Stranded. That's what we are. We landed pretty hard, severely damaging the shuttle. Unfortunately, we will have to wait for Voyager to return for us. Which won't be until morning. So now we wait here. On this hot, deserted planet. This hot *desert* planet. No food or water, other than the few emergency rations on board the shuttle. Nothing to do but wait.

Tuvok warned me. He always does. The same old argument. Deep down, he really cares for me. He doesn't want to see anything bad happen to me. But just because I'm the captain does not mean that I cannot go on away missions. It gives me a chance to get off of the ship once in a while.

It was a routine operation, really. Chakotay and I were off to retrieve some deuterium from a nearby solar system, an item B'Elanna can always use in engineering. The mission was a success. We found enough deuterium to keep Voyager running smoothly for at least another 9 months, a minor victory in our united mission to return to the Alpha quadrant. Anything to keep us going. To keep the crew's spirits alive.

On our return, we altered course to avoid a cluster of meteors. In our course change, we detoured by this charming planet, and decided to look around. Chakotay picked up some interesting signals, and being the scientific explorers that we are, the opportunity was not to be missed. Unfortunately, the atmosphere was extremely unstable, and the turbulence sent our shuttle into a tailspin not even Tom Paris could recover from. The impact rendered us both unconscious for a few minutes.

When we awoke, we decided to explore the planet's surface. After sending a subspace signal to Voyager divulging our location, we left the shuttle, and immediately regretted it. It wasn't so much the heat, as the humidity. Sweltering was a word for it. Hazy, sticky, muggy, stifling. Not comforting at all. I quickly returned to the shuttle, hoping for some relief. But of course, the impact had knocked the environmental controls off-line. The temperature inside the shuttle was rapidly reaching the temperature outside.

Chakotay returned a few minutes later, wiping his brow. He instantly reached for the water rations and began to guzzle. I jerked the bottle away from him, reminding him that this was all we had. He grinned sheepishly, and apologized. I couldn’t help but smile back. Those dimples...

He mentioned that he had seen a cave nearby, and suggested it as a place of refuge while we awaited the return of Voyager. I agreed, praying that it would be much cooler there than in here. It wasn't. Other than being a little less muggy, the heat was still there. Sweat dripped down my back as I took a step inside. Some of this uniform had to go. Starfleet issued these uniforms to be worn in the comfort of a ship. They were not designed to handle sultry conditions.

I removed my jacket and the turtleneck underneath, leaving only my thin tank top. It was soaking wet, leaving little to the imagination. I turned around and noticed that Chakotay had done the same. I had never noticed how muscular he was. The perspiration only enhanced his features. Very well built. Not to mention handsome...

I quickly turned back around, ashamed of my thoughts. He was my first officer. My confidant. My best friend. These thoughts were forbidden. Forbidden by whom? Myself. I was the one who enforced protocol out here, so far from Starfleet. Me. I have no one to blame but myself...and the heat.

Damn, he looks so good. I glanced back at him and noticed that he has removed the tank top. The sweat trickled down his washboard stomach as he throws the excess uniform to the side. I kicked off my boots, trying not to think about how much I wanted to feel those muscles...

We both took a seat on the cave floor, and closing my eyes, I tried not to think of him. I tried so very hard. But the more I tried, the more I failed. I knew that he cared for me. I knew that he possibly even loved me. He had once told me an ancient legend. A love story that I would never forget. I didn’t know how much longer I could withstand this uncertainty.

The tank top was shed within a matter of minutes. As I took another look at him, I noticed something that threw me over the edge. He wanted me. He wanted me bad. But the good thing was that I wanted him just as bad, if not more.

The surface left little to be desired. Other than the little vegetation, which Neelix would have loved to harvest, there was nothing else. It didn't take long for the heat to overwhelm me. That's what traveling in a controlled environment will do to you. I thought that maybe my growing up in tropical conditions would allow me to have some tolerance, but I was wrong. Kathryn immediately returned to the shuttle. I wasn't far behind. Before I returned, however, I noticed a cave nearby. Hopefully that would offer some comfort.

We entered the cave, and couldn’t decide which place was hotter: here or the shuttle. But at least we were out of the beating sun. And with any luck, it would cool off more as the sun went down.

I discarded my jacket, despising that I had to wear the silly thing in the first place. We are so far from home, I don't think that they would care what we wore. But I wear it to please her. It seems to make her happy, and that's all I need.

She stripped down to her tank top, which was dripping wet, clinging to her like a second skin. She was glistening as last remaining beams of daylight found their way into the cave with us. She looked in my direction, and immediately turned away. Afraid that I would see her beautiful body. Kathryn didn't know it, but I already knew what she looked like unclothed.

It was accidental, of course. On New Earth, I had walked up as she was slipping into the bathtub I built for her. She didn't notice me, and I didn't bother to make my presence known. I had quietly observed as she took a timid step into the hot water, and I caught my breath as I watched her milky white breasts slip beneath the bubbles. I quickly ran for the cold waters of the local river to divert my thoughts of joining her.

I removed the remaining shirt, still trying to relieve myself from the humid temperatures. Kathryn looked back at me, and blushed. She looked down and made herself a seat on the rocky ground. I smiled. She liked what she saw. If this was all it took to get her to notice me, I would have done it a long time ago.

She leaned back against the cave wall and closed her eyes, as I took a seat near her. The sweat trickled down her slender neck and into her shirt. I imagined that I following that trail of sweat, and imagined covering that trail with kisses. I pulled my knees up to hide the noticeable bulge that was growing larger with every erotic thought. I didn't have that cold river to dive in this time.

A few minutes later, Kathryn muttered a few expletives regarding the heat, and sat up straight to remove the tank top, revealing even more skin. Now the only thing hiding her was her Starfleet issue bra. As she tossed the top aside, she looked in my direction, and I saw something in her eyes that I thought I would never see there. Desire. Lust. I offered her a smile as she crawled in my direction.

They met in the middle, with a quick but searing kiss that would have melted silver. Kneeling in front of each other and never speaking, their hands began exploring, feeling the heat emanating from their bodies. Chakotay pushed down the straps of her bra and finally ripped it open in an attempt to touch those breasts he had longed to touch since his brief glimpse of them on New Earth. He began to kiss them tenderly, then more roughly as Kathryn ran her fingers through his damp hair. A moan escaped from her throat as he teased her nipples with his tongue. She pulled his face back even with hers, and after another bruising kiss, assaulted his chest in the same manner.

Chakotay caressed her back, then reached lower, pushing down the waistband of her slacks. Kathryn stopped long enough to help him free herself from all clothing. He could feel her ragged breath blowing across his body, and he knew that his uniform would not contain him much longer. Kathryn read his mind and reached down to touch him through the cloth. Chakotay groaned with delight at the glorious sensation, and laid back on the ground to allow her full access. She quickly tugged at the waistband to release him from the confines of his uniform. She gasped when she saw him. She needed him now.

The waiting game was over. They both knew it. And they were both ready. Chakotay quickly kicked aside his pants as Kathryn leaned over him. He nipped at her breasts with his mouth as she straddled him. She took him into her fully, and slowly began to move up and down on him. Chakotay placed his hands on her hips to steady her as he matched her rhythm. Faster and faster they moved, their breathing becoming shorter and shorter. Chakotay was nearly to the edge and he so wanted Kathryn to come with him. He reached up with one hand to gently caress the one spot that would ensure this. At his touch, Kathryn began to scream his name. It echoed off of the walls of the cave. He screamed her name in response as he exploded inside her. It was pure ecstasy.

Chakotay could feel Kathryn trembling as she brought herself down to lay her head on his heaving chest. He ran his fingers through her slightly tangled hair, and whispered her name as he placed soft kisses along her forehead. She smiled when he whispered "I love you" into her ear. Kathryn fell to his side and wrapped her arms around his body, soon falling asleep in the crook of his arm. But not before returning the sentiment. "I love you, too."

They awoke the next morning, still in each other's arms. They awoke with a peace they had never experienced before. Their bodies clung to each other in the still sweltering conditions, but none of that seemed to matter. They were together. That was the most important thing.

Chakotay hugged Kathryn even closer, happy that she had stayed by his side through the night. He had feared that she would retreat to another corner while he slept, for fear of being discovered. But she lay there next to him, so beautiful...and still so naked.

Kathryn kissed his chest to greet him good morning, which stirred new feelings in Chakotay.

"As if it wasn't hot enough," he replied, stifling a laugh. She laughed back. Kathryn moved closer so that she could place more kisses on his inviting lips. Chakotay knew what was coming. . They had admitted their true feelings. They had acted on those feelings. And nothing on this deserted planet...or the entire universe, for that matter, could ever change that. Nothing.