…………….Janeway woke to find her self being dragged down a corridor backwards then unceremoniously shoved into a semi-darkened room. Turning slowly to get her bearings and let her eyes adjust to the light she saw other, dressed in the same rags she’d been forced into, huddled against the walls trying to hide under thick blankets. Something else she noticed even in the dark was that they were all female, well almost all of them.
“CAPTAIN!”
Turning sharply Janeway saw Tom Paris limping out of the shadows towards her. Behind him she recognised a few of her female officers, they too were dressed in rags but Paris still wore his uniform. The sight of him lifted her dwindling spirits and forgetting her position she ran into his arms wrapping her own around his strong muscular back while burying her tear stained face into his shoulder.
Surprised, glad and shocked Paris returned the embrace. He’d not seen his captain since their abduction on Jarron’s third moon two days ago and from the tangles hair, broken nails and bruising she’d faired no better than the other federation women.
“Are you ok?” Paris found himself asking, releasing his hold on her so she could look up, but when Janeway moved her head their were fresh wet patch’s on his uniform jacket.
“I’m………f………fine, but how’s your leg?” Janeway asked trying to take the emphasis of her own appearance.
“It’s nothing, more stiffness than pain.” Paris swapped weight onto his bad leg to prove a point then winced.
Janeway ignored his bravado and glanced over his shoulder at the members of her crew gathered in a corner by a support strut. “How many?”
“Five,” Paris replied, “Harry and six others were taken away and I was brought here.”
“Seven, Belanna?” Janeway enquired.
Paris shook his head. “I don’t know, maybe they weren’t even captured. I’m pretty sure Chakotay wasn’t…” Paris stopped talking Janeway had moved her hands around to his front, where they plucked nervously at his tunic fastening. Her eyes too were now down cast and her bottom lip trembled. “Some of the girls, they…they were raped before being brought here…”
Janeway broke, her reserve strength depleted she collapsed against Paris, her own frame shaking as she sobbed uncontrollably.
“Oh God No!” Paris exclaimed, scooping Janeway up into his arms. “NOOooooo.”
His anguished outburst caused a stir among the women, some even started to cry, others moved closer to the walls trying to blend in with the dark metal. Paris braced himself on his good foot, turned and carried Janeway back into the shadows; the other women from Voyager followed him.
Roughly four hour later Paris woke to find himself pinned down by the arms, legs and torso’s of six sleeping women. The one snuggled up to his right hand side was Captain Janeway. She’d been the first crying herself to sleep in the crook of his arm while he’d whispered soothing words and stroked her comfortingly. Then Sam had asked to lie close for warmth, shortly joined they’re after by Megan, Jenny, Alice and Mandy. As he lay listening to them breath he practised escape scenarios in his head, but none that involved six terrified women came to mind.
Before long the soft rhythmic sounds of breathing began to lull him back to sleep yet as he drifted off a faint noise tugged at his consciousness.
“Mmmm…….”
There it was again.
“Noooo……”
This time there was a definite sound then movement and it was emanating from beneath his right hand, which rested gently across Janeway’s shoulder.
“No Please!” Janeway cried out in her sleep, squirming her body against Paris while her fingers tugged absently at his shirt.
“Shhh,” Paris hushed while smoothing his hand across her back then up onto the nape of her neck.
But the gesture went unheeded and the moans increased in their intensity. “It’s ok Cap…Kathryn,” said Paris allowing his voice to raise a notch. “It’s ok I’ve got you, your safe.”
Janeway whimpered and dug her fingers into Paris chest through his shirt. Paris flinched from the pain then froze as he felt stirring movements from Sam, if he didn’t calm Kathryn down sharpish she was going to wake everyone and Paris didn’t think he could cope with anymore crying. This reluctantly left him with only one option, to wake his Captain up.
Kathryn opened her eyes and for a moment couldn’t think were she was, then a voice came to her and she remembered.
“Kathryn wake up your having a bad dream.” Paris was whispering while tapping her arm gently.
It had in fact been a nightmare in which she’d relived every second of her torturous ordeal but Tom didn’t need to know that.
“Sorry did I wake you,” Janeway said, casually untangling her fingers from Paris shirt and propping herself up so she could see his face. The light was almost none existent but she could make out the worry lines.
“No I woke sometime ago.” Paris answered truthfully, while letting the hand from Kathryn’s shoulder drop to the curve of her back. The movement elicited a shiver from her and she briefly averted her gaze.
“Tom, why is it they didn’t take you with the other men?” Janeway asked, now she was rested the whole harem thing intrigued her.
“I’m not sure,” Paris shrugged. “Probably because I was injured.”
Janeway nodded, it seemed plausible, and then remembering how Paris had winced with pain earlier asked, “How is your leg?”
“Not bad considering ensign Curtis is asleep on it.”
Paris and Janeway both glanced down at the female crewmember wrapped snugly around Tom’s left leg with her head resting on his hip. The other leg was equally trapped by Megan and Jenny Delaney, On Tom’s left Sam slept with Mandy cuddled up to her.
“You do seem to be popular tonight Tom.” Janeway commented but there was pain instead of humour in her voice.
“Another time and place and I would relish in this but right now I’m too concerned about how I’m going to protect six unarmed women.”
“At my last count I made it twenty five,” Kathryn cast her eyes around the room at the shifting shadows.
“Oh Hell!” Paris let out a deep sigh. “I hadn’t even thought about them.”
“Then you had better recalibrate your escape plan because I’m not leaving anyone here too…to be………molested again…we…” Kathryn hid her face, ashamed and embarrassed by the tears she couldn’t control.
“Hey.” Paris gently gathered the damp hair from her cheek. “Shhh, don’t cry, please.”
“They hurt me.” Kathryn wept burying her head into Tom’s shoulder.
“Please don’t cry.” Tom begged his own voice cracking under the strain of the emotions rising within him. “Don’t,” Tom placed his lips to Kathryn’s temple and softly kissed her.
Her skin was warm and even after all she’d been through he could still smell lavender in her hair. The kiss though yielded the desired effect, Kathryn wasn’t crying as hard anymore. So Tom did it again, but this time he tilted her head up slightly so that the kiss landed just beneath her eye.
Once more the weeping abated. “Shhh,” Tom murmured, licking her salty tears from his lips while preparing to lower the kiss further.
Meanwhile Janeway’s mind, heart and soul raced through the implications of Tom’s seemingly innocent kisses and how she should react. Unfortunately her tortured soul won the debate and moving as Tom moved she collided her lips against his. Tom’s senses exploded and his loins leapt. ‘A mistake, she didn’t mean to do that.’ he reasoned but then he felt her body slide along his and the smooth texture of her mouth descend again taking his firmly. Shock mingled with fear rotated in Tom’s head as he felt Kathryn’s hot tongue probe along the seal of their embrace. One intake of breath and they were kissing like lovers.
The passion that surfaced between them cascaded over Tom and Kathryn, chasing all other senses away. Consequently neither of them was aware of the blast that demolished the jail door or the commotion of screaming girls. It wasn’t until the light from Chakotays wrist torch passed over that Captain Janeway and Lieutenant Paris jumped apart like startled Jackrabbits in the headlights.
Kathryn stood in the dark before the window in her quarters, her eyes closed to the stars streaking by at warp speed.
“Was it so wrong?” Tom whispered from the shadows.
“No.” Kathryn replied, still with her eyes closed. “But………”
“...But I’m a Starfleet lieutenant and you’re my Captain.” Paris moved to stand behind Janeway. He wanted to touch her, to turn her around and taste her. He wanted to say ‘rank be dammed’ take her to bed and make passionate love until the hideous memory’s she carried faded into insignificant murmurs. Yet he couldn’t, he respected her too much.
A single tear, shining in the starlight slipped down Kathryn’s cheek. She wanted to move to wipe it away but she was frozen with fear. She knew that if she moved now it would be to turn into the arms of the man standing behind her. Once there she would be powerless to stop herself from succumbing to his desires or worse her own. Instead she stood silent and motionless as she felt him walk away, open the door and leave………..
Neither a beginning nor an end but did Chakotay see them and will Tom leave things as they stand or will he try and fight for Kathryn. On the other hand can Kathryn keep up the resistance or will her resolve melt as she comes to terms with her rape. I leave it up to you to come up with the answers, I ask just one thing and that is that you make it a happy ending.
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