Chapter Four

"That's a nice coat you've got there, Captain." B'Elanna commented as they flew through space towards the planet. "I didn't see those in the database."

Kathryn smirked. "That's because it was made for me by the S'Terrans."

She opened the coat to show them the inside, then astonished them by pulling out a short sword from one of the dimensional pockets.

"Wha..How..." B'Elanna looked flabbergasted.

Buffy just sat back and watched. Over the last few months, she had become great friends with the women in this ship, even though they didn't know that soon, they would be part of the mate group. The draw that she was feeling towards B'Elanna and Seven of Nine was like a tugging low in her belly, and she knew that it had to be more intense for Kathryn. At the same time, she knew that Faith and Willow were drawn to Laren in the same way.

"They are called dimensional pockets." Seven told her from her seat at the science station. "Folded pockets of space used to store items."

"Now, that is cool!" B'Elanna exclaimed. "Are we all getting one?"

All eyes turned to Buffy, who shrugged. "Gotta ask Will. I don't make them. Excuse us. I need to talk to my lady."

B'Elanna and Laren smirked at each as the door closed behind them. "I need someone like that."

"I thought you were dating Tom Paris." Laren responded. "That's not going well?"

"Caught him with Crewman Tolger." B'Elanna spit out. "He tried to give me some bull about his Captain Proton simulation. I'm done with him. Better to end it now than kill them both and end up in the brig for the rest of the trip."

"Well, that's true." Laren smirked. She turned to their companion. "You reading anything, Seven?"

"I am not." Seven answered. "There are no signs of Borg other than the fading transwarp signatures of the crashed vessel. We will soon be in range to do an in depth scan of the wreckage."

"So, when are you going to make your move?" Buffy asked after the aft door closed, blocking them from the others. "Seeing her in those body suits all day long is driving me nuts."

"Soon." Kathryn admitted. "Being near her is trying to me as well. Now that I've decided to accept my feelings for her, it's taking all of my control not to push her up against her console and break that Borg stoicism."

Moving before Kathryn could react, Buffy cupped her ass and pulled their bodies together, swallowing her protest in a kiss that curled her toes. Kathryn resisted for all of a complete heartbeat before her own suppressed need flared through her and she clenched Buffy's shimmering hair in her fists and took control of the kiss.

'Buffy...' Kathryn tried to rein them in.

'Your need is my need, N'mina.' Buffy interrupted her, using her knee to separate her mate's thighs. 'You can not expect me not to see to your needs while we have the opportunity. That is asking too much.'

'The others...'

'Can't hear us.' Buffy pushed her hand between their bodies to press her fingers against the hard ridge of her lover's clit.

'Oh, God.' Kathryn threw her head back, breaking the kiss and panting harshly. 'S-s-seven...'

'Will get used to it.' Buffy interrupted again. She pressed her fingers further down, and Kathryn moaned as she felt the fabric of her trousers press inside of her, blocking the feel of skin on skin that she needed. Right now.

"Liz." Kathryn moaned. She grabbed the Prime's hand and dragged it up to her waistband. "Honey, please."

"Yes!" Buffy purred, slipping her hand inside of Kathryn's pants and moving directly between quivering thighs. Using her thumb to stroke the hard nubbin, she pressed her fingers into her mate's body, closing her eyes in hedonistic pleasure at the feel of warm, velvet muscles spasming around her digits. Licking up the side of her neck, Buffy sucked on the sensitive skin beneath Kathryn's ear before whispering. "I want to get down on my knees and feast. Mmm, you always taste sooo delicious. I love feeling those muscles squeeze around my tongue."

Kathryn bit down on Buffy's neck to muffle her cries, moving instinctively to her mark, and Buffy was forced to pull her away when she felt her own sex clenching in response. Now was not the time for them both to be incapacitated. She watched with a feral smile as the captain's eyes rolled back in ecstasy, and suddenly, she wanted to watch her body move. Shifting quickly, she turned Kathryn so that they were back to front. Since Buffy was leaning against the wall that contained the bunks, Kathryn had no choice but to lean back into her mate and hook her hands around Buffy's neck. Buffy licked the sweat from her neck as she breathed in deeply, her purrs rumbling through her body and practically vibrating the room as she watched the lithe body undulate against her fingers.

She looked up when the compartment door opened and Seven of Nine's head popped through. Her eyes went impossibly wide and her mouth fell open as she took in the sight before her. Her skin flushed and, even from where Buffy was, she could smell the other blonde's sudden intense arousal. So could Kathryn, and it abruptly launched her into an overwhelming climax. Buffy fastened her lips over her mate's, swallowing the scream that had been brewing, only vaguely aware of when Seven jerked her head back and closed the compartment once again.

"Hey, you all right, Seven?" B'Elanna asked. She had been focused on the engineering console when she saw Seven stumble backwards out of the corner of her eye. The ex-drone was flushed and trembling. Her eyes were wide open and almost cerulean blue. "Seven?"

Seven barely heard her. She couldn't get the image of the captain arched and flexing in pleasure out of her mind. The glowing eyes and intense lust reflected on Buffy's face when she looked up at her. She was sure that even if she hadn't had an eidetic memory, the image would have been branded forever in her mind's eye.

"Hey, Seven!" B'Elanna finally had to snap her finger in front of the Borg's eyes to get her attention. "Did you tell the Captain our ETA?"

"They were..." Seven paused, trying to figure out the best way to say it. "Otherwise engaged."

Laren's eyebrows nearly crawled to the back of her head as she realized what Seven was hinting at. Wide-eyed, she looked at the closed compartment door. It took B'Elanna a moment to catch up, but when she did, she nearly stopped breathing at the images that suddenly bombarded her brain.

"Holy shit, are you serious?" She choked out.

"You must say nothing." Seven suddenly grabbed B'Elanna by her arms. "She did not see me, although Buffy did. If she realizes that we know what she did, she will withdraw from us."

It was the most emotion they ever seen the ex-drone display, and it took them by such surprise that they immediately agreed. B'Elanna put her hands on Seven's tense forearms. "Hey, Seven, calm down, okay?"

"By Willow Rosenberg's definition, Kathryn is my 'best friend', and I do not wish for her to withdraw from me because she is embarrassed by what I have seen."

"I wouldn't let her do that to you." Buffy said as she entered the forward compartment. When they all turned to her, she answered their unspoken question. "She's resting for a bit. Between her duty and the mating needs between us, she isn't getting enough sleep, and despite what she thinks, she can't survive on coffee alone. What did you want to tell her?"

"That we will be arriving at the planet within the hour." B'Elanna answered for Seven when it looked like the ex-drone was still speechless.

"All right, I'll be sure to wake her in time." Buffy disappeared back into the aft compartment.

- - - BtVS - - ST: Voyager - - -

'Wake up, N'mina ain.' Buffy coaxed as she placed tender kisses at the corners of Kathryn's upturned lips. 'We are almost at the planet.'

Stretching lazily, Kathryn opened her eyes to see happy amber orbs sparkling back down at her. 'Hmm, thank you, beloved. I needed that.'

'I know.' Buffy smiled, then glanced up briefly. 'I have to warn you. Seven saw us before. She had information for you, and we forgot to seal the door. You are glorious to watch, by the way, but now she is terrified that you will stop speaking to her if you found out that she knew. B'Elanna and Laren have also guessed from her reactions when she back out of the room.'

Kathryn's first reaction was horrified mortification, but Buffy was still talking. 'The scent of her arousal set you off, you know.' Buffy's words caressed the inner recesses of her mind. 'She saw you, moving helplessly to my touch, and she flooded her panties. I bet there was enough to satisfy both our hungers. That first, delicious scent sent you flying, baby, so high you nearly passed out. The others were too occupied trying to imagine what she saw to realize how turned on she was, but not me. I wanted to push her against the console and feast until she screamed, but I didn't. That's for you the first time.'

Kathryn whimpered as a small orgasm rolled through her at the words and the mental images the words invoked. Buffy held her close until her body stopped rocking and she regained control. Grabbing a handful of hair, Kathryn yanked her mate's face from her neck, causing Buffy to growl as the pinpricks of pain in her scalp sent tingles straight to her sex. "You're just racking up on that punishment, you know that? I'm going to have you begging for release."

Buffy's eyes immediately began to glow in need. Her smile was wild and reckless, and her body pushed down into Kathryn's, but the redhead pushed her back up. "Oh, no, my beloved mate. You have to wait until we return to the ship. No quickies for you."

Captain, we will be entering the planets atmosphere in thirty seconds.

"Thank you, Seven." Kathryn responded. "We'll be right there."

- - - BtVS - - ST: Voyager - - -

"All right, N'mina." Buffy said as the stepped up to the wreckage. "We're here. Now what do you want us to do?"

"Laren, B'Elanna, check out the alien ship." Kathryn ordered. "Seven, Buffy and I will take a look at the sphere. See if there's anything salvageable. Seven, can you monitor the interlink and let us know if any spheres or cubes come to collect their lost sheep without integrating yourself into the link?"

"Yes, Captain." Seven concentrated for a moment. "There is currently no activity coming from the vinculum."

"You heard the lady, people." Buffy smirked. "Let's go."

They split up. Getting into the sphere through one of the larger hull breaches, Buffy pales at the sight of the half-machine, half-people lying in various positions. They were pasty white with black armor covering majority of their bodies. They looked like they were already dead. "Goddess, they remind me of vampires."

"Buffy, why do you and Willow say 'Goddess' instead of 'God' as most humans do?" Seven asked, examining several drones. "Do you believe in a Goddess instead of a God?"

Buffy thought for a minute. "Actually, I don't believe in either. The only Gods I've met have either made my life hell or tried to kill me and my family. Our Earth didn't start off as a paradise as most Earths did, and I know that better than anyone. I know that there is a Heaven and a Hell, because I've been to both places, but I haven't really given religion any type of consideration since I was called. I picked up using 'Goddess' from Tara, Willow's first girlfriend. She said it all the time, and it just sort of stuck. Willow says it because she actually worshipped the Goddess."

Suddenly, Buffy's senses began tingling. "Kathryn..."

"Captain!" Seven sprang to her feet. "The sphere's vinculum has connected with an incoming cube. The drones are reactivating."

We are the Borg. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.

Drones began appearing everywhere. Rising from the ground, coming from around every corner, stepping away from regeneration alcoves. Kathryn and Seven got off several shots each before they adapted their shields. Buffy, on the other hand, went with what she knew best. Drawing the Scythe from one of the larger 'pocket' on the inside of her coat, she began swinging at everything that wasn't her mate or her friend. Soon, there were Borg body pieces flying everywhere, as both Seven and Kathryn quickly followed suit. In a spare moment, Buffy slapped her communicator.

"Laren, B'Elanna, get back to the Delta Flyer." She yelled as she beheaded a drone coming up on Kathryn's blind side. "The Borg are active and there's a cube coming."

"What about you?" B'Elanna responded.

"We're fighting our way out now." She said, listening to the orders Kathryn was passing on mentally without taking the time to actually speak aloud. "Get to the Flyer and warn Voyager. Tell them to stay out of sensor range. We'll come to them."

The move was so fast that Buffy only had time to react. Throwing herself at the Borg drone suddenly standing behind Kathryn, she flinched and gritted her teeth at the pain that flared in her neck. The drone was almost immediately thrown back by a vicious kick to the chest from Seven. Buffy fell to her knees and reached up to touch the bloody wound. Then, Kathryn was next to her.

"Oh, God, Buffy."

Pushing back the pain, Buffy forced herself to her feet. "C'mon, we've got to get out of here."

Buffy managed to kill three more drones before the first starburst erupted on her jaw, turning the surrounding skin pasty white. She stumbled as she felt the hive trying to suppress her consciousness and take control. She lashed out in instinctive rage. No one controlled the Prime. Seven and Kathryn froze momentarily as the drones converging on them convulsed for a second and several of them collapsed, but were quickly in motion when they began moving forward once again, hacking and slashing their way back to the breach they had entered.

'Buffy, honey, fight it.' Kathryn pleaded frantically as she watched her mate struggled against the voices trying to submerge her. She felt Faith and Willow connect with them, drawn by the fury blazing along their connection. 'Fight that bitch!'

Buffy's subsonic growls shivered down Kathryn's spine. She fell to her knees as pain erupted in her head. Behind the pain, she felt a faint sense of astonishment and vaguely registered that she'd caught someone's attention, before she focused on the source of the pain and concentrated all of her mental strength and fury on that one spot. She nearly passed out as something behind her ear shorted out with a short, sharp stab of agony. The drones that had bypassed her suddenly began to fall as, faster than the eye could see, the Prime of the S'Terrans unleashed her rage on the cybernetic monsters that had attacked her, that were attacking her mate. When it was over, Kathryn and Seven looked to see Buffy standing in the midst of Borg bodies and body parts, her Scythe and dagger clenched in her fists, teeth bared and eyes wild and feral as they searched for more enemies to slay. Her amber eyes finally settled on Kathryn, and her weapons lowered marginally.

'Liz, it's over.' Kathryn tried to reach past the haze of fury. 'Come back to me, beloved.'

Buffy took a step towards her mate and suddenly, her weapons fell from numb fingers. She collapsed into the darkness crying out her mate's name.

- - - BtVS - - ST: Voyager - - -

In another part of the Delta Quadrant, black eyes opened wide. A pasty-white, bio-organic head attached to thick black cables moved through cavernous room to one of the pale green screens, accessing the data so recently acquired before the link was broken. There was not much, but there was enough to make a base analysis.

"Perfection."