Excursion
By Jennifer Ferris and Leslie Macgowan

A shore leave exercise. Leslie and I were intrigued by a recent collaborative Voyager Western put up on the net (you know who you are, ladies, and thank you!) - the idea being, that each of us would write just one paragraph and then send it off to the other. There was no preplanning, no comparison of ideas...no warning. We threw things at each other and waited to see what would bounce back.

This is it. We hope you enjoy. Kids, this is definitely rated NC-17; come back in a few years. The rest of you? Dig in...and send your comments and even your criticisms!

Disclaimer: Paramount owns 'em lock stock and tinotype. We're just playing with them-and I wish the Parahooligans would have as much fun with them as we do.

SUMMARY: Chakotay persuades Janeway to come along on a shoreleave excursion and plans lots of surprises for her. He gets the biggest surprise of all....

~ ~ * ~ ~

Janeway's voice was filled with dismay. "Chakotay," she said cautiously, "I don't think this is what they had in mind when they told us we ought to 'enjoy the natural world' for a while."

Her first officer was already knee-deep in an oozing red bog, and turned to reach up for her hand. "Why not?" he inquired innocently, his dimples quirking at her. "Is the Great Explorer of the Delta Quadrant afraid to get a little dirty in search of adventure?"

They were on Sayer for a simple shore leave. The consulate here was always happy to see new ships; there were boundless natural attractions, they said. While the visitors' enclave was huge and filled with speakeasies and hostels and bars--and grifters and rummers--Chakotay had suggested that Janeway might enjoy a day away from the bright lights. She'd agreed reluctantly, protesting that she liked to be pampered when she was on shoreleave. But she trusted Chakotay and beamed to the relay station to join him.

She'd had no premonition that 'getting away from it all' included traipsing through mountains without a tour guide, without local money, and without amenities. And, through some mischance that neither of them had foreseen, without communicators. Something in these hills interfered with their signal. They couldn't even call for a shuttle out. Well, at the worst, they could walk back to town; it would take them most of a day, but she had two days' leave. She hadn't intended to spend them trying to get back to the beam-down point, but she could. They could.

She turned her attention back to her first officer. Her first officer, who had promised her that they would share a friendly distraction, nothing more. Who had spoken at length to the Sayerians, arranging a little excursion.

"I'm already dirty," she retorted, "and we both smell bad enough already without adding *this* to it." She jerked her chin toward the stinking mess surrounding her first officer's legs and wrinkled her nose in distaste.

He sniffed in return and grinned up at her. "I smell treasure; what do you smell?" As her eyes narrowed at him, he continued, "Besides, I'm already covered in it, and you're stuck with me. You're going to have to join me out of self-defense, if nothing else."

"What kind of treasure did they say was out here anyway?" she stalled.

"They didn't say what kind, or even where; for all we know, we could be right on top of it. All they said was that it was something of great value to weary space travelers. So... are you coming, or not?" He raised his hand to her again and lifted his eyebrow in challenge.

"Buried treasure," Janeway smiled wryly. "Couldn't resist a challenge, could you?"

"It's my nature," he said softly, only a glint of humor showing.

"Mine too," she replied, eyes narrowed perhaps just a bit. She took one more step forward, skirting the edge of the mess, "All right, Commander. If you can manage to get us through this--" she indicated the bog with a slight movement of her chin, "then we'll see what the Sayerians call 'treasure'."

She took a deep breath, preparatory to stepping into the unknown, and coughed as the pungent odour attacked her nose and throat. "Gaghhhh!" she choked, "how do you stand it?"

"It's not so bad once you're in," he answered, trying hard not to laughat her.

She tried again and hesitated as the choking got worse. Splash! Chakotay had yanked on her hand until she had fallen into the bog beside him, and was steadying her as she tried to find a solid spot to plant her feet. "Cha*ko*tay!" she wheezed at him.

"No sense prolonging the agony - isn't it better down here?"

Janeway finally managed to stand on her own, and felt the surrounding bog seep slowly into her boots. Closing her eyes in resignation, she replied after a moment, "Well, I can breathe, but 'better' certainly isn't the first term that came to mind."

"Come on," he urged. "I've found a path here, I think. Sort of. Stay close to me and you won't sink too deep."

Janeway eyed him dubiously, but nodded. "Lead on, McDuff. You know what you're doing. I hope."

"Well...I know what direction I want to go," he eyed her aslant. "Ready?"

She nodded once more, and kept her hand on the small of his back, struggling to keep her footing in the slippery fen. They pushed forward, moving slowly. They'd gone about half a kilometer before Janeway felt the irresistible urge to cough again. "I don't know about-" she started to say, feeling herself slip. Her hand tightened on the fabric of his shirt. "Damn!"

As her feet slid out from under her, Chakotay turned quickly and grabbed at her, pulling her up against his hip. "Hang on-here, I've got you."

They swayed precariously for a moment and he struggled not to lose his own balance. "Careful," he cautioned.

She slid down his leg, finding solid ground under her feet again. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Chakotay still had his arm wrapped tightly around her.

"Umm... all right, I think I can stand now." The red slime was squishing between them, and she became acutely conscious of the hard muscles in the thigh pressed against her own. He slowly removed his arm from around her, and she tested her balance.

"Ok?"

"Yes... I think so. Your greater mass seems to be enough to give you relatively good traction in here; I keep losing my footing."

"So I noticed. Maybe we should get some rocks and fill your pants to weigh you down." At her mock glare, he chuckled and offered, "I could always drag you behind me like a sled...." She moved to swat at his arm, but thought better of it when she nearly lost her balance again.

"So," once she'd recovered, "do you have any idea how much farther we have to go to get out of this mess?"

Dimples appeared. "Well... not really."

"Any idea what's beyond it once we're out?"

And deepened. "Umm... no."

"Do you, in fact, have any idea whatsoever where we're going?"

He was grinning openly at her by now. "Not a clue. Well, not specifically."

"How did I let you talk me into this?"

"Must have been my natural charm."

She sighed. God, how *had* he talked her into this? Yes, they'd been under strain lately. What else was new? There was always something: they were short of energy, they needed replacement parts, the crew was getting cabin fever. And that's when things were going well. The idea of doing something frivolous, something just for herself... just to spend time with her first officer, unencumbered for just a day or two by duty and necessity... Unconsciously, she straightened away from Chakotay, lifting her chin, a frown crossing her face.

Chakotay looked down in concern, his light mood fading slightly. "Kathryn?"

"Yes?"

"Sorry. I shouldn't tease. Seriously, they told me that whatever we felt like exploring, any of these areas, the bog, the--um, never mind -- any of the areas, would only last for a few hours. So we should be clear of this soon. You notice it's getting a little deeper?"

Kathryn's frown deepened. "Yes."

"It does that, here--or so my scan showed--near the edge of the bog." He looked around carefully. "Of course, 'near' may be a relative term." He tilted his head, studying her. "I could always carry you. It can't be far."

Her eyes flashed, conveying something he didn't quite catch. "I don't think so. Let's go. I said I'm in. Let's get out of here."

"All right." He snorted a tiny laugh, the sound a little strange to her ears.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing. It's just so--you. 'I said I'd do it, I'll do it.' God forbid you should just say you don't feel like it. Let me get you out of here, Kathryn. If the game isn't fun, don't play."

She put her hand carefully on his back again. "I didn't say that, Commander." Without her meaning it to, her hand stroked against him. "Let's find out...whatever it is they wanted us to see."

"You sure?"

Squinting up against the late afternoon sun, she pushed at him a little. "I'm sure. And I'm also sure I'd rather find someplace...anyplace...out of this bog. I think I'm allergic or something."

"Well then." Without another word, he slid one step away, making sure she was following in his footsteps. She was. For twenty minutes, they slogged forward. Chakotay stopped finally. "Kathryn?"

"Um hmm?"

"It's getting too deep." Chakotay was immersed to his waist now. "I think this time I'd better carry you."

Kathryn was holding on to his arm to keep from floating off her feet; she tried once more to get a solid footing, but it was no use. Chakotay was trying hard not to laugh out loud at her floundering but he was about to lose the battle, and her struggles were beginning to threaten his own foothold.

She finally gave up and grinned back at him, acknowledging defeat. "Well, I'd argue with you some more, but I'm afraid I might float away before we got finished."

His eyes widened in astonishment, and he did a double-take. "Kathryn Janeway conceding an argument before it even begins? That's a first!" They both laughed as he prepared to scoop her up.

"Wait a minute," she interrupted him, "I have no desire to be dragged through a bog backside first."

"I knew it was too good to be true," he groaned in exasperation. "All right...how *would* you like to be dragged through a bog?"

Kathryn did swat him this time, and then yelped as she lost her grip on his arm and her feet floated out from under her. Chakotay grabbed for her and overbalanced, and they both went down in a tangle of flailing limbs. He struggled to get his feet planted again, swiped the goo out of his eyes and looked around frantically for Kathryn.

She was more or less floating on the surface, flopping about trying to wipe her face off and force her feet down. It was a hopeless cause. She felt his hands on her arms anchoring her, got her eyes clear enough to open and gaped up at him.

"Eeeeww....yuck!" she sputtered, "it tastes even worse than it smells." She got a good look at him and started to laugh. "If I look even half that silly, we're both in big trouble!"

He was laughing by then too, and had moved one hand to wipe off the rest of his face. When he was finished, he eased her sodden, gooey hair back off her forehead. "Well, if I look twice as silly as that, I don't want to know about it."

His short hair was saturated, and was beginning to coagulate into a red pompadour; Kathryn reached up and pressed as much bog out of it out as she could, and then wiped off his tattoo with her thumb. "Wouldn't want that to get covered up - they'll have to have some way of identifying our bodies. If they ever find our bodies." His laughter had faded away when she'd touched him, and he was smiling wistfully at her when she finished and looked into his eyes.

"Chakotay?"

"Hmm?"

"We should probably move on, since we don't *really* know how long it's going to take us to get out of here."

His eyes twinkled at that. "Which leaves us with the original question."

"What question?"

"How you'd like to be dragged through the bog."

Kathryn snorted. "Well... how about piggy-back?"

"I can live with that. Here - use my hand as a step." She ran her hand down his arm until she found his cupped hand and tucked her boot into it, grasped his shoulders with both hands and lifted herself onto his back. She linked her arms loosely around his neck, he hooked his arms through her legs, and they set off

again.

Because they were both so slimy they were having a very hard time holding on to each other, and Chakotay had to stop frequently to let Kathryn hitch herself back up. She had begun by trying not to choke him or press herself too closely to him, but before long she was literally plastered to him and hanging on for dear life.

Soon, Chakotay was shoulder-deep, and struggling against both the bog and the sensation of Kathryn Janeway sliding around on him with her breasts flattened up against his back. He was glad that he had the strain of carrying her and fighting the bog as excuses for his increasingly laboured breathing.

Kathryn could feel his heart beating faster and suspected that the cause was more than simple exertion. She was trying to ignore the sensations caused by her body rubbing up against him with every step he took, but she was slightly embarrassed to realise that she had an urge to nibble the ear beside her lips as she clung to him with her head over his shoulder.

Chakotay stumbled slightly, and they had to clutch at each other to keep from falling over. "What's the matter?" Kathryn asked.

He paused to catch his breath. "It seems to be getting shallower; I think we may be almost there."

"The question is, almost where?" Kathryn retorted dryly.

"Are you sure you want to know?"

"No!" They both laughed. "Wherever it is, at least it won't be here."

She peered over his shoulder. They had encountered more and more gnarled vegetation protruding from the muck as they'd travelled, and it seemed to be even thicker up ahead. "I think those may be trees in the distance - maybe that's the shore."

"Seems reasonable."

"Well, giddy'up, then!"

He shook his head and seemed to be addressing the slime surrounding them, "She's stuck in the middle of a swamp, covered in goop, and she's *still* giving orders..."

"Don't you still want that buried treasure?"

More than ever, he thought to himself, enjoying the feel of holding her, even like this. Aloud, he said, "I think we've earned it!"

"Treasure's that way." Pointing over his shoulder.

"Yes, Ma'am." That earned him another playful swat which he couldn't possibly duck, and they both laughed. He took a deep breath and resumed walking, both of them feeling a renewed energy.

The ground began rising as sharply as it had dropped on the other side of the bog. By the time Chakotay had emerged as far as his thighs, they could both see that the trees did indeed mark a shoreline, and they felt their excitement rising as well. "I think I can walk now, if you want to put me down."

"No, we're almost there; might as well finish the job."

When they were within a few metres of the edge, he was knee-deep. He moved to let her down, but his hands slipped; she slid down his back and landed on her backside with a huge splash. He turned quickly to see if she was all right and at the look on her face, fell to his hands and knees gasping with laughter.

"A fitting end to an ignominious journey." She was mostly laughing at him laughing at her. When they had both caught their breath, she rose to her hands and knees and they crawled to the edge together.

"Isn't this how evolution started?"

"I don't feel very evolved at the moment."

They lay half in and half out, resting for a while, and then Kathryn lifted her head. "Do you hear water running?"

"You're just dreaming."

"No, really. I hear it."

Chakotay finally lifted his own head and listened for a moment. "You're right."

As one, they staggered to their feet and wobbled off through the trees in the direction of the siren call.

As they neared the source of the sound, they broke through the trees into a huge sunlit clearing, with a river flowing gently down a waterfall and into a clear, deep pool. "Ahhh!" they exclaimed simultaneously, and ran and flung themselves into the pool.

After a moment of sheer enjoyment, they both began scrubbing at every part of themselves they could reach with cool, clean water. When she was done, Kathryn yanked off her boots and began rinsing them out until the water ran clear from them.

"Does this feel indecently good, or have our standards just fallen?" she asked.

"Maybe both, but who cares?"

She moved almost instinctively to pull off the rest of her clothes, and then froze. On the one hand, it seemed like the perfectly natural next step, and they were both grownups, after all. On the other hand, she was paralysed by the implications of bathing naked with her first officer, the man she was becoming all too aware of, and unsure of whether she was prepared to face those implications.

She jumped when Chakotay's voice said softly, just behind her, "It's all right. I won't peek."

Kathryn flushed. "You're reading my mind again. That's a little... disconcerting."

"Sorry." He was crouched next to her, kneeling in the shallow edge of the pool, his hair and face mostly clean. He'd paused in the process of unbuttoning his off-duty shirt. "Want me to disappear for a while?"

"Don't be silly. We both need to get clean."

"Um hmm."

She rolled her eyes, impatient with herself. "To hell with it." She stood up, unceremoniously wriggling out of the soggy jumpsuit. She didn't look at Chakotay. The turtleneck landed in the water with a splat. She turned briefly to see where he was.

Chakotay was wading deeper into the water, his civvies resting under a rock at the edge of the pool, water lapping over his clothes. That was a good idea. Carefully, Kathryn anchored her uniform in the water, then shrugged mentally. The tank top and her briefs followed. Chakotay was swimming by now, only his shoulders and head occasionally visible as he pushed through the water.

Smiling, Kathryn submerged and swam into the deeper water. It felt wonderful. She held her breath and stayed under for a moment, scrubbing her hands through her hair. Gasping, she emerged after a moment. She couldn't see him now. "Now if only we had some soap," she muttered.

"Sorry. Didn't think to bring any along," Chakotay said, his voice close by. She turned to see him treading water a meter from her. "We'll have to make do."

/You scrub my back, and I'll do yours?/ She thought, but didn't say. "Is this the part of 'roughing it' you like so much?"

He smiled involuntarily. "There are worse things."

"I know." They stared at each other for a moment, both carefully floating, treading water, not moving any closer. Chakotay looked around after a moment. "It's just shallow enough over there for you to stand and still be in the water. Come on, I'll rinse your hair."

Kathryn hid her hesitation. "All right." She swam after him, refusing to think too much. She was shoulder deep in the water when she found solid footing. Chakotay slipped in behind her and braced himself.

"Come here." He held out one hand, guiding her a little closer. Moving her arms slowly to help maintain her balance, she turned away from him. He carefully pushed her hair back, not touching her otherwise. "Okay. Deep breath, and down you go." Kathryn relaxed for a moment, just breathing, then submerged completely. Chakotay's hands smoothed through her hair, ruffling, fingers gently untangling.

When she broke the surface again, his hands were anchored on her shoulders. "Better?"

She nodded. "Once more, though."

She took another deep breath and slipped under the water again. This time, he massaged her scalp with his fingers before running them through her hair to the ends. She didn't want it to end, but she had to come up for air.

"Ahhhhh...,"she exhaled in satisfaction, "Chakotay, that feels *so* much better!"

"As good as soap?" She could hear the smile in his voice.

"Well... almost."

"Good. How's mine?" His voice was receding, and she turned to find that he was moving back into the deeper water. She swam after him and studied his head while treading water.

"Looks like you've got it all. Too bad, though; I think you could have started a new fashion aboard Voyager."

"Don't you think it would affect the crew's discipline and morale to have a first officer with slimy red hair who stinks like a bog? I'm pretty sure it would affect mine." They both laughed at the image he evoked.

"Come to think of it, I'd have to sit beside you, too. Maybe we could move your chair to the other side of the Bridge."

"The Bridge isn't that big."

"I guess you're right; another great idea shot down in flames."

As their laughter subsided, they found themselves treading water in companionable silence, a few metres apart from one another other. After a few minutes, Chakotay turned away to squint up at the sun. "You know, I don't think we've got more than another hour or two of daylight left; how do you feel about trying to rinse and dry out our clothes while I go looking for something to eat and somewhere to spend the night? Unless you'd like to trade places?"

"No thank you, the thought of traipsing around the woods in my birthday suit doesn't do a thing for me; I'll handle the clothes."

"I thought so. I'll call out when I'm coming back." She threw him an app reciative smile, and then swam away so he could get out of the water.

Once he'd called out his goodbye, Kathryn swam over to their clothes and went to work. She squeezed water through them until there was no trace of red slime left and wrung them out over and over until only a few drops of water ran free. She debated whether it would be more effective to spread them out on a sun-heated rock or to hang them from branches where they could be dried by both the sun and the breeze moving through them. She decided in favour of the trees, and reserved the rock for herself.

After another swim, she lay face down on the rock with her head on her arms and let the warmth seep into her bones. She awoke with a shiver to discover that the sun had gone down, the breeze had picked up and the daylight was fading. A quick check of the clothes found them very nearly dry, and she slipped into them before she got any more chilled. Her boots were still sodden so she decided to remain barefoot, and sat down to await Chakotay's arrival. There wasn't long to wait; after only a few minutes, she heard him call her name in the near distance.

She raised her voice and answered, letting him know it was all right to a pproach. As she waited, she pondered her first officer for a moment. He'd known, without having to be told, that she had needed a little space. Not to mention privacy to dress: considerate in this as well. Thoughts she'd worked hard to avoid threatened to crowd her mind. /No, dammit/ she argued with herself. /Don't analyze, don't worry. This is just a respite. Just a day and a night and a day to relax. Use it. Enjoy it./

"I will," she said aloud, to herself.

"You will what?" Quiet as usual, Chakotay was only a few meters away.

"Nothing."

Kathryn raised her face to him, turning a little pink as he approached. He stopped behind her, hunkering down as she averted her gaze. Without a fuss, he reached for his clothes. "These are almost dry. And clean. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Unselfconsciously, he stood up and began to dress. Kathryn watched him from the corner of her eye, marveling that he was so comfortable with himself, and with her.

Chakotay took in the sight of his captain, dressed in her uniform without the turtleneck, barefoot, pants legs rolled up, hair disheveled. She looked wonderful, and he lowered his face briefly, hiding a smile. "I think you're going to like what I've found."

"Does it involve food?"

"Are you hungry?" Chakotay didn't try to stop the grin. "This is a first, too."

"Well I have been fighting my way through a swamp for the better part of the afternoon. Yes, I'm hungry. Of course, I realize you've been working a little bit, too. Aren't you?"

"Yeah. Come on. I've got something to show you."

"All right." She held out one hand and Chakotay pulled gently, tugging her to her feet. She bent and gathered her boots. "I suppose I'd better put these on."

"You might not need to. Just past this copse, the land is a little gentler." Companionably, he fell into step beside her. They pushed through the stand of unruly vegetation bordering the pond. They'd gone only a hundred meters when the trees thinned out.

Kathryn paused, smiling with delight, her eyes taking in this new surprise. "Chakotay... did you know this was here?"

"No. The Sayerians told me a little. But I hadn't expected this."

"I think I'm speechless."

He laughed. "Never that."

She threw Chakotay a rueful glance. "Well, maybe not quite. Have you gone inside?"

"No. I thought we'd look together." He smiled, almost shyly, and Kathryn looked away, unexpectedly touched. She reached out to touch his arm. Chakotay paused, glancing down at her. He reached out and took her hand. "Come on, Captain. Let's see what the next surprise is."

The ground leading away from the trees rose sharply, covered with bushes and bedraggled flowers before the dominant flora overpowered them. And tucked neatly into the hillside, there was a small, carved wooden door. Chakotay nodded at it. "The Speaker said they valued travelers here. When he talked, he reminded me of the old aboriginal custom of taking walkabout. This must be one of their way stations."

"Well, Commander. Let's see what's inside."

As they neared the door, Kathryn saw a bundle wrapped up in some of the large leaves they had encountered. "What's this?"

"Oh, I found some tubers and some berries; they're pretty tasty, even raw, so if we can't cook them it won't be the end of the world. I'm hoping we'll be able to make a stew with the roots, though."

"You *tasted* them? What if they're poisonous, and you fall over dead, and I have to haul your body back through that bog by myself?"

"Well, at least you won't float away!" When their laughter quieted, he added, "I had Tuvok scan the area before we came down, and there's absolutely nothing here, animal, mineral or vegetable, which is poisonous to us." He gave her a smug look and gathered up the bundle.

"Well in that case, let's go in. It looks like a Hobbit Hole from out here; I can't wait to see what it's like inside."

"A Hobbit Hole seems appropriate enough, considering that we're on a quest. Look at all the Pictographs carved on the door." They both knelt down to get out of the rapidly fading light, and touched the carvings curiously. "I can't see very clearly, but these seem to be in a sequence, like a story."

"I can't see either; we can have a look at them in the morning. Besides, I'm not only hungry, but I'm *cold!*"

"That sounded like a hint; shall we go in, then?"

"We shall." She lifted the heavy latch, and he pushed the door open, shouldering ahead of her to scout out the territory before she entered. Whatever lay beyond was in complete darkness, and they had no beacons with them. He looked just inside the doorway, and in the dying light from outside he caught sight of what looked like a lamp. He reached in and brought it out where he could see a little better.

"Oh good, an oil lamp. And this looks like a lighter of some kind. He clicked it over the wick, and a strong light began to burn. He moved back through the doorway and held up the lamp to survey the interior of their shelter. As soon as he had finished, he pushed the door fully open and stood aside to let her enter. Even she had to stoop to avoid hitting her head.

"Oh... it's perfect!" she exclaimed in wonder.

They were in a moderately large, warm dry cave with a sandy floor. Against one wall was a fireplace with a chimney carved straight up through the rock, and firewood stacked from floor to ceiling on one side. Kathryn counted several cast iron pots and a bucket on the rock hearth. There were other lamps filled with fragrant oil, a rough-hewn table and chairs with some dishes and utensils stacked on it and lastly, across from the fireplace, a large carved wooden bed covered in furs.

"It's just perfect," she repeated, wiggling her toes in the sand. "It looks as though you're going to get your stew after all, Commander."