Seven's Slumber Party Part Three

by DLaS

An impossible choice between the potential of humanity and the limits of perfection put Seven at risk of losing her one true love…

An impossible choice between the potential of humanity and the limits of perfection put Seven at risk of losing her one true love…

Recap from Chapter Forty-One

B'Elanna went to Kathryn and put her arm around her. "Don't worry Captain, They will get her." Kathryn patted B'Elanna's arm and stood ram rod still with her eyes glued to the transporter pad.

"Boosting the confinement beam." Harry adjusted the controls as the blue light intensified. "I've got it." When the blue light vanished, all that materialized on the transporter pad was Seven's commbadge.

"Noooo!" Kathryn stumbled forward, caught in B'Elanna's strong grasp. The raw exclamation from the captain pierced the silence; punctuating the shock they were all feeling.

Chapter Forty-Two

Tuvok was already scanning the planet's surface, not willing to accept that Seven was gone. Without a commbadge to lock on to, he initiated a long-range multiphasic bioscan for any and all life signs.

"Captain, I have detected humanoid life signs a little over sixty meters away from the beam out coordinates. It would appear that Seven is alive and moving away from the shelter toward the mining caves."

The relief was unmistakable on everyone's faces, especially Kathryn's. She turned to look at B'Elanna, using the time to blink back the tears and secure her command mask in place. She appreciated the smile of understanding and encouragement she saw in her chief engineer.

Tom went to the transporter pad to pick up Seven's commbadge. He tentatively moved toward the captain to hand it to her. Even in full Captain Mode, Tom could see the pain in her eyes.

The EMH materialized inside the doorway, tricorder in hand, to assess the age reversal results of his crewmates. When he did not see Seven among those assembled, his displeasure at being kept out of the loop was clear.

"Is somebody going to tell me what is going on here? Where is Seven? I expected an update by now. Instead I had to come here myself to see if everyone was okay." The doctor ran the tricorder quickly over B'Elanna and pronounced her reversal successful. He became concerned, however, when looking at the results for the Captain.

"Captain, your adrenaline levels are off the chart. Otherwise you seem like your old self, no pun intended. I will have to run a complete analysis on both you and Lieutenant Torres, but that can wait. Now where is Seven? Have you beamed her back yet?" His question prompted an uncomfortable silence.

It was B'Elanna who stepped forward to talk to the doctor. "It looks like Seven wanted to take a little more time before beaming back. She is still down on the planet." Giving the EMH time to digest this information, B'Elanna moved to join Tuvok and Harry at the transporter control console. She was grateful to be tall enough to see the display again, without the aid of a step stool.

B'Elanna and Harry bent over the transporter display, adjusting the scanners. After a minute, B'Elanna spoke up. "Captain, we have a skeletal lock on Seven. We can monitor her movements and beam her out in an emergency. We can also use it to set coordinates to beam down to her if necessary. This way we can give her some time to herself, but still keep tabs on her."

The doctor thought perhaps he could offer some words of encouragement or see if Seven had any last-minute questions. He tapped his commbadge to open a hail. "Doctor to Seven of Nine."

When the commbadge chirped in Kathryn's hand, the EMH's eyes went wide in shock. "Why do you have her commbadge Captain? I thought you said she did not beam back." He looked back and forth between the captain and Tuvok looking for an answer.

Tuvok stepped away from the transporter console to stand next to the captain. It was only his long friendship with Kathryn that afforded him a clearer picture of what she was feeling. He could see that the captain was holding it together by the thinnest of margins.

"Doctor, it would appear that Seven removed her commbadge and left the beam out coordinates in an attempt to forestall her transport at this time." Tuvok raised one eyebrow, hoping the EMH would not push the issue further.

The EMH looked at the captain, surprised that she was looking at the floor and not making plans to go after Seven herself. "Well she cannot stay down there alone. In her current condition, she is susceptible to any number of illnesses or injuries. She has no supplies or food."

Kathryn's eyes shifted to focus on the EMH when he mentioned Seven's risk of illness or injury. She remembered that Seven was still without her Borg immunity and skeletal reinforcements.

"Doctor, how long can Seven stay down on the planet before her system becomes affected? She just regenerated for six hours. When is the latest she needs to return to her alcove to maintain her implants?" Kathryn knew that ordinarily Seven could go for a few days between regeneration cycles. In her compromised physical state, her regeneration needs were likely increased.

"It is hard to say, Captain. In an ideal situation, she would be resting or at least not doing anything overly physical. I would be watching over her implants and monitoring her body temperature and other biological systems. Down on the planet, running around alone, she could very easily hurt herself by something as simple as tripping and falling in the dark. Remember she only has one human eye with limited depth perception and a short visibility range. Her lungs are also compromised and she has the outcome of her recent surgery to contend with." The EMH watched the captain to make sure she understood his surgery reference without having to spell it out for the rest of the assembled group.

Tuvok wanted to assure the doctor that Seven was not destitute. "Doctor, the shelter on the planet has the basic emergency supplies including water and ration bars. She has a bed as well as a heating unit to stay warm. Assuming she makes her way back to the shelter, I believe she will be able to remain unharmed for a period of time." Tuvok did not want to consider what might happen if she did not find her way back or if she injured herself along the way.

The Captain grew weary listening to the exchange between her tactical officer and EMH. She wanted to be doing something to get Seven back, or at least be sure she was okay. Seven was a member of her crew, alone on a strange planet in the middle of the night. As Captain, this situation would be cause for concern for any of her crewmembers.

Behind the commanding posture and clenched teeth, Kathryn was scared. She could not believe that Seven would choose to give up on their relationship like this. The past forty-eight hours had been the happiest of her life. For the first time in her adult life, Kathryn allowed her heart to embrace these emotions and possibilities. Now she questioned her decision. She felt vulnerable and hurt, emotions she had not dealt with since Mark broke their engagement years earlier. The difference now meant this pain and feeling of abandonment included an element of fear and worry.

"I'm going back to my quarters to change and then I will be back to beam down to the planet. We can't let her wander around there alone." Kathryn was out the door quickly, her need for the privacy of her quarters mounting with each passing minute.

Tuvok quickly followed Kathryn into the corridor. It was Tuvok's gentle hand on her shoulder that stopped her before she got to the turbolift. "Captain, if I may. Seven's actions tonight indicate that she wishes more time and solitude to evaluate the options before her. I am sure, given a little time alone she will come to realize that she belongs back here with us… with you."

Kathryn's eyes were a steely gray, a match to the hard set of her jaw and pursed lips. She drew in a deep breath and squared her chin, looking Tuvok directly in the eye. "Tuvok, I understand what you are saying. In all likelihood, you are right. I will heed your advice to give her some latitude, but I want your personal assurance that no harm will come to her. I don't care if you have to beam down yourself to watch her from a distance. The minute you feel she is in any danger, I want her brought back. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Captain. Lieutenant Torres and I will keep the skeletal lock on her. If she does not return to the shelter on her own, we will beam down to ensure her safety. Honestly, I do not believe she will want to remain planet side long." Tuvok hoped for the sake of everyone involved that his prediction was true. When the captain did not dismiss him or move to enter the turbo life, he stood silent and held her gaze.

Part of Kathryn wanted to believe that Tuvok was right, and that Seven panicked at the last-minute. The other part of her, the part that had been hurt before, did not look forward to assembling the wall around her heart once again. Her eyes softened and her shoulders slouched.

"I hope you are right. Honestly I do not know how much more of this I can take. My head is telling me to back away, while my heart wants to stay and hope she comes back to me. To make matters even more complicated, the Captain has to remain steadfast and unaffected. This, my friend, is why I do not put my emotions at risk."

"Alas, Captain, there is no reward without risk. Please do not give up on Seven. I believe a rewarding relationship is still in your future. Now if you don't need anything further, I want to get back to the transporter room to check on Seven's current status."

Kathryn smiled as best she could, which came out more like a grimace. She gave Tuvok's arm a gentle squeeze before resuming her command posture. "Thank you Tuvok. I will be in my quarters. I don't want to be disturbed unless it is important. To be clear, any news on Seven is important. Also, please keep Chakotay and the doctor out of my hair. I am not ready to deal with them just yet. Dismissed."

She turned back to the turbolift, but stopped with her back to Tuvok. Looking down at her hands, Kathryn drew in a deep breath before turning back to face the Commander. Reluctantly, she handed Tuvok Seven's commbadge. "Take this, in case you end up seeing her later. I will feel better when you get her to put it back on."

Kathryn entered the turbolift and waited for the doors to slide closed before closing her eyes and muttering to herself. 'How could you do this to us Seven…?'

Chapter Forty-Three

Seven could not remember the last time she felt this cold. The air was damp with a slight breeze snaking its way under the loose silky fabric of her pajamas. Her feet were bare in thin slippers that offered no protection against the rocky terrain of the footpath she was on. The night sky was dark and the moon overhead provided limited illumination. Even the stars were dull and lifeless, a contrast to the twinkling she remembered from her time by the lake before.

A warm tear cooled as it trailed down Seven's cheek. It was another of the many that had blurred her already compromised vision. She was not used to the helpless feeling that filled her chest. Seven felt alone and afraid in the disorienting darkness of pre-dawn.

When Seven made the impulsive decision to flee the transport, she left the tent without really thinking of where she was going. She knew the shore along the lake was too close, and the first place they would look for her. Instead she ran toward the mining cave, the only other area of the planet's surface she was familiar with.

Without her Borg implants, her ability to retrace her steps to the mining cave eluded her. Hard as she tried, she did not remember the exact path she walked just days ago. Ordinarily her eidetic memory and enhanced night-vision would have made this trek simple. Now she was affected by her more human limitations. She wandered in the dark for over an hour, likely going in circles as the landmarks started looking familiar again and again.

The sound of rustling in the dry vegetation nearby caught Seven's attention and brought her to a halt. She listened for any movement but could hear nothing over the sound of her own pulse in her ears. Her heart rate elevated as a rush of adrenaline coursed through her. Thankfully the overhead cloud cover parted enough for the moonlight to gently light her immediate surroundings.

Seven was able to make out the cave entrance a short distance ahead. She increased her pace as she neared the opening to the dark cavern. Once inside, she leaned against the rough rock wall and let out a sigh of relief.

With absolutely no illumination to guide her, Seven used her right hand to guide her along the wall of the cave. The slippers made her footing unreliable on the packed dirt of the ground beneath her. She continued for another six meters, not entirely understanding why she kept going. In a cruel sense of déjà vu, Seven cut the palm of her hand on the rock wall attempting to steady herself as she rounded a corner.

Frustrated and injured, Seven decided it best to stop where she was and sit. It was too dark to go forward, and the path behind her disappeared into the darkness as well. Sinking down to the ground, Seven pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her one arm around herself. Although her hand was bleeding, the cold made it numb so it did not hurt. It was her heart that was hurting right now.

Seven did not know why she tore the commbadge from her chest right before the transporter beam engaged. She was not afraid of the transport itself. The risk of a malfunction with the RVN resequencing did not even enter her mind. At the last possible moment, Seven remembered the conversation she overheard in the cargo bay. She heard crewman Lessing's words repeat in her head again and again, saying that she would never truly be a part of the Voyager family if she was still Borg.

The failure of Seven's cortical node did not shield her from the rush of emotions she was experiencing. For the first time in her ex-Borg existence, Seven was afraid. She was insecure and doubted herself both physically and mentally. The potential of rejection by the crew if she returned with her implants visible again made her heart race. The possibility of rejection from Kathryn made her heart break.

Alone in the dark damp cave, Seven put her head on her knees and cried.

B'Elanna was still in the transporter room, monitoring the skeletal lock she had on Seven. For the past two hours she watched Seven slowly move toward the caves they mined in just days ago. It was still night planet-side, with daylight another hour or more away. The temperature dipped to eight degrees Celsius. B'Elanna shivered involuntarily as she imagined Seven navigating her way in the dark wearing only her pajamas.

The doors to the transporter room opened, announcing Tuvok's arrival. "Lieutenant, I need to give Captain Janeway an update on Seven. Did she return to the shelter?"

"No, it looks like she kept moving toward the caves. As of ten minutes ago, her movement stopped near the cave entrance. I can't get a lock on her now, which makes me think she entered the cave. The solid rock is preventing me from getting a fix on her location. It is also really cold down there. Do you think it is time to bring her back yet?" B'Elanna was hopeful, but knew that Tuvok would not make that call on his own.

"Thank you Lieutenant. I will update the captain. I am uncomfortable with the sensor inability to track her in the caves. Perhaps this will persuade Captain Janeway to allow us to beam down to the planet to assist her."

B'Elanna knew this was tearing Kathryn apart. She also knew that the Captain would not allow herself to give in to those emotions. "Tuvok, do you want me to speak to the captain? Maybe I could convince her to go to the planet herself. I think if anyone can bring Seven back, she can."

"The captain asked not to be disturbed unless it was urgent. I believe she also needs this time to process the events of the day. It is my opinion that she has strong feelings for Seven, but I also know that she will not interfere with Seven's desire for privacy unless she was in physical danger." Tuvok regarded B'Elanna with one raised eyebrow, waiting for the argument he anticipated from the chief engineer.

"Tuvok, you know what is going to happen. She is going to retreat behind the wall of Starfleet protocols and distance herself from the rest of us. I bet she is beating herself up over what happened and mad that she allowed herself to feel something."

"Your assessment is accurate. I am also of the opinion that the captain will sequester herself in an attempt at self-preservation. I will speak to her and advise her that we will be returning to the planet since Seven's safety cannot be assured any longer. If Seven wishes to remain longer, perhaps you can stay with her. I believe she will want someone to talk to." Tuvok turned and left the transporter room, heading for deck three.

Chapter Forty-Four

Inside the solitude of her quarters, Kathryn allowed the flood of emotions to fully escape her command mask. She was exhausted physically, but could not consider trying to sleep until she knew Seven was okay. Finding solace in her favorite vice, she went to her replicator. "Coffee. Black."

With her silver mug in hand, Kathryn went to her bathroom for a hydro shower. She hoped the rush of cool water would wake her up and sharpen her focus. The protection and familiarity of her uniform was also preferable to the peach satin nightgown she still had on.

Kathryn stopped dead in her tracks when she found the pile of discarded clothing beside the tub. It was less than twelve hours ago she and Seven were together in the lavender-scented bubbles. The pain of the fresh memory pierced her heart again. When Kathryn grabbed the now dry pants and shirt to put in the recycler, she discovered the lace lingerie that was underneath. Kathryn closed her eyes and remembered Seven in the white lace. She looked incredible, standing in the bathroom doorway while Kathryn prepared her bath.

Taking a deep breath, Kathryn turned toward the sink only to be blindsided once again. This time is was Seven's white towel still on the deck where she left it. Kathryn recalled the feel of Seven's skin against hers; the combination of soft skin and hard metal forever seared in her memory.

Deciding to forego the shower, Kathryn returned to her bedroom to change clothes. With her newly replicated uniform in hand, she went to her bed to lay out the red and black suit of armor. She slid the peach robe off her arms and tossed it on the bed. Slipping the thin straps of the nightgown off her shoulders, she let it fall in a puddle at her feet.

Kathryn bent over to pick up the fallen nightgown, shocked by yet another reminder of Seven. It was Seven's discarded overalls and shirt on the floor beside the bed. Standing naked in her room, Kathryn hugged the shirt tightly to her and inhaled deeply to smell the scent that was uniquely Seven. She was amazed at how quickly Seven became part of her personal life and private space. For years Kathryn had been able to keep her desire for Seven hidden by using her quarters as a place to retreat from her interactions with the woman she was so drawn to. Now her quarters held tangible reminders of their short time together.

Kathryn took Seven's clothes to the recycler, intending to eliminate the reminder of their afternoon in Bloomington. In the end, she couldn't do it. She held Seven's clothes tenderly in her arms, as more tears escaped the confines of her command mask.

In his quarters on deck three, Tuvok considered the best way to approach the captain regarding Seven. He did not want to overly concern her, but the fact that B'Elanna could not maintain the skeletal lock on her was troubling. He decided the best course of action was to hail her, rather than intrude on her privacy so soon.

"Tuvok to Captain Janeway."

'Yes, Commander. Go ahead.'

Tuvok though the captain's voice sounded strained. "Captain, Lieutenant Torres and I request permission to beam down to the planet. We think Seven has entered the mining cave and would like to ensure she is still okay."

'What do you mean by "still okay" Tuvok? I thought you had a lock on her and were following her movements.' Kathryn's voice took on an edge of sharpness.

"Yes Captain, we are. We followed her to the cave, but the solid rock walls are preventing us from maintaining the skeletal lock. We have tracked no movement in the last fifteen minutes and she has not come out of the cave. It is still pre-dawn on the planet so she has no light and the temperature has risen slightly but is holding under ten degrees Celsius. I feel strongly that we need to beam down to offer her assistance."

'Granted. I want a report within the hour. Sooner if possible. Janeway out.'

Tuvok picked up the PADD on his desk to review the list of items he had left at the shelter site. If Seven, and perhaps B'Elanna, planned to stay for any length of time they would need additional supplies. He knew that Seven had her biosuit with her, but her compromised nanoprobes were not regulating her temperature completely so a warm coat was in order. He also wanted to ensure they had more to eat than ration bars. It was a fine balance; giving Seven enough to be comfortable, but not so much that she does not appreciate the challenges she will face if she chooses to remain at her current age.

He went to his replicator to gather the supplies, packing them in a small cargo container. When he finished, he tapped his commbadge to open a hail.

"Tuvok to Lieutenant Torres."

'Torres here.'

"The captain has agreed with our plan to transport planet-side. I have replicated some additional supplies for you and Seven in the event you stay longer. I thought perhaps you might want to return to your quarters to change and pack a few things. I will meet you in the transporter room in fifteen minutes."

'Perfect Tuvok. Thanks. I really don't want to chase after Seven in my targ pajamas. Give me a few minutes and I will be ready. Torres out.'

Fifteen minutes later, B'Elanna arrived back in transporter room one. She was once again in her black and gold uniform, complete with a pair of more rugged away mission boots. She had a small cargo container slung over her shoulder, which she deposited on the transporter pad.

Tuvok approached B'Elanna and handed her Seven's commbadge. "I think we should beam down separately. I will go to the shelter and leave the supplies. You should beam directly to the cave entrance to join Seven. I have instructed Ensign Kim to keep an open channel between us and the ship so he can get you and Seven out quickly if there is an emergency. Once we have assessed the situation, we can decide from there if one or both of us return to the ship. Although unlikely, it is my hope that all three of us will be returning."

"I think you are right, Tuvok. If Seven is hurt in any way I will call for immediate transport out. I think she is just scared by all the changes she is experiencing since her cortical node malfunctioned. Maybe if I stay and talk to her, get her to open up, we can solve some of this and get her back. I'm ready when you are."

B'Elanna stepped up to the transporter pad and waited for Tuvok in initiate the transport. She held her cargo container over her shoulder as Tuvok joined her and instructed the computer to energize.

Chapter Forty-Five

As best as Seven could tell, she sat on the cold stone floor of the cave for almost an hour. It was still dark, both inside and outside the cave. She knew that eventually she needed to try to retrace her steps out, but it was so cold. Her shoulders hurt and her back was stiff. The damp air in the cave was heavy and heard to breathe. Seven was miserable.

It was another ten minutes before she heard a voice. She craned her neck, hoping to discern if the voice was real or imaginary. A flash of panic ran through her at the thought of Kathryn finding her like this, damaged and afraid. She could not face Kathryn until she had an explanation to offer. Seven shifted her body, hoping that facing the direction of the cave entrance would afford her better hearing. When no sound penetrated the thick cave air, she tipped her head back against the wall and closed her eyes.

B'Elanna cautiously approached the cave and switched on her wrist lamp. A beam of blue-white light shot out in front of her, lighting the path along the wall. She proceeded slowly, not wanting to startle Seven when she found her. Moving the light in a sweeping motion in front of her, B'Elanna stopped when she found blood on the ground at her feet.

"Seven! Where are you?" B'Elanna was less concerned with surprising Seven now that she knew Seven was hurt. As the adrenaline kicked in, B'Elanna's pace increased. She was moving quickly along the dirt interior, careful of her footing even in thick-soled boots. How Seven managed this in flimsy slippers was a mystery to her.

"Seven? Answer me, dammit! You better be alive in here or I will kill you myself." B'Elanna continued forward another five meters until she found more blood on the ground. Thankfully there was less of it, and it trailed off to the right as the cave forked in two directions.

After another meter, the beam of light caught the red edge of Seven's pajama bottoms. When B'Elanna moved the light to Seven's face, she was shocked to see her not moving with her eyes closed. Her hand went to her commbadge, only to be met with a chirp of no response.

B'Elanna rushed to Seven's side and knelt next to her friend. Her hand went to Seven's neck, checking for a pulse. The pressure of warm fingers was enough to wake Seven up from the uncomfortable sleep she had slipped in to.

"B'Elanna! You are here." Seven pulled her surprised friend into a desperate hug. She was so relieved; she held B'Elanna for what seemed like an eternity as her one eye filled with tears.

"Okay Your Borgness. Enough with the mushy stuff." B'Elanna pulled back to shine the light on Seven, primarily to district from the tears that were building in her own eyes. "You scared the crap out of me. Don't ever do that to me again. I found blood on the ground and freaked out."

Seven brought her hand into the light, showing B'Elanna the angry gash that still seeped on her palm. "I cut myself on the wall when I lost my footing in the dark."

"Isn't that the same hand you hurt when we were here with Kathr…" B'Elanna stopped mid-question when she saw the panic flash across Seven's features at the mention of the captain's name. "Never mind. Let's get you out of here."

B'Elanna stood and reached down to help Seven stand, thankful she was her normal height again. Even back in her adult body, a younger Seven was still taller than she was. B'Elanna slipped her arm around Seven's waist to steady her and guide her back to the cave entrance.

Both women squinted as they approached the cave entrance, now partly illuminated by the pre-dawn light. Once outside, Tuvok's voice came over B'Elanna's commbadge. Seven thought he sounded worried, or the Vulcan equivalent of it.

'Tuvok to Torres. Did you find Seven?'

"Yes Tuvok, she is with me. A little banged up, but otherwise okay. She has a cut on her hand, but no other apparent injuries." B'Elanna gave her friend a squeeze of reassurance when she felt her tense up at hearing Tuvok's voice.

'Very well Lieutenant. Does she want to return to the ship for medical attention?'

B'Elanna looked up at Seven and found her shaking her head frantically. She looked scared at the prospect of returning to Voyager. B'Elanna took Seven's wrist and turned her hand over to look at her palm again. In the light of day, she could see it was a deep and nasty cut. With Seven still shaking her head, B'Elanna made a decision.

"I think I will take Seven back to our shelter with me. She has had a long night and could use some rest before returning to the ship. There is a medkit I can use to fix up her hand until the doctor can check her later." She held Seven's wrist firm and turned to face her before continuing. "I know the captain is extremely worried about her. Please tell Captain Janeway that Seven is okay and that we will return to the ship later today or maybe even tomorrow."

B'Elanna was relieved to see Seven nodding in agreement. She felt even better when Seven smiled at her slightly when she let go of her wrist.

'Understood, Lieutenant. I left some supplies, as well as Seven's biosuit, back at your shelter. I will return to the ship and report in with the captain. Please hail me if you or Seven require anything. Tuvok out.'

The relief on Seven's face was abundantly clear once the hail was closed. "Thank you, B'Elanna. I am not ready to return to Voyager yet. I can't face Kathryn."

"Yeah, I get that. I thought maybe you might want someone to talk to. That is why Tuvok and I agreed that I would stay here with you. The captain was not going to let you stay here alone. She really is worried about you."

Seven considered this, and wondered how much of it was Kathryn's customary unease for a crewmember versus a personal concern. "Captain Janeway would be anxious about any member of her crew alone on a barren planet. I am not sure her anxiety is any higher because of me." Even as the words left Seven's lips, she questioned her own line of thinking.

"That's a bunch of bull, Seven. You know she loves you, so you have to know this is hurting her. You did not see her in the transporter room. She was barely able to hold it together thinking that you died in transport." B'Elanna eyed her friend, gauging whether her words were sinking in.

"She thought I… died?" Clearly Seven did not consider this when she aborted the transport. She hugged her arm around her stomach as she fought an urge to vomit.

"Of course she did! Put yourself in her shoes. How would you have felt? She stood there staring at the transporter pad, waiting for the woman she loves to return. The next second there is nothing." B'Elanna tried to keep her voice calm, but she felt a streak of protectiveness for Kathryn coloring her words.

"I am sure she is relieved that I am alive. I did not intend to hurt her like that. As it is, I am sure she is very upset with me. I doubt she wants anything to do with me now." Seven's eyes fell to the ground as she blinked back another flood of tears.

B'Elanna took pity on her friend. She knew that no matter what she said, Seven would not be convinced that Kathryn still loved her. Holding her finger to her lips, she gestured for Seven to remain silent as she tapped her commbadge.

"Torres to the Captain."

'Janeway here. Did you find her? Did you find Seven?' Kathryn's voice was an octave too high.

"Yes, Captain. She is fine. Seven is a little tired and cold, but otherwise basically okay. She has a small cut, but not enough to need the Doc just yet."

'What! She is hurt? B'Elanna, remember she is vulnerable now to all sorts of infection...' Kathryn's voice caught in her throat, an observation that did not go unnoticed by both B'Elanna and Seven.

"Captain, it is only her hand. We have a medkit in the tent. I will have her good as new in no time." B'Elanna wanted to put Kathryn's mind at ease, as much as possible given the circumstances.

Both B'Elanna and Seven heard the sharp intake of breath come across the commbadge. 'Her hand? She did that a few days ago when…' Kathryn's voice trailed off, leaving the memory fresh in Seven's mind as well.

B'Elanna looked at Seven, making sure she was hearing the pain in Kathryn's voice. She knew it was outside of protocol to use the captain's name on duty, but she needed to make her point.

"Kathryn, please don't worry. I am not going to let anything happen to Seven. You two have been through so much to be together. I am sure she still loves you. She just needs a little time to process all these new emotions." B'Elanna held her breath while waiting for Kathryn's response. Without realizing it, Seven was holding hers too.

'I hope you are right, B'Elanna. When you see her, tell her… tell her I… miss her already.' Kathryn cleared the lump her throat, her next words coming out in the deep authoritative tone of command. 'Thank you for your report, Lieutenant. Keep me informed. Janeway out.'

"See, Seven? She is not mad at you. More than anything I think she is hurt. You know it took a lot for her to open up to you. She has always hid behind her Starfleet protocols and forced her own happiness deep inside. I am afraid she is going to lock herself away from everyone while she mends her broken heart." B'Elanna looked up into the eyes of her friend and saw the same pain she saw in Kathryn's eyes a few hours earlier.

"C'mon, let's get back to the shelter and clean-up your hand." Reaching for Seven's pajama top, B'Elanna reattached her commbadge. "Don't even think about it, Your Borgness. I promised Kathryn I would keep you safe and sound so the commbadge stays. Got it?"

B'Elanna switched the wrist lamp back on as she headed in the direction of the shelter. The sun was coming up, but the footpath was in the shadows still. She did not want Seven to trip and fall on their way back.

Seven followed in line behind B'Elanna. "I will comply."

Chapter Forty-Six

Tuvok stood outside the door of the captain's quarters. He did not like to impose on her privacy, but he needed to assure himself that she was alright. He also wanted to give her a report on his trip to the surface. With a long dark finger, he pressed the chime and waited.

'Come.'

The captain's quarters were dimly lit, almost dark. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the reduced illumination and fix on the petite redhead sitting under the viewport. She had her back to him, watching the stars out the window.

"Captain, my apologies for the intrusion. I have just returned from the surface and thought you would want a report."

Kathryn turned and regarded her tactical officer from behind dark rimmed eyes. "You did not have to come in person Tuvok. I hail would have sufficed. Since you are here, go ahead." Kathryn stood and walked to her replicator for another cup of coffee.

"Yes, Captain. Lieutenant Torres and I beamed down to the planet at 0500. I left supplies, including a warm coat and some additional food, in the shelter. Lieutenant Torres transported directly to the entrance of the cave. At 0520 I hailed the Lieutenant to inquire about Seven. Until that point, B'Elanna's commbadge was rendered inoperative by the thick rock walls of the cave. She informed me that Seven of Nine is unharmed, with only a small laceration to her hand. Seven declined transport to sickbay at this time." Tuvok paused to make sure the captain was taking it all in.

"Thank you Tuvok. B'Elanna hailed me a short time ago to say the same thing. Apparently Seven cut her hand, but B'Elanna felt it could be repaired with the dermal regenerator in the medkit. I just hope there is no infection risk." Kathryn returned to the couch and looked once again out the window.

"Captain, I was not aware the Lieutenant was reporting in directly. I advised her that you asked not to be disturbed." Tuvok's brows knit together slightly, the only outward sign that he was the Vulcan equivalent of irritated.

"It's okay Tuvok. B'Elanna knows I would want her report as well. Her report was also filled with the emotional resonance that you would naturally leave out." Kathryn smiled slightly. "So between the two of you, I have a complete picture."

"Very well, Captain. B'Elanna advised me that she and Seven would be planet-side for the day, and possibly overnight. Much will depend on Seven at this point. I will return to the bridge and keep you apprised of any changes."

When the Captain did not dismiss him immediately, he regarded her with one raised eyebrow.

"I need to let the doctor in on what is going on. Please hail me if there are any changes. Once I finish with the doctor, I am going to try to get a few hours of sleep. My previous order still stands. If Seven is in any physical danger, I want her beamed directly to sickbay. Understood?" Kathryn gave Tuvok one of her pointed looks.

"Aye, Captain. I will report in again in three hours, unless there are compelling developments prior to that."

Kathryn softened her look with a smile for her friend. "Thank you Tuvok. I sympathize with the challenge you have, dealing with all these messy human emotions. Know that I appreciate your concern and discretion, as always. Dismissed."

Once Tuvok left, Kathryn quickly finished the last of her coffee and straightened her uniform. After a last check of her four pips, she exited her quarters to head for sickbay.

Coming over the gentle rise, B'Elanna and Seven found themselves at the same spot they were three days earlier. Ahead of them was the lone tree that stood near their camp. To B'Elanna, it seemed like a lifetime ago that she saw Kathryn Janeway stretching in the sun after a nap under the tree. For Seven, the visual was still fresh. That was the first time she really saw Kathryn out of uniform. It was then Seven conclusively identified the sensations Kathryn elicited in her, the desire she felt for the woman separate from her respect for the captain. Seven thought back to her conversation in the tub and wondered if she would get to touch the adult body of Kathryn Janeway after all. It took a gentle tug on the sleeve from B'Elanna to refocus Seven and compel her forward.

"C'mon, Seven. We are almost there. We need to get your hand fixed before an infection sets in."

When Seven did not move, B'Elanna turned back with a questioning look. It took Seven a minute to collect her thoughts before continuing.

"B'Elanna, will there be anyone at the shelter when we arrive? I find it difficult to return to after what happened. I am not ready to face anyone else right now."

B'Elanna looked at her friend sympathetically. "This is not an intervention Seven. We are not going to throw a sack over your head and transport you forcibly. I am the only one here with you. I promise there is nobody waiting back at camp."

"Thank you, B'Elanna. It will be nice to sit down for a short time. My feet hurt and I am cold. I would like to change into my biosuit and have a cup of herbal tea." Moving forward once again, both women closed the distance to their campsite.

When Seven entered the tent, she paused in the doorway. It has only been a few hours ago she stood with Kathryn and reminded her that she loved her, no matter what happens. Now it felt like so much had happened. She knew she hurt Kathryn by fleeing at the last-minute. She knew she scared Kathryn when they thought she had died in transport. Before the failure of her cortical node, she had no awareness of how much these emotions manifested physically. Now she felt tightness in her chest and pain in her stomach when she thought about Kathryn being hurt. Her head ached behind her eyes from crying and her shoulders slumped forward. Seven was beginning to wonder if the lack of Borg implants on her face was worth the limits of this human body after all.

B'Elanna went to the medkit and pulled out the dermal regenerator. Seven's hand was caked with dirt and dried blood. She opened a sterile cleaning kit with an antiseptic cloth and gently began wiping the debris away. "Tell me if this hurts, okay?"

"It does not hurt. Actually it feels a bit numb. I think I am just cold. Hopefully when my hand warms, the feeling will return." Seven watched her friend tenderly dab at the angry wound. When it was cleaned out, B'Elanna ran the dermal regenerator over her palm and healed the surface tissue.

"There. That ought to do it for now. Let's see what Tuvok left us." B'Elanna returned the medical supplies to their place and switched her focus to the cargo container left by Tuvok. "Damn, no caramel brownies this time." She continued to pull out the contents, including two blankets, a thermos of tea and a stasis container with eggs and toast.

"Seven, are you hungry? It looks like Tuvok sent some breakfast. Here is some tea for you too." B'Elanna handed Seven the cup filled with warm liquid.

"Thank you, B'Elanna. I am hungry. Before I eat, I need to change. My biosuit should help regulate my temperature. I find that I am not used to this sensation of being cold all the time."

"No problem. I will get our breakfast ready while you change back in to your biosuit. After that we really should talk about returning to the ship. I'm not trying to pressure you, but you know we can't stay here indefinitely." B'Elanna was trying to keep her voice gentle, treading lightly around the subject but letting Seven know it would need to be addressed.

"I appreciate your understanding and help. If I have trouble with my clothing, can I call for your assistance? Last time I had to have Kathr…" Seven's voice trailed off as a fresh wave of memories filled her head.

"You had to have Kathryn help you?" B'Elanna prodded gently.

"Yes, Kathryn helped me get in to my biosuit after I used her toilet. She also helped me dress again after our bath and before returning to the transporter room." Seven's cheeks flushed at the memory.

"Toilet? I thought your nanoprobes made it so you didn't have to use the head. So that is the reason your biosuit is in two pieces now. I had no idea." B'Elanna realized again how many new experiences Seven was facing.

"The doctor had to reconstruct part of my renal system when my nanoprobes stopped processing my body's liquid waste. Kathryn reminded me that it could be worse and was helping me to get used to this new biological need."

B'Elanna eyed her skeptically. "Worse?"

Seven blushed slightly, something she was doing more often now. "Yes, worse. My nanoprobes still take care of any solid waste. I am to understand that is a much less desirable biological necessity."

When Seven bent over to retrieve her biosuit from the cargo container, her arm went to her stomach instinctively. "I do believe I need to use the restroom again. B'Elanna, there is no toilet here. What do I do?" Seven looked at her friend with worried eyes.

"Well, it looks like you are going to have to find a big rock to squat behind." B'Elanna tried not to let the amusing mental picture translate into a chuckle.

"Borgs do not 'squat.'"

"If you were still Borg, you wouldn't have to. You'd better hurry before you pee your pants." B'Elanna knew it was bordering on cruel, but she took some satisfaction in Seven's discomfort with her human body's physical demands. Maybe it would help Seven decide that being more human was not all it was cracked up to be.

Chapter Forty-Seven

"That hurts! Owiee."

"Miss Wildman, I have not even touched your ankle yet. You need to be still so I can make sure you did not break a bone." The doctor looked pointedly at Samantha Wildman, hoping she could calm her daughter. In the commotion he did not hear the sickbay doors open.

"Doctor, please tell me you are not hurting my assistant." Captain Janeway moved to Naomi's side next to biobed two. "Hello Naomi, what did you do? It is pretty early for you to be out of bed, much less in sickbay. Hello, Samantha."

"Hi Captain! I fell off the bed and hurt my ankle. Mom thinks maybe I broke it, so here we are." Talking to the captain distracted Naomi enough for the EMH to scan her leg and foot without a struggle.

The EMH retrieved a deep tissue regenerator from the medical cart and went to work on Naomi's ankle. The swelling went down almost immediately. "There you go. No broken bones, just a nasty sprain. I have healed the underlying ligaments and tissue as best I can, but you should stay off it for a day or so. You never told me just how you did this in the first place? Your bed is not high enough off the floor to cause this much damage by rolling out of it."

Naomi's small cheeks blushed as all three sets of eyes turned to her. It was her mother who spoke first. "Go ahead Naomi. Tell Captain Janeway and the doctor what you were doing."

The last thing Naomi wanted was to disappoint her captain. Her eyes fell to her lap when she mumbled to the adults. "I was jumping on the bed."

Kathryn threw her head back with a throaty laugh, which surprised the group. "When I was your age, I did the same thing. Only it was my wrist, and I ended up breaking it."

"You did?" Naomi's eyes were wide with curiosity. She could not imagine Captain Janeway jumping on a bed. "I didn't know Starfleet Captains jumped on beds."

"Well we don't normally." Kathryn leaned down and winked at her, before returning to her normal height. "Plus I was a kid back then, only slightly older than you. We were having a slumber party at my house when my sister and I started goofing around with our friends. Phoebe was bigger than me, so I ended up knocked to the floor in all the excitement."

"That sounds fun." Naomi looked at her mother. "Can we have a slumber party soon Mom?"

Samantha did not have the heart to tell her that slumber parties included other children. "Sure sweetheart, just not for a while. We need to let your ankle heal up first." Samantha held out her arms to lift her daughter gently to the deck.

As they walked toward the door, Naomi turned to the captain and doctor. "Thank you, doctor. I feel much better. Captain, when mom says it is okay, I will invite you to my slumber party. Seven too."

The EMH watched Kathryn's eyes well up for a moment, until she blinked and refocused before answering her assistant. "When you are better, I promise we will have a slumber party one day. Now listen to the doctor and no more jumping on the bed. Have a good day Naomi."

As soon as the sickbay doors closed, the doctor turned his full attention to the captain.

"Captain, I think it goes without saying that I do not recommend you, or Seven, be jumping on a bed. Speaking of Seven, how is she? Is she returning soon? She really needs another evaluation so I can be sure her implants are keeping her biological systems functioning." The EMH hoped for good news, but given the look on the captain's face he did not hold out high hopes.

"Don't worry, doctor. I have no intention of jumping on my bed or anyone else's. As for Seven, that is why I am here. Tuvok and B'Elanna report that she is fine and back in the away team shelter. B'Elanna is staying planet-side with her for a while. Tuvok brought her biosuit down to the planet, as well as some food and other provisions. B'Elanna did say she has a cut on her hand, but it was not severe." Kathryn's voice became quiet when she thought about Seven being injured.

"Sever or not, she is at risk for infection! Captain, I must insist she return to the ship. The longer she stays away, the more trouble she could be putting herself through." Kathryn found it funny that the doctor's holographic nostrils were actually flaring.

"I understand, doctor. I want her back too but we can't force her, short of a life threatening situation. I am inclined to leave it to B'Elanna's discretion and give her a few hours. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know myself. I will be in my quarters. If Seven or B'Elanna contacts you, I expect to be informed."

"Thank you, captain. I appreciate you letting me know. It has been a long night for everyone so I would recommend you get some sleep while we wait for Seven." With that, the EMH deactivated his program.

Kathryn rolled her eyes. "Dismissed…" She spoke to the empty air before turning to leave sickbay.

"You okay over there Seven?" B'Elanna could only see the top of Seven's head from behind a rock roughly four meters away from their tent. From the looks of it, Seven was having a hard time balancing as B'Elanna watched the blonde hair move from side to side.

"I do not like this B'Elanna. I failed to successfully 'squat' and now my pants have urine on one of the legs. Plus I have no paper to wipe with." Seven's voice was laced with anger and frustration.

B'Elanna did her best not to laugh. "Well, just use your pants then, since they are already wet." She turned her back to Seven to hide the chuckle she could not contain. When she heard footsteps behind her, she quickly swallowed her laughter.

"I heard that. I am glad you find my failed attempt at urination so amusing. Perhaps then you should deal with these." Seven draped her red pajama bottoms over B'Elanna's shoulder.

B'Elanna turned around quickly to catch a smirk on Seven's face before she watched her stroll back to the tent, bottomless. B'Elanna stood rooted in place watching the two perfect alabaster globes of Seven's backside disappear behind the entrance. It took her a moment to realize she still had Seven's wet pajama pants over her shoulder.

"Seven!" B'Elanna grabbed the offending bottoms and tossed them on the bench seat of the nearby picnic table. She followed her toward the tent, stopping right outside to consider that Seven was likely standing there half-naked. "Seven, are you getting dressed? I want to come in and get the food ready but I don't want to invade your privacy."

'You may enter. I am in the sleeping area. You are not invading my privacy.'

B'Elanna returned to the cargo container to pull out the stasis units of eggs and toast. "Do you want some tea with your eggs Seven?" When there was no immediate answer, B'Elanna moved closer to the thin fabric divider. She heard sounds of a struggle and wondered just what Seven was doing in there.

"Do you need any help Seven? It sounds like you are having a wrestling match with an angry targ."

"Yes, I require some assistance. Please come in." Seven watched B'Elanna move past the divider with her hand over her eyes.

Seven stood and held the slack biosuit bottoms up as best she could. With one hand it was hard to keep them pulled up in the front and the back. "B'Elanna, you cannot assist me with your hand over your eyes. Please come hold the back edge of my biosuit."

B'Elanna spread her short fingers to peek through them before dropping her hand. She saw Seven standing with the silver fabric pulled up to her waist in the front. The fabric in the back hung down loosely. B'Elanna went to the side of Seven and reached for the top edge of the fabric. She was trying not to look at Seven's exposed backside. This was the captain's girlfriend after all.

"Okay Seven, I've got it. Now what do I do? I have no idea how this two piece getup works."

"I need to activate the fabric cohesion with a button on the side. Only when I reach for the button, I drop the front of the pants. I find having only one arm very inconvenient. Please also hold the front up over my abdominal implant while I activate the button." Seven waited while B'Elanna tentatively reached for the top edge of her pant front.

B'Elanna took a deep breath, trying not to think about the fact that she was standing here with her arms basically around Seven, holding her pants up. She could only imagine what was going through Kathryn's mind when she was in the same situation, given that Kathryn was in love with the leggy blond. When B'Elanna felt the fabric pulled out of her hands and tight to Seven's skin, her wandering imagination returned to the task at hand.

"Thank you B'Elanna. I think I can manage the top on my own, unless you want to stay and help with that too…?" Seven grinned at her mischievously, amused by the flush on the Klingon's mocha colored cheeks. She enjoyed teasing B'Elanna, especially after her earlier amusement over Seven's restroom struggles. Seven began to pull the red silky material over her head as B'Elanna's eyes grew wide.

"Uh… no, that's okay Seven. If you can do it… I need to… breakfast is ready." B'Elanna retreated to safety on the other side of the divider, but not before catching a glimpse of Seven's perfect creamy breasts followed by a chuckle from the topless beauty.

Chapter Forty-Eight

The book of poetry slipped out of her slack hands and landed on the deck with a soft thud. Kathryn felt the movement of the hardbound book sliding off the throw blanket across her lap. It was enough to bring her out of the fitful sleep she had drifted off to.

"Computer, what time is it?"

'The time is 1147 hours.' The feminine voice of Voyager's computer confirmed what Kathryn suspected; she had been asleep for some time.

"Janeway to Tuvok."

'Tuvok here. How can I assist you, Captain?' Tuvok's voice sounded alert and relaxed. Kathryn wondered how he managed to function so well on limited sleep. He had been awake as much as she had the last several days. In contrast, Kathryn felt groggy and on edge even after a short nap.

"Is there any news from the planet?"

'Nothing yet, Captain. Although it is almost lunch time so I suspect we will hear from B'Elanna soon. I only left a stasis container with breakfast. Shall I offer to send another meal planet-side, or would you rather me compel them to return by not providing lunch?' Tuvok thought it was a good sign when he heard the captain let out a throaty laugh.

"Well that tactic may work for B'Elanna, but I doubt it will for Seven. If they ask, go ahead and send something simple. Remember that Seven's system is still getting used to processing foods and we don't know what her compromised nanoprobes are doing. Chicken noodle soup is what I would recommend. I want to include a note when you send down the food, which I will bring you shortly. Please let me know if you hear from them. Hopefully we can get them back onboard by dinner. Janeway out."

Kathryn crossed the living space to her replicator. Talking with Tuvok about lunch made her own stomach rumble. She really had not eaten much in the last day or more, living mainly on coffee. She pinched the bridge of her nose in response to the dull headache that throbbed behind her eyes. It was a sure sign she was dehydrated and hungry.

She ordered her own bowl of chicken noodle soup from the replicator and sat down at the table. It felt much larger now, with only one chair in use. Kathryn dipped her spoon into the broth and let the warm liquid slide down her throat as she closed her eyes. Without intending it, her thoughts focused on the memory of Seven sitting next to her at the table. That was really the last time she ate anything. Now she was eating alone again. Having her meals in her quarters alone had never really bothered her in the past. Now, without Seven, the meal felt hollow. She missed Seven's presence in her quarters. She missed having someone to talk to and share memories of her childhood with. The time spent recently with Seven made Kathryn realize just how lonely her life had become.

Kathryn finished her soup on auto-pilot. She did not really remember tasting the food and she certainly did not enjoy it. It did make her head feel a bit better, enough to gather her PADDs and go up to her ready room. Chakotay was being courteous by not intruding on her solitude, but she was sure he had a stack of crew reports on her desk awaiting her return.

She put her bowl in the recycler and headed out of her quarters toward the turbolift. When the lift doors opened, she was not prepared to see the blue eyes of her helmsman smiling at her.

"Hello Captain. You look better than the last time I saw you. Hopefully you got to catch up on some sleep." Tom stepped to the side and watched the captain intently. He wondered what was going on with Seven, but knew enough not to ask outright.

"Lieutenant Parris, I thought you were off the crew rotation for a few days. Why are you heading to the bridge?" Kathryn wanted to keep the conversation formal as a way of reminding Tom not to stray into personal topics.

"Yes, Captain. I am not officially on duty, but I could not sit around my quarters with B'Elanna still gone. It is just so empty without her and makes me feel alone. I have not really seen her or spoken with her since she came back through the transporter as her old self. I offered to split the alpha shift with Ensign Jenkins to pass the time. She is much more comfortable manning the conn during the overnight shift." Tom eyed the captain for a minute, wondering if he should press the topic any further. Never being one to choose the cautious path, he pressed on. "Captain, do you have any idea when Seven and B'Elanna will be returning to the ship?"

Tom immediately regretted his decision as he watched the captain's eyes change to a cloudy gray. She let out an exasperated sigh before turning her full attention to him. He swallowed audibly.

"Lieutenant Paris, I do not have a timeline for Seven and B'Elanna's return. As you know, it is a unique and delicate situation we are in. I agreed to give Seven some time to consider her option to go through with the RVN resequencing. Maybe, if you are lucky, you will get your wife back by dinner. Until then, I really do not have anything new to tell you."

"Thank you, Captain. I will just hope you are right and that we are both lucky." The captain's face changed to one of her 'force ten' looks. Tom was relieved when the doors to the turbo lift parted before the Captain could say anything more.

"Captain on the bridge!" Chakotay's proclamation was entirely too cheerful for Kathryn's taste. From his station at tactical, Tuvok raised one eyebrow.

"At ease, Commander. I will be in my ready room so you are not off the hook that quickly. As you were." Kathryn stopped to hand Tuvok a piece of paper before crossing in front of her command chair toward her ready room.

Chapter Forty-Nine

As she suspected, her desk had a small pile of PADDs waiting for her. Her silver mug had the last few swallows of days-old coffee, making the air even staler as she approached her desk.

"Computer, increase environmental air filtration by thirty percent and run a particle purification sweep." Kathryn picked up the mug and took it to the recycler as the environmental systems cleaned the air.

As soon as Kathryn sat down, the chime at her door sounded. 'Now what?' She really was not in the mood for company. "Come."

Chakotay's chipper disposition followed him into Kathryn's ready room. She groaned internally before plastering what she hoped was a neutral look on her face. "How can I help you Commander?" She gestured for him to have a seat opposite her at the desk.

"Well, Captain. I just wanted to say how glad I am to have you back. It has been a long few days and we have missed you on the bridge." He flashed a toothy smile, the one she knew he saved for the single women on board.

"The burdens of command too much for you Chakotay?" Kathryn comment came out in a teasing way, but she raised an eyebrow to accentuate the undertones of her question.

"Oh no, it's not that. I just… uh… The bridge is not the same without you and you clearly have not been yourself recently. I just meant I am glad you are back to your normal self. Seeing you as a teenager, realizing that you may not be able to come back as an adult, got me thinking a lot. I remembered all the good times we had together. It would be a shame if our relationship had to change…"

Kathryn was not sure what to make of Chakotay's rambling, and she did not have the energy or interest to give him extra leeway to make his point.

"Chakotay, we have a very good working relationship. I do not think that would have changed if I had to stay in a younger body. I would still be the Captain and you would continue as my First Officer. It may have taken a little getting used to, but you and the crew would have adjusted." Kathryn pushed the PADDs around her desk trying to look busy.

Chakotay looked dismayed. Kathryn was not sure what he was hoping for and wished he would get on with it.

"Kathryn…" He paused and watched for a reaction when he addressed her by her first name. "I know we have a good working relationship. I was thinking more about our personal relationship. I still think we had a pretty good thing started back on New Earth. Given your recent acceptance of a relationship with someone from the crew, I thought maybe…"

Kathryn held up her hand to stop him mid-sentence. She stood and walked around her desk, looking down at her first officer who was still seated.

"Chakotay, you are one of the few on board who I consider a friend. But we are only friends. There might have been something between us once, a long time ago, if we had stayed on that planet. That all changed when we resumed our leadership roles with this crew. I'd like to think we will always be friends, but it will not go further than that. As for any relationship I may or may not have onboard, that is not a topic for ship-wide discussion and I expect you to respect my privacy in that matter."

Kathryn took pity on her friend, thinking he looked like someone had just thrown his ice cream cone on the deck. She reached out her hand to him, inviting him to stand and take it. "Chakotay, if something was going to happen between us, it would have happened by now. You and I both know that."

"I suppose you are right Kathryn. I just had to give it a shot. Hopefully you can find the happiness you deserve with someone else. I just don't want to see you get hurt and more than she has hurt you already." Chakotay knew he had hit the mark when he saw Kathryn stiffen up slightly as she pulled her hand away. Before now, he had only heard rumors to substantiate his own ideas. Kathryn's reaction confirmed his suspicions about her feelings for Voyager's blonde astrometrics officer. He sighed, realizing the two most desirable women on the ship were off the market completely.

Kathryn wanted to redirect the conversation away from her personal life. "So my friend, I see you have left me quite a bit of work to take care of here. I am going to jump into it and see how much progress I can make before dinner. You have the bridge. Do what you can to see that I am not disturbed." Kathryn took a few steps towards the door threshold, causing the doors to open for Chakotay's exit. He took the hint and passed through the ready room doors, pausing to give her one last glance.

"Yes, Captain. Thank you for your time." Chakotay gave her a weak smile and returned to his station. As Kathryn watched him retreat, she caught Tuvok's eye across the bridge. She answered his raised eyebrow question with an eye-roll and subtle shake of the head before retreating back to her desk.

Chapter Fifty

Even with Seven's reduced hearing ability, she was able to make out the sound of B'Elanna's stomachs rumbling across the tent. To be honest, she was becoming a bit hungry as well. She had successfully avoided talking about Kathryn by taking a walk earlier, telling B'Elanna she wanted time to think. Now it was early afternoon and she was no closer to figuring out her own emotions than she was two hours earlier.

"B'Elanna, it would seem that you are hungry. What do you have planned for lunch?" Seven thought lunch would be distracting and buy her some more time.

B'Elanna stopped to consider Seven's question. She had not thought about lunch until now. She checked the small cargo container left by Tuvok, in case there was another meal she missed seeing earlier. When there was none, she tapped her commbadge to hail Voyager.

"Torres to Tuvok."

'Tuvok here. Go ahead Lieutenant.'

"Seven and I were wondering if you would be sending us another picnic lunch. The last one was really good, so we were hoping would surprise us with something equally tasty." B'Elanna gave Seven a knowing smile while she waited to see if her sweet-talk would convince the stoic Vulcan to send them more food.

'I anticipated your request Lieutenant. Please stand by for transport. Tuvok out.'

As soon as the hail closed, a blue beam of light focused on the picnic table to reveal a medium-size cargo container. B'Elanna rubbed her hands together in anticipation. She opened the container and pulled out two deep silver bowls with soup. Accompanying the soup was a loaf of bread and a pitcher of Vulcan iced tea. At the bottom of the container was a small folded piece of paper, addressed to Seven.

"What is this?" Seven looked to B'Elanna for an explanation. B'Elanna just shrugged her shoulders. Seven examined the paper and realized it was a finely textured parchment, not something standard from the replicator. When she unfolded it, Kathryn's fine handwriting filled the page.

Seven,

I thought some chicken soup would be warm and comforting. Although I wish I could be there to share lunch with you again, I understand your need for time away from me. Please know that I am thinking about you and look forward to seeing you again.

Kathryn

B'Elanna watched Seven's eyes tear up as she folded the paper gently and clutched it to her chest. She walked around the other side of the table, concerned about whatever brought Seven to tears again. "Are you okay Seven?"

Seven only nodded and handed the slip of paper to B'Elanna.

B'Elanna read the short note and smiled up at Seven. "See, I told you she still loves you. C'mon, let's eat. We can chat more about it after lunch."

After Seven and B'Elanna finished their meal, B'Elanna stood up and stretched in the mid-afternoon sun. She turned back to the table to finish the last of her tea and paused to watch Seven. She grew concerned when she saw Seven's hand shake as she picked up her glass of tea.

"Seven, are you feeling okay?" B'Elanna hoped she kept her tone of voice casual so Seven would not become concerned.

"I am functioning adequately, thank you. Why do you ask?"

Upon closer inspection, B'Elanna noticed small beads of perspiration along Seven's hairline. Her eyes also looked a bit glossy, but she did not sound like she was on the verge of tears. "Nothing really, I thought I saw your hand tremble when you picked up your tea. You do look a little warm though. Let's clean up and go inside the tent. I know your biosuit regulates your temperature, but my black pants are holding in the afternoon heat. I could use some shade. Can you pack up the cargo container while I go find my own rock to squat against?"

"Very well B'Elanna. I would recommend caution since you do not have spare uniform pants to change in to." Seven smiled at her friend and arched one eyebrow teasingly.

Seven busied herself re-packing the bowls and spoons into the cargo container. She left their glasses out since there was still iced tea to drink. It took her two trips to move the pitcher and glasses into the tent and set them on the floor in the sleeping area of the shelter. There was no other place to sit, so she lowered herself on to the mattress that she used before. Her eyes shifted to the empty mattress that Kathryn had occupied the last time they were here together. There, slightly under the edge of the standard away mission blanket, was one shiny pip. Seven retrieved the small insignia and held it in her palm reverently while she waited for B'Elanna to return.

On her way back to the shelter B'Elanna stopped by the lone tree in the area to open a hail.

"Torres to Janeway." She held her breath, hoping the captain would not be annoyed she was reporting to her directly.

'Janeway here. How is Seven? Are you ready to beam back to the ship yet?' Kathryn's voice sounded hopeful.

B'Elanna hated to disappoint Kathryn, so she avoided the question. "Thank you for sending lunch. Seven was really moved by your note. I am going to try to get her to open up a bit to see if…"

'B'Elanna, are you okay? Did you urinate on your pants?' B'Elanna was stopped mid-sentence. She could hear Seven's voice getting louder as she approached.

Chuckles from the captain came across B'Elanna's commbadge. "Shhh, not a word Kathryn." B'Elanna whispered into her badge before answering Seven.

"Klingons 'squat' better than Borgs do. Plus I have had more practice than you have. I'll be there in a second Seven." B'Elanna called out, hoping to stop Seven from continuing any further.

It was too late as Seven came within earshot. B'Elanna did not want Seven to know she was reporting in to Kathryn, so she left the hail open as she walked to join Seven.

"I find it is not much cooler in the shelter, although it did feel good to get out of the sun. I found a pip under Kathryn's mattress. It must have gotten lost when she changed out of her uniform before transport." Seven's eyes grew moist as the two women arrived at the tent.

Inside the shelter was slightly cooler, but both women still felt overheated. "Hey Seven, there should be a small toolkit with the away team supplies. Can you go grab it? I want to see if I can adjust this portable heating device to circulate the air only. It might make it less stuffy."

"I will comply." Seven busied herself in the corner of the shelter while B'Elanna went to the sleeping area of the tent and crouched over the small heater.

"Kathryn, are you still there? Just cough quietly if you are." B'Elanna waited a moment in silence as she heard a faint cough muffled through her commbadge as the precise moment Seven joined her in the sleeping area of the tent. Quickly B'Elanna covered her mouth and let out a cough of her own, hoping Seven would not notice.

Seven handed B'Elanna the small toolkit and sat down on a mattress. This time it was the center mattress she sat on while she waited for B'Elanna to finish her modifications to the heater.

Once the warm air of the tent was circulating, B'Elanna sat down on Kathryn's mattress next to Seven. "Okay Seven, you can't keep avoiding this. Talk to me about why you ran away earlier. It will help if you get it off your chest." B'Elanna reached beside her and took Seven's hand in her own. To her dismay, Seven's hand was hot and clammy.

"Oh B'Elanna, I have ruined everything." Seven's eyes filled with tears that she let flow freely as she sobbed next to her friend.

Chapter Fifty-One

In her ready room, Kathryn sat frozen at her desk listening to the exchange play out on the planet below. She knew she should probably close the hail, but something in B'Elanna's tone made her think that she wanted Kathryn to listen in. This put the Kathryn at odds with herself once again. As a friend and romantic partner, Kathryn knew she should not invade Seven's privacy in this way. On the other hand, the Captain is responsible for the well-being of her crew, including the injured crewmember on the planet surface below. 'Katie, if B'Elanna feels you should listen then you need to do it, to assure yourself of Seven's safety if nothing else. If you feel guilty, you can admit to Seven later that you overheard the conversation.' As usual, Kathryn's inner voice brought her the clarity she needed to keep the comm link open.

As quietly as she could, Kathryn typed a quick note on her computer terminal for Tuvok.

'Awek tersaya. I need you to prevent anybody from coming to my ready room or trying to hail me for the immediate future. It is imperative that I am not interrupted. Th'i-oxalra, my friend.'

Kathryn coded the message priority one and private, and sent it to his terminal at the tactical station. She waited in silence, hoping Tuvok was at his station and would see her cryptic note. When she received his affirmative response, she let out a quiet sigh of relief.

She picked up the now cold coffee from her desk and tip-toed to the couch under the viewport. She sat down and held the silver mug, trying to steady her hands while she watched the clouds in the planet's atmosphere below the ship.

'Really Seven, I do not think it is as bad as you believe it is. You have not ruined anything. We all understand this is a big deal for you and shame on us for not recognizing that you needed more time and space to work through these changes.'

Kathryn knew B'Elanna was right, and felt bad for her part in assuming Seven would automatically want to revert to her former Borg-enhanced existence. In the privacy of her ready room, Kathryn's own eyes began to fill with the tears she had been pushed aside all day.

'Honestly B'Elanna, I had no idea I was going to run off like that. Up until I returned to the cargo bay to regenerate, I had every intention of transporting with you and Kathryn. It's just… after what they said… and then Kathryn said… I felt an overwhelming tightness in my chest and I couldn't breathe. I had to get out of there.'

Kathryn racked her mind to replay their last conversation, hoping to discover what she had said to make Seven feel this way. She was coming up completely blank.

'Slow down Seven. Did somebody say something to you in the cargo bay? What was it Seven? You need to tell me what happened that made you so upset. Did you at least tell Kathryn? I am sure whatever it was, we can explain it.'

Kathryn remembered Seven seeming distracted and a bit disoriented when she ended her regeneration cycle. At the time, Seven explained it away as nervousness. Kathryn was doing her best to keep her breathing calm and quiet, but inside she was feeling the familiar tightness that came with the anger she felt when Seven was hurt by the actions of another crewmember.

Kathryn could hear Seven crying now, her words interrupted by sobs and sniffles. She grabbed her silver mug tighter, making her knuckles turn white under the pressure of her grasp.

B'Elanna reached up and tenderly wiped the falling tears from her friend's face. She had never seen Seven this emotional before and thought how difficult it must be for her to experience all these new extreme feelings. Before Seven's cortical implant malfunctioned, she was protected from these intense feelings. Now she was navigating the most painful of human emotions for essentially the first time. B'Elanna swallowed hard, trying to keep her own tears in check. Seven needed a calm presence and a good listener, something usually out of character for the temperamental half-Klingon.

When Seven calmed down, she quietly continued. "I did not tell Kathryn what I overheard in the cargo bay. To be fair, the crewmen did not know I was there when they were talking about me. It would not be right to hold a private conversation against them. If I had told Kathryn, she would have been quite angry and maybe even sought them out herself." Seven smiled ever so slightly before continuing. "She is a bit protective of me."

"Well of course she is! She loves you Seven. She would do pretty much anything for you. In fact, she already has. Remember when the Queen lured you away from us? Kathryn risked everything to go after you. That was before she had even admitted her feelings for you, although it was pretty clear even then to anyone with eyes. Hell Seven, she even got herself assimilated to help you and your Unimatrix Zero boyfriend. Imagine how hard that was for her."

Seven's sobs stopped as she considered what B'Elanna said. "Do you think she has loved me that long B'Elanna? Before my cortical implant malfunctioned, I was not aware of the emotional implications of her actions. Now that I look back, I can see what I put her through. I can also now identify so many of the feelings and thoughts I was having for her. I knew she was very important to me. I knew I felt better when I was in her presence. I knew my pulse increased and my stomach felt odd when I was around her. I knew I looked forward to seeing her, and even made up reasons to seek her out. Until recently, I was unable to put it all together. B'Elanna, I have been in love with the captain for years!"

B'Elanna smiled, wishing secretly that she felt the same intensity when she thought of Tom. "Well, this is good. So you love her and she loves you. What could anybody say or do then to make you turn away from that?"

"It was crewman Lessing and Morrow. They were in the cargo bay getting something from a container. Crewman Lessing told crewman Morrow that Jennifer Delaney said I was 'nice' and that Ensign Simmons thought I was 'pretty' without my facial implants. He continued telling him it was good I lost the implants since before the crew was afraid of me. He also told him that my missing hand meant I could not assimilate the crew. B'Elanna, how could they think I would assimilate them?" Seven was starting to cry again, which broke B'Elanna's heart.

"Listen to me Seven. They are full of crap. Nobody on Voyager thinks you will assimilate them. You have saved the ship more times than I care to admit. As for being afraid of you, those are the people who have not gotten to know you as well as the rest of us."

"Crewman Morrow said that he thinks I am very caring with Naomi and that people need to get to know me more. Part of that is my fault because I am not a very approachable person. But he did say he thought I was 'one of us now.'" Seven looked at B'Elanna and smiled tentatively.

"See what I mean? Not everybody thinks the way that petaQ Lessing does. When this is all over, I will help you make some more friends. You just need to let others see some of what Kathryn and Naomi see in you. Hell, you and I used to be at each other's throats most of the time. If the crew sees that even I am your friend, the others will fall in line right away."

Seven looked at her skeptically. "Maybe B'Elanna, but he said that as long as I have the implants I will never be part of the Voyager family. Then Kathryn said…" Another sob caught in Seven's throat.

B'Elanna knew Kathryn was likely still listening to their conversation, but there was no turning back now. Seven likely misinterpreted something Kathryn had said, so she reasoned that Kathryn deserved to know and correct the situation at some future point.

B'Elanna turned to sit sideways on the mattress to fully face Seven. She knew that whatever was coming next is likely the most painful part for Seven. B'Elanna softened her voice and reached out a finger to tilt Seven's face back up to meet her eyes.

"Seven, what did Kathryn say? I can't imagine she would say or do anything to cause you this much pain. Tell me so I can help explain."

Seven got a faraway look on her face as she remembered the conversation. "Kathryn ran her hand along my right cheek, where my implant was before the accident. Then she said, 'Your skin is so soft. I will always remember you like this. You are beautiful Seven. I love you, do not forget that.' After that she gave me a kiss. It was the last time she touched me. Don't you see B'Elanna? She thinks I am beautiful without the implants and she wants to remember me that way. It is contradictory because she will not have a relationship with me as a younger more human woman, but she thinks I am beautiful that way and wants to remember that. If I come back through the transporter with my implants and Borg enhancements, I will be older again, but not be the person she loves. I am so confused B'Elanna."

"Seven, I am sure Kathryn did not mean that she only loved you without your implants. I know she loves you Seven, with or without the implants. You have to remember that it is the former version of you that she has been in love with all these years. Kathryn Janeway is not frivolous with her emotions, so if she says she loves you then she loves what is on the inside as well as the outside. She has never had a problem with the visible reminders of your Borg history before. Seven, you are stunning with your implants. It makes you special and unique. Your Borg past is central to the multi-faceted person you are now. Kathryn Janeway would not fall for just any boring human blonde. It takes an exceptional woman to capture her heart. You, Seven, are that exceptional woman."

"Do you really think she still loves me B'Elanna? Will she forgive me? I have hurt her and I do not know if she will allow herself to risk loving me again." Seven started to cry quietly again, and sway a little in her seat.

B'Elanna reached out and pulled her friend into a hug, intending to reassure her that Kathryn still loved her. Instead Seven fell limply toward her, her face flushed and burning up.

B'Elanna's commbadge was still open, and she didn't want to cut off Kathryn and scare her. She found Seven's commbadge and tapped it urgently.

"Away team to Voyager. Medical Emergency. Two to beam directly to sickbay."

Chapter Fifty-Two

At his tactical station Tuvok heard the emergency hail thirty seconds before the ready room doors flew open. Chakotay was still in the captain's chair, oblivious to the situation unfolding around him. Kathryn made eye contact with Tuvok as she passed him before entering the turbo lift. "Yes, Captain." He nodded acknowledgement to her unspoken command, leaving the bridge in Chakotay's hands.

When the turbo lift doors closed, Chakotay stood and looked at Tuvok questioningly. "Did the Captain say something on her way out? She almost ran out of here."

Tuvok accepted Chakotay as his superior officer, but he had serious doubts about the man's perception and awareness at times, this being one of them. "Yes Commander. She said you have the bridge." Tuvok was secretly relieved that Chakotay did not question him further before he took the captain's chair again.

Voyager was still at station-keeping in orbit around the planet, so there was no pressing need to remain at his tactical station. Tuvok shut down his board before addressing the first officer. "The Captain is on her way to sickbay. Something has come up with Seven. I will assess the situation and report back to you shortly."

"Thank you Tuvok. Let me know if I can help." Chakotay's words became muffled as the turbo lift doors closed. He knew the captain was a few minutes ahead of him, so he hailed the EMH from the turbo lift.

"Tuvok to the Doctor."

'Sickbay here, go ahead Commander.'

"I trust you heard the emergency hail from Lieutenant Torres. Please be aware the Captain is on her way to you now, quite urgently. I am on my way also. Tuvok out."

In sickbay, the emergency transport beam faded to reveal B'Elanna cradling a barely conscious Seven on the deck at the same time the doors parted to admit the frantic captain.

"Doctor, report!" The captain barked the command before she was even through the doorway.

"Captain, they just arrived. Help me get Seven to the biobed so I can evaluate her." The EMH, along with Kathryn and B'Elanna, lifted Seven's limp body on to surgical biobed. The doctor began scanning her immediately.

B'Elanna tuned to Kathryn with wide brown eyes. "Captain, I don't know what happened. One minute we were talking and the next she was falling into my arms."

Kathryn gave B'Elanna a weak smile before quietly responding. "Yes, I heard everything. We can discuss that in more detail later. Thank you for being there for her. It means a lot to me." She gave B'Elanna's arm a quick squeeze before returning her attention to the EMH behind her. "Doctor...?"

"Captain, it seems Seven has indeed developed an infection from the laceration on her hand. Her temperature is dangerously high and her nanoprobes cannot compensate. B'Elanna, how long had she been exhibiting signs of a fever?" The doctor looked at B'Elanna with what could only be described as contempt and disbelief.

"Hey Doc, she was not feverish until right before she collapsed. I would have beamed her back earlier if she had been. The last time I looked at her hand, it was tender and pink, but otherwise seemed normal." Both B'Elanna and Kathryn moved closer to the biobed as the doctor turned over Seven's hand. When he unfolded her clenched fingers, all three were shocked to find her palm swollen and purple, with a dark blue discoloring running up her wrist and partway up her forearm.

"I'm going to have to open this to drain the infection. One of you, make yourself useful and bring me a sterile kit." The EMH pointed to a shelf of medical supplies and waited for the captain to return with the requested kit. He opened it and cleaned the wound before draping a sterile covering over Seven's hand and arm. He then erected a small force field around the area as he opened her hand with the laser scalpel.

While B'Elanna watched the EMH intently, Kathryn moved to the head of the bed. It was tearing her apart to see Seven semi-conscious again. She knew Seven needed time away from her earlier, but there was no way Kathryn could be anywhere else at this moment. She looked down into the pinched features of the woman she loved as a feeling of helplessness once again overcame her. Bending closer, Kathryn whispered into Seven's ear. "Seven, it's Kathryn. I'm right here. The doctor is working on your hand to get rid of the infection. I know it hurts darling, just a little longer." She ran her fingers gently along Seven's hairline to brush the stray locks out of her face, forgetting both the crewmembers nearby and that she was supposed to pull away from the woman who held her heart.

Somewhere in Seven's subconscious she registered Kathryn's presence. Her face softened as a trail of tears slid from her right eye. "Kathryn, I'm sorry. Kathryn, please... Please don't leave me..." Seven's mumbled cries became more frantic as she tossed fitfully on the biobed. "I'm so sorry... I love you..."

The EMH pretended not to hear Seven's cries, focusing instead on the infection he was treating. B'Elanna looked over her shoulder at Kathryn and gave her a weak smile. She was not surprised to see Kathryn struggling to hold back tears as Seven's head tossed from side to side in her delirium. She was surprised when she heard Seven calling out for her also.

"B'Elanna, I've lost her. Kathryn doesn't want me anymore. I need her B'Elanna. I have to tell her I'm sorry. Help me, B'Elanna..." Seven's words slowed and became almost inaudible as she slipped completely into unconsciousness.

B'Elanna went to Kathryn's side and gently put her arm around her. It took some persuading, but B'Elanna was able to maneuver the captain into the privacy of the EMH's office. She knew Kathryn would not want the doctor to see her so upset. "Computer, engage privacy shields."

"Kathryn..." B'Elanna began intentionally using the captain's name to let her know this conversation was off the record. When Kathryn looked at her and let one tear fall, she knew it was okay to continue. "If you heard what Seven said on the planet, then you must understand why she did what she did. Imaging the conflict she is going through, on top of learning to adapt to a weakened body and raging emotions! It really has nothing to do with how she feels about you. She loves you Kathryn. You must see that. Please, you have to go to her and let her know that you still love her. This is tearing her apart. I can see it is tearing you apart too, so don't even try to deny it." B'Elanna was surprised at the force and tone behind her own voice as she willed Kathryn to understand the importance of what she was saying.

"Of course I love her B'Elanna. I have stopped trying to deny it. That does not change the situation though. Seven has to decide for herself if she wants to live without her implants. Nobody else can do that for her. I made the decision to remove her implants and sever her from the Hive years ago, but that was because she was incapable of making that decision for herself at the time. Now she is an individual and responsible for the direction of her own life. If she wants to stay at this age and have a second chance at the years that were stolen, I cannot interfere. Even if it means we cannot be together and I have to go back to loving her secretly. It tears me apart, but I will do it if I have to. I am the Captain. I have had many years of unrequited love, so I am used to it. I have to give her the space she needs to make up her own mind. If she decides to come back to us as her normal self, I will be thrilled. Until then, I just can't be here. You are right that it is tearing me up inside. I know I have no right to ask this, but it would make me feel better if you stayed with her until she is past the worst of it." Kathryn was pacing, her hands on her hips. When she stopped and saw B'Elanna's nod of agreement, her eyes were brimming with tears. "Computer, discontinue privacy shield."

In all the commotion, neither the captain nor B'Elanna saw Tuvok arrive. He was standing quietly between biobeds one and two along the far wall, watching the EMH work on Seven. When the windows in the doctor's office resumed transparency, he became immediately concerned by the facial expression he found on his captain.

As Kathryn approached Tuvok, she did her best to secure her command mask back in place. Tuvok could see right through it, softening his dark features the best he could. "Captain, may I inquire into Seven's condition?"

"Tuvok, I can't... Not right now... B'Elanna can fill you in. I will be in my quarters." Kathryn put her hand on Tuvok's arm as she walked past her tactical office and friend, pausing in the open sickbay doorway. "Doctor, I expect a report every half hour. Understood?"

"Yes, Captain. You are welcome to stay. I'm sure Seven would appreciate seeing you when she wakes up." The EMH looked at Kathryn hopefully.

"I'm sorry Doctor. I know she is getting the best care possible. Hail me if there is any significant change and I will of course return. B'Elanna, thank you... for everything. I will be in my quarters."

As the doors closed behind the captain, B'Elanna joined Tuvok on the other side of sickbay. "She is hurting; no matter how hard she tries to hide it. I just hope that Seven pulls through this and decides all this extra humanity is not worth the pain it is causing."

"I concur Lieutenant. We can only do our best to remain supportive and available to both of them during this trying time. I must return to the bridge. Will you remain here with Seven and update me throughout the afternoon? I know Commander Chakotay has Lieutenant Nicoletti taking care of engineering, so you are free to stay as long as you are needed here."

B'Elanna nodded her head. "Of course, Tuvok. I will stay here until Seven is out of danger and hail you if there are any changes."

Once Tuvok left sickbay, B'Elanna returned her attention to Seven. She was still feverish and moaning quietly. "Doctor, is she in pain? I can't make out what she is saying. Can you give her something?"

"I have infused her system with another batch of nanoprobes, so her temperature is slowly coming down. Thankfully her infection is dissipating. It is a good thing you got her here when you did. Another ten minutes and the infection would have spread up her arm and throughout her bloodstream. The best we can do now is to keep her calm and comfortable. She is not in any physical pain from the hand wound. I think her pain is purely emotional."

"I think you are right, Doc." B'Elanna sighed as she pulled up a chair to sit next to the biobed. "You and I both know what needs to happen to cure that hurt, but the question is whether Seven will realize that. The captain is adamant about not interfering. She is distancing herself from Seven to avoid being an influencing factor in her decision. That is only hurting them both, but you know Captain Janeway..."

The EMH ran the tricorder over Seven again, his face grimacing at the results displayed. "Seven is going to need to decide soon, or else her body will not be healthy enough to go through with the RVN resequencing. This infection has put a strain on her already weakened biological systems. Her body really cannot tolerate this much longer. I know the captain does not want to make this decision for Seven, but soon she may have to. If she gets another infection of picks up a simple virus, it will become a matter of Seven's very life."

Chapter Fifty-Three

It had been another half-hour since the doctor's last update on Seven's condition. Over the past three hours Seven's fever had come down considerably and the signs of infection in her hand were all but gone. Thankfully the replicated nanoprobes were working their cybernetic magic and healing Seven's body from the inside out. Kathryn closed the hail from the EMH and sat back on her couch, staring once again at the stars outside the viewport.

It felt like they had orbited this planet for weeks, when it really had only been four days. It was about this time of day, four days ago, that Kathryn went to both B'Elanna and Seven to tell them about the dilithium mining away mission. It was hard to believe that her whole universe had turned upside-down since then. So much had changed. Kathryn was the happiest she had been in years, since she lost her father those decades ago. The wall around her heart had all but crumbled completely at Seven's feet. For the first time in years, she was looking forward to the life she was making for herself in the Delta Quadrant and not merely existing through it. It was all because she let herself love Seven, and allowed Seven to love her in return.

'You knew it was too good to be true Katie...' Kathryn chided herself for her idealistic thinking. She replayed her own words in her head, the very words she shared with Seven. 'Seven, every relationship involves risk. In human romantic relationships, the personal risk is very high. To open up to another person is scary. Romantic relationships are the closest two individuals can become, which means you have to let your guard down. I have built up walls around myself for years, for self-preservation and to keep my personal needs sequestered while I command this ship. I was too afraid of the risk at that point.' Kathryn had let her guard down and opened her heart, and now she was feeling more pain and loss than she could easily hide away.

Deciding she needed some fresh air and different scenery, Kathryn straightened her uniform tunic and headed out the door. She really did not feel like company, but being alone with her own thoughts was bordering on torturous. A distraction, and perhaps some food, would help pass the time until the doctor's next report.

The doors to the messhall parted and assaulted her senses immediately. It was the dinner hour and many who had just ended the alpha shift were there to mingle over Neelix's creation of the day. The room was noisy and crowded, and the air was permeated with a smell Kathryn just could not identify. She did not have high hopes for her dinner choices.

"Captain! So nice to see you. Can I interest you in a helping of my famous Talaxian spiced stew over Leola root rice pilaf?" Kathryn could not help but smile at her morale officer and resident chef. He was always so chipper, which was almost enough to make his meal concoctions palatable.

"Sure Neelix, but just a little bit. I am not very hungry." Kathryn looked around the room and spotted Samantha and Naomi at a corner table. She had every intention of asking to join them, until she saw crewmen Lessing and Morrow at a table laughing among themselves.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as she worked to rein in her Irish temper upon seeing the two former Equinox crewmen. Seven did not want her to know what the two had said about her in the cargo bay, so she could not confront them outright. A momentary thought of jettisoning them out the nearest airlock helped to calm her demeanor enough to approach them with an almost sinister smile of greeting. "Gentlemen, might I have a minute?"

Crewman Morrow was on his feet immediately upon hearing the captain's voice behind him. "Of course, Captain. Do you want to join us?" Crewman Lessing did not stand, choosing to focus on his rice pilaf instead. This did not go unnoticed by the captain.

"As you were Mr. Morrow. No thank you. I won't need to take up much of your time. Crewman Lessing, if I am not interrupting..." Kathryn waited for him to look at her, focusing an intent look on him as he met her eyes. She raised her voice a bit louder; ensuring those at the nearby tables could easily hear her. "You may or not be aware, but Seven of Nine is in sickbay recovering for a significant injury. Since it has come to my attention that you two have become quite outspoken about the recent changes in her demeanor and appearance, I want to ask you to do me a favor." The captain paused to be sure she had their attention. "Seven could use the support of all of her friends during this time. I would like you, and anyone else you can think of, to record a personal message of greeting and encouragement for her. Please deliver your messages to my ready room by 2100 hours tonight. I will see that she gets them in sickbay. I am sure your kind words would help speed her recovery." Kathryn flashed them both a smile and nodded her head before she turned and walked away from their table, under the watchful eyes of almost the entire messhall.

Samantha and Naomi heard the exchange at the table nearby. When Naomi caught the captain's eye, she waved at her to join them.

"Well how is my favorite Captain's Assistant today? Is your ankle better?" Kathryn smiled down at her young admirer.

"Captain, would you care to join us?" Samantha smiled up at Kathryn as she moved Naomi's plate over a bit to make room at the small table.

"Yes Captain! Please join us." Naomi was always excited when Captain Janeway was around. Having her share dinner with them was truly a treat. "I heard what you said to those two crewmen. I want to record a message for Seven too. Can I, please?"

Kathryn leaned over and draped her around Naomi's young shoulders. "I can do you one better. As soon as the doctor says it is okay, how about you come visit her? I am sure she will like that. If my memory is correct, she missed your usual Kadis-Kot game yesterday, right?"

Naomi's eyes grew wide, not realizing the Captain knew that Seven took time during her duty shift to play the board game with her. She smiled at her mother before giggling. "You are right mom, Captain Janeway knows everything that happens on Voyager." The admiration on the little girl's voice was unmistakable.

Neelix arrived with the captain's plate of food and set it down ceremoniously. "Bon appetite, Captain." He smiled at the captain before returning to the kitchen. Kathryn picked up her fork and pushed the food around a bit before rolling her eyes. It wasn't until she heard another giggle from the youngest crewmember that she remembered Naomi watches her every move.

"Captain, is it true that Seven is not a Borg anymore?" Naomi's question out of the blue surprised Kathryn and Samantha, her face becoming intently serious.

Kathryn set her fork down and took a moment to consider her reply. "That is a tough question Naomi. Seven will always be part Borg. There is no way to remove all her Borg implants and systems. She needs them to stay alive. So even though it is true that Seven is not a Borg drone anymore, she will always be half-Borg. You have to remember that she was born a human and it is her human life that she lives with us here on Voyager."

"Sorta like the way I am half-Human and half-Ktarian?" Naomi asked hopefully.

It was Samantha who chimed in; sensing that talking about Seven's Borg past was an upsetting subject for their captain. "Yes honey. The same way Lieutenant Torres is half-Human and half-Klingon. This ship is full of people who are either all or part of a different species. That is what makes our Voyager family so special."

The understanding on Naomi's face was clear. "I know another way that Seven, B'Elanna and I are special. We all have different things on our faces. I have these bumps on my forehead. B'Elanna has even more ridges on her forehead and Seven has her implants. I think Seven is really pretty with her implants. They make her look strong and smart."

Kathryn reached over and took Naomi's hand in hers as she leaned toward her young assistant. "You want to know a secret? I think Seven is really pretty with her implants too. Be sure you tell her what you just told us when you see her."

Just as Kathryn straightened up and picked up her fork, a hail came across her commbadge. 'Sickbay to Captain Janeway.'

"Saved by the bell." She tapped her commbadge to answer. "Go ahead doctor."

'Captain, Seven is waking up. She will no doubt ask for you. Can you join us here? Lieutenant Torres is here also.'

Kathryn really did not want to face Seven and her turbulent feelings again so soon, but with Samantha and Naomi overhearing the hail there was no way out of it. "Of course, Doctor. I am on my way. Janeway out."

"Tell Seven we said hello and that I will come visit her soon." Naomi smiled up at the captain before she turned to leave.

"I will be sure to tell her you will visit. Maybe tomorrow. Have a good evening ladies." Kathryn walked toward the messhall doors.

As she passed the table where crewmen Lessing and Morrow were still seated, she gave them both a stern look. "Remember Mr. Lessing. 2100 hours on my ready room desk." Kathryn was gratified at the look of panic on crewman Lessing's smug face.

Kathryn was half-way out the doors before Neelix stopped her. "Captain, you did not even try your stew. I know you are probably rushing off to something important so I will put this is stasis and have it delivered to your quarters so you can enjoy it later."

Inwardly Kathryn groaned. "Thank you Mr. Neelix. I look forward to it." As she stepped on to the turbolift, she tried to come up with a good excuse to avoid the foul looking meal that would be waiting for her later.

Chapter Fifty-Four

Seven opened her eyes to the glaring light of the overhead sensor, a sense of déjà vu spreading through her body like wildfire. She began to sit up, hoping to find Kathryn nearby. When she swayed a bit, it was B'Elanna's strong arms that steadied her.

"Well hello Your Borgness, nice of you to join us again." B'Elanna watched Seven blink twice before bringing her hand to her head.

"What did you do to me Ms. Klingon? My head is killing me." Seven tempered her words with a smile, letting B'Elanna know she was kidding. She attempted to swing her legs to the side of the biobed before being stopped by the EMH.

"Welcome back, Seven. You have been unconscious for a few hours. It seems you spiked a fever due to an infection that set in the wound on your hand. Don't worry, my exceptional care have you almost as good as new." The doctor was scanning her again; just to be sure the fever was completely gone. "I took the liberty of hailing the Captain. She will be here soon."

Seven looked over to B'Elanna with a worried expression. Her chest suddenly hurt, but she was not sure if it was Kathryn's impending arrival or her weakened lungs causing the pain. "Thank you, Doctor. My head hurts and my chest is tight. I am having difficulty drawing a complete breath. What can you do to alleviate this?" Seven rubbed her temple, much the same way she had seen Kathryn do before when she had a headache.

"I can give you a hypospray for the headache. You are dehydrated so a bit of fluids will cure that. There is nothing I can do about your chest and lungs. Without your Borg skeletal enhancements, the weight of your head and shoulders are pulling on your vertebrae and compressing your lungs. The only way to reverse that is to get your skeletal enhancements back. Or I could put you in a hard torso brace to hold your body upright, but that will severely restrict your movements.

"I do not find the second option acceptable." Seven spit the sentence out as if it left a foul taste in her mouth.

"Seven, we really should talk about the RVN resequencing. Your human physiology is not able to sustain itself without medical intervention. I know I was the one who encouraged you to consider the option to remain human before, but now I am afraid if you do it will severely compromise your health." The EMH looked at Seven with a combination of compassion and remorse on his holographic features.

"Yes, Doctor. I have come to that realization myself. As soon as I am able, I would like to go through with the resequencing transport."

"Praise Kahless!" B'Elanna was thrilled to hear that Seven had changed her mind. She was afraid it was going to take a bit more convincing to get Seven to realize that she needed to return to her adult self.

"I am thrilled to hear this Seven. I will tell the Captain and get things ready as soon as your vitals stabilize a bit more and you have had a full regeneration cycle." The EMH felt the weight of the universe removed from his shoulders. He had felt guilty for his part in causing all of this drama, or at least the holographic equivalent of guilt.

"No!" Seven's voice had an edge of panic. Both B'Elanna and the EMH were at her side instantly.

"What's wrong Seven?" B'Elanna worried at Seven's outburst.

"You may not inform the Captain. I do not want her to know yet. In fact, I do not want her to know until after the reversal is complete. I have put her through too much already. She will only worry and I would rather surprise her when it is all done." Seven smiled at them both, her mind already thinking ahead to the captain's reaction when she reached out for her with two functioning arms.

"Seven, that puts me in a difficult position. As the ship's doctor, I am obligated to keep the captain informed of any medical condition that impacts the safety of a crewmember. Plus you know it is almost impossible to keep anything from Kathryn Janeway." The EMH regarded Seven, wondering why she was still smiling.

"Your logic is flawed Doctor. You are the ship's doctor, but you are also my personal physician and my desire for medical privacy outweighs your self-imposed obligation to share the details of my health with the captain. Plus, I am not a member of Starfleet or a commissioned crewman. Your need to inform her of a crewmembers health does not apply to me since I am not posing a danger to anyone. Lastly, you and B'Elanna are both Starfleet officers. Kathryn has told me on more than one occasion that Starfleet officers have a way of making the impossible very possible."

B'Elanna slapped the EMH on the back as she smiled at her friend. "Well, she's got ya' there Doc. We can't tell the Captain anything."

All three sets of eyes turned when the sickbay doors opened to admit the very person they were discussing. "You can't tell the Captain what?"

It was B'Elanna who went around the biobed to intercept the captain. "Oh it is nothing really. We were just saying that we can't tell you when you need to rest more or eat better. You don't listen, even when it is in your best interests. Right Doc?"

It took the EMH a few seconds to catch on before using this as an opportunity to give another of his grand performances. "Lieutenant Torres is right Captain. I, of all people, should be listened to when I tell you that you are over-tired or under-nourished. Even after all these years, you still ignore my sage medical wisdom."

Seven sat on the biobed, holding her breath, until the Captain let out a throaty laugh. "Well I'm glad you both finally figured that out." She looked past her officers to the biobed, tentatively seeking out Seven's eyes.

When Seven lifted her chin and caught Kathryn's gaze, she felt the pain of a sharp intake of breath. Kathryn looked so sad, with tired eyes and a weary half-grin. Seven immediately felt a profound sense of guilt for putting Kathryn through so much emotional turmoil. As Kathryn slowly approached her, Seven did her best not to let Kathryn see the tears brimming along her right eyelid.

When Kathryn reached the side of the biobed, she instinctively reached her hand out toward Seven but then stopped with her hand mid-air. She saw a moment of panic flash across Seven's face and wondered if her very presence was that upsetting to the woman she wanted to hold and protect.

Seven sat frozen, not sure if she could k her composure if Kathryn actually touched her. When Kathryn's hand stopped midway between them, Seven saw the sadness wash across her strained features. Deciding she could not take seeing Kathryn hurt so much, Seven reached for Kathryn with her own hand and laced their fingers together. She pulled the surprised redhead toward her and closed the distance between them.

Kathryn looked down to their intertwined fingers and felt the familiar warmth spread through her hand and along her arm. As she drew in a shuddered breath, a tingling sensation settled in the pit of her stomach. She looked up at Seven through delicate lashes and saw her face full of the same love and desire she had seen the last time they were together. It took a minute to find her voice before she could speak. "Seven, I'm so relieved you are okay. You scared me, you scared us all."

Seven smiled at Kathryn, hoping to reassure her that she really was okay and that she was glad to see her. "It was not my intention to scare you. For that I am truly sorry. I am sorry for a lot of things, and I can only hope you will give me a chance to make it up to you." Seven brought Kathryn's hand to her mouth and brushed her palm with the faintest touch of her lips. She held her breath, wondering if Kathryn was going to pull away.

"I am the one who is sorry Seven. I should have known we were putting too much pressure on you, that we were rushing you. I let my own selfish needs cloud my better judgment. That will not happen again. I am sorry I made you feel like you had to run away. I never want you to feel like that again." Kathryn was losing the battle to maintain her composure as a single tear slid from her eye.

The sound of B'Elanna clearing her throat brought both women back to their immediate surroundings. "So… the Doc and I have a few things to work out. We are going to leave you two alone for a bit and talk in his office."

Kathryn turned to acknowledge her officers as Seven whispered a silent 'thank you' from behind Kathryn's back. When Kathryn turned back around, she took a step back from the biobed before continuing their conversation. She drew in a deep breath, allowing her more steady command voice to come out.

"Seven, the absolute last thing I want to do is pressure you, but we have been at station-keeping here for some time now. Everybody understands that you need time to recover from your ordeal, but we cannot stay here forever. Can you give me an idea of your thoughts on all of this and how long you think you need before we can continue our journey?" Kathryn half expected to see a look of panic or fear on Seven's face. Instead she thought she saw the beginnings of a shy smile.

"Kathryn, I have a few details I still need to work through but I anticipate we will be able to break orbit in forth-eight to fifty-six hours. Much depends on how long the doctor will require me to regenerate. You have been more than patient with me, especially given how much pain I have caused you personally…" Seven's words trailed off quietly as she watched Kathryn's facial features transform from the tentative command mask to take on a pained look once again.

"Seven, I am not ready to have this conversation with you now. It hurts too much. It is too fresh. You really need to be focusing on you and getting better. Don't worry about this old Starship Captain. I will be fine, eventually." Kathryn started to take a few steps backwards, yet maintained eye contact with Seven.

Seven felt the walls come up between them, sending a feeling of panic through her again. She jumped off the biobed and took two steps forward toward the captain. She knew if Kathryn left now, she may not get her back. Seven reached for Kathryn and pulled her tightly to her chest with her one good arm. She felt Kathryn resist, but held tight anyway. Eventually Kathryn's body relaxed and started to shake ever so slightly. It took a moment for Seven to realize that Kathryn was crying. She pulled back to look down into Kathryn's face before leaning in to whisper to her. "Have faith Kathryn. It will all work out." She gave Kathryn a tender kiss on the cheek before releasing her.

"I have to go…" Kathryn's words were barely out before she turned and retreated, the sickbay doors closing quietly behind her.

Chapter Fifty-Five

B'Elanna and the EMH were discussing the details for Seven's RVN resequencing transport when she saw the captain practically run out the sickbay doors. "Okay Doc, so you have isolated Seven's missing gene sequence. That means we can add it back to the matter stream when we re-transport Seven. When do you think she will be strong enough to do it?"

The doctor picked up his PADD to check on Seven's last set of vitals. "I think after a good ten hours of regeneration, she will be ready to transport. We learned from studying the transport of both you and Captain Janeway that Seven will not need to transport from the planet's surface back to the ship. We can go from transporter room one to sickbay, or the cargo bay. As long as you strengthen the confinement beam and hold her in the beam for fifteen seconds, she will be fine. That way we can try to keep it from the Captain as long as possible. You know, we are also going to have to get help from Commander Tuvok to pull this off. I am not sure he will be agreeable to misleading the Captain."

"I will talk to Tuvok. Don't think of it as 'misleading' the Captain. Think of it as delaying the time when we give her the rest of the information. The Captain looked pretty upset just now. I'm going to go talk to Seven and see if I can help. Maybe you should tell the Captain that Seven will need more like sixteen hours of regeneration. That will give us a little extra time to work out transporter magic." B'Elanna left the doctor's office with a big grin, excited to play matchmaker once again.

In her quarters, Kathryn fell into the cushions of her couch the minute her doors closed. She was exhausted, mentally and emotionally. It angered her that she let her emotions get the best of her. Captain Janeway was supposed to be strong and unwavering in her command and presence on board this ship. Instead she ran out of sickbay in tears. Granted it was only B'Elanna and the Doctor who may have seen her, but that was still too personal to share with anyone. As she fiddled with the four pips on her collar, she vowed to pull herself together and rebuild her invisible defenses again.

"Computer, what time is it?"

'It is now 1943 hours.' The feminine voice of Voyager's computer answered gently.

"Seems like a good time for a drink." Kathryn spoke out loud to nobody in particular as she pulled out a glass from the cabinet on the far wall behind her desk. Given the day she had, replicated Synthehol would not do. She reached for her prized bottle of Bushmills Irish Whiskey and poured a healthy portion into the glass.

As the dark amber liquid burned a trail down her throat, Kathryn sat at her desk and called up her personal logs. She had not recorded anything recently; there just had not been any time. As she sat at her desk now, she could not find the words to encompass everything she was feeling. Instead she looked at the library of prior log entries. One of them jumped out at her instantly.

'Captain's personal log, stardate 52619.3. It has been a trying few days to say the least. The doctor has just released me from two days in sickbay, recovering after my assimilation on the Borg cube. During the mission to help Seven and her friends on Unimatrix Zero, I found myself experiencing emotions I had long forgotten about. I could never admit this to anyone, since Starfleet Captains are not supposed to susceptible to feelings like fear, loneliness, attraction, and jealousy.

I was not prepared at all for the surprise of seeing Seven on Unimatrix Zero. She was beautiful, and looked so innocent and happy. It was the image of what she may have grown to become had she not been taken by the Borg at such a young age. In the back of my mind, I kept telling myself that Seven was a naïve child in a woman's body. It was my way of negating the attraction I was feeling for her. Seeing her as a human adult turned that all on its ear. But the more I think about it, this 'human' version of Seven is not the Seven that care so much for.

When she admitted that Axum was more than just a friend to her, I experienced the bitter taste of jealousy full force. The very idea that MY Seven could have feelings for another showed me that she is not the young innocent stuck in an adult body.

As much as I try to deny it or rationalize it away, I have developed very strong feeling for my astrometrics officer. In my heart of hearts, I have to admit to feeling this way about Seven for several years now. It was when I knelt in front of her on the shuttle, asking her to trust me one more time and come home, that it all came together. The way those crystal blue eyes bore into mine sent a bolt right to my heart. It took every ounce of willpower not to pull her into my arms and kiss away the fear and doubt she was experiencing. Her hand was so close to mine and the need to touch her was overpowering. It was then that the realization that I wanted her for myself hit me like a photon torpedo. I was in love with Seven of Nine.

I know it is against everything I was taught, but sometimes the heart has a mind of its own. The Seven of Nine on Unimatrix Zero was only a part of the woman that has captured this old woman's heart. That Seven represented the innocence that the Borg took from her. While that is indeed part of her, it is the other parts of her that I am so drawn to. Her incredible intellect and scientific curiosity are two of my favorite things about her. She can challenge me like nobody would dare to, and I love that about her. She is stunning, with the most intoxicating blue eyes framed by the silver implant above her eyebrow. When she arches that brow at me with her defiant smirk, I have to use all my training and experience not to melt right at her feet. She is a combination of extremes, soft flesh and warm metal with a tender protective side and a fiercely loyalty exterior. She is everything. She is perfect.

Of course I can never tell her any of this. I would not be worthy of her affection even if she did find herself interested in this old captain. Until then, I will love her from afar until the one day we are home. Maybe then, when the burdens of command no longer tie my hands, I can tell her how I really feel. I hope it will not be too late.'

Kathryn swallowed the last of her whiskey and wiped the tear that had fallen yet again. She remembered how hard it was to hide her feelings for Seven those years ago. Now that she knew how Seven felt about her, and now that she had a taste of what a relationship with Seven would feel like, the thought of pushing that all back down again made her feel physically sick.

Chapter Fifty-Six

With the fresh influx of nanoprobes, Seven was feeling better. Thankfully the nanoprobes were working to eliminate the last signs of infection as well as managing her struggling renal system. The need to urinate was one thing Seven was going to be glad be rid of when she got her adult body back. She changed into her blue and silver biosuit and waited for B'Elanna and the doctor to finish talking.

The doctor released her to return to the cargo bay for an extended regeneration. Before she could leave, she needed to talk to B'Elanna about her plans to win the captain back. She had devised a plan to get Kathryn alone, but would need someone to convince Kathryn to return to the planet surface. She also needed to find a way to keep Kathryn occupied and away from the transporter room. "B'Elanna, may I ask for your help with something please?"

B'Elanna walked over to the far side of sickbay to find Seven sitting on a chair with a PADD on her lap. "Sure Seven, what do you need?"

"I think you will find all the information on the PADD. Please ensure nobody else sees it, especially your husband." Seven smiled shyly as she handed the PADD to her curious friend.

B'Elanna's eyes widened in surprise reading the plan Seven had outlined. "Seven, this is perfect. I will have to get creative with the replicator rations, but if we run out I will use some of Tom's. He'll never know. I just need a place to stash these items until we are ready."

"I was thinking the same thing. I have sectioned off an area that I use for storing my personal belongings and for dressing. You can store whatever you need to there. I have plenty of replicator rations so please use those before spending any of your own. The information is all on the PADD. Do you think you can have it all ready by tomorrow at 1500 hours?"

The matchmaker is B'Elanna was giddy with excitement now. "I will take care of everything. I even told the Doc that he should require a sixteen-hour regeneration period, so that after the ten hours you need, we have time to do the RVN resequencing transport. If Kathryn thinks you are regenerating, she will not wonder what you are doing. This is going to be great. The only thing worrying me is how to keep Kathryn occupied so she does not come snooping around. Any ideas?"

Seven thought for a moment, her face becoming very serious. "Do you think Commander Tuvok would be agreeable to assist us? I know he and Kathryn are friends, but he is also one to stick to rules and protocols. If we emphasize his friendship with Kathryn and how this would be for her own good, do you think he would help us? He could keep her busy until it is time to get her to the planet. That's another thing, how do we get her to beam back down?"

"I will talk to Tuvok. Leave all that to me." B'Elanna was sure she could get Tuvok to help. If he would not, she would just have to do it all herself. "I may have to get a little help from Tom. I will be sure he only knows what he absolutely needs to."

"Thank you, B'Elanna. You are a good friend. I would have never guessed this would happen before our 'slumber party' four days ago. It looks like Kathryn got her wish for us to get along."

"Now don't go getting all mushy on me. I have a reputation to uphold." B'Elanna's smile was wide enough to show the sharp points on her teeth. "I'm going to get started on these plans while you go regenerate. See you tomorrow."

As soon as B'Elanna left sickbay, Seven approached the doctor. "Doctor, I believe I am ready to begin my regeneration. B'Elanna mentioned that you were going to tell Captain Janeway that I will be regenerating for sixteen hours, when in fact I will only fulfill the ten-hour cycle. Is this correct?"

"You are correct Seven. I will explain to the captain that I want you to have an extended regeneration before you consider the transporter reversal. I must admit I am a bit uncomfortable about all this, but in the end I think she will forgive me for my role in this little coo you are planning. Have you considered what happens if the RVN resequencing does not work property?" He hated to throw cold water on Seven's plans, but it was worth considering.

"Doctor, I am confident I will return to my adult self with no adverse effects. If it does not work, then my decision not to tell Kathryn will be validated. I would not want her to get her hopes up only to be hurt again. She has been through enough already. I will return to my alcove now and begin the regeneration cycle soon. Thank you for your help Doctor."

The EMH smiled at Seven, but not before taking the opportunity to scan her yet again with the tricorder in his hand. "You vitals look good Seven. I will come to the cargo bay in eleven hours to be sure you are ready for transport. We wouldn't want Captain Janeway to come here and find you when she thinks you are regenerating. Sleep well."

With that, the EMH deactivated his program as Seven left sickbay and headed for cargo bay two.

When the turbolift doors opened, Seven was surprised to find crewman Lessing and Morrow inside. She stiffened up immediately and nodded to the two men as she took her spot inside the turbolift. Remembering what B'Elanna said about making friends, she took a deep breath and turned around to speak to them.

"Good evening. Your names are Noah and James, correct? I have heard that you are both very skilled at pool. Perhaps we can play together sometime? I would like somebody to teach me how to play better so that I can challenge Captain Janeway. She seems to win every time she plays. Will you both help me?" Seven gave them both a genuine smile and waited for the shock to wear off their faces.

It was James who spoke up first. "Sure thing Seven. We would love to teach you. I don't know if you will be able to beat Captain Janeway since she is the best player on the ship, but it will be fun to watch. Right Noah?" He elbowed his mute friend in the ribs, trying to get him to join the conversation.

"Uh, sure. I am all for a friendly competition with the Captain. Just let us know when." Noah Lessing stumbled over his words a bit, but managed to get past his own trepidation.

"Perfect. I will make the arrangement. Thank you for your willingness to assist me." The timing was seamless as the turbolift doors parted and the two men watched Seven exit on deck eight, before continuing on to their quarters two decks below.

"See Noah, she is not so bad. You need to give her a chance. Let's go record our messages for her and take them back up to the Captain. At least now we will have something to talk about with Seven."

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Kathryn looked at the chronometer on his computer display, realizing she had sat there re-watching her personal logs for some time now. It was a little after 2200 hours. The doctor sent her a message to tell her that Seven would be regenerating until tomorrow afternoon. Seven needed her full regeneration cycle, now more than ever. She still had so much she wanted to say to Seven, so much to explain, but it would have to wait.

The more Kathryn thought about it, she felt guilty for eavesdropping on Seven's conversation earlier with B'Elanna. She was glad she heard it, since it helped her to understand why Seven ran away. Kathryn realized now that Seven was not abandoning her and their relationship. She also felt that she needed to explain her comments in the tent, but she could not do that without divulging to Seven that she had violated her privacy. Seven would probably forgive her for her breech of protocol, but Kathryn worried that any explanation she offered now might not seem genuine.

Kathryn grabbed a small PADD from her drawer and pulled up her personal log from stardate 54017. After copying the log entry to the PADD, she secured it with an encryption code so only Seven would be able to access it. That log was intensely personal, but it would also show Seven that she has loved her with her implants long before this recent transporter accident.

Picking up the PADD, Kathryn straightened her uniform tunic before heading down to cargo bay two. She would quietly leave the PADD on Seven's workstation so she would see it when her regeneration ended tomorrow afternoon. 'You will also get another chance to see Seven regenerating, just be sure to keep your hands to yourself this time…' Kathryn cursed her inner voice for being right, as usual.

Kathryn entered the cargo bay quietly; making sure nobody else was around. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Seven in her alcove. Seven had changed into her blue and silver biosuit and pulled her hair back in her usual twist. At first glance, she looked exactly as she had before the accident. Her face was peaceful, with a hint of a smile on her full perfect lips. It was only as Kathryn got a few steps closer she saw that Seven was still missing her facial implants, and the painful reality of the current situation came crashing down on Kathryn's already burdened shoulders.

Kathryn went to the workstation and placed the PADD where Seven would see when she stepped down from the alcove. With another glance over her shoulder, Kathryn took a step toward the cargo bay doors. With nobody else around, the temptation to stay and watch Seven was too strong. It was as if her feet refused to move. Kathryn stood rooted in place, staring over her shoulder, at the beautiful woman a short distance away.

"No, Kathryn. Please don't leave me…" Kathryn watched as Seven's face became transformed by sadness. Her eyebrows knit together and she was biting her lower lip.

Seeing Seven in pain, even while regenerating, cut Kathryn to her core. She walked over to Seven and stepped up to the side of the alcove. She knew she should not do it, but Kathryn could not resist brushing her hand along Seven's left cheek. "Oh Seven, how am I supposed to get over you now? How can I pretend, again, that you do not mean the universe to me…?" Kathryn choked back a sob and stepped away from the alcove. She was half way to the door when she felt a hand on her shoulder before hearing her name softly spoken.

"Kathryn… Stay. Please." Seven had sensed Kathryn's presence when she first entered the cargo bay. After feeling Kathryn's touch, the physical sensation and desire within her raised her pulse dramatically. Her synaptic pathways went in to over-drive enough that the alcove ended the regeneration cycle prematurely.

Kathryn whirled around to find herself face to face with Seven. The blue eyes connected with hers and bore into her very core, pleading with her to stay. "Seven, I thought you were regenerating. I did not mean to interrupt. You should go back and finish the cycle."

"It is more important that I talk to you. I can continue regenerating when we are done. I need you to… to understand… why I ran away earlier." Seven's voice was trembling as she reached for Kathryn's hand to emphasize her point.

Kathryn did not pull away from the contact, but she did not step closer either. Looking at Seven made Kathryn feel guilty again for eavesdropping. She decided that she needed to come clean, and hope Seven would understand.

"Seven, I do understand why you ran. I understand more than you realize." Seven's confused look spurred Kathryn to continue. "What you don't know is that I heard everything you said to B'Elanna on the planet. It seems the commlink did not close after B'Elanna hailed me. I know I should not have invaded your privacy, but honestly I could not bring myself to terminate the link. I reasoned with myself that it was purely to ensure the safety of a crewmember. I would be lying to you if I left it at that. The truth is that I needed to hear why. I needed to know why you ran away from me, from us."

Seven did not know whether to be irritated or relieved. She looked into the dark gray eyes of the woman in front of her and decided she was thankful Kathryn admitted it to her. "If you heard me, then you know why I was so confused. You also know that I still love you, more now than ever. I know you were hurt when I did not transport back to the ship. It did not even occur to me that you would think I had died in the transporter. For that I am very sorry. I wish there was a way I could erase what happened. It pains me to see you hurt by my actions."

"I won't deny that your running away from me, from us, hurt me greatly. That is part of the risk I told you about before. It is also the reason I didn't want to get involved with a crewmember to start with. Don't worry about me, I am a big girl and I will recover from my broken heart. I have before, and somehow I will again..." Although Kathryn's words meant to show strength, the waver in her voice told Seven otherwise. In an effort at self-preservation, Kathryn pulled her hand away and turned her back to Seven, looking to the ceiling as she tried to blink back the tears in her eyes.

"Kathryn, you told me to have faith in us. I still do. I love you. That has not changed. I have loved you for years, and I will continue to love you. If your feelings for me have altered, I will have to learn to accept that. Deep down I still believe that we can be together. It all depends on you. Have your feelings for me changed?" Seven's eyes grew wide as she all but pleaded, watching the back of Kathryn's head.

"Seven, it is not that simple. You are still a juvenile. You chose to stay this way, at least for now. We have talked about this already…"

Seven moved around Kathryn to face her, slipping her arm around the smaller woman's waist. She pulled Kathryn to her, their faces dangerously close. "You have not answered my question Kathryn. Have your feelings for me altered?"

So much was riding on Kathryn's answer. After what seemed like an eternity, one simple word came out in the quietest of whispers. "No."

Seven's smile lit the very darkest of corners in the cargo bay. It took less than a minute for the elation she felt to transform into the tight knot of fear. She pulled back from Kathryn a bit, enough to look her fully in the face. "Can you still love me if I am no longer beautiful, if I have my implants back?"

Kathryn's shoulders relaxed as she looked into Seven's eyes, willing her to understand. "Seven, you need to realize that your implants do not deter from your beauty. In fact, it is just the opposite. I know you may not believe me, especially given what you overhead from Lessing and Morrow, but take my word for it. You are stunning with your implants. They are part of the person I fell in love with. They are part of the person I desperately hope returns to me." Kathryn continued to drink in the beautiful blue eyes, blinking back another round of her own tears.

"I left you a PADD with an old log entry to watch. Use my date of birth in the Terran dating format as the access code. It should explain to you how I feel about your implants. I am not trying to persuade you or influence the decision you have to make, but I do want to make up for invading your privacy by sharing one of my most private logs with you. I trust you will keep it safe and to yourself only. Now go finish regenerating. We can talk more tomorrow afternoon, after you have viewed the log."

Kathryn turned to leave, but Seven held tight to her and continued to stare deeply into her eyes. She knew she should go, that she should not allow herself any more physical contact. As much as Kathryn tried, she could not pull away.

It was moments later that Seven's face was inching closer to Kathryn's. She stopped with merely a whisper of space between their lips. She knew Kathryn would not have a relationship with her until the transporter reversal, but the temptation for one last kiss was too much for Seven's faltering self-control. She held still, waiting for Kathryn to make the final move.

The seconds seemed to drag on forever. Kathryn's mind fought her body as the opportunity for what may be their last kiss lingered before her. Against her better judgment, the woman won out over the captain. She reached up with her right hand and traced the line of Seven's strong jaw before sliding her hand around the back of Seven's neck. Slowly Kathryn lifted her chin as she pulled Seven's lips to her own.

Their contact was gentle at first, tentative and cautious. Seven tasted the subtle saltiness of tears when she slid her tongue along Kathryn's lower lip. When Kathryn's lips parted and her own tongue met with Seven's, neither woman was prepared for the intense shock that ran between them. Seven moaned as Kathryn's tongue danced with hers. She felt the smaller woman's knees begin to buckle and held her tighter.

Kathryn's fingers tightened along the back of Seven's neck as another moan escaped, this time from Kathryn. As their bodies pressed together and their lips devoured each other, all of the love and desire clashed with the fear and pain they both felt. The kiss became desperate; their bodies clung together, only breaking contact to breathe.

When Seven leaned down for another kiss, it was Kathryn who pulled back.

"Seven, we have to stop this. I'm sorry; I should not have let that happen. It only makes it harder on both of us. I do love you Seven, but I can't love you like this. I just can't." Before she could change her mind, Kathryn ran out the door.

Chapter Fifty-Eight

'Doctor to Seven of Nine.'

"Go ahead Doctor."

'I see your regeneration cycle was interrupted. Are you okay? I would be remiss in my duties if I did not remind you that you need a full ten hours of regeneration.' Seven could hear the disapproval in his voice over the comm.

"I am aware, Doctor. The captain and I had something we needed to discuss. I will resume my regeneration cycle at 2300 hours. I have one more thing to attend to."

'Please do not delay too long. I know you have a lot on your mind, but it will all be for nothing if you are not well enough for the transport reversal tomorrow. I will delay my arrival and plan to come to the cargo bay shortly after 0900 tomorrow. Goodnight Seven.'

As soon as the hail closed, Seven went to her workstation to retrieve the PADD Kathryn left for her. Kathryn had said it was a very personal log, which made Seven even more curious about the contents. Given the way Kathryn guarded virtually all aspects of her personal life, the log could be about any number of topics. Seven wondered just what was so personal and why she chose to share it with her now.

Seven entered the code to access the log entry. Thinking the code was too simple, given that anyone could determine Kathryn's birthday with a quick computer query, she modified the security settings to require her personal Borg encryption for any future access. She made a mental note to herself to tell Kathryn that she had enhanced the security of the data.

As soon as the image of Kathryn appeared, Seven knew instantly the date of the recording. She could still see traces of dark circles under Kathryn's eyes from her ordeal to help the refugees on Unimatrix Zero. She reached out to touch the small screen tenderly. When she heard Kathryn admit to her feelings of loneliness and attraction, her eyes grew wide in surprise. Doing the stardate calculations quickly in her head, she realized this log was recorded more than a year ago.

As Seven listened, she could not help but smile at the image of Kathryn sharing her most personal secrets. It warmed her heart to know that Kathryn trusted her with this. When she heard Kathryn recalling their conversation back on stardate 53329, Seven remembered having very similar feelings herself. Even with her cortical implant not working at full capacity, Seven can vividly recall Kathryn beaming aboard the shuttle and reciting all the stardates that held personal importance to them both. She could clearly see Kathryn kneeling before her, asking for her trust. In that moment, Seven wanted Kathryn to hold her and comfort her. She, too, felt the overwhelming urge to reach for Kathryn's hand. That encounter was more than two years ago.

Seven paused the log to close her eyes, letting this new information enhance her memory of that day. Knowing that Kathryn felt the same way she did made her fingers tingle as she touched the screen to continue the playback.

'Yes, Seven is amazing and perfect and beautiful exactly the way she is. Of course I can never tell her any of this. I would not be worthy of her affection even if she did find herself interested in this old captain. Until then, I will love her from afar until the one day we are home. Maybe then, when the burdens of command no longer tie my hands, I can tell her how I really feel. I hope it will not be too late.'

As the screen went black, Seven held the PADD to her chest and let the full understanding of what she just watched register. Kathryn has loved her, with her Borg implants, for years.

Seven locked the PADD away with her other treasured possessions, resisting the urge to watch it replay over and over. Knowing it was late; she stepped up to her alcove and began the regeneration cycle.

It was not time for the gamma shift to begin, so traffic in the corridors was light as Kathryn made her way quickly to the turbolift on deck eight. She was hoping to make it to her quarters before anybody caught her since she really did not have the energy to make small talk. Unlike some starship captains, Kathryn made a habit of touring her ship in the late evening hours. The crew was used to randomly catching her around engineering or the astrometrics lab. It was commonly known she visited the cargo bay regularly as well.

Preoccupied with her own thoughts, Kathryn welcomed the memory of that searing kiss still tingling on her lips. Without realizing it, she was tracing the outline of her bottom lip with one finger as she walked without really seeing the deck she was looking at. As she rounded the corner, she literally ran into her youngest crewmember.

"Naomi, what are you doing here so late?" Kathryn was surprised to find Naomi in the corridor, dressed only in her nightgown, clutching her stuffed Flotter toy. When Naomi kept walking and did not answer, Kathryn became concerned.

Kathryn easily caught up with the child and walked around the front of her. She crouched down to her level and put her arms out to stop Naomi. Her eyes were open, but she did not recognize the captain kneeling in front of her. "Naomi, can you hear me?"

Naomi pulled away from Kathryn and continued her deliberate walk toward the cargo bay. Tapping her badge, Kathryn opened a hail. "Janeway to Samantha Wildman."

'Wildman here, how can I help you Captain?' Samantha sounded a bit groggy, the hail likely waking her.

"I am on deck eight with Naomi. Did you know she is down here, barefoot and in her nightgown?"

Kathryn heard a slight gasp come across her commbadge. 'I'm so sorry, Captain. She is sleepwalking again. This happens sometimes when she is feeling stressed or scared. Let me grab a robe and I will be right there to get her.'

"Belay that Samantha. I will bring her to you. Tell me, how do I wake her?"

Samantha chuckled over the commbadge. 'Captain, you really can't wake someone from sleepwalking. Naomi has no idea where she is or that she is even out of bed. Really, I can come get her. She is a bit heavy to carry.'

"I've got her. It has been a few days since I have visited the gymnasium, so I will consider this my exercise for the day. Expect me soon. Janeway out."

Kathryn smiled down at her young assistant, amazed that she looked so awake. "Okay sweetheart, let's get you back to bed." When she reached down to scoop up the child, she was surprised at how heavy Naomi had gotten. She certainly was not the same little girl Kathryn remembered from even a year ago. Kathryn knew that Ktarian children grew faster than human children. Apparently children that were half Ktarian also advanced more quickly.

The doors to Samantha's quarters were open when Kathryn rounded the corner with the sleeping bundle in her arms. Naomi had drifted back to a deep sleep, her eyes closed with her cheek resting on Kathryn's shoulder. When Samantha met them in the hall and offered to take the child, Kathryn shook her head and went directly to Naomi's bedroom. She gently laid Naomi on her bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. Without really thinking, Kathryn bent over and kissed Naomi on the forehead. "Sweet dreams sweetheart."

Samantha was touched, and a bit surprised, to see Captain Janeway acting in such a tender and motherly way toward her daughter. She did not realize Kathryn caught her smiling at them both.

When Kathryn straightened up and turned around, Samantha quickly averted her eyes and let the smile fade. Kathryn took two steps toward Samantha and gently put her arm around her surprised officer. "Now you know my secret. It is generally understood that Captains can't have favorites, so this never happened." Kathryn winked at her before giving her a slight squeeze as she moved past the bedroom door into the living area.

"Captain, you are here. Does that mean it is time for my slumber party?" Naomi was sitting up in her bed and smiling brightly. Having her idol in her quarters was a treat she never expected.

"Honey, you were sleepwalking earlier. The Captain found you by the cargo bay again and brought you home to bed. Now go back to sleep. We can talk about your slumber party later." Samantha urged Naomi to scoot back under the covers before she called for the lights to dim.

Kathryn watched with the slightest of smiles turning the corners of her mouth. 'I wonder if Seven has ever considered having children. I can see us tucking a little one in to bed together…' Surprised by her own thoughts, Kathryn allowed the warm feeling to wash over her rather than push it away.

Samantha closed the bedroom door and joined Kathryn in the main living area of the small crew quarters. "Captain, I am sorry you had to bring Naomi home. She has not had a sleepwalking episode in almost a year. I thought we were past it."

"Please, don't mention it. I actually enjoyed tucking her in. It has been a long time since I have gotten to put a little girl to bed. Some time ago I remember Seven mentioning that Naomi had an incident sleepwalking. I guess Seven returned to the cargo bay late and found Naomi sitting on the step of her alcove. Honestly I did not realize it happened more than once." Kathryn made a mental note to review the medical database on sleepwalking the next chance she got.

Samantha gave Kathryn a slightly awkward smile. "Yes, Seven has brought Naomi back to bed a few times over the years. Whenever Naomi is feeling stressed, she tends to sleepwalk. With the exception of one time where Neelix found her in the messhall, she always goes to Seven's alcove. She really does idolize Seven, almost as much as she idolizes you, Captain. If you don't mind me saying, I think you would make a wonderful parent. Maybe one day when we are home…"

"Maybe…" Kathryn allowed the thought to linger unfinished before redirecting the conversation back to Naomi. "I know Naomi is very important to Seven, just as she is important to me too. Do you have any idea what has her upset enough to start sleepwalking again?" Kathryn was genuinely concerned about her young assistant.

Samantha bit the inside of her lower lip, trying to come up with an answer for the captain. "I think she has been worried about Seven. Naomi is used to seeing Seven regularly. Between their games of Kadis-Kot and Seven's help with her schooling, Naomi has become accustomed to a certain level of access to Seven. When Seven got hurt recently, Naomi took Seven's absence pretty hard. As adults, we can understand why Seven has been preoccupied with her medical recovery and other things. I think Naomi is just feeling a bit lonely. She enjoys her Flotter programs and has a vivid imagination, but she is getting older. That means she is discovering holographic children are not quite the same as having real live friends."

Kathryn felt bad for Samantha and Naomi. Spending your childhood thousands of light years from home, with no other children to grow up with, was one of the saddest things Kathryn could imagine.

As she said goodnight to Samantha and returned to her quarters, Kathryn vowed again to do everything she can to get her crew home. She had promised herself she would not interfere with Seven's decision, but they could not remain at station-keeping around this planet much longer. This meant she would have to press Seven again about breaking orbit and getting Voyager back underway.

Chapter Fifty-Nine

"Torres to Tuvok" B'Elanna knew it was late and that Tuvok was likely already in his quarters for the night. She felt bad about hailing him this late, but she was on a time schedule.

'Tuvok here. How can I assist you Lieutenant?'

"I'm sorry to bother you so late, but I need a few minutes of your time. May I come to your quarters? It is about Kathryn and Seven." The comm was quiet for a moment, Tuvok likely evaluating B'Elanna's use of the captain's first name. B'Elanna hoped that by referring to Kathryn and Seven, Tuvok would realize this is a highly personal matter and agree to see her.

'It is late. Can this wait until the morning?'

"I'm sorry but it really can't. Seven and I need your help and we are on a tight time schedule. I promise to only take five minutes." B'Elanna was sure she heard the Vulcan sigh on the other end of her commbadge.

'Very well. I will expect you promptly. Tuvok out.'

When the turbolift doors opened on deck three, B'Elanna cautiously looked both ways down the corridor. The last thing she wanted to do was explain to Kathryn or Chakotay why she was up here. She quickly made her way to Tuvok's quarters and pressed the chime, waiting for admittance.

The lights in Tuvok's quarters were dim, with his meditation lamp flickering on the low table. B'Elanna felt bad for interrupting when she saw him in his royal blue meditation clothing. "Listen, I'm really sorry to barge in so late. Seven has decided to go through with the RVN resequencing tomorrow and we really need your help."

"The captain will be gratified to hear that. Curious, she did not mention it when we spoke a short time ago." Tuvok eyed the feisty chief engineer skeptically.

Rather than having to explain it all, B'Elanna handed Tuvok the PADD outlining Seven's plan for telling Kathryn about her age reversal. "Kathryn did not mention it because she does not know yet." B'Elanna held her breath while she waited for Tuvok to finish reviewing the materials on the PADD.

In the dim light of the room, it was only the whites of Tuvok's eyes that B'Elanna could see clearly. He knew she was unable to see the slight curl on the corners of his mouth. "This is a very ambitious plan. I see a few areas where the captain could inadvertently interfere. Perhaps we should devise a distraction to keep her busy." He raised one eyebrow at B'Elanna while she looked at him surprised.

"So does that mean you will help us? I have recruited Tom too. Harry can't help because we will need him in the transporter room. I predict something he plans to have for breakfast won't agree with him around 1030 hours so he will have to step away from the bridge." B'Elanna smirked when Tuvok's other eyebrow rose to match the first.

"And what of Commander Chakotay?" Tuvok was skeptical about Chakotay's experience in covert operations. There was a lot riding on this and he did not want to worry about Chakotay slipping up.

B'Elanna snorted at the mention of his name. "Chakotay's a good guy and all, but it will be surprising enough that you and Tom are in on this, not to mention Harry's involvement and the Doc. I think we let the Commander stay in the dark. That way he can keep the bridge business as usual."

"Agreed. Ordinarily I would not participate in any activity that aims to keep information from the Captain. Given the nature of your request, and how much I know she cares for Seven, I am agreeable to risk her temporary disapproval of my actions. I hope that everything turns out as planned and that she forgives us, for all of our sakes."

"Thanks Tuvok. I'm going to get some rest while I can. Tomorrow will be a big day." B'Elanna went to the doors of Tuvok's quarters and peeked her head out carefully, wanting to be assured the corridors were empty for her return to the turbolift.

Once in the turbolift, B'Elanna hailed Tom. "Did you talk to Harry? Is he all set?"

'Of course he is. You know Harry, anything having to do with true love or the captain is a sure bet. Combine those together and he practically wet his pants with excitement.'

"Thanks Tom. I am on my way back now. We can finalize the details before bed."

Chapter Sixty

After a fitful night's sleep, Captain Janeway arrived on the bridge a few minutes before the start of the alpha shift. It felt good to get back into a routine, and it helped to pass the time waiting for Seven's regeneration cycle to complete. She had snuck into the cargo bay an hour earlier, just to check on Seven. This time she did not go more than a few steps inside the doorway, not wanting to risk having Seven's cycle end early again. Satisfied that Seven was safely regenerating, Kathryn decided to focus her attention for the next several hours on the various administrative tasks that were likely waiting for her. Clearing her desk would be a good way to start their next leg of the journey home.

"I'm going to grab some coffee and then I will be back to join you." Kathryn nodded to Chakotay as he stood and moved one chair to the side. Inside her ready room, she groaned when she saw the two piles of PADDs that were awaiting her. It was going to be a long morning.

With her coffee in hand, Kathryn exited her ready room and returned to the bridge. She went to the upper level to say hello to Harry before walking over to Tuvok.

"Good morning, Mr. Kim. Anything to report?"

Harry knew he had to set the stage for his premature exit. "Nothing on long-range sensors. It will be another quiet day station keeping." He made a conscious effort to knit his eyebrows together and reach for his stomach.

Kathryn looked concerned when a pained expression crossed Harry's face. "Harry, you don't look well. Do you need to report to sickbay?"

From his tactical station, Tuvok eyed the exchange closely. Harry was an eager and earnest young officer, but was often a bit nervous or intimidated by the scrutiny of Captain Janeway. He wanted to step in if Harry got in over his head.

"No, thank you Captain. I am fine. I think there was something in Neelix's breakfast casserole that is not agreeing with me. I am sure it will pass." To his credit, Harry played the part very well.

"Ah, well it is good I skipped the messhall then. Carry on." Kathryn continued her rounds on the upper bridge level, stopping to check in with Tuvok.

"Good morning Captain. I trust you slept well?" Tuvok inclined his head in greeting.

Kathryn leaned closer and softened her voice. "Not as well as I would have liked, but enough to get through the morning. I am hoping for a quiet shift, so I can get caught up on a few things."

"I will endeavor to see that you are not interrupted or distracted." Tuvok knew the captain would spend the next few hours in her ready room. He hoped there was enough there to keep her occupied for a bit longer.

Kathryn moved to the lower level and stopped behind the chair of her helmsman. She was surprised to find Ensign Grimes still at the conn, well after the gamma shift had ended. "Chakotay, what time is it?"

Chakotay looked at his monitor before advising the captain it was 0817 hours. She was clearly displeased.

"Janeway to Lieutenant Paris." When no response came, she repeated the hail. "Janeway to Parris, respond."

From his tactical station, Tuvok queried the computer for Tom's location.

'Lieutenant Paris is on holodeck one.'

"Captain, it looks like Lieutenant Paris has been running the 'Sandrines' program for the past four hours. I will retrieve him." Tuvok was shutting down his boards when Kathryn returned to his side.

"So much for my quiet morning. Chakotay, you have the bridge. Tuvok, let's go have a chat with our delinquent helmsman." Kathryn was already two steps ahead of Tuvok, waiting for him in the turbolift.

In the holodeck, B'Elanna and Tom were going over the final details of their plan. Tom went to the bar and downed a shot of whiskey, figuring the smell of alcohol on his breath would further enhance the scenario. "Okay Tom, you know what to do."

When the holodeck doors parted, a clearly irritated Captain Janeway made her way through the holographic bar patrons to find B'Elanna yelling at her husband.

"So the first night I get to spend with you in days and you don't even bother to come home? You son of a PetaQ. Is this what I have to look forward to over the next twenty years? I know you were with Jennifer Delaney in here last night. Look at you, so drunk you can't even hold your head up. Why do I even bother with you? I swear to Kahless Tom, this is the last straw!" When B'Elanna started shoving the incapacitated officer, Kathryn stepped in.

"Lieutenant Torres…" Kathryn growled in a voice much deeper than normal. "I am sure your staff needs you in engineering. I will take care of Lieutenant Paris. You will have plenty of time to discuss your husband's apparent indiscretion at the end of your shifts. Dismissed."

B'Elanna turned away from the bar to face an angry Captain Janeway. "Yes Captain." Before B'Elanna left, she turned back to Tom and gave him a solid slap across the face. "When the Captain is done with you, you will still have to answer to me."

Tom brought his hand to his cheek, covering the red hand print that was slowly emerging on his fair skin. "Lanna, wait…" As he attempted to stand, his balance faltered and he stumbled forward into Tuvok's strong grasp.

Tuvok held Tom steady as the captain stood in front of him, her arms crossed in front of her chest and well within his personal space. She looked up at him with stormy gray eyes. "Lieutenant Paris, you are late for your duty shift. It seems to me you are either still intoxicated or very hung over. Report to sickbay to have the doctor administer the intoxicant reversal. After that I expect you at your station. Also, you will be donating six hours of holodeck time to Ensign Grimes since it has been six years from the last time he had to cover your shift on the conn. Really Tom, I thought we were past all this. I am very disappointed in you."

Tom looked down sheepishly at the fiery redhead. "I'm sorry Captain. It has been a rough few days. I will get cleaned up and grab something to eat, then report to the bridge immediately."

"See that you do. Dismissed."

With that, Tuvok held Tom firmly by the bicep and escorted him out of the holodeck. Kathryn stood for a minute longer, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Computer, end program."

As the metal scaffolding of the empty holodeck replaced the smoky bar scene, Kathryn took a deep breath and shook her head. 'So much for a quiet morning…'

She made her way back to the bridge, hoping to district herself with reviewing the crew reports. When she exited the turbolift, Tom's chair was still occupied by the gamma shift conn officer. She stepped down to the lower level to speak to the officer. "Ensign Grimes, it appears that Lieutenant Paris will be a bit longer before he arrives. To compensate you for your inconvenience, I have ordered him to turn over six holodeck hours to you from his personal account. Please let me know once he has done that. Thank you for covering his station."

Without waiting for a reply, Kathryn went to her ready room. It was almost 0900 hours and she had not had her first cup of coffee yet. She already felt the dull ache beginnings of a headache start to build behind her eyes. Once she had the steaming mug in her hand, Kathryn sat at her desk with every intention of tackling the backlog of crew reports.

Chapter Sixty-One

'Regeneration cycle complete.'

Seven stepped down from her alcove with bright eyes and a full smile. This was the day she would get her old body back, and hopefully get Kathryn back as well. Although there was much to do, Seven could not help taking a few minutes to watch Kathryn's log entry again.

As Kathryn's recorded voice trailed off, Seven heard the cargo bay doors open. B'Elanna made her way over to Seven to find her staring at the frozen image of Kathryn on the small PADD she held.

"Morning Seven. What's that you are watching? You look happy and sad all at the same time."

Seven blinked several times to bring her focus back to B'Elanna. She realized that B'Elanna thought something was wrong, so she thought it best to correct that assumption. "It is one of Kathryn's personal logs. She admitted to me last night that she overheard our entire conversation down on the planet. To make up for violating my privacy, she shared one of her private logs."

B'Elanna did not know the captain was going to admit to the eavesdropping. She shifted her weight uncomfortably, not able to meet Seven's questioning eyes. "Oh, she did? Well then I guess she knows everything."

"Indeed." Seven watched her friend squirm a bit more before deciding to let her off the hook. "Thank you, B'Elanna. I am sure you were an accomplice to Kathryn's actions yesterday. In hindsight, I appreciate your efforts to help rectify any misunderstanding between Kathryn and me."

B'Elanna was genuinely surprised. She thought Seven would be mad at her for setting up the situation on the planet. "I'm sorry, Seven. Really, I am. I just wanted Kathryn to understand why you did not transport back with us, so that you two could make up and be together again. In the past few days, Kathryn has been the happiest I have ever seen her. In the last twenty-four hours, she has been the most miserable. This had to get resolved, one way or another. If my slight invasion of your privacy helped bring you back together, then I am glad I did it."

"I am gratified that you did as well. It was a direct result of your involvement that Kathryn gave me this log entry to view. It is my most cherished possession now, because in it Kathryn admitted that she loves me." Seven ran her finger tenderly along the side of the PADD as she smiled down at the still image of her beloved.

"Of course she does. A few of us know the captain has tried to hide her feelings for you for a few years." B'Elanna smiled mischievously. "C'mon we need to get ready for your big transport. The Doc should be here soon."

As if on cue, the EMH materialized inside the cargo bay doorway. "Did somebody call for a doctor?" He walked over to Seven with a tricorder to get a current read on her vitals. "Any problems with your regeneration cycle? You appear rested and your nanoprobes are doing their job. I think we are ready to return you to your proper age."

"My regeneration cycle functioned within expected parameters. I also feel I am ready for the transport. I will need another thirty minutes first as there is something I must attend to. I will meet you in the transporter room at 1000 hours."

Seven turned to her friend, needing to be sure she could leave the cargo bay without being caught by anyone – especially Kathryn. "B'Elanna, have you secured Tuvok's assistance to keep Kathryn occupied for the next several hours?"

B'Elanna was only happy to confirm their plans. "Part one is already underway. Tom is putting his acting skills to good use as we speak. I am going to owe him for enduring the wrath of Captain Janeway, even if it is a charade."

Knowing Kathryn was otherwise occupied; Seven left the cargo bay and headed for the Wildman quarters.

In her ready room, Kathryn tipped back her silver mug to drain the last of her beloved coffee. The crew reports were tedious, but she vowed to get through as many as she could before the afternoon. She stood and stretched for a minute before moving to the replicator. This would certainly be a two-cup morning. "Coffee. Black. Also a blueberry muffin."

After her breakfast materialized, Kathryn took the small plate and fresh mug over to the seating area. She knew she needed to eat something or else suffer the wrath of the doctor. Given what Harry had said about the breakfast casserole in the messhall, she was glad to have the replicated pastry.

Kathryn looked out the viewport at the planet below. The primary sun was in the lower hemisphere, making the rust colored landmasses stand out against the jade waters that surrounded them. Kathryn closed her eyes for a moment and let her mind wander back to the day she spent planet side. Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought a simple away mission could turn her life completely upside down. She had been through many adventures, both good and bad, since leaving the Alpha Quadrant. She was responsible for saving civilizations and making first contact with several species. Her diplomacy and negotiation skills had garnered many deals and forged new alliances. She had been through hell and back, and lived to tell about it. Her skills as captain were sharp and strong, more so now than ever before. So why is it she allowed herself to doubt her judgment when it came to her personal life? She knew that letting her feelings for Seven rise to the surface was a risk. There was just something about being on the planet, breathing the fresh air and basking in the sun, which awakened the woman who always stayed hidden behind the shadow of the captain.

A chime at the door brought Kathryn out of her daydream. "Come." She tried not to look annoyed when her first officer appeared at the door.

"Captain, I thought I would see how your morning was going. I'm figured you could use a break from the pile of PADDs on your desk." Chakotay's toothy smile was wide enough to slightly distort the tribal tattoo on his forehead. While some other women found his charm appealing, today it only annoyed Kathryn more.

"Yes Commander, there are a few things I want to catch up on before we break orbit. Has Lieutenant Paris returned yet?" Kathryn hoped he would take the hint and keep the conversation limited to ship's business.

Chakotay often assumed a sense of familiarity with Kathryn, which she permitted most of the time. She had afforded him that privilege after so many years as her first officer. As she watched her first officer help himself to her replicator, she realized today was going to be one of those days.

"Tea, hot and double sweet." Chakotay retrieved his cup and joined Kathryn on the couch.

"Kathryn…" She groaned inwardly as his use of her first name. "I wanted to talk to you about Seven of Nine."

"What about Seven? Has she done something to concern you?"

Chakotay heard the edge to her voice and swallowed slowly before continuing. "No, she has not done anything. Perhaps that is the issue. I wanted to talk to you about what happens going forward, since she is still a juvenile version of herself. I know you want to break orbit soon, so I need to understand how this will impact her role on the ship." There, he said it. Chakotay held his breath as he watched Kathryn struggle with her next sentence.

"Yes Commander, we do need to get back underway. However, I told Seven that I would give her time to decide if she wishes to remain at her younger age. She said she would have an answer for us within a day or so. Given the significant nature of this decision, I am inclined to allow her the leeway of another day here. I am still hoping that she chooses to return to her current age." Relieved her voice held steady, Kathryn maintained the authoritative tone well-honed by many years of command mask reinforcement.

Chakotay bristled at the edge to her voice. He knew this was a difficult topic to discuss, but he could not put it off any longer. "I hope she does too, Captain. But what happens if she does not? Can she still head astrometrics? I honestly don't know if she will want to. On the other hand, I can't see her going to school with Naomi like another kid. It is an awkward situation either way."

Kathryn pinched the bridge of her nose, trying not to give in to the headache this conversation was giving her. "Chakotay, Seven is more than capable of running astrometrics in a juvenile body. Apparently you have forgotten that it is only her chronological age that has regressed. Her intelligence and memories are intact. She can still out-calculate anyone on this crew and is far more knowledgeable about the areas of space we will encounter. We should count ourselves extremely lucky to have her, in whatever age she chooses to stay."

Duly chastised, Chakotay put his cup on the table and stood. "I understand Captain. I did not mean any disrespect. I am just concerned about how she will fit in with the crew now that she is less Borg."

At the reference to Seven's Borg history, Kathryn was on her feet. "Commander, I want you to listen very carefully. IF Seven chooses to remain in a younger body, the only thing that changes with respect to her role on this ship is the fact that her implants are no longer visible. This does not erase her experience with the Borg or what they put her through. She does not get to wipe the memories away or have a clean slate. In fact it makes it worse for her. Think about it Chakotay. She still has to live with the implications of her Borg past, only now she is stuck in a body that is missing a limb and a spine that can't support the weight of her internal organs. This is no picnic for her. She is at risk for injury or infection at any point. Add to that the fact that she is missing an eye so her vision is not only lacking the extra abilities the implant provided her, she can't even see as well as us mere humans. Seven will be sacrificing a lot if she chooses to stay a juvenile, more than any of us can comprehend. It may well even cost her very life if she gets sick or develops even the slightest infection. The least we can do is treat her as normally as possible, which includes keeping her role on the ship exactly as it was before. Do I make myself clear?"

Chakotay took a step backwards, needing some distance between himself and the fiery captain who was becoming increasingly agitated with each minute that passed. He knew she was protective of Seven; she has always been. This time was different. The protectiveness was laced with a barely concealed element of fear. Chakotay knew he has pushed as far as he could, so he thought it best to change the topic quickly. "Understood, Captain."

Kathryn straightened her tunic and returned to her desk, wanting to put some space between her and Chakotay. "Now, if you have nothing else to report…"

"Nothing pressing, Captain. By the way, Tom has returned to duty but Harry looks terrible. I sent him to sickbay since he kept wincing in pain. I don't know what Neelix put in the breakfast, but I am sure Harry will avoid it for the rest of our journey home. Thank you, Captain." As protocol would dictate, he stood still and waited for his cue to leave.

"I appreciate the update on Tom and Harry. Dismissed." Kathryn pinched her nose again, unable to avoid the dull ache that had settled in behind her eyes. She had never been so glad to see the doors close behind her first officer.

Chapter Sixty-Two

Seven rang the chime outside Samantha and Naomi Wildman's quarters and waited. When nobody answered, she stepped closer and held her ear to the door. She knew that both of her friends were inside since she had asked the computer to confirm their location before the visit. It was times like this Seven really missed her Borg-enhanced hearing. With no response to her second chime, Seven tapped her commbadge to open a hail. "Seven of Nine to Samantha Wildman." It took longer than expected for Samantha to answer.

'Hello Seven. What can I do for you?' Sam sounded tired, and Seven could hear Naomi shouting in the background.

"I am outside your quarters. I rang the chime twice but you did not answer. May I come in please? I would like to see Naomi." Seven waited while Sam made her way to the entrance of her quarters and opened the door.

"Sorry Seven. Please come in. It has been a difficult morning. I'm sorry I did not hear the chime." Samantha sat down in a chair and motioned for Seven to join her at the small table.

Although Seven preferred to stand, she could tell that her friend felt troubled and wanted to talk. Remembering her social niceties, Seven took the offered seat. It took Sam a minute to look at Seven squarely in the face, and when she did her expression changed to one of surprise.

"Seven, you look so different. I knew you lost your facial implants in the transporter accident, but I have not seen you since then." Sam watched as Seven unconsciously reached for the missing ocular implant somewhat self-consciously. "Truth be told, I think I like you better with the implants. You are beautiful either way, but the implants make you unique. I hope you don't mind me saying so."

Seven smiled at her friend and reached out her hand to pat Sam's arm, the way that Kathryn had done to her on many occasions. "I do not mind. In fact, I appreciate your honesty and am gratified that you find me 'beautiful' with the implants. I have received the opposite reaction from many of the other crewmembers I have encountered."

"Have you decided yet about returning to your normal age?" Sam was glad for the distraction and waited for Seven to answer.

"Yes, I have decided to go ahead with the transporter reversal. That is why I am here. I need some assistance from you and Naomi. I am planning a surprise for Captain Janeway and will need Naomi to provide a distraction to keep the captain occupied while I make the necessary arrangements." Seven hoped Sam would not ask too many questions. She knew her friend suspected there was more to her relationship with Kathryn than was public knowledge. Suspecting was one thing, having it confirmed was another entirely.

Sam smiled brightly, relieved that one thing was going right today. "I am sure the captain is very excited. She has not been quite herself since your away mission started. I saw her here last night and she looked really run down."

"You saw her last night? I was unaware that Kath… the captain visited your quarters. Was everything alright?" Seven was genuinely worried, both about Kathryn appearing run down and the reason she was down on this deck.

Sam saw the worry in Seven's eyes and reached out to take her hand comfortingly. "The captain is fine, Seven. She was here to put Naomi to bed. Apparently Naomi was sleepwalking again. She must have slipped out while I was in the shower. The captain found her near your cargo bay. I offered to come get her, but the captain insisted on returning Naomi herself. She carried her all the way here and put her in bed." Sam smiled at the memory from last night. "It was the sweetest thing Seven. She put Naomi in bed, pulled up the covers, and kissed her goodnight. I have to admit, it was a side of Captain Janeway I had never seen before. She was so tender and loving with Naomi. I think she would be a great mother. That is, after she finishes mothering all the rest of us."

Seven was smiling fully, showing Sam a row of perfect teeth behind her peach colored lips. Sam had never seen her smile like that before and felt sure Captain Janeway had something to do with it. When Seven caught Sam watching her expression, she looked at her lap shyly.

"Seven, is there something you want to tell me about you and Captain Janeway? I have noticed…" Sam's question was interrupted by a loud banging sound from the bedroom. "Well she has done it again."

"Naomi has done what again?" Seven was on her feet, concerned about her young friend.

Samantha got up from the table and walked in the other room, with Seven following close behind her. "She has locked herself in the bathroom. She did it a few days ago too. Maybe you can talk to her? I know she has missed seeing you recently."

"Very well, I will speak to her. Before I do, I need to ask you something. I have come to seek Naomi's help to keep the captain occupied and distracted while I make preparations to surprise her with my transporter reversal. I know Kathryn has a soft spot for Naomi and would not turn her away if she needed to speak with her. Are you agreeable to let Naomi assist me?" Seven hoped Sam would ask for details. "I promise you no harm will come to Naomi during the time she is assisting me."

Sam smiled at her friend. She knew Seven would lay down her life before letting anything harm her daughter. "Of course she can help you Seven. I am happy you are asking her. It will make her feel good to do something to help you and the captain."

Another loud thud came from the bathroom, reminding both women they still had to deal with an angry child barricaded behind the door. Seven reached for her friend and leaned in to speak to her quietly. "Maybe it will be better if you wait in the other room. Naomi may be more willing to come out and talk to me if she thinks it is just the two of us." Seven hoped Sam would not be offended by her request to leave the room. She wanted to get Naomi alone to ask her a favor anyway. When Sam nodded and turned to leave, Seven thanked her for understanding.

Seven went to the closed bathroom door and crouched down. "Naomi Wildman, sub-unit of Samantha Wildman. I would like you to open the door and speak with me."

A small voice made its way through the closed-door. "Seven? Is that really you?"

"Yes, it is me. Please come out and speak with me."

"Sorry Seven, I don't want to come out right now. I want to be left alone." The voice grew louder as a tone of anger came through the door.

Seven knit her brows together, confused by Naomi's actions. "Naomi, why do you want to be alone? I have not seen you in several days. I miss you."

"You say you miss me, but you have not visited me in days! You skipped our Kadis-Kot game. I went to the cargo bay twice and you were not there. The captain said you were better, but you have ignored me. I thought you were my friend Seven. My only real-life friend." Naomi's voice was teary now, which tore at Seven's heart.

"Naomi, please understand that I was unable to see you. I was in sickbay recovering from my injuries and then I had to regenerate for an extended duration. I was not avoiding you. This is the first chance I had to come see you. In fact, I need your help with a secret mission. Please come out so I can discuss it with you." Seven was hopeful when she heard movement near the door. She was not prepared to catch the child that jumped into her arms when the doors parted.

The weight of the child in her arms threw Seven off-balance, so both ended up on the deck. It took only a moment for Naomi to break out in giggles. Seven was momentarily surprised, but joined in the infectious laughter. It was enough to make Sam poke her head in the room to see if they were okay. Neither Sam nor Naomi had heard Seven laugh before.

"Naomi, what I wish to discuss with you is important." Seven held out her hand to help Naomi stand and led her over to the edge of the bed. "I trust that you will keep my confidence and not tell anybody about this, not until the task is complete. I have told your mother that I will be seeking your assistance and she is agreeable to you helping me. Please do not share any of what I am about to tell you with anyone except her. Agreed?" Seven raised her eyebrows and looked intently at her young friend.

Naomi's eyes shone brightly as she smiled. "I will comply."

Chapter Sixty-Three

Captain Janeway pushed aside half of the PADDs she had reviewed. Her mind really was not on the engineering report she was just reading, even though she found herself re-reading it more than once. Her thoughts kept returning to the conversation she had with Seven last night, a blush rising in her cheeks as she remembered the searing kiss they shared before Kathryn pulled away and left. She wondered if Seven had accessed the personal log she gave her. Knowing Seven, Kathryn surmised that it was likely Seven had delayed her regeneration and watched the log. 'I hope she doesn't think I'm a crazy old woman, pining away for her in secret all these years…' Kathryn knew it was a risk, sharing the log entry with Seven. She would to wait several more hours to talk to Seven about it, but being stuck in her ready room was going to make for a very tedious afternoon.

Hoping a change of scenery would pass the time; Kathryn returned to the bridge and took her command chair. She noticed that Harry was still not back at his station. "Janeway to sickbay."

'Sickbay here. How can I help you Captain?' The doctor replied quickly.

"Doctor, I wanted to check on Ensign Kim. I understand he came to see you some time ago. Will he be returning to duty today?"

"Ah, yes. Ensign Kim is suffering a mild case of food poisoning. Not surprising, since I have said for years that Neelix's cooking will one day be the death of you all. I am yet again thankful I do not need to actually eat. There are some perks to being a hologram." The doctor was on a roll again, never missing an opportunity to throw in his own version of an 'I told you so.'

Kathryn rolled her eyes, causing a chuckle from the man to her left. She held a finger to her lips to quiet her first officer. "Very well, Doctor. Do I need to come down there to check on him?" Kathryn had no idea the EMH's eyes grew wide with worry at her question.

'Not necessary Captain. I have sent him to his quarters to rest for a few hours. He will report to me when he wakes up. If he feels up to it, I will release him to return to the bridge.' The EMH waited while the captain considered his response.

"Very well, thank you doctor." Kathryn was about to close the hail, but then continued. "By the way, Doctor. Do you have anything new on Seven? I know you have her regenerating for several hours still. I thought about going down to the cargo bay to check on her."

Silence.

"Doctor, are you there?" Kathryn thought it odd the EMH did not respond.

'Sorry Captain. I was momentarily distracted by a report I am reviewing. There is no need for you to go to the cargo bay. I was there just a half hour ago and everything is fine. Seven's nanoprobes are working well and her systems are all functioning fine. I am sure when she finishes her extended regeneration cycle, she will be almost as good as new.'

"Thank you doctor. I appreciate you looking after her. I will just wait for her regeneration to finish. Janeway out." Secretly Kathryn was disappointed that she did not have a reason to leave the bridge. The morning was dragging on and on.

Feeling antsy, Kathryn rose from her chair and went up a level to join Tuvok at his tactical station. "I would give ten replicator rations for a spatial anomaly or even an unidentified vessel right about now." She smiled weakly at her friend, secure in the understanding that he would recognize she was kidding.

"I am sorry to disappoint you, Captain. Long range sensors do not show any anomalies or nearby ships. I do, however, understand your reasoning. I find myself uncomfortable being idle for this extended period of time as well." Tuvok looked down at her with one raised eyebrow. "To quote an old Earth phrase, 'Be careful what you wish for.' This is the Delta Quadrant. We know first-hand that anything can happen at any given moment."

As if on cue, an incoming hail interrupted the silence. 'Ensign Wildman to Captain Janeway.'

"Janeway here, go ahead."

'I'm sorry to bother you Captain, but I wondered if Naomi is with you?' Samantha's voice sounded worried.

"No Samantha, she is not here. I would have assumed she was in class." Kathryn became concerned, since it was not like Naomi to skip school. "Have you checked the Computer for her location?"

'Yes Captain, I did that before hailing you. She hid her commbadge under her pillow before she left. After this morning, I thought maybe she went looking for you…' Sam let the sentence trail off.

Kathryn was worried now. For Naomi to leave her commbadge and run away meant something must really be upsetting her. After the sleepwalking episode the night before, Kathryn felt compelled to find her young assistant to see what was really bothering her. She looked over her shoulder at Tuvok, who was already initiating a scan of the ship. Without the commbadge, he initiated a skeletal scan to determine Naomi's location.

"Captain, I have located Miss Wildman in the hydroponics bay. She is hiding behind some cargo containers at the back of the room." Tuvok spoke loud enough for Sam to hear him over Kathryn's open commlink.

"Sam…" Kathryn returned her attention to the worried mother on the other end of the hail. "You said something happened this morning. Is Naomi alright? It seems out of character for her to run away from her classes."

'Yes Captain. She was upset at me this morning because I would not let her invite you and Seven to a slumber party just yet. She started to cry because she has no real friends. It is hard for her Captain, being the only child. With your permission, I will go to her and tell her that we can have the slumber party. That is if you are willing? I know it is asking a lot for a Starship Captain to come to a slumber party. It would mean the world to her if you did though. You and Seven are the only ones that can get through to her when she is out of sorts. She wants your approval so desperately; she would do almost anything for either of you.'

Hearing Sam tell her that Naomi was lonely without other children broke Kathryn's heart. Naomi was so mature for her age that everyone, herself included, sometimes forgot that she was still a child alone on a ship full of adults. "You have my permission to set up a slumber party for Naomi. I will ask Seven about it when I see her later. I am sure she will be more than happy to join us. I think we should include B'Elanna too. She and Seven have become quite friendly after our away mission recently. I think we could make it fun for Naomi, even if all her guests are grown-ups."

'Thank you Captain. I will go find her and tell her.'

"Belay that Sam. Let me go to hydroponics and tell her myself. Maybe I can get her to open up a little. At a minimum, I can find something for her to help me with for the next hour or so as my Captain's Assistant. Hopefully that makes her feel a bit better. I will update you in an hour. Janeway out."

Kathryn moved to the turbolift, the sensor opening the doors at her approach. "Chakotay, you have the bridge. I will be in hydroponics meeting with my assistant."

It was Tuvok who chimed in. "It looks like I was correct Captain. Nothing remains quiet for very long."

Kathryn favored him with her crooked half-smile as the turbolift doors slowly closed. "I know Tuvok. 'Be careful what you wish for.'"

In transporter room one, Harry had already made the necessary modifications to the confinement beam in preparation for Seven's RVN resequencing transport. B'Elanna was there too, waiting for Seven to join them. She had told B'Elanna that her talk with Naomi went well and that everything was on track to keep Kathryn distracted during the immediate future.

When the doors opened, Seven joined her friends at the transporter controls. She was back in her red silk pajamas, which made Harry blush slightly. Although the room's ambient temperature was stable, he was feeling decidedly warm seeing Seven's curves clearly outlined by the clingy fabric. Having her hair down about sent him over the edge.

B'Elanna recognized Harry's discomfort as she, too, was momentarily mesmerized by the sheer sultriness of their crewmate. Seven had no idea how she affected those around her, which made it all the more charming. Tapping her commbadge, she hailed the doctor to be sure he was ready in sickbay.

'I am ready when you are. Seven, are you all set?' The EMH sounded confident, which made everyone else feel a bit better.

Seven stepped up to the transporter platform, settling on the right most circle. If the conditions were to mimic the original transport, she wanted to use the same transporter pad that had originally caused the age reversal. It likely would not make a difference, but the additional assurance did not hurt. "I am ready to energize."

With the familiar tingle that accompanied the column of blue light, Seven vanished from the transporter room.

Chapter Sixty-Four

The hydroponics bay doors opened at Kathryn's approach. Once inside, she was momentarily distracted by the beds of foliage and produce around her. In the hustle of every-day ship life, she seldom stopped to consider how much time and energy went in to converting part of the cargo bay into the valuable resource it was now. Kathryn crossed the space to a raised container of Keela flowers. The strong stems holding the flowers flexed as she ran her fingers along the soft petals. Without realizing it, Kathryn let her thoughts wander to their early days and her friendship with Kes. The flowers reminded her of Kes, soft and delicate on the outside but with a strong foundation of loyalty and resiliency. Kathryn missed Kes, often wishing she was here to talk to. 'Oh Kes, would you think me a terrible captain if I fell in love with a member of the crew…?

Toward the back of the room, a small container fell to the deck with a soft thud. Kathryn pulled her attention away from the flowers and slowly approached the round yellow barrels that filled the far corner.

"Naomi, are you back there? It is Captain Janeway. I was hoping to talk to you…"

When there was no response, Kathryn tried again. "Naomi, I'm not going to force you to come out, but I would really like it if you would join me. I have a project that I need your help with."

Kathryn could tell she got her young assistant's attention when she heard shuffling behind the containers. The movement stopped, but Naomi did not emerge from her hiding spot. In Kathryn's mind, this situation called for a bit of diplomacy and a gentle hand. As the only child on board, Naomi was used to being treated like an adult in many ways. Perhaps that was part of the problem.

Kathryn remembered when Phoebe used to hide in the barn, behind the bales of hay. Their mother knew very well where her youngest daughter was, usually trying to avoid bringing in the clothes from the drying line. Instead of pulling Phoebe out of her "secret" hiding place, Gretchen coaxed her out another way, tempting her with one thing or another. Kathryn often marveled at the way her mother could get her strong-willed sister to cooperate, all the while letting Phoebe think she was doing it of her own accord.

"Very well, I will have to get somebody else to help me… even if this is more of a 'Captain's Assistant' task." She tapped her commbadge to open a hail. "Janeway to Tuvok."

'Yes Captain, how may I help you?'

"I thought Naomi Wildman was here in hydroponics, but I guess I am mistaken. Since she is not here to help me arrange a slumber party for the some of the female crewmembers onboard, I may have to enlist your help. I trust you are up to the task of coordinating this gathering…"

'Captain…?' Tuvok sounded confused for a moment.

"I really don't want to get Neelix involved because it will become as elaborate as his Prixin celebrations. I thought my assistant could help me but she is nowhere to be found."

Tuvok only needed a minute to catch on to the captain's plan. Although Vulcan dealings with children were much more straightforward, he recognized that Kathryn was using the hail as a means to coax Naomi out. 'I will be happy to assist you Captain. Am I right to assume you want to keep this a surprise to your guests?'

"Why yes, Tuvok. That will make it all the more fun. I know you are busy, so if we need to postpone the party…"

Kathryn heard the light footfalls behind her right before Naomi tapped her arm. "Captain…?"

"Well, it appears to be your lucky day Mr. Tuvok. I think my assistant might just be willing to help after all." Kathryn smiled down at her protégée.

'Understood Captain. Let me know if you require anything further.'

"Thank you. Janeway out."

Turning her attention to her young assistant, Kathryn led Naomi over to a small crate so they could both sit down. Naomi looked frightened; afraid she would get in trouble for causing the captain to take time away from the bridge to find her. "I'm really sorry Captain…"

Kathryn could not take the sad look in Naomi's eyes. She immediately enveloped the young girl in a warm hug, which surprised them both. After a few moments, Kathryn pulled away and straightened her spine to address Naomi formally.

"Miss Wildman, as your Captain I have to tell you that it is not permissible to abandon your commbadge and run away from your family. The first rule of being part of this crew is to always be within range of your commbadge. If it is not on you physically, it needs to be within reach. There are very few exceptions to this rule. Do I make myself clear?" As she was delivering her speech, Kathryn fixed Naomi's commbadge on the front of her blue dress.

Naomi's lower lip trembled as she fought the tears that threatened to fall. She did not want the captain to think she was a baby and cried when she got scolded. "Yes ma'am."

Hearing one of her least favorite expressions, Kathryn cringed and wrinkled her nose as she put her arm around Naomi's shoulders. "You know, I once told Harry that it was only okay to call me 'ma'am' in a crunch. This, my dear, is hardly that."

"I'm sorry, Captain. I did not mean to scare anybody." Naomi fiddled with the buttons on the front of her dress. She could not meet her captain's eyes for fear of the disappointment she might find.

Satisfied she made an impression on her young friend; Kathryn put aside her command persona and kept her arm around the young girl. "Now, as your friend I have to tell you that you had me worried. I know it is hard being the only young lady on a ship full of adults. I also know from your mother that you have missed Seven a lot recently. I owe you an apology. I should have come to see you, to explain what was going on with Seven and why she was away for a few days. Do you forgive me?"

Naomi's smile quickly spread from her mouth to her eyes as she threw her arms around Kathryn's neck. "Oh yes, Captain. Thank you for not punishing me. I think my mom will be mad enough."

"Naomi, your mother loves you. She was just worried. That is what happens in families. I will talk to your mother and explain that we worked it all out. Sound okay?"

"Captain, can I ask you a question?" Naomi paused and waited for Kathryn to nod her head in agreement. "You said that you were worried about me too. Does that mean you are part of my family?"

Kathryn was truly touched by Naomi's question. She blinked back the onset of tears as she hugged Naomi once more. "I would very much like to be part of your family. Let's make a deal. When we are alone or in your quarters, you can call me Aunt Kate. Would that be okay with you?"

Naomi giggled, which made Kathryn look at her quizzically. "I think my mom may need some time getting used to that. Can she call you by your first name when we are alone spending time as a family?"

"I think that would be lovely. I will be sure to tell her we decided that." Kathryn winked at her before she stood up. When Naomi remained seated on the crate, Kathryn held out her hand.

"Captain…" Naomi was interrupted by a scowl from Kathryn. "Sorry, Aunt Kate. Aunt Kate, can Seven be in our family too? She is my best friend and like another mother to me in a lot of ways."

Kathryn could not prevent the smile that took hold of her facial features. Being a very sensitive and intuitive child, Naomi picked up on it right away. "I think including Seven in our little family is a great idea." Try as she might, Kathryn could not force a neutral expression.

Naomi took Kathryn's offered hand and walked with her towards the doors. "I think our family is wonderful. You know, Aunt Kate. You would be a good mother. Maybe one day when you and Seven are together you can add to our family."

Kathryn stopped dead in her tracks, her mouth slightly open in disbelief, as Naomi continued toward the cargo bay entrance. "What did you say Naomi?"

Naomi paused to look back over her shoulder. With a mischievous smile, she answered Kathryn. "I just thought that one day, you and Seven could have a baby. I would like a little sister please."

"What makes you think… I mean…" Kathryn stumbled with her words as Naomi smiled at her.

"Aunt Kate, I have known for a long time that you and Seven love each other. I just wish you two would hurry up and figure it out too."

Naomi ran back to Kathryn and gave her a big hug. "I'm getting hungry. Can we talk about the slumber party later?"

Kathryn could only nod her head as Naomi grinned. "See you later Aunt Kate."

Kathryn's closed her mouth as she watched her young assistant skip through the doorway and out of sight.

Chapter Sixty-Five

The doctor paced between his office doorway and the first biobed, anxious to begin the age reversal process that would hopefully restore Seven of Nine to her fully adult form. He was cautiously optimistic since the same process went smoothly for the captain and B'Elanna. The unknown variable for Seven was how her implants would re-materialize, if at all.

'I am ready to energize.' Seven's voice was strong and clear across the commlink.

As the column of blue light fused into the solid form of Seven of Nine, the EMH was at her side instantly. He immediately ran the medical tricorder across her vital organs, pleased with the results.

Seven blinked several times as the medical display on the doctor's desk came into focus from roughly six meters away. Through the transparent partition she could see the large writing indicating her name. A moment later, she was able to discern the smallest lines of writing and comprehend the stream of data fed in from the medical tricorder. Seven smiled fully at the realization that her enhanced vision was restored. As a final confirmation, she reached up to her forehead and traced the lines of the ocular implant above her synthetic eyepiece.

"As beautiful as ever, if you don't mind me saying." The EMH continued to buzz around her like an annoying insect. Seven tolerated his repetitive scans, since there were many aspects of her transport that needed confirmation to be verified successful. Seven knew she was fine, but the doctor would insist on a full evaluation.

Drawing in a deep breath, the first in many days, Seven stood straighter and rolled her shoulders. It felt wonderful not to ache constantly. She flexed her bicep to engage the restored arm implant and rotated her ankle for safe measure. The final confirmation came when she raised her left arm and watched the red material slide down to reveal her restored forearm and cybernetic hand.

'Torres to the Doctor.'

"Sickbay here, go ahead B'Elanna."

'Well, don't keep me in suspense Doc. Is Seven okay? Is she back? I'm on my way but I couldn't wait to find out.' B'Elanna sounded out of breath, as if she was running through the corridors.

B'Elanna was relieved when it was Seven's voice she heard. "I am fine B'Elanna. Better than fine in fact."

The sickbay doors opened as the feisty engineer rushed through the entrance. She stopped just inside the doorway and looked at her friend. Her gaze started at the deck and ran up the length of Seven's body to settle on two lovely blue eyes. B'Elanna's smile was genuine as she crossed the distance to pull Seven into a strong hug. "Okay Your Borgness, let's not put ourselves through this ever again."

Seven thought it felt good to hold her friend with two arms, squeezing B'Elanna a bit tighter than she intended. She would have to get used to her enhanced strength again. "Agreed Ms. Klingon. I will do my best to avoid transporter anomalies in the future."

"I don't mean to interrupt this happy little reunion, but I would still like to run a femoral analysis to compare against your pre-accident scans. It wouldn't hurt to check your hyperencephalogram too. Once I am satisfied that you are completely restored, I can release you to finish with your plans." The EMH had his hand on Seven's shoulder, guiding her over to the biobed as he spoke.

B'Elanna stepped back and pulled Seven's commbadge from her pocket. She handed it to Seven, not sure if she was going to change into her biosuit or stay in her red pajamas during the doctor's tests. "It looks like the Doc is going to keep you busy for a little longer. I modified your badge to report your location as the cargo bay if anyone inquires. At 1500 hours I will return the programming to normal. It's a good thing I did that, because the captain has inquired about your whereabouts twice. I think she just feels better knowing you are safely regenerating." B'Elanna winked at Seven before turning to the exit.

"Thank you, B'Elanna. I owe you a great debt for your help and friendship. Please also extend my appreciation to Tom. I am sure he did not enjoy being the recipient of Kathryn's anger. I remember how she spoke to him in the transporter room before we departed on this mission." Seven's cheeks colored slightly as she recalled asking B'Elanna to confirm their recent copulation as the reason for being tardy. It was peculiar that the question did not affect her before, but now the topic of sexual encounters made her blush.

"Sure thing, Seven. I think we are both going to owe him after today. I probably won't see you again until tomorrow, so good luck. Remember that I want all the juicy details you are willing to share." B'Elanna shot Seven another knowing smile before disappearing into the corridor.

Seven turned and sat on the biobed as the EMH drew a blood sample and ran a scanner down her leg. Her mind was elsewhere, with so many things riding on the next several hours. She still had one task to carry out, something that B'Elanna did not even know about. "Doctor, I feel fine. Will your scans be complete soon?"

"You are becoming as difficult a patient as the captain. Fine, you are free to go. I presume you will be back in the cargo bay, just in case the captain comes checking on you?"

Seven scowled as she considered this. Hopefully Tuvok would be keeping the captain distracted. At a minimum, he was to hail her if the captain decided on visiting the cargo bay ahead of schedule. "Doctor, am I correct that you still have several of my original Borg implants in stasis?"

The EMH looked surprised and confused. "Yes Seven. I have all the larger implants and several of the smaller ones. I also have many pieces of the exoplating. Why do you ask?"

"I require a piece from one of them. One of the scapular clamps will suffice."

The doctor went to his office and returned a short time later with the small metal clamp. He wondered why Seven wanted it, but knew better than to ask.

Seven took the offered piece of mangled metal and smiled. "Thank you Doctor. I appreciate your care and concern, as well as your friendship. I will indeed be in the cargo bay taking care of some last-minute details. Please let me know if Kathryn starts inquiring again. If she comes to the cargo bay, I will have to feign regenerating. It would be most difficult to have her close to me and still maintain my regeneration posture."

The EMH smiled and looked away, unable to watch the twinkle in Seven's eyes as she spoke of the woman she so clearly loved.

Chapter Sixty-Six

Naomi was struggling to focus on her stellar cartography homework in her holodeck classroom. Between helping Seven earlier and her talk with Aunt Kate, Naomi was a ball of unspent energy. It felt wonderful to be useful to her two favorite people in the universe, next to her mother of course. She was even more excited by the addition of Aunt Kate and Seven to her little family. Naomi closed the program, knowing she was not able to concentrate anyway. The computer display went black before it changed and the Starfleet logo filled the screen.

A moment later her screen flickered with an incoming message. It was from Seven. Naomi knew it was very important and private because Seven secured it with a simple Borg encryption code that was reserved for use between the two of them.

After keying in the sequence to unlock the message, Naomi read Seven's note.

Hello Naomi,

When you finish with your educational requirements, I would like to ask for your assistance with a small task. Please reply using a secure encryption to confirm your agreement to come to the cargo bay. It is important that Captain Janeway does not see you. Your mother is aware of my request for your help. Please exercise discretion in the corridors.

Thank you,

Seven

Naomi sent a reply and quickly shut down her station. As she left the holodeck, the classroom environment reverted back to the standard scaffolding. It took a great deal of effort not to run through the corridors; she was that excited to help Seven on a special project. When she came to a junction, she cautiously peeked around the corner. Seeing nobody in her path, Naomi made her way to the cargo bay.

Seven had set up an alert in the event any crewmember came within three meters of the cargo bay doors. This would afford her enough time to quickly get to her alcove and assume her regeneration posture. When the computer warned her of a visitor, she darted over to the alcove and stood rigid with closed eyes.

Naomi entered the cargo bay and went to stand in front of the alcove, looking up at her friend. "Hi Seven, I came as quick as I could. Are you really regenerating?"

When Seven heard the small voice, she immediately opened her eyes and smiled down at Naomi. "You are an intuitive child, Miss Wildman. What made you think I was not in the middle of a regeneration cycle?"

"Well, beside the fact that you just asked me to come here, I could tell by the way your breathing sounded." Naomi responded proudly.

Seven eyed her quizzically. "I see. I will endeavor to improve the cadence of my respiration the next time. Now that you are here, I can resume working on my project. Come…"

Seven took Naomi's hand and led her over to the replicator and nearby cart she had positioned as a workspace. She removed a cloth that covered the surface, revealing her commbadge and various strips of metal.

"What are you making?" Naomi picked up a piece of metal and eyed it suspiciously.

Seven snapped the last piece of metal to a hinge on the back of the badge. "I am modifying my commbadge to be work as a hair fastener. As you know, we should have our commbadge on at all times. When I cannot wear it on my biosuit, I plan to clip it to the back of my hair. There will be a time soon where I will not have the ability to wear it on my biosuit. I learned the hard way recently that being without it put me at risk of danger and personal injury."

"So what do you need my help with? Your hair clip looks done." Naomi was confused why Seven had summoned her.

"I have another item I am working on and could use your input." Seven handed Naomi a small PADD outlining the next task.

Naomi took a moment to study the design Seven had shared. Her eyes lit up before letting out a most high-pitched squeal. "This is perfect Seven. It is beautiful. Thank you for asking me to help."

Back on the bridge, Kathryn was restless as she sank back in to the smooth black leather chair. Usually sitting in the captain's chair made her feel confident and in control; a place where her role as Voyager's strong leader was unquestionable. Today the seat felt foreign to her, as if the curves and contours of the leather that had hugged her before were now shaped for someone else.

To her left, Chakotay eyed her curiously. "Something wrong Captain? You seem fidgety. Maybe that eight cup of coffee is catching up with you." Her first officer smiled as his own taunting, hoping to make a point without irritating his captain.

"For your information, Mr. Chakotay, I have only had five cups of coffee today. It is a slow day." Kathryn smiled at him, secretly wishing he was anywhere else but beside her. "Seriously though, something does not feel right today. I guess I am just anxious to break orbit. I am about to ask Harry to find us an image of an asteroid field or plasma storm to put on the viewscreen. Anything is better than the same set of stars we have been watching for days."

Chakotay nodded, identifying with the feelings Kathryn had spoken aloud. He, along with many others on bridge duty, was also experiencing a sense of 'cabin fever' due to the extended period at station keeping. "It is almost Noon. Why don't you go to the messhall and grab something to eat? I will stay here and watch the same stars while you are gone."

Kathryn turned and patted his arm, much like she used to do with Molly when she was being obedient. She chastised herself for almost saying 'good boy' aloud as she stood and stretched slightly. "I will take you up on your offer. Hopefully Neelix's lunch offering is better than whatever made Harry sick at breakfast. I think a salad is safe enough."

"Just avoid the Talaxian herb dressing." Chakotay called after her as she approached the turbolift.

Tom sat quietly at his station, listening to the exchange play out between captain and first officer. A quick check of the chronometer reminded him that he was due elsewhere. He turned to Tuvok, imploring him with his eyes to come to his aid. He did not want to be the one to ruin Seven's plans.

Tuvok recognized the look of panic on the helmsman's face, acknowledging him with a slight tilt of the head and raised eyebrow. Tom gestured to the captain's retreating back as she approached the three stairs leading to the upper level and turbolift.

After quickly security his board, Tuvok met the captain at the entrance of the turbolift. "Captain, if I may have a minute please?"

"Why Tuvok, you look concerned about something." She smiled at her friend as she chided him gently.

"Vulcans do not 'look concerned' but you are correct in that I have a matter I would like to discuss with you briefly."

Kathryn threw her head back slightly and offered him a throaty laugh. "Touché, my friend. Care to join me for lunch? We can talk in the messhall. I really need to get something to eat."

Tuvok could see Tom watching the exchange out of the corner of his eye. When Tom shook his head slightly, Tuvok stepped in front of the captain before continuing. "I am sorry to request that you delay your meal. It would be preferable to speak privately." He leaned forward and lowered his voice. "It is regarding Mr. Paris' behavior this morning."

"Of course." Kathryn's response was equally hushed as she led the pair into the privacy of the ready room.

Chapter Sixty-Seven

As soon as the doors to the ready room closed Tom made a point of yawning and stretching. He stood and moved behind his chair before rubbing the back of his neck with both hands.

"Commander, I am feeling a bit of a headache coming on. Do you mind if I take ten minutes to visit sickbay and ask the Doc for one of his electrolyte cocktails?"

Chakotay eyed him suspiciously, causing the tattoo on his forehead to distort in the process. "You may want to choose your words more carefully in front of the captain. It was your overindulgence in 'cocktails' that got you in trouble once already today. Go ahead, but be quick. The captain will not be too happy to find you away from your station again."

"Aye, Commander. Thank you." Tom took the steps two at a time, determined to get off the bridge before the captain returned. He did not know how long Tuvok would keep her distracted.

Once in the turbolift, Tom opened a hail. "Paris to Torres."

'Torres here. Where are you Tom? I am already here. I don't want to miss our window of opportunity.'

"I know and I'm sorry. I couldn't get off the bridge. I will be there in two minutes. Paris out."

Tom paused outside the doors to the messhall and took a deep breath. He raked his fingers through his sandy hair to tousle it a bit and unzipped his tunic slightly. When he was happy with his newly rumpled appearance, he triggered the sensor and moved abruptly through the doors.

"Mr. Paris, so nice to see you! Can I interest you in today's lunch special?" The cheerful Talaxian moved from behind the kitchen counter.

"Not today, especially after the disaster at breakfast." Tom barked at Neelix, and tried not to feel bad for the crestfallen look he caused. "I'm looking for B'Elanna. Have you seen her?"

Neelix did not respond to Tom; too hurt by his criticism. Nobody else had complained about his breakfast casserole, aside from Harry. He pointed to a table in the far corner before returning to the safety of his kitchen.

Tom looked over to the table for two under the far viewport and found B'Elanna leaning forward to laugh quietly at something Lieutenant Ayala had apparently said. He crossed the room and came to a stop beside the table, his arms crossed angrily over his chest.

"There you are! I have been looking for you. When you cancelled our lunch plans because you were 'too busy' I went to engineering to see you. Now I come to find you here, with him, enjoying the lunch you did not want to share with me."

Lieutenant Ayala looked up at Tom, confused about why the normally calm officer was having the equivalent of a 'temper tantrum' in the middle of the crowded room. "Hey Tom, B'Elanna and I were just talking about her away mission. Care to join us?"

"No, I don't want to join you. In fact I don't want you having a cozy little meal with my wife at all!" Tom's nostrils actually flared.

"Hold on flyboy. We are not having a 'cozy little meal' and even if we were it is none of your damn business. Not after the crap you pulled with Jennifer Delaney last night. How dare you come in here with your egotistical attitude! I think you need to leave now, before I knock you to the deck again." B'Elanna was standing now, nose to nose with Tom, doing her best to rein in her temper.

Lieutenant Ayala stood and moved next to B'Elanna; a gesture not lost on Tom. "Hey man, there is nothing going on with B'Elanna and me. We were just talking."

Tom took a deep breath and turned his attention to the dark-haired security officer. "You really need to shut the hell up. This does not involve you." Tom shoved him backwards with an open hand to his chest.

By now the other lunch patrons had caught on to the disagreement playing out at the table under the viewport. Some were whispering while others just looked at the trio intently. Neelix watched from the safety of the kitchen, both surprised and worried about his friends across the room.

"Tom, knock it off. Jealousy does not become you. Maybe you are still drunk from this morning. You should go sober up somewhere; anywhere but here." B'Elanna turned her back to Tom and took her seat again, focusing her attention on a confused Ayala. When B'Elanna reached across the table to put her hand on Ayala's arm, Tom became livid.

Tom reached down and grabbed Lieutenant Ayala by the tunic to pull him into a standing position. With his left hand still clutching the front of Ayala's uniform, he drew back his right hand into a fist. It took but a split second for Tom to land the right hook to Ayala's jaw. A moment later Ayala was on the deck, with blood seeping from a cracked lip.

"Tom! What the hell do you think you are doing?" B'Elanna was at the side of her fallen crewmember, tenderly wiping at the blood with a napkin from the table. She tapped her commbadge to open a hail." Torres to Tuvok. We need security in the messhall immediately."

Chapter Sixty-Eight

Kathryn and Tuvok were seated on the ready room couch when the hail came across Tuvok's commbadge. Instantly both were on their feet.

"I am on my way, Lieutenant." Turning to Kathryn, Tuvok looked for her dismissal command. Instead she was two steps ahead of him out the doors.

Tuvok easily caught up with Kathryn, his gait much longer than hers. When he was beside her in the turbolift, he addressed her cautiously. He had seen his captain, his friend, upset and frustrated before. Something about the fire in her eyes told him to tread carefully. "Captain, I am confident I can handle whatever issue is transpiring in the messhall..."

His sentence was cut off when Kathryn raised her hand in the air. "I had such high hopes for today. Is it just me, or does there seem to be one thing after another? I am almost afraid to find out what the hell is going on in there."

"Indeed." Tuvok nodded his head and followed Kathryn into the corridor.

When the messhall doors parted, Kathryn and Tuvok found a bloodied Lieutenant Ayala on the deck, with Tom being restrained by two ensigns from engineering.

Kathryn wasted no time crossing the room to stand above B'Elanna and Ayala, her hands on her hips with her jaw set sternly. "Somebody had better tell me what the hell is going on here. Immediately."

Tom opened his mouth to say something, only to be met with Kathryn's open hand in front of his face. "Not you, Mr. Paris."

Tuvok helped Lieutenant Ayala to his feet, steadying him as he found his bearings. "Lieutenant, please explain the circumstances that led to us finding you bleeding on the deck."

Seeing that Ayala was still bleeding, B'Elanna stood to face the captain and Tuvok. "It seems that flyboy here is letting his juvenile jealousy rule his actions. He came in here with all sorts of ideas and…"

"Thank you, Lieutenant. That will be enough. I would prefer to hear from someone not so emotionally invested in this little drama." Kathryn turned around toward the kitchen. "Mr. Neelix. If you would please join us here, I have a few questions."

"Mmm… me, Captain?" Neelix had seen Captain Janeway's 'force ten' glare before, but never as a recipient. He slowly made his way from behind the counter and over to the scene of the crime.

With her hands again on her hips, Kathryn addressed the frightened morale officer. "Neelix, you see everything that happens here. I want you to tell me what happened between Lieutenants Paris and Ayala."

Neelix swallowed hard, the clenching of his jaw making his wiry whiskers stand out slightly more than usual. "Well, Captain, a little while ago Tom came in here looking for B'Elanna. He was in a bit of a foul mood, if I do say so myself. When he found them at the table, he started an argument with B'Elanna…"

"Go on." Kathryn was not satisfied with the explanation received thus far.

"Well, Tom made a crack to Lieutenant Ayala about having lunch with 'his wife' which, of course, made B'Elanna mad." Neelix looked down at his favorite pair of green boots, afraid to make eye contact with the captain.

"Okay, let me get this straight. Tom came in here looking for B'Elanna and was mad to find her dining with Lieutenant Ayala." Kathryn turned her attention to the security officer. "So how is it that you were the one on the deck with a cracked lip Mr. Ayala?" Kathryn knew Tom flew off the handle, but she needed to hear it herself.

"Captain, it really was nothing. Lieutenant Torres and I were just discussing the geography of the planet from the recent away mission. Lieutenant Paris came in here with an attitude and must have thought something was going on between B'Elanna and me. All of a sudden he hauled off and hit me." Lieutenant Ayala took another napkin from the table to dab at his now swollen lip.

Kathryn slowly circled around the group, her hand on her chin as she was pondering her next move. "So here is what's going to happen. Mr. Ayala, you are to go to sickbay to get your lip mended. Make sure the doctor checks to be sure you don't have a jaw fracture. Lieutenant Torres, I don't know what is going on with you today, but this is the second time I have had to intervene between you and Lieutenant Paris. You are dismissed to your quarters to collect your thoughts and find a way to deal with your interpersonal problems."

Tom held his breath, knowing the captain was saving the best for last.

"You, Mr. Paris, will spend the next twenty-four hours in the brig where I expect you to reflect on your choices and behavior thus far today. I will not tolerate violence on my ship. It seems to me you are having some trust and fidelity issues which need resolution immediately. I will not have one of my senior bridge officers brawling in the messhall. You will also forfeit fifty replicator rations to Lieutenant Ayala, in addition to a written apology. You will receive a formal reprimand in your file and will have janitorial shifts in both the messhall kitchen and the officer's head. Just for good measure, you will also have extra duty shifts cleaning whichever Jeffries tubes Lieutenant Torres feel need the most attention. Is that clear?"

"Yes Captain." Tom lowered his chin to his chest as he contemplated the deck carpeting, now showing the dark maroon droplets of blood where Ayala had fallen.

"Mr. Tuvok, escort Mr. Paris to the brig. Everyone else, dismissed."

Behind Kathryn, B'Elanna gave Tom a small parting smile. She would owe him big time for this.

Chapter Sixty-Nine

According to the chronometer on her workstation, Seven's extended regeneration would continue for another two hours. This left her little time to gather the rest of the items she needed for her meeting with Kathryn later in the afternoon. She could not risk leaving the cargo bay in case somebody stopped to check on her. Seven was confident in her co-conspirators when it came to keeping Kathryn occupied. It was the accidental intrusion by another crewmember that kept her on high alert.

Having Naomi with her was proving very useful, and Naomi was more than eager to help. Seven had sent Naomi to the messhall with a list of items she wanted for later, hoping that Neelix would not press her for details. This left Seven alone for a few minutes to finish replicating a few essentials.

As Seven was putting the last of the items in a small container, the proximity detector alerted her to an impending visitor. Seven was quick to resume her position in her alcove, just in case it was Kathryn.

B'Elanna quietly entered the cargo bay and made her way over to the alcove. Although she knew Seven was not truly regenerating, she marveled at how well the tall blonde was able to 'fake' her regenerating. B'Elanna wondered just how many times Seven was faking it when Kathryn came to secretly watch her most evenings. For that matter, she was curious if Seven even knew the captain watched over her almost every night.

Stepping up to the right side of the alcove, the stocky brunette stood on her tip toes to stare at Seven's face. Her breath caught in her throat when she breathed in the scent of Seven's shampoo; a tantalizing blend of rosemary and eucalyptus. She watched Seven's eyes move slightly under closed lids, resisting the urge to touch her creamy alabaster cheek. B'Elanna knew she should step away, but her raw attraction to this beautiful creature made her question her own sexuality yet again. Lost in her own thoughts, she did not realize Seven had opened her left eye and was peering at her from beneath sable lashes.

"Lieutenant Torres, is it your habit to stare at your sleeping crewmembers?"

B'Elanna jumped back, startled at the sudden noise… and at being caught. "Kahless Seven! You shouldn't scare people like that."

"Well perhaps you should not covertly examine women when they are sleeping." Seven smiled at her friend, gratified by the sheepish look on B'Elanna's mocha features. She did enjoy teasing B'Elanna when she had the chance.

"You're right Seven. I thought if you were really regenerating you would not even know I was there. I was about to end your cycle when you startled me."

Seven stepped down from her alcove and moved to the workstation. She turned and waited for B'Elanna to follow her. When B'Elanna was beside her, she leaned over and whispered to a conspiratory manner. "To be honest, even if I was in a normal regeneration cycle, I am always aware of people around me." She stood straight again and smiled shyly at her friend.

B'Elanna raised her bushy eyebrows at Seven's admission. "So… does that mean you know when crewmembers come to the cargo bay while you are regenerating?"

Seven regarded her friend with a raised ocular implant and a gleam in her eye. "If you are inquiring about my awareness of Kathryn's evening visits, then yes – I know when she is here."

B'Elanna looked back to the empty alcove and sighed wistfully. "You have to admit, it is all pretty romantic. You are a very lucky woman, Seven. I hope you realize just how fortunate you are, to have captured the heart of Kathryn Janeway. It is not every day that true love wins out over so many obstacles."

Seven stared at her hand implant for a moment before turning to face her friend. "When I was part of the Collective, the notion of love and romance never entered our consciousness. It was deemed irrelevant and would have been a distraction from our common goal. There was no need for love as we sought to enhance our concept of 'perfection.' Now I have learned that love and romance are the very embodiment of 'perfection' when it is with the correct partner. I am quite anxious to see Kathryn again. I only hope she will allow herself another chance to love me and build a future together."

"I am sure she will, if not immediately then eventually. Kathryn Janeway loves you with all of her heart. She does not give herself permission to love easily. It may take her a little bit to trust in her feelings again, but ultimately I know you two will be together. Please be patient with her Seven. All will work out as it should. Now I have to get to engineering and get this ship ready to break orbit. You have somewhere you have to be. I will have everything ready later per your instructions. Hail me if you think of anything else. Good luck!" B'Elanna gave her friend a quick squeeze of the arm before turning to leave the cargo bay.

Back in her ready room, Captain Janeway closed her eyes as she sat at her desk. She recalled the various events of the day, amazed at the many little things that had taken up her time. She was surprised when the chronometer on her desk displayed 1400 hours. Where had the time gone? 'At least Seven's regeneration ends soon…' Kathryn thought to herself, allowing the smallest of smiles to form on her wine colored lips.

Kathryn drafted a memo to her senior staff to schedule a meeting for the following morning at 0900 hours. That would give her enough time to talk to Seven and make plans to break orbit. Once that was finished, she turned her attention to the pile of still largely untouched PADDs left by her first officer. The thought of reviewing crew reports made her empty stomach churn slightly. This only served as a reminder that her plans for lunch had also been interrupted. Walking to the replicator, Kathryn keyed in the request for a small serving of cold pasta salad and a glass of iced tea.

Although she was hungry, Kathryn idly pushed around the corkscrew pasta more than she ate it. Her thoughts kept drifting to Seven, wondering exactly what was going to happen when the extended regeneration period was finally over. She hoped Seven would come to the realization she was better off returning to her adult age. Surely Seven knew that her physical health would be better. It was her emotional health that was the big question. Kathryn understood Seven's desire to fit in more with the crew. She knew Seven was sensitive to the looks and whispers of her crewmates, even if she vehemently denied it. As a seasoned Starfleet officer, Kathryn would have no trouble shrugging off the unwanted opinions of those around her. She also had the confidence earned by years of life experience in general. Seven did not have the same tough skin. Kathryn knew the tough ex-Borg exterior Seven displayed only masked the uncertainties of the tender young woman hidden beneath.

Kathryn pulled up a personal file, quickly tapping in the security code to display the contents. These were her most cherished photos. She smiled as an image of her mother filled the screen, Gretchen's eyes smiling brightly. 'Oh mama, how do I get over a broken heart?' Kathryn moved to another image, this time it was a picture of her senior staff from the last Prixin celebration. Seeing Neelix in his gold and purple suit always made her smile. The next picture in the rotation was of Kes, her strawberry hair long like it was right before she left them. Kathryn usually felt the doctor's persistence with the holocamera was annoying. Secretly she was glad to have the snapshots to look at when she was feeling lonely. The next image was from the party to christen the new warp drive. Kathryn remembered the confetti falling as she smashed the champagne bottle. This picture was of Seven and the doctor; her arm around him as she experienced her first over indulgence in the alcoholic beverage being served. At that time she remembered wishing Seven's arm would have been around her. The explanation of helping Seven to sickbay would have been the perfect excuse in front of the crew for those that caught the two women in a semi-embrace.

Chapter Seventy

Kathryn was so lost in her own memories she did not hear the ready room door chime a second time.

"Come." Kathryn snapped her command mask back in place quickly to greet whoever it was outside.

When the doors parted to admit Tuvok, her eyes closed and the mask slipped slightly.

Tuvok caught the change in the captain's demeanor immediately. He also noticed how dull her eyes looked and the slump of her shoulders. "Captain, I wanted to see if there was anything I could bring you. I realized that you skipped lunch and were probably pre-occupied with other matters. Am I correct in my assessment?"

Kathryn tried to give Tuvok a warning glare, but she just didn't have the energy to pull it off. "You know me too well, my friend. Please join me. I had every intention of eating this pasta salad, but I did get side tracked. Can I get you anything? Vulcan spiced tea perhaps?"

"No, thank you Captain. I plan to dine in my quarters in a few hours. Please do not let me stop you from finishing your dinner."

To please Tuvok, Kathryn made a show of taking a bite of the now lukewarm pasta. It rolled around flavorless in her mouth before she swallowed it down with a gulp of tea.

"Since I am sure you did not come here to watch me eat, why don't you tell me what is on your mind Tuvok?" Kathryn stood and moved to the seats under the viewports, gesturing for her security officer to join her.

Tuvok was not looking forward to this conversation. He stood before his captain; the faintest of scowls was visible across his dark features. Most would not notice this, but Kathryn knew her friend entirely too well.

"Tuvok, how long have we served together?" Kathryn gently prodded him.

"We have been acquainted many years, originating back in the year 2356. Our friendship did not deepen until 2365, in my estimation." Tuvok's eyes warmed ever so slightly.

"Ah yes, I do recall you chastising me in front of three Starfleet admirals for 'failing to observe proper tactical procedures' during my first command. Boy was I pissed at the time, but I did come to recognize the truth of your assessment when I put my ego aside. I have always counted on you for giving me the truth, even if it is not what I want to hear." Kathryn patted the seat beside her, encouraging Tuvok to join her on the on the couch before continuing.

"Is it safe to assume you are here to impart more of your unwavering logic and keen observations? Out with it Tuvok. Just tell me what is on your mind." Kathryn crossed her legs and sat back into the cushions.

Tuvok shifted in his seat, the only outward sign of his discomfort. He had learned to deal with the spectrum of emotions from humans, but it did not mean he liked it.

"Captain, I have come to discuss the current situation with Seven of Nine. I am sure you are aware; she is due to complete her regeneration within the hour. I am concerned for both of you with regard to whatever decision Seven makes this afternoon." There, he said it. Tuvok waited quietly as Kathryn digested what he said.

"Tuvok, the decision to go through with the age reversal transport is entirely up to Seven. I have intentionally distanced myself from that situation to give Seven the space she needs to make this important choice. I can only assume that we will break orbit and continue on our journey home within the day, with Seven at her post in astrometrics. Whether she continues as a juvenile or adult, that is anyone's guess."

Tuvok studied the face of his friend as she tried to keep her composure. Kathryn Janeway was a stellar diplomat and had a keen poker face. This didn't matter since Tuvok could see right through the tough exterior she tried to present.

"Captain, permission to speak freely?"

"Of course, Tuvok. I would not want it any other way." Kathryn braced herself for the lecture she was expecting.

"Very well. It is no secret that you are in love with Seven of Nine. By my estimation, you have harbored these feelings for her for many years. Although I cannot pinpoint specifically when your feelings for her evolved, I am sure it happened shortly after we severed her from the Collective." Tuvok paused as Kathryn sat straighter in her seat. She opened her mouth to say something, but paused and drew in a deep breath instead. This prompted Tuvok to continue.

"Furthermore, I know for certain that Seven is in love with you. I believe this realization came to her much more slowly, but she is fully aware now of your importance in her life. In the past few days I have seen you happier than any previous time in our friendship. I have also seen you struggle with the pain of your current situation. I want you to know that I am available to you as a sounding board and confident. Your position as the leader of this crew requires that you put your emotions aside for almost every hour of every day. I know you would not have it any other way. I also realize that you are a human being, with all the feelings and emotions that are inherent in your species. You need an outlet. I would like to think myself worthy of your trust should you want to talk."

Kathryn studied her friend, aware of how difficult it must be for him to discuss her emotional state. She also knew his friendship was genuine and not easily offered.

The enormity of the past few days weighed heavy on Kathryn's slight shoulders. Out of respect for Tuvok, she did her level best to keep her fear and sadness in check.

"You are right, as usual, Tuvok. I do love Seven, and I believe she loves me too. That really does not change anything though. Seven understands that we cannot have a future together of she remains a juvenile. After all we have been through I am not sure where we go as a couple if she does choose to revert to her adult age. The best thing for me now is to get some distance and closure on all of this, at least until Seven makes her decision. The trouble is, I am not sure how to do that with so many unresolved feelings."

Tuvok knew this was his opening. He only hoped Kathryn would go along willingly.

"Captain, I believe I have an idea that would help you find the closure you are seeking. I request that you join me planet-side. I am planning to transport at 1500 hours to retrieve the last of the supplies left from your away mission. I believe some time away from the ship, albeit brief, would give you the freedom to assess your emotions and 'clear your head' a bit before we break orbit. I had planned to bring Mr. Paris along, but he has rendered himself unavailable after his behavior today."

Kathryn thought for a moment, trying to formulate an excuse that would satisfy Tuvok. She was afraid of how she would feel, being back on the planet that brought her and Seven together. Tuvok watched the warring emotions on her face before deciding to play his ace.

"Captain, it is very seldom that I 'insist' on anything. Please… trust me when I tell you that a visit planet-side will do you tremendous good." Tuvok reached over and put his hand on Kathryn's shoulder in a gesture that was completely uncharacteristic of any Vulcan she had ever met.

"You win, Tuvok. I will meet you in the transporter room at 1500 hours. Now if you will excuse me, I should probably finish eating something before we go." Kathryn stood, followed by Tuvok, as they both headed for the ready room door.

"Thank you for being such a good friend." She took Tuvok's hand and gave him a reassuring squeeze before he turned and exited the room.

Chapter Seventy-One

Harry was at the transporter controls when the doors parted to admit the captain. He was relieved to see her; admittedly worried that Tuvok would not be able to convince her to join him. Everything was riding on the captain returning to the planet. Harry set his expression to show feigned surprise at the captain's arrival.

"Captain, I didn't know you would be joining the Commander. I was going to see if he wanted me to get someone to cover the transporter so I could help him retrieve the away mission supplies."

Kathryn smiled at the young ensign, ever eager and helpful. "No need Harry. I told Tuvok I would help him bring back our gear. After all, I was the one who left it there in the first place."

As if on cue, the transporter room doors opened again to admit Tuvok. "Mr. Kim, you have the coordinates ready?"

"Yes, sir. I am ready to beam you both to the site of the away team's shelter on your mark." Harry took one step back from the controls and waited for the captain and Tuvok to situate themselves on the transporter pads.

"Alright Harry, let's get this show on the road." Kathryn smiled at the young ensign as he initiated the transport.

As soon as the column of blue light dissipated, Harry's commbadge chirped.

'Torres to Kim'

"Kim here. What's up B'Elanna?"

'I see the transporter logs showing the captain and Tuvok just left the ship. I will have the supplies we discussed ready to beam down in ten minutes. That okay with you?'

"No problem. I am expecting Seven any minute. I have everything all set." As soon as the words left Harry's mouth, the transporter doors opened again. This time is was Seven making her way toward him.

Harry swallowed audibly when he saw Seven enter the room. Her blonde hair was loose, cascading across her shoulders. She was again in the same red silk pajamas and had a small cargo container flung over her shoulder. Harry could not stop the blush that spread across his features. It was hard for Harry to imagine that Seven could look any more beautiful than the last time he had seen her. To his surprise, he found the adult Seven more stunning than before now that she had her adult body and silver implants back.

"Uh, um… Seven. I, uh…"

Seven smiled at her crewmate, which only caused him to blush more. "Mr. Kim, are you suffering from temporary aphasia? Perhaps we should summon the doctor. This seems to happen to you often in my presence."

Harry was too embarrassed to recognize the teasing in Seven's voice. "Um, well. I just… You look very…"

Seven took pity on the young man and walked over to stand beside him. She put her hand on his arm, the same way Kathryn had done with her many times before. "I believe you were going to give me a compliment. Thank you."

"Right. Yes, I was just realizing that you look better now that you have your implants back. Don't get me wrong, you were pretty without them. It just wasn't 'you' though. I am really happy you are back to normal." Harry breathed a sigh of relief when Seven smiled at him again. This more relaxed Seven of Nine would take some getting used to. He was even more relieved when she moved away from him to take a spot on the transporter pad.

"Harry…" Seven began. Harry looked up from the transporter controls upon hearing his first name. He was surprised, yet pleased, at the familiarity between the two of them.

"I want to thank you for your assistance this afternoon. As I have come to understand my feelings of love for Kathryn, I have also realized the level of affection the crew has for her and for me by extension. I appreciate your friendship and willingness to help me with my plan to win Kathryn back.

"No problem Seven. I am just glad the food poisoning was a rouse. You never know with Neelix's concoctions though. I may stay away from the breakfast casserole for a while, just to be safe. A you ready to transport?" Harry double checked the coordinates to make sure Seven would materialize a short distance away from the away team shelter, behind a rocky outcropping. It was vital that she not be seen by the captain yet.

"Yes, thank you. Energize when ready."

"Off you go then. Good luck." With that, Harry watched the vision in red silk disappear in a column of blue light.

Kathryn and Tuvok materialized a short distance from the picnic table still outside the away team shelter. Kathryn gasped slightly when she saw Seven's red pajama bottoms casually tossed on the picnic bench. Although Tuvok's enhanced hearing caught the sound, he kept his eyes forward and did not acknowledge his captain's distress.

"Captain, I will begin to assemble the remaining gear here on this table. After that, I plan to return to the cave entrance to ensure no supplies were left from the mining efforts. I request you go inside the shelter to collect any personal belongings that remain. After that, might I recommend a walk along the lake edge? I believe you will have some time to yourself while I am at the cave. Speaking as your friend, it will do you good to reflect and come to terms with the memories of your recent time spent there." Tuvok inclined his head slightly to emphasize his point.

"Of course, Tuvok. I will take care of things inside." Kathryn did not make eye contact with her first officer; instead her back was to him while she focused on the water in the distance.

Tuvok moved quietly toward his friend and put his left hand on her shoulder. Without averting her eyes, Kathryn covered the dark fingers with her own and held his hand for a minute.

"I know Tuvok. You are going to tell me that closure is important and that I need to deal with this. Honestly, I'm not sure I can just bury my feelings again. It was difficult the first time. Now it will be nearly impossible. I do promise to try."

"Kathryn…" Tuvok began. "I should not have to remind you that 'impossible' is a word humans use far too often. I will take my leave of you and return to the lake side area in thirty minutes. Please hail me if you wish me to return sooner."

Tuvok withdrew his hand and walked away from the shelter area. He only hoped Kathryn would heed his advice.

Chapter Seventy-Two

Seven felt the familiar tingling sensation, signaling the end of transport. As she took a step forward, she realized the tingling continued slightly. Her stomach was also feeling odd, as if a small winged insect was trapped inside. She accessed her eidetic memory to recall a conversation with Naomi about 'butterflies in her stomach.' Seven smiled, realizing the feeling was anticipation. She felt excited and nervous, all of which were manifesting in the tingling sensation that was now coursing through her.

The sound of footsteps nearby honed her attention to the noise moving in her direction. She crouched down behind the rocky outcropping until she could be sure of the source of the sound.

"Seven of Nine, make yourself known."

The hushed voice of Tuvok caused Seven to let out the breath she was holding as she stood from her hiding place. "I am here, Commander."

Tuvok maintained a neutral expression, even while experiencing a sense of relief to see Seven back to her former self. When Seven locked eyes with his own and smiled, his face softened perceptively. "I am gratified to observe the success of the age reversal. I am sure Captain Janeway will be likewise relieved. This has been a difficult time for her and for you as well."

"It feels good to be back to 'normal' as B'Elanna says. Did you encounter any difficulty getting Kathryn to beam back with you? Where is she now? Did she say anything about me? Did she…" Seven's voice became higher pitched and faster as she peppered Tuvok with questions. Her eyes were wide and bright and her cheeks slightly flushed.

Tuvok held up his hand to stop Seven mid-sentence. She was obviously becoming over-excited; something Tuvok thought could lead to a casual miscalculation. They had all worked too hard to get Kathryn and Seven to this point.

"Seven, please exercise caution and self-control. You are experiencing an overabundance of excitement and anticipation. I would recommend a calm approach so that your plan executes to your pre-defined standards. The captain is currently walking along the lake side. I advised her to 'reflect' on her feelings there. That is where you will find her. I will return to the ship and oversee the transport you have arranged. Please hail me if you require further assistance." Tuvok held up his hand in the standard Vulcan greeting as he nodded his head to her. He tapped his commbadge to request transport back to the ship. "Good luck."

Seven returned the gesture and graced Tuvok with a parting smile as he disappeared in front of her. She was on her own now, with so much riding on the next phase of her plan. Taking a deep breath, hoping to calm her nerves, Seven headed to the away team shelter.

When Seven arrived at the tent, she paused to listen for evidence that Kathryn was nearby. It felt good to have her enhanced auditory ability back, which made it easy to confirm the tent was empty. She peeked her head inside to see nothing but a light source. It looked like Tuvok had indeed beamed all the gear back to the ship.

Seven exited the shelter and quietly walked around the side, toward the water nearby. She stopped in her tracks when she spotted Kathryn walking slowly along the water's edge.

The primary sun sat lower in the blue sky as Kathryn walked along the sandy lake side. Every once in a while, she would kick a small rock or stop to take in a deep breath of fresh air. Tuvok was right; it did feel good to get away from the ship for a short time. The events of the morning had kept Kathryn occupied, but now she had enough time to herself to let her mind wander. The air was a bit humid under the direct warmth of the sun. Kathryn paused and unzipped her tunic slightly, hoping to cool off a bit.

After a few minutes of wandering, Kathryn came upon the large rock where she deposited her uniform the last time she was here. She smiled at the memory of her swim and how good it felt to have the cool water against her skin. Her smile faded since there would be no skinny-dipping now, with Tuvok nearby. Kathryn sat on the rock and stared out over the jade water and let her mind wander. Although it has only been four days since she emerged from the water into Seven's waiting arms. Those few days now seemed like a lifetime ago.

Kathryn grumbled to herself as she felt the now-familiar sting of tears fill her eyes. 'Pull it together, Katie. You don't get to fall apart over a broken heart. You lost that freedom the first time you sat in that new leather captain's chair…' Kathryn cursed her inner voice, while at the same time appreciating the reminder. She would have to find a way to bury her feeling again. The crew did not deserve a captain who was vulnerable and emotional. Although she had been the happiest she could remember here on the planet, her reality was something much different back on Voyager.

Still she had to wonder if there could still be a chance with Seven. Kathryn did not know if Seven had decided to remain as the teenager she currently was. She would not blame her for wanting a life free of the implants that marred her beautiful features. Kathryn closed her eyes and let her mind freely replay the memories of her years with Seven. To her surprise, in every mental image Seven was looking lovingly at her with both a human and artificial eye. Even as Kathryn tried to visualize the Seven she spent the last few days with, her mental pictures included the implants and cybernetics. That was her Seven, a brilliant scientist, caring friend and beautiful woman, who happened to be part Borg.

The warmth of a breeze off the water brought Kathryn back to the present. She looked out over the water again, this time focusing on the small island in the center of the lake. Now that the tide was changing, the rocky surface was more visible above the water line. She remembered swimming out to that small rocky island and lying in the sun. It felt so good; so free.

Kathryn closed her eyes again and wiped the tear that escaped down her left cheek. She thought about her decision to admit her feelings to Seven. She remembered Seven waiting for her lakeside, with the red checkered tablecloth as a towel. Kathryn had never been so nervous, realizing that her whole future would hinge on how Seven reacted to her admission. She could almost feel the warmth of Seven's breath near her ear when she remembered Seven saying 'Yes Captain, I liked what I saw very much.' Kathryn's skin tingled remembering their first kiss later that evening. It was as if her whole world narrowed down to the point of contact between their bodies. It was electric; like nothing she had ever experienced with her previous lovers – men or women.

But now she would have to find a way to push the woman aside to make room for the captain full-time. Kathryn felt this loss profoundly as her tears fell unhindered.

Several meters behind her, Seven watched the woman she loved wipe her cheek. She saw Kathryn's shoulders shake subtly and realized she was crying. Seven wanted nothing more than to run to her and take her in both of her arms. She wanted to hold her and tell her that everything was fine now, that they could be together. The problem is, Seven did not know if Kathryn would take her back. She was afraid Kathryn would hide behind her pride and protocols, pushing away any chance at happiness by denying her feelings. It was clear to Seven that Kathryn did still care, or she would not be sitting in the very spot where they came together in the first place.

Deciding on a slow and gentle approach, Seven stopped and slipped out of her red silky pajama bottoms and sandals. She pulled her hair back into a low ponytail and clipped it in place with her modified commbadge. Slowly and quietly, she made her way towards the woman who held her heart.

Chapter Seventy-Three

Kathryn heard footsteps in the sand behind her and quickly dabbed at her eyes. The last thing she wanted was to burden Tuvok with her emotional breakdown. She had a good cry, and now it was time to return to duty. It was time to be the fearless and detached leader again. This made her unhappy, since she had enjoyed the more open and friendly relationship she now had with her senior staff. It would be hard to go back to the way things were before, but necessary if she was going to keep her emotions and sanity in check.

As Kathryn drew in a last deep breath, she felt a hand on her right shoulder. She reached up and covered the hand with her own. "I'm ready Tuvok. Let's get back to…" Her words trailed off when she felt the combination of warm skin and cool metal under her palm.

Kathryn froze. She was afraid to move or say a word. The thought that perhaps she was hallucinating crossed her mind. To be sure, she moved her palm cautiously over the hand beneath hers. When she felt a gentle squeeze of her shoulder, she gasped slightly.

Kathryn felt the hand slide gently down her arm. She was still afraid to turn around and have her hopes dashed.

"Commander Tuvok has returned to Voyager. I hope you are not disappointed that I am here instead Kathryn."

Every hair stood on end at the sound of Seven's beautiful voice. It took Kathryn a minute to realize that the hand beneath hers was covered in a fine silver metal. Could it be…?

"Seven. Please tell me you are really standing behind me and not a figment of my imagination." Kathryn stopped breathing.

A moment later Kathryn felt the warmth of Seven's breath caress her right ear. She did everything she could to stay still. "I promise I am not a hallucination or part of a daydream. I had to come back… to you."

Seven took a step to the right and began unbuttoning the front of her red pajamas. She was right beside Kathryn, who remained facing forward with a shocked expression across her face. Seven continued unbuttoning her top as she took a few steps forward. She did not turn around, but the heat of Kathryn's stare bore into her backside. When the buttons were completely undone, she let the silky fabric slide off her shoulders and down her back. Seven's arms were still in the sleeves, but the red material draped between the dimples at the base of her spine and the soft curve of her perfect posterior. Hearing Kathryn gasp was all the encouragement Seven needed.

She paused and looked back over her left shoulder. Kathryn was staring at her with wide blue eyes and her mouth slightly open. "So tell me Kathryn, do you like what you see?" Seven parroted the words back to her, this time putting the decision on Kathryn to decide their future. It was Seven's turn to hold her breath.

Seeing Kathryn swallow nervously, Seven resumed her path and took another three steps toward the water. She let the silky garment slide off her arms and cascade to the sand, leaving her completely nude. She glanced again over her shoulder and smiled, pleased to see Kathryn tugging at the collar of her shirt. She continued walking into the shallow water.

"Seven, wait!" Kathryn was on her feet. "Yes Seven. Yes, I of course I like what I see. I can't believe you are here." Kathryn was following after Seven, only stopping when the water covered the top of her boots.

Seven continued walking deeper into the jade expanse. Her perfect alabaster skin slowly disappeared under the glassy surface. She paused every few steps to look back at Kathryn, making sure she was still had her attention. When the water level had reached her waist, she stopped and turned her upper body to the side as she raised her ocular implant suggestively.

Kathryn watched from the shallow water as a perfect creamy breast came in to view; the tip of a peach colored nipple jutting out in the cool air. Kathryn remembered the feel of that nipple under her fingers... and between her lips.

When it was clear that Seven was not stopping, Kathryn knew she would have to follow her. "Wait, Seven. Hold on…" Kathryn quickly began removing her tunic and turtleneck shirt. Somewhere in her mind, it registered that four tiny gold pips would be forever lost in the sand. She did manage to keep her commbadge on her uniform and left it in a pile with her pants and boots just outside of the water's reach. As she stood in her Starfleet issue underwear and bra, she decided they had to go too. For the immediate future, the Captain would stay on the shore while the Kathryn went after the woman she loved.

Seven smiled when she heard the splash of the shallow water. She continued moving forward slowly as Kathryn hurried to reach her. She stopped to give Kathryn time to catch up to her, but did not turn around. Seven still feared the possibility of rejection, needing to wait until Kathryn was within arms' reach before facing her.

The water level was just below Seven's breasts, which meant it was almost to Kathryn's shoulders. Seven held her breath as the water stilled around her. Kathryn had come to a stop right behind her. It felt like forever before she felt two fingers gently run from her shoulder to the base of her spine. The water ran a cool trail down her overheated skin. "Seven… look at me, please."

The sound of Kathryn's voice catching in her throat made Seven's human eye immediately gloss over with tears. This was it. This was the moment that would change everything.

Before Seven could turn around, she felt Kathryn's trembling fingers on each of her arms. Kathryn did not wait for Seven to turn; instead she used Seven as an anchor as she moved through the water to come face to face with the tall blonde. She reached under the water and put her arms around Seven's waist, her fingers registering the contrast between skin and the metal ridges of the abdominal implant. When Kathryn looked up into the crystal blue eyes, she breathed a sigh of relief. They were both there, the mandibular star-shaped implant on Seven's cheek and the ocular implant above Seven's eye. When Seven smiled and raised her eyebrow, the metallic details of her eyepiece glinted in the afternoon sun. Kathryn reached up with her right hand and gently traced the arch of the implant.

"So beautiful…" Kathryn spoke in a hushed, almost reverent tone. Then Seven smiled and Kathryn's breathing stopped.

"Kathryn, there is so much I want to say. I do not know where to even begin. To start with, I am sorry…"

Seven was silenced by two fingers softly ghosting across her lips. "We will have plenty of time to talk about all that later. For now, I need you to kiss me. I need to know this is real." Kathryn shivered slightly, either from the cool breeze on the water or the sheer anticipation of the next thirty seconds.

Seven smiled and reached out with both hands to tenderly cup Kathryn's face. "I will comply."

As Seven's soft lips met hers, Kathryn felt a bolt of electricity travel through her every nerve ending. The lips caressing hers were warm and inviting. She moaned slightly when the tip of Seven's tongue pressed against her lower lip as the kiss deepened. Kathryn's lips parted as her own tongue eagerly sought out its mate in a passionate tangle. She could feel Seven's hands move to her shoulders and down her arms before pulling her into a full body embrace.

Seven had waited so long to feel Kathryn's skin against her again. Her cortical implant went in to overdrive analyzing the flood of sensations as their bodies joined in multiple places. With her left arm she pulled Kathryn close to her, lifting her ever so slightly from the lakebed below. Kathryn felt herself being lifted in the water and moved her arms up around Seven's neck. Even in the tepid water, she could feel the heat radiate between them where their bodies came together. The need to breathe was the only thing that broke the heated contact between their joined lips.

"Oh Seven." Kathryn's voice was low and gravelly as she drew in a few quick breaths. "I still can't believe we are here, together again. I love you so much." She leaded back slightly and smiled up at Seven.

"I love you as well Kathryn. That will never change. I have loved you for years, as I now know you have loved me. I now wish to spend the rest of my life showing you just how much I love you." Seven bent her head down to take Kathryn's lips again, while at the same time reaching between them with her right hand to caress the soft slope of Kathryn's breast.

Kathryn moaned at the contact and drew her legs up to wrap them around Seven's waist beneath the water surface. She felt Seven's fingertips gliding across her breast, making small circles around the nipple that was aching to be touched. It had been so long since she had allowed herself to feel this way; to give in to the desires and physical sensations of another's touch. Tightening her legs around Seven's waist, Kathryn arched her neck backwards and pressed in to Seven. She could feel the cool ridges of metal from Seven's abdominal implant at the juncture of her legs. The pressure of the contact, together with the exquisite feeling of Seven's fingers rolling her nipple, almost brought her to an orgasm right in the water.

"Kathryn, I need to touch you. I need you to touch me. Please, I physically ache and do not know how to satisfy this need here in the water." Seven's words were spoken between kisses as her hand continued to cup and mold to Kathryn's breast. Seven's heart rate had increased by one-hundred thirty-seven percent as she felt Kathryn grinding in to her midsection. When she felt Kathryn's hand slide down to capture a nipple, her heart pounded exponentially.

"Seven, we have to stop. I do not plan to make love with you the first time in the middle of a lake." Kathryn pulled back to look into Seven's eyes. "I promised you once before that I would spend hours touching and tasting every part of you. That just can't happen here."

"I agree, but I find I am not ready to go back to the ship just yet. We have some time still, and I have a small surprise planned." Before Kathryn realized it, Seven rolled on to her back was swimming both of them toward the small rocky island with two strong arms. Kathryn held on to Seven's neck as their legs intertwined and their bodies stretched out together through the cool jade water.

Chapter Seventy-Four

The sound of the turbolift doors opening on the bridge caused Tuvok to look over his shoulder. With only himself and Chakotay as the regular alpha shift crew remaining, he was keeping an even closer eye on the junior bridge officers who filled the operations and helm stations. It was not quite time for shift rotations yet, so whoever was joining them was unexpected.

"Have you heard from the captain or Seven yet?" B'Elanna's hushed voice on Tuvok's right side was quiet enough to escape Chakotay's notice.

"There has been no communication from the planet yet. It is close to the appointed time to transport the items Seven has prepared. I anticipate a hail soon." Tuvok continued to focus on his station to minimize any interruption to the crew around him.

"Well that could either be good or bad. I am crossing my fingers for good. I will go to the transporter room and wait with Harry. Send us a message when Seven is ready for transport." B'Elanna turned and left the bridge as quietly as she arrived.

The sound of the turbolift doors closing caught Chakotay's attention. He looked around, taking a mental inventory of the bridge officers. "Tuvok, did someone just leave? I was expecting the captain to return soon, but she obviously is not here. Where is she anyway?"

Tuvok again marveled at the lack of awareness from the first officer. He sometimes felt a wooden plank would have better observation skills. "Commander, the captain said she was taking care of a few personal obligations. I believe she will spend the rest of the evening in her quarters. She asked not to be disturbed. The person you saw leaving was Lieutenant Torres. She was providing me an update on the deflector dish diagnostic her crew recently completed. There is nothing for you to concern yourself over."

"Okay, thanks. I am getting a bit hungry so I am going to head down to the messhall for a quick dinner. You have the bridge." Chakotay stood to his full height and cracked his knuckles; a most annoying human habit to Tuvok's way to thinking. He was pleased to see the commander's backside disappear behind closed turbolift doors. This would make things easier when Seven's hail came through. Looking at the chronometer on his station, Tuvok anticipated hearing from her within the next fifteen minutes.

Seven was the first to climb out of the water and up the side of the small island. When her footing was secure, she reached down and extended her left arm to Kathryn. As Kathryn took hold and pulled herself out of the water, Seven reached for her with her other hand to lift her easily on to the flat stone surface. They stood together for a moment with the afternoon sun setting behind them. The secondary sun was still higher in the sky, providing a small amount of warmth as the water droplets ran down their skin. Seven's nanoprobes regulated her temperature, but Kathryn shivered slightly in the soft breeze.

"Kathryn, you appear – again – to be cold." Seven smiled and subconsciously licked her lips at the sight of two small rosy nipples pebbling between them.

Kathryn looked up from beneath her lashes and laughed slightly, the deep throaty tones sending a chill down Seven's spine. "I see your eidetic memory has returned too."

"Kathryn, the visual of you walking out of the water toward me will be forever etched in my memory. I relived it often these past days, even without the benefit of my Borg-enhanced memory." Seven blushed slightly at this admission, which only made Kathryn laugh more.

"I have done my fair share of remembering too." Kathryn reached up and brushed back a wet strand of hair to tuck it behind Seven's ear. It was then she noticed the commbadge affixed to the hair fastener. "Is that your commbadge?"

Seven had honestly forgotten it was there. She reached back to collect her damp tendrils and secure them again with the clip. As she raised both arms overhead, Kathryn was treated to two perfect alabaster breasts jutting toward her.

Kathryn's pulse rate had increases, which did not go unnoticed by Seven. With her arms still raised, she smiled down at her beloved. "Do you want to touch me Kathryn?" It was a question Seven was sure she knew the answer to.

"More than anything." Kathryn reached up between them with both hands to slowly cup the generous creamy flesh from underneath. She ran the pad of her thumbs across the peach colored nipples, one at a time, until both were pebbled and hard. "Now who is the one who appears to be cold?"

Kathryn saw Seven lick her lips before bringing her hands down to her shoulders. 'Go ahead, Katie. You know you have been dying to take one of those nipples between your lips…' Kathryn gave Seven a feral smile as she agreed with the voice in her head. "I know how to warm you up."

Kathryn bent her head slightly to take Seven's left nipple between her warm lips as her hand continued to caress the damp skin around it. She swirled her hot tongue around the base and flicked it across the tip once, twice, before pulling the whole thing deep into her mouth. She sucked on Seven's nipple hard, until she heard a moan escape Seven's lips. Not wanting to pay favorites, Kathryn turned her face slightly to lavish the same attention of the other nipple. It was only when she felt Seven's knees give that she pulled back. "I think we had better sit down."

Kathryn took Seven's hand and moved to the center of the small island. The rocky surface was smooth, but did not look very comfortable. As if sensing Kathryn's concern, Seven smiled and held up one finger. "One moment Kathryn."

Seven reached behind her head to activate her commbadge. "Seven of Nine to Voyager."

'Tuvok here, go ahead Seven.'

"Navun. Palikau dotor, please." Seven smiled at the slight look of confusion on Kathryn's face.

'Very well. I am gratified your preparations were met with success. I am aware your plans did not include overnight accommodations planet-side. Please hail me when you and the captain are ready to return to the ship. I have the rest of the arrangements in order.'

"Thank you, Commander. We will be here for a short time still. I will call for the pre-arranged transport soon. Seven out."

As soon as the hail closed, the familiar blue light appeared beside them to reveal a medium-size cargo container. Seven bent down to open it and remove the contents.

Kathryn watched Seven pull out a rectangular padded cushion, several blankets, and her peach satin robe. She smiled, realizing that Seven would have thought about every contingency for their safety and comfort. Next Seven removed another set of her own red silk pajamas and let them drop to the stone surface. "Let me assist you Kathryn."

Seven held the peach robe open so that Kathryn could easily slide her arms in. When the robe was up over Kathryn's shoulders, Seven gave a playful tug on the ties and pressed their bodies together again. The feeling of the soft material between them caused the most incredible friction. Seven found herself pressing into Kathryn as she held their bodies firmly together.

Kathryn tilted her chin to catch Seven's lips in another searing kiss. The sliding of the robe between their breasts elicited soft moans from them both. It was only Seven's slight shiver that made Kathryn pull back. "It is my turn to help you. I seem to remember enjoying helping you with your clothing before."

Kathryn bent to pick up the red silk pajama top and held it open for Seven. Seven turned and put both arms through the sleeves before turning back around to face Kathryn. She looked down and smiled at the visual of Kathryn pulling the fabric across her breasts and fastening the top button. It was exquisite torture as Kathryn gently brushed her skin while working toward the bottom button. When the top was in place, Kathryn smiled mischievously as she kneeled down on the padded cushion in front of Seven with the pajama bottoms in hand.

With Kathryn on her knees in front of Seven, she held one leg of the pajama bottoms for Seven to slip in to. She had an incredible sense of déjà vu, remembering a very similar experience in her bathroom. Kathryn closed her eyes and inhaled deeply as the memory of that day flashed across her mind's eye. When she opened her eyes again, she looked up to see Seven smiling down at her. It was likely Seven was enjoying the same memory. "Now the other leg darling."

Seven put her hand on Kathryn's shoulder to stead herself as she shifted her weight to her left leg and raised her right foot. The red fabric of the top shifted enough to bring Kathryn's face very close to the dense patch of dark blonde curls. Kathryn could see the tender pink lips, beckoning for her touch.

Knowing this was not the time or the place; Kathryn resisted the temptation in front of her and focused on the remaining pant leg. Once Seven's right foot was on the ground, Kathryn slowly stood and slid the silky fabric up the creamy skin of Seven's thighs and over her perfectly round ass. Not wanting to lose contact so soon, Kathryn kept a handful of each cheek and pulled Seven toward her again.

"So what else do you have in your bag of tricks?" Kathryn stepped back to gather the blankets and spread them out over the cushion before sitting down. She took one of the smaller blankets and began towel-drying her auburn hair.

"I have planned to stay long enough to watch the secondary sun set over the water. I enjoyed sharing the sunset with you previously and I wanted to do so again before we depart this system. The blankets are to keep you warm as the evening temperature drops. I was not sure if you would need liquid refreshment, so I asked Tuvok to send some tea and a light snack." Seven began to remove smaller stasis containers with cheese, sliced meats and some fruit. She returned to the container and pulled out two glasses and a bottle of Bajoran spring wine.

"Wine too? You have thought of everything." Kathryn smiled as she picked up a small cube of cheese.

"I believe the wine was an enhancement from the commander. He has been most helpful and supportive in my endeavors to 'win you back' today."

Kathryn watched Seven's expression change slightly, a shadow of sadness and doubt clouding her beautiful features. She reached over and took both of Seven's hands in her own. "Darling, don't look so sad. There was no need to 'win me back' since you never really lost me. Yes, I was afraid and hurt. I won't deny that. But even then I still loved you desperately. I am so thankful you are YOU again and that we can finally be together." Kathryn placed a gentle kiss in the palm of Seven's left hand. "I love you Seven, every part of you."

"As I do you Kathryn. Come, the temperature is cooling. I want to hold you in both of my arms as we watch the sun set." Seven sat down and waited for Kathryn to settle in front of her. She wrapped the blanket around them both before leaning over to plant a series of kisses along the back of Kathryn's neck as they both marveled at the beauty of the scene before them.

Chapter Seventy-Five

The sun had all but dipped below the surface of the dark water. Seven's internal chronometer reminded her that the hour was nearing 1800 hours; the time Tuvok was expecting her back on the ship. She let out an uncharacteristic sigh, which made the woman in her arms look at her with a bit of concern.

"Seven, what is it? Is something wrong?" Kathryn sat forward enough to turn and face her beloved.

"I am sorry Kathryn. Nothing is wrong, so please do not worry. I am realizing that our time here is drawing to a close. I find that I am hesitant to leave the isolation and privacy that this location affords us."

Kathryn traced a finger along Seven's jawline to lift her chin. She gently reached up and brushed a tender kiss across full peach lips. "I know; I don't want to leave either. Maybe I am being silly, but I am afraid that once we return everything will change."

A flash of panic marred Seven's features. "Kathryn, are you saying that we cannot be together back on Voyager? I find that an unacceptable conclusion to this evening. I cannot go back to the relationship we had a week ago. I cannot pretend that I do not love you!" Seven's right eye could not contain the tears that sprang up out of nowhere.

"Oh darling, no. I did not mean that. Please Seven. Please know I feel the same way. I have no intention of taking out relationship backwards. I only meant that we will have to resume our roles with the crew and continue our journey home. That does not mean anything has to change with us." Kathryn took both of Seven's hands and held them tightly in her own.

"Promise me nothing changes Kathryn?"

"I promise. Nothing has to change between us. Well by 'nothing' I mean the way we are with each other off duty and in our cabin. While we are on duty, I am still the captain and you are one of my key staff members. As hard as it may be, we are going to have to keep a level of decorum around the crew. I have no intention of hiding my feelings for you, but I also cannot walk the corridors holding your hand every day." Kathryn smiled and kissed the inside of Seven's left wrist. The metal of her implant was warm against her lips.

Seven leaned forward and kissed Kathryn softly. "You said 'our cabin' a moment ago. Does that mean you wish to share living accommodations with me?" Seven's eyes shone brightly down at Kathryn.

"Only if that is what you want Seven. I do not want to pressure you, but I also don't want to spend another night without you." Kathryn hoped she was not moving too fast to expecting too much at this point in their relationship.

"It is my intention to talk with B'Elanna about moving my alcove as soon as we get back." Seven's voice had an edge of excitement to it. "Well maybe not immediately upon our return, but soon." She smiled sheepishly at the woman in front of her.

With the realization that their island getaway was concluding, Seven moved her right hand to tangle her fingers in the thick auburn hair. She pulled Kathryn closer as peach lips moved across wine colored ones; each of them hungry for the other. It was Seven who pulled back first as Kathryn swayed slightly in her arms.

"I suppose I cannot kiss you like that on the bridge either." She gave Kathryn an exaggerated pout, which made her chuckle.

"Well no, that would be highly inappropriate. I'll make you a deal. In the privacy of my ready room you can kiss me, as long as we are not at red alert or facing some Delta Quadrant menace. Deal?"

Seven looked at her reluctantly, before breaking into a full smile. "I will gladly comply."

"Perfect. Now that we have the rules for kissing on duty defined, what do you say we talk about the rest later? I think it is time we got back to the ship." Kathryn stood and looked back toward the shore and knit her eyebrows together. "Darling, you are going to have to hail Tuvok since my commbadge is on the shore. I am not looking forward to swimming back, but I cannot wander the halls in my robe."

Seven began to gather the blankets and empty containers back into the medium cargo container. When she finished, she reached behind her head to tap her commbadge.

"Seven of Nine to Commander Tuvok."

'Tuvok here. Did you have an enjoyable evening?'

"Yes Commander. Kathr… the captain and I enjoyed our time together. It is now time to return to the ship. Will you please lock on to the captain's commbadge and transport it, with her uniform, directly to her quarters?"

'Very well. I thought perhaps she would decide to go for a "swim" again. Transporting now.'

Kathryn and Seven both watched a beam of blue light materialize across the water and disappear again.

'I trust you would like me to proceed with your pre-arranged transport? Lieutenant Torres has everything you requested in order.'

"Seven…" Kathryn began to look worried. "Please tell me you are not beaming us to the middle of the messhall."

Seven only smiled down at Kathryn. "You may proceed with transport at your convenience. I have gathered the supplies you sent so you may beam those back as well. Again, I appreciate all the assistance you and the rest of the crew have afforded me."

"I know I speak for the others when I say that we were glad to help. Stand by for transport. Tuvok out.'

"Seven, you are going to have to tell me just who else knows about all of this…" Kathryn took Seven's hand and tried to look concerned, but her smile said otherwise as they felt the familiar tingle of transport envelop them both.

Kathryn could smell the flowers before she could see them. As the transport ended, she continued to hold Seven's hand as she surveyed the interior of her quarters. On every flat surface were vases of Keela flowers and red roses. The lights were dimmed, with flickering candles illuminating the table and seating area. Looking toward the bedroom, it was clear the ambience continued in there as well.

"My Seven, you have outdone yourself. The last time my living room had this many candles was the time Q paid me a visit. I am so very glad it is you here with me. In fact, I remember back then wishing I could snap my fingers and have him switch places with you." Kathryn smiled sheepishly at her admission.

"I would not find Q's presence in our quarters acceptable. Should I see him again I intend to tell him just that."

Kathryn thought Seven's jealousy was endearing. "I am sure not even Q would dare to interfere tonight." Before the words were even out of Kathryn's mouth, she pressed her lips along Seven's collar-bone and trailed hot kisses up the side of her neck. "Come, I want to take a bath with you."

Kathryn led Seven by the hand through the bedroom toward the bathroom. Both women stopped and looked at the bed under the windows. B'Elanna had replaced the standard Starfleet issue bedding with navy blue satin sheets and a thick down comforter. There were candles on the tables and soft music was playing in the background. Seven smiled shyly as Kathryn looked at her with hungry eyes.

"Are you sure you want to take a bath Kathryn? We could skip bathing if you wish. I find I am quite anxious to take you up on your previous offer."

Kathryn raised an eyebrow to go with the half-smile. "Offer?"

"You said that you wanted to 'touch and taste' every part of me. Have you forgotten?" Seven teased her beloved slightly and watched the color change in her cheeks.

"Oh I have not forgotten. Trust me. I also said we would repeat our last evening here together, which includes the bath. You will learn that I find a soothing warm bath quite relaxing and stimulating. I promise to make it worth your while." Kathryn turned toward the bathroom and dropped her peach robe before sauntering toward the tub.

Seven did not have to think twice about following her into the bathroom. She watched Kathryn lean over the tub to add the lavender-scented oil under the stream of water. After gathering two fluffy towels, Kathryn held out her hand to Seven and pulled her close.

"As much as I enjoy helping you get dressed, I have to admit that undressing you is even more delicious." Kathryn slowly unbuttoned the red pajama top and slid her hands inside the silky fabric to run her hands across Seven's soft round breasts. She slid her hands up over Seven's shoulders to drop the fabric off her back and down her arms. As Seven stood still in front of her, Kathryn hooked her fingers inside the waistband of Seven's bottoms and slowly slid the fabric down her legs.

With both women standing nude beside the tub, it was Seven who put her arm around Kathryn's waist and pulled their bodies together. The skin-to-skin contact sent a jolt of electricity between them both.

"After you." Kathryn gestured for Seven to climb into the scented water. Once she had settled herself, Kathryn climbed in facing her.

Chapter Seventy-Six

Seven sat in the tub as Kathryn stood in front of her, positioning her face very close to the patch of auburn hair at the juncture of Kathryn's legs. She reached up with her right hand tentatively and brushed her fingertips lightly across the soft curls. Kathryn shivered in response, which made Seven smile.

"Are you going to sit down or continue to tease me with the proximity of your vagina to my mouth?" Seven looked up with a raised ocular implant.

Kathryn rolled her head back and laughed with the deep throaty tone that made Seven's hair stand on end. "Perhaps I am enjoying the teasing…"

Seven reached both arms around Kathryn and laced her fingers behind Kathryn's thighs. Before Kathryn realized it, Seven leaned forward and brushed the hair with the tip of her nose, before quickly darting the tip of her tongue between the soft folds. Seven held tight as Kathryn's knees literally buckled from the intensity of the contact.

"Perhaps you had better sit down Kathryn." Seven smiled smugly while Kathryn steadied herself with a hand to the wall beside the tub.

"I think you are right love." Kathryn stepped one foot over Seven's outstretched legs and sat down her lap, straddling her. Although the water was warm, it felt cool on her overheated flesh. She settled in and wrapped her ankles around Seven's waist as she brought their bodies close together.

Seven liked this position, since it put Kathryn's breasts at her mouth level. She did not waste any time taking a rosy nipple between her lips while rolling the other one between her fingers. She knew she was doing something right when Kathryn began to grind into her.

"Oh Seven, this feels so good." Kathryn closed her eyes and let her head roll backwards.

Seven thought she had never looked more beautiful. The sheer desire on Kathryn's face was something Seven had only seen glimpses of previously. Here in the tub, in the privacy of their quarters, Kathryn let her guard completely down and gave in to the needs of her body.

As the rate of Kathryn's grinding increased, Seven wondered if she was going to climax right in the tub. She knew it has been many years since Kathryn had been in a real relationship, so it was likely she had not been sexually fulfilled in a very long time. Listening to the soft moans escaping Kathryn's lips only made Seven more excited and anxious to make love with her.

Seven felt the throbbing begin between her own legs the more she watched Kathryn. She moved to Kathryn's other breast, taking the now hard nipple gently between her teeth.

"I think we need to move to the bedroom." Kathryn's voice was raspy as she drew in a deep breath. "I am afraid I will come right here if you keep touching me like this. I need to make love with you. Now."

Seven was surprised when Kathryn abruptly stood and climbed out of the tub. After grabbing a towel for herself, she held one out to Seven. "It is your turn darling." Kathryn purred seductively as Seven climbed over the tub edge. When she was out of the water, Kathryn began to catch the water droplets with the fluffy towel. When she felt Seven was dry enough to not be cold, she took her hand and led her to the bedroom.

"Computer, increase ambient temperature three percent" Kathryn walked over to the edge of the bed with her lover and stopped along the side. "As I said earlier, I plan to touch and taste you. I promise not to do anything you won't like and I will stop the minute you say to. I know this is basically your first time, so please tell me if I hurt you. Agreed?" Kathryn looked serious for a moment waiting for Seven's response.

"I trust you Kathryn. I know you will not hurt me." Seven kissed her again, their tongues coming together in an urgent tangle between lips and teeth.

"I want you now. I don't know how longer I can wait." Kathryn was breathless as she pulled back the covers and waited for Seven to lie down.

With Seven on her back, Kathryn crawled on top of her and pressed her knee between Seven's legs. She was glad to feel the evidence of Seven's excitement as she pressed her knee into the damp blonde hair. Supporting her weight on her arms, Kathryn lowered her mouth over a perfect peach nipple. After swirling her tongue around the hard tip, she moved to the other nipple and repeated the attention. Satisfied that both breasts had been equally lavished, Kathryn began to trail wet kisses between Seven's breasts and down her stomach.

She felt Seven tense a bit as she neared the top band of the abdominal implant. Kathryn could see the faint white scars that deeply lined the pink flesh around the metal pieces. Kathryn knew Seven would be worried about the implants so she spent the same amount of time with her fingers and lips tracing every edge and ridge. When she felt Seven relax under her touch, she felt it safe to continue.

Positioning her body between Seven's legs, Kathryn spread the creamy white thighs in front of her. She began by placing feather soft kisses on the tender skin near Seven's knees. Moving back and forth between each side, Kathryn slowly made her way toward the waiting pink lips. Seven was very wet, which made Kathryn feel better. The last thing she wanted was for Seven to be uncomfortable. With both hands, Kathryn parted Seven's lips to expose her engorged clit. Gently, with the tip of her index finger, Kathryn rubbed across the top of the nerve bundle.

"Oh Kathryn! Please you must continue. You cannot stop now. I need more. I need you to touch me more." Seven's pleas aroused Kathryn and spurred her on.

Still holding Seven's lips apart with one hand, Kathryn leaned forward to slide her tongue across the top of Seven's clit. The intensity of Seven's response surprised her as her lower body rose from the bed. She pressed on, this time with the flat of her tongue dipping into the warm center before trailing up to circle her lover's clit and back down again.

She could feel the trembling in Seven's thighs with each swipe of her tongue. Wanting to taste more of the beautiful woman, Kathryn pressed her tongue deeper inside Seven as she continued rubbing the side of the pink nerve bundle with her finger. Seven's legs quivered more, telling Kathryn that she was almost there.

"Darling, I want to put my finger inside you now. Are you ready my love?"

Seven was nearly panting, her need that intense. "Yes. Yes! I want to feel you inside me Kathryn. Please. Please fuck me!"

If Kathryn was surprised at Seven's profanity, she did not show it. Truth be told, she found it highly erotic. Slowly and gently she put the tip of her finger just inside the warm velvet entrance. With the utmost care, she slid her finger in and out gently. Seven was tight and Kathryn did not want to hurt her. When she looked up, she saw Seven's head rolling from side to side as she called out her name.

Kathryn was so focused on Seven's face that she did not realize Seven had moved her hand down to between her own legs. She felt Seven's hand on top of her own as she pushed Kathryn's finger deeper inside her walls.

"Sweetheart, I don't want to hurt you." Kathryn tried to pull back slightly but Seven held her hand firm.

"You are not hurting me. Please, you must not stop. I need to come. Continue. Harder and faster. Trust me Kathryn, I am fine."

Kathryn increased the tempo of her thrusting as she felt the muscles around her fingers clench. She knew it was close so she leaned forward and took Seven's whole clit in her mouth. Sucking gently in rhythm with her fingers, she felt the rush of wetness moments before Seven's orgasm hit.

Kathryn slowed her pace to bring her gently down the other side of the climax. When Seven's legs relaxed and fell to the side, Kathryn crawled up her body and pulled the navy sheet over them as she laid down on top of her.

Seven opened her eyes and smiled at the woman who made her see stars. "That was most exceptional. However, I believe it is your turn."

She gently traced the line of Kathryn's strong jaw before leaning forward to kiss her. When she pulled back, she looked hesitant.

"Seven, you do not have to do anything you are uncomfortable with. If you are tired, or want to wait, I will understand." Although Kathryn's libido was off the chart, she would have to rein in her desire if Seven was not ready.

"Do not mistake my hesitation for lack of desire Kathryn. I am merely concerned I will not be able to please you. I have the assimilated knowledge of thousands of people, but no practical sexual experience. You have been with other lovers before and are obviously very skilled at lovemaking. I fear I will not be able to satisfy you since it is my first time." Seven looked down, afraid to see the disappointment in Kathryn's eyes.

Kathryn tilted Seven's chin up so they were looking into each other's eyes. "Seven, please understand me when I say that you are putting too much pressure on yourself. Yes, I have had previous lovers. That is irrelevant. This is my first time too; my first time with you. What is important is that we love each other and learn what the other person likes. You will know just by watching and listening to me." Kathryn took Seven's hand and kissed her palm.

Seven decided the thought of watching Kathryn was appealing." When I observed you in the tub earlier, I found myself becoming aroused by watching how much my actions made your body respond. Is that a normal human reaction?"

"Yes, very much so. I know watching your orgasm almost made me climax myself right then. I cannot wait until you are ready to touch me the way I touched you."

Seven gave Kathryn a seductive smile as she sat upright. "You will not have to wait long."

Seven leaned back into the pillows with Kathryn on top of her. She raised her right knee to bring it up between Kathryn's legs. She could feel coarse auburn hair against her abdominal implant as she used the movement of her leg to push Kathryn higher up her torso.

"Kathryn, I believe you enjoyed the feeling of pressing your body into the ridges of my abdomen. Please straddle me so I can 'watch' your reactions as I grind my body into yours." Seven leaned her head back against the pillow and watched Kathryn reposition herself.

Seven thought the warmth between them was electric, but she was not prepared for the intense heat of Kathryn's body as she placed a leg on each side and lowered herself down. She reached up to take Kathryn by the hips as she lifted her torso and pressed in to Kathryn's center. When Kathryn closed her eyes and cupped her own breasts, Seven knew she was doing something very right.

Seven remembered how sensitive her own clit was under Kathryn's touch. Looking down at where their bodies joined, she could see the hint of the pink nerve bundle peeking out as Kathryn slid against her. With her right hand, Seven tentatively reached down to touch Kathryn.

"Yes Seven! That feels so good. Please touch me more? I need to feel your fingers on me." Kathryn's forehead and chest had a slight sheen as her temperature increased with each passing minute. Her respiration had intensified and her breath was becoming ragged. Seven was confident Kathryn would climax soon based on the increased speed of her grinding and how hard she was pressing into Seven's body.

Seven was becoming aroused again watching her lover's body pulsate and undulate against her. She continued her exploration with her finger and circled faster around the throbbing clit.

When Kathryn paused and leaned forward, Seven was momentarily confused. "Kathryn, why did you stop? Am I doing something incorrect?"

"Not at all darling. I just want to give you room so that you can touch me more. I am hoping you will slide your finger inside me. I am so wet and I want to feel you inside me." Kathryn licked her lips and raised one eyebrow.

"Oh yes Kathryn. I will gladly comply." Seven teased Kathryn's opening as she answered her. It felt warm and soft and very inviting. When Kathryn closed her eyes, Seven pushed deeper into her lover.

Kathryn began to rock forward and backwards against Seven's hand, essentially swallowing Seven's finger deep inside her. "Please Seven, I need another finger. I need two fingers inside me."

Seven added her middle finger deep inside Kathryn's velvety walls. She continued her pumping as Kathryn rode her hand harder and faster. Kathryn's compact breasts were swaying with each movement, and her eyes were closed. Seven thought she was stunning. She leaned forward and reached up with her left hand to capture Kathryn's right breast to bring the hard nipple to her mouth.

She could feel the tightening around her fingers as she sucked hard on Kathryn's nipple. When the walls began to pulsate, Seven bit down slightly on the nipple between her teeth as she thrust deeply into her lover.

The force of Kathryn's orgasm rendered her whole body spent. She folded forward against Seven and rested her forehead on Seven's shoulder. "That. Was. Amazing. Seven you were wonderful. That felt better than I could have imagined in any of my fantasies. Thank you for taking such good care of me." Kathryn drew in a deep breath before kissing Seven with the passion and desire she kept buried for six long years.

"Kathryn, I find myself aroused again just by watching you. You were so beautiful as you climaxed with me. I could feel it building around my fingers. It made me ache and throb. Now I understand why some people find as much satisfaction in pleasing their lover as they do receiving the pleasure in return. I want nothing more than to make you feel that way again."

Kathryn smiled at Seven's enthusiasm. 'You'd better start with some energy supplements Katie. You are going to need it to keep up with Seven…' The inner voice made Kathryn chuckle to herself.

"What do you find so amusing?" Seven eyed Kathryn curiously.

"I was just thinking that I will need to rest a bit before I can have another super nova experience like that. You have to remember that I am not as young as you are."

"Nor do you have my Borg stamina. I will let you rest, but then I plan to 'touch and taste' you as well."

Kathryn moved to lie down next to her young lover. "I am looking forward to it. Remember, there is no rush. We have all the time in the world. This is just the first night of many." She settled on her side and nestled in to the warm body of the woman she loved, amazed that she was going to fall asleep in Seven's arms after all these years.

Chapter Seventy-Seven

'Captain's personal log, stardate 54722.3. It is still early, but I have been awake for a while now. Even though I only had a few hours of sleep, I feel more refreshed than I have been in years. It amazes me how easily I was able to fall asleep in Seven's arms. It was even more thrilling to wake up in her arms, if for no other reason than to confirm this is not all a fantasy. I have spent too many nights dreaming about Seven, only to awaken alone again.

As I look into the other room, Seven is still sleeping. Her long blonde hair is mussed and splayed out across the pillows. She would feel it is beneath her standards of perfection, but I find it stunning. Everything about Seven gives me a feeling of love and fulfillment. Looking back now, I do not know how I was able to exist in my self-imposed solitude. Seven completes me, which I now know will make me a better captain and friend to my Voyager family.

Today we will break orbit and resume our course toward the Alpha Quadrant. I will admit to a bit of trepidation, not knowing how the crew will react to Seven and me as a couple. From what I can tell, this will not be a surprise to many. Even young Naomi Wildman told me she knew we loved each other. For the first time, I am truly excited for our future and the prospect of building a life together as we continue this journey home.

"Computer end log. Encryption code Janeway-theta-five-two-four."

Kathryn did not want to wake Seven just yet, but she did want to confirm the senior staff meeting. Soon they would have to get underway and she wanted to check in with each department before breaking orbit. She was getting ready to send a message to the staff when her stomach rumbled. After last night, it was not surprising she had worked up an appetite. She decided a change of location was in order.

Senior Staff,

Please join me in the messhall for breakfast at 0900 hours. We can have out staff meeting there before breaking orbit at 1100 hours.

Thank you,

Captain Janeway

Kathryn hit send and closed the monitor before quietly returning to her bedroom and the sleeping woman in her bed. She stood for a moment in the doorway, watching Seven's respiration as she slept peacefully. Kathryn had never known Seven to really 'sleep' even though the doctor had encouraged it for some time now. With Seven lying on her stomach, the navy blue sheet gathered around her waist and tangled between her long legs.

Kathryn moved to the side of the bed and gently sat beside her beloved. When she brushed a stray tendril of hair out of Seven's face, she heard Seven mumble slightly.

"Mmmm so good. Yes, right there…"

Kathryn felt her cheeks flush realizing that Seven was dreaming about last night. She stood and slipped out of her robe before sliding back in to bed next to Seven.

Feeling the weight on the mattress change woke Seven enough to reach over and drape her arm across Kathryn's stomach. The warm skin under her fingers and the smell of Kathryn's bath oil registered with her enhanced senses. Seven snuggled closer to the petite body beside her and slowly began to trail her fingertips around the curve of Kathryn's breast.

"Good morning, my love" Kathryn smiled at the woman who still took her breath away.

Seven propped herself up on her right elbow and bent over to take a rosy nipple between her lips. "Mmmm" She hummed slightly as her tongue swirled around the taught flesh.

"You know, you were talking in your sleep a moment ago. 'Yes, right there…'" Kathryn repeated Sevens words and inflection as she tangled her hands in the loose blonde locks.

"Borgs do not 'talk in our sleep' Kathryn." Seven had a mock display of irritation, before flashing Kathryn a wide smile.

"Very well, but I found it very sweet. It tells me that you enjoyed our evening together."

Seven climbed up on all fours and hovered over Kathryn. She lowered herself slowly until their bodies were again pressed together with Seven's left leg snugly between both of Kathryn's. As she rocked forward slightly, Kathryn arched her back at the sublime friction generated.

Seven licked her bottom lip watching Kathryn's facial expression soften and her eyes close. "I am confident I can ensure you enjoy your morning equally as much as the evening."

"Oh I have no doubt Seven. However, we have a staff meeting at 0900. We need to shower and get dressed before meeting everyone in the messhall." As much as Kathryn did not want to leave their bed, she knew she needed to get a hold of her desires and focus her attention on something besides Seven's skillful fingers.

"Kathryn, we still have forty-seven minutes. Is that not enough time to bring you to another orgasm?"

Kathryn put both hands behind Seven's neck and pulled her into a searing kiss. "With you darling, I do not think that is anywhere near enough time. Remember, we have the rest of our lives."

Begrudgingly Kathryn slid out from under Seven and sat on the side of the bed. "Join me in the shower?" Without waiting for an answer, she strode off to the bathroom.

"I will join you in a moment Kathryn. I have one thing to attend to first."

Naomi heard the chirp of her workstation monitor across the room. Since Seven was the only person who sent her messages, she quickly crossed the space to her desk and called up the entry. It was addressed to both her and her mother.

Samantha & Naomi,

Captain Janeway has called for a staff meeting in the messhall at 0900 hours. I would appreciate it if you could "coincidentally" be having breakfast at that time. I think you will want to be there. And Naomi… please bring that item we were working on together. I will motion for you when I am ready. Thank you both for your love and support.

Seven

Naomi closed the message and went to wake her mother. It was going to be an exciting morning.

Chapter Seventy-Eight

Kathryn and Seven approached the messhall doors, hand in hand. There was nobody in the corridor and they both wanted the comfort and security of these last few minutes before facing their crewmates. While Seven was confident in the acceptance of their relationship, Kathryn did not have the same feeling. She did not realize that so many of them already knew they were a couple.

Neelix got word that the staff meeting had moved, so he already had a few tables pushed together and a carafe of piping hot coffee waiting. There was a sense of excitement in the air as many of the senior staff had arrived early and started breakfast.

For the most part, the crew had taken seats in the same positions they would have around the conference table. Tuvok was on one side of the table enjoying a cup of Vulcan mocha while B'Elanna finished her Raktajino. Neelix brought her second plate of banana pancakes as Harry sat down across from her. Tom sat next to his wife, surprised that she was eating so much after complaining of nausea just an hour ago. The EMH was nearby and Chakotay sat focused on a PADD in his hand, completely unaware of the underlying anticipation of those around the table.

When the doors to the messhall parted, all eyes were on Kathryn and Seven as they entered the room. Kathryn had intended to drop Seven's hand as they walked in, but last-minute could not do it. They paused inside the doorway when they realized that the room was much fuller than normal. "Ready for this darling?" Kathryn gave Seven's hand a reassuring squeeze as they approached the large table.

It was Tom who stood first, starting a slow round of applause. One by one, the others at the table and around the room joined in. Chakotay looked confused, but stood and curiously watched the happy faces of everyone around him.

"Aunt Kate. Seven. You figured it out!" Naomi ran into Seven's arms from the left side of the room. Seven easily scooped up her young friend and hugged her tightly. When Seven deposited the girl back on the deck, she smiled shyly up at Kathryn. "I'm sorry Captain; I should not have called you 'Aunt Kate' in front of the crew."

Kathryn let out a hearty laugh, which set everyone at ease. "It's okay sweetheart, we are all family here."

Kathryn and Seven approached the table as Tom held out a chair for each of them. Kathryn did a bit of a double-take and then looked at Tuvok skeptically. "Mr. Paris, I see you were sprung from the brig a bit early. I presume your little display yesterday was all part of Seven's plan?"

Tom smiled and nodded. "Yes Captain. They were some of my best performances."

"They? You mean your little drama in Sandrines and the messhall were both a rouse? Who else…?" When Kathryn trained her gaze on Harry, he blushed two shades. "You too, Harry?"

"Kathryn, I feel compelled to tell you that many of the senior staff assisted me with my preparations for your surprise yesterday. I could have pulled off my plans without the help of our extended Voyager family." Tuvok moved over one seat so Seven could sit to Kathryn's left, with nobody questioning her change of seating. Kathryn was, of course, at the head of the table.

"Okay everyone, let's settle down. We have a lot to review before we leave this system." Kathryn reached for a silver mug and poured herself a cup of coffee. "Commander Chakotay, I'm sure you had a lot going on these last few days. I will plan to meet with you later for a full debriefing. For now, I want to hear from engineering. B'Elanna?"

"Captain, I think it is safe to say that we are all invested in the outcome of Seven's surprise yesterday. Are you going to tell us? We saw you holding hands when you came in. Is the 'cat out of the bag' finally?" B'Elanna raised her bushy eyebrows in a subtle challenge.

Kathryn looked over to Seven and smiled. "I knew it!" Tom's exclamation from the other end of the table surprised the assembled group. Chakotay looked up from his PADD, trying to figure out what all the commotion was about as he picked up his cup of tea.

"Okay everybody. Clearly we are not going to move on to the business of running this ship until you all know if your matchmaking was successful." Kathryn reached over and took Seven's hand.

The smiles and congratulations were interrupted by Chakotay coughing and spewing coffee into his lap. "What? When? How come I am the last to know?"

Tuvok handed a napkin to the first officer, his Vulcan training the only thing that kept his exasperation with his senior officer from showing on his dark features.

Seven looked over her shoulder to Naomi and Samantha's table and gave her a wink. She approached Seven and quietly put a small green box on Seven's lap before returning to her own table.

When Seven stood, all eyes were on her. Kathryn looked at her with a curious expression, not knowing how much more personal information she was going to share.

She moved to stand beside Kathryn, causing Kathryn to scoot her chair back from the table slightly. When she took Kathryn's hand and knelt in front of her, the room went silent.

"Kathryn, on Stardate 51003 you forcibly severed me from the only life I knew. At the time I had no idea it would be the best thing that ever happened to me. You gave me my life back. While I was eventually grateful for the decision you made, there has always been something missing. This crew, this collective, has made me one of their own in spite of the walls I put up. You were the only one who knew how to get behind those walls. I believe this is because you had walls of your own that protected your heart. As I kneel before you today, I am happy that both of our walls have crumbled. You have seen the woman behind the frightened former drone. You have opened my heart and let me in to yours. I cannot imagine spending another day denying my love for you. I have promised to be with you always, under any circumstance. My research into Earth customs leads me to the only logical step. I am asking for your hand in marriage. I want to formally and legally join our lives together as we work to bring our family home. I know with you by my side, I can face anything. Here, in front our family and friends, will you make me the happiest woman in the universe? Will you be my wife?"

Seven slowly opened the green box to reveal a ring adorned with two green stones flanking a bright white diamond.

Kathryn was speechless. Her eyes welled up as she reached down to caress Seven's cheek. "Oh my darling, you are my best friend and my love. I would like nothing more than to be your wife."

Seven smiled and wiped the tear that had rolled slowly down her cheek. She removed the ring from the box and slid it Kathryn's left ring finger before standing and taking her fiancée in her arms.

"Kiss her Aunt Kate!" Naomi's young voice floated above the tears and sniffles from many assembled around them. Kathryn wasted no time bringing Seven's lips to hers in their first kiss as a betrothed couple.

B'Elanna jabbed her husband in the ribs to draw his attention away from the two most beautiful women on the ship. "See flyboy, THAT is how you kiss a woman!"

The assembled group broke out in laughter, with the exception of Tuvok and Chakotay.

As Seven slowly pulled away from the soft wine colored lips, she smiled at Kathryn with a bit of a gleam in her eye. "Kathryn, I believe we discussed parameters for 'kissing while on duty.' You should exercise caution, or else Commander Tuvok may put you on report."

Kathryn threw her head back with a deep laugh. She looked over her shoulder at the dark-skinned Vulcan and raised her eyebrow defiantly. "Being the Captain does have its perks, although I promise not to make a habit of it."

"Indeed, Captain. See that you do." It was only Tuvok's likewise raised eyebrow that hinted to the humor in his response. Tuvok picked up his cup and tapped the side with a nearby spoon. Once he had the attention of those in the room, he offered his congratulations and wisdom.

"Kathryn and Seven. I have been honored to watch your relationship grow over these several years. You are both my friends as well as crewmates. I consider myself fortunate to have been part of this journey with you and I look forward to the many years of happiness your union will bring you and your family around you by extension." He held up his cup and gestured to those around the room. "Please join me in raising a glass to Kathryn and Seven."

"To Kathryn and Seven." The reply from those in the room was in unison.

When Tuvok took his seat, Kathryn reached over and took his hand. "Thank you my friend. I literally could not have gotten through this without you." She didn't try to fight the tears and let them fall freely in front of Tuvok and the rest of her crew. To her surprise, she watched a solitary tear slowly escape Tuvok's eye as well.

B'Elanna saw this intimate exchange and went to divert the attention away from her friends. She went over to stand beside Kathryn and took her hand. "Geez, take a look at that ring! Seven, you have outdone yourself. Where did those stones come from?"

Seven smiled and called Naomi over to stand beside her. "I was lucky enough to have consultation from the Captain's Assistant. Together we harvested the metal from one of my scapular clamps and added two green stones from another of my implants. Earth custom dictates a diamond, so I added that to the center. The two green stones represent the past and the future, as well as the two years we have loved each other from afar. The two stones are the foundation of the center stone, representing the joining of our lives together."

Kathryn reached over and took Naomi's hand. "It is absolute perfection. Thank you for helping Seven create this masterpiece. I will treasure it forever."

Kathryn stood at the head of the table and addressed the crew at the table and around the room. "I am humbled by the love and support of this family. For years I thought that I needed to be alone on this journey. I did not think I deserved love and happiness, since it was my decision to strand us all so many years from our homes and families. I beat myself up for that for a long time and held myself away from you all. It took the persistence and love of a few close friends to make me realize that I could be a better captain, and a better friend, if I stopped punishing myself. Seven helped me realize that, and taught me to love myself again as I admitted my love for her. The fact that she loves me as much as I love her is a miracle in my mind. I am also grateful for each and every one of you. I am excited and hopeful for our future and am looking forward to getting to know you better on this journey as we work together to bring Voyager home."

"To the journey!" Harry held up his glass in a salute.

"To our family" Samantha added her glass to the salute.

"To the greatest wedding reception in the quadrant" Neelix chimed in from behind the kitchen counter.

"To Captain Janeway" Seven beamed at the woman she loved. The simple statement said it all.

Epilogue

'Admiral's personal log, stardate 60105.7. I can't believe it has been five years since Voyager returned from the Delta Quadrant. Each anniversary I am reminded of the sacrifice of the 'other' Admiral Janeway and how she worked to bring her crew – our crew – home safely. In her timeline, she was denied the happiness that I have found with Seven and our life together. She gave up absolutely everything to make things right so that she, or rather I, could find the happiness she denied herself. I thank her every morning when I wake up next to Seven.'

Kathryn stopped the recording to brush away a tear with the back of her hand.

'I am grateful she got to see Seven and I together and knew our lives would continue safely back home in the Alpha Quadrant. Thank you again Admiral, from the bottom of my heart.'

Kathryn ended the entry and secured it with her other personal logs. She collected her PADDs and left her San Francisco office for the main transporter room. At the other end, there would be a hovercraft waiting for her outside the station in Bloomington. She needed to hurry to get home before the party started without her.

---

Seven felt awkward and clumsy as she pulled the mattresses into the center of the farmhouse living room. She had moved the furniture to the side, with Gretchen and Samantha's help. Gretchen fussed over her, as a mother tended to do with a pregnant daughter.

In the kitchen, Naomi helped Erin wash her hands in grandma's farmhouse kitchen sink. Her three-year old fingers were still chubby; not long and elegant like Mama Kate's. At eleven years old, Naomi was tall for her age so holding the toddler up to the sink was not hard.

Gretchen came in to the kitchen to stand next to her granddaughter at the sink. "Erin Gretchen Hansen-Janeway, those cupcakes were for Miral's fifth birthday party. You were not supposed to eat one until tonight." Erin only smiled up at her grandma with blue eyes that matched Seven's, while her 'big-sister' pulled a towel out of the drawer to dry the little girl's hands.

Gretchen heard a knock on the screen door and went to let in B'Elanna and the kids. They were all meeting at the Janeway farm a day ahead of the Voyager reunion to have a birthday slumber party for Miral. The precocious little girl was not necessarily happy to share her party with her little brother, but tolerated him to make her father happy. She had always been a daddy's girl, even after Michael Owen was born three years ago.

Seven's enhanced hearing alerted her to the landing struts making contact with the grassy field behind the farmhouse. "Erin, your mother is home."

Within a minute, the three girls met Kathryn as the screen door. "Aunt Kate, you are home. I am so happy to see you." Naomi threw herself into Kathryn's open arms. Kathryn looked down and saw Miral's toothless smile as she too held her arms open for a big hug.

Erin was not one to be left out; the toddler pushing her way past the older girls to get to her mother. "Mama…"

Kathryn scooped up the strawberry blonde and crossed the room to her pregnant wife. "Hello my love. How are you and the babies doing today?" Kathryn rubbed her hand lovingly across Seven's expanded abdomen.

"I fear your son is doing push-ups on one side while your daughter keeps punching my abdominal wall." Seven smiled weakly as she took another small foot to the ribs. "I am glad you are home to help supervise this slumber party. The impending arrival of our children has drained even my Borg stamina."

Kathryn leaned in to her wife and whispered quietly. "I seem to remember a few other things that can drain that stamina. Maybe we can find time to sneak away later."

Seven blushed slightly, catching Gretchen's attention nearby.

"Now Kathryn…" Gretchen held up a finger to chastise her daughter. "Seven needs rest. Don't go getting any randy ideas."

"I have no idea what you are talking about Mother…" Kathryn swatted Seven's behind at getting them caught. "Now I had better help these kids get ready for a pillow fight or two."

Kathryn turned to survey the room and smiled at the mattresses laid out between the furniture. "Naomi, I see we got you a few mattresses to jump on. Please be careful this time. The doctor would not let me hear the end of it if you hurt your ankle the way you did back on Voyager."

"I won't Aunt Kate. I have waited a long time for a slumber party with real kids. The only thing that will make it better is if you jump on the beds with us." Naomi smiled and arched her eyebrows. The Ktarian forehead ridges rising too as the dimples appeared in her cheeks.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world. I promised you a long time ago I would show you how an expert does it."

Seven smiled as Gretchen came to stand beside her with her arm around her waist. They both watched as Kathryn removed her uniform tunic and rank and deposited her boots nearby. The Admiral was off duty now so that Mama Kate could play with the brood.

The kids took a hold of Kathryn's hands as she bounced from one mattress to another. Seven thought her wife looked happy and carefree as her eyes shone and her hair flew around her shoulders as she bounced with the children.

Seven's back ached so she moved to the far side of the room and sat on the well-worn leather couch. She positioned the throw pillows around her as she struggled to get comfortable. Soon Kathryn joined her as she took a break from the merriment of a fierce pillow fight.

"Miral and Erin are ganging up on Naomi." Kathryn laughed at the two younger girls trying to get the best of their older friend. "Poor Michael, he is trying so hard to keep his balance."

Seven was enjoying watching her favorite young people experience their first slumber party. In the years since they had been home, there had been so many things going on that this party was a long time coming.

"Kathryn, I want to talk to you about the babies. We need to come up with names soon. They will be here before we know it. I know we do not talk about the Admiral often, but she is heavy on my mind today. It must be the anniversary party tomorrow that is doing it. I can't help but remember everything she sacrificed to bring our family home. Without her we would not be here watching the kids play or preparing for the twins' arrival."

Kathryn's eyes welled up for the second time today. "She is on my mind today too. I feel selfish sometimes; since I get to live the life she was denied."

Seven took her wife's hand and kissed the pulse point on her wrist. "I know how we can honor her. I want to name our daughter 'Elizabeth.' I know you do not want to name her after you, but she should have at least one of Kathryn Elizabeth Janeway's names. For her middle name, I would like to suggest 'Naomi.'"

Kathryn reached over and hugged her wife. "I think Elizabeth Naomi Hansen-Janeway is perfect. Now what about her brother? I was thinking 'Magnus Reginald Hansen-Janeway.' What do you think?"

Seven pondered for a minute before responding. "Kathryn, I think 'Reginald' is a fine name, especially since Reg Barclay was instrumental in bringing us home. If you really want that, I will comply. However, I thought it would be more fitting to have both of our fathers' names included. I would prefer to call our son 'Edward Magnus Hansen-Janeway' if you are agreeable."

Kathryn's heart swelled, knowing that Seven wanted their son to carry her father's name. "I think it is perfect Seven. All three kids will all have the same first initial." She leaned over and softly talked to Seven's round stomach. "Hello Edward and Elizabeth, it is your mother. I can't wait to meet you."

Seven laughed when one of the babies kicked her soundly. "I think they are anxious to meet us too."

They settled back into the cushions and laced their hands together on top of Seven's stomach.

"Kathryn, do you ever wonder what would have happened if you had not insisted on that 'slumber party' away mission? Do you think we would have admitted our feelings and married eventually?"

Kathryn rested her head on Seven's shoulder. "Darling, I have no doubt we would have found our way into each other's hearts. Our love is so strong and our lives destined to be intertwined that nothing in the universe could have prevented it."

Kathryn reached up with her right hand to caress Seven's cheek before tilting her chin up to meet her wife's soft lips with her own.

Across the room, B'Elanna and Samantha just smiled at the two women who beat so many obstacles to spend the rest of their lives together.

---

Thank you to everyone for the compliments and feedback along this journey into writing. Hopefully this final installment will be worth the wait. A special thank you to my beta readers who put up with my questions and kept me on track. Hopefully this will be the first of many Janeway & Seven stories in my future...

See the cover artwork and more from my Janeway & Seven ship in song series on my Pinterest page

dlaswrites/janeway-seven-j7-voyager-women/