"Note that the blonde woman is with her now." Was whispered into the comm.

"That is of no consequence." Was the quiet reply. "We proceed according to the scenario in which she is accompanied, and assume the worst."

"Sir," the figure on the roof silently huffed, knowing that tone after applying it several times themselves, "they have managed to block our transporter beam. It has no effect at all."

The second voice swore.

"Keep your stations, we might need you to drop and go."

"Yes, Sir." Came the slightly relieved reply. The line silenced for a moment.

"This changes the plan a bit, Sir."

"Not really. The blonde Borg woman is the one responsible for that failure. I have read of this ability of theirs. Remove Captain Janeway from her, and we shall have her."

"Yes, Sir." The comm. line disconnected and the dark clad figure sighed. "This is monumentally stupid..." Was mumbled into the night air as figure repositioned itself so that when the signal came, the attack could be executed faster.

Several stories below, on the street, five others were carrying a quiet conversation about the two women over a different frequency of their communication devices.

"Do you think she can spot us?"

"If she would have, she would have said something. From what I've heard of her she wouldn't let something like this just pass."

"Yeah, but do you really think she's that good?"

"Captain Janeway seems to think so."

"Captain Janeway seems to think..."

"Would you two shut up?"

"Sorry, Sir..." the two responses were uttered in hushed, chastised, tones.

"Just keep on eye open. We'll be able to talk with them once this threat is over." Two heads spotted each other in the darkness and tilted, as if agreeing.

"Now!" The command was spoken softly into a comm. device and seven dark figures ran out from various entry-ways and darkened corners.

"No! It's too soon!" The figure on the roof straightened in alarm as the two women below stopped, then quickly turned so that they now stood back to back against their attackers. More people came running and the figure cursed quietly before moving to climb down the building to help.

On the street below the Starfleet officers drew their phasers as they ran towards the two women who were quickly being surrounded. "Remember – stun only! If anyone exceeds that I'm taking them to a disciplinary hearing!" Acknowledgments were made and the uniformed team ran on. Shouting to the other group as they approached.

Five of the attackers turned to face the oncoming men and women leaving two to deal with Janeway and Seven.

When asked later what has happened in the 15 minutes that followed, Kathryn could never answer for sure, since her focus seemed to be in three places at once, and when noticing the figure climbing lowering itself up side down along the front of a building by using only its hands and feet - at four.

She was aware that their escort drew most of their attackers and managed to subdue them, with only a few injuries. One of those being a phaser burn that tore straight through a leg, leaving a hole behind. The officer supporting it grinned at her when she came to see him at the medical bay, claiming that he could actually see through his leg at one point. The nurse standing by him at the time clucked her tongue at his demeanor.

The only two things that she was she was able to say for sure were that she nor Seven separated enough so that Seven's protective influence against beaming would wear off, thus leaving an entire side vulnerable. The other was that the being that climbed down the building and flipped down when reaching a suitable height was a complete surprise, as it did not rush to aid their attacker, but to stop them, barking orders in a lisping dialect that she could not identify at the time.

Their attackers, if they could be called as much, since other than rushing up to them and drawing small weapons that she could not identify, did nothing once they registered the presence of the odd climber. Seven was not as dumbfounded as she though, and with a nudge, got them to move, resulting in two men lying face down before she was fully aware that they were running.

The climber was soon held against Seven's body, as he tried to make an escape. Only then did she register that the figure was not a humanoid, but some reptilian race. Their Starfleet issued followers contacted Headquarters, informing them of the situation and asking for medical help, then joined the two women and Seven's captive. Allowing her to remove her hands from him, and to wrap both around the smaller woman.

"Kathryn, are you alright?" The blonde questioned, a concerned look in her eyes, and the implant covering her eyebrow rising as she spoke.

"I'm fine." She answered as she watched the climber struggle a bit with its captors. "Stunned. I don't understand why though, I've been through similar, and even worse, situations before." She watched as tan scales glistened against the scant light as the captive continued to struggle, even as it soon came to the conclusion that it was pointless and gradually lessened the intensity of its struggles.

Seven looked at her concerned. "You were stunned?"

Kathryn nodded.

"I felt unable to move. Like when in a nightmare." Her voice was low as she attempted to keep their conversation private. She didn't know any of their guards, and didn't think that they should be made aware of this situation. The shake of her head was almost imperceptible. "This is not good, Seven."

"I agree, Kathryn. But you must not forget that the meat in the meal that we have shared was cooked with wine. The alcohol might have affected you." The redhead frowned, her posture made it clear that she didn't agree with a word that the other woman had said.

"Did you ever heat up alcohol Seven? It vaporizes. I doubt that there was enough alcohol in there to get a mouse tipsy, let alone get me drunk enough so that my reflexes fail..."

Seven nodded thoughtfully. "You do not wish for them to know." She stated. Her eyes giving the only indication as to whom she spoke of.

"No, I don't. But this makes the transition into being an Admiral all that easier – if I'm loosing my reflexes when in action I can be a danger to myself and others. A captain should never be in that situation." She sighed. "I really didn't want my last field memory to be like this..."

"Kathryn, you are being overly dramatic."

The seasoned captain grinned roguishly then, "I know. It felt fitting." Threading her fingers with those of the taller woman she moved towards the other members of their escort, before the others would come.

"Is it a he or a she?"

"What difference does it make?" A second, lower voice asked.

"I'm just curious." A heavy sigh was heard from behind the door.

"Michelle, it really does not matter." At that she raised her hand to the chime that would announce her presence. "Enter," was soon heard from inside the room.

"Hello Michelle, Owen." Kathryn smiled at the two. "I take it you were talking about our lizardma... reptilian friend?"

"I wouldn't call him a friend so soon if I was you." The seated Michelle said, gesturing at an unoccupied chair for her friend. "Him," she corrected, her brows furrowing, "it." She concluded, waving her hand in dismissal.

"Why not?" The redhead decided to ignore the momentary grammatical confusion and turned her eyes to each Admiral in turn.

"Well," Owen chimed in, "it seems that... it wasn't coming to your rescue so mush as for his friends aid by trying to get them to run with him."

"It." The blonde corrected with a grin. The older man shot her a dirty look. "You insisted. This could all be solved very easily."

"Why are we discussing gender, again?" Kathryn spoke to try and derail the conversation from the course it was now taking.

"Well, there are two reasons:" Michelle explained as she leaned back in her chair. "Talking about... the reptilian as an 'it' annoys me, and grammatical discussions annoy him," she pointed at Admiral Paris with her thumb, "so it seemed like a good way to pass a few minutes until you came along."

"I was here for most of it."

"Details..." The blonde admiral waved her off with a smirk. Owen huffed.

"So what do we do with... it... now?"

"We are going to interrogate it, and see what we can find out and if you have to keep you under security."

"Didn't you say that it would be until the ceremony that will make me an Admiral?"

The older admiral cleared his throat uncomfortably. "We are hoping that is the case. You see, if they collect for the artifact's sake, than any 'damage' to that artifact will lead to a lesser value. Wanting a Captain and getting an Admiral is probably a bad thing for them."

"Is probably? An artifact?" The redhead couldn't help raising her voice. "Owen, we're..."

"I know Kathryn." Her cut her off, "trust me, I know. But you must also understand that I'm trying to keep my emotions out of this – I can't keep thinking about this as though they want you. That might drive me mad! And then nothing will be done."

"Hey!" Michelle chimed in.

Kathryn couldn't help but chuckle. "You could swear we're all adolescents..." The older man smiled at her.

"We are, in a way." Michelle concurred. "It must be all that running around with people half, or a third, our age." She paused for a minute, looking thoughtful. "Which reminds me: Seven told me about last night." Owen froze at the words. "Relax, it's nothing like what you're thinking. Seven doesn't seem the type to do that anyway." She paused to collect her thoughts. "She thought that your 'freezing in action' last night might be kept out of your report, but that we should be aware of it."

Kathryn sighed. "I thought she might do that. But it was in the report."

"I know," Owen chimed in, "I've already read it. I'm just sorry we didn't send you directly to medical last night so that could test your blood for any foreign substances. I fear that most of what you had in you last night must have already disappeared or returned to normal levels." He frowned and leaned back in the chair.

"Perhaps Doc can figure something out." Kathryn suggested.

"Perhaps, but I wouldn't count on that too much." Michelle chimed in.

"When will we know? If I am to continue walking around with an escort, that is." She chose to change the subject, Doc's discoveries where out of the realms of her influence even back in the beginning of their run on Voyager, so there was no point of continuing along this path.

"We're hoping that it'll be sometime this week. But you can never tell. You know this, Kath..." Michelle's tone was almost reprimanding, but the sad, tired undertones took the sting out of it. "You also know that we are showing you professional courtesy by telling you this. You are not officially on the case."

"I am the case!" Getting mad, Captain Janeway cut the other woman off.

"No," Admiral Paris looked at her gravely, "an attempted kidnapping is the case. You are unfortunate enough to be the intended victim."

"I'm unfortunate enough to be myself?" She questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"In this case – yes." The older Admiral sighed. "You need to go on as though all is normal, as though nothing has happened, you did not leave the planet, Chakotay is still a good man, and your escorts do not exist." The redhead huffed. "I'm serious, Kathryn. Go to the office they allotted for you, go see your girlfriend. Trust us." He added after a small pause.

"I hate this helplessness..." She felt herself deflate right in front of the two.

"I know." This from Michelle, who reached forward with her hand and placed it on her friend's knee in reassurance. "But this won't take long..."

"You can't promise that." Kathryn argued, stopping the blonde mid sentence.

"No, But Owen and I are promising to do our best so that it will end quickly and for good. You can trust that, us, can't you?"

"That's a cheap shot, Tesler."

The blonde shrugged as she leaned back, removing her hand. "Maybe, but think about it – do you?" She questioned again, an eyebrow rising. "You don't have to answer me out loud, but think about it – does it calm you at all when you know that Owen and I are on this case and are doing out best to end it?"

Kathryn sighed before pinching the bridge of her nose. "You know it does." Her hand lowered itself slowly to her lap. "But this is not about that," she was almost pleading for them to understand. "I feel helpless. There is nothing I can do to help myself and I hate that!"

"What do you think would happen if the general public knew that you were being targeted? You are the resident miracle worker, Kath, certain people might decide to take this matter into their own hands in order to "protect" you. There are enough crazy people out there." The redhead leaned back in her chair and looked up at the ceiling as she took a deep breath, not daring to voice the other fanatic option running through her head, before lowering her eyes back to Owen Paris. She took in his warn features, the circles under his eyes, the hunched set of his shoulders, and felt miserable.

"I'm not a Vulcan, Owen. I understand the logic here, but that doesn't mean that I like it and don't wish to do anything in my power to be able to stop this."

"You're not on your own here, Kathryn." The white haired man replied.

"I know that." Getting up and walking to the window, Kathryn, closed her eyes and rubbed at her eyes, her back remaining to the other two occupants of the room. "Logically – I understand everything, the course of action, your motives, and your choices. I get it. But emotionally – this whole thing is tearing me to pieces." She straightened a bit more and grasped her elbows behind her back. "Not being able to deal with this threat to me makes me feel like a ghost of how I was back on Voyager."

Behind her, Michelle sighed. "Kathryn..." Quickly turning around and raising her hand, the red haired Captain stopped her with a raised hand.

"Look at this objectively, Michelle: I'm keeping low, barely showing my face, but people can hear the things that I do..." This time she was the one to whom a hand was raised to stop the flow of words. She turned her eyes back to Owen

"Kathryn, stop." He said as he stood up from his chair. "We can't put you in this, since if anyone is too close – it's you. Michelle," he gestured at the still seated woman who now looked up at him, "and I barely managed to get into this ourselves. All we are asking you is for your trust. That you believe us when we say that we're doing the best we can. Michelle, myself and Tovuk. I'm not going to ask you to relax, but only that you trust us. We don't want anything bad to happen to you, and we're doing the best we can to insure that."

The standing woman could feel her shoulders sagging. "You're not playing fair." She accused with a small half smile.

"You are the one who took this out of the rational and into the emotional." He countered.

A short silence stretched on before Janeway sighed in defeat. "I do trust you. All three of you. Each of the three of you." She corrected herself. From her place on the chair, Michelle sighed in relief. "I think I'll leave, if you don't mind. I don't have any projects on my desk right now, and staying here when I have nothing to do will drive me mad."

Both Admirals nodded.

"Call Seven." Michelle added. "You shouldn't be alone right now."

"I have my escorts." Was the sarcastic reply, before the standing woman sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose again. "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for. I think I will," she grinned, "unless you're going to order me, then I'll probably refrain just to spite you."

The seated blonde crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Really?" She challenged, "you do realize that I outrank you now, don't you?"

"Not for long." Was the playful response before the Captain visibly deflated again. "You must think I'm going through some split personality disorder..." She turned her eyes to Owen as she spoke.

"I was thinking more along the lines of some manic-depressive episode where the shifts are fast and the peaks, on either side, are low." He deadpanned. "You can call her from here if you like."

"You have made yourself at home here I see." Michelle smiled at the older man, but when she turned her eyes to Janeway she gestured at her desk, the invitation clear in her eyes, and in the small smile that accompanied them.

"Thank you." She said sincerely.

She kept the conversation with Seven short, making sure the younger woman knew that there were two others in the room as a mean to explain this decision. They soon decided to meet at Kathryn's house in an hour, thus giving the redhead enough time to reach home and even shower and change if she wished. When they ended the call Kathryn looked up at her old friends and superiors and smiled. "Thank you." She said again.

"Don't mention it." Michelle brushed her off. "Now go." To the woman's retreating back she added, "and get a bottle of wine for your meal." Kathryn just shook her head and chuckled.

It was already dark outside when Seven made her way to Kathryn's door and used the chime to alert the older woman of her arrival. From inside came the sound of a pan falling to the floor, and a few moments later, she could hear footsteps heading her way.

When Kathryn opened the door, she was already supporting a bright smile, but Seven noted that it could not completely erase the worn out look from the older woman's features. "Good evening, Kathryn."

"Good evening, Seven," came the reply as the redhead stepped aside to allow the younger woman to pass, "please come in." After ending the conversation with the two Admirals, with her friends, Kathryn had returned home to shower, and get ready for her dinner with Seven, opting to take a chance and cooking for the other woman and spending the evening indoors, rather than going out again. Stopping along the way to pick up groceries she knew that she will have to keep her shower short if she wanted to be able to answer the door, rather than be under the spray of water when the blonde arrived.

So she rushed. Showering only long enough to be clean and them moving to the kitchen to get out all the things that they will need to prepare this meal. When the doorbell rand she was reaching high above her head for a frying pan, and the surprise caused her to jump, and the cookware to clatter to the floor, missing her head by only a few centimeters.

Picking the pan up, she placed it on the counter and moved towards the door, rubbing the slightly sore spot the stainless steel appliance left on her shoulder. She couldn't help but smile when she saw the younger woman, dressed in navy slacks and a light champagne shirt. In her mind, she couldn't help but think of the woman's old biosuits, and how even after all these months she still marveled at the change from the way the tall woman looked in the ever tight suits to the way she looked now, wearing casual clothes.

It felt as though ages had passes from the time she opened the door until the time Seven's quiet, "Good evening, Kathryn" shook her from her reverie. Feeling almost chastened she replied with a warm greeting of her own.

"Good evening, Seven," and the two were soon making their way into the kitchen.

"I thought we might stay in tonight," Kathryn explained as she led the way, "if you don't mind, of course." Seven shook her head slightly in response.

"I do not. Were you planning to prepare a meal for us?" She asked by way of making conversations when they reached their destination and she saw the groceries and cookware laid out.

"I thought we might prepare it together, if you'd like." Kathryn replied, smiling fondly at the look of surprise that passed over the taller woman's face.

"I believe I would like to watch you cook." Was the quiet answer. "I remember stories about your lack of domestic abilities from our days on Voyager." The redhead grimaced as she reached for an apron.

"Yes, well," she shrugged, pulling the top strap of the geometric patterned cloth over hear head and bending down to look for the second apron to give Seven. "I'm not good at replicating elaborate meals,"

"Or coffee." Seven countered, "that is not too hot for you to drink."

"That is actually intentional." Gray-blue eyes darted a look over her shoulder as she finally found what she was looking for and pulled it out, handing it to the blonde. "Only if you want to join me with the cooking." She gestured with the piece of fabric in her hand. Seven shook her head, a small smile forming at her lips.

"I think that I would prefer to watch you as you cook." Kathryn shrugged, putting the second apron away before tying the cords of the one she wore, trying to ignore all the stains that she knew were on it rather then pick at them, or working without her apron, something that she figured was not wise. "Why did you intentionally program the replicators to produce coffee that is too hot for you to drink right away?" The blonde prompted, trying to set their conversation back on track.

"Winters are cold were I grew up." The older woman started to explain as she moved about her kitchen preparing the vegetables and meat. "I'm thinking of stir frying the vegetables, and grilling this," she pointed at the chicken breasts that lay in a case on the counter, "is that ok?" She returned to their original topic after Seven agreed. "Since it was so cold, especially in the mornings, Mother used to make us hot chocolate, or tea, and when we grew up and began to drink coffee, then that was the morning beverage of choice. A part of the family's fall and winter morning waking up ritual was always having a mug of steaming beverage to warm our hands with, and the drink itself to warm our insides." She recalled with a smile as she chopped some of the vegetables on a cutting board. "So ever since I was a kid, holding a hot mug relaxes me, takes me home. It was the most tangible piece of Earth that I had while we were out there." She shrugged as she said the last sentence, and then added after a small moment of silence, "did you develop any kind of traditions like this with your aunt?"

It's good to see how much progress she's made over the past few months. I don't remember her participating in small talk even towards the last bit of time we had at the Delta quadrant, not that we talked much back then. She sighed internally. And after we came back I was so busy trying not to feel anything while she was in the same room as I, that I didn't pay a whole lot of attention to what was going on during the conversations. At least that time is over now. She smiled at her guest as she turned the heat up under the wok, and waited a few moments for the oil to heat up before carefully placing the vegetables inside and pulling the condiments so they were easier to reach.

"Kathryn," Seven asked during a lull in the conversation, when the older woman was already working on the meat, "you have not spoken of the attempt to capture you. Have Admirals Paris and Tesler ordered you not to discuss this at all?"

The redhead sighed. Knowing that this question would come did not prepare her for the actual moment of having to answer it.

"No," She replied finally, over the sizzling sound of the meat meeting the cast iron frying pan. "They didn't say anything like that, not about you anyway." She hastened to correct. "I'm not supposed to talk about it to people outside of Starfleet, but you were in on the whole operation all along, so you are different." She smiled at the taller woman. "The truth is that there is nothing much to tell. We don't know who the Reptilian was working for, we don't know why he..." she paused for a short moment, remembering the conversation she first stepped into between the two Admirals, "we're not sure if it's a he, a she, or an it so we can refer to it correctly, and we don't know what made it," she gestured vaguely with her hands as she spoke the last word, "try and stop the two who were aiming a phaser at us. This whole thing has so much more questions then answers, and Owen and Michelle, and to figure everything out tomorrow, tonight, if that's at all possible, so that things would be able to go back to being normal so that I can live in peace." She sighed. "I want that too. I want to know that I don't have to have this escort and look over my shoulder."

"But you find the chances of this happening soon to be unlikely." Seven supplied.

"Very unlikely." She sighed again, her shoulders drooping.

She only looked up again when she felt a warm body press behind her. "Careful, dear, I don't want to get you stained." Ice blue eyes looked down at her and full lips curved into a smile.

"I have researched same sex relations very thoroughly since discovering that there was no taboo against it in Earth society." Kathryn narrowed her eyes in confusion. "There appear to be a lot of phrases that are used that have multiple meanings." Seven's small smile broadened into a smirk as she placed her hands on the smaller woman's waist and felt the slight shiver that took over Kathryn's body. "You have just said one of those sentences."

"Oh?" Seven could only remember one time when Kathryn's voice was this low, "and what was the second meaning?" She challenged.

"When a woman is aroused," came the almost clinical explanation, "her body produces fluids, these..." Kathryn couldn't help but start laughing, and Seven's voice trailed off.

"I'm sorry, Seven." She said between the peals of laughter that shook her body even as she tried to take deep breaths and calm herself down. Finally she took a big breath, wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and removed the last piece of meat from the pan, shutting off the heat with her other hand. "I just haven't heard such a clinical description of this since middle school's sex class. I think I understand what you mean though."

"So you do not intend..."

"To make you wet?" The redhead cut into her words. "On the contrary, I would enjoy it very much of you were... wet... for... me." She paused a bit after each word, a lazy smile tugging at her lips, wanting the woman before her to be as affected as she was by their proximity. Wanting the younger woman to be wet, but also wanting to step slowly, just in case the blonde wasn't ready. "Getting your blouse stained, while having the effect of getting you out of your clothes will be lovely, but we still have dinner." She added, the lazy smile firmly in place.

Seven backed a way a bit, nodding her head, and looking at the floor for a brief moment, before looking up again and meeting the gray-blue eyes of the woman before her. "I shall help set the table." Not sure if this was a statement of fact or a question, Kathryn nodded, and showed the other woman where the plates and utensils were located.

Taking a deep breath, she placed the food on a couple of plates and headed out of the room and into the dining room to join Seven who was just finishing setting the table.

The blonde looked up as she entered the room, frowning in confusion at the plates she held in her hands. "Serving plates," she explained with s mall smile, "we can take the food from them. This way if one of us wants a second helping, it's easier to get it."

"I see."

"Seven..." The redhead found herself faltering.

"Kathryn, I am worried about you."

The smaller woman was moving before she even registered her brain giving the command. "Thank you, Seven." She responded as she wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist. "I mean it." Tilting her head up she caught the light colored eyes of the woman standing so close to her, and couldn't help the fond smile. "You being here; saying this, means so much to me."

The taller woman smiled as she brought her arms around Kathryn and pulled her gently closer. "I am glad." Was the quiet response, before the two women closed the distance between them and kissed.

It was a few moments before Kathryn pulled slightly back, her head spinning, and her breathing hard. "I think..." She paused to swallow deeply against what she saw in the blue eyes before her. "I think we should eat first, before the food gets cold."

Seven nodded in agreement, reluctantly removing her arms from about the other woman's waist.

Dinner went by quickly as the two engaged in quiet conversation. Being overly happy and loud didn't seem to suit either woman's mood, nor the knowledge that there were guards outside that might burst in if they thought that the women were in some sort of distress. After the plates were cleared for food, and removed to the kitchen sink for later cleaning, the two took a seat on the love-seat in Kathryn's living room, the older woman finding herself again in the crook of Seven's arm. And as the two women continued to talk and bridge the gap that had started on an evening spent in the Delta Quadrant, Kathryn found that she was drawing abstract patterns on the fabric of Seven's pant leg, and would stop, placing her palm against her own leg, only to realize a few minutes later that her hand has resumed its previous activity.

"Seven," she raised her eyes to the younger woman during a momentary lull in the conversation, "I'm sorry." She didn't wait for the questioning eyebrow to rise before she continued. "I think you should leave. It's just that I can't seem to be able to be able to control myself where you're concerned," her hand lifted a bit then returned to its previous spot on the other woman's thigh as though proving the point, "but I don't want to rush you. I know that with Chakotay you didn't want to..." her voice faltered, "and I won't push." She sighed and shook her head.

"It is not... up to you, Kathryn." Seven responded calmly. "It is true that I did not desire to be intimate with Chakotay, but you and he are not the same." She gestured with her chin to the arm wrapped around the older woman's shoulders. "I have never done this with him."

"He was not smaller than you, and I doubt he needed much comforting in the past six months."

"He did." Seven contradicted. "When he discovered the fate of his home planet. But he did not want this kind of comfort. When he had discovered what had happened to his home world he wanted to take comfort, not receive it. I did not remain with him long that night and had avoided meeting with him alone for the next several days I believe he wanted to copulate, and I do not believe that that would have been an enjoyable first time for me." She threaded her fingers with those of the smaller woman. "However, I do not believe that this will be the case with you."

"Seven..."

"I will stay tonight." The blonde declared, ignoring the interruption. "I agree with you that we should not consummate our relationship tonight, but it is not because of the reason that you think. I wish to be with you. But I still do not wish for my first time to be..."

"Less than perfect?" Kathryn interrupted.

"With six members of Starfleet surrounding the house." She corrected. Kathryn could only mouth 'oh' as she took in the taller woman's words.