Stardate 53598
Summary: Inspired by the dialogue between Janeway and Seven at the end of "The Voyager Conspiracy".
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Pairings: J7
Author's Notes: I have embraced the fact that I am J7 trash.
Stardate 51030. Seven of Nine is severed from the hive mind. The Captain tells her not to resist, that she'll learn to accept her humanity. Seven complies, and slowly begins to embrace her individuality. Does she regret that decision? Seven has told the Captain that no, she does not regret that in the slightest.
Stardate 51652. The Captain encourages Seven to develop her social skills. Seven insists it's a waste of time, but after further requests she pursues it, and begins to develop her first human friendships. Did Janeway lead her astray? Seven has concluded that the answer is a resounding "no".
Stardate 52619.2. The Captain orders Voyager to rescue Seven of Nine after she was coerced into returning to the Borg Collective. She personally arrives in the Borg Queen's chamber to retrieve Seven. Why did Janeway do such a thing after Seven appeared, for all intents and purposes, to deceive and betray her?
Stardate 52840. The Captain orders Seven to study her parents' journals. Seven claims they're irrelevant, but eventually she reads them and rediscovers part of her own past.
Stardate 52842. They had just finished breakfast. For the first time, Seven tells the Captain "thank you". Later, Captain Janeway will mistakenly remember the stardate as 58241. Seven, having carefully analyzed the Captain's behavioral patterns ever since 51030, believes that this incidence of misremembering on the Captain's part was false and that she deliberately made the error in order to cause Seven to recall the correct stardate.
Stardate 53329. Janeway beams aboard the Delta Flyer. She reminds Seven of the bond that's grown between them. Seven lowers the force field and she decides to come home. Janeway asks, in an uncommonly gentle voice, for Seven to trust her again. When she sits down, Seven wonders if the Captain will reach for her physically as she has so many times before. For unknown but likely irrational reasons, Seven is disappointed when this does not occur.
Stardate 53580. Seven of Nine writes "fan mail" to the Emergency Medical Hologram, commonly referred to as "the Doctor", expressing her gratitude for his tutelage and his decision to remain on board Voyager.
Stardate 53582. Seven of Nine comes to the realization that she has never offered such a gesture to any other crewmembers. This realization is irrelevant except to two occupants of Voyager who have had a similarly powerful effect on her: Naomi Wildman and Captain Janeway.
Stardate 53583. Seven of Nine considers the proper method of thanking the Captain for all that she has done to help Seven accept her humanity and grow as an individual. She discusses this with the Doctor. He has a few interesting ideas, but Seven concludes that a bag of the Captain's favorite coffee—despite Janeway's bizarre obsession with the bitter, deeply un-enjoyable beverage, when caffeine supplements in hypospray form would be more efficient—would be insufficient. This gesture must encompass thanks for several rescue missions, a willingness to offer advice (that is frequently helpful, even kind), and continued trust.
Stardate 53584.4. Seven of Nine continues to ponder the proper way to express her gratitude to the Captain. She discusses the issue with Naomi Wildman between games of kadis-kot. During the conversation, Seven of Nine reiterates that Naomi Wildman feels like a member of her family, considering this to be an adequate expression of her feelings toward the child. When Seven mentions how Captain Janeway frequently initiates comforting physical contact (even though at times, Seven considers "comfort" to be irrelevant), Naomi Wildman has a suggestion that startles Seven: has she given Captain Janeway a hug?
Stardate 53584.9. Seven of Nine tests Naomi Wildman's hypothesis that a hug—brief physical contact, given just as often disingenuously as it is out of genuine affection—is the appropriate way to thank Captain Janeway for her guidance. She does this through use of a holodeck program.
The holodeck Janeway is nearly indistinguishable from the real one. Seven does not think of her as short, but her head only comes up to Seven's shoulder, and her hands, fingers linked behind Seven's back, are small. The texture of her hair is both coarse and soft beneath Seven's chin. The scent of her—hair, skin, and her well-worn uniform—is pleasantly organic, overlaid with that low note of black coffee (Sumatra blend) that permeates the cloth of whatever she wears. When Janeway laughs, Seven can feel the sonic vibrations rumbling through her chest cavity.
Seven of Nine thinks of the platonic kiss she gave the Doctor (Stardate 53108.7) and wonders again if an embrace is sufficient. As the closeness between herself and Janeway's simulated body causes memory of every little touch of Janeway's hand on her arm or her shoulder to return in a rush, she concludes that such a gesture does not accurately represent her feelings for the Captain.
She begins to wonder why the Doctor taught her to interact only with romantically with men, as it is certainly conceivable that women might enjoy romantic interactions with people of a gender other than male.
Stardate 53590. Seven of Nine has returned several times to the holodeck to interact with the recreation of Janeway. Each time she has given a small, platonic kiss to the holographic captain's face (her cheek, or her forehead). Each time Janeway has laughed good-naturedly and thanked Seven, giving her shoulder another one of her small, comforting touches. Seven remembers how she felt when she caught the Doctor daydreaming about looking at her unclothed body for the purpose of painting her. Her holographic Janeway is fully clothed and Seven, despite the tangle of unfamiliar emotions Seven feels barely capable of unraveling, believes her intentions are not nearly so prurient. Even though it is on this stardate that, for the first time, she requests that the holographic Janeway kiss her deep on the lips.
Captain Janeway protests, saying that it would be inappropriate of her to engage in such a relationship with a subordinate. Seven dismisses this as irrelevant. She tells the Captain that she is sufficiently mature to maintain a romantic relationship with Seven without it compromising her command decisions. In fact, many of the Captain's command decisions have already been emotionally charged, motivated by the desire to protect Seven.
The Captain laughs softly and accedes.
Stardate 53598. Seven of Nine has spent so much time on the holodeck that the Captain calls her to her ready room. Seven considers fabricating a story about doing theoretical work for Astrometrics, but when she attempts to lie, the truth tumbles out. This includes the fact—it comes out more like an accusation—that the Captain's command decisions have, in the past, been motivated by the bond she shares with Seven. The truth, in its entirety, also includes the fact that Seven has kissed a holographic version of Janeway multiple times.
The hologram was, Seven determines later, not an adequate substitute for the real Janeway. In the holodeck, Seven never lost track of the precise measurements her Borg implants are capable of obtain. This time, Seven loses track of the exact amount of pressure the Captain applies to her lips. But she is gentle. After much analysis, Seven cannot measure gentleness in newtons per square meter, but she wants to experience more.
Stardate 53598.1. For the first time, Seven tells the Captain "I love you". Does Janeway say it back?
She does.
A/N: I just find the idea of Naomi suggesting that Seven hug Janeway unbearably cute.