The moment the older ex-drone and the Captain came face to face with each other, both experienced a great sense of déjà-vu. The young woman instantly knew that this, in fact, was her Captain, her Kathryn facing her, the woman she'd last seen three years before her journey back in time. Despite that knowledge, the young woman felt disconcerted.
What is the matter with you? This is everything you have ever dreamed of, the goal you have worked hard for all these years. You should be elated, grateful, happy, yet you are still not satisfied.
The Captain asked hesitantly. "Annika?" The blonde felt as if a thousand tiny needles were pinched through her chest right where her heart sat. Her tone was clipped, her expression the typical Borg mask of indifference. "Captain. If you do not recall, my name is Seven, Seven of Nine." The Captain nodded slowly, her cheeks turning pink in humiliation, her tone soft. "I could never forget your name, or you, Seven. It's just that your companion has told me earlier that while she goes by the name Seven, you prefer to go by your human designation these days. I could hardly believe it when she told me that earlier."
The older blonde swallowed, her gaze averted, unable to look into the face she'd yearned to see again for so long. "I apologize, Captain. Seven was correct. I did go by my human designation ever since... That fateful day. However, I do prefer being addressed with the nickname you invented for me back then by you. I am aware that this might cause confusions though, seeing as how there are two Seven's here now." She glanced at her younger counterpart who shrugged nonchalantly. "I do not mind you being addressed as Seven as well. I never truly enjoyed having to address you with our human designation in the first place. It simply felt... wrong doing so."
The Admiral was listening to the exchange in silence, the yearning she had felt for all those decades magnified tenfold due to the fact that Seven was truly here now, her Seven, but she was aware that said woman did not want to hear any of this, believed her to be a demented old fool.
Perhaps that's exactly what you are, old girl. Just look at her. So young, gorgeous, vibrant. What would she possibly want with you who could easily be her grandmother agewise? Pathetic! That's what you are, Kathryn. She traveled back in time to be reunited with her beloved Captain. You are not the Captain though, but a crusty old melancholic hopelessly romantic and severely deluded Admiral who in turn went all the way back in time to get to see her one more time, your Seven.
Fool, she was never yours. Had you not been such a coward and confessed to her back then, she could've been, but the stubborn protocol-driven commanding officer you used to be, you pushed her away, and then... you lost her. Now she came back here, the heavens know how and why, but she does not care for you, has lost all interest in you and all she sees is her young Captain. To think back then I thought of myself as old. Gods, I was so naive! Being in my 70s now, I have finally begun to understand what being old actually means and it sure isn't a walk in the park, especially with your decades younger, strong, attractive self keeps on constantly being around you and you're lonely as hell, longing for someone you damn well know you don't deserve, who was never yours, to begin with. The best thing I can do is step away, allow for things to progress naturally between those two. Then again, there's also still the younger Seven as well. Gods, this is giving me a migraine...
The older Seven frowned when she realized that the Admiral was not with them. She quickly excused herself from the Captain and her past self in all honesty relieved she had a reason to leave. It was beyond her why she felt so uncomfortable in the younger Janeway's presence, this, after all, being her Captain, but she could not help herself. Perhaps we have been parted from each other for too long. I should give us time to accustom ourselves to each other again. The problem with that is that time is the last thing we have to spare. We have already lost far too much of that as it is. I do not want to think about just how much time we have lost being stranded here on this planet. Something tells me that I do not actually wish to know the answer to that.
The young woman walked back over towards what was left of her enhanced Delta Flyer, hoping to find the older woman there. Admiral Janeway appeared to be lost in thought, sitting in front of the wreckage, gaze turned inward. Seven did not want to disturb her and so simply stopped a good distance away from her, taking the opportunity to observe the older woman. That same curious flutter in the pit of her abdomen started once more, her heart drumming against her chest. The blonde felt a strong urge to take the older woman into her arms again, much like earlier, feel that petite body pressed against her own, breathe in that comforting scent of the Admiral which seemed so familiar. While they had been aboard together back then, Seven and her Captain had never shared a hug, despite having been close friends. Seven had also never shared a hug with the Admiral, but that was unsurprising, considering the older woman had appeared much like a stranger, despite technically having been Kathryn's future self, albeit from a different reality.
Just what is it that fascinates me so about this woman? Is it the fact that she told me that we have seemingly shared that dream earlier? Somehow she seems so familiar, despite her changed appearance and her obviously being Admiral, not Captain Janeway. I am being irrational. Then again, I have traveled back in time and got stranded on a strange planet alongside a younger version of myself who is clearly not my past self. I must have landed in a different reality, much like the Admiral back then. Can that be the reason why I feel close to this woman because we share the same fate?
The young woman was brought out of her musings by a familiar voice that sent tingles down the whole of her body, alarming the blonde. "You came back. I'm sorry for sitting in the way. You most likely wanted to continue repairs on the Flyer, right? I'm surprised you're not with your Captain anymore. What happened? Did you two have an argument? Kathryn can be quite a pain, but I'm sure she didn't mean whatever it was that she said to you, Seven."
The young woman felt the blood rush to her cheeks, that unnerving flutter in the pit of her abdomen increasing, the way the older woman had said her name touching something deep inside her. It felt so different than earlier when the Captain had said it somehow. Seven stated hesitantly. "I had expected to feel... content, maybe even happy once I would meet my Captain, my Kathryn again. Yet, meeting this woman felt much like meeting a stranger. At first, I was convinced that she was indeed my Captain, the woman I had been searching for all these years, the main reason I had gone on this mission and traveled back in time in the first place, the woman I keep on dreaming about when I sleep. However, something felt 'off' when we were talking earlier and I can not tell what exactly it was. It feels different when I am with you..." Seven's cheeks turned crimson, her gaze averted, afraid of the older woman's reaction to her admission. The older Janeway meanwhile was torn between feeling elated and not getting her hopes up too high too fast.
She was about to reply to the younger woman when the blonde stated firmly. "By the way, I never got to respond to your earlier statement. You are no 'demented old fool', Kathryn. I never enjoyed you referring to yourself as old, or downgrading yourself in general, but that statement was too much even for your standards. I do not wish for you to belittle yourself in that manner. As you stated correctly earlier, there surely must be a good reason why we have been sharing this dream and your intelligence from what I could tell so far has not suffered at all since the last time we have met. You appear very alert, quick-witted as always, not at all senile, demented. Also, age is just a number and I personally could not care less for it. Age is irrelevant..."
The Admiral swallowed, a big fat knot had formed in her throat, her eyes brimming with decades of unshed tears. She started to speak, her voice, to her chagrin, ripe with emotion. "Annika, darling..." The younger woman interrupted her, sounding pained. "Please do not refer to me by my human designation, Kathryn. I prefer for you to call me Seven..." Janeway nodded slowly, her voice soft. "Seven, it's sweet of you to say all these things and I'm grateful that you think this way. However, what difference does it make really? I can never be more than the Admiral, a deluded woman in her 70s who traveled back in time to save the love and her crew from certain death, deluded enough to think that you could be that woman, the love of my life, my Seven when you rightfully stated earlier that we're not even from the same reality. Forget about that dream, darling. The fact that we shared it surely was caused by something in this planet's atmosphere."
Seven's jaw had tightened, her tone filled with desperation. "I do not believe that to be true and I am convinced that neither do you. There was a good reason why we shared this dream. I usually do not believe in signs from the universe, however, in this case I am inclined to do so. You provoke emotional and physical responses inside me that the Captain did not manage to achieve during our earlier conversation. The sole other person who ever made me feel this way was my Kathryn. You stated earlier that you frequently had dreams of your Seven. Can you please tell me more about those dreams?" Kathryn nodded slowly, suggestion. "How about we go back inside?" Seven stated curtly. "Acceptable." The Admiral was about to get up when the younger woman realized something, asking gently. "Kathryn, do you require rest?" The older woman was about to decline but she didn't have it in her to lie to the blonde who looked at her with those big pale blue eyes, concern making them appear even lighter than they already were. "My joint says yes, I'm afraid."
Seven felt her heart go out to the older woman, wanting to allow her to rest, yet continue their conversation regardless. Suddenly an idea struck her and she suggested. "How about we go over to the camp my younger self and I set up earlier? Something tells me the Captain and her might be at your camp and I do not wish to disturb them, nor do I wish us to be disturbed." Only thanks to decades of training her resolve did the Admiral not blush at the double-sense of that last statement, all those years being parted from her beloved and never getting to be intimate with her, or even kiss her causing her mind to go places far more often than she'd ever care to admit. Her vital functions elevated and pupils dilated, however, things that were beyond her control and that the younger woman noticed in astonishment. Intriguing. It appears that Kathryn is currently experiencing... arousal. Perhaps, not arousal, but a physical attraction towards my person. The young woman's heart was figuratively soaring at that thought.
The Admiral, at last, replied. "That would be acceptable, darling." The pesky flutter in the pit of the younger woman's stomach was back again, the fact that the older woman had used one of her own go-to phrases melting the blonde's heart. Seven smiled softly, offering her hand to help the Admiral up from her sitting position which the petite woman accepted gratefully. Their hands without their noticing stayed entwined, the gesture coming so natural, unforced that neither woman was aware, or bothered.
Before long the duo had arrived at the two blondes' camp which indeed was deserted. Seven quickly put the blanket over the bed to make it more comfortable for the older woman. The Admiral was touched by the young woman's gesture, muttering, her voice having dropped a register. "Thank you, Seven." The blonde swallowed dryly, her cheeks turning pink. "You are welcome. I wish for you to be as comfortable as possible, Kathryn." Janeway smiled softly, gently squeezing the hand that she only now noticed was still entwined with her own which just so happened to be Seven's Borg mesh hand, a fact that excited, thrilled the older woman for reasons she did not want to further analyze. The mesh felt surprisingly warm and much like human skin, very pleasant to the touch. Kathryn felt her skin tingle and unbeknownst to her, the same went for the younger woman who felt her nanoprobes sing in delight, appearing to prepare for something.
The Captain experienced that all too familiar vile sense of guilt as the older Seven left them, walking back over to the crashed shuttle under the guise of wanting to continue maintenance. She asked the younger blonde. "Did I do something or say something to upset her?" The blonde shrugged. "I am uncertain, Captain. From what I can tell, you acted correctly. It was my counterpart who acted 'off'. Instead of being glad, content to meet you again, she acted distant, one could almost call it hostile and for no reason. Perhaps, she does not trust you." The older woman nodded, asking silently. "How about you, Seven? Do you trust me?"
One look into those eyes which had turned a stormy gray, something she knew typically happened when Kathryn was upset, combined with the vulnerability in her voice and Seven had no choice but to say genuinely, her heart for once defeating her brain. "Yes, I trust you, Captain." The redhead bit her bottom lip, an action which sent the heat to the young woman's cheeks and a place farther down south, her voice huskier than usual. "Please call me Kathryn, Seven. We're very much off-duty and I haven't been the Captain in a long time. I'd like to think of us as friends, close friends even and it's common for friends to refer to each other on a first-name basis." Seven felt a curious flutter in the pit of her abdomen, her heart performing a figurative somersault, her tone shy. "I will comply, Kathryn." The redhead had a hard time maintaining her composure, hearing those words always affecting her so deeply. Seven was aware of the telltale signs of arousal when she saw them and the Captain, Kathryn was displaying all of them.
The young woman knew better than to call the older woman out, however, wanting to desperately maintain the fragile bond the petite woman and her had formed over the last few hours. Her voice had dropped a register, her own vitals elevated, pupils dilated, much like Kathryn's. "If my future version does not trust you then that is her loss. You are an intriguing woman, Kathryn and great company. If she does not wish to socialize with you then she is making a grave mistake. I wish to learn more about your time spent here, on this planet, if you do not mind sharing those things with me."
To say the older woman felt flattered would have been a huge understatement. Kathryn couldn't help but smile to herself, feeling much like a teenager, neverminding her actual age. Then again, I was never romanced in this kind of manner during my teens. There clearly was never a girl remotely as fascinating, intriguing as Seven of Nine in Bloomington, or at the Academy, so I shouldn't be surprised. Gods, Katie. You sure have it bad. Assuming that Seven out of all people is flirting with you, romantically interested in you, returns your feelings could very well prove to be futile and get your heart broken all over again if it should turn out to be incorrect. Sure, she referred to me as her Kathryn earlier. That could've still all have been due to another reason. We were very close from the beginning. She was dating Chakotay, not me. Why would she have done that if she was attracted to me, returned my affections? It makes no sense...
Seven asked, concern audible in her voice to the Captain who was trained to hear the smallest trace of emotion in the young woman's tone and distinguish it. "Kathryn? Are you damaged?" The redhead couldn't help but bark out a laugh at the young woman's, as she deemed, downright adorable question, having missed her unique manner of speaking so dearly. Seven, in turn, felt thoroughly bewildered, yet intrigued by the older woman's reaction, that throaty laugh doing things to her body which scared her. The redhead gradually calmed down from her outburst, her voice affectionate. "I'm fine, darling. Don't worry. I apologize for spacing out earlier. Having lived on this island for Lord knows how long with the sole company being myself, quite literally, I have developed some strange habits and quirks. Anyway, you were saying that you wanted to learn more about life here on this planet, yes?"
Seven's cheeks had turned a dark pink, her heart appearing to want to leap out of her throat, a giddy feeling overcoming her the moment the database informed her that 'darling' was a term of endearment that was typically used to address a loved one or romantic partner, a mate. The thought excited, thrilled her. She had a hard time keeping her tone neutral when responding to the redhead's question. "Indeed. I would be pleased to hear more about your life and experiences on this planet before my future self and I arrived here." Kathryn nodded and following a sudden impulse, patted the younger woman's thigh, an action which made the blonde's breath hitch. "Very well. Where do I start?" Seven quirked her ocular implant, stating matter-of-factly. "I deem it most logical for you to start at the beginning."
Kathryn chuckled, her voice sounding much like an invitation, to what, the young woman was uncertain, but she was inclined to say yes just to hear that sensual chuckle again. "Of course, Seven. Let me start from the beginning then..."