Stranded

Gone. Voyager's gone. We're stranded here. No way home, just us and the crew of the Enterprise, thrown here and stranded here just like us, their ship damaged beyond the hope of repair.

The planet reminds me of New Earth, and the time I spent there with Chakotay. I smile as I remember our time together, my eyes glazing over as I watch him moving through our crew, conversing with them and helping a select few to accept our situation here on the planet we've named Tiger 4.

Much of our Engineering crew is working with that of the Enterprise's to strip down what materials that could be used from the damaged Enterprise to create shelters and homes for the two crews. The Medical Teams are treating those with minor injureies, but there was no major injuries or casualties, for which I'm glad.

"Captain." I jump, startled. Jean-Luc Picard, Captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise, is stood behind me, smiling. He embraced me in a hug and kissed my cheek. "It's good to see that everyone is okay and that no one was hurt."

"Mmm," I gaze back over our crews. "This planet reminds me of New Earth," I say softly.

"New Earth?" I just smile.

It's dark, the only light provided by the crackling fire and rising full moon. The two Engineering crews are working to put together shelters using the materials provided by what used to be the Enterprise, with four log cabins carefully constructed around the fire for the senior staff and the families.

The shelters that are being constructed out of the aluminium from the Enterprise are being constructed behind the log cabins from the rest of the crews, and a few have already been completed.

I sit next to Chakotay on a log by the fire, with the rest of the two crews that haven't yet been given somewhere to live. His arm is around my shoulders, my head on his shoulder as my eyes start to droop. Our cabin mates, Jean-Luc Picard, Beverly Crusher, Deanna Troi and Will Riker, have already turned in for the night. I want to join them in the cabin and sleep, but I don't want to leave the crews alone. Chakotay, as loyal, caring and loving as ever, stays by side.

I close my eyes to rest my aching head, and morning comes fast when the bird song wakes me to the rising dawn sunlight.

Many more aluminuim shelters had been completed during the night, but a few of the crew still dozed against the logs around the cinders what was the fire the night before. Chakotay is dozing next to me, and I smile contently, enjoying the sight of him sleeping, his face looking even more handsome than usual in the dawn light.

I start to lightly trace the tattoo above his left eye, like I have wanted to do for so long now, feeling the desire for him rise up inside me as he jumps at my touch, looking down at me with a tiredly suspicious gaze. It softens when he tries to suppress a grin at my childish wonder but can't, and I find myself starting to giggle as he tries to glare menacingly at me while grinning maddly. He starts to laugh too, and we're soon on the floor, laughing hysterically.

The crewmen who'd been dozing on the other side of the fire, jerk awake, looking around, in alarm, looking for the source of the hysterical laughing that had woken them. Some start to grin, their alarm turning to amusement as they watch us rolling in the dust, laughing so hard that tears are rolling down our cheeks. Some grow more alarmed, and others become confused, not sure whether to be alarmed or amused by our laughter.

Soon, others rise and come to find the source of the disturbance. Some, like Naomi, Tom, and Neelix, start to laugh and giggle. I know that they're at us, and not with us, but I don't care. I'm struggling to breathe, but every time I feel my laughter subsiding, I look at Chakotay, and I start to laugh again, until, finally, our laughter subsides for good, and we stagger to our feet, gasping, our sides and faces aching, our knees weak and unsteady.

It is a strange and uncomfortable situation, being stranded on an unknown planet on the far side of the galaxy from the place my crew still calls home. Much of Voyager's crew is more comfortable here, because in the time they have been in the Delta Quadrant, it has become their home and their friends and crew their family.

The clearing in which we've esstablished something similar to the colonies back in the Alpha Quadrant, and I can't help but notice how comforting it has become, how homely it has become since it was built. The cabins are warm and welcoming, and much like those in old western novels of twenty-first century Earth. The shelters are modern and comfortable, with the few simple nessecities we managed to salvage from the Enterprise.

The forest is over grown, wild and dark and only Kathryn and her first officer Chakotay have been in further than the thick outlining bushes that keep the wild animals inside the forest and away from our colony.

Much of my crew is uncertain about what to with themselves without the luxuries of a starship to help them entertain themselves, but there are a few of my crew who are working with the crew of Voyager to entertain themselves.

Worf is tackling Voyager's Chief Engineer B'Elanna Torres alongside the burnt out fire ring, the blackened cinders crackling as the wind blows over them. Beverly Crusher, is arguing heatedly with Voyager's EMH, The Doctor, outside the Medical tent that has since been set up. Reginald Barclay converses nervously with Voyager's Ensign Lyssa Campbell. I can't help but smile at how well some of my crew is starting to settle down here and make friends with some of Kathryn's crew, especially Reg Barclay.

"Jean-Luc, what are you looking at?" asks the sing-song voice of Deanna Troi. I turn around, and smile at the picture that she paints with Will stood by her side, their hands clasped between them, both smiling coyly.

"Nothing," I say, my smile growing as Will raises and accusing eyebrow at me. "I was just thinking, that's all, honest!" She grins, almost laughing at me.

"Do you want to come for a walk with us? We're going to see if we can find can find Kathryn and Chakotay."

She's running ahead of me, shrieking and squealing with uncontrolled laughter, looking over her shoulder every so often as she runs. I'm laughing too, just happy to see her happy and relaxed for the first time since New Earth. Her hair si still long, her eyes are as blue as ever, and she's as pretty as ever, the shady light and never ending down time making her seem younger than ever.

She runs into the small clearing and spins around in front of the half-built log cabin by the edge of the large lake we'd found earlier this week. I run up to her and scoop her up in my arms, spinning around until I fall backwards onto the soft moss, where we lie breathless, yet still managing to laugh, tangled up in each other.

"Look at them! They're acting like lovestruck teenagers!" hisses Jean-Luc, a slight aura of disgust, disbelief and annoyance in his tone.

"Well, I'm sure you can't honestly tell us their hasn't been a time in your adult life where you haven't acted like a lovestruck teenager, Jean-Luc, it's a crime all of us commit when we're free to fall in love," I whisper back, grinning broadly at Deanna when he goes bright red and starts to stammer a denial.

"I . . . I . . . I don't know what you're talking about, Will. It might have been a case of love at first sight for you and Deanna, but I have yet to find a woman that makes me act like a lovestruck teenager, as you call this atrocious behaviour."

"Oooh, someone's starting to turn into Seven of Nine!" giggled Deanna. I can't help but grin as her remark brings out a scowl on Jean-Luc's face. It seems that being stranded on Tiger 4 seems to bring out the more human aspects in our people that most of the crew keep bottled up inside.

They stumble tiredly out of the forest, hand in hand, smiling happily, the shadows of the forest silhouetting them against the blazing light of the fire. They sit down side by side on the log to my left and I pass Chakotay two plates of Neelix's forest mush. He hands one to Kathryn and grins at me, his dimples showing proudly.

I feel my insides warming up. He's my oldest friend, and I love him like a brother. Kathryn has been like a mother to me since we were stuck here in the Delta Quadrant; she's loving, caring, kind and gentle, beautiful, smart and helpful. They are so in love and happy together, and I couldn't wish for anything else for them.

Chakotay whispers something to Kathryn, and she giggles, shoving at him playfully. Her blue eyes are laughing, glittering happily. Chakotay grins and starts to tickle her. She shrieks at him to stop, tears of laughter springing up in her eyes, still giggling as she curls up against him, smiling contently up at him.

Seeing them so content together makes me think about my relationship with Tom. He's sat on my right, joking as usual with Harry and trying to make Seven laugh. My heart flutters as he laughs at Harry's joke, laughing harder when he sees the confused look on Seven's face. I laugh along with him. I know that I'll treasure that sight forever.