Annika, or as she now referred to herself again, Seven, the older of the two who currently resided on the planet could not keep from drinking in the sight that was Admiral Kathryn Janeway reclining in front of her.
The view evoked a myriad of emotions inside the young woman who was reminded of those dreams of hers. She wanted to allow the older woman to rest, knowing she needed it, but at the same time, she was dying to hear about the dreams of Kathryn's featuring her Seven, like the Admiral, tended to refer to her.
Their hands were still entwined, both women never having bothered, dared letting go of the other's hand. Seven felt another furious flutter tickling her abdomen as the older woman squeezed her hand with surprising strength, especially for a woman her age.
The Admiral's voice sounded huskier than usual and oh so alluring, seeming to beckon the younger woman who without her own noticing bit her bottom lip, thoroughly unused to the intense physical reactions the silver-haired woman evoked inside her.
"You stated earlier that you wanted to hear about those dreams I've had featuring you- I mean, featuring my Seven, correct?"
The blonde who had noticed the slip-up had a hard time not to frown, inclining her head. "Indeed. I wish to know more about those dreams, if that is acceptable to you, Kathryn. If you require rest, sleep, however, we can belay that for the time being though..."
The last thing Seven wanted was to stress, fatigue the older woman.
Admiral Janeway smiled gently, an action that did the most unnerving things to the young woman's body, telling her genuinely. "No, it's alright, Seven. I want to tell you about those dreams. If it can help in any way then I want to share them with you now while they are still fresh on my mind. At my age, it's quite possible to forget crucial things before you know it and only Lord knows how long your Captain and I have already been stuck here on this planet. It very much feels like it's been years.
Heavens, in the end, I'm not even in my 70's anymore, but already in my 80's. Oh my and you said earlier that I'm not old, that age is irrelevant. Would you still think so if you'd learn that I'd already hit my 80's, darling?"
Seven gently caressed the back of the older woman's hand, her tone sincere and void of any of her typical stoicism. "As you correctly stated yourself just now I have already informed you earlier that I deem age to be irrelevant. Even if you should already be in your 80's now, that makes no difference to me. If you truly should already be of that age, I can confidently tell you that you both look and are very youthful and fit, both mentally and physically.
As I already told you earlier, your intellect has by no means depleted, suffered ever since we have last met on board Voyager, the same goes for your physical appearance. Living on this planet must have worked wonders on your physique.
I can not help but ask... How have you managed to survive all this time without your beloved coffee, black, Kathryn? Oh, wait... I do recall now that while the Captain had this drink as her favorite you preferred drinking tea. Correct? I guess the correct question then should be. How has the Captain survived all this time without her beloved coffee?"
The Amiral chuckled dryly, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes that sent a jolt of electricity to the young woman's privates and the heat to her cheeks. "Fortunately, the replicator still functioned at the beginning of our stay here. Once it gave out on us though, all hell broke loose, so to speak. Believe me when I tell you that the Captain without her coffee is nothing you want to encounter.
Only due to a very lucky twist of fate did we one day come across a plant on this planet which proofed to be the perfect coffee substitute that we have cultivated and used to make my younger self her drug of choice ever since then. If we wouldn't have come across that, chances are I would've gone mad, well we most likely both would've, a long time ago already."
Admiral Janeway averted her gaze, licking her lips that felt oddly dry, an action that almost made Seven whimper, the young woman's resolve hanging by a mere thread.
It must be this planet's atmosphere as well as the fact that I have traveled back in time and quite likely even to a different reality that is mentally exhausting me, causing me to feel quite... on edge.
This woman is deeply intriguing, fascinating and I can not help but wonder how those lips would feel like when pressed against mine...
No! You must cease those thought processes this instant. It is far too early for you to wish to 'kiss' this woman, or even trust her enough to engage in such intimate endeavors. For all I know, it could still very well be that this is all a 'trap' of some kind, meant to lure my younger self and me in, an illusion caused by this planet's atmosphere.
That last thought sent a jab to the young woman's heart. The possibility that neither the Admiral nor the Captain on this planet were real, but mere delusions conjured up by the planet, or her younger self and her own's imaginations highly disconcerting.
As if on cue, the older woman spoke up, Seven's eyes widened in alarm when she heard the deep sadness in that husky voice. "Oh, Seven. I feel flattered, truly, that you think I don't appear my age, that you don't mind me being this much older than you either, but...
You're still so young, beyond gorgeous, superior in every single way, having your whole life ahead of you. Your Captain is much more suited as a partner to you, as a... mate, if you will. My time in this existence is running out, the last grains of sand trickling through the hourglass that is my life. I don't want you to waste your time, energy, heck even your affection on a granny like myself..."
Seven gritted her teeth, her jaw tightening, white-hot fury burning inside her. "How dare you downgrade yourself like that, Kathryn? You repeatedly badmouthing yourself in front of me makes me question your own feelings, motivations towards me. If you truly did care for your Seven as much as you claim, loved her even you would not act in such a manner, talk this way.
Or is it because you are convinced that I am not your Seven, the one you love, had to leave behind, lost back then, but merely some random stranger who just so happens to look, act, and be called like her, an imposter? What are you hiding, Admiral, what are your true intentions, who are you really? If you are not, in fact, who and what you claim to be, I will find out about it. I hope you are aware of that. What are you afraid of?"
The Admiral swallowed, her eyes widening, vital functions elevating. "Seven... All I ever wanted was for you to be happy, lead the best life you possibly could, experience true love. I'm simply afraid that I won't be sufficient for you as a partner, as a..."
Janeway swallowed once more, muttering. "As a lover... Your happiness and well-being are the most important things to me, Seven. They have been ever since I first laid eyes on you back then on Unimatrix Zero One... All I'm saying is we might be incompatible.
I do love you, Seven, with all my being, care for you, more than for anyone else. You were the reason I went on that mission, screwed the prime directive traveled thirty years back in time and would've been willing to die alongside the Borg Queen if it would've helped safe you, your life.
Despite the chances for that being very slim and it is highly likely that living all by myself, quite literally, for decades along with this planet's atmosphere having meddled with my brain, resulting in severe delusions, hallucinations, I am convinced that you are, in fact, the woman I love, my Seven, who I had been looking for all this time, the woman of my dreams, quite literally. Do you see now why you being with me would be a bad idea?"
Seven, against what the older woman had just said, told her, voice filled with affection. "Kathryn, if my happiness, well-being are what is most important to you then please allow me into your life. I do love you as well, Kathryn. Like you, I too believe that I am your Seven, that you are my Kathryn. No other has ever affected me as much as my Kathryn, my former Captain and you affect me in the same manner as she has. In comparison to the Captain who you have lived with on this planet for an indefinite amount of time, I feel strongly in your presence, similar to how I did back on board Voyager all these years ago.
At first, I had been convinced that the Captain was my Captain as well, my Kathryn. Yet, once we interacted with each other, it became apparent to me that something felt 'off', as I already told you earlier, leading to me doubting that she is, in fact, the woman I have been looking for.
You, on the other hand, feel so familiar, being with you so natural, comfortable, pleasant, easy, yet not at all in a bad way. Talking to you is refreshing, inspiring, stimulating, as well as... Looking at you.
It is true that you have changed outwardly from the time we have been onboard Voyager and it appears illogical for you to be my Captain when I have hardly aged from the outside, came back to Earth, the Alpha Quadrant merely three years before once more leaving for the Delta Quadrant, not even to mention the Seven in your timeline having lost her life, the reason you traveled back in time in the first place.
Still, something, you might refer to it as intuition, tells me that we belong together. That the true reason we both traveled back in time and stranded on this planet was to be reunited, find each other again..."
The Admiral found it hard to keep her emotions at bay, her eyes brimming with tears, pressing out. "Oh, Seven, my darling Seven..."
The younger woman gazed at her and Kathryn's heart was soaring when she recognized the love in those pale blue eyes she had longed to see again for all this time.
Seven blushed prettily, an action the Admiral found to be very endearing, muttering shyly. "I was wondering if... It would be acceptable for me to lay down next to you, Kathryn. I long to be close to you..."
The young woman swallowed. "Perhaps hold you... I... It is alright if you do not wish to-"
Janeway smiled, having placed a finger on those alluring plump lips of her beloved, telling her gently. "I'd very much like that too, darling. Come here, Seven. Lay down with me."
The younger woman flushed and the Admiral noticed to her astonishment that her own cheeks heated up as well. Despite her age, she felt much like a schoolgirl getting to be close to her first crush, no more like her first love.
The older woman once the blonde lay next to her, their bodies so close to each other, hands once more entwined, couldn't help but remark. "This feels much like a dream come true. Having you here with me, sharing a bed with me, if you will, being this close. It's much like in those dreams I had of you, if it truly was you, but much like you, my intuition tells me that it was.
Speaking of those dreams. I think it's time I finally share them with you. Unless you've changed your mind about wanting to hear them..."
Seven smiled a soft smile that took the older woman's breath away for a moment. "Please share those dreams with me, Kathryn. I too believe that now would be the perfect moment to do so, seeing as how we are both reclining on a makeshift bed together."
Kathryn chuckled. "I would've much preferred for this to have happened in my old quarters back aboard Voyager, heck, even on my family's farm in Bloomington on Earth. Well, guess it's my own fault this never came to. I had promised to show you the farm and I failed. I'm sorry, Seven..."
Seven turned to her side, the blood rushing in her ears, staring into those sad, sad eyes of the woman who was the center of her universe. "Kathryn, it is not your fault we did not get to go there together. It is true that I had also wished to be able to do so, see the place you had grown up, where you had spent your childhood and teenage days, however, we should not give up on that yet.
You yourself taught me to never give up, believe in yourself, always work hard to make your dreams come true and reach your goals. The Captain and you might have not managed to find a way to leave this planet in what appeared to be years, however, you have now gained two very efficient, capable accomplices, assistants, if you will, who are very willing to aid you in making it back to the Alpha Quadrant and Earth, or perhaps locating Voyager and get back on board there then return home with the rest of the crew. They might be confused seeing two Janeways and two Sevens, but knowing them they will eventually grow used to it and trust us.
I will bring you to the farm, Kathryn if it is the last thing I do. We will go there, together, in our reality, our timeline. You will not die on this planet, spend the remainder of your days here. That is a promise."
Meanwhile, at the camp of the two older women, Kathryn had started to brief the young woman on the situation, tell the ever-curious young blonde about the Admiral and her time spent on this planet.
Seven, to the older woman's utter delight and surprise, had ended up in her first-ever laughing fit, hearing her Captain tell her the tale of the replicator onboard her older self's shuttle giving out on them, forcing her to go caffeine-free for a while there, a time during which she'd thrown one temper tantrum after the other due to suffering the craziest migraines ever and basically being on withdrawal from her drug of choice.
The poor Admiral who had very undeservingly been subject to her younger self's infamous wrath had been beyond glad once they'd discovered a plant native to this planet which could very well be described as a coffee substitute they had later cultivated and used to produce the Captain's favorite brew from.
Seven couldn't help but ask. "Does Admiral Janeway not consume coffee, Kathryn?"
The young woman could hardly believe that to be the case. Knowing her Captain was very much addicted to the, as she personally deemed, vile bitter brew.
The Captain frowned, telling the young woman pensively. "Believe it or not, that woman actually prefers tea. The heavens know why that's the case. It seems to be a secret that she refused to share with even me who is technically her younger self..."
Seven's ocular implant almost reached her hairline, her tone audibly bemused. "Indeed?"
Kathryn couldn't help bark out a laugh at the sheer adorable sight, an action that sent an unnerving flutter to the young woman's lower abdomen and the blood to rush to her cheeks.
How can this be? This woman is not my Captain, or is she? I can not help but wonder about that. Earlier, I had been convinced her to be my future version's Captain, but that appears illogical considering that woman's reaction to Kathryn.
Meanwhile, my own physical and emotional responses towards this woman are... stronger than anything I have ever experienced in any other individual's presence before, save for that of my Captain, my Kathryn. She has even managed to cause me to end up in a 'laughing fit' for the first time in my whole time after having been severed from the Collective.
This urge, desire to press my lips against hers, be as close to her as possible, lick over her throat while she is laughing one of those sensual laughs of hers like just now is resulting in me finding myself unable to focus on anything else. This is most distracting...
The Captain looked at the younger woman in concern. "Seven? Are you alright?"
Seven found herself blush for the n-th time, an action the typically stoic young woman found to be most unnerving, her voice, to her chagrin, having dropped an octave lower. "Kathryn, I do not wish to disrespect you. It is best for me to maintain a safe distance from you for the time being. As you are aware, I am highly inexperienced in terms of romance, love, and the likes..."
Kathryn chuckled one of those alluring chuckles of hers and Seven had a hard time not to growl, feeling a strong urge to claim those tantalizing lips of her Captain. "Seven, darling, you seem to have developed a habit of rambling ever since we last met and I must say that I find it quite endearing. You claim you're highly inexperienced in terms of love, romance.
From what I remember you had been dating Chakotay back on board Voyager. Hadn't you?"
Seven flinched as she heard the name of that man who had ruined everything, manipulated, controlled her, all the while proclaiming Kathryn the aggressor, the one using, corrupting her. The way Kathryn had said that man's name let her know she detested him as much as she did, something that, in all honesty, was a huge relief to the young woman.
It was that knowledge that gave Seven the courage to make her confession to the redhead. "Kathryn, your former First Officer used, manipulated me. He tricked me into thinking you did not care for me never had that to you I had always merely been a tool, a Science project to sate your sheer endless curiosity, an experiment, something to brag to others, mainly Starfleet about, much like the Maquis and himself.
According to him, you had done the same to him before. Used him, led him on, leaving him under the illusion he stood a chance in romance with you, when all you ever wanted was to 'fool around', have some 'fun', no commitment, whatsoever and the fool I was, I believed him, fell for his lies, his mind games and for that, I am truly sorry. I was so young, dumb..."
Kathryn stopped the blonde, looking at her sternly. "Seven, you were by no means dumb. Young, certainly, inexperienced, very much so, dumb, however? No, absolutely not. I know that man who had the audacity to call himself my First Officer for all these years well enough to be aware of the abilities he possesses.
That man can delude you into thinking many things, most importantly that he's the victim, while others are the aggressors, the bad guys, when in fact, it's quite the other way round. He's narcissistic, highly manipulative, twisted, and evil. It's my fault it's come to this.
I should've noticed the telltale signs of him performing his evil schemes with you, manipulating you, but I had been busy trying to get over my feelings for you, hiding in my ready room, working more or less non-stop, just so I would not risk running into you, having to face you, be confronted with both you and my feelings.
Gods, Seven. This is all such a mess. You must truly hate me. Then again... I'm not even your Captain, your Kathryn, am I? So what does it matter?"
Kathryn swallowed, a big fat lump sitting in the back of her throat, her eyes brimming with tears.
Face it, Katie. The chances of you meeting your Seven again are very slim to nonexistent. Just why do I feel so comfortable in this young woman's presence? Being with her feels so familiar, comforting, natural. I feel so young, alive, in a way I haven't felt in so long when I'm with her, but she sure doesn't feel the same.
Just my luck. Two Sevens crashlanding here on the very planet the Admiral and I are on and neither of the two is even remotely interested in me, at least not romantically. It had been set in stone from the beginning. Kathryn Janeway will die alone, unloved, guilt-ridden, lonely, severely deluded, and depressed somewhere out there in the hostile Delta Quadrant...