suspicious it would look. For now she was wasting time by examining each bottle closely then taking a sniff of its contents. Tom looked at Elderon, who seemed to be enjoying Kathryn's display. A thought then hit him, getting up Tom moved to the table next to the window and saw that Kaylore's eyes were following him.

"You know we should play some party games, it something we do on earth, kind of a tradition." Tom said, slurring his voice slightly, pretending to be far more drunk than he really was. Now as he looked around he saw that both sets of eyes were on him and he picked up a box that was placed on the table.

"Is this one of your games." He said shaking it hard and Elderon got up off of his seat and plucked the box from Tom's hand.

"No that is a set of priceless medals that my father won as a solider." He said mild anger tainting his voice. Tom managed to look sorry as Elderon turned to Kaylore and pointed towards another cabernet.

"We do have games however and if it a tradition on your world who am I to argue." Elderon said smiling down at Tom as Kaylore went to the cabernet and retrieved a small box and brought it to the table. Just as he placed it down Kathryn joined them and handed each of them a glass.

"I think I found something that would go well with a good game." She said handing Tom his glass and giving him a small nod. Tom knew she had done it, and he couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face.

"Well now I have to say you have exquisite taste. This is the finest malt blend that Darfur has to offer. I brought this from a trader who brewed it himself, aged for five years before he sold it to me." Elderon said holding up the fine yellow liquid to the light and admiring its quality.

"Well maybe we should make a toast then, seems a shame to waste such a fine drink to a simple game." Kathryn said as she held her glass out and for a moment Kaylore and Elderon looked confused. Tom copied Kathryn's actions however, clinking his glass with hers and Elderon took the hint.

"Another earth custom?" He asked as he too touched his glass to Kathryn's as they made a small ping as they touched.

"Whenever there is something to celebrate yes." Kathryn said as her eyes held a sparkle that Elderon mistook for something directed in his favour.

"Then a toast it is." He said as he encouraged Kaylore to do the same as Kathryn took a drink of the fine malt and watched carefully as all the others around her did the same. As she watched them swallow she couldn't stop her heart from thumping in her chest as she saw them swallow. Now it would just be a matter of time before they were free.

Elderon sat down at the table and pulled out what had been in the box. It looked to Tom like a set of playing cards, but on closer examination there were far different. Elderon placed all the cards face down on the table in five rows. Each row had six cards each, the rest of the cards were placed in a pile next to Elderon and Tom suspected they would not been needed for this game.

"Ok the aim of this game is to get from one side of the cards to the other, each card has a different challenge on it. Some good some bad. Complete the task and you move on, fail and you will go back a row." Elderon explained as Kathryn sat down next to him, a slight look of trepidation on her face as she did so.

"Do we get any clue as to what some of these challenges might be?" She asked as Elderon gave her what she could only call a slimly smile.

"No, you will find out when you pick one. I have no idea which cards I have selected anyway, and to guess would be impossible. How about I go first and you will get the idea." Elderon said, but there was something in his voice that Kathryn didn't trust. She just preyed that the sleeping herbs kicked in quickly and they could finish this before it got started.

Elderon turned over the first card and whistled slightly. Kathryn was confused for a moment until she read it.

"You must change clothes with the person on your right." Elderon said as he looked to Kaylore who shrugged and began removing his tunic. Kathryn could only breath a sigh of relief that it had not been her that had to once again take off her clothes in front of a room full of men. It seemed to that Tom was pleased with this and they sat and looked at one another as the two Validian's swapped clothes and retook their seats.

Kaylore chose next but his card was uneventful, he simply lost a turn and was not allowed to move on. The game then passed to Tom who picked up his card slowly and turned it over. Reading it slowly he almost collapsed with relief as his challenge although slightly embarrassing was not too difficult. He had to hop on one leg until his next turn, and as he was standing there doing just that he wondered what idiot had come up with this game in the first place. Kathryn's turn was just as uneventful, having to complete one of the challenge cards that Elderon pulled out from the box. The game was more about physical and metal challenges rather than what the first task had suggested, it being about humiliation.

They played for what seemed like forever and yet Elderon and Kaylore did not seem in the least bit sleepy. Kathryn had begun to give up when Elderon announced that it was time for bed as he had an early start in the morning. It was then that Kathryn realised that if she was locked in her room, it wouldn't matter if the herbs kicked in. she would be stuck and their plan would be for nothing.

"One more game." She said excitedly, but Elderon was already shaking his head and standing up.

"No, maybe some other time, maybe next time you will win." He said with a slight smirk after his victory. Kathryn had to concede, to push any further she would look crazy and with a final look at Tom she lowered her head and walked towards the door.

Kaylore led Tom to his room as Kathryn watched them go she couldn't help but feel angry about her plan failing. Elderon was next her and he had a satisfied look on his face as he took her to her room. Kathryn entered the room and was not surprised to see Elderon close the door behind them.

"I think it's time for that private showing don't you." He said walking up to her as Kathryn fought the urge to back away. Her plan had failed and she was no closer to escaping this hell. There was nothing left of her legendary will power and she folded her arms.

"No I don't think so." She said defiantly as Elderon paused in his approach and scowled down at her.

"I thought we had an understanding." He said as Kathryn swapped her hands to her hips and tilted her chin up to Elderon's face.

"I understand that you will do what you want, but don't expect me to go down without a fight." Kathryn said not caring now what happened to her.

"You really think you can win, there are only two ways you will ever get out of this house Kathryn, one is as my willing partner, the other is in a wooden box." Elderon snarled and Kathryn knew he wasn't joking. Her lip curled in a half snarl as Elderon moved another step closer before she spoke again.

"If that is what is written, then that's what's written." She said her voice low and her muscles tense as Elderon almost smiled as he stood directly in front of her now and looked down upon her.

"You may prey for death one day, but not just yet." He said as Kathryn peeled back her arm and punched him straight in the face. She felt her knuckles crack against his hard facial ridges, but the punch had its desired effect as Elderon reeled back.

"You dirty whore." He yelled as he pounced on Kathryn and she had no time to react. Being thrown back into the wall her head connected with it and for a second her vision blurred. She felt herself flung onto the bed. Too stunned to do anything she could not get out of the way as Elderon landed on her and ripped at her dress. Kathryn tried to hit him, but he grabbed her wrists in one of his massive hands and pinned them above her head. Continuing to rip at her clothing her dress finally gave way a tore straight down the centre. The ripping was loud in Kathryn's ears and it made her stop struggling for a moment. It was long enough for Elderon to push her thighs apart and climb in between them. The pressure on her groin from his free hang got her moving again, this was not like Tom's invasion, that she had managed to deal with, she could feel something more coming from Tom as he had placed his hand on her, all she could feel from Elderon was power and control. As Elderon bent down to whisper in her ear Kathryn had to force back the vomit that was threatening to come from her throat as his fingers invaded her.

"You are mine." He hissed as he pushed painfully into her, her earlier soreness only adding to the discomfort now as Elderon removed his finger and Kathryn heard the rustle of clothes as Elderon removed them. Tensing for one last attempt at stopping him Kathryn realised that he was no longer moving, that his body had fallen lip against her and his weight was rested on her stomach and hips. Wiggling free of his suddenly loosened grip Kathryn looked down at the man fast asleep between her legs and quickly moved away from him.

"About bloody time." she hissed as she quickly snatched up a dress from the drawer and pulled it on over her head. Not bothering with underwear Kathryn raced from the room and headed down the stairs. Knowing she had to free Tom and get while the getting was good.

So are they really free this time? to find out hit that review button and inspire me for the next chapter. Thank you for reading XxX


	13. Chapter 13

It's really late here so if there are many mistakes in this chapter I apologise in advance. Please be gentle with me though as I thought an update was better than no update.

Kathryn stole through the house, pulling her shoes on as she went. They were not exactly her Starfleet issued boots, but they weren't the high heels either. The first pair she had found were her house shoes. Simple flat pumps that would offer little protection from the ground outside, but under the circumstances Kathryn decided beggars could not be choosers. Slipping down the staircase, Kathryn hugged the wall as she rounded the corner and made a dash for Tom's room. She was positive that Elderon was asleep, and would likely remain that way for the foreseeable future. She gave a little shudder at the thought of what he had fallen asleep in the middle of. Not knowing whether to thank whoever might be up there looking down on them for that little miracle. Or curse them for letting it get so far in the first place. Kathryn had chosen to forgo any display of gratitude in favour of getting the hell out of there.

Getting to Tom's room Kathryn was extra quite, in fear that Kaylore had yet to succumb to the effects of the drugs. Turning the lock on the outside of his door she pushed open the door a crack and allowed the small shaft of light to fall upon his bed. Seeing the lump move slightly Kathryn darted into the room and ran to Tom's side.

"What." Tom managed to mumble out before Kathryn's hand clamped down on Tom's mouth to hush him.

"We need to go now, get dressed." Kathryn ordered in hushed tones, but one Tom knew well. It was a request he was more than happy to grant. Climbing out of bed quickly and rushing to his wardrobe, Tom flung on his clothes without hesitation. Pulling on his pants he sat down on the bed to pull on each shoe, nothing that Kathryn was looking increasingly nervous.

"Should we check the alarm this time?" Tom enquired as he stood up ready to go as Kathryn returned to the door and poked her head out.

"No I don't think it has been set tonight." The certainty with which she said it made Tom wonder just how she knew. This however was not the time or the place to be having that discussion, so without another word he followed his Captain through the darkened hallways towards the kitchen. Kathryn was grateful that Tom had not probed her into how she got out of her room, or how she knew that the alarm was not set. She also knew he wouldn't remain silent forever on the subject, moving into the kitchen Kathryn pulled out the set of keys she had been stowing in the single pocket of her dress. They jingled slightly at their removal and Kathryn winced at the sound, which inside the silent kitchen seemed more like the sound of a brass band than a simple set of keys.

Kathryn glanced at Tom, she could see the question dancing in his eyes, but he remained silent as she unlocked the door. Moving out into the night Tom quietly closed the door behind them, but Kathryn left the keys in the lock, they had no use for them now, and they would only serve as evidence of their escape if they should be caught.

Crossing the gravel path quickly neither of them ran until there was grass beneath their feet. The slight dampness of it seeping into Kathryn's thin shoes as they raced for the boundary of the estate. It was marked by a stone wall, only a few meters high and would be easily traversed. Beyond that was a large wooded area, neither Tom nor Kathryn knew how far this expanded and yet it seemed the safer option compared to heading towards the city.

Tom's breath came in short puffs of smoke from his lips as the night air quickly chilled his hot breath upon contact. The race across the grass had not been particularly taxing physically, but mentally exhausting, and somewhat exhilarating. The thought of finally being free was making Tom's head spin slightly as they reached the base of the wall. Tom cupped his hands together as Kathryn looked at him and took the hint. Reaching up Kathryn used Tom's offered stirrup and boosted herself onto the wall. Reaching don to help Tom up they both sat there for a moment looking back at the still quite and dark house. Kathryn was the first to turn away, dropping down onto the leaf littered floor on the opposite side of the wall and looking back up at Tom.

"Come on we need to put some distance between us and them." Kathryn hissed as she ignored the icy wind that cut straight through her thin dress and beckoned Tom down from the wall.

"I know." Tom said simply, now turning his back on the nightmare that he had been living for the last week. Dropping down next to Kathryn he looked at her briefly and could tell that she was cold. Wanting to say something, but knowing that he could not change the situation Tom once again kept his council. Moving next to her now off into the forest. The tress seemed to close in on them as soon as they had gone several yards and now it was becoming increasingly difficult to see. The canopy's of the trees not allowing much light to penetrate to the forest floor, yet Kathryn still moved forward at an alarming rate. Tom was having a hard time keeping up with her as she dashed round rocks and between tress. He had no idea why she was in such a hurry, but he suspected that it had something to do with how she came to have a set of keys, and knew that the alarm had not been set that night. For now though Tom knew he would have to just follow Kathryn and hope that they stopped before one of them did themselves some serious damage.

Tuvok and B'elanna landed on Darfur just as the sun was rising, the transport their contact hand managed to get them on was the only one leaving for Darfur for the next week. Neither of them had any objection to having to leave so quickly. Tuvok had managed to contact Harry before they had to leave, his message was brief but B'elanna could tell from the tone of Harry's voice that he had received the message loud and clear.

Stepping off the transport, B'elanna and Tuvok went towards the town, hoping to find some lodgings so they could begin their search of their missing Captain and pilot. It did not take them long to find a suitable place, it was simple yet clean and most importantly somewhere they could blend in. Moving into their single room B'elanna thought nothing of sharing with Tuvok any more, they had been doing it for nearly a week now, and had proved to be the perfect cover. As she sat on the bed exhausted from the transport and all the excited energy she had built up over the discovery of the captain and Tom, the half Klingon allowed herself to collapse against the soft pillows.

"If we wish to find Captain Janeway and Lieutenant Paris we should begin our investigation immediately." Tuvok said unpacking his triquarter from his small case and slipping inside his coat pocket.

"I know and I want to find them , but I haven't slept in two days and I could really use a shower." B'elanna said which caused only a slight eyebrow arch in Tuvok before he moved towards the door.

"Then you should rest, I will go out and make some enquiries, I will not require your presence for this." Tuvok said and for a moment B'elanna thought she detected a hint of sympathy in the Vulcan's voice. As soon as she thought she heard it though he was gone and B'elanna fell back onto the bed and allowed her eyes to slip closed.

"God when we find you guys I am going to sleep for a weak." B'elanna mumbled as her body finally gave into her exhaustion and she sagged into sleep.

It was not the lack of light that finally slowed Kathryn down, it was the pain in her feet. Little stones, twigs, and god knows what else were pressing into her soles with every step and the pain had finally gone beyond what she could ignore. Finding a downed branch Kathryn perched on it and looked up at Tom with a masked expression.

"It's getting thicker, we should rest now and try to make more ground when it gets light." Kathryn said knowing that Tom knew she was lying and at this point not caring either. All she wanted from him right now was to be a good officer and follow her orders. They had already made good ground, Kathryn had estimated they had gone almost two kilometres and in this thick forest, tracking them would be near on impossible. Tom sat down next to her, and even had the decency to look grateful for the break. They had been cutting a pretty fast pace, and she knew because of the dark circles that had ringed Tom's eyes for the past few days that he had not been sleeping well. It was a state Kathryn was all too familiar with, and her own lack of sleep was not uncharted territory. Operating on no sleep was one of her strengths, but Tom was not so well versed in that particular talent.

"We should find a safe place, we are too exposed here." Kathryn said after a moments silence and Tom nodded his head. They were both well aware how ill prepared they were for going on the run, they had no food, no water, and their clothing was offering them little protection from the night time temperatures. So far the effort of running through the forest had staved off the cold, but now as they sat still the chill was beginning to seep in.

"Ok, we should find somewhere covered, get us out of this wind." Tom said looking around but not seeing anything suitable insight. Getting off the log Tom moved into the forest and continued his search. Checking back to see if he could still see Kathryn a few times, he noted that she was looking at him. Knowing she would call if he went out of sight Tom refocused his efforts on looking for some kind of cave or hollowed out tree. Moving forward once more Tom spotted an out cropping of some kind. It was too dark to make out at this distance and he moved further into the scrub.

"Tom." He heard his voice hissed through the trees and he realised that Kathryn could no longer see him. Moving back he raised his arm and beckoned her over. He watched as she got painfully to her feet. Her steps laboured and with a slight hitch in her stride, and it hurt Tom to see her like that. Pushing the thought to one side, knowing that once again he could do nothing about it, and that she would not be grateful to him for pointing it out Tom waited silently for Kathryn to join him.

"Over there I think there is some kind of cave." Tom said pointing to the darkened shape in the distance and Kathryn nodded. Moving quicker now and still in silence they approached the outcropping of racks and dirt and saw that there was in fact a small hole in the side. Kathryn crouched down and peered into the hole, but it was pitch black inside, anything could be living in there, and neither of them knew what the local wildlife was like.

"Maybe not." She said standing upright, but she was getting no argument from Tom. He didn't want to climb in their either and he quickly backed away from the dark cave. The forest suddenly seemed oppressive, not the sage haven they had both initially thought. The trees seemed to be looming in over them casting long ominous shadows in the moonlight. The floor beneath their feet felt alive with nocturnal bugs and the hissing of the wind made the leaves sound like they were whispering. Kathryn stood stick still and watched as Tom's face paled slightly and she moved towards him. Unable to simply watch him any longer, her own fears grabbing her at the pit of her stomach and refusing to let go. It was then she realised that she needed Tom as much as he needed her right now. Not thinking about it Kathryn wrapped her arms around him in a hug. Clinging on to his chilled body as her own shivered right alongside.

Tom didn't know of it was the hug, or the feeling of Kathryn's tiny frame shivering against his own, but Tom snapped out of whatever reprieve he had been in and returned her embrace. Pulling her close and trying to at least stave off the cold. Resting his head atop hers Tom was content for now to remain this way. Just knowing they were in this together was already making the dangerous sounds of the forest ebb into background noise. As his eyes focused beyond the woman in his arms Tom noticed a dip in the side of the rock face they had come across.

"Kathryn." Tom whispered as she tilted her head up to regard him with tired eyes.

"Yes." She breathed out feeling like this was going to be that conversation, the one she had been dreading since she collected Tom from his room.

"I think I found our bolt hole." Tom grinned physically spinning her around to look at the shallow cave he could see as the trees swayed in the wind and for a moment revealed their hidey hole. Kathryn's half smile was all Tom needed to move forward, pulling Kathryn along with him they moved until they were standing at the cave edge. They could see inside ok as the moonlight was less obstructed here and was shining into the cave. It was about five feet wide and maybe four high, knowing there was nothing in there Tom got down on his hands and knees and crawled inside. It was warmer in the cave, out of the wind and inside the small shell he could already feel the change in temperature. Looking behind him he could see Kathryn get to her knees and follow him. Her shadow for a moment blocked out the light until she moved next to him. The rear of the cave was maybe six feet beyond where they sat as Tom felt around for any other off shoots to the cave, making sure they were not going to be approached from behind by some animal or other. Kathryn could not see him in the dark, but she could hear him mumbling to himself about things he had found on the walls.

"I think we hit the jackpot." Tom said making Kathryn jump slightly at his proximity as he settled in beside her, his hand briefly coming into contact with her leg as he felt around for her in the darkness. Tom did not let her shy away from his touch go unnoticed, but it did go unsaid as he made a quick comment on their current find and settled down.

"Maybe we should take some time to consider our strategy, now we have found this place we can't run forever and with no food or water, we have to know we can't stay here forever either." Kathryn said almost thinking out loud now, and Tom smiled slightly, thinking he quite liked seeing this unguarded side of his Captain. Perhaps it was the darkness, the lack of being able to see who they were talking to. or maybe it was the simple fact that they were alone, but Tom felt the words slipping from his mouth before he could prevent them from doing so.

"I never wanted to rape you Kathryn, I never wanted to see that look on your face because of something I had done." Tom said and as Kathryn's voice filled the darkness that surrounded them Tom found himself silencing her so he could continue.

"No let me say this before I go insane. I was given a choice, Elderon told me I could either go down to you and.." his voice trailed off and Kathryn's hand on his own let him know he did not have to say the word.

"Or I could watch him do it, but I was not allowed to speak to you, and I only had fifteen minutes, it's not an excuse, but I needed you to know why." Tom said feeling his own hot tears running down his face as Kathryn's thumb brushed against his hand in a soothing manner.

"I'm glad it was you Tom." Kathryn said into the darkness, her voice coming out unusually quite as Tom turned his face so he was sure he was looking at her. He could see her shadow slightly as the light outside their small cave began to brighten as dawn approached. For a moment Tom was shocked by her words, he had been sure she had felt betrayed by him, but the feel of her entwining her fingers within his own and the shift of her eyes to his let Tom know she was telling the truth.

"If it had been Elderon I am not sure I could have survived that in tacked." Kathryn admitted and she was now grateful for the darkness, it hid her silent tears at what had been done to them, what Elderon had tried to do.

"He was trying to put a wedge between us, he thought if I hated you enough I would give myself to him. I guess he under estimated how close we have become over the past few years." Kathryn said a slight caution to her voice as she spoke. Tom's hand tightened on hers slightly and Kathryn released the breath she didn't even know she had been holding.

"So did I." Tom replied as the wind rushed past outside and Kathryn gave a small shudder at the thought of it. Tom immediately and without thought pulled her closer to him, pulling her body almost onto his lap and leaning back against the cave wall.

"Sleep now yeah, and when we wake up we can talk about what to do next." Tom said already feeling better now Kathryn was willingly resting against him, her breathing caressing the exposed skin on his neck as she rested her head further on to him.

"Are you giving me an order Lieutenant?" Kathryn said her voice full of humour as she spoke, but it did not mask her weariness completely.

"If that's what it takes to get you to sleep then yes Captain it is." Tom said emphasising her rank as a gesture of humour as well, but the slight shaking of her head was the only reply and so Tom allowed his own eyes to slip closed and for the first time in a long time he body fell into contented sleep.

Hope that was worth the wait. So they are free, and on the run just as the rescue party arrive. What will I put them through next? As ever all feedback is welcomed and I love to read it, thank you for reading XxX


	14. Chapter 14

First off thank you all for your wonderful reviews I am so glad people are enjoying this story, so without further ado here is the next instalment.

As the chill of the night slowly bled away giving way to the warmth of the day, the two people sleeping lightly inside the small cave began to stir. The light trickling in through the opening of the cave hitting their eyes and alerting them to the breaking dawn. Yet neither it appeared seemed to be in any hurry to awaken. It was rare to have a moment like this, when they could chose to move or remain where they were. Usually they were thrown from their bed, half-dressed and running on adrenalin because of some crisis. Or woken by the alarm knowing that duty and friends were relying on them to get up and start the day's work. Now though all that required their presence was each other. No wail of sirens or shouting of voices brought them unbidden in to the wold, and still they stirred only to move closer to one another. Allowing the sunlight to leach in and warm their chilled skin. The temptation to stay hidden was far too great in the early hours to truly battle it, even for a Starfleet captain one who had not often found solace in sleep. She did so now, in the warm embrace of her chief helms man, a man she had never thought so simply of.

Tom Paris had never just been another officer, he had been her mentors son. Then he had shown integrity beyond his years when owing up to a lie. Kathryn had found him again, damaged but not beyond repair, and repair he did, beyond anything she could have imagined, finding that strength of will he had never lost only misplaced to be loyal, to trust, to become a valued member of her crew, and to finally find him sitting next to her now. Damaged but not beyond repair, both of them finding the strength within one another to keep on fighting. And yet they still did not move and both of them wondered, in the still of the morning, when nothing seemed to be stirring around them, if this was it. If this was all they had left. To die on some planet thousands of light years from home. Neither of them wanted to believe that, but both took comfort in the thought that they would at least die free.

Tuvok managed to locate a man who knew about the humans that had been brought to Darfur. He was a local shop keeper, who had seen the Captain out and about with her master only yesterday. He was also able to provide a name for the man who had purchased the humans, and an address. Now as Tuvok flitted through the ever more populated streets of the Darfurian capital he kept his eyes peeled for any sign of his Captains return. Having bribed the shop keeper to keep quiet about his inquiry Tuvok was confident that he and B'elanna could get to this Lord Elderon's house without the man in question being aware of their visit.

Pushing open the door to their room, Tuvok noticed the sleeping woman immediately, and for a moment felt the pang of sleep gnaw at him. It was at times like these when he felt his logic as wise as it was, needed balancing out by what humans referred to as gut instinct. He knew trying to carry out their plan whilst they were both tired was not the best choice, but also waiting may prove costly to their two kidnapped officers. Tuvok sat in the chair opposite the bed and closed his eyes, allowing his mind to wonder into meditation, not only would it sharpen his logic for what he knew would be an upcoming battle, but also give him chance to finalise his plans. Cracking open one eye briefly he saw that B'elanna slept on soundly, with the barest hint of a smile, that on anyone else would have been a full blown grin Tuvok closed his eye again, knowing that a rested Klingon, was a useful Klingon.

When Kathryn finally roused herself to full consciousness she could barely remember having woken up earlier. Her thoughts at the time seemed like a jumble of dreams and images that she could now only touch with her fingertips, and were still drifting away at warp speed. Her movement woke up her sleeping partner, as he turned onto his side and looked across at Kathryn as she pulled her body into a sitting position. The cave celling was too low to really stand, and her knees hurt from crawling around last night. Crossing her legs Kathryn looked down into Tom's blue eyes and she offered him a half smile. His returning grin eased her mind a little after last night's confession and now in the stark light of day, their talk seemed oh so long ago.

It was, as so often was the case Kathryn who spoke first, her voice slightly horse from being dehydrated and unused.

"Our first priority is to find water, we have nothing to carry it in, so if we do find a stream or river, I suggest we stick close to it." She said her voice echoing slightly inside the cave, even at its diminished volume.

"Agreed, but do you think we should wait until night fall. Moving in the daylight will make us far easier to spot." Tom said sitting up beside her and keeping half an eye on the entrance. This cave was a great hiding place, but if they were found, they would be like rats in a barrel, the urge to move, now almost as strong as the urge to stay.

"We could, but I don't know about you I am very thirsty, and the more dehydrated we get, the more it will affect our ability to move quickly." Kathryn said in a moment of trust she rarely displayed to anyone. Usually she would flat out deny any weakness, any need or pain of her own, but now she was all out of barriers, and for once she felt like she didn't need them anyway. Tom would have seen straight though her the moment the lie had left her lips. Now all she received was a small nod of understanding.

"Then we go now, it will be easier to spot any stream or river in the daylight anyway, and perhaps another place to stay for the night as well. I don't know about you, but this cave smells like something crawled in here and died." Tom said smiling as he started to crawl forward, his attempts to lighten the mood were appreciated by Kathryn, who placed her hand on his shoulder as he went passed her. The small and familiar gesture was not lost on Tom as he finally stood upright in the sunshine and looked around.

Kathryn crawled out next to him and stood painfully upright, once again ignoring the sting of her throbbing feet she too looked around, for a moment deciding on which direction to travel in. The only way they wouldn't be going was behind them, the rest was open to option. The one thing Kathryn had learnt in her time as a Captain was that even if she was unsure of her own decision, she must never let anyone else know that. Make a choice and follow it with utter conviction, display at least the image of knowing what you are doing even of you don't. And if you're wrong stand up and be counted for your actions.

"This way." She said quickly pointing towards a slightly more open part of the forest as Tom simply nodded and followed her through the undergrowth. He watched her walk ahead of his, his eyes lingering on her shortened stride and the obvious pain in her movements. He was sore and stiff too, a night spent on the run, and a few hours sleeping on hard dirty ground had done his body no good at all. But Kathryn was obviously suffering more. He could see the holes in her soft shoes as she walked onwards. Her feet beneath looked red and sore and with every stride he felt for her, and yet she carried on, her mouth not uttering a single word of complaint as they trudged through the forest. As the silence between them stretched on Tom lingered on the thought of Kathryn's strength. Most of the crew knew she was a strong and iron willed woman, but he suspected not many of them knew just how strong she really was. He now counted himself among the lucky few, but for some reason at that moment he didn't feel so lucky. Tom had no desire to see Kathryn at the bitter edge of defeat, struggling both mentally and physically with the predicament they had found themselves in. He had seen it twice now, once when he had entered her in that dusty dark basement, and here now as she turned to look at him as the sun rose high in the sky and poured light down through the canopy of the forest.

Kathryn's body was giving up, her feet were throbbing with every stride and her vision was swimming in front of her. Her tongue felt like a dry lump in her mouth, and her lips cracked and parched. Kathryn was no fool, she knew dehydration was kicking in, and she knew Tom wouldn't be far behind her in succumbing to the lack of water. Pushing on through sheer will alone Kathryn could no longer look back to see if Tom was following her. Not only could see not subject herself to his gaze any more, but also she knew if she did not watch where she was going, she would likely stumble, and fail to get up again.

"Kathryn" Tom hissed as she pushed through some bushes and she froze immediately. The tone of his voice suggested caution, and Kathryn always trusted Tom's instincts.

"What is it." She asked turning slowly to observe Tom staring out into the forest. His posture suggested he was listening for something off in the distance, but when she strained to hear, Kathryn could detect nothing.

"Water I am sure of it." Tom said after a moment's pause as he moved off to the right of their position and slightly downhill. Without question Kathryn followed him, she could not here running water herself, but right now she wasn't inclined to trust her own senses. Her eyesight was not so reliable at the moment, so why should her hearing be any different. As she almost skidded down the hillside, as the shallow incline became steeper Kathryn finally spotted what Tom had heard all the way up on the ridge. A formation of rocks surrounded a small lagoon, filled with clear water, kept fresh and cool by the waterfall on its furthest banks. The water cascaded down the rocks, creating a mist of dancing rainbows at the base. Kathryn didn't think she had seen anything more beautiful in her life. Until that was Tom turned to her and smiled. It was a smile he reserved only for her, she remembered the first time she saw it when she had found him after the Caretaker mission and told him she trusted him to fly her ship home. Now that smile graced his face again as they both made a run for the water. Bending down side by side to fill their mouths with its cool refreshing liquid.

It was several minutes before either of them could talk again, the excitement of finding this place and the frantic drinking had left them both somewhat breathless. Now Kathryn stood and without second thought removed her dress. Wading straight into the water and allowing it to cool her from head to toe she ducked under and submerged herself completely. The silence of the water gave her enough time to calm her thoughts, and as she rose up to find Tom still stood on the embankment in total shock, she grinned up at him.

"Come on in, the water is fantastic." She said standing in the chest deep water and allowing the drips to run off her hair and the end of her nose unobstructed. For a moment Tom looked doubtful, not about what she had said about the water, but about joining her once more so unclothed. His pause lasted just a moment though as he stripped to his underwear and waded into the lagoon and sunk down to swim towards her. Tom loved the feeling of the water on his aching muscles, it also did wonders for alleviating the itch the cave floor had left from sleeping on it.

"God this is heaven, if you forget we are on the run." Tom said gliding around Kathryn as she watched him from her previous position. Tom's statement seemed less ominous now as she finally joined him in a slow swim towards the waterfall and she chose to take it in the context with which it was delivered.

"Yeah, we could just pretend we are on shore leave, enjoying the simple hospitality of the planet we are currently visiting." She said pulling up next to Tom as he swam breast stroke and looked sideways at her.

"Bajour, that's where this place reminds me of." Tom said as they reached the base of the waterfall and Tom stood up, the water coming up to his chin as Kathryn had to tread water next to him. Tom reached out and took hold of her arm, supporting her and allowing her to simply float in the drift of the current produced by the waterfall.

"Yeah I can see the resemblance." Kathryn replied as she allowed Tom to hold her as she looked around the place they had discovered. It was like an oasis, and they could not have been more grateful.

"Kathryn, how did you get out of your room last night, and get Elderon's keys." Tom said and Kathryn went to pull away from his grasp but Tom did not let go. It was obvious that he was no longer going to let her run from this. He had shared with her his secret last night, and now it seemed like it was her turn to share with him. Turning her eyes up to his Kathryn squared her shoulders and tilted her chin so it protruded out of the water and gave him a defiant look.

"Does it matter, we are here, we are free." She said this time using Tom's own hesitation to question her to pull herself free. Swimming quickly to the out cropping of rocks she pulled herself out of the water and stood. Tom turned to look at her, water cascading down her body in rivers as she rang the worst of the moisture out of her hair. His eyes drawn down the length of her body, only clad in a pair of flimsy pale blue underwear. He couldn't help but follow a drop of water that ran from the hollow at her throat down between her breasts. Pooling at the underwire of her bra to then fall down and land on her thigh. His staring was finally noticed as Kathryn looked down at him pushing her wet hair from her face and placing her hands on her hips.

Tom had not looked up from her thigh where the drop of water had landed and continued on its journey towards the ground. He had seen the deep bruise on her thigh, an obvious hand print one on the left leg, and the other on her right hip.

"Kathryn." Tom said his voice small as he walked towards her and climbed up upon the rock with her. Kathryn remained frozen by his gaze, she had been unaware of the bruises, but now there placement was something she could not avoid. Tom had already guessed what had happened last night, he had guessed before he had seen the bruises, but had denied even to himself what he already knew was the truth.

"It's nothing, they don't hurt." Kathryn said trying to down play there significance and turning from him with every intention of walking around the lagoon to collect her clothes she was stopped by two hands on her shoulders.

"Kathryn wait, please tell me what happened I have to know." Tom said turning her around so she was facing him once more. His hands still clung to her shoulders, but the pressure was one of reassurance, not control and Kathryn let out a long breath. She knew Tom was thinking she had been raped, her continued silence would only reinforce that belief. Telling him what had happened now was probably the better option. Even if it was the hardest things she had ever done.

"Elderon came back with me to my room last night. He demanded my obedience, I wouldn't grant him it." Kathryn said with a small smile, Tom did not return it however and so Kathryn continued.

"I hit him, punched him straight in the jaw in fact, but he got me down onto the bed. He was strong Tom, stronger than me, and I thought that this was it, that he was finally going to have his way." Kathryn took a chance looking at Tom, but only saw compassion in his eyes. His hands remained steady on her shoulders so she continued.

"He only managed to violate me with his fingers before the sleeping herbs kicked in. I didn't stick around long after that. I grabbed some clothes and his keys and came to get you, I think under the circumstances I should consider myself lucky." Kathryn said as this time Tom's hands fell from her shoulders, for a moment Kathryn felt dirty, that Tom could no longer touch her after what she had just told him. The feeling lasted but for a moment though as Tom's arms enveloped her and he pulled her flush against his body.

"You should never have had to go through any of this, all you have sacrificed for me, the crew and these people treat you like nothing more than an object, they have no idea Kathryn, but I would love to show them one day." Tom said speaking into her hair as he rested his head on her shoulder and pulling her so tightly against him that she was fighting to breath. Whether it was relief that Elderon had not managed to complete his task, or guilt that he had even gotten the chance Kathryn did not know, she was simply content to let Tom hold her.

As his hand on her back began to wonder across her skin Kathryn felt the shift in the embrace from supportive to something far more dangerous. It was not until then she realised that her own treacherous hands had started the shift in mood. One had wondered down to rest on Tom's lower back while the other was rubbing small circles between his shoulder blades. Her nose had found its way into the crook of his neck and she was now inhaling his sent. For an instant she was again on Voyager, he smelt of home, safe inviting and warm. Yet there was something else too, a masculine sent that had her stomach doing flip flops as Tom's lips found her neck. Tilting her head to give him better access Kathryn allowed a small sigh to escape her lips as his caressed her skin.

"Help me forget him Tom." Kathryn whispered as Tom's lips found her ear and her hands went around his neck.

"I only want to remember you when I close my eyes." She said briefly glancing up into his impossibly close blue orbs as they fluttered shut, his mouth finally descending upon hers. Their lips joined in heated kisses as his hands rested on her hips, pulling their lower regions closer as they stood on the sun drying rock. Their skin now over heated again, but not because of the sun rapidly descending behind where the stood locked in one another's embrace.

This time it was Tom who moved first, removing his lips from Kathryn's and sucking in much needed oxygen, he could have stayed like that forever if his lungs would have allowed it, but also he could feel the chill of the breeze now blowing into their little paradise. Pulling Kathryn down from the rock and onto the grassy embankment he smiled as she followed him willingly, allowing him this moment to be in control as he moved them under the cover of a tree. Pushing her against it he placed his lips over hers once more, without hesitation this time he placed a hand on her breast and smiled against her mouth as she pushed back into his touch. Her reactions were so different from the time before. Her whimpers were not that of discomfort but unchecked passion. Her hands lowered to cup his behind, pulling him to her as her legs spread slightly to allow him to slip his thigh in between them.

"God Kathryn." He mumbled against the side of her neck as his lips began to trace the path of the water drop he had watched earlier. Landing his lips finally on the bruises around her hip and thigh, kissing away the dark memories they brought forth.

Finally they lay down in the grass, his hands gliding over her body so softly Kathryn was almost panting with need when he finally removed their clothes and settled between her legs. For a moment they looked at one another not speaking, just savouring the moment, allowing all those late night fantasy's neither of them thought would ever become reality to come to the for front of their minds.

"I would do anything for you, I want you to know that." Tom said as he pushed Kathryn's hair way from her face in a tender gesture that did not mimic the intimate position that they were in.

"I know you would, and know this Tom, I will give everything for my crew, but for you and you alone, I will give all that I am." Kathryn replied as Tom finally sunk into her as her legs wrapped around his waist and encouraged him to take everything she had offered.

Well hope that was worth it, I know there was not a lot of action in this chapter but there will be more to come. As ever reviews inspire so let me know if you liked this instalment, or not as the case maybe. Thank you for reading XxX


	15. Chapter 15

Thank you for all the reviews they have inspired me onwards.

When Kathryn awoke she opened her eyes slightly to see the sun glinting through the foliage of the tree above her. She could here Tom's gentle breathing beside her and she sighed with long forgotten contentment. For the briefest of moments she forgot what had happened to them over the last week, in fact it didn't even really seem to matter. The thought surprised her for a moment and rolling onto her side she looked down at Tom who slept on peacefully. She did not envy him his ability to fall into such a relaxed state, even though her own moments were fleeting, she took simple pleasure in watching him.

Seeming to feel eyes on him Tom opened one eyes and looked up at Kathryn, seeing the smile on her face as she looked back at him Tom opened both eyes and allowed a smile to grace his lips.

"I would gladly live out my lie in this forest if I could wake up to that every day." Tom said as Kathryn's face broke out in to a fully fledge grin as Tom sat up and placed his lips softly over hers. It was a brief touch, but meant as much as the fevered kisses that had proceeded it. It was however as Tom's lips left Kathryn's, that the weight of their situation began to once again crash down upon her. As much as they had needed this time, almost craved it in fact the reality was they were in trouble.

Tom seemed to sense the shift in mood as soon as Kathryn moved away from him, he knew if he was ever going to keep their relationship together he would have to be able to switch off Tom and go into Lieutenant Paris in an instant.

"We have to move Tom, we need to find food and shelter for the night. I suggest we make as much ground as possible before we lose the daylight." Kathryn said knowing that Tom would do as she asked; she could see it in the way he was looking at her now. It was not the hooded lovers' gaze she had received upon his awakening, but that of her loyal helmsman.

"Ok well. I am guessing where there are trees there is fruit, so maybe we should start scanning the area for some." Tom said pulling on his clothes and ignoring Kathryn's disappearing figure as she pulled on her dress. He knew there would be time later for thinking about such things again, but for right now there was no option but to get moving.

Gathering up their meagre belongings Kathryn and Tom hiked up the embankment towards the ridge where they had first spotted the lagoon. It was pretty slippery and the dirt underfoot kept crumbling beneath their feet. By the time they had reached the top, both of them were out of breath, sucking in the humid air through clenched teeth as both their bodies ached in protest to the last few day's activities.

Tom glanced at Kathryn as she placed her hands on her thighs and hung her head low. He could see her breathing rapidly and for a moment he wondered if she was going to faint. Neither of them had eaten for over twenty four hours and Kathryn had almost no body fat to use as reserves.

"Are you ok?" Tom questioned as Kathryn raised her head and nodded slowly. Tom was concerned about the pallor of Kathryn's skin, but she stood upright and squared her shoulders. Tom couldn't help but remember all the times he had seen her do that. Stand up and continue on, even though she was hurting.

"I was just a little dizzy, better now." She said knowing that Tom was unlikely to let it drop unless she gave him an explanation. It wasn't like she could hide the fact that she had almost collapsed at the top of the hill, and she also knew Tom wouldn't think any less of her. Moving onwards now Kathryn let Tom lead the way, as she watched him move through the trees she now understood her feeling of not caring down under that tree. Out here there was only the pair of them to be concerned about, and she knew Tom understood her, probably better than anyone else on Voyager. It was one of the reasons they had gotten along so well. He was the one person she could be herself with, without fear of losing her tough as nails Captain status. As they walked along now Kathryn's thoughts turned to what if's. If they got back what would it mean for her and Tom? Could they have a relationship when she was once again in command of her ship? What if they never made it back, would they be able to survive out here, with nothing but each other? The thoughts had made her pause without realising it. Looking up now she realised that Tom had gotten a fair distance from her and she called to him.

"Tom hang on a moment." As the words left her lips she saw him turn to her, his smile fell from his face as Kathryn felt strong arms wrap around her midsection. Kicking a struggling Kathryn tried to strike the person who was holding on to her so tightly she could hardly breathe. Her attempts were however to no avail as Tom made his way back to her cautiously as Kathryn turned to see Kaylore looking down at her in his arms.

"Stop right there Tom." Elderon demanded and Kathryn jumped at the sound of his voice. She could not see him from her position, but from the look on Tom's face, and his abrupt halt Kathryn knew this wasn't going to be good.

"Thought you could get away a, drugs Kathryn now that was a low blow, when I trusted you." Elderon said now coming around so he was now in Kathryn field of vision. She could see the phaser in his hand and it was pointed at Tom.

"Worked didn't it." Kathryn spat at him but Elderon held up a finger to his lips as he moved across the forest to stand beside Tom and pointed the gun at his head.

"No it didn't. As you can see Kathryn I always win." Elderon said as he raised the phaser and looked at Kathryn before turning his attention to Tom. Kathryn watched as Elderon's finger twitched on the trigger and she heard the sound of Tom's name slip from her lips.

As Tuvok and B'elanna walked up the gravel drive they approached with caution, not wanting to been seen until the last moment, they knew all they would need would be the door opened, and conformation that their officers were inside.

Getting to the door unobserved, B'elanna knocked on the wood, while Tuvok stood out of site ready to pounce as soon as B'elanna gave him the nod. But as the silence continued and B'elanna knocked again Tuvok moved out of the shadows and pressed his face up against the glass.

"I believe no one his home." He said moving around the building followed by B'elanna. Keeping low in case the house wasn't as empty as they suspected they came to a rear entrance. Trying the door handle Tuvok was surprised to find it open. Turning to B'elanna with a slight raise of his eyebrow the half Klingon smiled slightly as they crept into the kitchen.

Moving swiftly through the house they soon discovered that it was indeed empty, and whoever was here had left in a hurry. Not only was the back door open, but also clothes seemed to be thrown around a couple of the bedrooms and draws and cupboards left ajar.

"Do you think they got out?" B'elanna said picking up a torn dress from the floor of the room they were in. Tuvok's replying silence was enough to tell B'elanna that whatever had happened in this room was probably the reason for the empty house now.

"Do you think we should try to find them?" B'elanna said throwing the dress to the floor and suddenly becoming impatient. Tuvok was a great tactician, but he was infuriating at times.

"No I think we should wait. If Captain Janeway and Mr Paris have managed to escape, we should contact Harry and find out if we can locate them from the shuttle. If they have not escaped they will be returning here and our presence here will be unsuspected." Tuvok said moving to exit the room as B'elanna followed him out and down the staircase.

"You mean we will have the element of surprise." B'elanna smirked slightly as Tuvok turned to her when he reached the base of the stairs.

"Indeed."

Kathryn watched as the phaser blast struck Tom in the chest, he seemed to fly backwards in slow motion the sound of his body hitting the ground reverberating in Kathryn's ears. He had been looking at her as he fell, his eyes never leaving hers as the pain shot though his expression. Kathryn slammed her eyes shut as Elderon turned from Tom's prone body and moved towards Kathryn.

"You gave me no choice, I see now I made a mistake in ever trusting you, thinking I could make you mine by keeping you happy." Elderon snarled as Kathryn tilted her head up to him and spat in his face.

"I was already taken." She hissed as her eyes glanced at Tom and she felt the tears brewing behind her eyes. Refusing to let them fall she took in a deep shaky breath and stared at Elderon, her body was shaking all over, but not from fear but anger.

"Kill me do it!" Kathryn shouted as Elderon raised his phaser once more and a rueful smile appeared in his face. His fingers whipping away the spit that had landed there, he looked down at it before whipping it on his tunic.

"No Kathryn, killing you would be too easy." He said lowering the phaser again and giving Kaylore a small nod, and he dropped Kathryn all of a sudden. The unexpected release made Kathryn crumple to the floor. Regaining her footing quickly she sprang to her feet and stood facing Elderon, now free she knew she had two options. Stand and fight, or run and hide. Her logical mind was telling her to run, to live to fight another day, maybe even make it back to her crew. But the louder more reckless side of her mind was telling her to fight, to not let this man get away with killing Tom.

"You want me Elderon, come and get me." Kathryn said looking behind her for a moment at Kaylore. He had backed off and from what Kathryn could tell would not be getting in the way.

"Oh I will, but remember my dear Kathryn you asked for it." Elderon said hunkering down slightly and coiling himself like a snake. Kathryn saw the attack coming, as Elderon launched himself towards her Kathryn jumped left and swung her leg around in an arch, catching Elderon between the shoulder blades. She saw him stumble slightly but he did not go down. Readying herself for another attack, Kathryn held her hands out in front of her. Fists clenched as tightly as her stomach as she spotted Tom out of the corner of her eye. She saw how pale he was, how lifeless his body, and for a second she was distracted. The next moment she was crashing to the ground, her shoulder taking the brunt of the impact. Elderon landed heavily on her body, knocking the wind out of her. Kathryn gasped for breath as Elderon slammed his fist into her face, whipping her head to the side as blood flew from her split lip. Kathryn did not feel pain however, her body seemed to have gone numb, she could feel Elderon straddling her thighs and his hands holding on to her throat but she didn't panic. Bringing her knee up she hit him squarely in the crotch and Elderon fell backwards.

Kathryn rolled up and got to her feet, sending a kick into Elderon's ribs she smiled when he grunted, trying to hold on to his injured body parts and cover himself at the same time. Kathryn let fly another kick, catching Elderon under the jaw his head snapped back with a satisfying crunch. Panting for breath and squaring her shoulders once more Kathryn looked at Kaylore who seemed concerned for his master, but did not move.

"Is that all you have got. You always under estimated me Elderon, you thought I was some weak woman, only here to please and serve you. I told you when we met who I am. I am Captain Kathryn Janeway of the federation starship Voyager and you messed with the wrong woman." Kathryn yelled the last part as she smashed her foot in to Elderon's face as pain blasted through her side.

Hitting the ground was the last thing Kathryn remembered until she opened her eyes now. The pain in her side was bad, and her vision was still a little unfocused. She could feel leaves and twigs beneath her dirt covered body and she knew she was still in the forest. Turning her head slightly she could see Tom's body still lying in the dirt where he had fallen. His face was partially covered with leaves, and was turned towards her. Kathryn was grateful that his eyes were closed, he would never have to see her like this. She could feel the breath of wind against her bare legs and the presence of someone kneeling down beside her.

"Oh Kathryn, you never listen do you." Elderon said as he placed his hand on her neck and held her head down in the dirt. Pressing his chest to her back Kathryn could feel his free hand run up her leg. She couldn't stop him she had no more to give. Her body had gone numb again, and as he parted her thighs Kathryn looked over at Tom, a single tear ran down her face as Elderon finally got what he wanted. Kathryn held in the whimper that wanted to fall from her lips as she was pushed against the hard prickly ground. She could here Elderon's laboured breathing as he panted into her ear. Clutching on to her hair her pulled her up off the ground, and this time Kathryn could not hold in her scream of pain as her hair was virtually ripped from her scalp as he ripped her inside and out.

"Mine, not his, never again." Elderon grunted as he finally stilled behind her and threw Kathryn to the ground and she turned her face so she could see Tom again. Kathryn knew just the sight of his face would give her strength, but as her vision finally focused on his form she noticed that his eyes were now open.

Ok I know it's not the longest chapter in the world, but it was hard going. I have been sitting here for hours wondering how to write this scene, I hope it came out ok. Please let me know how I did and thank you for reading XxX.


	16. Chapter 16

Thank you gentle readers for all your reviews, please enjoy this next instalment.

As Kathryn lay there unmoving on the forest floor, she looked upon Tom's open eyes, it was not the blank stare of a person she believed was dead. His eyes sought hers amongst the leaves, barely moving, but enough to cause her heart to pause in its methodical rhythm. For a moment the blood stopped pounding through her veins. The wind even seemed to cease caressing her exposed skin, and the world stood still but for one moment. Her own shuddering breath was the only sound as she finally inhaled much needed oxygen, the pressure of Elderon's hand on her neck eased as he moved away from her. Kathryn did not attempt to get up, her eyes fixed on the man lying before her, his eyes also fixed on the view before him, unwavering in its intensity. Yet even now, Kathryn knew she should not alert anyone to Tom's recovery.

"Take him back to the house, I will see to Kathryn." Elderon said from somewhere behind her, as Kathryn felt strong hands grip her under the armpits and raise her from the floor. Her dirtied and bloodied dress hung limp from her shoulders as it fell back into place. She made no attempt to struggle, watching as Kaylore bent down to pick up Tom's body as he lay there lifeless before him.

"Not a strong as you perhaps believed a Captain." Elderon said biting out her rank like it was a bad taste in his mouth. Kathryn turned now to look at him, as he griped her upper arm firmly. She saw his smashed nose, and the dried blood that had leaked down his chin and on to his tunic.

"It seems you did not get away so lightly yourself." She said quietly back as she turned back to watch as Kaylore bent low in order to pull Tom from the floor. The scoff that came from Elderon was ignored as Tom's arm shot up and gripped Kaylore around the throat. Kathryn jumped in Elderon's grip, causing the man to almost lose his newest prize before he held her with his other arm tightly to him. Kathryn struggled to free herself, but she was weak, and sore, her attempts did little to break the hold Elderon had on her. Tom's grip however was having an effect.

Getting up to one knee Tom dug his fingers into Kaylore's exposed throat. The wheezing noise coming from the Validian was proof enough that Tom's grip was cutting off the man's oxygen supply. Gaining more leverage as he stood up he placed his other hand around Kaylore's throat and squeezed. Kaylore dropped to both knees, trying to pull Tom's hands away, but as his vision swam, and his breath gave out he lost more strength.

"This is for shooting my Captain." Tom bit out as Kaylore finally fell to the floor, his eyes open in a wide stare. Tom turned to Elderon who was holding Kathryn tight to him as she struggled to free herself.

"Should have set that phaser to kill." Elderon said calmly as he didn't even glance at his former servant. A man who had probably saved his life, but Elderon believed was replaceable. His eyes focused on Tom as he moved forward, slightly hunched and blue eyes locked like steal on him.

"Looks like it, now let her go." Tom demanded, but his demands fell short of the mark, he had no weapon, and Elderon still had Kathryn. Tom did not want to look at her. He had seen what had happened not a few moments ago, and he could see the look of defeat in her eyes. Oh she had hid it well, when she noticed him looking back. Almost well enough for Tom to believe he had simply imagined it. He did not want to shatter that illusion now as he stood here looking at Elderon, the smug smile on his face not faltering as Tom got closer. An icy wind blew through them, the first signal that Darfur's cold night was approaching. Neither man moved as the trees that surrounded them whispered in the wind. Tom could only guess the tales these old trees had to tell, and he knew that what happened today would never be forgotten by anyone who was present.

"I don't think so Tom, it is you who needs to give up now." Elderon said finally breaking the silence that had descended upon them. His arm wrapping around Kathryn's neck in a choke that caused her to gasp for breath. Now Tom's eyes flitted to her face, the defeat he thought he would find there was however not present. Her eyes shone bright in the fading light, defiant until the end. Her brows knitted together in anger as she struggled to pull air into her lungs as Elderon's grip tightened around her throat.

"Run Tom, get away." Kathryn gasped through clenched teeth as Tom stood stock still and locked gaze with Elderon once more. His almost unperceivable shake of the head signalled his refusal to follow her command. The short laugh that came from Elderon made Kathryn grit her teeth as his grip around her throat loosen slightly as she could breathe a little easier.

"Looks like you have lost your command for respect entirely, even a man who would do anything for you won't follow your orders now." Elderon said and Kathryn saw red, her blood now pumped through her veins as she kicked backwards and caught Elderon in the shin. He staggered backwards slightly, his loosened grip now almost slipping as Kathryn wrenched her body away from him.

Tom sprang forward seeing his opportunity to strike he leapt on Elderon and smashed him into the nearest tree. Tom's head hitting with a sickening thud as Elderon's shoulder also smashed into the bark. He had sidestepped just enough however to throw Tom off balance. Kathryn was thrown from the pair, narrowly missing the tree entirely, but landing on her hands and knees mere feet from Elderon.

Scrabbling up to her feet she turned, her intention was to kick Elderon before he could regain his footing, but she was too slow. The momentum of Tom throwing them all forward had given Elderon a running head start. He virtually landed on Kathryn, catching her around the middle and forcing her to the floor once more. Kathryn tried to roll through the attack, but she was stopped by another tree. Her ribs, already bruised from earlier were again smashed against hard wood, and her breath caught in her throat. Feeling the need to breathe but unable to do so Kathryn grabbed her stomach and bent forward. Closing her eyes as she felt Elderon haul her to her feet again. This time she just hung against him. Her paralysis finally abating, allowing her lungs to fill once more, as she opened her eyes to survey the damage.

Tom was climbing to his knees, blood ran down the side of his face, a deep cut located just above his left eye was the cause of the horrifying look he was currently supporting. Tom's hand came up to wipe at the blood that had impaired his vision. As he now looked unobstructed at Elderon he saw the man was once again smiling. Tom looked at Kathryn who was gasping for breath and almost hanging from her arm, which was currently being held by Elderon. The pain in his head caused Tom to stagger slightly as Elderon held up one hand and Tom stopped moving forwards.

"Enough, this ends now, either you come with me quietly, or I will kill Kathryn right here." There was not a hint of irony as Elderon delivered his warning, and Tom was in the mind to believe him.

B'elanna paced the floor of the grand hall way, that had not seen or heard anyone since their arrival and it was starting to get dark. Tuvok stood in a shadowed corner, his eyes open but his mind quite as he waited.

"I don't like this, something is very wrong here." B'elanna said and for once Tuvok was inclined to listen. It was that intuition that humans, Klingon's and other emotional species tended to rely on. Although Tuvok knew it was not the most logical reasoning, in his many years he had grown to trust certain impulses his crewmates had. This was one of those times. B'elanna had come to stop beside his, her dark eyes looking up at him through the gloom. Tuvok looked back at her and nodded his head slowly.

"It seems we have a choice to make, we either remain here or we look for the Captain and Lieutenant" Tuvok stated in his monotone voice, one that was starting to grate on B'elanna's already frayed nerves. If there was one thing Klingons did not do well it was wait.

"Then I say we go look for them." B'elanna replied without hesitation, but her haste was cut short by Tuvok reply.

"In which direction do you suggest we go? Tracking at night is hard enough, but in terrain we do not know, it would be virtually impossible." B'elanna shot her head back round to look at her stoic companion. She knew deep down that he was right, Tuvok often was, not that she had ever said that out loud, well not to his face at least. She deflated slightly, letting out a long slow breath, folding her arms across her chest she tilted her head up and regarded Tuvok with a steely gaze.

"What do you suggest then?" she enquired as Tuvok stepped out of the shadows and moved towards the stairs.

"Further investigation." He stated before heading up into the gloom of the upper level. B'elanna threw her hands into the air, but said nothing quietly following Tuvok; she just hoped that while they were investigating her friend and her Captain were not in too much trouble.

Tom had no choice, he didn't care what happened to himself, but he would not risk Kathryn's life. They had only just found one another, losing her now would be a blow he was sure never to recover from.

"Tom, please." Kathryn hissed as she stood upright once more and gave Elderon a quick glare before turning her eyes back to Tom. He did not look at her, his gaze was focused on Elderon who had pulled a knife from his belt and was holding it at waist height. Kathryn felt no fear at her own death, but she felt a shiver of dread creep through her as Elderon pointed the knife at Tom and told him to move forward. Tom did as he was asked, moving in front of Elderon and leading the way back through the forest.

"We will have to camp for the night, it is too far to make it back now." Elderon said pushing Kathryn through the forest as she stumbled over the uneven ground. Without the use of one arm it was hard to maintain her balance. Tom had not looked back at them since he started his march, he knew Elderon could kill Kathryn in an instant. Tom could wait for now, while they were walking Kathryn was in no real danger, Tom knew he just had to bide his time, there would be an opportunity he was sure of it, but for now he was going to play along with Elderon's little game.

As night descended upon them properly, and the cold was now starting to make them all shiver and brace themselves against the wind Tom walked into a small clearing. A large formation of rocks surrounded one side of the clearing, and trees the other. He paused now looking back over his shoulder, his saw Elderon with Kathryn not a few paces behind him. He now looked at his Captain and he could clearly see the pain written over her face. He remembered the glassy look that had come across her on the forest floor. Her scream of pain that had woken him from his stunned state, and he was for an instant taken back to that moment in the basement. Now he looked upon that differently, no longer did he see her pained face, he saw her eyes, her look telling him that she understood. As her head tipped up to his now he saw pain again, her Captain's mask no longer strong enough to hide it from his gaze. Tom decided that however much it hurt him to see her in pain, it was far better than that glassy look she had lying on the forest floor. He had believed for a moment that Kathryn had gone, and all that was left in her place was a shell. It reminded him of his father in those first few months after the Cardassians. Tom had never wanted to see that look on anyone's face again.

"We will stop here." Elderon said grabbing Kathryn and pulling a rope from his hip and forcing her hands together. Biding her to a tree he held out another rope and beckoned Tom forwards. He went, knowing this was not the opportunity he had been waiting for. Allowing Elderon to tie him he too was bound to a tree and force to sit.

"Now you stay there and you just might see the sun rise tomorrow morning." Elderon said pointing the knife at Tom's face, but Tom did not give the man the luxury of a reaction. Watching as Elderon turned back to Kathryn he bent down an untied her from the tree. Keeping her hands bound though he pushed her to sit on the floor while he started a fire. It seemed that Elderon had come more prepared for this little field trip than they had done. Sitting in the firelight now they all listened to the wind as it continued on its path through the surrounding trees.

Kathryn had said nothing since she had pleaded with Tom to leave. She had understood why he had refused, but she could not forgive him either. He had stayed because he didn't want to see her killed. Their relationship had already almost cost them their lives, and now they were putting each other in danger, just to keep the other alive. Kathryn almost smiled at the irony, but she was not in the mood for smiling. As she sat huddle next to the fire, her knees drawn up to her chin, and her arms wrapped around her shins she felt eyes on her. The thought brought a cold shiver to her skin and she knew immediately who the eyes belong to.

"What?" she questioned as she looked up to see Elderon regarding her, his eyes lingering on her face before moving down her bare legs.

"I was just thinking." He replied his voice sounding almost prosaic as they sat there a few feet apart, but no distance was great enough for Kathryn.

"About what?" she asked trying to keep the bite from her voice but being less than successful.

"About you." Elderon stated simply, the timber of his voice causing Kathryn to pause in her snapped response as Elderon sat up slightly straighter and looked at her eyes.

"The girl who became a Captain, the Captain who became a slave, and the slave that defied her master. What a story that would make." He said half a smile on his face as he said it and Kathryn took in a calming breath. She was all out of fight, her hands were bound and she could see Tom his head hung low in the lick of the firelight as they sat there.

"And how does the story end?" Kathryn asked turning her head back to Elderon's as he continued to grin at her. The flickering light and dancing shadows causing his face to become even more disturbing as his pale teeth flashed at her before he spoke.

"With my victory of course." Kathryn huffed slightly under her breath, it went unnoticed by Elderon who was getting up and picked up the length of rope attached to Kathryn's hands. Lashing her to the nearest tree he looked down at her a smiled.

"Good night Kathryn." He said moving back to the fire and settling down for the night. Kathryn chanced another glance at Tom, but he seemed to be out cold. Thoughts of concussion flashed through her mind as she could still see remnants of blood on his face. She knew that tonight sleep would not be something she would be doing. Leaning against the cold hard wood behind her Kathryn faced in Tom's direction, her eyes on his form as though her sheer will alone would get him to open his eyes. She remembered the moment in the forest when she realised that he was not dead. The elation that had proceeded it and she to hung her head. It was the reason she had decided that she and she alone should forgo the open fraternisation policy she had ordered on Voyager. She could not place one life over another, yet today she had, she had stayed to fight Elderon in the name of vengeance, because of Tom. She could have run, got back to her ship and continued getting her crew home.

As the night drew on Kathryn's thoughts swirled in her head, she wondered if she would have done the same thing for anyone else on Voyager, risked the things she had to save their lives. And in turn would they have done what Tom had done to save hers. The undeniable conclusion she came to as the light began to seep through the trees once more was yes, she would have done exactly the same thing. As for her crew she couldn't be sure, but her heart was telling her that they were out there looking for them as they sat here. Risking their lives and their ship in hopes of finding them. Was the risk greater because she loved Tom, or was the personal loss harder? Looking up again and seeing Elderon still sleeping soundly she turned her attention back to the man who occupied her thoughts. It was he alone who had saved her from collapsing in on herself after Elderon had raped her. His willingness to survive had in turn driven her forwards, and now as he still sagged against the tree which he was tied to, Kathryn knew she needed him to be strong for her again. The self-doubt and hollow feeling inside were beginning to resurface. The darkness that lay beyond, was like a pair of jaws, belonging to a wolf sculpted by the devil himself, and now as Tom continued to sleep on in his own dark world Kathryn could hear the wolf at the door.

Thank you for reading XxX


	17. Chapter 17

I am thankfully back, I apologise for the horrible delay in updating. But my computer had to have an entire new hard drive installed. I blame all the typing. Anyway hopefully I should be updating more frequently in future. For now though please enjoy.

The dawn eventually broke, bringing with it a headache like Tom had never known. He was surprised to find that he had slept at all, he put it down to sheer exhaustion. Both mental and physical, especially after what they had been through over the past week. As Tom tried to open his eyes however, a wave of nausea clamped at his stomach Tom had a sneaking suspicion that he had not in fact been asleep at all, but simply passed out. Even now as he sat on the hard ground, eyes still closed, he could feel the pounding behind them. The feeling of bile climbing up his throat as Tom desperately tried to swallow it back down. On instinct he tried to get to his hands and knees, knowing that whatever he had in his stomach was going to come up no matter how hard he fought it. Tom was stopped by the ropes at his hands. Springing his eyes open slightly panicked as for a moment he had forgotten where he was, the motion proved to be his undoing. Tilting his head and emptying his stomach contents on to the floor beside him. Tom looked down at what seemed to be only bile, as his body still heaved with the effort.

Finally finished and feeling somewhat better for being sick, Tom sat back on his haunches and looked up for the first time. His eyes immediately connected with Kathryn's. She was leaning forward watching him with concerned eyes. As Tom thought she was about to speak, offer some words of encouragement, or support her mouth was closed by the sound of Elderon's voice.

"Maybe that will teach you for trying to take me on." He said his voice totally devoid of emotion at Tom's obvious distress. For his part Tom just sent the Validian a scowl, knowing that any barbed comment would be useless, and may even earn him another blow. As Elderon started packing up the camp Tom closed his eyes and thought back to when he had woken up next to Kathryn under that tree. How at peace he had felt, how wonderful it had been to simply be with her, even if it was on a foreign planet. So much had happened since then, more than Tom guessed they could simply forget about and move on. Turning his eyes to Kathryn once more Tom was concerned by the faraway look on her face. He hoped she was merely thinking about how to get out of this, but he suspected what weighed on her mind was far more serious. Pulled from his thoughts by the presence of Elderon untying him from the tree. Tom got to his shaking legs and forced his knees to lock into place so he could remain standing. As Elderon released Kathryn Tom felt a pull on his tied hands as the Validian tugged on the rope to get Tom to move. With no choice and the pain behind his eyes returning Tom stepped forwards. The world span slightly as he moved, but he kept going. Focusing his vision on Kathryn's back he followed her though the forest.

Kathryn had not spoken a word since Tom had woken up that morning, her silence though not unusual, was grating on Tom as they made their macabre way back to Elderon's house. And to what horrors awaited them there. Tom was certain that the only reason he was not dead yet, was because Elderon had something far worse in store once they got back to the house. Tom also knew that Kathryn was probably well aware of this herself, and was also surely the reason for her continued silence. Although the day was bright and sunny, and the coolness of the night had faded away, so that the sweat had started to run off Tom's sides now, he still felt a shiver run down his spine as the thought of getting back leached unbidden into his thoughts. His mind coming up with scenario after scenario of what Elderon had planned for them. Each more horrifying than the next, until Tom stumbled over a clump of moss he had not noticed as his mind held images of Kathryn being tortured in front of him.

Tom's face hit the earth with a thud, his bound hands useless in breaking the fall and pain once again exploded inside his head. He felt nothing as Elderon pulled on his rope and shouted at him to get up. Tom did not have the energy to stand, let alone walk, and he had no inclination to do so either.

"I said get up!" Elderon barked at him, this time kicking Tom in the side, yet Tom still did not move. His eyes slipped closed against the pounding in his head, and he fell relaxed and unconscious against the forest floor.

Kathryn heard Tom go down, she felt the rush of air he let out as he hit the deck run right through her as she stopped in her trek and snapped her head round to see him sprawled on the ground. Unmoving she felt her heart rate increase until it pounded in her ears, almost blocking out the sound of Elderon shouting at Tom to get up. When he did not stir, even after Elderon kicked him, Kathryn felt her heart sink into her stomach. Tom had been true to his word, following her until the very end, his last breath, still causing her body to shiver as she stood in the broken sunshine that filtered in through the trees.

She watched as Elderon bent down and felt for a pulse, he remained for a moment crouched by Tom's prone body and Kathryn could feel a tear slip down her cheek. All the will in the world wasn't going to prevent her from crying this time. Tom deserved all the grief she was feeling, and probably more beyond. All his friends back on Voyager, who did not know of their fate, and may in fact never know. Left to journey on though the Delta quadrant without them unaware and maybe blissfully so of what had happened to them. As Elderon stood he rubbed his chin, looking around at Kathryn he gave her a small smile, almost as though his happiness was being derived from her obvious grief. Kathryn realised that was actually the case. Her tears were giving Elderon joy, it was a sick and almost startling testament to how evil this man actually was.

Then Kathryn felt the familiar surge of anger boil up inside her, her grief quickly turning to rage at the pleased look on Elderon's face. Knowing this time she had to keep her emotional change out of her expression, Kathryn schooled her feature's into a well practised mask. She knew if Elderon saw any hint of her anger he would be on the alert. For all of Elderon's morality issues, he was by no means a stupid man, in fact when it came to reading others he was a master. His early manipulation of herself and Tom was testament to that fact, and now here as they stood looking at one another in the dappled light, Kathryn knew this was going to be a game to the death. One she had no intention of loosing. She needed to get back to Voyager now, even if it was only to tell them about Tom, how brave he had been, and to give him a proper funeral. Kathryn saw Elderon's facial muscle twitch slightly, as though he were going to say something, but at the last moment Kathryn tensed all her muscles, ready to pounce as soon as Elderon was close enough.

Her face remained relaxed, simply staring at the man in front of her who was now seemingly looking beyond her shoulder at something in the distance. At this moment Kathryn couldn't have cared less what had caught Elderon's attention, it was the moment she had been waiting for, a break in his concentration, something she needed if she was going to win this fight, with her hands literally tied behind her back. Just as she unlocked her knees as sound from in front and below her caught her attention.

Looking down she saw Tom move his hand to his head and groan in pain, the elation at his obviously alive state was followed by that of one of disgust at Elderon's failure to mention this when he saw her distress. For the moment though her rage would keep. Filed away to use at a later date, now she moved towards Tom looking down at him as he stirred from the floor and raised himself to his hands and knees. Her movement was stopped by Elderon's hand on her shoulder, his fingers gripping almost painfully into her flesh as he prevented her from going to him.

"He got himself down there, he can get himself up again." Elderon announced keeping hold of Kathryn's shoulder as Tom struggled to his feet. Kathryn noticed the fresh cut to his chin and the hollow look of his eyes immediately as Tom's gaze met hers once more. Conflicting emotions passed through her as she looked at him. The pain on his face made her heart ache, but the fact that he was looking at he at all was causing little flutters of joy to ripple though her body.

"Come on lets get moving, I want to be back before the sun sets." Elderon said snatching up the rope dangling from Tom's bound wrists and giving it a small tug to get him moving once more. Kathryn was forced to move by a similar pressure, her feet falling one after another in an age old rhythm. To what they were going back to now Kathryn could only shudder about, but at least she knew she wasn't going to have to face it alone.

As Tuvok searched the bedroom he pieced together what had happened. The prospect of which did not fill him with optimism. In fact his concern was now almost threatening to break though his cool veneer. The few specks of blood he had found on the carpet had only confirmed his suspicion that there had been a struggle in the room. The ruffed up bed, and the torn dress pointed to what kind of encounter it had been, the blood, red against the cream carpet near the vanity unit made Tuvok wonder just who's blood it was. The fact that there was no one in the house, suggested that whatever had happened here was a contributing factor. The thought of the Captain being hurt to the point where she required medical attention had Tuvok gripping the torn dress harder than necessary. B'elanna noticed quickly her superior officers change in demeanour, even though the surgical alterations. It was not often she saw emotion from Tuvok in any shape or form. A raised eyebrow here. A tightening of the jaw muscle there, but never something as overt as the white knuckled grip he now had on the torn dress he had picked up off the floor.

B'elanna was not ignorant of what had probably happened in this room, she did not have to have Tuvok's powers of observation to know that someone had ripped that dress off of what was almost certainly the Capitan, probably against her will, and a struggle either followed or preceded it. B'elanna suspected both, for she knew the Captain would not have gone down without a fight. It did little however to explain their absence now. B'elanna looked to Tuvok again, he seemed to have got himself under control once more and he had moved over to the window.

"I think they may have gotten away, staying in the house will prove fruitless if that is the case. It will be the last place the Captain would return to." Tuvok stated as B'elanna silently nodded her agreement next to him. The dawn was breaking before them now, and she knew that it would be easier to track their missing comrades in the daylight.

"Do you think they headed into the forest?" B'elanna asked as she saw the direction of Tuvok's gaze as he continued looking out across the fields that lay beyond the house.

"Indeed, they are slaves on this world, the town would offer them little protection or the people that reside there. No the forest offers better cover, but it will make our job of finding them harder." Tuvok said finally moving away from the window and across the room, B'elanna followed him noting that Tuvok had not dropped the dress he had picked up earlier. It was almost sentimental in it's action, or at least it would have been if it had not been Tuvok. B'elanna suspected that he was doing it for some reason that she was yet unaware of. Moving though the ever lightening hallways the pair moved down into the entrance hallway. This time they did not pause to examine what was there, heading straight to the door, Tuvok opened it to the brilliant sunshine that was now gracing the day with its presence.

Kathryn could feel the sweat now running down her spine. It was plastering her dress to her back, and making her feel even more uncomfortable than she already was. There was no wind rustling the trees today, the heat was oppressive, and now as she walked on behind Elderon she couldn't help wonder how Tom was even moving let alone keeping up with them. She looked across now at him, the sweat pooling on his shirt and under his arms. His head lowered to the ground, watching carefully for any obstacles, Kathryn suspected that Tom did not want to go down again, no matter what. She knew they were not far from the house now, she could see the line of trees that edged the fields that surrounded Elderon's house. The light seemed to be all encompassing beyond that point. But this was no light at the end of the tunnel, this was as dark and foreboding as the forest its self. Pausing at this last leg of their journey Kathryn felt the rope that Elderon had been holding onto go taught, for a moment she was pulled forward, bracing herself Kathryn stood firm causing Elderon to stop and spin around slightly, as Tom also stopped and looked across at his Captain. He knew simply by looking at her that this was where she was planning to make her stand. Elderon seemed to sense it too. Tom could almost hear the man's teeth grinding from where he was stood, and the lock of his jaw suggested that this was not going to be pleasant. Tom had nothing left to give, the concussion had literally floored him, the exertion of having to walk through the forest and the heat in which he had to do it, had left Tom bone weary. Yet he knew if Kathryn was going to fight, he would be right there alongside her, even if it meant it took all that he had.

The world seemed to stop for a moment, like someone had pressed the pause button on the remote control. Not even a breeze blew through the forest behind them, and the fields in front looked as still and as peaceful as Kathryn had even seen them. The only sound was her own breathing, calm and controlled as she stood there, hands behind her back, chin raised in defiance at the man who had not so long ago almost taken everything from her. Then she glanced at the man who had given it back to her in a single moment. The look was fleeting though but enough, it was all Kathryn needed to know that she would not be going any further unless it was without the company of their captor.

"There are only two way's you will be getting me back in that house. Either I will be dead and will have no choice, or you will be, and I will be taking you back to start a bonfire." Kathryn's words were clipped but resonated truth, for a moment Elderon paused, unmoving unspeaking, before a growl emerged from his throat as he narrowed his eyes and leapt forward.


	18. Chapter 18

Ok so as promised a fast update, round of applause for me.

Kathryn got ready to move out of the way of Elderon's pounce, hoping to use his own massive body weight against him to get the upper hand. She watched as he took a giant step towards her, all his muscles coiled tight and virtually leaping from his body as he moved. The moment could only have lasted a second or two, but it felt like at lifetime to Kathryn who simply held her ground and watched it unfold before her. As she was about to side step the on coming Validian though a movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. A blur of a figure dashed from the side and struck Elderon hard mid stride.

Taking the man down in a pile of bodies and limbs, it was a moment before Kathryn realised that Tom had rushed in and taken Elderon down. She watched now frozen, as the big Validian squirmed underneath Tom, who had landed on Eldron's board body and currently had hold of the man's ear between his clenched teeth. Elderon wailed about trying to throw Tom off, but the more he moved the more Tom gripped, pulling the man's ear painfully. Kathryn was to stunned to move at first, her eyes glued to the scene playing out before her. Tom was wriggling on top of Elderon, his teeth desperately clinging onto Eldron's ear. As his hands were still locked behind his back, tied there by Elderon earlier, Tom's teeth were his only weapon.

As Elderon started to shake Tom loose, Kathryn finally managed to move, reality snapping back like a rubber band and she was leaping forward towards the downed pair of men. Pulling back her foot Kathryn, not for the first time let fly a kick at Elderon's face. This time there was a resounding crunch as Kathryn's right foot connected soundly to Elderon's nose. The sudden and unexpected pain in his nose caused Elderon to grab at it, trying to prevent the blood now rushing from it, in a futile attempt. The moment gave Tom all the time he needed.

Getting to his knees, Tom wrenched back and tore Elderon's ear from his head, the following scream caused all the birds roosting in the trees near by to take flight all at once. Their combined departure was almost enough to blacken the sky for a moment as they fled and Kathryn looked up at them. Her eyes following the birds until they had dispersed.

Tom had spat out Elderon's ear, although satisfying to have ripped it off, the ear did not taste great, and the coppery taste of his blood was making Tom feel slightly queasy. For a moment he wondered if this meant he was a cannibal. Deciding however that for one he did not actually eat the ear only accidentally swallowed some of the blood, and second Elderon was not actually a human so the idea was mute. Wondering why he was thinking such things during what amounted to a fight for their lives, Tom was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of Elderon howling as Kathryn kicked at his face again. His hands momentarily occupied with trying to ease the pain where his ear once used to be.

Kathryn moved back quickly after she had delivered another blow to Elderon's face, calling to Tom to turn around as he seemed to shake himself for a moment before doing as she requested. Tom turned wondering what was going on as Kathryn knelt down behind him. All to quickly it became apparent that she was trying to undo his tied hands with her teeth. Looking over at Elderon and seeing that the man was still trying to fight to stay continuous, Tom knew that they had limited time before he would recover. Trying to help by pulling at the restraints to loosen them Tom finally felt his wrist free up enough to slip on the ropes. Spinning around he watched as Kathryn stood upright once more and look him dead in the eyes. So much passed between them in that moment, but they both knew there was no time for such things now. Kathryn span on her heel as Tom got to work on her own restraints. Watching Elderon start to sit up Kathryn's heart began to pound in her chest. The Validian was down, but certainly not out. They had both learnt on more than one occasion now, that Elderon was far more resilient and determined to allow them to escape because of a broken nose and a missing ear.

Just as Tom got the last knot undone Elderon had made it to his feet. Spreading them far apart he stood slightly crouched. Blood running down his lips and chin from his broken nose, and the wound from his ear covering his chest and neck. Kathryn could almost taste the metallic tang of blood in the air as the wind for the first time that day rustled through the trees. Elderon's breath's were coming in short harsh gasps, but his body was ready to attack again. His hand reached down to pull the knife from the sheath at his hip, its blade coming out slowly as the silver metal glinted in the sunlight.

"You are both going to pay for that, I am going to slice bits off you one by one, until you are begging me for death." Elderon hissed as Kathryn and Tom looked at one another briefly before turning back towards their assailant.

"Two against one, I like those odds." Kathryn stated with a rye smile on her face, but she knew statistics were not as cut and dried as they seemed. Even fit and healthy Elderon would still have been a hand full for Kathryn and Tom. He was huge, fit and had a weapon. In their current state, battered bruised and beyond tired this was no fore gone conclusion.

Kathryn knew she would be the one to start this fight, it was almost inevitable, for although she was a woman, she was also still a Captain, her duty required her to fight and protect her crew, even if at the moment it was only a crew of one. Every fibre of her being was telling her to take this man down, get Tom to safety and to finally end this nightmare. She twitched to the left, knowing that Elderon was watching her, when he countered that move she leapt right, aiming a kick at his jaw as he lurched off balance at the sudden change in direction. His bigger more bulky form causing him to be slow and awkward. The kick landed just south of its target, smashing the Validian in the throat and making him cough loudly whilst trying to fight for air. Tom seemed to be on him in a second, Kathryn however was not shocked by Tom's ability to read just what she was going to do. They had known each other along time, fought in many combat situations together, and now they could finally work as a team.

Tom struck Elderon in the nose with his fist, making the larger man reel back in pain, but he still did not go down. Slashing out wildly with the knife, Tom had to dodge backwards to prevent from getting cut. In a moment though Kathryn appeared almost out of nowhere, landing on Elderon's back and gripping him tightly around the throat. Tom saw an opportunity and ripped the knife away from Elderon. The Validian whirled around frantically trying to dislodge Kathryn from around his throat. Tom ran at him hoping to take him down so they could finish the job, but Elderon saw him coming. Moving backwards he grabbed Tom by the throat and held on for dear life as Kathryn kept hold of Elderon, wrapping her legs around his waist for extra leverage. Tom was choking fast as Elderon's fingers cut off his air supply and made him sag wanting to drop to his knees, but the hand at his neck preventing him from doing so. Kathryn watched as Tom faded before her eyes. The choke hold she had on Elderon was clearly not enough. She suspected the ridges than ran down his neck prevent her from cutting of Elderon's oxygen supply completely.

Watching as Elderon finally released Tom the blonde fell to the ground like a rag doll and Kathryn could do nothing from her position to help him. Now she found herself hurtling backwards, Tom forgotten on the floor as she was smashed into a tree and a blinding pain shot through the back of her head and made her vision blur. Dropping her hold on Elderon Kathryn plummeted to the floor, her hip striking the ground hard and causing her to yelp out in pain. Without thought for her own injuries however Kathryn rolled away from the tree and got quickly to her feet. Sheer adrenaline was driving her forwards now, the blurred vision, the splitting headache and the pain in her hip all forgotten about as she eyed Elderon as he staggered towards her.

This was her moment her opportunity, he had been weakened by all they had thrown at him, and now the only thing left to do was finish this. Pouncing forwards, Kathryn shot her arm out, fingers straight and tight, hoping to chop at his windpipe and further restrict Elderon's breathing. Her wrist was caught at the last moment, the delicate bones beneath now being broken by the tight grip Elderon had on her. The sickening sound of her wrist being crushed made Kathryn want to vomit as a punch to her gut sent her flailing backwards until the hold on her wrist stopped her.

"I told you, you were going to pay, but you never could listen to me could you Kathryn." Elderon hissed, now pulling her face so close to his, Kathryn could see her own battered reflection in his eyes.

"And you will never win Elderon, not in the way you want to. As long as I draw breath I will fight you, every time you touch me I will fight you and every time you try to break me I will fight you. And I will fight you will all that I am." Kathryn said her eyes locking on his in a moment of absolute clarity that for a second made the Validian pause, but it was only for a second. In the next moment Kathryn was pushed up against the tree to her back, Elderon's free hand the one that wasn't wrapped around her throat running up her thigh and pushing her dress up to her hips. His large leg coming between her own and forcing her thighs apart. As feeling a dread crossed Kathryn's mind. This act alone was the one thing her trained psyche could not comprehend. It was not only a violation of her physical being but also of her mind. Struggling and finding it futile Kathryn bit down on the only part of Elderon she could reach. His arm clamped in her mouth she was shocked by his laugher as his fingers found her entrance again. Kathryn's eyes slammed closed and her teeth lost their grip on the Validian's arm.

The next thing Kathryn felt was a warm spray of something sticky hit her face. Elderon's grip loosened then fell away completely as he crumpled to the ground. Tom's figure was now revealed to her as he stood panting behind the fallen man and he gave her a soft smile.

"Sorry I took so long." Tom said bending down and pulling the knife from Elderon's neck, and standing upright once more and offering Kathryn his hand. She stepped forward and around Elderon's body, taking hold of Tom's hand firmly with her good hand and willing her shaking legs to carry her.

"I will forgive you this once." She said feeling unusually happy about such a grim situation. Putting in down to sheer relief Kathryn allowed herself to lean against Tom's larger frame and wrap her arms around his torso carefully laying her damaged wrist against his broad shoulder. He returned the embrace with gusto as he placed a kiss on the top of her head. The simple gesture caused all the emotional trauma to come flooding back. The thought of him dead next to her while Elderon had raped her. Watching him fall on the path and not get up again, and now the death of Elderon and all that it meant for them. Kathryn felt it all in that moment, her knees finally giving way as Tom eased her to the ground and ran a hand through her tousled hair.

Seeing the blood stain his palm Tom was suddenly shocked to find the large gash at the back of her head. Panicking slightly he rolled her over and tried to rouse her. Her eyes however remained closed, a tight expression on her face as the sunlight caught them under the shade of the trees. Tom felt tears welling in his eyes. After all this, after all they had been through, after finally getting rid of Elderon, it would not end like this. Tom stood up picking Kathryn up off the floor he carried her to the edge of the trees. Knowing the house would be safe now his only option would be to head there. They may have no rites on this planet. They were now even criminals, but Tom knew as long as Voyager was out there they would be looking for them, all he had to do was keep Kathryn alive long enough for the crew to find them.

Tuvok and B'elanna had been heading in what felt like circles for hours. There had been several trails leading away from the house, and Tuvok suspected it had been done on purpose.

"I think they knew they were going to be followed." Tuvok said getting up from his crouched position as B'elanna swiped sweat from her forehead and looked up at the blazing sun.

"What I wouldn't give for a triquater right now." She muttered as Tuvok headed off in yet another direction.

"Indeed Lieutenant, but we would never have gotten them past the security sensors on our transport. It is unfortunate that we have had to search for them in this manor, but is far more preferable to not being here at all." Tuvok said once again causing B'elanna to close her mouth in reply at his ever unfailing logic. It was then as a flock of birds seemed to pass over head gaining height as they went, B'elanna had an idea.

"Perhaps we should head back to the house, I could find something to make a triquater like devise, or at least something to track with. We could spend days looking for them like this." As she said it Tuvok turned around his eyes following the scattering birds and he stood there in silence.

"What is it?" B'elanna enquired as the dark man blinked slowly.

"I thought I heard something, a kind of shout, being unfamiliar with the wildlife around here it is possible that it was an animal." Tuvok said seeming to uncoil his muscles as the forest remained silent.

"It couldn't have been Tom or the Captain?" B'elanna asked concerned all of a sudden as she too listened carefully but heard nothing more.

"I do not believe so." Tuvok replied as he now turned to B'elanna and looked down at her with his eyebrow raised.

"I think your suggestion of a tracking devise would be wise, the sun will set soon, and I do not believe being out here at night will be pleasant." Tuvok said now turning back in the direction of the house and B'elanna nodded at him. A truer statement Tuvok had never made.

Hope you enjoyed thank you all for the inspiring feed back and I hope to regale you with another chapter soon. Thank you for reading XxX


	19. Chapter 19

I know this has been a long time coming, I can only hope that it will be worth the wait.

Tom staggered out of the trees, holding Kathryn firmly to his chest as a few drops of rain hit his head. Looking up briefly into the sky he saw the storm clouds gathering. Casting his eyes down to his precious cargo, Tom could see the pained look on Kathryn's face. Her eyes however remained closed as her body gave into the exhaustion. Tom could feel his own contentiousness slipping away as he moved across the field slowly. The blinding pain behind his eyes was making it hard for him to see his way clearly in the now fading light. Knowing he had to get them back to the house now, as the rain began to fall more heavily upon them, Tom adjusted his grip on Kathryn and pull her up tightly against his chest. The sticky feeling under his right hand caused him to look down momentarily. His feet almost colliding together as he saw the palm of his hand stained bright red with Kathryn's blood.

Tom's heart pounded wildly in his chest, the increased rhythm only making his head pound harder, but none of that pain mattered now, he had to get Kathryn back to the house. Refusing to look down any more, mostly in fear of what he might see when he looked, but also so he could pay full attention to where he was going Tom moved forwards. Now full of renewed urgency he cut a faster pace across the open expanse of grass land that covered the area directly in front of the house. As he moved onwards the house became clearer, looming up out of the horizon like an oasis in the desert. The rain fell in earnest now, covering Tom's body in its cold wet blanket. Rivulets ran down his face and streamed into his eyes, shaking his head to clear his vision Tom stumbled to one knee. Clutching onto Kathryn as he fell, pain shot through his leg and Tom winced heavily as his knee bit into the rain softened ground. Taking in deep breaths, trying to control the pain Tom picked himself up again and pulled Kathryn to his rain soaked chest once more.

He would not complain about the extra load, or the pain behind his eyes, or even the shivers that now racked his body, because the woman he was carrying was, for now still alive. Her heart beating inside her thin frame. Tom could feel it pounding against his own chest, there rhythms matching as Tom continued on his journey. What was perhaps a kilometre of grassland had become his green mile. His final walk before the end, inch by inch he could feel his body giving up on him. First his arms started to become numb with holding on so tightly to Kathryn. Then his shoulders began to tingle, sending pins and needles running down his spine. Finally his legs started to shake with every stride. Looking up for the first time in what felt like forever Tom almost collapsed at the sight of the distant house. Since falling he had made perhaps thirty feet, but it had felt like a thousand. Refusing to collapse and give into his body's need to fall into oblivion Tom took another stride forwards, his leg shook and his knee seemed to buckle, but he made another step. Virtually sliding himself across the rain slickened grass Tom huffed for breath, which was now coming out in little puffs of smoke as he breathed. The temperature had dropped with the sun, and the rain only seemed to have hastened the cooling effect.

Striding forwards once more, Tom fell to his knees again, this time both appendages hitting the grass as a huge thunder clap sounding right above his head. Looking down at Kathryn he saw her eyes still firmly closed. Her lips were a hauntingly blue colour and her face so pale Tom could almost see her veins just beneath the skin. As tears began to fill his eyes, they ran down his face joining the drops of rain that already resided there. Bending down he placed a soft kiss on Kathryn's forehead and lay her upon the wet ground. His vision swimming, Tom then fell next to her, his face down turned into the soil, as the rain now pounded his back. Tom was not crying for himself. His own end was something he had made piece with, he was crying because he had failed his Captain. His body was completely numb now, all Tom could feel was his own hot tears rolling down his cheeks. Turning his head now he saw Kathryn lying not a few yards from him, her face turned to his. Her hair was plastered to her neck, and her clothes to her body. Tom knew it should not end like this. They had come so far, been through so much, but even as he thought this his vision tunnelled and his world faded to black.

Tuvok and B'elanna had to run back into the forest to escape the freezing rain. As it started to pound all around them, they made a split second decision to hide under the trees in the forest. They had barely started on their journey back to the house when the heavens opened, dashing back they took shelter under a large tree at the edge of the forest.

"My god this planet gets some storms." B'elanna shouted above the noise of the rain, Tuvok merely looked at her and nodded his head. As they stood there looking out at the ever thickening blanket of rain, both of them couldn't help but wonder where Tom and Kathryn were.

"Do you think they managed to get to some shelter?" B'elanna asked after a few moments. She didn't have to state who "They" were, it was obvious who she was referring to.

"If they are able, I am sure the Captain and Mr Paris have found suitable shelter." Tuvok replied, his inference was clear. Tuvok was not certain that Tom and Kathryn were able to do anything at this point. They had been gone for over a week, had who knows what done to them by the person that brought them, and from the looks of it, been on the run for at least two days. Star-fleet officers or not, that was going to take its toll on any body.

"Yeah the Captain is tough she will know what to do. And Tom is stubborn as a Targ, he wouldn't go down without a fight. I am sure they are fine. Probably curled up somewhere in a cave." B'elanna said as a crash of thunder sounded over head. Her words however were not lost, nor the doubt with which they had been said. Tuvok was certain that his half Klingon companion was trying to convince herself more than him as to their friends fate.

Looking out now across the rain soaked grassland Tuvok scanned the area in front of him, but he could see nothing. The rain had almost obliterated the landscape from view, and the ever deceasing light made the task of seeing that much harder. Taking a brief glance at B'elanna he could see the woman looking out across at the same view he had been trying to scan. The narrowing of her eyes, and the frown that appeared on her face told the Vulcan all he needed to know.

"They are out there Tuvok, don't ask me how I know that, and don't tell me its illogical because I already know. I just have a feeling that they are there right in front of us, but we can't see the wood for the trees." B'elanna said turning her eyes up to her companion, feeling his gaze upon her as she looked out onto the stormy fields.

"I can not deny your feelings lieutenant, as a Vulcan I have come to rely on logic and strategy. Investigation, and likely conclusions. However in my time spent with humans and other emotionally aware species, I have come to realise that this intuition you posses has its own compelling logic. Captain Janeway is one of the people who taught me that invaluable lesson. In the time I have know her I have come to realise one thing." Tuvok paused as a clap of thunder sounded over head. It was followed by a flash of lighting that lit up the surrounding area. B'elanna was looking at Tuvok impatiently for the conclusion of his sentence, as the Vulcan continued to look out on to the field, certain for a moment that he had seen something in that brief flash of light.

"Well what did you learn." B'elanna finally enquired as Tuvok averted his gaze back to his smaller companion as he convinced himself that is was merely a trick of the light.

"That as long as she is breathing, Kathryn Janeway will be fighting for her crew." Tuvok said as another clap of thunder hit and the sky was once again lit up with lightening.

Tom felt a warm but itchy flat surface underneath him. His body was cold, but he could feel heat warming his face and side of his body. Opening his eyes slightly he looked up to see a solid white ceiling. Sitting up quickly the world span for a moment and he clutched his hands to his head.

"My god." Tom uttered as he cautiously opened his eyes once more and looked around the room. He recognised it as Elderon's study, the fire was burning next to him, and he was lying upon the bare carpet. Looking around suddenly he spotted Kathryn unconscious on the sofa. Her arm dangled off the edge and her body was shivering. Getting up as quickly as his body would allow, Tom knelt down next to Kathryn and took her fallen hand into his own. The icy coolness of it was not lost on him and quickly he picked her up and moved her over to his spot next to the fire. Lying down next to her Tom wrapped his body around Kathryn's. Letting the fire warm her front whilst he warmed her back. As he closed his eyes his memory, or at least fragments of it came back.

He was lying on the grass, numb and certain he was dying, when he felt an hand grab his arm. Opening one eye he saw that Kathryn had gone. Sure that Elderon had returned Tom began to struggle, when Kathryn's voice had told him everything was going to be ok. As he wrapped his arms around her waist now, he recollected how she had virtually dragged him to the house, how they had climbed the steps and fell spent on the carpet. He could not remember however getting to this room. Kathryn must have dragged him here somehow and got the fire going. Placing his had over her heart, Tom was sure that there would be nothing there. Her body had been so limp, Tom had suspected the worst upon that first icy touch. Waiting holding his breath he waited for the tell tale thump of her heart. It did not come. Moving his fingers up to her pulse point Tom searched for the push against his fingers as blood was pumped around Kathryn's body, yet that did not come either. Panicked now Tom rolled Kathryn onto her back and bent his ear to her lips. No soft breath caressed his face however as his cheek hung there, inches from her soft lips, and yet he could not move.

"Dam it no, not like this." Tom yelled quickly, dashing out of the study and ignoring the spinning of his vision and running down the hallway to the bathroom. Tom had found a first aid kit in there several days ago, he had stored that knowledge away for use at a later date. He was now grateful he had done so.

Virtually breaking the door down Tom staggered into the bathroom and ripped open the cupboard door. Pulling out the med kit he ran back down the hallway and slid to a stop at Kathryn's side. Pulling out several hypo sprays Tom found the one he was most convinced would get her heart going again. Applying it to her neck Tom waited in silence, the only sound coming from the rain battering the windows, as the rain outside still fell. Feeling for a pulse and still getting nothing Tom applied another hypo spray and gave Kathryn's chest a firm thump with his fist. Her body jumped under the pressure and Tom knelt down again to feel for her breathing.

"Don't you dare die on me you hear me." Tom shouted, now pushing away the useless med kit and resorting to old fashioned mouth to mouth. As he watched Kathryn's chest rise and fall, Tom felt again for a heart beat. When none came he resumed pressing on her chest and forcing air into her lungs. He would not let this happen again, he would not lose another person, he could not lose Kathryn.

The touch on his arm shocked Tom out of his grief stricken daze as he lay his body half across Kathryn's lifeless one. Turning his face up to whomever had disturbed him, Tom actually welcomed the sight of Elderon. Hoping that the man would kill him and put him out of his misery. But it was not to be. The hand that was now pulling him off Kathryn was that of another Validian, one he did not recognise.

"Get your hands off her!" Tom screamed only to be held back by another smaller Validian woman who spoke to him in a voice he recognised.

"Its us Tom, please we are here to help you." Tom blinked a couple of times as he looked at the first man who was picking up Kathryn and holding what looked like a star-fleet comm badge in his hand.

"Tuvok to Kim, we have them four to beam up." Tuvok said as Tom realised that he had indeed been saved, but it was far too late for Kathryn.

The world was a dark mass of swirling noise and pain. Beeping and voices blanketed the world as feeling slowly came back. Fighting to stay in the darkness and retreat from the pain did not seem like an option, as the voices started to become clearer. Now able to make out distinct sentences as they came closer, talking in hushed tones and whispered agitation.

"They were in very bad shape commander, Mr Paris here will probably recover in a few days, but the Captain." There was a pause here, the entire room seemed to fall silent all of a sudden and the loss of sound made the darkness creep up once more.

"Do what you can Dr, we are making our way across Validian territory at maximum warp, we will be clear of this sector in seven hours." Again there was a pause, filling the silence was a question, one that no one dared ask. Even in the grip of unconsciousness and the all consuming darkness it hung there like a bad omen.

"Make sure sick bay is closed off to all those without clearance, I do not need this getting around the ship until we are out of danger." The answering reply was lost as once again the darkness came and consumed everything beyond it.

Tom sat alone in his quarters, staring out at the stars streaking passed his window as Voyager continued on its journey home. He had been though so much in the past few weeks that they now seemed like a blur of images and feelings. They had left Validia well behind, but Tom knew as well as the next person, that they would not be the last species to take advantage of them. The only thing they could do was do the best they could to avoid bad situations, and continue on home. Letting out a long sigh Tom rolled his head on his neck and worked out some of the kinks there. Physically he was fine now, but the Doc had given him two weeks of for mental evaluation. Tom was not best pleased about the idea, but right now he knew he could not work either. Every night he woke up in a sweat, his clothes plastered to his body, and his hands in a death grip around the bed sheets. Tonight had been no different. Sometimes the nightmares were vivid, each images ingrained on his memory until he had to force his eyes open to stop them. And other times like tonight they were fleeting, vanishing as soon as he woke up. They where the worst kind, his mind in turmoil about something he couldn't even remember. The chime at the door made Tom jump before he called for the person to enter.

"Couldn't sleep either?" Tom didn't need to turn around to know who had called upon him at this late hour it could only be one person. The half smile that came to his face, turned into a full blow one as they settled themselves down beside him.

"You know now that you're here I think I could manage it." Tom replied as he moved to sit next to them on the sofa. One arm snaking out to wrap around the narrow shoulders that now inched closer to his body.

"Me too, but you know what would be even better." Kathryn said as she smiled up at Tom as his head moved back so he could look into her eyes.

"No what?" He enquired but the half smile on his face told Kathryn he already knew what she was going to say.

"My ship back, I am sick of spending my day in the holo suit taking to a shrink, best cure for me would be getting back to work." The smile on Kathryn's face was saying one thing, but the haunted look in her eyes was telling an entirely different story.

"I think we both need time to heel, even if that's not what we tell the Doc." Tom replied getting up off the sofa and offering his hand to Kathryn. Pulling her up with him, Tom led them into the bedroom and pulled back the covers. Climbing in they curled up together, feeling warm and safe in each others arms. Kathryn knew this was the only way either one of them would ever get any sleep. It was one of the many things that had been left with her after waking up in sick bay two weeks ago. All the memories coming back to her piece by piece, until the moment she died.

Kathryn owed her life to Tom, not just because he had kept her alive long enough for the Doc to perform miracles, but well before that. He had saved her in every way a person could be saved. Or so Kathryn Janeway thought, when in those early hours after dreaming, and she fights to forget the nightmares, she turns her thoughts not to what happened back on that planet, but to the man with whom she shared it.

Well that's all folks, I hoped you enjoy my little story, any and all feed back is welcomed. Thank you for reading XxX


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