Watching Over Sleeping Beauty
"Good evening captain," Seven of Nine says to the unresponsive form. It is the last stop of her check of the stasis pods systems. Each one individually scanned, monitored and if required repaired.
"I feel foolish speaking to you when you obviously can't respond," Seven tells the Captain's sleeping form. "Yet I find it comforting to do so."
"You will be pleased to know I have recorded several gigaquads of data on the nebula, perhaps we will find a better solution if we encounter this phenomenon in the future. The Doctor is also researching possibilities."
Seven had finished her checks, there is no reason to linger yet she stays.
"I am finding adapting to being alone difficult," Seven explains. "Spending time with the doctor helps but only slightly. Tell me is loneliness the reason you watch me regenerate?"
The captain's face remained unresponsive.
"I am aware of your presence when you visit my alcove," Seven explained. "I find it comforting but I wonder why you do it?"
The captain of course doesn't respond.
"Is it because you see me as one thing that justifies you stranding your crew in the delta quadrant?" Seven wonders. "If only I had the courage to really ask you, Perhaps..?"
Seven stays for half an hour more just watching until her comm badge chirps.
"Doctor?" she answers as she takes one last look at the captains sleeping form.
"Goodnight Kathryn Sweet Dreams."
"Computer locate Captain Janeway," Seven demands of Voyagers internal systems.
"Captain Janeway is in her quarters," comes the familiar electronic reply.
"This makes the ninth day she hasn't come out," Seven says to herself. "Computer what is the Captain's current status?"
"The captain is currently asleep."
00:30 hours, Seven had been cataloguing data from before she arrived on voyager. This region of space was boring, no wonder the Borg had decided to bypass it. If the void had affected Captain Janeway this way there was no telling what it would do to the collective's hive mind? Seven followed the path that had become familiar to her the past few nights. She finds herself in front of the doorway to the captain's quarters.
"Why are you doing this to yourself?" Seven asked the closed doorway. "Isn't this why ships are equipped with holodecks? If there is nothing to explore out there explore a holonovel. Assist me with interpreting the data voyager has collected. You call yourself a scientist act like one."
As Seven suspected there was no reply.
"I do not understand why you are doing this. Do the things you have discovered, the civilisations you have met and the opportunities and challenges the crew have met mean nothing to you? Do I mean nothing to you?"
Seven knew the questions would remain unanswered. She knew that it was because the crew meant everything to Kathryn Janeway that she let the guilt eat away at her.
"You will return them all to their families one day," Seven whispered at the door. "I have no doubt."
Seven of Nine maintained her vigil for another hour. Every second she cursed the void that had taken the light of exploration from Kathryn's eyes.
Seven wished she could go watch over the captain's sleeping form. She put the thought out of her mind. She would just have to be content with saving the ship from the cosmozoan creature. Naomi Wildman waited patiently nearby. If only waking the captain was as easy as the events in the fairy tale they had read together the previous week. Seven had been surprised there were so many similar tales that followed the sleeping beauty theme in the ship's database. She had eventually decided to read Naomi the Andorian Version. A humble shen tunnel excavator discovered an Anaer zhen imprisoned in the ice. A light touch of their attenae thawed the zhen. They went on to further adventures that eventually introduced the thaan and chaan that completed their mating quartet. And of course a happily ever after with eight children, two of each Andorian gender. The similarities of shens and zhens to females in two gendered species had got Seven considering her feelings for the captain. Why she liked the captain watching her regeneration cycle and why she herself watched over the captain, no Kathryn while she slept. The Borg had documented irrelevant romantic bonds that did not conform to the need to procreate in 80 percent of species assimilated. For now though it doesn't matter. Seven, Naomi, the Doctor and their new alien ally have a crew and a ship to save.
For once Seven is actually sitting down. On a biobed next to the one the captain is resting in. She read the padd detailing the Doctor's latest nanoprobe research while talking to the captains sleeping form.
"Crewman Celes has experienced a confidence boost after your away mission," Seven said. "Her equations still need to be checked but she has made several suggestions that will improve astrometric's efficiency and requested a spot on the next planetary survey."
Seven marks a section she needs to go over in further detail with the Doctor.
"According to the ship's gossip network the others have also benefited from the away mission."
Sighing Seven shuts down the padd.
"I haven't been this scared since you confronted the borg queen to save me," Seven stands to leave. "When you recover please return to watching over my regeneration cycle. Your presence is the only thing that prevents it from being interrupted."
Bloomington, Indiana is as peaceful as Seven had expected it to be. What she hadn't expected was the replicated telescope based on the design by Galileo that Kathryn Janeway had given her after the wonderful home cooked dinner. Apparently it was the anniversary of the first time Seven had told the captain, now admiral, thank you. While it lacked the resolution of the astrometric sensors Seven was making federation standard, she had been eager to use it. She had looked at Saturn's Rings, Jupiter and it's larger moons and Lake Armstrong on Luna looked wonderful. And Kathryn had fallen asleep on Seven's shoulder fifteen minutes ago.
"I will treasure this moment for the rest of my life," Seven says. "It is more perfect than an omega molecule and has made me come to a decision."
Seven watches for a bit thinking how cute Kathryn Janeway looks in civilian clothes, although Seven's thoughts eventual turned to how handsome the woman looked in her Starfleet uniform.
"I have been a fool Kathryn. I had based my intimate relationships on my lack of courage. I chose Chakotay merely because of the fact he was first to use my human name and the only relationship I had previously was in unimatrix zero. But being here like this...tomorrow morning I will tell you I have been aware of your habit of of watching me regenerate. I will explain how this makes me feel and invite you to explore these feelings with me. I know you will need time to think about it, but as I told you I am going to Ktaris to visit Naomi and Gres six. No matter what your answer I hope you still come to the symposium on gamma quadrant stellar phenomena on Deep Space Nine. If your answer is yes though, well I've heard some interesting things about Quark's Bar, Grill and Embassy, it would make a memorable first date."
Seven lifts the smaller woman in her arms and carries her back into the Janeway family home.