Title: Things Unexplained

Author: Captain Katie

Rating: NC-17 for depictions of violence and sex

Pairing: Uber J/7

Summary: The X-Files with Janeway/Seven instead of Mulder/Scully

Feedback: Yes please!

CHAPTER 1

"Coffee, black." Annika Hansen handed her partner of the last five years a Styrofoam cup filled a little too close to the brim for her comfort. "Just the way you like it."

"Thank you." Kathryn Janeway smiled diplomatically as she accepted the hot beverage readily. Her tone had been sincere, but she never took her eyes off her notes even when she felt Annika's icy gaze still on her.

"No problem." Annika resisted the urge to sigh as she sank into the passenger seat next to Janeway. She closed the car door as quietly as she could as she steeled herself for another long night with her partner.

Kathryn Janeway exasperated her. She was extremely intelligent, witty when she wanted to be, but at times so socially awkward and introverted that it was difficult to interact with her. In the course of the five years Annika had been assigned to the basement office with Janeway there had been many days when her partner barely spoke two words to her. Instead Janeway would spend hours going over case files labeled X for unexplained and ignored Annika completely.

What was worse than being seen as invisible by Janeway was the fact that Annika had unexpectedly and unwisely fallen in love with her. She had no idea how it happened or exactly when it had started, but she couldn't deny what her heart was telling her. She was head over heels.

"Hand me the case file from 1998." Janeway held out her hand as she continued to scan the dossier in her lap, adding more notes to her pad in between sips of her coffee. When she didn't feel a thick FBI folder in her outstretched hand she turned her head slightly with a bemused expression. "Seven?"

"I told you not to call me that." Annika hated the unkind nickname Janeway had given her the first day they had met.

Annika had been nervous when she had been called in to be reassigned. She was embarrassed by the fact that she had been shaking when she had been given her assignment from Division Chief Hayes. By the time she had walked to the elevator to go down to the basement where Janeway had been hidden away as an embarrassment to the Bureau, Annika had been shaking for other reasons.

"Spooky" Janeway! She was to be assigned to the laughingstock of the FBI? A woman who had given up an illustrious and fast track career as a leading criminal profiler to instead investigate the paranormal or what Annika referred to as the insane and irrelevant. How could they do this to her? Annika seethed visibly with her icy blue eyes blazing and her jaw clenched tightly even as she knocked on the office door that had a black placard attached to it that read "K. Janeway Special Agent". Her knuckles were becoming sore from how hard she was knocking on the thick wooden door. She stopped when she heard an irritated voice telling her to "come in".

"Agent Janeway. My name is Annika Hansen." Annika walked with her chin held high and extended her right hand to the seated woman who had yet to look at her. After a moment of having her hand out, she realized with a high level of annoyance that Janeway wasn't even going to shake her hand. Annika's look was aggrieved as she placed her hands behind her back and stood stiffly. "I've been assigned to work with you."

"Seven."

"Excuse me?" Annika's brow creased in confusion.

"You're my seventh partner in the last year. Six lasted for almost two weeks." Janeway continued to pass her magnifier over the small slides strewn out across her desk. Her voice was low, husky, and annoyed. "You're Seven."

Annika's nostrils flared in anger at such disrespect. "Don't call me that."

"So, what did you do to get stuck with this detail… Seven?" Janeway's auburn hair rustled along her cheek as she continued to scan her slides. She either didn't see the incensed look Annika was giving her or was uncaring of it.

"You know, I was actually looking forward to working with you." Annika crossed her arms over her chest as she steadied herself with deep, calming breaths. "You have an impressive record."

"So nice to be so highly regarded, but I know why you're really here. You were sent to spy on me."

Annika rolled her eyes. "Are you always this paranoid?"

Janeway's hands stilled on her magnifier as her head rose. She turned to look upon Annika for the first time as she removed her dark rimmed glasses and laid them upon her desk. "Then why are you here?"

Annika decided this was not the moment to be sarcastic or glib, so she was earnest instead. "I'm here the same as you. To solve cases. To help people."

"Very noble." Janeway replaced her glasses as she stood from her desk and began placing slides into her projector. It turned on with a whirl and projected a picture of a dead girl onto the large white screen. "Let's get started then. Oregon female, age twenty-one, no explainable cause of death..."

Annika was pulled out of her reverie and back to the present by Janeway's repentant voice. It wasn't something she heard often.

"I apologize, Agent Hansen. Old habit." Janeway smiled slightly as she extended her hand once again. "Can I have the file now?"

"Fine." Annika sighed with exasperation as she pulled the requested file from her overstuffed briefcase resting on the floor by her feet. She knew in handing the file over she would be ignored for the duration of their stakeout. "Here you go."

"Thank you." Janeway settled the file on her lap before she began flipping through it unmindful of the gaze fixed upon her.

Annika knew many thought Janeway was cold, brusque, and lacked empathy or care for others. As standoffish and aloof as Janeway came across, Annika knew the things said by her fellow agents were not only erroneous but downright vicious. Janeway wasn't some nutcase nor was she some heartless bitch without a soul. Annika knew behind Janeway's icy exterior laid a very damaged and sensitive soul.

It took nearly a year for Annika to find out that Janeway's sister, Phoebe, had been kidnapped when they both had been young girls. Kathryn had been only thirteen when she had witnessed her sister's abduction and had obviously been traumatized by it. The fact that Janeway thought it was an alien abduction did nothing to decrease Annika's sympathy towards the wounded woman. She knew Janeway blamed herself and that in the x-files they investigated a part of her was always looking for her sister.

Three years ago they had thought they were close to solving Phoebe's disappearance. An evil man by the name of Dukat was in jail to serve out two consecutive life sentences for the kidnapping, rape, and murder of at least three children all under the age of ten. Dukat had claimed that Phoebe Janeway had been number four and had wanted to be released for just a day to show them where he had buried her. He had explained in a soft, low voice that he merely wanted "to see the look on Janeway's face". Annika had nearly pulled her gun out at that. She had been sickened by his smile, but her fury had been quieted when Janeway had calmly placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Agent Hansen, please get the warden."

Annika could only nod her head in compliance. It wasn't often Janeway said "please", so Annika had done what she had been asked. Before she had departed from the interrogation she heard Dukat saying that she was cute. Janeway's cool reply had been that Annika wasn't his type.

The warden had of course denied Dukat's request and Janeway hadn't argued. Instead she had more conversations with Dukat. He always had the intention of making Janeway lose her cool in front of him by saying things that made Annika nauseous, but never once did her partner show her own disgust. She had merely let Dukat speak and reveal to her where he had buried victim number four. He hadn't done it outright, but during their fourteenth conversation with the insidious man Janeway had merely stood and bid him goodbye. Annika had followed Janeway out of the room, but not before she had looked back to see Dukat's shocked and irritated expression.

Annika still remembered with a sharp pain in her chest when they had found the small grave of Dukat's fourth victim. It had been in a forest not far from Janeway's family farm in Indiana. Janeway had been too impatient to wait for the police, so with gloved hands she had dug up the earth herself. What they had found still caused a cold sickness to fill Annika's stomach. The smallest skeleton she had ever seen that still wore pajamas with little teddy bears on them, tattered by time and death.

Janeway had been very still, pale and silent as she remained crouched over the gravesite. It was the first time Annika had ever seen tears in the stalwart woman's eyes and something broke within her. She finally realized why Janeway was so cold, so aloof. She was damaged. So much so that she was afraid of personal attachment. Of getting too involved. Annika finally understood that Janeway felt more deeply than anyone, including herself, ever realized.

"It's not her."

Janeway's voice had seemed loud in the eerily quiet forest as if nature itself knew not to speak. Annika had knelt down next to Janeway then to see the woman passing her fingers across the skeleton's right collarbone.

"Phoebe fell out of a tree when she was five. She broke her collarbone. This isn't her, Annika." Janeway and Annika ignored the fact that she had just used her first name, something she did quite rarely. "But she's someone."

Janeway's solemn and gravelly voice brought Annika out of her musings once again.

"He's here."

Annika cleared away all thoughts not pertaining to this case as she pulled her gun out of its holster and cocked it. Janeway was right. Crell Moset had just driven into the trailer park with his victim for the evening next to him. Annika didn't believe in psychic photography, but that didn't stop her from knowing this man was the guy. He had killed five women already, horribly, with ice picks lodged into their skulls. His killing spree was coming to an end tonight. Annika quietly opened her car door as Janeway did the same. They sprinted past rows of trailers as they finally got to Moset's that was set apart from all the others.

What happened next was a blur to Annika. She thought they had Moset cornered, but he must have been aware of their presence because he had been ready for them. Annika watched horrified as Janeway fell to the ground after being hit by a taser gun. Before the prongs could be retracted into the gun Annika had fired a single shot that hit Moset in the side of the head and killed him in an instant. She got to Moset's captive quickly. The woman was hysterical until she saw Moset's dead body and fainted on the spot.

Annika laid the unconscious woman gently on the lawn in front of Moset's trailer before she sat down on the grassy ground to wait for the backup that had been called for before they had exited the car. She looked upon Janeway's still form and with a gentle touch pushed strands of auburn hair away from her elegant features. She pulled her hand back as if it had just been burned when Janeway's eyes opened abruptly.

"What happened?" Janeway groaned as she pulled herself into a seated position and looked to Annika for answers.

"Moset's dead. The victim is secure, but fainted." Annika smiled slightly as she heard sirens approaching. "Backup's as punctual as usual."

Annika and Janeway spent the next half an hour giving their reports to the local police. Annika strategically left out the part where Janeway got tasered though she knew she would have to put it in the case file. With a small smile she wondered how much teasing Janeway could handle.

Annika figured not much by the way Janeway's jaw visibly clenched all the way back to their motel. She knew Janeway was embarrassed, so she decided not to try to joke with her this late evening. Annika bid goodnight to her partner before she entered her room.