NOTE: I wrote this story a couple of years back, but thought I should pull it out and dust it off. Hope you enjoy!

This is part two of the "Wraiths Trilogy" which began with "Eidolon" and will conclude in "Full Circle". Briefly, in part one, Chakotay was possessed by an evil alien entity and kidnapped Janeway. This takes place a few weeks later.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: Thanks to Linda Campbell (as always!) for the great ideas, the wonderful title, and many of the nastier things that happen to Janeway and Chakotay. (The mudslide was her idea! Okay - I owe something to
"Romancing the Stone" too...)

DISCLAIMER: We all know that I don't own any of the characters from Star Trek. I therefore refuse to restate the obvious... ;)

It had seemed like such a good idea at the time, Janeway thought ruefully. When Chakotay had reminded her about her suggestion that they take a refresher course on basic survival techniques, she had agreed readily. A few hours brushing up on skills that obviously needed some work... what could be simpler? A great deal, as it turned out...

SEVERAL HOURS EARLIER:

Janeway's steps slowed as she neared the entrance to holodeck two where her First Officer was waiting. At her approach, he turned and gave her a quick smile. "I like the outfit." She glanced down at the casual brown clothes she wore, and grinned.

"It's the height of fashion in survival gear. Are you ready?"

A faint glimmer lit his eyes as he nodded before turning and opening the holodeck door. "Are you?"

"Yes." Janeway paused. "Chakotay?" He turned to face her and she gave him a stern look. "Just one thing..."

"Yes?"

"No matter what happens in there...you're not getting one more lock of hair. I don't care if we end up rubbing two sticks of wood together until our next duty shift, I'm not sacrificing any more hair in the interests of fire-making. Understood?"

His smile widened. "Aye aye, Captain." He gestured toward the doorway. "After you."

She shook her head. "Oh no. After you." The Commander gave her a quick look then entered the holodeck, Janeway following close behind. The door hissed silently shut behind them.

It was a forest. Janeway took a deep breath of the pine-laden air then let it out with a contented sigh. This was lovely. Chakotay had outdone himself when he programmed this. "I think I'm going to enjoy myself," she thought silently. Above them, the branches swayed in the slight breeze and the distant calls of birds could be heard through the trees.

They were standing on a narrow path, sunlight glimmering through the branches. Just ahead the path divided itself into two trails that disappeared between the close-ranked trees. Chakotay and the Captain exchanged a quizzical glance.

"First test I suppose," Chakotay mused. "Which way, Captain?"

"Kathryn," Janeway said absently, pondering the two choices before her. She didn't see the brief expression that flashed across her companion's face. When she did look back at him, his face wore its customary serene mask. "We could split up, check both, and meet back here in fifteen minutes..."

Chakotay shook his head. "No. It makes more sense to stay together. Besides...Kathryn...it would be too much of a cliche if we lost each other in the woods."

A chuckle escaped her. "Agreed. All right, let's go...left."

"Why left?"

"Why not?"

"As good a reason as any. Well...once more unto the breach..." He set out along the path, striding smoothly over the uneven ground. Janeway followed silently.

The pace Chakotay was setting was perfect -- not too fast yet they were covering the ground rapidly. Of course, Janeway wasn't quite sure where they were going. "We're lost, but we're making good time," she thought to herself randomly.

Still, for a survival test, this program was proving to be a little...tame. So far the most alarming organism they had encountered had been a swarm of blackflies. And that wouldn't have been so dangerous if Janeway hadn't gotten carried away with her swatting and had accidentally whacked her First Officer. Hard. She winced inwardly again at the memory. Still, the expression on his face had been... unforgettable...to say the least...

"I suppose we should try to find something edible," he was saying as he pushed through the trees that were growing more closely together now. Janeway did not answer. A flash of grey off to the side caught her attention and she paused briefly. Unaware that she had stopped, Chakotay pressed on, muttering something about mushrooms.

There. A grey squirrel. Fascinated, Janeway watched it for a moment as it scampered up a nearby pine tree. then she turned away...and blinked. The path ahead was empty. A brief flicker of alarm shot through her, which she quickly stifled. He would be just up ahead. There wasn't anywhere else to go, after all, given that the trees were now so thick that any attempt to leave the path would result in multiple scratches and a lot of noise.

Speaking of noise...from up ahead came a thud and a muffled yelp. "Chakotay?" Janeway lengthened her stride, ducking under an outstretched branch. "Are you all right?"

"I'm...fine." There was a sheepish tone to his voice.

"Where are you?"

"Er...over here."

The path ahead widened slightly. Janeway hurried forward, alarm growing within her...then stopped dead. For a long moment she stared incredulously at the sight before her then had to turn away as a tide of laughter threatened to engulf her. With a mighty effort she managed to suppress it.

"It's not funny," he said plaintively.

Janeway drew a deep breath. "No. I suppose not." She looked up at him, striving gallantly for an expression of sympathy and concern. It took a lot of effort.

Her First Officer was hanging upside down several feet above the ground, a noose around his left foot, and a look of mingled annoyance and embarrassment on his face. He swayed slightly in the breeze and Janeway dissolved into a gale of laughter.

"Do you mind?" he asked acerbically.

"Not at all," she said, suppressing her merriment. "I'll get you right down...can't have you just hanging around..." She had to pause to wipe away the tears that were streaming down her face then vanished into the trees, seeking the end of the rope that held him. Chakotay groaned.

"You're not being very sympathetic..." he started to say, then broke off as she found the rope tied around a nearby tree...and released it. Abruptly the ground came up to meet him. Hard.

He landed in a bush, which was useful in that it helped break his fall. Unfortunately it also had thorns. Chakotay bit back the curses that came sizzling to his lips as he tried to pull himself from its grasp.

Janeway materialized from out of the trees, her eyes sparkling. "What are you doing in there?" she asked innocently. Chakotay cast her an unreadable glance, then carefully reached past the thorns for a cluster of large purple berries. "Looking for something edible," he replied, deadpan.

Janeway dissolved again into helpless laughter then reached a hand down, bracing herself against his weight as he pulled himself up. "Well done, Commander," she said with mock seriousness. "Although next time I suggest you try another approach to food-gathering." She reached out and pulled a twig from his hair. "You look like you've been dragged through a hedge backwards."

"I'll keep that in mind," he said, brushing the rest of the leaves out of his hair. His fingers brushed hers and Janeway's breath caught in her throat. Their eyes met and a stunned expression crossed both their faces then Janeway turned aside and continued hastily. "Well, since you were clever enough to find out what the traps look like, we should be able to avoid them in future." She glanced back at him over her shoulder, a wicked smile on her lips. "That was what you were doing, wasn't it?"

"Absolutely." He nodded agreeably. The brief moment of tension between them faded as if it had never been.

Janeway's grin widened. "You, Chakotay, are a man of many talents...trap-finding, bush-diving. What else do you do?"

"It's a very long list."

She laughed out loud. "And modesty is obviously not high on it."

He shook his head. "No...I'm afraid I'm sadly lacking in that area."

There was a pause then Janeway looked back up the path. "Shall we?" she asked, waving an arm toward it.

"All right. But you go first this time."

She laughed again then strode away, deeper into the woods, not waiting to see if he was following. Chakotay hesitated for a moment, watching her go, then moved forward, watching his footing more carefully this time.

It had been good to hear her laugh again, he realized as they continued through the forest. She hadn't smiled much since...since Eidolon. The events of three weeks ago had obviously affected her more than she had initially let on. After that last moment on the planet, when she had reached for his hand as they were beaming back to Voyager... She hadn't exactly avoided him but neither had she gone out of her way to be near him. And their conversations had been...not stilted...but still lacking in their earlier ease. Chakotay sighed. Of course, he probably hadn't helped much. Most of his time had been spent working through his own emotions about the wraith. It was only recently that he had begun to come to terms with what had happened to him.

Chakotay's gaze returned to the slim figure moving through the forest ahead of him. In a way it had been harder for her, he thought. He had known what was happening, known from the first that he was no longer in command of his own body. She had had only her own instincts to guide her. And yet somehow she had seen through Eidolon's lies and had brought him back. She had risked her life and her very sanity...for him...

Lost in thought, the Commander didn't notice that Janeway had come to a halt until it was too late. Unable to stop himself in time he plowed into her, sending her jolting forward a few steps before she could regain her balance. "Sorry..." he started to say when she hushed him quickly with a waved hand. He moved forward a pace and looked questioningly down at her. Silently she pointed. He frowned, staring into the trees...and then he saw it. An Altairian hawk. A female. She was sitting on a pine branch, her mottled brown and grey plumage blending with the forest behind her, her long hooked beak slightly open.
She was beautiful. Chakotay watched as the hawk shifted slightly, her gaze focusing on the two human interlopers. For an endless moment the forest was still, and then the hawk spread her wings and screamed at them.

Chakotay's reverie faded. Stories of nesting hawks and their territorial instincts flickered through his mind. He pulled at Janeway's sleeve. "Let's go," he whispered in her ear.

As if that slight sound were the trigger, the hawk abruptly leapt from the branch and dove straight toward them. Suddenly the bird was no longer quite so fascinating. Both Starfleet Officers ducked as she plummeted toward them, only the wind and the faint rustle of feathers marking her passage. And then she was in the sky above them, shrieking abuse. The two humans turned to flee...and rebounded off each other as they both tried to take opposite directions. They gave each other a frustrated glance then, as one, ducked as the hawk stooped low for another attack. Janeway hastily seized his sleeve and plunged into the forest, her First Officer in tow.

Fortunately just prior to each dive, the hawk would fall silent...and Janeway and Chakotay would duck. And then they would continue their hasty retreat. The bird moved with ease through the thick trees, but the Starfleet Officers were not so lucky. Pine boughs and fallen trees impeded their progress and once Janeway tripped over an exposed root. Only Chakotay's hand under her elbow kept her on her feet...and then the bird was on them again. They ducked once more, catching a brief glimpse of an angry brown and grey shape gliding past and ahead of them. And then another shape soared in from the left. Her mate. Damn.

"Wait a minute..." Chakotay paused in his headlong flight. "Computer, delete Altairian hawks." The only response was yet another stooping attack. "Computer..."

"Don't talk. Run!" Janeway yelled at him over her shoulder. He glanced up...and, throwing dignity to the winds, dashed after his Captain.

Finally the hawks broke off the attack, evidently feeling they had harried the humans far enough from their nest. At that moment, Janeway broke from the gloom of the trees into blinding sunlight and a meadow...with a fast-moving creek...right before her. Arms cartwheeling wildly, she managed to skid to a halt at the last possible moment. And then Chakotay emerged from the trees at a full gallop, only a pace or two behind her.

"Chakotay, no..." she only had time to say, before his full weight slammed into her. Together they plunged headfirst into the creek.

Janeway emerged first, sputtering, cold water dripping from her hair, Chakotay's weight pinning the rest of her beneath the freezing water. She pushed futilely at him. "Get off," she said, her teeth chattering in the sudden chill.

He was trying. But he couldn't seem to find any purchase on the water-slick stones. Each time he tried to lift his weight from her, the force of the water pushed him back. This was becoming embarrassing. Finally he gave up and rolled, effectively drenching them both yet further. And then he was on his feet, reaching behind him for his Captain. Together they half-crawled, half-swam to the far bank. The Commander collapsed on his back on the muddy shore while Janeway likewise fell face down beside him, gasping. A long moment passed then he took a deep breath, shoved his wet hair back to scan the sky above them, and breathed a heartfelt sigh. The hawks were gone. Only then, reluctantly, did he glance over at the shivering woman beside him.

She was staring wordlessly at him through her matted red hair, which had worked loose from her intricate pony-tail. The expression in what he could see of her eyes was not particularly warm. He essayed a small, lop-sided smile. "Oops." There was a note of trepidation in his voice.

Janeway levered herself up on her elbows and pushed her hair back. "Oops?" she repeated. "Oops?"

"Um. Sorry?"

"You're sorry?" Her voice rose. "Chakotay, you just threw me into a creek."

"But I jumped right in after you." The lop-sided smile tilted yet further.

"You...?" Incredulity flashed across her blue eyes, and then she lowered her face onto her arms, so he could no longer see her expression. Concern went through him...until he realized she was laughing again... hysterically. She rolled onto her back, ignoring the mud and holding her side, and gave into the mirth bubbling within her. After a moment, Chakotay joined her.

When Janeway finally regained control of herself, her sides ached and her jaw was sore. She was also becoming uncomfortably aware of the fact that she was soaking wet and lying on her back in the mud. Still, she hadn't laughed like that in a long time. It had felt...good. She glanced over at her First Officer as she slowly sat up, pushing futilely at her hair. He too was soaked, his beige shirt clinging tightly to his chest and arms...his well-muscled chest and arms... She swallowed deeply then quickly looked away, trying to repress her straying thoughts. "That is not helping, Kathryn," she told herself severely. The fact that her emotions were running wild...had been ever since... No. No. No! Janeway thrust the images aside and climbed to her feet, squelching slightly. "This is not the time," she thought to herself sternly. "Isn't it?" another voice inside her asked. She ignored it.

Chakotay's eyes had opened when she moved. He peered up at her, squinting a little in the sunlight. "This is not what I had in mind," he said.

"No." She looked around. "Computer, end program." There was no response. Beside her, Chakotay shifted and gracefully climbed to his feet.

"Let me guess...the holodeck is malfunctioning... again." There was no surprise in his voice.

She shot him a look. "Computer. Exit." Again, no response.

Their eyes met. "Now what?"

Janeway unconsciously reached for her communicator pin, then realized she was not wearing it. Neither of them had thought it necessary to bring one. She gritted her teeth. "Now we wait until someone misses us."

"Wonderful." Chakotay's voice was dry. "Our next duty shift isn't for another twelve hours. And in the meantime...?"

She sighed. "In the meantime...we survive."